One Month, One World, One Year Challenge: The Adventures of Dash Joseph Faireborn Table of Contents
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April 19: Public Privacy in Our Modern Age!
D.J. has two classes today: Reaching Readers as Media Changes and Public Privacy in Our Modern Age.
D.J. uses a special computer in the library where students can go and contribute knowledge they've learned and turn it around to gain private information from those said students. He will use this as part of his final to show that not every personal piece of information is truly private. He also hopes he doesn't get in trouble from the University for doing this.
Side Note:
Part of the Academic Aspiration is to "Contribute Knowledge on a Research Archive Machine". As I didn't have any story ideas how to do this, I decided to use the machine to rather write how D.J. gets knowledge about others with it, thus having to do with privacy. My own little twist, I guess.
Oh, the mystery of Kaori's grandparents death and the vampire Adam saw when he was younger unravels. This is a great mystery story. Keep it up. And BOOO to Ekram. He should be trying to help, not getting angry.
Yay, Dylan is off to the University. I love everyone's college outfits. Naughty Bryon for trying to bribe the admissions office, but kudos for trying. I also enjoyed seeing your new housing renovations. That definitely looks like a rundown house
The outside looks great of the house. Cannot wait to see what the inside looks like.
Thanks for sharing the link to the Dino Shell Challenge. That must have been tedious trying to decide how to decorate the inside as well as figure out how to design the outside. I commend you. Definitely looked like a challenge.
@Shadami I have access to the gallery. You don’t have to do this for me, I can download and do it myself if you don’t want to. If you do want to, I have snowy escape, cottage living, city living, seasons, get to work and cats and dogs. Outdoor retreat, parenthood and realm of magic. My first pet, laundry day, fitness and paranormal.
I've just realized she might actually only have snowy escape stuff on for her original download xD I usually don't watch which packs I use since I've finally managed to get them all. But if she's not just snowy escape and base game I'd be happy to upload a version that is ^^ (or includes just your packs)
Today's Accomplishments:
- Reach level 7 in Research & Debate
- Get a job with degree
- Complete Academic aspiration
When I woke up Thursday morning I was feeling a little more optimistic about our situation.
Kaori and I sat on the edge of our bed and cuddled for awhile, enjoying each other's company.
I finally pulled back and asked her if she had any ideas for our wedding.
She smiled and said she had been thinking about it ever since I'd asked her and had decided she didn't want anything big or elaborate.
"I would love to exchange our vows where we shared our first kiss," she said, "on the bridge during the light festival."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't that tomorrow?" I asked. "Are you sure you want to do it so soon? There won't really be any time to arrange anything."
Kaori nodded, "We can plan a bigger celebration for another time," she said, "but I would love to exchange our vows there, tomorrow."
I leaned in and gave her a kiss. "Then that's exactly what we'll do," I said softly, nuzzling in closer to her. "I love you."
We went downstairs and let everyone know we were planning on eloping at the light festival the next day and that they were all invited to come, but that it wasn't going to be a big affair.
As we were talking Morgyn casually strolled in the front door and greeted us. I jumped up and gave him a hug, welcoming him in. I told him there was some things I needed to discuss with him and I was so happy he'd shown up. He explained he had actually come to talk to Gemma, but that he'd be happy to chat with me first. I led him upstairs for some privacy and Kaori followed us up.
"Let me start by congratulating both of you on graduating with honors," Morgyn said with a big smile, "you two continue to impress me."
I thanked him and hesitantly asked if he had heard that Sofia and I had been invited to join the Keepers of the Light. He looked surprised and said he had not, explaining he had been busy traveling around to find support and had heard very little since he had joined us for Winterfest.
I quickly filled him in on everything that had happened, leaving out the specifics of what the Keepers' purpose was. When I got to the meeting from the night before I stopped and took a deep breath. "Morgyn," I said softly. "Do you remember when I told you about the time I saw a vampire as a kid?"
Morgyn nodded.
"Well," I continued, "when I asked Kaori's grandparents what the cause of their death was, they showed me a image of the exact same vampire," I swallowed hard, "I'm sure of it."
Morgyn rubbed his chin, "Interesting," he said quietly. "How did Ekram handle this news?"
