*Updated my May 7th post above. I'll get started on comments soon, but might not have them ready to post until later today. Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
I think I want to use yesterday's screenshots, (i.e. my story needs them), so here's an extra post for you. Sort of "Part 2" of the last one. Not sure whether I should have spent the time on today's post instead, but we will cross that bridge, when we come to it.
Regarding the post: Please use your imagination here and imagine Greg saying/thinking this in whatever Slang you are familiar with. I will try my best, but I am not really familiar with any English/American Slang, so... Still can't believe I am following through on this and writing a "Slang Email" on behalf of Greg... Not my favourite thing to do!
After writing this, I can say that the Slang plan did not work at all. I wasn't able to get away from my usual, rather formal writing style enough for it to sound like slang. Oh well, anyway...
Part 1 of Update 3 | Overview post&rules
Update 3, Part 2 - Bridgeview
from: gaming_greg82@mail.sim subject: It worked - sort of... to: whelan.gary@mail.sim
Hey, bro! What's up?
Oh man, yesterday morning was just rotten. Sarah told me the twins had had a really, really bad night again - how I could possibly sleep through that?! Well I don't know, how should I? So I said it was a good thing I sleep through, as I have to go to work every morning and not fall asleep at my desk.
She simply continued ranting: Whether I had already noticed that we were both parents of these squiggly babies, and both had the responsibility to care for them?! Including getting up at night and soothing them when they cried in general?!
I mean, it's not like I know stuff about babies, but she tells me they've had a bad night, like, every other morning! I have to admit I got a bit concerned - they are my babies after all, and I have somehow grown attached to them... So I casually asked if we should get the doctor to check on them, that couldn't be normal, if she had done everything right...
Which simply unleashed another tirade: As *every parent* knows, it is very common that babies wake up several times at night and that they cry several hours a day. Sophia's and Mark's bad nights were perfectly normal, and what she wanted from me was not to spend money we didn't have on a doctor, or to question her parenting abilities. How about I instead offered to take turns caring for them at night so she wouldn't drop dead in the near future?! Sigh... That wasn't how I wanted the morning to go.
little RL talk, because this subject is super important to me: If you are concerned with the health or behaviour of a baby or child, or if your baby cries a lot, go ask your doctor about it. Ask your midwife or doctor about possible support, if you think you need it.
And whatever you do, do not shake your baby. Ever. Put it somewhere safe and leave the room to calm down.
Babies' brains are super fragile and can get damaged very easily by shaking. Shaking puts your baby in danger.
If a baby was shaken, please call an Ambulance right away.
More (english) information can be found for example here and on google specific for your area. Thanks a lot, and back to the story.
Luckily, I had to go to work at that point, and left Sarah to calm down. Surely the evening wouldn't be as bad, right?
I heard in the evening that she had dilly-dallied her time with the neighbours again - That old woman really gets on my nerves, always commenting on my bad manners! So what?! And isn't she ashamed to swing like a little kid?
Sarah had put it like this, however: "I trained my brain cells in preparation for our two little toddlers"... Oh right, the birthday would be tomorrow already!
Since this was the last chance we'd get before we'd have two mobile, silly brats running around, I pulled myself together and asked her, just like you suggested. I asked Sarah on a date!
I wanted everything to be perfect! We went to a lovely inn downtown. Not sure it was in our budget, but hey, this was important to me.
We talked about the twins, about parenting, about our relationship...
I apologized about us arguing so often because I always seemed to say just the wrong thing. She apologized about trying to make me a different Sim than I am - a cleaner, more responsible, more family-oriented person... We even said that on weekend nights we'd take turns with the kids, and try to come up with a long-term plan so I could give notice. I hope I can follow through on that promise! (Seriously, these parenthood traits... Give them three autonomous interactions together while they aren't in a super flirty conversation and you can be sure he'll yell at her! So much babysitting, when I need a constructive conversation for once...)
At the end, we even were flirting for a bit, thinking about the good old times, wispering salty compliments... You can be sure I was a bit drunk by then! Probably lucky that we weren't at a place with a closet, I'm not sure I would have thought about proper protection, and we'd have gotten yet another screaming baby in the house. Although I have been thinking lately - they aren't all that bad, even kinda sweet, when they're cooing at me and saying "Da da"... If Sarah wanted another baby and continued to care for it like now...
Who knows what will happen?
Well, my mind changed radically a few minutes afterwards! We had collected the babies from the sitter and driven home, and sure enough, they had smelly diapers again... I sure hope they'll smell less bad as toddlers!
Bye, the tournament starts, gotta go!
Let's meet again on Friday to play some games!
Greg
Notes
I had so much fun making up that Email, and that chess sequence was too hilarious, I had to include it - despite it being from the wrong point of view. I think it fits his personality very well (except for the writing style, which is my fault). It was cool to show their relationship from his view, to make clear he's not a baddie, and he doesn't mean harm. He is just really clueless (and doesn't help with the babies which is not nice) - and he always, without fail, says the wrong thing, if they exchange more than one sentence. (Provided I don't bother to micromanage and [x] all his autonomous mean or mischievous interactions...)
I think I will continue to periodically show his point of view, it's just a nice touch. The main focus will stay on Sarah though, since she's at home and spends time with the kids, and I am more comfortable writing as her. Of course, once the main Sim is born (and able to write), they will get the main point of view, with potential guest roles from the others once in a while.
Characters
--Gallery (Sims and houses): Hashtag #onemonthoneworldoneyear, Name "One Sim - Fam. Britton". My gallery name is Noctuara.
Parents: Sarah and Greg Britton. They live on the 20x15 "Comfy Cubby" in Bridgeview, Newcrest.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
Greg Britton - Greg is a young adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he tries his best... (and I help him by x-ing out all his autonomous mean&mischievous interactions from the Parenthood traits) Most of the time, he simply wants to be left alone and to do "his own thing". At the moment, he works in Business (and hates it). On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible, even though she is only a Young Adult herself. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a toddler now, and is very independent.
Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a toddler now too, and is a little charmer.
others:
Gary Whelan, a friend of Greg from high school. Lives on "Oak Alcove", 20x15, Bridgeview. He is a Bro, Geek and Active. He works as a Game developer.
Fam. Aldrich, the neighbours and friends of Sarah. They live on the 30x20 "Fernpark" in Bridgeview. Elderly Pamela lives here with her Grandchildren after both parents died in a plague at young years. Pamela loves to Garden, cook at spend time with her Grandchildren. And if she had the time (and I the money), she'd love to learn to knit. Readhed Alexia, already a Young Adult, is the image of her mother. She loves to paint, channeling all her emotions on the canvas. She feels heavily responsible for her younger siblings, Tessa and Joey (twins). Tessa loves to make crafts like her big Sister and is very creative, while Joey has a lot of Energy and is very much into sports.
Thank you about my daily post pic! If I could only choose one thing about this pack that I love, it would be the world. It's gorgeous! I love my couple, they remind me of Hubby and I in a lot of ways. When we were younger, of course.
Is it wrong of me that I had hoped Bennie would've, uh, met his demise with the Murphy bed? But no, and I literally laughed he's sick. This guy deserves every bad thing that happens to him. I'm sorry, but I will be positively thrilled when Jaz finally grows up and moves out.
Thanks! I like the tanning option, especially on Josh since it makes his eyes stand out. Essa's side braid is one of my favorite hairstyles too! Yeah, poor Beast. He's a skelly again. 'Someone' forgot about him. I'm sure he'll be back at some point though, happened once, why not again, right? HAHA! I love that line too! His ears! Oh Gosh, that's right, his hair pretty much shielded them before. hehe It's kind of weird to me, seeing this big manly, man knitting, but he enjoys it, so why not? You're half right! Josh did win, but, so did Frank! Only Essa lost. I can't quite figure that one out, but that's what their moodlets said, so... o.O Oh yeah, the best way he knows how!
You can talk about it, write about it, etc., you just can't post any links to Mods that allow teen pregnancy.
Yep, posting a bunch of screenshots with text in a long story is not a requirement, it's optional. The original intension was for one daily pic with a short synopsis of what happened with your challenge Sim that day. Bummer you didn't feel well, guessing you're better now.
Aww, so sweet they went on a date together and yes Sarah, babies grow up way to fast. Glad she spent some time with Joey and his Granny too.
If you've read my most current post by now, you know what both those things mean. I won't say in case you haven't read it yet.
I like that they are trying hard and working on their relationship. Greg is such a clueless guy, but that's to be expected, a lot of guys, especially ones his age don't know a thing about babies. So funny how he was just thinking he wouldn't mind if they had more kids after the date and then come home to dirty diapers and he quickly changes his mind.
Oh man, this line positively broke me, "Like me", he said quietly. "They don't fit like me." Poor Rubanoid, I hope I'm not seeing the writing on the wall for their relationship. I'm guessing they'll be okay though, at least for awhile, since Roxanne took the time to bug him because she's worried about him.
(Randi) “Bryon! You’re here! I missed you so much!”
(Bryon) “Hey mom. I missed you too... Where’s Kristine?”
(Kristine) “I’m right here!”
(Bryon) “Oh my, Kristine! Stop growing already. You’re going way too fast for me.”
(Kristine) “Hahaha I didn’t grow that much!!”
(Bryon) “But you did! I’m so happy to see you.”
(Kristine) “Me too!”
(Randi) “That’s so beautiful to see, really.”
(Randi) “You wanted to go to your house, right?”
(Bryon) “Yes please. In case Naoki comes back.”
(Kristine) “Ohhh, can I go too?? Mom? Please?”
(Randi) “I don’t know, Kristine...”
(Bryon) “It’s okay. You can come too.”
(Kristine) “Really? Yay!!”
(Randi) “I’ll say goodbye to Patrick real quick and then we’re ready to go.”
We arrived at my place and went to sit in the living room. We asked Kristine to go play on the laptop in the study room. She’s still too little to hear this all. I explained the situation.
(Randi) “Why didn’t you tell me earlier about this? I thought you were living a happy life with the twins, as a family. I thought you just went to live close to your brother!!”
(Bryon) “I’m sorry... I didn’t want you to be worried...”
(Randi) “Have you checked his workplace already?”
(Bryon) “I can’t go inside there yet. Only verified military or scientist members can come in, or when you have some other kind of permission. I’m still waiting for my keycard."
(Randi) “When will you get your card?”
(Bryon) “Tomorrow or the day after...”
(Randi) “Okay. We’re going there when you receive your card.”
(Bryon) “Eh.. We?”
(Randi) “You’re going to fix me an extra military outfit. I’m not going to let you go alone. I’m in this too now.”
(Bryon) “Mom, you can’t possibly force me to do this.”
(Randi) “Oh no?”
(Bryon) “Ehhh... I’ll fix a uniform for you.”
(Randi) “Good. What do we do with Kristine? Just leave her here?”
(Bryon) “I could ask Jess to babysit her...”
(Randi) “That would be great! We’re going to find Naoki back, okay? And your kids too. We’ll get it all back. I didn’t become a grandma for nothing, you hear that?”
(Bryon) “I don’t know what I’d do without you anymore, mom.”
---
I also made this family tree. If you click on the character, you can read something about him/her. If you have the feeling something is missing or unclear, please let me know!
