Jk, just some neck kisses. But Lydia does think Jules has a very lovely neck indeed...
After a weekend apart, Lydia and Jules met up early on Monday morning since Jules had off school and Lydia didn't have any classes, and decided to go climbing together.
And it was a lovely day for a climb indeed.
And they literally climbed all day.
Then the next they climbed for most of the day too, and I now have Jules up to a level 7 and Lydia to a 6. They both have maxed fitness skills too, which I read could help with more successful climbs. I think I want them both to level up a bit more before I do this excursion though (and I will gladly cheat Lydia up if I need to, but I figure since I'm already building Jules' skill, I might as well let Lydia build hers too).
Meanwhile, Wednesday came, and it was the Fourth of July, and the weather was horrific. Lydia was over visiting, and Sofia was still around since she didn't have work at the University over the holiday either.
One of my holiday traditions is water fun, so despite the storm, I sent them over to swim in the river.
Whoops, so sorry, Dell....
Another holiday tradition is to have drinks, so I moved some stuff around to put a small bar inside the house. Sofia made some drinks, and Dell autonomously picked two of them up, even though I had tried to direct her to the shower, but can you blame her, no one deserves a drink more
Then I noticed that someone had come to to the door. Usually random people showing up on the doorstep do not fit into my plans, so I tend to send them away, but once in while, the game will send me someone I actually want to see. Today it was Bex, which was perfect, we can just pretend she was invited over for the celebrations.
Uh, oh, who's gonna step up and change this stinky diaper?
And Sofia came over to autonomously change it, what a champ!
Jules finally put that grill Father Winter gave her to good use.
Around midnight, the weather cleared up, so Dell decided to light some fireworks. After getting struck by lightning earlier, that was certainly a brave decision
And everyone watched the fireworks.
Except for Sofia, who went inside to autonomously hug Lenny, probably because he's terrified of fireworks, poor guy. Sofia truly is a gem.
---
Also, just because I find it fascinating to see how sims fluctuate with weight (I've never really played without cheating needs frequently and if a sim's body get too skinny or fat for my liking, I've been known to pop into CAS full edit mode to put them back the way I want them) So it's been cool to actually not touch Jules' body and see how her lifestyle, pregnancy, eating habits, and fitness actually affect her weight.
This was Jules right after she gave birth.
And this is Jules now, after doing a lot of rock climbing and skiing.
I think she's gotten herself down to a pretty ideal weight, but now I'm worried she's gonna be a stick by the time I finish this month haha.
Hey all...just a quick update. My dog is fine, and she weathered that operation like a trouper. She is still pretty out of it today, poor girl, but she is in her favorite spot, so she is happy to be here. She's a beagle, and very sweet.
@Karababy52 - March - Day 20 - Oh, congrats to Essa for beating L and for L giving her two prized brooms that she had hoped to reserve for her daughters...ahhh...and she gave them to Essa...that was really sweet. Have you completed that collection now? And then the elusive Damon. I thought it was funny that he's hiding out now, Essa has kind of got him scared! lol Was it a coincidence that the other Victorian era vampire was at the club? Did Damon employ him to see if there was anything suspicious going on, or is this vampire after Damon and that is why Damon is keeping a low profile? Hmm...interesting...And I thought that Essa was rather smooth with how she chatted with Damon...how she could be so pleasant, I have no idea how she did that...but, yes, so happy, he wasn't able to put her under his spell,,,because that would have been really bad if it had happened again, and I would have had to create a sim to take Damon out for Essa. lol
The photos of today's update (in Bryons diary) probably look a bit weird, but that's because they all have a filter to make them look more like the same. My game did something weird again. The lights were on, but the people were dark. So I just got rid of the lights and tried to fix it this way lol.
March 19
Bryons Diary
Roxanne and I went to the hospital together. When we walked in mom’s room, I saw she was taking a nap.
(Bryon) “Hi mom. You awake?”
(Randi) “Huh?? Yeah, of course I am. I was just being a little bored.”
Of course you were. I can see that flying Z, you know? You didn't even see Roxanne standing here in the room.
(Randi) “Come, sit”
(Bryon) “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a friend along. She really wanted to see you.”
(Roxanne) “Hello!”
Finally, she recognised her.
(Randi) “I know you. You are the girl that barged in the basement that one day...”
(Roxanne) “I am indeed-“
(Randi) “Oh, my girl. Are you okay?! Did that monster do something to you?! I’m going to make him pay!”
(Bryon) “Mom, you’re still in the hospital!”
(Randi) “I’m sorry, you’re right. Come, sit!”
(Roxanne) “I’m okay, thanks to Bryon. Okay, maybe also thanks to Naoki... I think I gained weight thanks to the amount of food he gave me... You see, Isaius turned me into a cat and took my voice. I was dumped in the wilderness and have been walking for days without food, just to find help. At one point I bumped into a scent and it took me right to Bryon’s place... Just on time. I was exhausted. When I saw that Gabbie was with Bryon, I was relieved. But... I heard that Isaius himself got away...”
(Randi) “That’s right, but he won’t be free for long, right, Bryon?”
(Bryon) “Yes. All the Sages, Spellcasters and Alchemists from the academy will help to create a powerful source of energy that is able to summon Isaius and immediately take him down afterwards. It took us a lot of practicing and studying, but we’re going to do it for real soon.”
(Roxanne) “Whoa... Why didn’t you tell me? I could help!”
(Bryon) “Well, we already have mom to be our mental support in the background...”
(Roxanne) “No I mean, I’m also a Spellcaster!”
(Bryon) “Wait... You are?!”
(Randi) “Well well, that’s a twist indeed. You should let her help, Bryon.”
(Bryon) “But I’m not the one to decide that. The sages are. I’ll ask them Monday. For now, let’s enjoy our weekend. We still have to visit the animal shelter!”
(Roxanne) “Right!”
(Randi) “Animal shelter?”
(Bryon) “Well, Naoki took care of Roxanne when she was a cat. When she turned back, Naoki was really sad. He enjoyed having a cat at home.. So Roxanne and I are going to adopt a cat.”
(Randi) “Oh, the two of you should leave before the shelter closes! I’d love to go too.. But shelters also have dogs, and I’m super allergic…Thank you for coming over. Both of you! I appreciate it so much.”
(Randi) “Send me a picture of the cat afterwards!”
(Bryon) “Will do!”
To be continued…
Behind the scenes
The Sages, Spellcasters and Alchemistst in the academy should've known that Curse is always one step ahead. He’s been working on a special spell that swaps bodies. Not only that, but it also wipes away the memories of the person that’s been swapped. Curse also knew a spell to replace someones memories. He had a big plan.
Today was finally the day to use all these spells…
... On himself and Gordon. Of course, Gordon doesn’t suspect a thing, lol.
(Curse) “Corpora verto memorias!!!”
-I literally made this up with the help of Google Translate and my creativity-
Just like that, Gordon went into Isaius’ body, but kept a copy of Curse's memories. His own memories? Wiped away with the wind.
(Curse in Gordons body) “You’ll do just fine as a replacement for me…”
(Gordon in Isaius' body) “What are you saying, Gordon? You never make sense. You are excused. I have business to do.”
Gordon walks away. Curse's plan worked perfectly. Now it’s only a matter of time before Gordon will be caught by the academy... Nobody will ever notice the difference.
(Vlad) “I see you gave up your life as a Spellcaster.”
(Curse) “I did, but this was the right choice. Thank you for letting me stay here.”
(Vlad) “So, you know the deal, right? You borrow my basement, I’ll get to give you the perfect make-over... As an immortal.”
(Curse) “I’m ready.”
(Vlad) “Bite.”
(Curse) “... Bite?”
(Vlad) “Bite!”
(Vlad) “That’s too hard!”
(Vlad) “Enough!”
(Curse) “Ugh....”
(Vlad) “The make-over is starting to work.”
Some time later, Curse's make-over was completed... Although he still felt a little woozy in his belly.
(Vlad) “And now, it’s time for hibernation”
(Curse) “Hibernation??? When will we wake up??”
(Vlad) “Mwehhh.. September? October? Yeah, somewhere in between those months. Come. Sleep.”
(Curse) “Hibernating until September...”
(Curse) “Fine. I’ll be back, Bryon Ellison... In September.”
(Vlad) “Shut up!”
Hey all...just a quick update. My dog is fine, and she weathered that operation like a trouper. She is still pretty out of it today, poor girl, but she is in her favorite spot, so she is happy to be here. She's a beagle, and very sweet.
Oh man, Sakura looking at the photos of her two loves, what a predicament she's in....
But that's nothing compared to the twist you threw at us with Prince Oberon! The bubbles were a nice touch as well. I like your efforts to include magic in your game when you don't have the pack, very clever! And the segue to get her to move to Willow Creek was very nicely done as well! Also very cute emoji texts with Sakura and Wolfgang, and having them joke about franks and beans (such a classic sims mean LOL) as an inside joke of sorts was a cute idea as well. And very clever with the mushroom circle and the nod toward the Sylvan Glade mushroom circle! And how Sakura's bouts of sadness and watering her garden with tears has alerted the fairies to her existence, such a well crafted story as usual - you really do plan things out so thoroughly.
I am really curious to see how you play things - will Sakura just be in Willow Creek for these last few weeks of March?
Also, I was amused by your meshing of Disney fairies and A Midsummer's Night Dream, haha! Sometimes it's nice just to use existing characters instead of always coming up with everything on your own, I actually found myself borrowing a plot point from a movie for an update in a few days haha
Looks like Astrid is getting in the swing of life with a baby and three cats! Sam and Cat seem to have some sibling rivalry/antics as well, haha. They are cute though. And Astrid's basically super mom - she's still very productive and busy! And Bess is still up to her tricks, though it seems like Astrid has made a friend in all this, even if Bess keeps extorting money from her haha Also look at little Max Villareal, up to no good lol...and then leaving a mess in her yard, typical. And wow, that second update, Astrid really saved the day haha, so many sims on fire.
Glad to see you back - and fun to be in Mt. Komorebi for a bit, with two of Jenny's friends. Also Nancy's snowpal truly was terrifying haha. Glad the ice cream thief didn't pull that stunt again. It's funny, but sometimes when my sims eat certain dishes of food, it really makes me want to eat what they're having, and now I'm suddenly craving beef ramen LOL. And the Festival of Snow really is very pretty! Jules just went to that one in my update the other too
Also nice job with collecting and skill building for Jenny, and also sweet that Rohan shows up on his own a lot. They do make a cute couple.
And Operation Geld Damon continues! Though no "gelding" in this episodes, unfortunately I like the shots of her hovering behind the window, very cool visual effect. And is that another one of @Ellupelluellu's vampires? Damon/Nik's father, I think, if I remember correctly?
And then the defeat of L! Which actually turned into a very sweet moment, and Essa got the mother figure she's been longing for since her own mother did such a poor job. Such a sweet moment. So I'm assuming she won those brooms after finally defeating her? Very nice way to add it into the story, and it is equally as sweet for L to informally adopt her since she never had any children of her own. This relationship is special for both of them
I'm pretty impressed that you've managed to do all you've done to Damon just by finding him randomly on different lots in Windenburg! At least, that's what I'm assuming you did, now that you couldn't properly find him in this update. I guess I assumed your were inviting him to the lots where Essa was or briefly adding him to your household to get him to cooperate. It does make sense that he'd be hiding more lately though. I'd be scared to go out in public too if I were him, haha. Molly is in a very strange situation indeed, still living with Damon, but also being supportive of Essa and helping her out. And sneaky sneaky Damon, trying once again to use his powers as they were talking...guess he's not really feeling that remorseful. In any case, glad Essa will continue to do terrible things to him LOL.
I enjoyed Roxanne and Randi's instant friendship, very sweet! And Randi getting protective and wanting to go hurt Isaius for anything he did to Roxanne was sweet too. Randi is going to be everyone's honorary mom now haha. Also I like the idea of the sages and alchemists working together to summon Isaius there - that's gonna be epic, and I know you're gonna come up with a really cool way to do that. Oh no, Randi is allergic to dogs??? How tragic But at least she isn't allergic to cats...
And then, cut to Vlad's basement...and the Curse is up to no good, as always. So evil, and so smart. You spell seems very Latin, makes it have a very authentic feel haha. Good job google translate and your creativity. Poor Gordon, gone as we know him forever. He never really stood a chance. And of course the Curse is still power hungry, so he takes the next best thing to spellcaster - vampire. And there's our good friend Vlad, ready to help out. HAhahhaha, see you in September indeed, dear old Curse...
We were immediately greeted by a woman named Aoi (I think she’s not from here).
She guided us to the cats.
(Aoi) “The first two cats we have here are Emma and Tiger."
(Aoi) "Emma is a fluffy cat with a free spirit. She would work best in a big yard. She likes to wander around and be free. We lost her a few times."
(Aoi) "Tiger is very curious, but unfortunately she gets sick often. My colleague Lane actually just came back from the vet with her, but oh, look at her again...”
(Bryon) “Hm.. What do you think?”
(Roxanne) “You don’t really have a big garden, and I don’t think Naoki is waiting for a cat that has to be treated a lot...”
(Bryon) “Right. Do you have other options?”
(Aoi) “Of course. This way please”
(Aoi) “In this room, we have Salem and Claudio, our male cats."
(Aoi) "Salem is probably the most lazy cat we have here at the moment, but when he’s awake, he talks a lot. He loves wearing clothes!"
(Aoi) "Claudio is a weirdo sometimes, but at least he likes to stay clean. One side note: we often find hairballs of him in the room.”
(Bryon) “Ew. Hairballs. I'm not cleaning those... I do like Salem a lot though. He would be the perfect cat for Gabbie... But I don’t think he would be the perfect cat for me and Naoki.”
(Roxanne) “I was thinking the same. They are nice, but not the best match for Naoki.”
(Aoi) “No problem. We still have two more cats. Here we have Nika and Roo.”
(I was too lazy to change the name, so Roo stays! xD)
Roxanne stiffens when she hears the name and sees the cat.
(Roxanne) “This can’t be possible... How big is the chance?”
(Bryon) “The chance of- wow! That cat looks a lot like you- I mean, Kitty!”
(Aoi) “Ah, are you interested in Roo? Roo is a really playful and curious cat. If you need a fun friend, Roo is the one for you! But- Roo often destroys the furniture. She wasn’t raised well."
(Aoi) "We put Nika together with Roo because they like to play together. Besides that, Nika likes to talk. It’s like she can actually understands us! We never encountered something like this before!”
At that moment, Roxanne and I looked at each other.
(Roxanne) “Are you thinking what I am thinking?"
(Bryon) “Yes, I think so.”
(Roxanne) “Could it be possible that more of them are actually...”
(Bryon) “Well, yeah. Anything's possible, right?"
(Aoi) “Something wrong?”
(Bryon) “I want all of them.”
(Aoi) “All of them?! A- are you serious?”
(Bryon) “Yes. Is that possible?”
(Aoi) “I’ll ask my colleague! Give me a minute please!”
(Roxanne) “Are you really going to adopt them all?”
(Bryon) “Even if only one of them turns out to be a human and the other ones are actual stray cats, that’s still one human saved. We’ll find someone for the actual cats. Also, I hope that Roo is an actual cat, because she would be perfect for Naoki.”
(Roxanne) "Well, I think you lucked out with Roo. I don't have human-vibes with that cat like I had with for example Nika."
(Bryon) "True"
Never thought I would do this, but it happened. 6 cute kitties are now walking around at our place. Yup. This is really happening.