"Not well," I said rubbing my neck. "He said he recognized him, that he's the leader of the vampires."
Morgyn gasped, "No," he said, "It can't be Darius Lord! He would never do his own dirty work. Was he sure?"
I nodded, feeling a heavy weight in my stomach, "Absolutely," I said. "He got very angry and threatened us if we ever came back. His Grandson Rohan stood up for us but I ran out of the room before I heard much more. It was a lot to take in."
Morgyn sighed, "I think it's time I talk to this Ekram. Maybe we can work something out in both of our favors." Morgyn returned his gaze to me, "So what is your next move?"
Kaori spoke up, "Our next move is to get married tomorrow at the Festival of Light. You're invited of course."
Morgyn grinned, "It's about time," he said. "Congratulations! I'm not sure I can make it tomorrow, but if you're planning a reception for later, let me know."
"We will," I said, "but we plan to locate my mother and ask her a few questions first though. She knew this Darius Lord somehow, and we want to know how and why."
"Seems like a logical next step," Morgyn said. "Do you know where she is?"
"All I have to do is find news of something big and weird," I said. "Knowing her, that's where she'll be."
When we returned to the others, Morgyn immediately turned his attention to Gemma, explaining that he needed to ask her a favor.
He laid out that he was in need of someone with ties in Glimmerbrook who could go in and talk to the families living there for him. He knew that the moment he stepped into the town he would be caught, but because Gemma had family living there, she could more easily slip in unnoticed.
Gemma agreed, saying she was planning on returning home in a couple days anyway to introduce Kiyoshi to her family.
She suddenly got a mischievous glint in her eye, and with a sly smile she said she'd do it if Morgyn would give Kiyoshi the Rite of Ascension.
Morgyn asked Kiyoshi if that was something he wanted, and Kiyoshi stated that it was indeed.
Morgyn had Kiyoshi stand up, and with a twirl of magic, Kiyoshi too was now a spellcaster.
Rohan popped out of the kitchen when he saw Kiyoshi being given the Rite, and introduced himself to Morgyn. "I don't think we've met yet," he said with a small wave. "My name's Rohan, I'm dating Adam's friend Sofia."
"You must be Rohan Elderberry then," Morgyn said with a small knowing smile. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."
Rohan gave me a sideways glance before returning his attention to Morgyn. "May I ask who you are?" he said cautiously, "You seem to know about me, but I can't say the same about you."
"I'm an old friend and mentor to both Adam and Kaori, and to a lesser extent, Gemma as well," Morgyn said, withholding his name. "You have not heard of me because right now it suits me to be anonymous. I hope you understand."
Rohan nodded but looked uncomfortable about the situation.
Just then Kaori returned from upstairs, placing her laptop on the table. "Alright," she said, oblivious to the conversation, "let's start looking for weird news stories." She began tapping away on her keyboard and I almost laughed, wondering what Rohan thought of the sudden shift in conversation.
"I've got a story about a mermaid sighting in Sulani," she said without looking up. "And here's one about a magical portal that was found in a tree. It supposedly leads to the fairy realm. Do you think that's big enough for your mother?"
This time I did laugh, "Perhaps," I said, "but I'm pretty sure both of those things are old news to her already. Do you have anything that seems more hushed up?"
Rohan gave me a bewildered look, and I quickly explained we were trying to find my mother, a scientist who specialized in the unusual.
"Wait!" Kaori said excitedly, "Listen to this! There's a small desert town in the Southwest that the military has shut down for an unknown reason. The official reason is there was a chemical spill, but insiders say that they've seen people acting very strangely, almost like they're possessed by something. Conspiracy theorists are saying they think the government is covering up something from another planet, something that can control the minds of Sims."
"That does sound like something she'd be in the middle of," I said thoughtfully. "What's the name of the town?"
"Strangerville," Kaori said with a laugh. "It's almost as if they wanted to attract something odd."
"Strangerville," I said. "Why does that sound so familiar? I've heard that name before." I racked my brain for where I'd heard it before, and then it hit me. "There was a guy at one of the cafes in Windenburg. He said he was the mayor of a Strangerville and that something odd was happening there. I bet it's the same place!" I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found his name near the bottom. "Ted Roswell! Maybe I should give him a call and find out what's going on there." I dialed the number, but a robotic voice informed me the number had been disconnected.