So one of the parts of the challenge that I've really started to love is figuring out a way to connect all the worlds and often some pre-mades into Jules' story. I've been particularly enjoying it this month, since I knew for a while I wanted Strangerville to be connected to Jules' past instead of just a random event, but I know that I've started to include A LOT of twists and maybe gone a bit overboard, and to be honest, I've worn myself out a little with this complex plot so I am hoping I can see it through to the end, haha. So thanks for keeping up with all of this
---
So when Jules got back from George and Theresa's bunker, she saw that Hugo had company. Jules recognized her immediately - Dr. C, aka Skeilah, the doctor who had delivered her baby. Just when she thought this day couldn't get any weirder...
Hugo and Skeilah had started talking at the library earlier that day, and both realized they knew Jules. Wanting a little more privacy, they headed back to the trailer to talk there instead. Skeilah said that lots of doctors and scientists had started coming to Strangerville since the epidemic afflicting the residents here seemed to be getting worse. They wanted to come up with an antidote and hopefully a vaccine as well as quickly as they could, but it was rather difficult when there were so many restrictions about where they were allowed to go.
So Skeilah did something sneaky - when she had been at the bar the other night, she had bought a soldier some drinks, hoping he'd loosen up and tell her something useful. He didn't end up actually knowing too much, but he eventually passed out at the bar after several drinks, and Skeilah noticed his keycard in his pocket and swiped it.
So yay! They have keycard access now (Really Jules just bought one off of Erwin, if we're being technical ). So they decided they'd team up to gain access to the restricted parts of the lab...and so they began to plan over the next few days, and George and Theresa agreed to help them as well.
A few nights later, they all headed to the lab to put their plan into action.
First, George and Theresa set off some fireworks out near the trailers. (I feel like they totally have a stash of fireworks in that bunker )
Skeilah had agreed to dress in Emmett's borrowed uniform, since Hugo and Jules both had the potential to be recognized from their previous trips here.
Once George had lit the fireworks, Skeilah ran up to the guard at the door, feigning panic. "Someone set off some explosives near the trailers!"
The other guard stationed inside quickly joined them, and they ran over to investigate the area.
George and Theresa had safely hidden themselves behind the fence, out of sight.
With the guards distracted, Jules and Hugo had access to the door.
The door slowly began to slide open.
Tiny spores floated in the chamber in front of them.
Jules walked forward with confidence, though it took Hugo a minute to muster the courage to follow.
They saw a chamber filled a thick cloud of spores as the reached the bottom of the steps. Jules could just make out a door on the other end. She was determined to reach it, despite the warning signs flashing in her mind, and so they both cautiously began walking through the hallway.
"Okay, maybe this wasn't such a great idea...let's go back out and look around that other corridor," Jules suggested through a coughing fit
"Jules?!" Hugo exclaimed as her knees gave out beneath her.
And then she collapsed.
Hugo became woozy as well and collapsed beside her.
A few moments later, two figures appeared.
"Come with us," they commanded, and Jules and Hugo gladly followed...
Character notes for new readers:
@Skeilah gave her simself a few months ago, since we tend to share sims with each other and include them in each other's stories. I originally used her as the doctor that delivered Jules' baby. Skeilah loves Hugo Villareal, so I thought it might be fun for them to meet in my game, hence her inclusion in my story again now
Ah, now they're both spellcasters! Great idea actually, now Josh has unlocked a whole new palette of skills he can work on... Also, if they had a baby now, it would be 100% spellcaster! (just thinking... After all, they could have just Woohoo'd in that closet)
I don't know which "both those things" you meant. That they went on a date and that babies grow up too fast? Or, wait, that we can write about Teen Pregnancy? (Isn't Tessa a Young Adult by now?) Are Tessa and Josh... going to experience that too? *excited grin*
Poor Rubanoid, that was a very sad line... Great idea to use the lamps for story purposes. I hope they both will come out happy! I wonder if it was the programming that made him weird, or if it was complicated emotions.
What? They both are corrupted now? It was such a great plan, and now this... I find the infection really scary, to be honest.
Notes for my post:
I had so much fun making up that Email, and that chess sequence was too hilarious, I had to include it - despite it being from the wrong point of view. I think it fits his personality very well (except for the writing style, which is my fault). It was cool to show their relationship from his view, to make clear he's not a baddie, and he doesn't mean harm. He is just really clueless (and doesn't help with the babies which is not nice) - and he always, without fail, says the wrong thing, if they exchange more than one sentence. (Provided I don't bother to micromanage and [x] all his autonomous mean or mischievous interactions...)
That Plan they came up with is literally born from my despair, Sarah wakes up every morning with her Energy in the red, I'll never get anything done with her passing out every three hours...
I think I will continue to periodically show his point of view, it's just a nice touch. The main focus will stay on Sarah though, since she's at home and spends time with the kids, and I am more comfortable writing as her. Of course, once the main Sim is born (and able to write), they will get the main point of view, with potential guest roles from the others once in a while.
Aww man, I love Randi! She's such a sweet Mom to Bryon, always there we you need her, strong-willed and stubborn! Kristine is such a cutie, is it just me or does she get cuter everyday! Are you still using the height slider Mod? She looks so tiny! Very petite, which is realistic. Can't wait to see Randi in a military uniform. I bet if she tucks her hair under her cap, she'll look almost like her Son's twin! o.O Go get Naoki and those twins back you two! CHARGE!! Great chapter.
Interesting way you managed to get a keycard and distract the guards to be able to use it! Kudos! Don't like how they're both infected and now two guys in hazmat suits are leading them away somewhere while they're possessed. o.O Hmm, can't wait to find out what that's all about.
By 'both those things' I meant the two things you'd wondered about in your comment to me, the title and what it meant and what was the book about he was reading. The title of course means they will be going to the lab together both as Spellcasters, two Spellcasters is better than one. And the book is a magic tome to learn magic spells and/or magic potion recipes. It was my way to give a clue that Josh is now a Spellcaster. Only Spellcasters can read tomes.
Essa and Josh are both young adults. Their romance started though when Essa was a teen and Josh a young adult. Obviously nothing could happen between a teen and a young adult, so their 'real' romance didn't start until Essa aged up to a young adult. So anyway, no, there will be no teen pregnancies in my challenge and Essa and Josh won't get married or have babies for awhile yet.
May 6 - University - WK 1 - Tuesday - Just Another Day At Uni
Sakura's Day:
Sakura woke up the next morning to...SPOTS. What? Oh my gawd! She was covered in spots. What strange dorm-disease did she get? It must have been something in those showers. She thought they looked rather funky when she took a shower last night. What was she going to do?
~ ~ ~
Sakura texted Wolfgang:
I'm covered in spots!
~ ~ ~
Wolfgang texted Sakura back:
Mr. Muscles will be right there!
~ ~ ~
Sakura smiled when she saw Wolfgang's response despite feeling horrible. He must have sped over on his bike, because before she knew it, he was there.
Wolfgang: "Sakura, you ARE covered in spots! I think you've got a cold. How are you feeling?"
Sakura: "*cough* I'm all achy and my head is pounding and I'm stuffed up. *cough*"
Wolfgang: "Ahhh...come here, let me give you a massage. Does that feel better now?"
Sakura: "Mmmm....that feels nice...thanks..."
Sakura: "Wolfgang, don't you have a class now?"
Wolfgang: "Yeah, but it's no big deal, I can make up the work. I already texted Professor Lana to let her know. Plus, you're more important right now..."
Sakura smiled at him. Wolfgang was so sweet, he really did care about her.
Wolfgang: "You know, my Mom always said that drinking some orange juice helps. Is there any in your dorm fridge? I could get you a glass..."
Sakura: "No...I need to get up and moving...I have class soon..." she sniffled as she shuffled to the fridge and grabbed a glass of orange juice.
Wolfgang followed her into the lounge. Some other students were already up and chatting there. Sakura introduced Wolfgang to Reyansh and Haych.
Sakura drank the orange juice and was starting to feel better.
Wolfgang: "You know, Sakura, maybe next term we should re-think our schedules. We are both running now from 8am to 10pm everyday. With homework, presentations and term papers, and you in soccer and me in E-Sports, we don't have much time to do anything else. Plus, we could get worn out pretty quick at this rate."
Sakura thought about that and nodded her head, "I was thinking about that last night, too..."
Sakura finished the glass of juice and suddenly, just like magic, all her spots seemed to disappear and she smiled.
Sakura: "Your Mom's remedy worked. Look! All the spots are gone!"
Wolfgang: "That's great! Are you going to be okay now?" he asked as he looked at Sakura.
Sakura: "Yes...I'll be fine. I don't want you to miss another class because of me."
Wolfgang: "Well, anytime you need me...just call. Mr. Muscles is always available, anytime, day or night. We'll discuss my fee later..." he joked winking at her.
Sakura gives Wolfgang a hug good-bye and he leaves the dorm.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sakura heads into the restroom, only to find that there is a mini-flood in there. The faucet is leaking and her roommate, Houda, is desperately mopping up the floor. Too bad Wolfgang had left, or he could have fixed this. Well, no time like the present to start learning how to fix plumbing issues.
Sakura's roommates are strange. Every time she enters a room, they are really excited to see her. All the time. Maybe they heard she's moving out and are excited that her room will be up for grabs. Or, maybe it's because she's on the soccer team and they're giving her encouragement? Or, it could be that they are just glad she got over whatever it was she had and they won't get it. That must be it. Well, whatever it is, it just happens all the time. I am sure she'll be up for the UBrite Miss Congeniality Award soon.
Spotted Astrid in the UBrite Commons in the cafeteria. Maybe she was checking out the food choices here and comparing them to Foxbury's. As a Foxbury student eating at UBrite, she would have to pay for the food here. Looks like she comes away empty-handed. Probably heading back to Foxbury where meals are free.
Sakura gets an interesting phone call during the day. She has never heard of this relative, so asks what the conditions are to accept the funds. And it's obviously the right answer, because she comes away $2,500 simoleons richer. Yes!
Sakura has an hour between classes, so she does her homework for the class she just had.
Part of the requirements for being on the soccer team is that she has to practice juggling. So, Sakura does, any chance she gets.
And Sakura is definitely feeling better as she leads the pack running to soccer practice.
And after soccer practice, she makes friends with one of her teammates, Preston Herrick.
And then it's back to her dorm to do homework. Jeb Harris joins her. He really likes hanging around Sakura. Maybe she inspires him to be a better student, because Jeb is not the most studious of students. He gets easily distracted and Sakura worries about him. [Note: I placed an element-cube on the desk to get Sakura focused.]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wolfgang's Day:
If there was one word to describe Foxbury Institute, it would be stairs. Up, down...down, up. Why have a bike when you attend Foxbury when you have to keep getting on and off of it everytime you go up or down the stairs? Well, with all the free food that Wolfgang is eating, stair climbing might be a good idea for him. It will certainly keep him fit. So, here he is going up the stairs to class.
Spotted Bryon in Larry's Lagoon chatting with a student.
And what's this? A dance party? Is there some event going on at Larry's Lagoon in the middle of the day? Why are you all here? Busted! Jules don't look at me like that. I know this was your idea! Day 2 of university and already skipping class. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!