Day 24 - Congrats on reaching those two milestones in the Freelance Botanist aspiration! Ouch! Broom falls look so painful for our Sims butts eh? Poor Astrid! Very sweet of her to clean up the park, I'm sure it helped for one of her badges too! Ugh! Pumpkin! Stop ruining the furniture. Bad kitty! Oh cool she passed the inspection! Aww, so sweet seeing Duane talk to and cuddle Ruby! Very curious about what Max Villareal is doing there. Is Astrid a member of the Renegades? Oh good Lord, Bess is STILL milking Astrid for money? I hope the next time she calls is the big payoff! It only took like 3-5 payments before she's paid my Sims.
Day 25 - Astrid's garden is looking so nice! Congrats to her for reaching Adept! Oh my goodness! Good thing Astrid went to visit Bess to hangout as requested. She saved both Bess and her husband from fires AND did Scrubaroo on them! She better cough up the dough soon now, she owes Astrid her life! Oh yay! She has a cowplant now for the aspiration. Is she going to keep it? I wouldn't. But that's just me, I don't like them. o.O
March 9th - What a fun-filled day for Jenny! Good luck with the grafting! That festival outfit does look good on her! Mmm, beef ramen! I have not had ramen in a couple years at least. Gah! Go away thief! Good thing she didn't try to steal it. Oh man, that snowpal does look terrifying. Love the sculptures lit up at night. Beautiful!
March 10th - Nice collection of Simis she has so far. I love the NK rugs! Use them all the time when they come up for sale on Plopsy or I have a knitter Sim.
March 11th - Love the knitting pack, it's so much fun and the things they can make are great! Great job with the cooking skills Jenny! Aww, so sweet Rohan shows up all the time and Jenny serenaded him. 'late night hoovering' LOL I LOVE that!
March 12th - Bonding with bees is so silly, but that's the Sims for you! Has she asked them to fetch her any presents? Or go pick on somebody for Jenny? She can ask them to fertilize her plants too! Ugh, well bummer she somehow offended Siobhan. Did she apologize?
Nice that both Jules and Lydia had the day off to go rock climbing and the next day too! Bummer Dell got hit by lightening. Nice that Bex came over too. Love the fireworks in this game. Jules is looking a lot slimmer these days, good job!
Thanks, I figured she'd be a bit safer and more concealed on that side of the building peeking in a window than behind the fountain.
Yes, Essa won the wands in the duel, but I thought it would be sweet to have them actually be something special for Essa from L.
Nope, didn't add him to Essa's household, she actually just went to a random lot where I thought he might show up and thankfully he did. Yeah, I think the only reason Molly is still living with him is because she genuinely cares about him despite knowing what he's done. They've been BFFs for a long, long time and it's not the first time he's used his powers to get what he wanted from a girl. Plus, I'm sure she wanted to keep an eye on him too and make sure he didn't try it again, with Essa at least.
How do you know it was Damon using his powers on her? Could be Essa was just daydreaming, being a normal hormonal teenage girl appreciating the hunky guy in front of her, temporarily forgetting what he did. She's always thought he was gorgeous, despite everything. LOL We'll see...
March 19th - Aww, what a nice surprise for Randi to see Roxanne again, and for Bryon to find out Roxanne is actually a Spellcaster too. Nice plan they have for taking down Isaius. Too bad it's not really going to be Isaius they take down, but Gordon. o.O (I read the extra already).
What a wonderful twist on things. You always manage to have some kind of plan that just seems to come out of the blue and is so bizarre we wouldn't see it coming! Wow! Bravo lady, you're so darn creative with your plots. I love it! Cool how he'll be hibernating until Bryon is conveniently in Forgotten Hollow! So now Bryon might get a chance to take him down as a vampire at least, but there would still be the curse to deal with. Fantastic cliffhanger, a lonnnnnng cliffhanger.
March 20th - Nice animal shelter! Did you build it? Or download it? Love all the cats, they're so cute! Love that you 'reused' Roo too! And I especially like that Bryon adopted ALL of them in the hopes one of them might be an actual human. Guessing Nika is, not sure about the others. Naoki is going to be SO happy!
She hasn't unlocked those interactions yet, but I look forward to when she does! And yeah, she's doing awesomely with the knitting. It whiles away the time we're waiting for a Dragonfruit to grow.
Thank you! I really like the Festival of Snow too, although I think the light festival will always be my favourite. I like being able to collect Simmi capsules at the festival, too.
Morgan and Megumi are both pretty good friends for Jenny, even though Jenny is a Paragon and Morgan is a Renegade.
The next two days were spent rock climbing for Jules and Lydia, and I managed to get them both up to level 8, which seemed adequate enough for the the mountain excursion.
After getting up to level 8, I noticed that Jules had the interaction to make energy bars.
Umm...what is she making them out of???? Do I want to know???
Well, she sure seems proud of her creation.
Jules had been curious about the mountain excursion for weeks now - one of Mt. Komorebi's main attractions. She and Lydia had agreed they would complete it together, and after many weeks of hard practice, they decided that this coming weekend looked ideal for them to complete the journey.
Though Dell had offered to watch Ruby while Lydia and Jules went on the excursion, Mario had asked if he could have Ruby for the weekend. So Dell decided to take Lenny to Britechester so they could spend the weekend with Sofia, and Lydia called a pet sitter to watch Mochi.
It was the first time that Jules had left Ruby overnight, and she found herself feeling apprehensive about it. "Are you sure you're okay with her this weekend? Maybe I should cancel..."
"Jules, I got this," Mario assured her. "Plus, Becca is going to be here. It will be good for me to get used to having her overnight too. I feel like I haven't seen her much, so I'm excited for this," he said earnestly.
Jules gave Ruby one last snuggle before placing her in the crib, where she immediately fell asleep.
"Thanks so much for doing this," Jules told him as she gave him a hug. "I'm not sure how my cell reception will be on the mountain, but please, call if you need anything."
Then she went back home again to get a good night sleep so she would be well rested in the morning.
I bought all the necessary preparations. Is it cheating to buy a portable laptop to put on a portable table in case their rock climbing gear breaks, LOL?
And then they were off!
Even though I thought I had filled up Jules' energy bar the night before, her bar was down in the yellow as they moved on to the first part of the excursion, which was fine, since one of them needed to rest for an hour anyway. It also gave Lydia a chance to secretly fill up on some plasma...she had started feeling guilty about the secret she'd been hiding from Jules, knowing that the closer they got, the harder it would be to eventually tell her...if she were to tell her...
And then they moved on...
They climbed for a bit.
"Hey, look at that bird over there!"
"What bird??"
Jules, that's brutal!!!
"Did you seriously just do that?"
But Lydia was quick to forgive her.
And it was dark by the time they finally climbed all the way up to the trailhead.
And then suddenly they were already at the peak. I did the mountain excursion once in my main save, and this went wayyyy faster than I thought it would. I was shocked to already be at the peak lol.
"Whoaaa..." said Jules, stepping toward the edge of the mountain, looking out at the vast expanse of sky.
She slowly laid back in the snow, taking it all in.
I know I need to talk to her, Lydia thought. It's not fair of me to keep this secret from her. But I've done so well blending in to the human world - what if she never needs to know?
They set up their tent shortly after, before calling it a night.
"I'm so glad we got to do this together," Jules told her.
Lydia smiled back at her, but as soon as Jules headed into the tent, she took a moment to breathe in the cold night air before joining her. Things with Jules were becoming increasingly complicated... and as the days passed, she became more entangled in Jules' world. Their relationship had been easy at first. They were tucked away in their own world, and all the threats of her past and the outside world felt very far away. But she knew she risked discovery the longer she stayed in one place - in fact, she had never stayed in one place for this long before, but she was drawn to Jules, and she thought perhaps she might even love her...and she wasn't sure what that meant for their future together.
Inhaling another breath of night air, she joined Jules in the tent. She would have time to think more about this later...
---
Also @Skeilah suggested I do a behind the scenes with Mario taking care of Ruby and having a hard time with it, especially after I captured that smug look on his face. I did find that idea amusing, but this post had already gotten kind of long, and I feel like that would be more fun to explore when Ruby is a toddler and actually could drive him mad, so I will table that idea for the future
Sorry I haven't responded to anyone since the 17th and I'm day behind on posts (again!). The weekend got me! @permanentrose
For Update 77 Jules and Emmett look really cute together! Lol about the ski's coming out of the machine, never even thought about it till now! Grats on finishing the Sightseer Aspiration!
For Update 78 I had Roxanne skill rock climbing by book mostly. It is tedious and with the injuries it makes it harder.
For Update 79 I always get a kick out of the double fisted drinking lol. Poor sweet Lenny! I like watching how the game does things too.. like weight. She probably will be a stick by the end of the challenge lol.
For Update 80 Mario needs some dad time! Beautiful shots of them getting to the peak. It really wasn't very hard for me to do any of the times I did it.. as long as they had rock climbing leveled up pretty high.
-Thanks for letting me know what happened with changing someone in CAS. I actually have seen that in the past I just forgot and panicked about losing days of play lol. Maybe I'll remember next time! Ruby is a lucky girl to have all the clothes. That would be a reason I'd learn knitting before having a baby on Roxanne for sure.
I still think she's going to have Clements baby. I don't see Roxanne really falling for anyone but her children really. I don't always play like that. I just don't see her caring that deeply. I see her being protective though. Maybe the game will give me something to change my mind..
For March 18 I was laughing over dad getting upset about a "boy". I don't think I've beaten Morgyn yet it looks good to see him fly! It's also fun seeing you zap Damon every now and then in secret lol.
For March 19 I love seeing your vendetta against Damon.. it's funny. I wonder why Josh was there... I guess he had to see her!
For March 20 I want to know who the old vampire is? Related to Damon? Grats on beating all the Sages!
- Glad you "got" the Judy, Judy, Judy book title lol. Cary Grant actually never said it fully in a movie... it was just one of those things that developed possibly from a comedy act and people especially women named Judy, hounded him to say later.. I had to research it a little. I love naming books in the game and keeping it in character for the writer.
March 17 I like how she just goes with the invites. Hopping around so much.
March 18 Aww congrats on having Penelope! Your house is getting big too!
March 19 Making headway on the botanist aspiration! Do you ever get anything from giving Bess so much money? Sometimes I get a good moodlet but that's about it.
March 20 Love using scruberoo!
While I'm reading this I'm thinking how good Mila is to Sakura and how nice and supportive that family is compared Kiyoshi's mom. So much potential for extra turmoil in a life with Kiyoshi just because of that... lol. I can't wait to see how you resolve all this eventually.
For Feb 27 Wow... what a twist! Prince Oberon is very Princely looking and cute as he can be. He might be a little pyscho though! The bubble blowing pictures are so funny. Might have to download the prince for.. umm testing purposes. Yeah that's it. Great Fairies and fairy circle too!
-So glad your doggo got through the operation well. Always a little scary to deal with.
For March 18 Glad you smoothed out your game... it's frustrating when it starts having issues. Getting a kick out of seeing your blue family in the pictures!
For March 19 Roxanne and Randi seem alike in the protective department .
Wow.. another twist with the body switch and turning him into a vamp so we won't see him for awhile?
Sometimes we have to take some time off.
Loving the screenshots though and was laughing my butt off about the pregnant Essa so unexpected. The children are beautiful though... those eyes. River looks like he's gonna throw that drink! And Jules marrying Caleb.. your game is amusing for sure.
For March 9 Ahh you can just grow the cowplant then sell it when you get the ding for the aspiration. I like them but taking care of them is a pain in the butt, and theres a bug I get with them. So no cowplants for me either for awhile. Wow that shot of the blue and pink snow sculpture at night was beautiful.
For March 10-12 Jenny is getting so many collectibles. Your friendship with the bees must be pretty high by now.
At the crack of dawn, River transportalated back home to sleep. He intended to rest in his own bed and snooze the hours left in today. But before he could rest his head, he locked himself in the bathroom and downed another potion of plentiful needs. “That’s much better!” And zipped back into the Realm.
River focused on flying and finally aced it as he levelled past neophyte. Daiki Goto, Sage of Untamed Magic, looked at him fondly and praised him for finally getting the hang of it.
But his duelling has much to improve. River loses after what he felt was a near win against Grace Anansi. It was humiliating to lose one duel after another. River wanted to rage but he felt he could persevere and succeed.
Outside the Realm, River didn’t understand why he woke up next to Kat. The last thing he remembered was that he left her room after they slept together after prom. For River, it was a goodbye...He thought he made that clear but here is Kat. In his home, in his dining room stinking up the house for leaving a glass of water to spoil, this feature still cracks me up and warming his bed.
River wondered if he should say something. But the people around him didn’t think it was out of the ordinary. Dirk greeted Kat as if nothing changed between her and River. Even Elsa Bjergsen, the last Scout he’s mentoring, spoke to her as if they’re the best of friends.
“Wait, Elsa. That’s Sofia’s sister.”
Yep.
“But Kat and I broke up and I-I moved on--”
No, you didn’t. After prom night, you told Kat you were wrong and that you wanted to be with her.
“I did? Did I end things with the others? If I did all those things, I should remember. Maybe I need a check-up...and there was something about Dirk wanting to tell me something...What the hell was it?
You don’t need that. You didn’t do that. Why would you limit yourself? Plus you’re doing great. In fact, River, keep doing what you’re doing. You’re making us thrive.
"Who are you?"
"Haha, very funny, River. You already know I'm you."
Notes
Sorry I disappeared, my ear worsened but that’s another story. The point is that I’ve gotten the right medication for it now and things are finally improving. I was certain that this is where the Bjorn-Dirk-River and his parents was going to unravel but I ended up adding more stuff. Apologies if it’s confusing but I’m aiming to tie things a bit neater before this month is through. I haven't played a lot but managed to get tons of screenshots from playing ahead previously.
Also I made a mistake about the spell that unspoils food. It wasn’t Scruberoo, it was Delicioso but I don’t want to change the haiku as it won’t be a haiku anymore. That’s it for now. I hope to read what I’ve missed the last five days either today or tomorrow. Fingers crossed
It was the first time I actually went to a funeral, and I didn’t knew how to behave.
Luckily I had Naoki by my side.
(Naoki) "Don't look at me like that."
(Bryon) "You just asked me to hold your hand like a baby. I'm not a baby."
(Naoki) "Okay, okay. I get it. Just.. Stop staring like that..."
In front of me are mom and Kristine. Kristine is doing so well that mom was allowed to take her outside in the baby stroller. It was important for her to stay warm. She has a lot of blankets in there.
Oh, happy side note! Mom will be released from hospital tomorrow. I’ll go get her after school.
Kristine has to stay in the hospital a little longer, but she’ll be able to come home with us in the weekends as a try out to see how she’s doing. I really look forward to that moment.
In the front row right are Kumiko’s parents and her younger brother. They always thought that Kumiko was doing just fine, and then suddenly they got this news... It must be so hard for them.
Of course Gabbie, Jess and Gage also came. Gabbie brought Roxanne along and Julian did the same with Johnny (although mom invited Johnny too, hahaha).
I was still a little taken aback when the funeral was over. It just seemed so... Unreal.
(Naoki) “Hey. Everything alright?”
(Bryon) “Yeah, it’s okay.. We have six cats waiting for us, so I’d better cheer up fast.”
(Naoki) “That’s more like it. So, you’re gonna see if some of those cats are human like Roxanne?”
(Bryon) “That’s the plan indeed. Want to help?”
(Naoki) “Really?”