"Well," Morgyn said rising from his chair, "it looks like you have a lead into your next adventure then. As for me, I will wish you luck and be on my way; there is some business I still need to attend to."
Gemma gave him a hug and promised to talk to the people in Glimmerbrook when she returned home.
With a wave Morgyn walked through the door and was gone.
Soon after, Gemma and Kiyoshi wandered off together and Sofia said she had some job applications she needed to fill out, leaving just Kaori and myself with Rohan.
"So you're not going to tell me who that was," Rohan said, "are you."
I shook my head, "He's avoiding some dangerous people right now," I explained, "and the fewer people who know his name, the better."
"I see," Rohan said. "Did you tell him about us?"
"Only the basics," I said. "I haven't shared anything of what your group's purpose is, and he hasn't asked. In fact it was his digging that informed us of the existence of your Grandfather's organization."
Rohan looked impressed. "He must have some good connections then," he said, "there are not many who know about us."
I decided to direct the conversation away from Morgyn and back to what had happened the night before. "So is Sofia really going to be cast out of your group because of me?" I asked. "I completely understand not wanting me around, I plan on leaving soon anyways, but Sofia isn't really connected to the vampires, and I know she really loved being a part of it since you were there."
Rohan sighed, "My grandfather can be very stubborn, but I'll talk to him and try to work something out. I think once you've left the area he'll calm down. I've really never seen him so agitated before, this vampire must be bad news to shake him so badly." Rohan stopped and looked up at us, "You really have no idea why a vampire lord is possibly after you?
I shrugged, "I wish I did. None of this makes any sense. If I had to guess, I'd say it was something my mother did. When I saw him the first time, they were arguing. Maybe she angered him somehow and he's trying to take it out on me for some reason. The sooner we find her, the sooner we'll have some answers."
"And you're going to start looking in this 'Strangerville'?" Rohan asked.
"Yes," I said taking Kaori's hand," but first I'm going to get married."
The rest of the evening was spent researching Strangerville, signing up to be a freelance artist, and going fishing with Carol.
It was Love Day and romance was in the air.
Kiyoshi went out to the garden and picked some roses for us to share.
He tried to give one to Gemma, but she's not a hopeless romantic like he is, and didn't really appreciate it.
Rohan had better luck with Sofia, and soon they were making out in the middle of the room, oblivious to the rest of us.
I took Kaori out into the yard for some privacy to give her my rose.
I took her hands and told her how how much I loved her, and that I would try to be a good husband to her.
We arrived in Kaori's old town of Senbamachi a few hours before the festival was to begin.
Gemma dragged Kiyoshi inside to sing some Karaoke while Sofia and Rohan found a nice little out-of-the-way nook to make-out in.
I asked Kaori if she'd like to take a quick hike for old times sake, despite already being dressed up for our wedding. She laughed and said she was hoping I'd ask. Grabbing my arm she pulled me towards our old stomping grounds.
Meanwhile Carol decided to go visit her grandparent's memorial and leave one of her childhood toys in honor of them.
As evening settled in, we all gathered on the bridge where Kaori and I had shared our first kiss.
We pulled out our vows we'd written for each other and began.
"Kaori," I said, "when I first met you, you sparked a flame in me that slowly grew to consume my heart. You showed me what it felt like to be loved for the first time in my life, a love that molded me into the man I am today. We've been through a lot together already, and I'm sure we have many adventures before us still. Today I am here to declare to you, and to all those who are here to witness, that I will strive to provide for and protect you, to love and to nourish you, to the best of my ability, today and for all time."
I looked into Kaori's eyes and drew her into a kiss, holding her close to my heart for a moment before she stepped back to say her vows.
"Adam," she said, tears in hers eyes, "You have been my rock in difficult times. Your strength both outer and inner has held my head above the waves when I felt like I could have so easily drowned. Together we've brought a new life into the world, and together we said goodbye to two others. You gave me both magic and a hope that kept me moving forward when all other light faded. Today I want to declare to you, and to our witnesses, that I will stand by your side no matter the size of the storms we face. I will be your strength when you feel weak, and your courage when you feel overwhelmed. Together we will overcome any obstacles that arise in our path, whether they be physical or emotional, and I will love you in all ways, always and forever."