Professor Lana McKinnon seems to have a "thing" for Wolfgang. Seriously, she's always around him, like secretly stalking him. She was there when Wolfgang saved River, so maybe there is a bit of hero-worship going on. That, or she's been listening to 80s music and humming the song "Holding Out for A Hero", and seems to think that Wolfgang might fit the bill. Look at her face, can't you just see her looking at Wolfgang and sighing "Oh, Wolfgang, you're my hero!" She saw him at Larry's Lagoon and wanted to know if he needed any extra tutoring for the class that he missed today. Um...oh yeah, we better watch out for her. Luckily Wolfgang is only interested in his homework and not in any "private" student-teacher...um...tutoring sessions. Nope. Nada. It ain't happening, so move along there Lana.
Wolfgang heads off to his E-Sports meeting and then goes home. He starts work on his term paper. About mid-way through, he thinks about Sakura and how she got sick this morning. He has a flashback of Sakura lying on that rock unconscious when he found her at The Bluffs, and suddenly was overcome with sadness. He wished she was here with him now, because he would go over and hold her close. Oh so close. Wolfgang never wanted anything to happen to Sakura again. Gah! Just the thought of that made him sadder. Poor Wolfgang. Hang on Wolfgang, it will be better when you and Sakura are living in the same house together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Holding Out For A Hero", song by Bonnie Tyler, 1984.
Randi is the best Bryon deserves a good mother after everything Bryon's been through. Yep, still using a height slider! She got a little bigger and her hair got longer, but other than that, still the cute little Kristine. Hehe! I was thinking the exact same about Randi probably looking almost the same if they are dressed the same and Randi tucks her hair in a cap.
Love how Frank learns so fast! Hope Josh didn't get hurt from sparring with metal :') Oh, and now Josh is a spellcaster too! Yay!
Nice backstory you added in there for Josh, making his medal meaningful and then that note he found from his parents *sobbing quietly* Pretty cool you've decided to have Josh be a temporary spellcaster too, that will add a fun element to the story. The ascension screenshots are always so cool! I admire how slowly you're taking this mystery too, it will be cool for it to actually take up most of the month.
And that's cool to know about the fighting/sparring stuff, because those are both things that I can do in my game, thought it might be part of a pack I didn't have, so that's useful information!
So I usually play a bit ahead and get my screenshots a few days in advance if I have the time, and then I just write my updates whenever I have the time and energy, so that helps for sure. I've also gotten pretty efficient at using poses and mods to achieve what I want to a lot more quickly than I used to be able to. For me, it's always a fun challenge to figure how to "show" my ideas in a game that really doesn't have the interactions for the story I'm telling. I think I just like to play differently than a lot of people though, in the sense that I really enjoy setting up a scene for a screenshot, even if it's not "real." Most of the time once you do things a few times with the game interactions, they start to get repetitive and I get the urge to blast through them, so it's been fun for me personally to discover the storytelling side of the sims for this challenge. At least for me, it's a lot of fun to try to make things just feel new and different. There's something about setting up an elaborate scene with poses (or finding game interactions that work) that is just such a fun challenge for me, like a puzzle I have to solve to make it work.
And about all my characters, yeah, sometimes I do feel a bit like I may be overwhelming everyone...haha...I just can't seem to help myself, but with so many new people in this challenge, I do want to try to cut back on that a bit after this mystery is done and hopefully just have a simpler story for me and everyone else to follow for a bit, haha.
Nice that Sarah and Greg could go on a date before the twins age up...and then your email extra post was a nice touch too, we can really see how hard it is for these two being new parents But I'm glad in the end they did have a nice date...poor Sarah does look like she's ready to pass out 90% of the time, poor dear.
And Emmett will come back in my story soon, I just have too much going on to include him right now. He's just off being a busy soldier for now haha
Aw, Mia is such a cute kid! Love the new house too! You have some nice natural lighting in this house too! Mia's parents seem to be getting closer too, which could be nice since they're gonna have a few kids together now, I wonder if they will end up settling down together.
I love that toddlers can sometimes sit on Murphy beds like they are couches and chat. I've found it's not an interaction that consistently works, but I think it's cute when it does Also hahahaha, just when I mentioned a murphy bed death, you had a murphy bed mishap, I guess I'm glad that Bennie is okay?? Lol...I mean, I don't want him to die, but he also is just the worst, I wonder if he'll end up redeeming himself at all...
Oh Rubanoid, I just want to give him a hug...I have a feeling this marriage is doomed. Bugging your spouse is not a good sign for a healthy, lifelong union
@SoulGal7 - sorry, missed your post while I was typing up all my replies - I'm just gonna go ahead and wait until later to reply to your since I'm running low on time, just didn't want you to think I forgot about you!
Jackson was anxious for his very first day on the job. On a job. He’s never had one before. There are high school classes that teach you about the real world and how to prepare. Then there’s college which educates one for a career. Jackson didn’t even want to think about even more schooling. He wondered if being a lifeguard would be a good enough career.
Jackson spent a lot of time in the water checking out the swimming techniques he could show off during his training period. Of course he knew a lot of the training would also focus on how to take care of someone who could possibly be drowning or who was drowning and are unresponsive after saving them from the waters. He laid in the ocean on his back, chin and mouth just above the water. He closed his eyes and relaxed for a few minutes before heading back to shore.
From there, Jackson decided to see what was happening at any of the beaches he has frequented the past week. Jackson couldn’t believe it’s been a week since he’s been on Sulani. The beach was quiet for a Sunday afternoon. He only saw a couple of folks out swimming. No one else seemed to be around. He decided he needed to work on his tan a bit more. It was fading already.
Back at his private beach, he again prepared himself for his first day on the job in his tent. He tried to stoke himself up. He ate a bowl of yogurt to keep his appetite in tact before finally leaving for his first training day. He was pumped.
It was a long excruciating four hours for Jackson. He had one-on-one training with another trainer. The trainer saw a lot of potential already in Jackson and mentioned to him that he wouldn’t need a lot of training. He soaked up the information that was given to him and showed a lot of interest. The trainer noticed.
When Jackson’s shift was over, he was tired. His muscles hurt. He was happy his next training shift wasn’t until Thursday evening. On a positive note for him, he got paid daily. He brought home 132 simoleons on his first shift. He was told once he gets promoted to becoming a lifeguard after training, he’ll earn more. Jackson really never had simoleons of his own before. As he had school in the morning, he grabbed a snack from his cooler and immediately went to bed afterwards.
Side Notes:
I wish the Lifeguard career was like the Get to Work ones where you could follow your Sim to work. Rather it’s another one of those rabbit hole jobs where you just have to sit and wait for them to return. Any window pop ups in regards to this job will be used for storytelling purposes to add some fun and flare to the story itself.
Jackson went from Average to Good right away for his job. This means he’ll most likely get promoted his next work shift or the one after that. This is a fast promotion I think. So, I’m using it to show that Jackson is impressing the lifeguard trainer from the start.
It is early Sunday morning when Skye goes into labor. So much for getting any sleep. Thankfully Mia is sleeping so Skye is able to get through the labor and have the baby. Skye is happy to see that the new baby is a boy and she names him Eli. Birthdays are scheduled so I know when to age him up. 🙂
While Skye and Eli get some sleep Mia has the chance to work quietly on her creativity aspiration. “Quietly”. My ears are bleeding. My cats won’t even stay in the same room right now. And Skye just remembered she has an audition today. Just a quiet Sunday at home.
Skye enjoys playing with toys and apparently she enjoys listening to Mia play the violin. Mia’s creative skill is pretty high so it isn’t her playing that hurts my ears, it is just the kids’ violin.
Skye heads off to her audition and sends Eli to the daycare. Mia also has her scouting meeting today, which I still don’t understand what they get out of it. Not like it is required to promote, but whatever. As they were leaving, Luna drops by and makes herself at home. The computer is locked to everyone except the household so not sure why she is still on the computer, but eventually she pays attention and removes herself from the house.
Emily stopped by with a present for Mia, although it was really for Skye, and why? But now they have a package of uncommon seeds. I can think of so many things they could have used more, but whatever.
Skye passes the audition and gets the part. She has to practice her romance scene twice, so of course, she asks Jake to read her the lines. Twice.
At least they stay out of the bedroom this time. Skye does not have room in the house for another unplanned baby.
Sometimes I just can’t help it. Mia has completed the Artistic Prodigy aspiration, which includes mastering creativity. She has also earned 3/9 badges. She takes Rambunctious Scamp next. She will do Social third and Mental last. Oh, I know what she will do once she has finished her aspirations and skills.
As she was getting ready for bed, she noticed the addition in the household. She didn’t pick up on the fact that Skye was no longer pregnant, but Eli’s crying caught her attention. She is happy to have a brother and can’t wait for him to grow up so she can play with him.
I'm a deviant player (partly) so I won't be offended, you don't want to stick your head in my private games. Here on the forums though I'm probably too rule aware and like to stay on a the right side of them so I get where you are coming from with your fears there.
As to your story LMAO at twins. I like the thought of Greg coming to terms with his predicament and it was sweet to see him holding his babies.
For the "date" post I was wondering if Sarah was going to get pregnant again that night! Hehe..
As for why Rubanoid is acting weird I think it's probably both programming and emotions or emotional programming expanding? Hehe.. I don't plan ahead even though I do have one idea I want to see through. Just think of every bad and maybe good sci-fi movie with robots wanting to be humans or struggling with being "only a robot and it's probably going through my head.
Got news for you Mia...sometimes big sims don't make it to the potty either! Congrats on top notch toddler!
Oh Mia grew up so pretty.. love that hairdo!
They learn skills faster as a reward if you finish getting the badges. They really aren't hard to get as it automatically counts what your sims do towards the badge. Later you'll just have to work a little (if at all) to finish up.
Lol clearly Bennie was ill ... you know why else would he be happy and try to clean things! Poor Jaz always overlooked.
Still ill but also ill tempered!
On the next post... wow the poor kids in that family no one get's praised or anything. LOL that is so funny about congealed eggs I think of that when I have my sims eat leftovers even if they are pristine quality.. it's still gross.
Josh is trying to put his foot down with Essa huh? Let's see if she can last two weeks hehe...
for the next post.. Not sure I'd want to spar with a robot lol, but "our" Josh can!
Oh there he goes becoming a spellcaster!
I'm just getting around to answering you back. It just struck me as odd that they would tell them and even threaten them if they asked questions. You know like a cover up senario.. more like ut oh, somethings up! Government coverup stuff.
With the Rubanoid scene.. I got tears too when I decided to write that. I've seen too many movies where the robot feels less that or greater than ect.. so it's coming out.
What a wonderful daddy/daughter shot in the snow with the frosty breath. That's an awww shot!
The next post where they distract the guards to get into the lab was great too. Can't wait to find out who the two in hazmats suits are.
Also LOL who said Roxanne follows the rules of a healthy relationship! Writing that line from him made me tear up myself.. I love sci-fi movies. Happy Dad day!
Love the trapping of Naoki part lol, I do that in one of my saves on the regular.. wait, I mean poor Naoki! The part about the babies growing in Mother ... whoa.. can't wait to see how this goes.
For the next post Randi momma to the rescue!
Grats on the job! Jackson would make a good merman, not that I'm suggesting it, just seeing him as one . At least he's making money now! Are you doing an aspiration on him this month? Sorry if I missed reading about it.
Wolfgang and Sakura gotta get their minds on their schoolwork! Hehe.. not, we all want to see them go there! Mr Muscles is a great nickname for Wolfgang makes me think back on the girls oogling him when they were looking at the campuses. Love the pictures of campus life too .