(Bryon) “You’re an Alchemist too. It’s a cool potion.”
Naoki and I gave our condolences to the family and went home after that.
Aw, the cat shelter update was everything I hoped for and more. I also love that all the cats have last names haha! And they all have such distinct personalities, and such a great twist that the Curse has been turning random people into cats whenever they make him mad. AND YES! BEST PLOT TWIST EVER!!!! THEY COME HOME WITH ALL SIX CATS
And oh, such a sad update with the funeral, but I really like how you included it. The room you downloaded was perfect, and that picture you hung up Kumiko was perfect, it showed her so full of life and I'm glad you included that. So sad for her family to find out about her death like that and not even know she was in trouble. But the funeral does give some closure, and I think it was good for them to attend. I like that Bryon was all awkward about being there - funerals can be awkward, especially when you are a teenage boy and haven't been to one before. Also love that the stroller worked out for little Kristine, but do I see a dirty diaper cloud billowing out of that blanket LOL? Looking forward to operation free the cats!!
Glad to see you back and I'm glad your ear is feeling better! Looking forward to seeing how you go forward with the plot with Bjorn being his dad...and that photo with Elsa and the paper bag made me laugh HAha, yes, the spoiled water will never make any sense. Only in the sims...I'm a bit confused...did River try to end things with Kat but can't remember correctly, or is something else messing with him?
I do like that Molly is loyal to Damon, that's a perspective I didn't think of. That even though he has this weakness as a vampire, she still loves him as a friend - and wants to protect Essa and other girls from that haha. Yeah, didn't really think of that perspective of Essa still swooning for him...I guess after what he did, I didn't expect her to look at him that way anymore, but she is just a hormonal teen after all haha
Time in the Fairy Realm is different from Time in the Mortal world.
Sakura awoke in a place that she had never seen before. Surrounded by swirling mists, the place seemed mystical and surreal, and almost emanated a pink glow. She got up and looked around.
'Where...where am I?" she thought to herself, "What is this place?"
She looked down at herself, "...and what am I wearing...?"
A figure of a young man came towards her, and all Sakura saw were his eyes. HIs dazzling blue eyes that seemed to hold her in some type of spell. He smiled at her and held out his hand, and as if in a trance, she held our her hand to his.
Prince Oberon: "Sakura," he spoke to her softly, "Welcome to my Kingdom. I am Prince Oberon, Prince of the Fairies."
Sakura: "How...how...where..."
Prince Oberon: "Ahhh, I see you have questions, and I shall answer them all, but first, come and sit with me and drink some strawberry nectar that my sisters have prepared for us...it will help you relax..."
Prince Oberon led Sakura to an area near a waterfall, and had them sit down together.
Sakura gasped, "This is so beautiful...:"
Prince Oberon: "The setting pales in comparison to your beauty, Sakura," he said as he looked longingly at her.
Prince Oberon spread his hands wide and explained to Sakura about his Kingdom, "This is just one of the lands in my Kingdom, but one of my favorites. We, the fairies, go out into the mortal world and care for the flowers and animals of the forest. To a mortal, we are nothing more than flashes of light in the garden. Some of us, like myself, can take mortal form."
Sakura: "I saw flashes of light in my garden. I thought it was just the sunlight filtering through the leaves..."
Prince Oberon: "That would have been my sisters. They have been observing you since you moved to the island. Of course, my sister, Tinkerbell insists that the daisies told her of your innocence and youth, and my sister, Silvermist, believes that the cherries chimed in and told her how sweet of character you were. But my sister, Fawn, insists that it was really the lilies that told her of your beauty..."
Sakura: "You talk to the flowers?"
Prince Oberon: "Why, yes, and I understand that you do, too..."
Sakura, "Yes...but they don't speak to me. I still...I still don't understand why I am here..."
Prince Oberon: "Because you are the fairest and most caring of all the mortals and fae they have encountered...and the perfect match for me..."
Sakura: "Huh? The perfect match for you? I don't understand..."
Prince Oberon: "At the end of this month is my 21st birthday, and I will then become King, and rule this Kingdom. And it is tradition for the new King to marry on the eve of his birthday. And I have chosen you, Sakura, to be my bride...."
Sakura: "Your bride? But...I....I can't be your bride...."
Prince Oberon looked deeply into her eyes and whispered some words to her and sprinkled some fairy dust.
Prince Oberon: "Tell me now Sakura, what you truly want..."
Sakura looked at him and answered him as if she was in a trance. "I...I...wish nothing more than to be yours..." she heard herself say, feeling somewhat dazed.
Prince Oberon smiled: "Yes, I knew that is what you wanted. Now come to me so I may kiss your sweet lips and you will then forget all about your mortal worries. Sakura, my blossom, you are mine..."
A voice sounded in the Glade, interrupting them.
Titania: "Prince Oberon, I Princess Titania, challenge this mortal to a quest, for your hand in marriage..."
Prince Oberon: "Titania, I have already chosen this mortal to be my bride."
Titania: "According to the Rules of the Council of Fae, any fairy has the right to challenge another for your hand in marriage and the winner shall be crowned the rightful Fairy Queen."
Prince Oberon: "I am well aware of the rules."
Titania moved towards Prince Oberon and blew him a kiss: "Prince Oberon, give up this foolish notion of yours to wed a mortal. She does not know the ways of the fae."
Prince Oberon: "But this mortal is different...her skills in botany rival even yours, Titania...and she can talk to the flowers..."
Titania: "Yes, but what about her love for you, Prince Oberon? Is her touch as light as a summer's breeze upon your skin...are her kisses as soft as a butterfly's wings...does she love you of her own free will?"
Prince Oberon: "She will...in time. When we are married, she will open up her heart to me...like a beautiful flower opening its petals...she has much love to give..."
Titania: "And what of our love, Prince Oberon? You know, it has already been foretold that we are to be together..."
Prince Oberon: "If you recall, Titania, another vision was foretold, that of a mortal who would enter our world and know the ways of the fae and bear the heart of a Queen."
Titania: "And you believe this mortal is she?"
Prince Oberon: "Yes."
Titania: "I see. Well, I have no choice then, but to challenge this mortal to a quest. I see you have already used your magic on her. But just know, Prince Oberon, that the final quest is one of true love and you will be unable to use your magic on her then. Agreed?"
Prince Oberon: "Agreed."
Sakura shook her head trying to focus on what was being said, "What is going on?" she asked.
Titania: "Sakura, I challenge you to a quest for the hand in marriage of Prince Oberon. Do you accept?"
Sakura looked around confused: "A quest? But...I....I don't want to do this...I don't belong here..."
Titania: "As you wish, but if you do not accept this challenge, then you will be returned to your mortal world..."
Sakura: "Yes...." she said, looking at Prince Oberon, "...that is what I want..."
Titania: "Ahh...but...it is not so simple. You will be returned to your mortal world and when you give birth to your first born child, the fairies will steal it away and bring the child here and you will never see that child again..."
Sakura felt tears in her eyes, for if she did not accept the challenge, her offspring were doomed. She looked over at Prince Oberon. He did seem to care deeply about her, and she knew that she would care for him in time. Sakura's heart ached as she thought briefly of Wolfgang and Kiyoshi. She really had no choice.
Sakura: "Titania, I accept your challenge."
Prince Oberon smiled at Sakura.
Titania: "Are there any other fairies who wish to challenge me for the hand of Prince Oberon in marriage?"
There was silence in the Glade.
Titania: "So be it. As per the rules, the mortal will be transported to the surface where she will reside in the Gnome Home close to the Glade. Since the Prince's magic will last for 12 hours on her, the mortal will return to the Glade at sunrise and the challenge will begin then."
A wood elf came over to Prince Oberon holding a bowl with several scrolls in it. "Prince Oberon," he said, "You are to choose the first quest."
Prince Oberon looked at Titania: "Sakura will win...I am positive..." he said as he selected a scroll and handed it to the elf.
Wood Elf: "The first quest is to have a strong romantic relationship with 3 Sims at once and to kiss 10 Sims."
Titania to Prince Oberon: "It looks like the mortal will be giving sweet kisses to everyone but you. Of course, so will I. This quest might be rather enjoyable. Don't you agree, Prince Oberon?"
I thought this would be a unique way for Sakura to complete some of the aspirations that she would normally not be able to do (such as Serial Romantic), if she was "in love" with someone in the real world. It is just not in Sakura's nature to "cheat" on the one she loves. She will also attempt the Chief of Mischief Aspiration (because fairies are mischievous). Any aspirations she works on will be covered in a "quest". In the game, I have made Prince Oberon and Princess Titania teens. Sakura will continue to go to high school, and she is going to join the drama club. She will not have any communication with either Kiyoshi or Wolfgang, their families or her close friends during this time. Because I am behind, I will play several days at once, so then I will end on the 31st and continue with the other challengers to Britechester and university in April.
Thanks to this simmer for creating this sim. I renamed her Princess Titania and made her a teen.
March - Day 21: "Dignity is not negotiable. Dignity is the honor of the family."
Notes
Damon was close to the end of his rope. Someone was tormenting him and he didn't know who or why or how to make them stop. But there was one person who had never failed to listen and help him work through his problems. Would he be able to help him now? He was the most respected and powerful man he knew. Surely he would know what to do.
"Hello? Is anybody home?" "I'm up here, Damon, in the playroom."
(What was he doing in there?)
"Damon! Such a pleasure to see you my Son. It's been too long since your last visit."
"Hey Dad, I'm glad you're home. I need to talk to you about something." "Alright, let's have a seat. I was just watching one of your Mother's favorite television programs. I don't quite understand why she enjoys it so much. I thought perhaps I'd view it and try to analyze her reasons."
"Don't let me stop you. We can talk while you watch."
"Mother likes this? It's so childish." "Well now, you know your Mother. She has always had a playful air about her. I have to admit, it is quite amusing, in a juvenile manner of course."
"Quite."
Nikolas turned off the television and turned toward his Son. He'd sensed that something was deeply troubling him. "I will continue viewing this later. What would you like to discuss?"
"Well, you see, there's someone that's been covertly doing horrible things to me." "Oh? And what would those things be?"
"I was at the club and they turned me into a statue of a Knight in full armor! I couldn't move or talk, I could barely even see or hear anything. Nobody cared, they didn't see it happen. I think they thought I was a club decoration or something. Somebody even kicked me to see if I was real, or try to knock me over. I don't know." "Oh my! Sounds very uncomfortable."
"It was! But that's not all!"
"The next night, they zapped me with some kind of electricity or lightening. I didn't even know my own name after that. Scrambled my brain for a couple hours. Man did that hurt!" "Oh dear, now why would someone want to do those kind of things to you? Have you hurt someone yourself?"
"No more than the usual, you know, when I'm hunting. But they never remember it since I wipe their memories anyway."
"But Dad, that's not everything either. There's more!"
Damon continued ranting about everything that had been done to him while his Father patiently listened and probed his mind to discover any clues that might reveal why someone would do such heinous acts to his Son.
Nikolas Masters was a very old and very powerful vampire. He had learned the ability to read the memories of others a long time ago, but only a very few, other than his wife, Inna, were trusted enough to know he had this skill.
It saddened him to discover there were indeed two disturbing incidents with a young girl named Essa Ellington with whom his Son was in love. However, she did not love him in return and held a love in her heart for someone else.
Unfortunately, Damon believed what he'd done hadn't hurt her, only given her pleasure. Even though she was not meant to remember his misguided acts of love since he had used his powers to wipe her memory of their trysts.
Nikolas believed Damon had left behind a memory in this young girl's mind, whether on purpose or from not fully learning or listening to the lessons he'd been taught about the powers of erasing memories. More importantly, he obviously did not retain the lessons Nikolas had taught him about the ways of love.
He was far from a naïve man, he knew very well that many vampires used their powers to take what they wanted from others, which had nothing to do with gaining a meal during the hunt. Nikolas thought he'd taught Damon that was not the way things were done in this family. It was not right, not dignified and not respectable in the least. One does not take love, it must be given freely between two hearts and souls.
Nikolas was very disappointed in his Son, but he felt somewhat responsible as well. He had failed. He must find a way to make Damon understand, clearly, without letting him know he knew what he had done.
"...so that's it. What can I do? How do I find out who's doing this to me and why? I can't take it any longer Dad. It's making me a nervous, paranoid wreck. I can't go out in public without constantly looking over my shoulder, always wondering what's going to happen next."
"Someone clearly believes you have hurt them in some way and is attempting to exact their revenge for your actions."
"Whether you believe no one has been hurt beyond measure, does not matter. In their heart and mind your actions have consequences and you must suffer as they have suffered."
"If you are unable to discover who they are and apologize to them, your tormenter will most likely continue delivering punishment for as long as they desire, perhaps the rest of your life until they are satisfied you have been taught a lesson."
"Are you certain there is no one you have hurt beyond the hunt? Have you used your powers on anyone other than during the hunt for your own satisfaction or gain?"
"Well yeah, just a few girls though. Why shouldn't I use my powers however I want? Why do I even have them if I can't use them?"
"Besides, they weren't hurt, it was fun, I had fun, they had fun. Nothing but pleasure for both of us."
"I erased their memories afterward too. No way would they even remember what happened." "Are you certain?"
"Positive. You taught me well."
"Anyway, lots of guys do it, it's nothing new. It's like a one night stand, only they don't remember, so no guilt. I'm really doing them a favor."
"Okay, well it appears you can't help me, I guess I'll have to ask someone else. I thought you'd know what to do. But I guess not. I have to go, school tomorrow and I haven't done my homework yet."
"I am very disappointed in you Son. Have you learned nothing of my lessons on integrity and responsibility?"
"With great power comes great responsibility. Don't take advantage of them. Respect! If it's not yours, don't take it. If it's not true, don't say it. If it's not right, don't do it."
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain. It's a choice between what's convenient and what's right. People of character do the right thing even if no else does. Not because they think it will change the world, but because they refuse to be changed by the world."
"The difference between the reason of man and the instinct of the beast is this, that the beast does not know, but the man knows that he knows. You were taught to be more of a man than beast."
"It's a different world than the one you lived in Dad. Perhaps it's time you realized that. I am more a beast than a man, not by choice. I was born this way, thanks to you and Mother. Wake up old man. Things change, your antiquated ideas don't belong in this century. I'm a vampire and I intend to take full advantage of that fact. I like to hunt, and I'll make no excuses for doing it."
Oh yeah, the energy bars. Forgot all about those. Josh and Essa I don't believe ever made any of those. They didn't have the right ingredients or something. I'm glad Mario was the one to take care of Ruby. Good practice for Daddy taking care of his little girl. Not cheating at all with the laptop, though you won't need it. I didn't know Sims could wipe snow in another Sims face. Oh cool, they made it to the top in the evening too! Fun watching the stars on top of the mountain. Congrats to Jules! Lydia needs to tell Jules, asap!
Molly is just an awesome Sim! She doesn't like what Damon did, never has, but she understands it's the nature of the beast. Doesn't make it right, but she loves him as a friend and it's amazing what one will forgive our friends for.
Essa wasn't swooning over Damon, nope. Just a physical attraction thing over a good-looking guy, any guy that looks like him. Just like how she was saying he's a beautiful apple with a rotten core. She just 'thought' he was trying to mesmerize her again, but he really wasn't. Don't know if any of that makes sense. But that's how I see it.
hehe Yeah, Simeon was like, "What!? Who's hurt my girl? I'll make them pay for it!" Oh gosh yes, I'm having a ball with Operation Geld Damon. I guess Josh did too, it was weird. I've never seen anyone there except Spellcasters and the ghost vendors in Caster Alley.