Now it was my turn to have tears in my eyes as she gently leaned in and kissed me.
We pulled out our rings and placed them on each other's fingers while our friends cheered in the background.
Overwhelmed with love and joy, I swept Kaori into a passionate kiss as Kiyoshi shouted his approval.
Afterwards, Carol ran up to us and gave us each a hug, telling us she couldn't be happier that her parents were now married.
Some townies also seemed to be very excited over our marriage, I guess they're romantics.
The sun was now setting, and a bonfire had been lit on the other side of the festival, so our friends headed over to enjoy it's warmth.
Kaori led me over to a wishing tree and asked if we could write down our hopes and dreams for each other and place them on the tree. I wrote down 'Kaori's happiness' and hung it on the tree next to hers.
We joined hands and walked over to the fire where the others were cozying up together.
Suddenly Gemma pulled Kiyoshi away from the fire and bent down on one knee, "Kiyoshi," she said pulling out a ring, "will you marry me?"
Kiyoshi was just as surprised as the rest of us, but he nodded and accepted the ring. After they kissed, we went over to congratulate them.
"I always thought Kiyoshi would be the one to propose," I said with a laugh, "he being the romantic of the two."
Gemma punched me lightly in the arm, "Hey," she protested, "I can be romantic too. Besides, I got tired of waiting for him to do it."
Kiyoshi grinned, "I was waiting until we got to Glimmerbrook," he said. "I was going to take you to the waterfall you told me about and do it there."
For once Gemma was speechless.
Kiyoshi pulled her in for a kiss, "But this was a nice surprise too," he assured her, "and it does take a lot of pressure off me to come up with the perfect proposal."
They hugged and we all walked over to the food booths to pick up a late night's supper.
I don't think Rohan cared for his choice of food.
By now it was past midnight and we were all in need of sleep, so we reluctantly said goodbye to the Light Festival, and headed home for the night.
April - Day 29:"98.5% Finished with Cale's StrangerVille House Simsie Dino Shell Challenge!"
Notes
Gah! Hubby had me working outside again so I got behind in finishing this. I apologize for it, but I need to finish this up and then I'll do comments/replies. Thanks for understanding! Here's the right side though so you can see some of the backyard as it is right now. Not much more to do! Be back soon, promise!
EDIT: Took longer to finish this than I had planned. My playtester found a few problems that needed to be fixed. Full update in April 30th's post.
May 1: Moving To Britechester & Acceptance Letters
Dylan had decided to move into the house that Wolfgang was renting a few days later. They were all meeting at the house and would open their university letters together. Dylan was pretty excited!
After saying a fond farewell to Ethren, Dylan took the train to Britechester and found the house. He was the first one there. This was a new start for him, and with that, he pulled out all the...um..."borrowed" items that he had collected from high school, Drama Club, Scouts, the restaurants, and the climbing gym. There were quite alot, including some posters as well.
He decided to box everything up and return them anonymously by mail. After doing so, he felt so much better. Yes, this was a brand new start for him!
He then planted that mysterious berry that he had caught fishing. The one that somehow looked like a cow.
Not long afterwards, all the other roomies arrived. Since they all lived in Windenburg, they had arrived on the same train, and were in high spirits when they got there. Dylan met them in front of the house, and then Morgan decided she couldn't wait anymore, and opened her acceptance letter! Morgan got her first choice, Britechester University, History Distinguished Degree. With the scholarships she got, she didn't have to pay any tuition!
Well, there was cheering, and someone threw confetti. It was party time already! She chose her courses, and decided to take an Elective in Debating, because she really wanted to get on that Debating Team.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Next, Dylan opened his acceptance letter. And he got into his first choice. Foxbury Institute, Psychology Distinguished Degree. He was also on the Foxbury Soccer Team, which was the Athletics scholarship that he had received. Woot! More partying.
And again, Dylan didn't have to pay any tuition either. He chose his courses, and took an Elective course in Yoga, since that was another way to help control his mind.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Then Robin opened her letter, and she got her first choice, too. Foxbury Institute, Biology Distinguished Degree. Robin was super excited! Since she hadn't received any scholarships, she had to take out a student loan and get a part-time job. She chose her courses and decided to take an Elective course in Research because she knew she would be doing a lot of research on all the different plants she would be handling.