-I didn't know they had an Agent Hopper in Stranger Things it was a rolled name and I thought it sounded good. I even watched the first season of that show. Oh well. My memory isn't good lol.
They learn skills faster as a reward if you finish getting the badges. They really aren't hard to get as it automatically counts what your sims do towards the badge. Later you'll just have to work a little (if at all) to finish up.
The scouting aptitude trait is one of my favorites for that very reason.
I really thought about having them Try for Baby after the date, but it would have seemed weird. Not much going on romantically, (partly unwanted) twins as strain on the relationship, then one date, and poof - romance full, woohoo, next baby
Also, I want to stretch things out a bit more. We have to fill the whole month with the older kids (minus three days of Pregnancy with the Main Sim and three days of Main Sim's baby stage). They already have two kids, the ingame limit means they can't have more than six. My Sim will most likely be the 5th, perhaps 4th or 6th kid. That means there will probably be only two more kids for the Brittons this month (hopefully in two pregnancies) before the challenge Sim gets born! Don't worry though, I have already made plans for a follow-up on that romantic evening.
last Update | Overview post&rules | Part 2 of Update 3
Update 4 - Bridgeview
Sarah's Diary
I again had a gig in the morning that went on for hours. I could leave the kids with a sitter again, but they are slowly growing up and asking for me to stay with them... Or, fascinatingly, they often want Greg to stay home from work to look after them... I guess the parent you don't have as much is the one you want more?
Anyway, I don't think I want to have them in daycare regularly when they're toddlers anymore. And Greg is miserable at his job anyway.
We both thought about the problem for a while, and finally, Greg came up with something: He had researched (and talked to a few Gaming friends) and found a weekend programming course for 500$ starting tomorrow that would instantly qualify him to do Freelance programming work or just go into Programming himself.
(I will subtract the 500$, and will send Greg to a rabbithole on Friday, Saturday and Sunday ingame, 8am-5pm. Today was Thursday. Every evening, he gets a skill point in programming (and perhaps logic?) cheated. This way I get him out of the house, he gets skills, most of his needs are auto-filled during their day, and I get rid of some of their money - they already have all the toddler stuff, so I have to think of other ways to make them struggle financially...
It doesn't seem like Greg to suddenly sit on his butt and teach himself Programming in a manner that's suitable for professional employment in 3 days, so...)
Taking it was a huge financial risk - we only had 1008$, 508$ without the course money, the bills were 1200$, and I'd only have three days to get the rest of the money. While taking care of toddlers. But it would make Greg happier and more willing to work hard in his job, he'd be able to work from home so I could go on Gigs, and he'd get more money... We decided we'd get through, and took up the offer.
Speaking of toddlers, our little kiddos are growing up... They have grown so much already! Now, they are beginning to show and develop more of an individual character. Sophia usually wants to "do things myself, 'cause I'm grown up now, Mommy!". Mark is a bit more snuggly, but very charming. He almost got a bedtime story out of Greg today...!
I will simply include some of their birthday's best photos now.
Miraculously, none of them woke up at night, despite sleeping in their exciting new room upstairs. And speaking of upstairs, I really need to fix the appliances there!
Despite going to bed late, I was able to get a good night's sleep. And perhaps Greg and I will even be able to sleep in for once, now that he does not work at the Office anymore?
Characters
--Gallery (Sims and houses): Hashtag #onemonthoneworldoneyear, Name "One Sim - Fam. Britton". My gallery name is Noctuara.
Parents: Sarah and Greg Britton. They live on the 20x15 "Comfy Cubby" in Bridgeview, Newcrest.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
Greg Britton - Greg is a young adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he wants to... Most of the time, he simply wants to be left alone and to do "his own thing". At the moment, he works in Business (and hates it). On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible, even though she is a Young Adult herself. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a toddler now, and is very independent.
Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a toddler now too, and is a little charmer.
others:
Gary Whelan, a friend of Greg from high school. Lives on "Oak Alcove", 20x15, Bridgeview. He is a Bro, Geek and Active. He works as a Game developer.
Fam. Aldrich, the neighbours and friends of Sarah. They live on the 30x20 "Fernpark" in Bridgeview. Elderly Pamela lives here with her Grandchildren after both parents died in a plague at young years. Pamela loves to Garden, cook at spend time with her Grandchildren. And if she had the time (and I the money), she'd love to learn to knit. Readhed Alexia, already a Young Adult, is the image of her mother. She loves to paint, channeling all her emotions on the canvas. She feels heavily responsible for her younger siblings, Tessa and Joey (twins). Tessa loves to make crafts like her big Sister and is very creative, while Joey has a lot of Energy and is very much into sports.
Aww, man poor Sakura waking up sick. I loved Wolfgang's emoji's he sent to her, the Mr. Muscles one is especially funny! So sweet he came rushing right over. Glad he clued her in on Mom's remedy, orange juice! He skipped class too so he could take care of her! Gah! What a sweetheart! Does Sakura have a Pristine reputation? That happens to Essa every single time she visits the Realm, her Dad and Morgyn start cheering, clapping and have thought bubbles of her. Of course you might know all this already and were just having fun with it, especially considering the Miss Congeniality comment. hehe Love that! Methinks Jeb may perhaps have a wee bit of a crush on Sakura in addition to being inspired by her.
Ugh, those stairs are a killer! I guess good exercise to work off the rich food though for Wolfgang, nice optimistic attitude Mr. Muscles! So funny about the Dance party and how you blame Jules. Uh oh, watch out for that Professor, Lana's a BIG flirt! She's my fav professor though and I always keep her in my game. Other professors? Not so lucky. I have one save where my student is having an affair with her. Alas, he's just using her though for good grades. Harrison is my attempt at a bad boy/party student. Aww Wolfgang, poor guy. I can't wait until he and Sakura are living together. I hope it makes things easier for both of them.
Agreed! Bryon deserves all the support and happiness he can get in life now. Ah, okay, I thought so. She's adorable. Can't wait to see if our suspicions are true about the Mom/Son twin thing.
Yep, Frank is a quick learner. Josh did do some things right with his programming. I'm guessing Josh has calluses on his feet and hands, so I'm sure sparring with Frank wouldn't hurt him, too much. I'm looking forward to playing Josh as a Spellcaster, should be fun! Just a temporary thing though. Probably, we'll see...
Very happy to read everything is safe and sound on your blog! I bet that's a huge relief! Yay! \o/
Thank you so much for mentioning the long backstory for the medal Josh was awarded. That's the entire reason I included it, to make it more meaningful and give a reason why he would change his mind about going to the lab. It teared me up too, even though I wrote it. I put it in a spoiler purposely because I felt bad it was so long, but I couldn't not include it. I hope it wasn't too cliché'. It probably was, but meh. *shrugs* Yes, the mystery can really be solved quickly if one were to focus on it solely and nothing else, so I'm trying to drag it out a bit more if I can. Josh is always trying to figure out ways that he can protect Essa and keep her safe. Afterall, he did make a promise to her a long time ago that he would. Becoming a Spellcaster just seemed to make sense to him.
I understand all that. It's fun trying to remember which animations will help convey the emotions I want my Sims to feel and get what I write for them across better. It can get repetitive at times and I sometimes think about getting a pose pack myself. I used a bunch of them in TS2. But I'm just starting to delve into the world of Mods/CC, so for now I'll hold off on doing that and challenge myself to use what the game offers by default.
I really don't think you play all that differently than others to tell stories. I read a lot of SimLit, and I'd say 90% of them use pose packs for their screenshots. I think you and Skeilah might be the only ones doing this challenge that use them though. So if you meant that, then yes, you do play differently. That's not a bad thing though, it's admirable, like I said. I just don't have the time to set up such elaborate scenarios, poses myself. You're a pro at it though, like you said, from using them a lot. Hands-on experience is the best teacher.
It's your game, your challenge and you can play it however you like, whether with just one Sim or dozens. Don't feel you need to make things simpler for others to read your story. It's nice that you're thinking about others that way though, I'm sure it'll be appreciated. But please don't feel pressured to do it. Do whatever makes doing this challenge and playing the game fun for you.
Yeah, he tried, but it didn't really work did it? Looking at his medals and remembering how he got the Bravery one and his parents words, made him realize he needed to step up to the plate and be braver about the situation and support Essa in her decision. He was just trying to keep her safe, and still is by becoming a Spellcaster. But he knows, from experience, sometimes you have to try to do what's right, despite the dangers because it's the right thing to do. I hope that makes sense? It did in my head anyway.
Thanks for the explanation about the questionable thing about the questions, makes sense now and it should've for me when I first read it. I'll chalk it up to lack of sleep. I've seen many robot movies like that myself, so I understand completely what you're saying. One of my favorites is a very old one called Short Circuit. A couple lines always pop in my head from that movie when I think about it, it was just such an endearing movie. For instance, "Number 5 is alive!" or "No disassemble Stephanie." If you've never seen the movie you won't know what those mean, but it helps me to understand about Rubanoid.
Oh my gosh the twins are adorable toddlers! So cute! Great idea about the new career for Greg and your financial plans for it. I just hope it doesn't becoming too overwhelming for him trying to work and take care of the toddlers at the same time. Of course, it'll get easier once they age up to children and can pretty much take care of themselves. Fabulous birthday screenshots. I hope all this works out for them. It's encouraging at least they are working together to solve their problems.
Off to play for today's post. Hope y'all are having fun and a great weekend so far!
Remind me not to play more than one day's worth at one time. Played an extra day in case I don't have time to play tomorrow... and wooo.. that was just too much of the family at once. Yikes. Be back soon with today's post. Got the pictures sorted and formatted, at least. Now I just have writing to do.
Jazmyn woke up early… and bored. So she did some experimenting. That Mental skill wasn’t going to raise itself.
Benji and Phoenix were up early – Benji found Phoenix working on his homework last minute in the twins’ room… so he elected to help him work on it to get it done faster (although Benji’s idea of “help” wasn’t really Phoenix’s… and I’m not sure how much faster it really was. At least it did get done in time, though.)
Marnie and Bennie actually had time to sit down together for breakfast before the twins got up again, although Bennie was FAR from talkative. And by the look on his face, Marnie decided not to push him.
After breakfast, Marnie set about trying to fix everything that had gone wrong with the house already. Before long, the toddlers were awake, however, and having spare time to fix things went out the window.
Bennie’s mood was atrocious. Yes, he’d been doing really well at work… but the bills had come in this morning.. and when he looked at the bank account, even someone who wasn’t good with numbers could tell he wasn’t going to be able to pay them any time soon. His only choice was to open the store, and spend what little cash he had on advertising a sale. Maybe that would get enough people in the store to make opening it worthwhile?
Oblivious to the looming financial crisis, Marnie was scrubbing toddlers, and floors, and counters, and toilets.. It seemed she never ran out of things to scrub.
Brett was teaching himself some skills.. since nobody else seemed to be interested in teaching them to him.
By the time school let out, the storm that had been brewing in the morning was starting to hit. So playing outside was out of the question. While walking through the store to head upstairs, Jaz noticed one of the customers. And unfortunately, Billie Jang had noticed her, too. It was the girl who’d been torturing her at school (with the help of her friends.. and now, the rest of the school, too.) Billie snidely jeered at her across the room, and Jaz had had a bad enough day that instead of ignoring her, she simply jeered back.