Well, if you've read my chapter for today, you already know he's Damon's Father. Very interesting about the Judy, Judy, Judy phrase. Thanks!
You know what's weird? Essa has tons of brooms but she's never ridden any of them. o.O All my other Spellcasters rode brooms though. The fail with those is hilarious! Bummer he didn't beat Grace dueling. Okay, I'm extremely confused now what's going on. Is River possessed or something?
So glad your ear is improving now with the right medication! It's a good feeling when we get ahead of playing eh? Ah good to now it's Delicioso, not Scrubaroo for that spell, thanks for the clarification.
At first I was wondering who died? Then I remember it was Kumiko. Very cute stroller and nice job getting everyone to sit down. I'm assuming you used a Mod? So happy Randi and Kristine will be leaving the hospital soon! Very nice Julian and Jess were there too. Oh I love that Naoki will be helping Bryon with the spell to turn a cat back to human. It'll be interesting to see which ones are/aren't.
What an interesting chapter! I love how you've weaved all sorts of Fairy lore into this. By the way Sakura looks amazing! The softness of Sylvan Glade makes everyone look ethereally beautiful. I can't help but make a bit of a comparison of what is happening to Sakura with Prince Oberon to Essa and Damon. It's kind of the same, but not really. It is similar in the way he's holding her there against her will and putting a spell on her to make her say those things about him and want to kiss him, etc.
I don't know if I should cheer for Sakura to win or hope that she loses. I don't like Tatiana's attitude and want her to lose, but I don't want Sakura to win either. Good job, you've got me confused here. Not in the story, but what's the best outcome for everyone involved. Guessing she needs to lose to get out of there somehow. But will Prince Oberon let her go? Great job with this!
Hold on to your hats, things are about to get crazy for a few updates lol....
Update 81 - In the dark of the night
Notes:
Jules and Lydia awoke the next morning to a clear blue sky, feeling quite literally on top of the world. They packed up the tent and enjoyed the view one final time before beginning the descent down the mountain.
It was evening by the time they arrived back at the Onsen, where they both took hot showers.
And grabbed a bite to eat. (Lydia's like, You can do this. Eat the gross human food to keep up appearances...)
And then they walked back home in comfortable silence.
Suddenly, Lydia noticed a bat swoop near them. No... she thought, Just a plain old regular bat. It has to be...
"Is everything okay?" Jules asked, registering the concerned expression on Lydia's face.
Lydia composed herself quickly and assured Jules that everything was fine, and then kissed her goodnight at the door.
But as soon as Jules was safely inside, a worried expression furrowed on Lydia's brow once again.
She walked up toward the path, trying to push away her suspicions, but she found herself scanning the area for the bat once again, just to be sure.
She barely had time to register the bat swoop down by her head before it materialized swiftly into a dark figure behind her.
And he had grabbed her and placed a firm hand over her mouth before she could even react.
The man, clearly a vampire with a brute strength that Lydia could hardly match, restrained her easily. "Agatha!" he hissed into the night. "I'm ready when you are. This is almost too easy..." he laughed, tightening his grip on her.
A slender vampire sped into view, her eyes glinting wickedly. "Nice work, Tiberius."
Lydia tried to fight, but she found she was painfully out of practice.
Agatha summoned her powers, and Lydia slumped to the ground, overcome by an instant irresistible slumber.
Immediately, the power she'd be using to conceal her true vampiric form lost its hold.
"Much too easy," Agatha agreed, stepping up beside Tiberius to examine her handiwork. "I was expecting more of a fight. It's a shame, how far astray she's gone. Now let's get her back to Vlad - she may be weak, but I'm still not sure how long my powers can subdue her."
Tiberius nodded and slung Lydia's limp body over his shoulder.
And with a cloud of dark smoke, the three of them instantly vanished.
Nothing really happened today, as we still haven't managed to grow a Dragonfruit, so Jenny simply kept on tending to her big garden. She also started working on her school project.
She knitted another rug for Plopsy, but they don't seem to be very successful yet?
March, Day 14
Megumi came over last night at her usual strange hour, so Jenny decided to use her new skills and teach Megumi to knit!
I had her take the day off from school, too, and hoover up the weeds from the garden.
After the sun rose properly, I had a think about what I wanted to do with the day, and came to the conclusion that I wanted to try and complete that part of the Sightseer Aspiration that hadn't worked for me before. So, Jenny grabbed Morgan and they went for a day at the Onsen!
She showered before jumping in...
And woop! A lot of time later, she did it!
After that, she got a notification that the Paragons wanted to meet. I wasn't feeling the swimming pool, so instead I called a gathering where we were, and GUESS WHO SHOWED UP.
I guess Megumi wants to keep an eye on these terrible, coffee drinking teens.
I also have NO idea what was going on with Sergio's outfit, but it wasn't anything good.
Still, Sofia and Siobhan didn't seem to mind or notice. Is the boy not cold?
Jenny also ended up apologising to Siobhan about whatever it was they fell out about (I still have no idea) and it was a touching moment, although I think Megumi might have had a hand in Siobhan accepting the apology from the look on her face.
And just for old times' sake, Jenny had another fight with her old nemesis, the Onsen vending machine!
So, there you have it, Jenny is becoming closer with the Paragons and still maintaining a friendship with Morgan! Plus, Megumi and her are Best Friends. Should I oust Siobhan as the leader?
Which pack is that face scar for Nikolas Masters from? I don't remember seeing it in the options from the vampire pack which is why I'm asking. They are very cool!
I had to laugh when Damon went into the house and found this old, grand master vampire sitting in the playroom watching a goofy TV show. Kudos to you for making it work anyway though haha!
This was a very enlightening update on Damon's character. For being such an old vampire, he is certainly immature and arrogant. I guess that's what happens when he's been stuck in a teenager's body for so long - he's got all those raging hormones and also the power to get what he wants, and he can't even recognize that he might have hurt people along the way. I appreciated that his father didn't tell him what he had discovered from reading his son's memories - and instead he encouraged him to be introspective and try to discover for himself who might be after him. I think it will be good character growth for Damon to have to grow and mature instead of just having this information handed to him or having his dad fight his battles for him. I quite like how you write Nikolas Masters, and I hope this isn't the only time we see him!
Yeah, I figured out pretty early on that I wouldn't need new rocking climbing gear in the middle of the excursion, haha. I was really pushing Jules and Lydia to do a lot continuous rocking climbing while I was building their skill, and their gear was breaking rather frequently which I think made me nervous, but they barely had to climb at all for the excursion. I do think Jules is going to do the mountain excursion once more this month, and now I know that I don't really need much to be successful.
I do feel like I made a similar situation for Lydia with holding off on telling Jules about being a vampire in the same way that Jules hid her pregnancy, which I didn't really intend to do haha. Lydia will tell her as soon as she can...which may not be super soon now, considering the circumstances, lol. It was a bit hard to go back in and make the vampire plot work as seamlessly as I wanted, since I didn't actually plan it from the beginning - one of the struggles with posting a work in progress story, I suppose, but I have plans for Lydia to be a part of the story once the Forgotten Hollow month comes, so I was hoping to lay some foundations now.
And yes, I see what you were going for with Essa and Damon now, makes sense, thanks for taking the time to explain!
Wow, Sakura is looking gorgeous and so grownup with that new haircut and makeup! And the glow of the Sylvan Glade only adds to the gorgeous aesthetic of all your screenshots. I feel like we really walked into a fairytale with your update, and the environment really helped with that! Also now we have a quest for Sakura, the threat of her losing her first born child, and of course all this fairy lore! It will certainly be fun to see what you accomplish at the tail end of this month, and I think that's a great idea to see if you can complete some of the aspirations that wouldn't typically be in character for Sakura. I'm debating whether or not I should do the serial romantic aspiration with Jules, we shall have to see...Tatiana is really cute too! I especially liked that screenshot you got of her laughing - I feel like it really captured that mischievous fairy spirit!
Nice updates with Jenny! Sometimes I have those days with Jules too, where I'm like...hmmm, what should I even do today? Going to finish that aspiration was a good idea, and calling the Paragons to meet was a fun idea too (love your commentary about Megumi keeping and eye on her - also Jenny teaching her to knit was super cute!) I think the Paragons have a pink dress code, so the game will pull random pink outfits for the members to wear when gathering, which can lead to some entertaining results. The Renegades had a black dress code, and I ended up making there no dress code since I was annoyed that the game was generating some ridiculous outfits. I do like that Jenny is friends with Morgan even though she's in the rival club. Having her oust Siobhan could be a fun storyline, and it would also be a way for you to complete the Leader of the Pack aspiration!
I’m trying to piece together what’s happened to me the last few days. What’s still happening to me these past few days. Sages tell me I’ve ranked onwards as a great Virtuoso! I remember that happening.
Minerva challenged me to a friendly duel. She offered me practice, even chuckled to herself as she promised me she’d go easy on me. I know she was being playful. She’s the nearest thing to a grandmother I’d ever have and we’re not even that close. So it irritated me, but it felt so good when I won.
I felt like I could win again. I downed another potion of Plentiful Needs and felt my hunger disappear. My exhaustion from experimenting with the cauldrons for hours and getting training from the Sages. I was on a streak. I challenged the girl that was catching my eye in the Realm. If I won, I would do what he said, and if I lost, she’d get to boss me around.
I won my second duel and I got her kiss.
I got to winning against the Sages too! Winning against my Sage Master, Daiki, was the sweetest nectar borne out of my hardwork. I zapped his 🐸🐸🐸🐸 to Losershire. I sped through the wins and challenged everyone who agreed to a duel. I did get mad and mean when some shied away from the challenge and called them a word worse than wussies.
You’d think I would reach the rank of Virtuoso after all the dueling, but no dice. I went to the Sages to ask for more instruction. Each one of them got annoyed with my impatience. But could they blame me? I was finally seeing victorious streaks. I wanted to learn more and it was their role and responsibility as Sages to instruct. Why are they a Magical Three? Someone must be more powerful than the rest.
I washed my face off the sweat and dirt of the day. When I heard a disembodied voice creeping into my mind.
”Finally I make my grand appearance in your little nightmare!" The voice chuckled as it echoed throughout. "River, how long were you going to sleep in there? But honestly though, mate, thank you. You've given me so much, River. I’ve been having so much fun in your body.”
“Who are--Wait are you the reason why I’ve been having blackouts?” The thoughts race in my mind, colliding with one another with nowhere to go, emptied of any sense of consequence connected to him. "I-I need to wake up from this. Someone must have noticed! You need to let me out!"
“Umm, am I the reason why you’ve been having blackouts?" The voice was similar to mine, but that reflection mocked me as he toyed with my panic. "We’ve been through this before, this isn’t my doing. You did this. You made me and you know, if you get rid of me, you're essentially destroying yourself so...ipso facto, we're all in this together, brother.” His words stabbed ice into my veins.
“But, this can’t be real.” I try to reach into the corners of my mind, trying to unlock how long it's been. What this Other Me could have done in my place?
Notes
This is the most photo-heavy post I've done. Still trying to find the balance with it. Loving how you're stories are advancing so far!
Coach Janks had been surprised at how the Olympic Snowboard Team was progressing and decided to give them a day off earlier than expected. Kiyoshi was dropped off at his house and he immediately thought of Sakura and how surprised she would be to see him. As soon as he unpacked, he would head over there and see her. He had to talk to her about something, and the only way he could do that was in person.
He had tried to call her on the way, but his calls and text messages went unanswered. He wondered where she was.
Kiyoshi arrived home and his mother immediately came to greet him.
Megumi: "Kiyoshi-chan! What a surprise! Coach Janks didn't tell us that you would be arriving a month earlier than planned. How long are you here for?"
Kiyoshi: "Okaasan, it is only for 24 hours. Coach Janks told us that we were making better progress than he had hoped and gave us an extra day to be with our families."
Megumi: "That's wonderful, Kiyoshi-chan. I shall prepare a wonderful dinner for you, all of your favorites. Perhaps we could even invite over Kaori and her family. Sachiko and I haven't seen each other in awhile, and it would be a wonderful time to catch-up."
Kiyoshi: "I actually need to see Sakura, and might not be back for dinner."
Megumi: "Sakura? Oh..." Megumi hesitated and wondered if she should let Kiyoshi know or have him go to Sakura's house and find out himself. She decided to tell him, "Sakura is actually not here."
Kiyoshi: "What do you mean she's not here? Okaasan...you know something. What is it?"
Megumi: "Well, actually, you would probably find out anyway, so I might as well tell you. The day after you left, she was accepted at The School For The Arts in Windenberg, and she moved there at the beginning of the month."
Kiyoshi: "So, do you know where she is in Windenberg? DId she change her phone number, because she isn't answering my calls."
Megumi: "Well, she did come over before she left and gave me some letters for you. She told me that her new address was in one of the letters. And I really don't know about the phone number, I haven't talked to her."
Kiyoshi: "But, Okaasan...I never got those letters. What happened to them?"
Megumi: "Well, that is the unfortunate thing...we sent them in that first courier package, and we all know what happened there...the driver had a crash in that bad thundersnowstorm, and all the courier packages were damaged or lost. Truly unfortunate that I never asked for her address, so I really don't know where she is."
Kiyoshi: "And she never sent any other letters....?"
Megumi: "Um....err....no.... not a single letter. And you know, I would definitely have couriered those letters to you. But, these things happen all the time. Being in another country...she got...um...too busy to write...she got involved with her music, and perhaps she met a new sim...I'm sorry Kiyoshi-chan...perhaps it's for the best..."
Kiyoshi: "How can you say that Okaasan? Sakura is my girlfriend...and...and what about my letters to her? Where are those letters?"
Megumi: "Oh yes," she said as she went to a drawer in the kitchen, "Don't worry, I kept them safe. They are all here..."
Kiyoshi looked at the pile of letters that his mother handed to him, a look of disbelief on his face, "So, she...she never got any of these letters? Oh gosh, she must think I don't care about her. Why didn't you tell me about this Okaasan? Why?"
Megumi: "Well, Kiyoshi-chan, you were at training camp, and I didn't want you to get upset about a little insignificant mail incident. And what does it matter now, Sakura didn't write you...so maybe you were really only friends..."
Kiyoshi stood there trying to control his anger. He wasn't sure who to be angry with. His mother, the courier company, the postal service, Sakura or just everything. It just couldn't be true that Sakura wouldn't write him. It's not possible. Or perhaps his mother was right and Sakura had just been a friend, and he had thought she had been more. Maybe the person he should be angry with was himself for being a fool and caring about Sakura.
Just then his little sister, Nanami entered the room, "Kiyoshi, Kiyoshi! You're home!"
Kiyoshi brightened. At least there was one bright spot in his day. He gave Nanami a loving hug, "Nanami, I've missed you so much. Have you been doing your homework? Tell me all about school. What have you been doing while I have been away?"
Nanami: "Kiyoshi, I've missed you. Come up to my room, I want to show you what Sakura sent me. It's the cutest little statue and it's name is Poppy."
Megumi :"Nanami, what are you talking about? Sakura sent you something? When?"
Nanami: "Okaasan, please don't be mad. I know you told me not to open any of the mail, but this was addressed to me. It came when you and Otosan were at the meeting the other night, and so I opened it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I thought you would be mad at me."
Kiyoshi felt like he could just twirl his sister around right now. He felt so happy, "Nanami, this statue, did you keep the paper it came in? Like the brown paper with the address on it?"