Robin: "I am so excited to be getting into my first choice at uni. And getting a job won't be so bad. Oh look! There's a job as a lifeguard. This is THE perfect job for me, as I can swim faster than most sims. Plus, I just love the water, and I'll get to look after all the aquatic life, too. Sweet!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They were on a roll! Everyone was getting into their first choice.
Well, that was until Adam opened his acceptance letter. Ugh! Adam wasn't so lucky, and didn't get into any distinguished degrees at either university.
Dang! But he was accepted into Britechester University in the Economics program. Because he hadn't been awarded any scholarships, he had to take out a student loan to pay for his tuition. He also decided to get a part-time job. He chose his courses and when looking over the Elective courses, the word "Art" stuck out on the page, and he chose a course in Intro Comedy called Life or Art.
Adam: "Well, I guess Fine Arts wasn't in my future. But, okay, Economics is good. Oh look, this course might fit me. "Not Enough Simoleons: Living the Shoestring Life." Oh gee. I better get a part-time job. Maybe a barista would be a good choice. And then I can create works of art in coffee cups. I can still pursue my dream...oh my plumbobs...what a great idea!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Oh gosh, and now DJ opened his letter and didn't get into any distinguished degrees either. He went into the house and cried at the computer. Poor guy! But at least he was accepted into the Economics program at Britechester. DJ also had to take out a student loan and decided to continue on his dream, and write books to bring in some simoleons. He chose his courses, and took an Elective course in Charisma. Yes, charisma was how he was going to convince those publishers to publish his books.
DJ: "My dreams of being the center of the communications hub have been flushed away. But at least I am in the same program as Adam. Alright, we can be study bros! Oh geez...will you look at that tuition bill. Aw man...well, maybe I can write some children's books or something. Yeah, get some book royalties...be famous....yes...yes...that's it!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cale was next. He actually got two letters. And he won a scholarship! Way to go Cale!
The next one was his acceptance letter, and Cale didn't get into any distinguished degrees either. He went upstairs to the top of the stairs and let out a moanful wail. Oh my gosh! He may not have gotten into the distinguished Biology program at Foxbury, but he did get into the regular Biology program at Britechester. The scholarship didn't quite cover his tuition, so he had to take out a student loan, and he also had to get a part-time job. He chose his courses and decided that an Elective course in Wellness would be good to curb some of his hot-headed anger.
Cale: "All I ever wanted to do was get into Biology...so going to Britechester won't be so bad. I just have to return all this Foxbury clothing I bought. But, hey...I am still in the program I want to be in. And Robin and I can study together. Plus, there's a co-op program at Britechester and I can get a part-time job as a weekend landscaper. The pay looks good...and a few hours in the morning on the weekend won't cut into my juice pong time down at Pepper's Pub. Plus, I'll be getting my body in shape, and those uni chicks will be flocking to be with me. Oh yeah! This might work out rather well."
Later that night, Cale received a call about getting an inheritance of $2,500 simoleons. Woot! Now, he wouldn't really need to get that part-time co-op job. However, he decided to keep the job because he really wanted to have a buff body to become a chick magnet. Life goals, right?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wolfgang and Velma had gone into the house as Velma had asked Wolfgang if he could help her bring her boxes upstairs. After setting them down, they both opened their acceptance letters.
Wolfgang got his first choice into Foxbury's Distinguished Computer Science Program. He was also on the E-Sports Team, which was a scholarship that he had received. He had to take out a small student loan, and was going to work on some computer apps to make some simoleons. Wolfgang chose an Elective course on Playing Hooky...because...well...he knew a lot about that subject! Yes! Life was good.
And Velma got into her first choice at Britechester's Distinguished Fine Arts Program. Velma didn't get any scholarships, so she had to take out a student loan, and will sell some of her paintings to make some simoleons. She chose a course on Photography for her Elective, and even though she loved to take selfies, she was going to broaden her horizons and maybe take some other photos. Like maybe photos of someone else...of course she could be in the photo with them, right? Or maybe a nature photo...perhaps a tree...but a tree is just boring, so she could stand beside the tree, right? Oh yeah! She's got this.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Over at Briny Hall Residence, Aaron and Hunter had opened their acceptance letters. Unfortunately, they both didn't get into any Distinguished degrees, nor did they receive any scholarships. However, they were both just happy to be going to Foxbury Institute together, and that was all that mattered.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the challenge sims over in Chester House, I just randomly picked some degrees for them. All have regular degrees.