… Which, unfortunately, delighted Billie, who had been trying to taunt a response out of Jaz for a week now. Jaz fighting back finally was Billie’s idea of a good day.
On the other side of the store, Benji noticed his best friend, Jay, was perusing the toys, so he headed over to say hello. It turned out Jay’s younger brother had a birthday coming up, so Jay was sort of casing the joint to look for something he could swipe for his brother. Benji didn’t think there was any reason to tell Bennie to expect some unexpected inventory discrepancies today, and gave Jay an enthusiastic welcome.
Upstairs, the twins were pestering their older brothers, who were having an after school snack. Cold breakfast. Yum. Phoenix poked fun at his brother, calling him a brown noser, and blaming him for the fact that he had HAD to do his homework this morning. Myles blinked at his brother, unconcerned, and went back to eating.
Downstairs, Billie had most definitely gotten the reaction she had wanted. Incensed, Jaz finally grabbed Billie’s ponytail and yanked. Hard.
The rest of the store noticed the fight, and headed over to spectate. (Jay took advantage of the moment and snagged an airplane for his brother, stuffing it into his leather jacket’s pocket.)
Bennie, however.. had NOT noticed yet, and was ringing up another customer. As soon as the sale was complete, however, he turned around and couldn’t help but notice the fight.
He wasn’t sure who it was, but there was no fighting in HIS store… so he went to break it up, his bad mood spiraling into a worse one.
… Then he found out it was HIS kid who was breaking the rules. And he could only see red. Not only had Jaz LOST the fight, she was now in big trouble.
Jazmyn waited until Bennie wandered off to help other people, then threatened Billie should she ever try to come to this store again. (Billie didn’t get time to answer.. as Jaz ran upstairs to start her homework… but based on the fact that she then confidently picked out a few toys and went to get her purchases rung up by Bennie… she had no intention of following Jaz’s directives.)
Marnie, by this time, was hard at work restocking the store… and had decided Jaz had been yelled at enough. She let Jaz head upstairs unhindered, and continued her restocking.
Benji was still talking to Jay.. or congratulating him on a good swipe, I’m not sure which.
What Jay wasn’t telling him… was that everyone knew about Benji’s secret. Jay had told Cade, and of course Cade had told his girlfriend, Shaylee, who .. was flattered, but not interested in Benji that way… had quickly told her friends.. and from there it went to the rest of the school. The last to know would be Benji. And Jay didn’t want to be the one to let him know. So he didn’t. He finished the conversation and headed back home with his new toy airplane as Bennie finished closing up the store, still not noticing the missing airplane.
Upstairs, Phoenix was listening to music way too loud.. and Brett was complaining. Even more loudly.
One look at Bennie’s face, however stopped all of that, and everyone shuffled off to get ready to go to bed. Bennie raged, mostly internally, and pulled out some more cheese to refill the mousetraps… and laid down to sleep.
Marnie finally finished restocking.. and headed back upstairs. But didn’t make it through the storm unscathed. Lightning luckily only struck once.. and .. too exhausted to take yet another shower, she went straight to bed.
Unbeknownst to the adults who were sound asleep, Phoenix woke up after a nightmare.. (pretty close to the same one Benji had the night before, if not the same one.) and, feeling disgusting, he snuck out of bed to go take a quick bath.
After Phoenix left the room, Jaz woke to a nightmare, as well. (Poor baby wasn’t having a good day.)
Phoenix finished his bath and crawled back into bed silently. Luckily.. that was the end of the night. Not the end of the storm, however, because that raged into the next day.
Sorry for a long post - it was a CRAZY day. I assure you, tomorrow's post is FAR shorter. Also: I got that in JUST in time! Whew.
The rest of their weekend was filled with lots of practicing magic for Josh, learning spells/potions from tomes and many lessons from Essa.
He was a very focused student and was advancing at a highly accelerated rate by Essa's estimation. They worked non-stop for several hours.
"Let's take a break. I've got all this pent up energy from the ascension flowing through my body and I know the perfect way to use it."
"Oh? Something other than practicing? Now what could that be?" "I think you know what I have in mind."
"It's pretty easy to figure out seeing that look in your eyes."
"Huh, I don't look any different, other than my tan's gone. But I feel different."
"Oh yeah, I agree, there's a difference."
Meanwhile, Frank was feeling a bit sad from no social interaction with his creator and Essa. So he occupied his time by practicing a few jokes to amuse himself.
He also had a lovely chat with Bendy.
And a bit of a flirt as well. Bendy was his Babe afterall.
After their 'bathroom break', Essa went to bed and Josh went outside to practice some more. He lost all track of time, determined to advance as far and quickly as he could. He kept at it all night long.
Very early Monday morning, Essa stepped out on the porch after looking everywhere inside for Josh. She knew he must've been practicing all night since he never came to bed. She blew him a kiss and sat down in the rocker to knit.
(He certainly is eager to learn the craft. I hope he doesn't overdo it and get a curse. Oh man, I haven't told him about curses yet. Opps! Eh, he'll learn.)
Josh finally reached another level and was now an Acolyte. He'd read all the previous level tomes Essa had collected, but now had a new set to read. He read until it was time to get ready for work.
"Bye Beautiful, see you at 3."
"Bye Babe, be careful okay? Don't use your magic unless you have to, please? If you use it too much you could get overcharged and die, remember?" "Don't worry, I won't use it unless absolutely necessary and I know how to discharge now."
"Okay, love you!" "Love you too Beautiful, see you soon!"
She still worried. Josh had a tendency to be too confident sometimes, if there was such a thing. She hoped he'd remember her lessons.
She watched as he strode down the driveway with his back arrow straight, chin held high, chest puffed out, and muscles rippling as he went. He was such a fine specimen of a man. Her man.
She was extremely proud of him and couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him.
It was giving her a pounding headache, among other things.
(Ugh, I need some aspirin and to get out of this heat.)
Essa went inside to take care of her headache and went out back intending to take a quick dip in the pool before work.
But then she saw Beast. He was nothing but a skeleton again. She didn't know how to feel about that. Josh would be devastated. She on the other hand was... ambivalent. She never liked the thing, but was sad because Josh loved it. She knew he'd be especially upset because it was his job to feed the thing, so it was his fault.
(Maybe it'll come back to life again?)
(Stranger things have happened in this town so why not, right?)
Frank interrupted her thoughts when he hovered over in front of her. "I.am.in.need.of.entertainment.Would.you.perform.an.action.scene.with.me.Essa?"
"Oh Frank, I'm sorry, I have to go get ready for work in a few minutes. Maybe when I get home, okay?" "Affirmative!" "The.cowplant.known.as.Beast.is.dead."
"Yes Frank, I know." "Did.it.not.receive.sustenance.in.a.timely.manner?"
"I guess not. Josh really liked it. Could you maybe try to cheer him up when he gets sad about it?" "I.will.try.with.all.my.available.resources."
"Thank you Frank, I have to go now." "Goodbye.Essa."
Josh and Essa got home from work at the exact same time and did this together. I guess they both had a stressful day at work. Josh should be very happy though, he got a promotion to Warrant Officer! You can see he is feeling very flirty though, so...
A celebratory passionate kiss was the perfect thing to make them both feel better. Bye bye stress...
Oh! And Hello key card! Neither one knows yet they need it, of course, but I'm glad it's now an option for Josh to easily get one for them online.
@lilypadmeulin - Oh no! That doesn't sound good. I hope it starts to feel better soon! Take your time and relax that shoulder! We'll be waiting patiently for your return. *Hugs*
Comments
Regarding the post: Please use your imagination here and imagine Greg saying/thinking this in whatever Slang you are familiar with. I will try my best, but I am not really familiar with any English/American Slang, so... Still can't believe I am following through on this and writing a "Slang Email" on behalf of Greg... Not my favourite thing to do!
After writing this, I can say that the Slang plan did not work at all. I wasn't able to get away from my usual, rather formal writing style enough for it to sound like slang. Oh well, anyway...
Part 1 of Update 3 | Overview post&rules
Update 3, Part 2 - Bridgeview
from: gaming_greg82@mail.sim
subject: It worked - sort of...
to: whelan.gary@mail.sim
Oh man, yesterday morning was just rotten. Sarah told me the twins had had a really, really bad night again - how I could possibly sleep through that?! Well I don't know, how should I? So I said it was a good thing I sleep through, as I have to go to work every morning and not fall asleep at my desk.
She simply continued ranting: Whether I had already noticed that we were both parents of these squiggly babies, and both had the responsibility to care for them?! Including getting up at night and soothing them when they cried in general?!
I mean, it's not like I know stuff about babies, but she tells me they've had a bad night, like, every other morning! I have to admit I got a bit concerned - they are my babies after all, and I have somehow grown attached to them... So I casually asked if we should get the doctor to check on them, that couldn't be normal, if she had done everything right...
Which simply unleashed another tirade: As *every parent* knows, it is very common that babies wake up several times at night and that they cry several hours a day. Sophia's and Mark's bad nights were perfectly normal, and what she wanted from me was not to spend money we didn't have on a doctor, or to question her parenting abilities. How about I instead offered to take turns caring for them at night so she wouldn't drop dead in the near future?! Sigh... That wasn't how I wanted the morning to go.
And whatever you do, do not shake your baby. Ever. Put it somewhere safe and leave the room to calm down.
Babies' brains are super fragile and can get damaged very easily by shaking. Shaking puts your baby in danger.
If a baby was shaken, please call an Ambulance right away.
More (english) information can be found for example here and on google specific for your area. Thanks a lot, and back to the story.
I heard in the evening that she had dilly-dallied her time with the neighbours again - That old woman really gets on my nerves, always commenting on my bad manners! So what?! And isn't she ashamed to swing like a little kid?
Sarah had put it like this, however: "I trained my brain cells in preparation for our two little toddlers"... Oh right, the birthday would be tomorrow already!
Since this was the last chance we'd get before we'd have two mobile, silly brats running around, I pulled myself together and asked her, just like you suggested. I asked Sarah on a date!
I wanted everything to be perfect! We went to a lovely inn downtown. Not sure it was in our budget, but hey, this was important to me.
We talked about the twins, about parenting, about our relationship...
I apologized about us arguing so often because I always seemed to say just the wrong thing. She apologized about trying to make me a different Sim than I am - a cleaner, more responsible, more family-oriented person... We even said that on weekend nights we'd take turns with the kids, and try to come up with a long-term plan so I could give notice. I hope I can follow through on that promise!
(Seriously, these parenthood traits... Give them three autonomous interactions together while they aren't in a super flirty conversation and you can be sure he'll yell at her! So much babysitting, when I need a constructive conversation for once...)
At the end, we even were flirting for a bit, thinking about the good old times, wispering salty compliments... You can be sure I was a bit drunk by then! Probably lucky that we weren't at a place with a closet, I'm not sure I would have thought about proper protection, and we'd have gotten yet another screaming baby in the house. Although I have been thinking lately - they aren't all that bad, even kinda sweet, when they're cooing at me and saying "Da da"... If Sarah wanted another baby and continued to care for it like now...
Who knows what will happen?
Well, my mind changed radically a few minutes afterwards! We had collected the babies from the sitter and driven home, and sure enough, they had smelly diapers again... I sure hope they'll smell less bad as toddlers!
Bye, the tournament starts, gotta go!
Let's meet again on Friday to play some games!