Nanami: "Yes! Yes! I did. I started a stamp collecting project at school, and the stamps on the package were so pretty, I kept it. Do you want to see Poppy?"
Kiyoshi took Nanami's hand and practically ran up the stairs with her.
Nanami and Kiyoshi entered her room, and she showed Kiyoshi the statue and handed him the wrapping paper with the address on it. Nanami also showed Kiyoshi the short note that had been sent with the statue.
Kiyoshi read it and paused, "...and tell your brother, Kiyoshi, that I am thinking about him, and wish he was here..." Kiyoshi smiled. Sakura hadn't forgotten about him.
Kiyoshi: "Could I borrow this paper for a moment, Nanami? I just want to write the address down..." Nanami nodded that he could.
Kiyoshi went into his bedroom, and took out a pen and paper from his drawer, and gazed at the photo on his dresser of he and Sakura, "Oh, Sakura, what must you think of me? And why haven't you written to me? And where the heck is Windenberg?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When they were gone, Megumi felt a huge headache coming on. Why was Sakura still in their lives? And now Kiyoshi would know her address and start writing to her. There must be something else she could do. If she could get his phone for a moment, she could....
There was a sudden knock on the door, which interrupted her thoughts. Megumi went to answer the door, and standing on her doorstep were two police officers from the National Police Agency.
"That's strange," she thought, "What were they coming here for?" She opened the door.
Detective Lee: "Good evening, are you Megumi Ito?"
Megumi: "Yes, I am. May I help you?"
Detective Lee: "This is Detective Yin and I am Detective Lee of the National Police Agency. Do you know a teen named Sakura Li?"
Megumi took a deep breath, :"Yes, she is a friend of my son's."
Detective Yin: "May we come in for a few moments, Mrs. Ito? We are working with the Windenberg Police on a case."
Megumi: "Oh? And it involves Sakura?"
Detective Lee: "Yes, unfortunately it does. She has been reported missing and we need to ask you a few questions."
Megumi: "Well, I really didn't know her that well."
Detective Yin: "That's interesting, Mrs. Ito, because one of the last calls and text messages she made was to you."
Megumi looked around and put on her face of concern, "Really? Hmmm...that's strange...I never received anything from her. But, yes, please, come in and I will answer any questions you have."
As they were seated on the couch, Kiyoshi came downstairs carrying a suitcase in his hand.
Kiyoshi: "Okaasan, what's going on?"
Detective Yin: "Are you Kiyoshi Ito?"
Kiyoshi: "Yes, yes, I am...what is this all about?"
Detective Lee: "Perhaps you should sit down for what I am about to tell you."
Kiyoshi: "As long as it doesn't take too long, I have a train to catch."
Megumi: "Kiyoshi-chan, where are you going? You just got here..."
Kiyoshi: "I am going to Windenberg, Okaasan, I am going to see Sakura. I have her address and I am sure that I will be able to find her house. I have something important I need to talk to her about..."
Megumi: "But, Kiyoshi-chan...Windenburg is 12 hours from here...where will you stay? What about the Training Camp? You can't leave now..."
Detective Yin: "Excuse me, Kiyoshi...would that be Sakura Li that you are referring to?"
Kiyoshi: "Yes...why? Is something wrong?"
Detective Lee: "Kiyoshi, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Sakura Li has been reported missing and has vanished without a trace. We are working with the Windenberg Police on the case. No-one has seen her since Saturday, and the last time anyone heard from her was Sunday. The Windenburg Police suspect that Sakura may have been a victim of foul play."
Kiyoshi couldn't believe what he had just heard. Sakura had disappeared? Foul Play? Where was she? What had happened to her?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thanks to these simmers for their wonderful creations. I just dressed the sims in police outfits, and renamed them as Detective Soo-Yung Lee, and Detective Katashi Yin.
Ahh again behind on posting. I did play them for at least 3 of their days so will just stretch it out for the daily posts rather than try to play catch up.
March 20 (March 21 and 22 will be under the spoilers)
I was tired of being in their house and Roxanne had at least 9 days of vacation. I figured I'd use it until her grades started slipping. I do want her to end her teenage years with an "A" average. Anyway, off to Granite Falls they went!
I figure they can both work on the herbalism skill a little once the plants come in and hopefully there will be good opportunities for Magic.
I was amazed how well the Potion of Nimble Mind works. I started Roxanne on the violin when they got there after school on Thursday and by the middle of the night she was up to about level 8. I'm just letting Archie muddle through but keeping him busy. They both also read the first herbalism book until they couldn't learn from it so they got to a little over level 4. Archie also planted a starter garden (all the plants other than the herbalism ones that you use in those concoctions). I plan on filling out the garden for whoever else rents there in the future.
This was after a spell backfired on Archie.... zip zap. He wandered all around and I couldn't control him until it wore off. He basically took a very long hike.
March 21
The next day after topping off violin, Roxanne moved on to piano, she was already pretty highly skilled but I had her get it to 10.
Archie had fun trying out the wishing well (no shot) and terrorizing the bear... She ended up being a pretty girl he might court later. He also had another overload also.... Oppsie!
March 22
It was off to fish and do some exploring the next day!
It was also New Year's eve so they made some resolutions (for my sims its almost always a skill point)
I've been surprised how easy it is to find the bugs against the snow. Archie found a lot.
Time to visit the Hermit. He wasn't half-bad looking but has a goofy walk and pencil thin eyebrows and very thin lips. Will probably make a trip to CAS for him.
Roxanne baked him some bread and they both made friends with him. I got Archie to try the potion of forced friendship and he had their relationship maxed quick. Roxanne took the slow route since she already gets a good boost on making friends and I wanted to see the difference. Forced friendship works pretty well. They were both able to learn the special recipe before they ended their time in that spot.
Comments
Notes:
Lydia, what are you doing?!?! 😱
Jk, just some neck kisses. But Lydia does think Jules has a very lovely neck indeed...
After a weekend apart, Lydia and Jules met up early on Monday morning since Jules had off school and Lydia didn't have any classes, and decided to go climbing together.
And it was a lovely day for a climb indeed.
And they literally climbed all day.
Then the next they climbed for most of the day too, and I now have Jules up to a level 7 and Lydia to a 6. They both have maxed fitness skills too, which I read could help with more successful climbs. I think I want them both to level up a bit more before I do this excursion though (and I will gladly cheat Lydia up if I need to, but I figure since I'm already building Jules' skill, I might as well let Lydia build hers too).
Meanwhile, Wednesday came, and it was the Fourth of July, and the weather was horrific. Lydia was over visiting, and Sofia was still around since she didn't have work at the University over the holiday either.
One of my holiday traditions is water fun, so despite the storm, I sent them over to swim in the river.
Whoops, so sorry, Dell....
Another holiday tradition is to have drinks, so I moved some stuff around to put a small bar inside the house. Sofia made some drinks, and Dell autonomously picked two of them up, even though I had tried to direct her to the shower, but can you blame her, no one deserves a drink more
Then I noticed that someone had come to to the door. Usually random people showing up on the doorstep do not fit into my plans, so I tend to send them away, but once in while, the game will send me someone I actually want to see. Today it was Bex, which was perfect, we can just pretend she was invited over for the celebrations.
Uh, oh, who's gonna step up and change this stinky diaper?
And Sofia came over to autonomously change it, what a champ!
Jules finally put that grill Father Winter gave her to good use.
Around midnight, the weather cleared up, so Dell decided to light some fireworks. After getting struck by lightning earlier, that was certainly a brave decision
And everyone watched the fireworks.
Except for Sofia, who went inside to autonomously hug Lenny, probably because he's terrified of fireworks, poor guy. Sofia truly is a gem.
---
Also, just because I find it fascinating to see how sims fluctuate with weight (I've never really played without cheating needs frequently and if a sim's body get too skinny or fat for my liking, I've been known to pop into CAS full edit mode to put them back the way I want them) So it's been cool to actually not touch Jules' body and see how her lifestyle, pregnancy, eating habits, and fitness actually affect her weight.
This was Jules right after she gave birth.
And this is Jules now, after doing a lot of rock climbing and skiing.
I think she's gotten herself down to a pretty ideal weight, but now I'm worried she's gonna be a stick by the time I finish this month haha.
Bryons Diary
(Bryon) “Hi mom. You awake?”
(Randi) “Huh?? Yeah, of course I am. I was just being a little bored.”
Of course you were. I can see that flying Z, you know? You didn't even see Roxanne standing here in the room.
(Randi) “Come, sit”
(Bryon) “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a friend along. She really wanted to see you.”
(Roxanne) “Hello!”
Finally, she recognised her.
(Randi) “I know you. You are the girl that barged in the basement that one day...”
(Roxanne) “I am indeed-“
(Randi) “Oh, my girl. Are you okay?! Did that monster do something to you?! I’m going to make him pay!”
(Bryon) “Mom, you’re still in the hospital!”
(Randi) “I’m sorry, you’re right. Come, sit!”
(Roxanne) “I’m okay, thanks to Bryon. Okay, maybe also thanks to Naoki... I think I gained weight thanks to the amount of food he gave me... You see, Isaius turned me into a cat and took my voice. I was dumped in the wilderness and have been walking for days without food, just to find help. At one point I bumped into a scent and it took me right to Bryon’s place... Just on time. I was exhausted. When I saw that Gabbie was with Bryon, I was relieved. But... I heard that Isaius himself got away...”
(Randi) “That’s right, but he won’t be free for long, right, Bryon?”
(Bryon) “Yes. All the Sages, Spellcasters and Alchemists from the academy will help to create a powerful source of energy that is able to summon Isaius and immediately take him down afterwards. It took us a lot of practicing and studying, but we’re going to do it for real soon.”
(Roxanne) “Whoa... Why didn’t you tell me? I could help!”
(Bryon) “Well, we already have mom to be our mental support in the background...”
(Roxanne) “No I mean, I’m also a Spellcaster!”
(Bryon) “Wait... You are?!”
(Randi) “Well well, that’s a twist indeed. You should let her help, Bryon.”
(Bryon) “But I’m not the one to decide that. The sages are. I’ll ask them Monday. For now, let’s enjoy our weekend. We still have to visit the animal shelter!”
(Roxanne) “Right!”
(Randi) “Animal shelter?”
(Bryon) “Well, Naoki took care of Roxanne when she was a cat. When she turned back, Naoki was really sad. He enjoyed having a cat at home.. So Roxanne and I are going to adopt a cat.”
(Randi) “Oh, the two of you should leave before the shelter closes! I’d love to go too.. But shelters also have dogs, and I’m super allergic…Thank you for coming over. Both of you! I appreciate it so much.”
(Randi) “Send me a picture of the cat afterwards!”
(Bryon) “Will do!”
To be continued…
Behind the scenes
The Sages, Spellcasters and Alchemistst in the academy should've known that Curse is always one step ahead. He’s been working on a special spell that swaps bodies. Not only that, but it also wipes away the memories of the person that’s been swapped. Curse also knew a spell to replace someones memories. He had a big plan.
Today was finally the day to use all these spells…
... On himself and Gordon. Of course, Gordon doesn’t suspect a thing, lol.
(Curse) “Corpora verto memorias!!!”
-I literally made this up with the help of Google Translate and my creativity-
Just like that, Gordon went into Isaius’ body, but kept a copy of Curse's memories. His own memories? Wiped away with the wind.
(Curse in Gordons body) “You’ll do just fine as a replacement for me…”
(Gordon in Isaius' body) “What are you saying, Gordon? You never make sense. You are excused. I have business to do.”
Gordon walks away. Curse's plan worked perfectly. Now it’s only a matter of time before Gordon will be caught by the academy... Nobody will ever notice the difference.
(Vlad) “I see you gave up your life as a Spellcaster.”
(Curse) “I did, but this was the right choice. Thank you for letting me stay here.”
(Vlad) “So, you know the deal, right? You borrow my basement, I’ll get to give you the perfect make-over... As an immortal.”
(Curse) “I’m ready.”
(Vlad) “Bite.”
(Curse) “... Bite?”
(Vlad) “Bite!”
(Vlad) “That’s too hard!”
(Vlad) “Enough!”
(Curse) “Ugh....”
(Vlad) “The make-over is starting to work.”
Some time later, Curse's make-over was completed... Although he still felt a little woozy in his belly.
(Vlad) “And now, it’s time for hibernation”
(Curse) “Hibernation??? When will we wake up??”
(Vlad) “Mwehhh.. September? October? Yeah, somewhere in between those months. Come. Sleep.”
(Curse) “Hibernating until September...”
(Curse) “Fine. I’ll be back, Bryon Ellison... In September.”
(Vlad) “Shut up!”
Good to hear your doggie is doing just fine!!
@SoulGal7
But that's nothing compared to the twist you threw at us with Prince Oberon! The bubbles were a nice touch as well. I like your efforts to include magic in your game when you don't have the pack, very clever! And the segue to get her to move to Willow Creek was very nicely done as well! Also very cute emoji texts with Sakura and Wolfgang, and having them joke about franks and beans (such a classic sims mean LOL) as an inside joke of sorts was a cute idea as well. And very clever with the mushroom circle and the nod toward the Sylvan Glade mushroom circle! And how Sakura's bouts of sadness and watering her garden with tears has alerted the fairies to her existence, such a well crafted story as usual - you really do plan things out so thoroughly.
I am really curious to see how you play things - will Sakura just be in Willow Creek for these last few weeks of March?
Also, I was amused by your meshing of Disney fairies and A Midsummer's Night Dream, haha! Sometimes it's nice just to use existing characters instead of always coming up with everything on your own, I actually found myself borrowing a plot point from a movie for an update in a few days haha
@AnnoyingTiger
@lilypadmeulin
Also nice job with collecting and skill building for Jenny, and also sweet that Rohan shows up on his own a lot. They do make a cute couple.
@Karababy52
And then the defeat of L! Which actually turned into a very sweet moment, and Essa got the mother figure she's been longing for since her own mother did such a poor job. Such a sweet moment. So I'm assuming she won those brooms after finally defeating her? Very nice way to add it into the story, and it is equally as sweet for L to informally adopt her since she never had any children of her own. This relationship is special for both of them
I'm pretty impressed that you've managed to do all you've done to Damon just by finding him randomly on different lots in Windenburg! At least, that's what I'm assuming you did, now that you couldn't properly find him in this update. I guess I assumed your were inviting him to the lots where Essa was or briefly adding him to your household to get him to cooperate. It does make sense that he'd be hiding more lately though. I'd be scared to go out in public too if I were him, haha. Molly is in a very strange situation indeed, still living with Damon, but also being supportive of Essa and helping her out. And sneaky sneaky Damon, trying once again to use his powers as they were talking...guess he's not really feeling that remorseful. In any case, glad Essa will continue to do terrible things to him LOL.
@Skeilah
And then, cut to Vlad's basement...and the Curse is up to no good, as always. So evil, and so smart. You spell seems very Latin, makes it have a very authentic feel haha. Good job google translate and your creativity. Poor Gordon, gone as we know him forever. He never really stood a chance. And of course the Curse is still power hungry, so he takes the next best thing to spellcaster - vampire. And there's our good friend Vlad, ready to help out. HAhahhaha, see you in September indeed, dear old Curse...
Bryons Diary
We were immediately greeted by a woman named Aoi (I think she’s not from here).
She guided us to the cats.
(Aoi) “The first two cats we have here are Emma and Tiger."
(Aoi) "Emma is a fluffy cat with a free spirit. She would work best in a big yard. She likes to wander around and be free. We lost her a few times."