University of Britechester: Lucy-Biology; Savannah-Computer Science; Selena-Psychology
Foxbury Institute: Bryon-Psychology. Aldo-History; Kenzie-Drama
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
When they arrived in Britechester, I had those who hadn't received any scholarships apply for the Britechester Resident Scholarship, which was the only one available to them. I will apply for scholarships for everyone for Term 2 to see if they are eligible for any others.
I decided that the challenge sims would have to take out a student loan if they couldn't cover the cost of the tuition with scholarships. They would also have to get a part-time job or make simoleons another way if they had to get a loan. I hope you like the choices I came up with for each challenge sim.
The first day of each Term, I will be controlling Dylan's roomies to work on their essays and presentation boards, and helping them submit those. They will autonomously do homework, but won't autonomously do essays or the boards. So, just a bit of a helping hand on the first day of each term. I will only be controlling Dylan in the house, so the final grade is up to each of them.
April - Day 30:"StrangerVille House & Aspiration complete!"
Notes
Cale finally applied for the Botanist career and completed his aspiration for the month! He's now a 'Flower Fellow.' Congratulations Cale! I had thoughts of having him quit right after he completed the aspiration, but he can do the job at home so he'll keep it for now.
Cale and Fox have now moved to StrangerVille, but I have not played with them yet, I'll wait until after midnight. He still needs around 30-40 babies to complete the male version of the 100 Baby Challenge.
Here's the front of their new home! Finally finished it! Yay! This took a long time to do, but I'm happy with the results. If anyone wants to download it for themselves, it's called 'Strange Bachelor Mansion' on the Gallery. My Origin ID is the same as here on the forum. Here's a link to it:
I'll be posting only screenshots of each side of the exterior and overhead shots of each floor plans in this update. I took way too many screenshots to post them all. However, if you'd like to see a closer-up/detailed slideshow with additional screenshots, here's a link for it as well:
*Note - I took all screenshots in Manage Worlds build mode before Cale and Fox moved in since it's still Winter for a few days.
Right Side - Shows the pool and part of the greenhouse.
Part of the backyard - More of the greenhouse and a peek at the BBQ area. Well, you can see the picnic table at least.
Left Side - Includes BBQ/Bar area.
Greenhouse Overhead floor plan
Overhead Basement Gym floor plan - includes a coffee/snack area & half bath.
1st Floor Overhead floor plan
2nd Floor Overhead floor plan
Overhead Private Balcony view - The petite dance floor fit perfectly there so I used it instead of making a lattice pergola type roof.
Last but not least, roof on overhead bird's eye view of the entire lot. *Note - the upper two tiers of the house tower is made of half walls.
And that's it for the tour (unless you check out the slideshow. Highly recommended )! Tomorrow I'll show Cale's new wardrobe, Fox might get a little update too and I'll begin gameplay.
I apologize for the one screenshot updates lately and for being so behind on comments. I'll get started on comments/replies next. Hope y'all had a wonderful day/night!
Congrats to Adam and Kaori for their lovely wedding back in Mt. Komorebi. And then Gemma pops the question to Kiyoshi! Woot! So happy for Adam that he stayed with Kaori.
Today's Accomplishments:
- Talk about StrangerVille with 5 sims
Our lease was up the next day, so after packing up, we gathered in the main room one last time to say our goodbyes.
We gave each other hugs and high fives and shared our plans.
Sofia had gotten a job as a doctor and was planning to stay in the area with Rohan. Gemma and Kiyoshi were going to look into renting a small house in Glimmerbrook together, and Kiyoshi had found a job as a personal trainer and planned to commute by way of broom. Gemma had gotten a job as a Trend Setter, a job she could work from home, and they surprised us with the news that they were pregnant and expecting!
We congratulated them and promised we'd come and visit as soon as we were able.
After a few more hugs, we grabbed our stuff and headed to the train station. We planned on taking a train as far as we could, and then teleporting the rest of the way.