Greg
Notes
(Provided I don't bother to micromanage and [x] all his autonomous mean or mischievous interactions...)
I think I will continue to periodically show his point of view, it's just a nice touch. The main focus will stay on Sarah though, since she's at home and spends time with the kids, and I am more comfortable writing as her. Of course, once the main Sim is born (and able to write), they will get the main point of view, with potential guest roles from the others once in a while.
Characters
Parents: Sarah and Greg Britton. They live on the 20x15 "Comfy Cubby" in Bridgeview, Newcrest.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
- Greg Britton - Greg is a young adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he tries his best... (and I help him by x-ing out all his autonomous mean&mischievous interactions from the Parenthood traits) Most of the time, he simply wants to be left alone and to do "his own thing". At the moment, he works in Business (and hates it). On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
- Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible, even though she is only a Young Adult herself. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
- Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a toddler now, and is very independent.
- Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a toddler now too, and is a little charmer.
others:time zone: Berlin, Germany - EA Gallery ID: Noctuara
Is it wrong of me that I had hoped Bennie would've, uh, met his demise with the Murphy bed? But no, and I literally laughed he's sick. This guy deserves every bad thing that happens to him. I'm sorry, but I will be positively thrilled when Jaz finally grows up and moves out.
@SoulGal7
@miss_eulenauge
Yep, posting a bunch of screenshots with text in a long story is not a requirement, it's optional. The original intension was for one daily pic with a short synopsis of what happened with your challenge Sim that day. Bummer you didn't feel well, guessing you're better now.
Aww, so sweet they went on a date together and yes Sarah, babies grow up way to fast. Glad she spent some time with Joey and his Granny too.
If you've read my most current post by now, you know what both those things mean. I won't say in case you haven't read it yet.
I like that they are trying hard and working on their relationship. Greg is such a clueless guy, but that's to be expected, a lot of guys, especially ones his age don't know a thing about babies. So funny how he was just thinking he wouldn't mind if they had more kids after the date and then come home to dirty diapers and he quickly changes his mind.
@Hermitgirl
Bryons Diary
(Bryon) “Hey mom. I missed you too... Where’s Kristine?”
(Kristine) “I’m right here!”
(Bryon) “Oh my, Kristine! Stop growing already. You’re going way too fast for me.”
(Kristine) “Hahaha I didn’t grow that much!!”
(Bryon) “But you did! I’m so happy to see you.”
(Kristine) “Me too!”
(Randi) “That’s so beautiful to see, really.”
(Randi) “You wanted to go to your house, right?”
(Bryon) “Yes please. In case Naoki comes back.”
(Kristine) “Ohhh, can I go too?? Mom? Please?”
(Randi) “I don’t know, Kristine...”
(Bryon) “It’s okay. You can come too.”
(Kristine) “Really? Yay!!”
(Randi) “I’ll say goodbye to Patrick real quick and then we’re ready to go.”
We arrived at my place and went to sit in the living room. We asked Kristine to go play on the laptop in the study room. She’s still too little to hear this all. I explained the situation.
(Randi) “Why didn’t you tell me earlier about this? I thought you were living a happy life with the twins, as a family. I thought you just went to live close to your brother!!”
(Bryon) “I’m sorry... I didn’t want you to be worried...”
(Randi) “Have you checked his workplace already?”
(Bryon) “I can’t go inside there yet. Only verified military or scientist members can come in, or when you have some other kind of permission. I’m still waiting for my keycard."
(Randi) “When will you get your card?”
(Bryon) “Tomorrow or the day after...”
(Randi) “Okay. We’re going there when you receive your card.”
(Bryon) “Eh.. We?”
(Randi) “You’re going to fix me an extra military outfit. I’m not going to let you go alone. I’m in this too now.”
(Bryon) “Mom, you can’t possibly force me to do this.”
(Randi) “Oh no?”
(Bryon) “Ehhh... I’ll fix a uniform for you.”
(Randi) “Good. What do we do with Kristine? Just leave her here?”
(Bryon) “I could ask Jess to babysit her...”
(Randi) “That would be great! We’re going to find Naoki back, okay? And your kids too. We’ll get it all back. I didn’t become a grandma for nothing, you hear that?”
(Bryon) “I don’t know what I’d do without you anymore, mom.”
---
I also made this family tree. If you click on the character, you can read something about him/her. If you have the feeling something is missing or unclear, please let me know!
https://www.theplumtreeapp.com/public/6085e58c1622790009d86e5b
Notes:
---
So when Jules got back from George and Theresa's bunker, she saw that Hugo had company. Jules recognized her immediately - Dr. C, aka Skeilah, the doctor who had delivered her baby. Just when she thought this day couldn't get any weirder...
Hugo and Skeilah had started talking at the library earlier that day, and both realized they knew Jules. Wanting a little more privacy, they headed back to the trailer to talk there instead. Skeilah said that lots of doctors and scientists had started coming to Strangerville since the epidemic afflicting the residents here seemed to be getting worse. They wanted to come up with an antidote and hopefully a vaccine as well as quickly as they could, but it was rather difficult when there were so many restrictions about where they were allowed to go.
So Skeilah did something sneaky - when she had been at the bar the other night, she had bought a soldier some drinks, hoping he'd loosen up and tell her something useful. He didn't end up actually knowing too much, but he eventually passed out at the bar after several drinks, and Skeilah noticed his keycard in his pocket and swiped it.
So yay! They have keycard access now (Really Jules just bought one off of Erwin, if we're being technical
A few nights later, they all headed to the lab to put their plan into action.
First, George and Theresa set off some fireworks out near the trailers. (I feel like they totally have a stash of fireworks in that bunker
Skeilah had agreed to dress in Emmett's borrowed uniform, since Hugo and Jules both had the potential to be recognized from their previous trips here.
Once George had lit the fireworks, Skeilah ran up to the guard at the door, feigning panic. "Someone set off some explosives near the trailers!"
The other guard stationed inside quickly joined them, and they ran over to investigate the area.
George and Theresa had safely hidden themselves behind the fence, out of sight.
With the guards distracted, Jules and Hugo had access to the door.
The door slowly began to slide open.
Tiny spores floated in the chamber in front of them.
Jules walked forward with confidence, though it took Hugo a minute to muster the courage to follow.
They saw a chamber filled a thick cloud of spores as the reached the bottom of the steps. Jules could just make out a door on the other end. She was determined to reach it, despite the warning signs flashing in her mind, and so they both cautiously began walking through the hallway.
"Okay, maybe this wasn't such a great idea...let's go back out and look around that other corridor," Jules suggested through a coughing fit
"Jules?!" Hugo exclaimed as her knees gave out beneath her.
And then she collapsed.
Hugo became woozy as well and collapsed beside her.
A few moments later, two figures appeared.
"Come with us," they commanded, and Jules and Hugo gladly followed...
Character notes for new readers:
I don't know which "both those things" you meant. That they went on a date and that babies grow up too fast? Or, wait, that we can write about Teen Pregnancy? (Isn't Tessa a Young Adult by now?) Are Tessa and Josh... going to experience that too?
@Hermitgirl
@permanentrose
Notes for my post:
(Provided I don't bother to micromanage and [x] all his autonomous mean or mischievous interactions...)
That Plan they came up with is literally born from my despair, Sarah wakes up every morning with her Energy in the red, I'll never get anything done with her passing out every three hours...
I think I will continue to periodically show his point of view, it's just a nice touch. The main focus will stay on Sarah though, since she's at home and spends time with the kids, and I am more comfortable writing as her. Of course, once the main Sim is born (and able to write), they will get the main point of view, with potential guest roles from the others once in a while.
time zone: Berlin, Germany - EA Gallery ID: Noctuara
@permanentrose
@miss_eulenauge
Essa and Josh are both young adults. Their romance started though when Essa was a teen and Josh a young adult. Obviously nothing could happen between a teen and a young adult, so their 'real' romance didn't start until Essa aged up to a young adult. So anyway, no, there will be no teen pregnancies in my challenge and Essa and Josh won't get married or have babies for awhile yet.
Sakura woke up the next morning to...SPOTS. What? Oh my gawd! She was covered in spots. What strange dorm-disease did she get? It must have been something in those showers. She thought they looked rather funky when she took a shower last night. What was she going to do?
Sakura texted Wolfgang:
I'm covered in spots!
~ ~ ~
Wolfgang texted Sakura back:
Mr. Muscles will be right there!
~ ~ ~
Wolfgang: "Sakura, you ARE covered in spots! I think you've got a cold. How are you feeling?"
Sakura: "*cough* I'm all achy and my head is pounding and I'm stuffed up. *cough*"
Wolfgang: "Ahhh...come here, let me give you a massage. Does that feel better now?"
Sakura: "Mmmm....that feels nice...thanks..."
Sakura: "Wolfgang, don't you have a class now?"
Wolfgang: "Yeah, but it's no big deal, I can make up the work. I already texted Professor Lana to let her know. Plus, you're more important right now..."
Sakura smiled at him. Wolfgang was so sweet, he really did care about her.
Wolfgang: "You know, my Mom always said that drinking some orange juice helps. Is there any in your dorm fridge? I could get you a glass..."
Sakura: "No...I need to get up and moving...I have class soon..." she sniffled as she shuffled to the fridge and grabbed a glass of orange juice.
Wolfgang followed her into the lounge. Some other students were already up and chatting there. Sakura introduced Wolfgang to Reyansh and Haych.
Sakura drank the orange juice and was starting to feel better.
Wolfgang: "You know, Sakura, maybe next term we should re-think our schedules. We are both running now from 8am to 10pm everyday. With homework, presentations and term papers, and you in soccer and me in E-Sports, we don't have much time to do anything else. Plus, we could get worn out pretty quick at this rate."
Sakura thought about that and nodded her head, "I was thinking about that last night, too..."
Sakura finished the glass of juice and suddenly, just like magic, all her spots seemed to disappear and she smiled.
Sakura: "Your Mom's remedy worked. Look! All the spots are gone!"
Wolfgang: "That's great! Are you going to be okay now?" he asked as he looked at Sakura.
Sakura: "Yes...I'll be fine. I don't want you to miss another class because of me."
Wolfgang: "Well, anytime you need me...just call. Mr. Muscles is always available, anytime, day or night. We'll discuss my fee later..." he joked winking at her.
Sakura gives Wolfgang a hug good-bye and he leaves the dorm.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sakura heads into the restroom, only to find that there is a mini-flood in there. The faucet is leaking and her roommate, Houda, is desperately mopping up the floor. Too bad Wolfgang had left, or he could have fixed this. Well, no time like the present to start learning how to fix plumbing issues.
Sakura's roommates are strange. Every time she enters a room, they are really excited to see her. All the time. Maybe they heard she's moving out and are excited that her room will be up for grabs. Or, maybe it's because she's on the soccer team and they're giving her encouragement? Or, it could be that they are just glad she got over whatever it was she had and they won't get it. That must be it. Well, whatever it is, it just happens all the time. I am sure she'll be up for the UBrite Miss Congeniality Award soon.
Spotted Astrid in the UBrite Commons in the cafeteria. Maybe she was checking out the food choices here and comparing them to Foxbury's. As a Foxbury student eating at UBrite, she would have to pay for the food here. Looks like she comes away empty-handed. Probably heading back to Foxbury where meals are free.