(Aoi) "Tiger is very curious, but unfortunately she gets sick often. My colleague Lane actually just came back from the vet with her, but oh, look at her again...”
(Bryon) “Hm.. What do you think?”
(Roxanne) “You don’t really have a big garden, and I don’t think Naoki is waiting for a cat that has to be treated a lot...”
(Bryon) “Right. Do you have other options?”
(Aoi) “Of course. This way please”
(Aoi) “In this room, we have Salem and Claudio, our male cats."
(Aoi) "Salem is probably the most lazy cat we have here at the moment, but when he’s awake, he talks a lot. He loves wearing clothes!"
(Aoi) "Claudio is a weirdo sometimes, but at least he likes to stay clean. One side note: we often find hairballs of him in the room.”
(Bryon) “Ew. Hairballs. I'm not cleaning those... I do like Salem a lot though. He would be the perfect cat for Gabbie... But I don’t think he would be the perfect cat for me and Naoki.”
(Roxanne) “I was thinking the same. They are nice, but not the best match for Naoki.”
(Aoi) “No problem. We still have two more cats. Here we have Nika and Roo.”
(I was too lazy to change the name, so Roo stays! xD)
Roxanne stiffens when she hears the name and sees the cat.
(Roxanne) “This can’t be possible... How big is the chance?”
(Bryon) “The chance of- wow! That cat looks a lot like you- I mean, Kitty!”
(Aoi) “Ah, are you interested in Roo? Roo is a really playful and curious cat. If you need a fun friend, Roo is the one for you! But- Roo often destroys the furniture. She wasn’t raised well."
(Aoi) "We put Nika together with Roo because they like to play together. Besides that, Nika likes to talk. It’s like she can actually understands us! We never encountered something like this before!”
At that moment, Roxanne and I looked at each other.
(Roxanne) “Are you thinking what I am thinking?"
(Bryon) “Yes, I think so.”
(Roxanne) “Could it be possible that more of them are actually...”
(Bryon) “Well, yeah. Anything's possible, right?"
(Aoi) “Something wrong?”
(Bryon) “I want all of them.”
(Aoi) “All of them?! A- are you serious?”
(Bryon) “Yes. Is that possible?”
(Aoi) “I’ll ask my colleague! Give me a minute please!”
(Roxanne) “Are you really going to adopt them all?”
(Bryon) “Even if only one of them turns out to be a human and the other ones are actual stray cats, that’s still one human saved. We’ll find someone for the actual cats. Also, I hope that Roo is an actual cat, because she would be perfect for Naoki.”
(Roxanne) "Well, I think you lucked out with Roo. I don't have human-vibes with that cat like I had with for example Nika."
(Bryon) "True"
Never thought I would do this, but it happened. 6 cute kitties are now walking around at our place. Yup. This is really happening.
Day 25 - Astrid's garden is looking so nice! Congrats to her for reaching Adept! Oh my goodness! Good thing Astrid went to visit Bess to hangout as requested. She saved both Bess and her husband from fires AND did Scrubaroo on them! She better cough up the dough soon now, she owes Astrid her life! Oh yay! She has a cowplant now for the aspiration. Is she going to keep it? I wouldn't.
@lilypadmeulin
March 10th - Nice collection of Simis she has so far.
March 11th - Love the knitting pack, it's so much fun and the things they can make are great! Great job with the cooking skills Jenny! Aww, so sweet Rohan shows up all the time and Jenny serenaded him.
March 12th - Bonding with bees is so silly, but that's the Sims for you!
Fun updates!
@permanentrose
Thanks, I figured she'd be a bit safer and more concealed on that side of the building peeking in a window than behind the fountain.
Yes, Essa won the wands in the duel, but I thought it would be sweet to have them actually be something special for Essa from L.
Nope, didn't add him to Essa's household, she actually just went to a random lot where I thought he might show up and thankfully he did.
How do you know it was Damon using his powers on her? Could be Essa was just daydreaming, being a normal hormonal teenage girl appreciating the hunky guy in front of her, temporarily forgetting what he did. She's always thought he was gorgeous, despite everything. LOL We'll see...
@SoulGal7
So glad to hear your dog came through the operation just fine and is recovering. I've been wondering so thanks for the update! *Hugs*
@Skeilah
What a wonderful twist on things. You always manage to have some kind of plan that just seems to come out of the blue and is so bizarre we wouldn't see it coming! Wow! Bravo lady, you're so darn creative with your plots. I love it! Cool how he'll be hibernating until Bryon is conveniently in Forgotten Hollow! So now Bryon might get a chance to take him down as a vampire at least, but there would still be the curse to deal with. Fantastic cliffhanger, a lonnnnnng cliffhanger.
March 20th - Nice animal shelter! Did you build it? Or download it? Love all the cats, they're so cute! Love that you 'reused' Roo too! And I especially like that Bryon adopted ALL of them in the hopes one of them might be an actual human. Guessing Nika is, not sure about the others. Naoki is going to be SO happy!
@permanentrose
Thank you! I really like the Festival of Snow too, although I think the light festival will always be my favourite. I like being able to collect Simmi capsules at the festival, too.
Morgan and Megumi are both pretty good friends for Jenny, even though Jenny is a Paragon and Morgan is a Renegade.
Daughters of Hesperia
Notes:
After getting up to level 8, I noticed that Jules had the interaction to make energy bars.
Umm...what is she making them out of???? Do I want to know???
Well, she sure seems proud of her creation.
Jules had been curious about the mountain excursion for weeks now - one of Mt. Komorebi's main attractions. She and Lydia had agreed they would complete it together, and after many weeks of hard practice, they decided that this coming weekend looked ideal for them to complete the journey.
Though Dell had offered to watch Ruby while Lydia and Jules went on the excursion, Mario had asked if he could have Ruby for the weekend. So Dell decided to take Lenny to Britechester so they could spend the weekend with Sofia, and Lydia called a pet sitter to watch Mochi.
It was the first time that Jules had left Ruby overnight, and she found herself feeling apprehensive about it. "Are you sure you're okay with her this weekend? Maybe I should cancel..."
"Jules, I got this," Mario assured her. "Plus, Becca is going to be here. It will be good for me to get used to having her overnight too. I feel like I haven't seen her much, so I'm excited for this," he said earnestly.
Jules gave Ruby one last snuggle before placing her in the crib, where she immediately fell asleep.
"Thanks so much for doing this," Jules told him as she gave him a hug. "I'm not sure how my cell reception will be on the mountain, but please, call if you need anything."
Then she went back home again to get a good night sleep so she would be well rested in the morning.
I bought all the necessary preparations. Is it cheating to buy a portable laptop to put on a portable table in case their rock climbing gear breaks, LOL?
And then they were off!
Even though I thought I had filled up Jules' energy bar the night before, her bar was down in the yellow as they moved on to the first part of the excursion, which was fine, since one of them needed to rest for an hour anyway. It also gave Lydia a chance to secretly fill up on some plasma...she had started feeling guilty about the secret she'd been hiding from Jules, knowing that the closer they got, the harder it would be to eventually tell her...if she were to tell her...
And then they moved on...
They climbed for a bit.
"Hey, look at that bird over there!"
"What bird??"
Jules, that's brutal!!!
"Did you seriously just do that?"
But Lydia was quick to forgive her.
And it was dark by the time they finally climbed all the way up to the trailhead.
And then suddenly they were already at the peak. I did the mountain excursion once in my main save, and this went wayyyy faster than I thought it would. I was shocked to already be at the peak lol.
"Whoaaa..." said Jules, stepping toward the edge of the mountain, looking out at the vast expanse of sky.
She slowly laid back in the snow, taking it all in.
I know I need to talk to her, Lydia thought. It's not fair of me to keep this secret from her. But I've done so well blending in to the human world - what if she never needs to know?
They set up their tent shortly after, before calling it a night.
"I'm so glad we got to do this together," Jules told her.
Lydia smiled back at her, but as soon as Jules headed into the tent, she took a moment to breathe in the cold night air before joining her. Things with Jules were becoming increasingly complicated... and as the days passed, she became more entangled in Jules' world. Their relationship had been easy at first. They were tucked away in their own world, and all the threats of her past and the outside world felt very far away. But she knew she risked discovery the longer she stayed in one place - in fact, she had never stayed in one place for this long before, but she was drawn to Jules, and she thought perhaps she might even love her...and she wasn't sure what that meant for their future together.
Inhaling another breath of night air, she joined Jules in the tent. She would have time to think more about this later...
---
Also @Skeilah suggested I do a behind the scenes with Mario taking care of Ruby and having a hard time with it, especially after I captured that smug look on his face. I did find that idea amusing, but this post had already gotten kind of long, and I feel like that would be more fun to explore when Ruby is a toddler and actually could drive him mad, so I will table that idea for the future
@permanentrose
For Update 78 I had Roxanne skill rock climbing by book mostly. It is tedious and with the injuries it makes it harder.
For Update 79 I always get a kick out of the double fisted drinking lol. Poor sweet Lenny! I like watching how the game does things too.. like weight. She probably will be a stick by the end of the challenge lol.
For Update 80 Mario needs some dad time! Beautiful shots of them getting to the peak. It really wasn't very hard for me to do any of the times I did it.. as long as they had rock climbing leveled up pretty high.
-Thanks for letting me know what happened with changing someone in CAS. I actually have seen that in the past I just forgot and panicked about losing days of play lol. Maybe I'll remember next time! Ruby is a lucky girl to have all the clothes. That would be a reason I'd learn knitting before having a baby on Roxanne for sure.
I still think she's going to have Clements baby. I don't see Roxanne really falling for anyone but her children really. I don't always play like that. I just don't see her caring that deeply. I see her being protective though. Maybe the game will give me something to change my mind..
For March 19 I love seeing your vendetta against Damon.. it's funny. I wonder why Josh was there... I guess he had to see her!
For March 20 I want to know who the old vampire is? Related to Damon? Grats on beating all the Sages!
- Glad you "got" the Judy, Judy, Judy book title lol. Cary Grant actually never said it fully in a movie... it was just one of those things that developed possibly from a comedy act and people especially women named Judy, hounded him to say later.. I had to research it a little. I love naming books in the game and keeping it in character for the writer.
March 18 Aww congrats on having Penelope! Your house is getting big too!
March 19 Making headway on the botanist aspiration! Do you ever get anything from giving Bess so much money? Sometimes I get a good moodlet but that's about it.
March 20 Love using scruberoo!
For Feb 26
For Feb 27 Wow... what a twist! Prince Oberon is very Princely looking and cute as he can be. He might be a little pyscho though! The bubble blowing pictures are so funny. Might have to download the prince for.. umm testing purposes. Yeah that's it. Great Fairies and fairy circle too!
-So glad your doggo got through the operation well. Always a little scary to deal with.
For March 19 Roxanne and Randi seem alike in the protective department
Wow.. another twist with the body switch and turning him into a vamp so we won't see him for awhile?
Loving the screenshots though and was laughing my butt off about the pregnant Essa so unexpected. The children are beautiful though... those eyes. River looks like he's gonna throw that drink! And Jules marrying Caleb.. your game is amusing for sure.
For March 10-12 Jenny is getting so many collectibles. Your friendship with the bees must be pretty high by now.
River focused on flying and finally aced it as he levelled past neophyte. Daiki Goto, Sage of Untamed Magic, looked at him fondly and praised him for finally getting the hang of it.
But his duelling has much to improve. River loses after what he felt was a near win against Grace Anansi. It was humiliating to lose one duel after another. River wanted to rage but he felt he could persevere and succeed.
Outside the Realm, River didn’t understand why he woke up next to Kat. The last thing he remembered was that he left her room after they slept together after prom. For River, it was a goodbye...He thought he made that clear but here is Kat. In his home, in his dining room stinking up the house for leaving a glass of water to spoil, this feature still cracks me up and warming his bed.
River wondered if he should say something. But the people around him didn’t think it was out of the ordinary. Dirk greeted Kat as if nothing changed between her and River. Even Elsa Bjergsen, the last Scout he’s mentoring, spoke to her as if they’re the best of friends.
“Wait, Elsa. That’s Sofia’s sister.”
Yep.
“But Kat and I broke up and I-I moved on--”
No, you didn’t. After prom night, you told Kat you were wrong and that you wanted to be with her.
“I did? Did I end things with the others? If I did all those things, I should remember. Maybe I need a check-up...and there was something about Dirk wanting to tell me something...What the hell was it?
You don’t need that. You didn’t do that. Why would you limit yourself? Plus you’re doing great. In fact, River, keep doing what you’re doing. You’re making us thrive.
"Who are you?"
"Haha, very funny, River. You already know I'm you."
Notes
Sorry I disappeared, my ear worsened but that’s another story. The point is that I’ve gotten the right medication for it now and things are finally improving. I was certain that this is where the Bjorn-Dirk-River and his parents was going to unravel but I ended up adding more stuff. Apologies if it’s confusing but I’m aiming to tie things a bit neater before this month is through. I haven't played a lot but managed to get tons of screenshots from playing ahead previously.
Also I made a mistake about the spell that unspoils food. It wasn’t Scruberoo, it was Delicioso but I don’t want to change the haiku as it won’t be a haiku anymore. That’s it for now. I hope to read what I’ve missed the last five days either today or tomorrow. Fingers crossed
Bryons Diary
It was the first time I actually went to a funeral, and I didn’t knew how to behave.
Luckily I had Naoki by my side.
(Naoki) "Don't look at me like that."
(Bryon) "You just asked me to hold your hand like a baby. I'm not a baby."
(Naoki) "Okay, okay. I get it. Just.. Stop staring like that..."
In front of me are mom and Kristine. Kristine is doing so well that mom was allowed to take her outside in the baby stroller. It was important for her to stay warm. She has a lot of blankets in there.
Oh, happy side note! Mom will be released from hospital tomorrow. I’ll go get her after school.
Kristine has to stay in the hospital a little longer, but she’ll be able to come home with us in the weekends as a try out to see how she’s doing. I really look forward to that moment.
In the front row right are Kumiko’s parents and her younger brother. They always thought that Kumiko was doing just fine, and then suddenly they got this news... It must be so hard for them.
Of course Gabbie, Jess and Gage also came. Gabbie brought Roxanne along and Julian did the same with Johnny (although mom invited Johnny too, hahaha).
I was still a little taken aback when the funeral was over. It just seemed so... Unreal.
(Naoki) “Hey. Everything alright?”
(Bryon) “Yeah, it’s okay.. We have six cats waiting for us, so I’d better cheer up fast.”
(Naoki) “That’s more like it. So, you’re gonna see if some of those cats are human like Roxanne?”
(Bryon) “That’s the plan indeed. Want to help?”
(Naoki) “Really?”
(Bryon) “You’re an Alchemist too. It’s a cool potion.”
Naoki and I gave our condolences to the family and went home after that.
… To be continued.
And oh, such a sad update with the funeral, but I really like how you included it. The room you downloaded was perfect, and that picture you hung up Kumiko was perfect, it showed her so full of life and I'm glad you included that. So sad for her family to find out about her death like that and not even know she was in trouble. But the funeral does give some closure, and I think it was good for them to attend. I like that Bryon was all awkward about being there - funerals can be awkward, especially when you are a teenage boy and haven't been to one before. Also love that the stroller worked out for little Kristine, but do I see a dirty diaper cloud billowing out of that blanket LOL? Looking forward to operation free the cats!!
@Kanindota
@Karababy52
Time in the Fairy Realm is different from Time in the Mortal world.
'Where...where am I?" she thought to herself, "What is this place?"
She looked down at herself, "...and what am I wearing...?"
A figure of a young man came towards her, and all Sakura saw were his eyes. HIs dazzling blue eyes that seemed to hold her in some type of spell. He smiled at her and held out his hand, and as if in a trance, she held our her hand to his.
Prince Oberon: "Sakura," he spoke to her softly, "Welcome to my Kingdom. I am Prince Oberon, Prince of the Fairies."
Sakura: "How...how...where..."
Prince Oberon: "Ahhh, I see you have questions, and I shall answer them all, but first, come and sit with me and drink some strawberry nectar that my sisters have prepared for us...it will help you relax..."
Prince Oberon led Sakura to an area near a waterfall, and had them sit down together.
Sakura gasped, "This is so beautiful...:"
Prince Oberon: "The setting pales in comparison to your beauty, Sakura," he said as he looked longingly at her.
Prince Oberon spread his hands wide and explained to Sakura about his Kingdom, "This is just one of the lands in my Kingdom, but one of my favorites. We, the fairies, go out into the mortal world and care for the flowers and animals of the forest. To a mortal, we are nothing more than flashes of light in the garden. Some of us, like myself, can take mortal form."
Sakura: "I saw flashes of light in my garden. I thought it was just the sunlight filtering through the leaves..."
Prince Oberon: "That would have been my sisters. They have been observing you since you moved to the island. Of course, my sister, Tinkerbell insists that the daisies told her of your innocence and youth, and my sister, Silvermist, believes that the cherries chimed in and told her how sweet of character you were. But my sister, Fawn, insists that it was really the lilies that told her of your beauty..."
Sakura: "You talk to the flowers?"
Prince Oberon: "Why, yes, and I understand that you do, too..."
Sakura, "Yes...but they don't speak to me. I still...I still don't understand why I am here..."
Prince Oberon: "Because you are the fairest and most caring of all the mortals and fae they have encountered...and the perfect match for me..."
Sakura: "Huh? The perfect match for you? I don't understand..."
Prince Oberon: "At the end of this month is my 21st birthday, and I will then become King, and rule this Kingdom. And it is tradition for the new King to marry on the eve of his birthday. And I have chosen you, Sakura, to be my bride...."
Sakura: "Your bride? But...I....I can't be your bride...."
Prince Oberon looked deeply into her eyes and whispered some words to her and sprinkled some fairy dust.
Prince Oberon: "Tell me now Sakura, what you truly want..."
Sakura looked at him and answered him as if she was in a trance. "I...I...wish nothing more than to be yours..." she heard herself say, feeling somewhat dazed.
Prince Oberon smiled: "Yes, I knew that is what you wanted. Now come to me so I may kiss your sweet lips and you will then forget all about your mortal worries. Sakura, my blossom, you are mine..."
A voice sounded in the Glade, interrupting them.
Titania: "Prince Oberon, I Princess Titania, challenge this mortal to a quest, for your hand in marriage..."
Prince Oberon: "Titania, I have already chosen this mortal to be my bride."
Titania: "According to the Rules of the Council of Fae, any fairy has the right to challenge another for your hand in marriage and the winner shall be crowned the rightful Fairy Queen."
Prince Oberon: "I am well aware of the rules."
Titania moved towards Prince Oberon and blew him a kiss: "Prince Oberon, give up this foolish notion of yours to wed a mortal. She does not know the ways of the fae."
Prince Oberon: "But this mortal is different...her skills in botany rival even yours, Titania...and she can talk to the flowers..."
Titania: "Yes, but what about her love for you, Prince Oberon? Is her touch as light as a summer's breeze upon your skin...are her kisses as soft as a butterfly's wings...does she love you of her own free will?"
Prince Oberon: "She will...in time. When we are married, she will open up her heart to me...like a beautiful flower opening its petals...she has much love to give..."
Titania: "And what of our love, Prince Oberon? You know, it has already been foretold that we are to be together..."
Prince Oberon: "If you recall, Titania, another vision was foretold, that of a mortal who would enter our world and know the ways of the fae and bear the heart of a Queen."
Titania: "And you believe this mortal is she?"
Prince Oberon: "Yes."
Titania: "I see. Well, I have no choice then, but to challenge this mortal to a quest. I see you have already used your magic on her. But just know, Prince Oberon, that the final quest is one of true love and you will be unable to use your magic on her then. Agreed?"
Prince Oberon: "Agreed."
Sakura shook her head trying to focus on what was being said, "What is going on?" she asked.
Titania: "Sakura, I challenge you to a quest for the hand in marriage of Prince Oberon. Do you accept?"
Sakura looked around confused: "A quest? But...I....I don't want to do this...I don't belong here..."
Titania: "As you wish, but if you do not accept this challenge, then you will be returned to your mortal world..."
Sakura: "Yes...." she said, looking at Prince Oberon, "...that is what I want..."
Titania: "Ahh...but...it is not so simple. You will be returned to your mortal world and when you give birth to your first born child, the fairies will steal it away and bring the child here and you will never see that child again..."
Sakura felt tears in her eyes, for if she did not accept the challenge, her offspring were doomed. She looked over at Prince Oberon. He did seem to care deeply about her, and she knew that she would care for him in time. Sakura's heart ached as she thought briefly of Wolfgang and Kiyoshi. She really had no choice.
Sakura: "Titania, I accept your challenge."
Prince Oberon smiled at Sakura.
Titania: "Are there any other fairies who wish to challenge me for the hand of Prince Oberon in marriage?"
There was silence in the Glade.
Titania: "So be it. As per the rules, the mortal will be transported to the surface where she will reside in the Gnome Home close to the Glade. Since the Prince's magic will last for 12 hours on her, the mortal will return to the Glade at sunrise and the challenge will begin then."
A wood elf came over to Prince Oberon holding a bowl with several scrolls in it. "Prince Oberon," he said, "You are to choose the first quest."
Prince Oberon looked at Titania: "Sakura will win...I am positive..." he said as he selected a scroll and handed it to the elf.
Wood Elf: "The first quest is to have a strong romantic relationship with 3 Sims at once and to kiss 10 Sims."
Titania to Prince Oberon: "It looks like the mortal will be giving sweet kisses to everyone but you. Of course, so will I. This quest might be rather enjoyable. Don't you agree, Prince Oberon?"
Prince Oberon frowned.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Flower Meanings Website: https://www.almanac.com/flower-meanings-language-flowers
Plans for Willow Creek:
I thought this would be a unique way for Sakura to complete some of the aspirations that she would normally not be able to do (such as Serial Romantic), if she was "in love" with someone in the real world. It is just not in Sakura's nature to "cheat" on the one she loves. She will also attempt the Chief of Mischief Aspiration (because fairies are mischievous). Any aspirations she works on will be covered in a "quest". In the game, I have made Prince Oberon and Princess Titania teens. Sakura will continue to go to high school, and she is going to join the drama club. She will not have any communication with either Kiyoshi or Wolfgang, their families or her close friends during this time. Because I am behind, I will play several days at once, so then I will end on the 31st and continue with the other challengers to Britechester and university in April.
Thanks to this simmer for creating this sim. I renamed her Princess Titania and made her a teen.
Notes
Damon was close to the end of his rope. Someone was tormenting him and he didn't know who or why or how to make them stop. But there was one person who had never failed to listen and help him work through his problems. Would he be able to help him now? He was the most respected and powerful man he knew. Surely he would know what to do.
"Hello? Is anybody home?"
"I'm up here, Damon, in the playroom."
(What was he doing in there?)
"Damon! Such a pleasure to see you my Son. It's been too long since your last visit."
"Hey Dad, I'm glad you're home. I need to talk to you about something."
"Alright, let's have a seat. I was just watching one of your Mother's favorite television programs. I don't quite understand why she enjoys it so much. I thought perhaps I'd view it and try to analyze her reasons."
"Don't let me stop you. We can talk while you watch."
"Mother likes this? It's so childish."
"Well now, you know your Mother. She has always had a playful air about her. I have to admit, it is quite amusing, in a juvenile manner of course."
"Quite."
Nikolas turned off the television and turned toward his Son. He'd sensed that something was deeply troubling him.
"I will continue viewing this later. What would you like to discuss?"
"Well, you see, there's someone that's been covertly doing horrible things to me."
"Oh? And what would those things be?"
"I was at the club and they turned me into a statue of a Knight in full armor! I couldn't move or talk, I could barely even see or hear anything. Nobody cared, they didn't see it happen. I think they thought I was a club decoration or something. Somebody even kicked me to see if I was real, or try to knock me over. I don't know."
"Oh my! Sounds very uncomfortable."
"It was! But that's not all!"
"The next night, they zapped me with some kind of electricity or lightening. I didn't even know my own name after that. Scrambled my brain for a couple hours. Man did that hurt!"
"Oh dear, now why would someone want to do those kind of things to you? Have you hurt someone yourself?"
"No more than the usual, you know, when I'm hunting. But they never remember it since I wipe their memories anyway."
"But Dad, that's not everything either. There's more!"
Damon continued ranting about everything that had been done to him while his Father patiently listened and probed his mind to discover any clues that might reveal why someone would do such heinous acts to his Son.
Nikolas Masters was a very old and very powerful vampire. He had learned the ability to read the memories of others a long time ago, but only a very few, other than his wife, Inna, were trusted enough to know he had this skill.
It saddened him to discover there were indeed two disturbing incidents with a young girl named Essa Ellington with whom his Son was in love. However, she did not love him in return and held a love in her heart for someone else.
Unfortunately, Damon believed what he'd done hadn't hurt her, only given her pleasure. Even though she was not meant to remember his misguided acts of love since he had used his powers to wipe her memory of their trysts.
Nikolas believed Damon had left behind a memory in this young girl's mind, whether on purpose or from not fully learning or listening to the lessons he'd been taught about the powers of erasing memories. More importantly, he obviously did not retain the lessons Nikolas had taught him about the ways of love.
He was far from a naïve man, he knew very well that many vampires used their powers to take what they wanted from others, which had nothing to do with gaining a meal during the hunt. Nikolas thought he'd taught Damon that was not the way things were done in this family. It was not right, not dignified and not respectable in the least. One does not take love, it must be given freely between two hearts and souls.
Nikolas was very disappointed in his Son, but he felt somewhat responsible as well. He had failed. He must find a way to make Damon understand, clearly, without letting him know he knew what he had done.
"...so that's it. What can I do? How do I find out who's doing this to me and why? I can't take it any longer Dad. It's making me a nervous, paranoid wreck. I can't go out in public without constantly looking over my shoulder, always wondering what's going to happen next."
"Someone clearly believes you have hurt them in some way and is attempting to exact their revenge for your actions."
"Whether you believe no one has been hurt beyond measure, does not matter. In their heart and mind your actions have consequences and you must suffer as they have suffered."
"If you are unable to discover who they are and apologize to them, your tormenter will most likely continue delivering punishment for as long as they desire, perhaps the rest of your life until they are satisfied you have been taught a lesson."
"Are you certain there is no one you have hurt beyond the hunt? Have you used your powers on anyone other than during the hunt for your own satisfaction or gain?"
"Well yeah, just a few girls though. Why shouldn't I use my powers however I want? Why do I even have them if I can't use them?"
"Besides, they weren't hurt, it was fun, I had fun, they had fun. Nothing but pleasure for both of us."
"I erased their memories afterward too. No way would they even remember what happened."
"Are you certain?"
"Positive. You taught me well."
"Anyway, lots of guys do it, it's nothing new. It's like a one night stand, only they don't remember, so no guilt. I'm really doing them a favor."
"Okay, well it appears you can't help me, I guess I'll have to ask someone else. I thought you'd know what to do. But I guess not. I have to go, school tomorrow and I haven't done my homework yet."
"I am very disappointed in you Son. Have you learned nothing of my lessons on integrity and responsibility?"
"With great power comes great responsibility. Don't take advantage of them. Respect! If it's not yours, don't take it. If it's not true, don't say it. If it's not right, don't do it."
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain. It's a choice between what's convenient and what's right. People of character do the right thing even if no else does. Not because they think it will change the world, but because they refuse to be changed by the world."
"The difference between the reason of man and the instinct of the beast is this, that the beast does not know, but the man knows that he knows. You were taught to be more of a man than beast."
"It's a different world than the one you lived in Dad. Perhaps it's time you realized that. I am more a beast than a man, not by choice. I was born this way, thanks to you and Mother. Wake up old man. Things change, your antiquated ideas don't belong in this century. I'm a vampire and I intend to take full advantage of that fact. I like to hunt, and I'll make no excuses for doing it."
"Good night Dad. I'll see you around."
@permanentrose
Molly is just an awesome Sim! She doesn't like what Damon did, never has, but she understands it's the nature of the beast. Doesn't make it right, but she loves him as a friend and it's amazing what one will forgive our friends for.
Essa wasn't swooning over Damon, nope. Just a physical attraction thing over a good-looking guy, any guy that looks like him. Just like how she was saying he's a beautiful apple with a rotten core. She just 'thought' he was trying to mesmerize her again, but he really wasn't. Don't know if any of that makes sense. But that's how I see it.
@Hermitgirl
Well, if you've read my chapter for today, you already know he's Damon's Father.
@Kanindota
So glad your ear is improving now with the right medication! It's a good feeling when we get ahead of playing eh? Ah good to now it's Delicioso, not Scrubaroo for that spell, thanks for the clarification.
@Skeilah
@SoulGal7
I don't know if I should cheer for Sakura to win or hope that she loses. I don't like Tatiana's attitude and want her to lose, but I don't want Sakura to win either.
Update 81 - In the dark of the night
Notes:
It was evening by the time they arrived back at the Onsen, where they both took hot showers.
And grabbed a bite to eat. (Lydia's like, You can do this. Eat the gross human food to keep up appearances...)
And then they walked back home in comfortable silence.
Suddenly, Lydia noticed a bat swoop near them. No... she thought, Just a plain old regular bat. It has to be...
"Is everything okay?" Jules asked, registering the concerned expression on Lydia's face.
Lydia composed herself quickly and assured Jules that everything was fine, and then kissed her goodnight at the door.
But as soon as Jules was safely inside, a worried expression furrowed on Lydia's brow once again.
She walked up toward the path, trying to push away her suspicions, but she found herself scanning the area for the bat once again, just to be sure.
She barely had time to register the bat swoop down by her head before it materialized swiftly into a dark figure behind her.
And he had grabbed her and placed a firm hand over her mouth before she could even react.
The man, clearly a vampire with a brute strength that Lydia could hardly match, restrained her easily. "Agatha!" he hissed into the night. "I'm ready when you are. This is almost too easy..." he laughed, tightening his grip on her.
A slender vampire sped into view, her eyes glinting wickedly. "Nice work, Tiberius."
Lydia tried to fight, but she found she was painfully out of practice.
Agatha summoned her powers, and Lydia slumped to the ground, overcome by an instant irresistible slumber.
Immediately, the power she'd be using to conceal her true vampiric form lost its hold.
"Much too easy," Agatha agreed, stepping up beside Tiberius to examine her handiwork. "I was expecting more of a fight. It's a shame, how far astray she's gone. Now let's get her back to Vlad - she may be weak, but I'm still not sure how long my powers can subdue her."
Tiberius nodded and slung Lydia's limp body over his shoulder.
And with a cloud of dark smoke, the three of them instantly vanished.
Daughters of Hesperia
Nothing really happened today, as we still haven't managed to grow a Dragonfruit, so Jenny simply kept on tending to her big garden. She also started working on her school project.