Sakura gets an interesting phone call during the day. She has never heard of this relative, so asks what the conditions are to accept the funds. And it's obviously the right answer, because she comes away $2,500 simoleons richer. Yes!
Sakura has an hour between classes, so she does her homework for the class she just had.
Part of the requirements for being on the soccer team is that she has to practice juggling. So, Sakura does, any chance she gets.
And Sakura is definitely feeling better as she leads the pack running to soccer practice.
And after soccer practice, she makes friends with one of her teammates, Preston Herrick.
And then it's back to her dorm to do homework. Jeb Harris joins her. He really likes hanging around Sakura. Maybe she inspires him to be a better student, because Jeb is not the most studious of students. He gets easily distracted and Sakura worries about him. [Note: I placed an element-cube on the desk to get Sakura focused.]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wolfgang's Day:
If there was one word to describe Foxbury Institute, it would be stairs. Up, down...down, up. Why have a bike when you attend Foxbury when you have to keep getting on and off of it everytime you go up or down the stairs? Well, with all the free food that Wolfgang is eating, stair climbing might be a good idea for him. It will certainly keep him fit. So, here he is going up the stairs to class.
Spotted Bryon in Larry's Lagoon chatting with a student.
And what's this? A dance party? Is there some event going on at Larry's Lagoon in the middle of the day? Why are you all here? Busted! Jules don't look at me like that. I know this was your idea! Day 2 of university and already skipping class. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!
Professor Lana McKinnon seems to have a "thing" for Wolfgang. Seriously, she's always around him, like secretly stalking him. She was there when Wolfgang saved River, so maybe there is a bit of hero-worship going on. That, or she's been listening to 80s music and humming the song "Holding Out for A Hero", and seems to think that Wolfgang might fit the bill. Look at her face, can't you just see her looking at Wolfgang and sighing "Oh, Wolfgang, you're my hero!" She saw him at Larry's Lagoon and wanted to know if he needed any extra tutoring for the class that he missed today. Um...oh yeah, we better watch out for her. Luckily Wolfgang is only interested in his homework and not in any "private" student-teacher...um...tutoring sessions. Nope. Nada. It ain't happening, so move along there Lana.
Wolfgang heads off to his E-Sports meeting and then goes home. He starts work on his term paper. About mid-way through, he thinks about Sakura and how she got sick this morning. He has a flashback of Sakura lying on that rock unconscious when he found her at The Bluffs, and suddenly was overcome with sadness. He wished she was here with him now, because he would go over and hold her close. Oh so close. Wolfgang never wanted anything to happen to Sakura again. Gah! Just the thought of that made him sadder. Poor Wolfgang. Hang on Wolfgang, it will be better when you and Sakura are living in the same house together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Holding Out For A Hero", song by Bonnie Tyler, 1984.
Love how Frank learns so fast! Hope Josh didn't get hurt from sparring with metal :') Oh, and now Josh is a spellcaster too! Yay!
---
@LegacySims2017
@Karababy52
And that's cool to know about the fighting/sparring stuff, because those are both things that I can do in my game, thought it might be part of a pack I didn't have, so that's useful information!
So I usually play a bit ahead and get my screenshots a few days in advance if I have the time, and then I just write my updates whenever I have the time and energy, so that helps for sure. I've also gotten pretty efficient at using poses and mods to achieve what I want to a lot more quickly than I used to be able to. For me, it's always a fun challenge to figure how to "show" my ideas in a game that really doesn't have the interactions for the story I'm telling. I think I just like to play differently than a lot of people though, in the sense that I really enjoy setting up a scene for a screenshot, even if it's not "real." Most of the time once you do things a few times with the game interactions, they start to get repetitive and I get the urge to blast through them, so it's been fun for me personally to discover the storytelling side of the sims for this challenge. At least for me, it's a lot of fun to try to make things just feel new and different. There's something about setting up an elaborate scene with poses (or finding game interactions that work) that is just such a fun challenge for me, like a puzzle I have to solve to make it work.
And about all my characters, yeah, sometimes I do feel a bit like I may be overwhelming everyone...haha...I just can't seem to help myself, but with so many new people in this challenge, I do want to try to cut back on that a bit after this mystery is done and hopefully just have a simpler story for me and everyone else to follow for a bit, haha.
@Skeilah
@miss_eulenauge
And Emmett will come back in my story soon, I just have too much going on to include him right now. He's just off being a busy soldier for now haha
@sassytxbrat
@IllusoryThrall
@Hermitgirl
And hopefully I didn't miss anyone else HAHA
Story:
Jackson was anxious for his very first day on the job. On a job. He’s never had one before. There are high school classes that teach you about the real world and how to prepare. Then there’s college which educates one for a career. Jackson didn’t even want to think about even more schooling. He wondered if being a lifeguard would be a good enough career.
Jackson spent a lot of time in the water checking out the swimming techniques he could show off during his training period. Of course he knew a lot of the training would also focus on how to take care of someone who could possibly be drowning or who was drowning and are unresponsive after saving them from the waters. He laid in the ocean on his back, chin and mouth just above the water. He closed his eyes and relaxed for a few minutes before heading back to shore.
From there, Jackson decided to see what was happening at any of the beaches he has frequented the past week. Jackson couldn’t believe it’s been a week since he’s been on Sulani. The beach was quiet for a Sunday afternoon. He only saw a couple of folks out swimming. No one else seemed to be around. He decided he needed to work on his tan a bit more. It was fading already.
Back at his private beach, he again prepared himself for his first day on the job in his tent. He tried to stoke himself up. He ate a bowl of yogurt to keep his appetite in tact before finally leaving for his first training day. He was pumped.
It was a long excruciating four hours for Jackson. He had one-on-one training with another trainer. The trainer saw a lot of potential already in Jackson and mentioned to him that he wouldn’t need a lot of training. He soaked up the information that was given to him and showed a lot of interest. The trainer noticed.
When Jackson’s shift was over, he was tired. His muscles hurt. He was happy his next training shift wasn’t until Thursday evening. On a positive note for him, he got paid daily. He brought home 132 simoleons on his first shift. He was told once he gets promoted to becoming a lifeguard after training, he’ll earn more. Jackson really never had simoleons of his own before. As he had school in the morning, he grabbed a snack from his cooler and immediately went to bed afterwards.
Side Notes:
Bonus Images:
Aspirations Completed:
Traits:
Skills:
May 8
Week 2, Sunday
While Skye and Eli get some sleep Mia has the chance to work quietly on her creativity aspiration. “Quietly”. My ears are bleeding. My cats won’t even stay in the same room right now. And Skye just remembered she has an audition today. Just a quiet Sunday at home.
Skye enjoys playing with toys and apparently she enjoys listening to Mia play the violin. Mia’s creative skill is pretty high so it isn’t her playing that hurts my ears, it is just the kids’ violin.
Skye heads off to her audition and sends Eli to the daycare. Mia also has her scouting meeting today, which I still don’t understand what they get out of it. Not like it is required to promote, but whatever. As they were leaving, Luna drops by and makes herself at home. The computer is locked to everyone except the household so not sure why she is still on the computer, but eventually she pays attention and removes herself from the house.
Emily stopped by with a present for Mia, although it was really for Skye, and why? But now they have a package of uncommon seeds. I can think of so many things they could have used more, but whatever.
Skye passes the audition and gets the part. She has to practice her romance scene twice, so of course, she asks Jake to read her the lines. Twice.
At least they stay out of the bedroom this time. Skye does not have room in the house for another unplanned baby.
Sometimes I just can’t help it. Mia has completed the Artistic Prodigy aspiration, which includes mastering creativity. She has also earned 3/9 badges. She takes Rambunctious Scamp next. She will do Social third and Mental last. Oh, I know what she will do once she has finished her aspirations and skills.
As she was getting ready for bed, she noticed the addition in the household. She didn’t pick up on the fact that Skye was no longer pregnant, but Eli’s crying caught her attention. She is happy to have a brother and can’t wait for him to grow up so she can play with him.
As to your story LMAO at twins. I like the thought of Greg coming to terms with his predicament and it was sweet to see him holding his babies.
For the "date" post I was wondering if Sarah was going to get pregnant again that night! Hehe..
As for why Rubanoid is acting weird I think it's probably both programming and emotions or emotional programming expanding? Hehe.. I don't plan ahead even though I do have one idea I want to see through. Just think of every bad and maybe good sci-fi movie with robots wanting to be humans or struggling with being "only a robot and it's probably going through my head.
@sassytxbrat
Oh Mia grew up so pretty.. love that hairdo!
They learn skills faster as a reward if you finish getting the badges. They really aren't hard to get as it automatically counts what your sims do towards the badge. Later you'll just have to work a little (if at all) to finish up.
@IllusoryThrall
Still ill but also ill tempered!
On the next post... wow the poor kids in that family no one get's praised or anything. LOL that is so funny about congealed eggs I think of that when I have my sims eat leftovers even if they are pristine quality.. it's still gross.
@Karababy52
for the next post.. Not sure I'd want to spar with a robot lol, but "our" Josh can!
Oh there he goes becoming a spellcaster!
I'm just getting around to answering you back. It just struck me as odd that they would tell them and even threaten them if they asked questions. You know like a cover up senario.. more like ut oh, somethings up! Government coverup stuff.
With the Rubanoid scene.. I got tears too when I decided to write that. I've seen too many movies where the robot feels less that or greater than ect.. so it's coming out.
@permanentrose
The next post where they distract the guards to get into the lab was great too. Can't wait to find out who the two in hazmats suits are.
Also LOL who said Roxanne follows the rules of a healthy relationship! Writing that line from him made me tear up myself.. I love sci-fi movies. Happy Dad day!
@Skeilah
For the next post Randi momma to the rescue!
@LegacySims2017
@lilypadmeulin
@SoulGal7
-I didn't know they had an Agent Hopper in Stranger Things it was a rolled name and I thought it sounded good. I even watched the first season of that show. Oh well. My memory isn't good lol.
Also, I want to stretch things out a bit more. We have to fill the whole month with the older kids (minus three days of Pregnancy with the Main Sim and three days of Main Sim's baby stage). They already have two kids, the ingame limit means they can't have more than six. My Sim will most likely be the 5th, perhaps 4th or 6th kid. That means there will probably be only two more kids for the Brittons this month (hopefully in two pregnancies) before the challenge Sim gets born! Don't worry though, I have already made plans for a follow-up on that romantic evening.
last Update | Overview post&rules | Part 2 of Update 3
Update 4 - Bridgeview
Sarah's Diary
Anyway, I don't think I want to have them in daycare regularly when they're toddlers anymore. And Greg is miserable at his job anyway.
We both thought about the problem for a while, and finally, Greg came up with something: He had researched (and talked to a few Gaming friends) and found a weekend programming course for 500$ starting tomorrow that would instantly qualify him to do Freelance programming work or just go into Programming himself.
It doesn't seem like Greg to suddenly sit on his butt and teach himself Programming in a manner that's suitable for professional employment in 3 days, so...)
Speaking of toddlers, our little kiddos are growing up... They have grown so much already! Now, they are beginning to show and develop more of an individual character. Sophia usually wants to "do things myself, 'cause I'm grown up now, Mommy!". Mark is a bit more snuggly, but very charming. He almost got a bedtime story out of Greg today...!
I will simply include some of their birthday's best photos now.