She knitted another rug for Plopsy, but they don't seem to be very successful yet?
March, Day 14
Megumi came over last night at her usual strange hour, so Jenny decided to use her new skills and teach Megumi to knit!
I had her take the day off from school, too, and hoover up the weeds from the garden.
After the sun rose properly, I had a think about what I wanted to do with the day, and came to the conclusion that I wanted to try and complete that part of the Sightseer Aspiration that hadn't worked for me before. So, Jenny grabbed Morgan and they went for a day at the Onsen!
She showered before jumping in...
And woop! A lot of time later, she did it!
After that, she got a notification that the Paragons wanted to meet. I wasn't feeling the swimming pool, so instead I called a gathering where we were, and GUESS WHO SHOWED UP.
I guess Megumi wants to keep an eye on these terrible, coffee drinking teens.
I also have NO idea what was going on with Sergio's outfit, but it wasn't anything good.
Still, Sofia and Siobhan didn't seem to mind or notice. Is the boy not cold?
Jenny also ended up apologising to Siobhan about whatever it was they fell out about (I still have no idea) and it was a touching moment, although I think Megumi might have had a hand in Siobhan accepting the apology from the look on her face.
And just for old times' sake, Jenny had another fight with her old nemesis, the Onsen vending machine!
So, there you have it, Jenny is becoming closer with the Paragons and still maintaining a friendship with Morgan! Plus, Megumi and her are Best Friends. Should I oust Siobhan as the leader?
Daughters of Hesperia
I had to laugh when Damon went into the house and found this old, grand master vampire sitting in the playroom watching a goofy TV show. Kudos to you for making it work anyway though haha!
This was a very enlightening update on Damon's character. For being such an old vampire, he is certainly immature and arrogant. I guess that's what happens when he's been stuck in a teenager's body for so long - he's got all those raging hormones and also the power to get what he wants, and he can't even recognize that he might have hurt people along the way. I appreciated that his father didn't tell him what he had discovered from reading his son's memories - and instead he encouraged him to be introspective and try to discover for himself who might be after him. I think it will be good character growth for Damon to have to grow and mature instead of just having this information handed to him or having his dad fight his battles for him. I quite like how you write Nikolas Masters, and I hope this isn't the only time we see him!
Yeah, I figured out pretty early on that I wouldn't need new rocking climbing gear in the middle of the excursion, haha. I was really pushing Jules and Lydia to do a lot continuous rocking climbing while I was building their skill, and their gear was breaking rather frequently which I think made me nervous, but they barely had to climb at all for the excursion. I do think Jules is going to do the mountain excursion once more this month, and now I know that I don't really need much to be successful.
I do feel like I made a similar situation for Lydia with holding off on telling Jules about being a vampire in the same way that Jules hid her pregnancy, which I didn't really intend to do haha. Lydia will tell her as soon as she can...which may not be super soon now, considering the circumstances, lol. It was a bit hard to go back in and make the vampire plot work as seamlessly as I wanted, since I didn't actually plan it from the beginning - one of the struggles with posting a work in progress story, I suppose, but I have plans for Lydia to be a part of the story once the Forgotten Hollow month comes, so I was hoping to lay some foundations now.
And yes, I see what you were going for with Essa and Damon now, makes sense, thanks for taking the time to explain!
@SoulGal7
@lilypadmeulin
__________
Minerva challenged me to a friendly duel. She offered me practice, even chuckled to herself as she promised me she’d go easy on me. I know she was being playful. She’s the nearest thing to a grandmother I’d ever have and we’re not even that close. So it irritated me, but it felt so good when I won.
I felt like I could win again. I downed another potion of Plentiful Needs and felt my hunger disappear. My exhaustion from experimenting with the cauldrons for hours and getting training from the Sages. I was on a streak. I challenged the girl that was catching my eye in the Realm. If I won, I would do what he said, and if I lost, she’d get to boss me around.
I won my second duel and I got her kiss.
I got to winning against the Sages too! Winning against my Sage Master, Daiki, was the sweetest nectar borne out of my hardwork. I zapped his 🐸🐸🐸🐸 to Losershire. I sped through the wins and challenged everyone who agreed to a duel. I did get mad and mean when some shied away from the challenge and called them a word worse than wussies.
You’d think I would reach the rank of Virtuoso after all the dueling, but no dice. I went to the Sages to ask for more instruction. Each one of them got annoyed with my impatience. But could they blame me? I was finally seeing victorious streaks. I wanted to learn more and it was their role and responsibility as Sages to instruct. Why are they a Magical Three? Someone must be more powerful than the rest.
I washed my face off the sweat and dirt of the day. When I heard a disembodied voice creeping into my mind.
”Finally I make my grand appearance in your little nightmare!" The voice chuckled as it echoed throughout. "River, how long were you going to sleep in there? But honestly though, mate, thank you. You've given me so much, River. I’ve been having so much fun in your body.”
“Who are--Wait are you the reason why I’ve been having blackouts?” The thoughts race in my mind, colliding with one another with nowhere to go, emptied of any sense of consequence connected to him. "I-I need to wake up from this. Someone must have noticed! You need to let me out!"
“Umm, am I the reason why you’ve been having blackouts?" The voice was similar to mine, but that reflection mocked me as he toyed with my panic. "We’ve been through this before, this isn’t my doing. You did this. You made me and you know, if you get rid of me, you're essentially destroying yourself so...ipso facto, we're all in this together, brother.” His words stabbed ice into my veins.
“But, this can’t be real.” I try to reach into the corners of my mind, trying to unlock how long it's been. What this Other Me could have done in my place?
Notes
This is the most photo-heavy post I've done. Still trying to find the balance with it. Loving how you're stories are advancing so far!
Coach Janks had been surprised at how the Olympic Snowboard Team was progressing and decided to give them a day off earlier than expected. Kiyoshi was dropped off at his house and he immediately thought of Sakura and how surprised she would be to see him. As soon as he unpacked, he would head over there and see her. He had to talk to her about something, and the only way he could do that was in person.
He had tried to call her on the way, but his calls and text messages went unanswered. He wondered where she was.
Kiyoshi arrived home and his mother immediately came to greet him.
Megumi: "Kiyoshi-chan! What a surprise! Coach Janks didn't tell us that you would be arriving a month earlier than planned. How long are you here for?"
Kiyoshi: "Okaasan, it is only for 24 hours. Coach Janks told us that we were making better progress than he had hoped and gave us an extra day to be with our families."
Megumi: "That's wonderful, Kiyoshi-chan. I shall prepare a wonderful dinner for you, all of your favorites. Perhaps we could even invite over Kaori and her family. Sachiko and I haven't seen each other in awhile, and it would be a wonderful time to catch-up."
Kiyoshi: "I actually need to see Sakura, and might not be back for dinner."
Megumi: "Sakura? Oh..." Megumi hesitated and wondered if she should let Kiyoshi know or have him go to Sakura's house and find out himself. She decided to tell him, "Sakura is actually not here."
Kiyoshi: "What do you mean she's not here? Okaasan...you know something. What is it?"
Megumi: "Well, actually, you would probably find out anyway, so I might as well tell you. The day after you left, she was accepted at The School For The Arts in Windenberg, and she moved there at the beginning of the month."
Kiyoshi: "So, do you know where she is in Windenberg? DId she change her phone number, because she isn't answering my calls."
Megumi: "Well, she did come over before she left and gave me some letters for you. She told me that her new address was in one of the letters. And I really don't know about the phone number, I haven't talked to her."
Kiyoshi: "But, Okaasan...I never got those letters. What happened to them?"
Megumi: "Well, that is the unfortunate thing...we sent them in that first courier package, and we all know what happened there...the driver had a crash in that bad thundersnowstorm, and all the courier packages were damaged or lost. Truly unfortunate that I never asked for her address, so I really don't know where she is."
Kiyoshi: "And she never sent any other letters....?"
Megumi: "Um....err....no.... not a single letter. And you know, I would definitely have couriered those letters to you. But, these things happen all the time. Being in another country...she got...um...too busy to write...she got involved with her music, and perhaps she met a new sim...I'm sorry Kiyoshi-chan...perhaps it's for the best..."
Kiyoshi: "How can you say that Okaasan? Sakura is my girlfriend...and...and what about my letters to her? Where are those letters?"
Megumi: "Oh yes," she said as she went to a drawer in the kitchen, "Don't worry, I kept them safe. They are all here..."
Kiyoshi looked at the pile of letters that his mother handed to him, a look of disbelief on his face, "So, she...she never got any of these letters? Oh gosh, she must think I don't care about her. Why didn't you tell me about this Okaasan? Why?"
Megumi: "Well, Kiyoshi-chan, you were at training camp, and I didn't want you to get upset about a little insignificant mail incident. And what does it matter now, Sakura didn't write you...so maybe you were really only friends..."
Kiyoshi stood there trying to control his anger. He wasn't sure who to be angry with. His mother, the courier company, the postal service, Sakura or just everything. It just couldn't be true that Sakura wouldn't write him. It's not possible. Or perhaps his mother was right and Sakura had just been a friend, and he had thought she had been more. Maybe the person he should be angry with was himself for being a fool and caring about Sakura.
Just then his little sister, Nanami entered the room, "Kiyoshi, Kiyoshi! You're home!"
Kiyoshi brightened. At least there was one bright spot in his day. He gave Nanami a loving hug, "Nanami, I've missed you so much. Have you been doing your homework? Tell me all about school. What have you been doing while I have been away?"
Nanami: "Kiyoshi, I've missed you. Come up to my room, I want to show you what Sakura sent me. It's the cutest little statue and it's name is Poppy."
Megumi :"Nanami, what are you talking about? Sakura sent you something? When?"
Nanami: "Okaasan, please don't be mad. I know you told me not to open any of the mail, but this was addressed to me. It came when you and Otosan were at the meeting the other night, and so I opened it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I thought you would be mad at me."
Kiyoshi felt like he could just twirl his sister around right now. He felt so happy, "Nanami, this statue, did you keep the paper it came in? Like the brown paper with the address on it?"
Nanami: "Yes! Yes! I did. I started a stamp collecting project at school, and the stamps on the package were so pretty, I kept it. Do you want to see Poppy?"
Kiyoshi took Nanami's hand and practically ran up the stairs with her.
Nanami and Kiyoshi entered her room, and she showed Kiyoshi the statue and handed him the wrapping paper with the address on it. Nanami also showed Kiyoshi the short note that had been sent with the statue.
Kiyoshi read it and paused, "...and tell your brother, Kiyoshi, that I am thinking about him, and wish he was here..." Kiyoshi smiled. Sakura hadn't forgotten about him.
Kiyoshi: "Could I borrow this paper for a moment, Nanami? I just want to write the address down..." Nanami nodded that he could.
Kiyoshi went into his bedroom, and took out a pen and paper from his drawer, and gazed at the photo on his dresser of he and Sakura, "Oh, Sakura, what must you think of me? And why haven't you written to me? And where the heck is Windenberg?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When they were gone, Megumi felt a huge headache coming on. Why was Sakura still in their lives? And now Kiyoshi would know her address and start writing to her. There must be something else she could do. If she could get his phone for a moment, she could....
There was a sudden knock on the door, which interrupted her thoughts. Megumi went to answer the door, and standing on her doorstep were two police officers from the National Police Agency.
"That's strange," she thought, "What were they coming here for?" She opened the door.
Detective Lee: "Good evening, are you Megumi Ito?"
Megumi: "Yes, I am. May I help you?"
Detective Lee: "This is Detective Yin and I am Detective Lee of the National Police Agency. Do you know a teen named Sakura Li?"
Megumi took a deep breath, :"Yes, she is a friend of my son's."
Detective Yin: "May we come in for a few moments, Mrs. Ito? We are working with the Windenberg Police on a case."
Megumi: "Oh? And it involves Sakura?"
Detective Lee: "Yes, unfortunately it does. She has been reported missing and we need to ask you a few questions."
Megumi: "Well, I really didn't know her that well."
Detective Yin: "That's interesting, Mrs. Ito, because one of the last calls and text messages she made was to you."
Megumi looked around and put on her face of concern, "Really? Hmmm...that's strange...I never received anything from her. But, yes, please, come in and I will answer any questions you have."
As they were seated on the couch, Kiyoshi came downstairs carrying a suitcase in his hand.
Kiyoshi: "Okaasan, what's going on?"
Detective Yin: "Are you Kiyoshi Ito?"
Kiyoshi: "Yes, yes, I am...what is this all about?"
Detective Lee: "Perhaps you should sit down for what I am about to tell you."
Kiyoshi: "As long as it doesn't take too long, I have a train to catch."
Megumi: "Kiyoshi-chan, where are you going? You just got here..."
Kiyoshi: "I am going to Windenberg, Okaasan, I am going to see Sakura. I have her address and I am sure that I will be able to find her house. I have something important I need to talk to her about..."
Megumi: "But, Kiyoshi-chan...Windenburg is 12 hours from here...where will you stay? What about the Training Camp? You can't leave now..."
Detective Yin: "Excuse me, Kiyoshi...would that be Sakura Li that you are referring to?"
Kiyoshi: "Yes...why? Is something wrong?"
Detective Lee: "Kiyoshi, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Sakura Li has been reported missing and has vanished without a trace. We are working with the Windenberg Police on the case. No-one has seen her since Saturday, and the last time anyone heard from her was Sunday. The Windenburg Police suspect that Sakura may have been a victim of foul play."
Kiyoshi couldn't believe what he had just heard. Sakura had disappeared? Foul Play? Where was she? What had happened to her?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thanks to these simmers for their wonderful creations. I just dressed the sims in police outfits, and renamed them as Detective Soo-Yung Lee, and Detective Katashi Yin.
March 20 (March 21 and 22 will be under the spoilers)
I was tired of being in their house and Roxanne had at least 9 days of vacation. I figured I'd use it until her grades started slipping. I do want her to end her teenage years with an "A" average. Anyway, off to Granite Falls they went!
I figure they can both work on the herbalism skill a little once the plants come in and hopefully there will be good opportunities for Magic.
I was amazed how well the Potion of Nimble Mind works. I started Roxanne on the violin when they got there after school on Thursday and by the middle of the night she was up to about level 8. I'm just letting Archie muddle through but keeping him busy. They both also read the first herbalism book until they couldn't learn from it so they got to a little over level 4. Archie also planted a starter garden (all the plants other than the herbalism ones that you use in those concoctions). I plan on filling out the garden for whoever else rents there in the future.
This was after a spell backfired on Archie.... zip zap. He wandered all around and I couldn't control him until it wore off. He basically took a very long hike.
March 21
The next day after topping off violin, Roxanne moved on to piano, she was already pretty highly skilled but I had her get it to 10.
Archie had fun trying out the wishing well (no shot) and terrorizing the bear... She ended up being a pretty girl he might court later. He also had another overload also.... Oppsie!
March 22
It was off to fish and do some exploring the next day!
It was also New Year's eve so they made some resolutions (for my sims its almost always a skill point)
I've been surprised how easy it is to find the bugs against the snow. Archie found a lot.
Time to visit the Hermit. He wasn't half-bad looking but has a goofy walk and pencil thin eyebrows and very thin lips. Will probably make a trip to CAS for him.
Roxanne baked him some bread and they both made friends with him. I got Archie to try the potion of forced friendship and he had their relationship maxed quick. Roxanne took the slow route since she already gets a good boost on making friends and I wanted to see the difference. Forced friendship works pretty well. They were both able to learn the special recipe before they ended their time in that spot.