Despite going to bed late, I was able to get a good night's sleep. And perhaps Greg and I will even be able to sleep in for once, now that he does not work at the Office anymore?
Characters
Parents: Sarah and Greg Britton. They live on the 20x15 "Comfy Cubby" in Bridgeview, Newcrest.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
- Greg Britton - Greg is a young adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he wants to... Most of the time, he simply wants to be left alone and to do "his own thing". At the moment, he works in Business (and hates it). On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
- Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible, even though she is a Young Adult herself. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
- Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a toddler now, and is very independent.
- Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a toddler now too, and is a little charmer.
others:time zone: Berlin, Germany - EA Gallery ID: Noctuara
Ugh, those stairs are a killer! I guess good exercise to work off the rich food though for Wolfgang, nice optimistic attitude Mr. Muscles!
@Skeilah
Yep, Frank is a quick learner. Josh did do some things right with his programming. I'm guessing Josh has calluses on his feet and hands, so I'm sure sparring with Frank wouldn't hurt him, too much. I'm looking forward to playing Josh as a Spellcaster, should be fun! Just a temporary thing though. Probably, we'll see...
Very happy to read everything is safe and sound on your blog! I bet that's a huge relief! Yay! \o/
@permanentrose
I understand all that. It's fun trying to remember which animations will help convey the emotions I want my Sims to feel and get what I write for them across better. It can get repetitive at times and I sometimes think about getting a pose pack myself. I used a bunch of them in TS2. But I'm just starting to delve into the world of Mods/CC, so for now I'll hold off on doing that and challenge myself to use what the game offers by default.
I really don't think you play all that differently than others to tell stories. I read a lot of SimLit, and I'd say 90% of them use pose packs for their screenshots. I think you and Skeilah might be the only ones doing this challenge that use them though. So if you meant that, then yes, you do play differently. That's not a bad thing though, it's admirable, like I said. I just don't have the time to set up such elaborate scenarios, poses myself. You're a pro at it though, like you said, from using them a lot. Hands-on experience is the best teacher.
It's your game, your challenge and you can play it however you like, whether with just one Sim or dozens. Don't feel you need to make things simpler for others to read your story. It's nice that you're thinking about others that way though, I'm sure it'll be appreciated. But please don't feel pressured to do it. Do whatever makes doing this challenge and playing the game fun for you.
@Hermitgirl
Thanks for the explanation about the questionable thing about the questions, makes sense now and it should've for me when I first read it. I'll chalk it up to lack of sleep.
@miss_eulanauge
Off to play for today's post. Hope y'all are having fun and a great weekend so far!
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Benji and Phoenix were up early – Benji found Phoenix working on his homework last minute in the twins’ room… so he elected to help him work on it to get it done faster (although Benji’s idea of “help” wasn’t really Phoenix’s… and I’m not sure how much faster it really was. At least it did get done in time, though.)
Marnie and Bennie actually had time to sit down together for breakfast before the twins got up again, although Bennie was FAR from talkative. And by the look on his face, Marnie decided not to push him.
After breakfast, Marnie set about trying to fix everything that had gone wrong with the house already. Before long, the toddlers were awake, however, and having spare time to fix things went out the window.
Bennie’s mood was atrocious. Yes, he’d been doing really well at work… but the bills had come in this morning.. and when he looked at the bank account, even someone who wasn’t good with numbers could tell he wasn’t going to be able to pay them any time soon. His only choice was to open the store, and spend what little cash he had on advertising a sale. Maybe that would get enough people in the store to make opening it worthwhile?
Oblivious to the looming financial crisis, Marnie was scrubbing toddlers, and floors, and counters, and toilets.. It seemed she never ran out of things to scrub.
Brett was teaching himself some skills.. since nobody else seemed to be interested in teaching them to him.
By the time school let out, the storm that had been brewing in the morning was starting to hit. So playing outside was out of the question. While walking through the store to head upstairs, Jaz noticed one of the customers. And unfortunately, Billie Jang had noticed her, too. It was the girl who’d been torturing her at school (with the help of her friends.. and now, the rest of the school, too.) Billie snidely jeered at her across the room, and Jaz had had a bad enough day that instead of ignoring her, she simply jeered back.
… Which, unfortunately, delighted Billie, who had been trying to taunt a response out of Jaz for a week now. Jaz fighting back finally was Billie’s idea of a good day.
On the other side of the store, Benji noticed his best friend, Jay, was perusing the toys, so he headed over to say hello. It turned out Jay’s younger brother had a birthday coming up, so Jay was sort of casing the joint to look for something he could swipe for his brother. Benji didn’t think there was any reason to tell Bennie to expect some unexpected inventory discrepancies today, and gave Jay an enthusiastic welcome.
Upstairs, the twins were pestering their older brothers, who were having an after school snack. Cold breakfast. Yum. Phoenix poked fun at his brother, calling him a brown noser, and blaming him for the fact that he had HAD to do his homework this morning. Myles blinked at his brother, unconcerned, and went back to eating.
Downstairs, Billie had most definitely gotten the reaction she had wanted. Incensed, Jaz finally grabbed Billie’s ponytail and yanked. Hard.
The rest of the store noticed the fight, and headed over to spectate. (Jay took advantage of the moment and snagged an airplane for his brother, stuffing it into his leather jacket’s pocket.)
Bennie, however.. had NOT noticed yet, and was ringing up another customer. As soon as the sale was complete, however, he turned around and couldn’t help but notice the fight.
He wasn’t sure who it was, but there was no fighting in HIS store… so he went to break it up, his bad mood spiraling into a worse one.
… Then he found out it was HIS kid who was breaking the rules. And he could only see red. Not only had Jaz LOST the fight, she was now in big trouble.
Jazmyn waited until Bennie wandered off to help other people, then threatened Billie should she ever try to come to this store again. (Billie didn’t get time to answer.. as Jaz ran upstairs to start her homework… but based on the fact that she then confidently picked out a few toys and went to get her purchases rung up by Bennie… she had no intention of following Jaz’s directives.)
Marnie, by this time, was hard at work restocking the store… and had decided Jaz had been yelled at enough. She let Jaz head upstairs unhindered, and continued her restocking.
Benji was still talking to Jay.. or congratulating him on a good swipe, I’m not sure which.
What Jay wasn’t telling him… was that everyone knew about Benji’s secret. Jay had told Cade, and of course Cade had told his girlfriend, Shaylee, who .. was flattered, but not interested in Benji that way… had quickly told her friends.. and from there it went to the rest of the school. The last to know would be Benji. And Jay didn’t want to be the one to let him know. So he didn’t. He finished the conversation and headed back home with his new toy airplane as Bennie finished closing up the store, still not noticing the missing airplane.
Upstairs, Phoenix was listening to music way too loud.. and Brett was complaining. Even more loudly.
One look at Bennie’s face, however stopped all of that, and everyone shuffled off to get ready to go to bed. Bennie raged, mostly internally, and pulled out some more cheese to refill the mousetraps… and laid down to sleep.
Marnie finally finished restocking.. and headed back upstairs. But didn’t make it through the storm unscathed. Lightning luckily only struck once.. and .. too exhausted to take yet another shower, she went straight to bed.
Unbeknownst to the adults who were sound asleep, Phoenix woke up after a nightmare.. (pretty close to the same one Benji had the night before, if not the same one.) and, feeling disgusting, he snuck out of bed to go take a quick bath.
After Phoenix left the room, Jaz woke to a nightmare, as well. (Poor baby wasn’t having a good day.)
Phoenix finished his bath and crawled back into bed silently. Luckily.. that was the end of the night. Not the end of the storm, however, because that raged into the next day.
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Notes
The rest of their weekend was filled with lots of practicing magic for Josh, learning spells/potions from tomes and many lessons from Essa.
He was a very focused student and was advancing at a highly accelerated rate by Essa's estimation. They worked non-stop for several hours.
"Let's take a break. I've got all this pent up energy from the ascension flowing through my body and I know the perfect way to use it."
"Oh? Something other than practicing? Now what could that be?"
"I think you know what I have in mind."
"It's pretty easy to figure out seeing that look in your eyes."
"Huh, I don't look any different, other than my tan's gone. But I feel different."
"Oh yeah, I agree, there's a difference."
Meanwhile, Frank was feeling a bit sad from no social interaction with his creator and Essa. So he occupied his time by practicing a few jokes to amuse himself.
He also had a lovely chat with Bendy.
And a bit of a flirt as well. Bendy was his Babe afterall.
After their 'bathroom break', Essa went to bed and Josh went outside to practice some more. He lost all track of time, determined to advance as far and quickly as he could. He kept at it all night long.
Very early Monday morning, Essa stepped out on the porch after looking everywhere inside for Josh. She knew he must've been practicing all night since he never came to bed. She blew him a kiss and sat down in the rocker to knit.
(He certainly is eager to learn the craft. I hope he doesn't overdo it and get a curse. Oh man, I haven't told him about curses yet. Opps! Eh, he'll learn.)
Josh finally reached another level and was now an Acolyte. He'd read all the previous level tomes Essa had collected, but now had a new set to read. He read until it was time to get ready for work.
"Bye Beautiful, see you at 3."
"Bye Babe, be careful okay? Don't use your magic unless you have to, please? If you use it too much you could get overcharged and die, remember?"
"Don't worry, I won't use it unless absolutely necessary and I know how to discharge now."
"Okay, love you!"
"Love you too Beautiful, see you soon!"
She still worried. Josh had a tendency to be too confident sometimes, if there was such a thing. She hoped he'd remember her lessons.
She watched as he strode down the driveway with his back arrow straight, chin held high, chest puffed out, and muscles rippling as he went. He was such a fine specimen of a man. Her man.
She was extremely proud of him and couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him.
It was giving her a pounding headache, among other things.
(Ugh, I need some aspirin and to get out of this heat.)
Essa went inside to take care of her headache and went out back intending to take a quick dip in the pool before work.
But then she saw Beast. He was nothing but a skeleton again. She didn't know how to feel about that. Josh would be devastated. She on the other hand was... ambivalent. She never liked the thing, but was sad because Josh loved it. She knew he'd be especially upset because it was his job to feed the thing, so it was his fault.
(Maybe it'll come back to life again?)
(Stranger things have happened in this town so why not, right?)
Frank interrupted her thoughts when he hovered over in front of her.
"I.am.in.need.of.entertainment.Would.you.perform.an.action.scene.with.me.Essa?"
"Oh Frank, I'm sorry, I have to go get ready for work in a few minutes. Maybe when I get home, okay?"
"Affirmative!"
"The.cowplant.known.as.Beast.is.dead."
"Yes Frank, I know."
"Did.it.not.receive.sustenance.in.a.timely.manner?"
"I guess not. Josh really liked it. Could you maybe try to cheer him up when he gets sad about it?"
"I.will.try.with.all.my.available.resources."
"Thank you Frank, I have to go now."
"Goodbye.Essa."
Josh and Essa got home from work at the exact same time and did this together. I guess they both had a stressful day at work. Josh should be very happy though, he got a promotion to Warrant Officer! You can see he is feeling very flirty though, so...
A celebratory passionate kiss was the perfect thing to make them both feel better. Bye bye stress...
Oh! And Hello key card! Neither one knows yet they need it, of course, but I'm glad it's now an option for Josh to easily get one for them online.
Daughters of Hesperia
@lilypadmeulin - Oh no! That doesn't sound good.
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