A few hours later we were walking through the doors of StrangerVille's one and only bar.
Immediately we caught the attention of the military personal patronizing the place, and an officer jumped up and ordered us to halt.
"Excuse me!" she yelled. "This town has been quarantined! How did you get in here?"
"I was invited here by the town's Mayor, Ted Roswell!" I said, putting my hands up to show I posed no threat. "I'm sorry if this isn't a good time, but I'm looking for someone."
The officer turned and called out, "Mayor Roswell, do you know this young man?"
I looked past her and saw Ted sitting at the bar, and gave him a little wave. "Hi sir," I said. "Do you remember me? We met awhile back in Windenburg? You gave me your number and invited me to visit you, saying you had a problem for an adventurer?"
Ted broke out into a big smile, "Kid?" he asked. "You're looking all grown up, almost didn't recognize you."
He turned to the officer, "At ease Sergeant, they're with me."
She relaxed and I took the opportunity to introduce myself and my family to both of them. We found a table and sat down together, Carol wandering off to watch a girl playing the violin.
"So what brings you out here to my small corner of the world?" Ted asked after we were seated. "Was it the military lock down? I bet you heard about that and got curious, didn't ya."
"Well actually," I said, "we're here looking for a scientist. She's the type that's drawn to unusual phenomenon, and I thought there might be a good chance I'd find her here."
"Unusual phenomenon," Ted laughed. "Well, you've come to the right place then. But I'm curious, what have you heard about what's going on around here?"
Kaori piped up, "I only did a little digging, but the rumors are something alien is being covered up. Either that or it's just a chemical spill."
The Sergeant shot us a look, but Ted ignored her, "The rumors aren't too far off than," Ted said with a wink, but I can't say much more. Now that you're here though, I'm afraid you won't be allowed to leave any time soon. Since we don't get many visitors these days, you can use the rooms upstairs that we usually rent out to visitors until you find who you're looking for. Feel free to walk around the town and explore, but the military base in the crater is off limits."
We thanked him and and I gave them my mother's name, Irene Ioca, so they could make some inquiries. Kaori gave me a weird look when I mentioned my mother's name, and I realized I'd never told her I'd changed my name when I left home. I'd have to talk to her about it later.
Ted told us that a lot of scientists liked to hang out at the library around the corner, and maybe we'd get lucky and find her there.
It was worth a shot.
When we got to the library I asked the lady at the front desk where the scientists were. She shrugged and said she'd seen some earlier, but they tended to come and go at all hours.
We searched the library, but there was not a scientist to be found. I asked a guy browsing the bookshelves upstairs what was going on in this town, and he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.
"There was an explosion out at the military base a couple weeks back. The next day we were told we weren't allowed to leave the area, and we've been stuck here ever since. But it gets weirder," he leaned in closer, "people have been acting, well, strange. Sometimes they'll have big goofy grins and wide eyes one minute, and the next they seem perfectly normal. It gives me the creeps."
I thanked him and wandered outside, thinking I might go on a jog to get an idea of the area, but instead saw a bunch of scientists sitting out at the picnic tables.
I jogged over and introduced myself to a guy sitting by himself, asking if he knew a scientist by the name of Irene.
He seemed a bit nervous talking to me, but politely told me he was not familiar with a scientist by that name. I thanked him and went and asked a couple more, but got the same results.
A man wearing a colander with lights attached to it came and sat down next to me, and one of the scientists I'd been talking to immediately got up and walked away.
He leaned over towards me and whispered, "Leave while you still can. It's too late for us, but you may still be unaffected."
Before I could ask him what he meant Kaori came out and asked if we could head back to the bar because she was getting tired. When I turned back to the man, he'd already gotten up and was quickly walking away.
We returned to the bar and were led upstairs to a couple of cozy rooms usually rented out to tourists and travelers. I took a nice bath while Kaori and Carol had a bite to eat down at the bar before turning in for the night.
There was definitely a mystery here, but the real question was, was my mother?
Good twist with the need to contribute knowledge for the aspiration! Did you have the sound on when DJ did this? They sound like it's SO painful eh? o.O
Thank you so much for the sweet comments about my try at lilsimsie's Dino Shell challenge! It was a challenge to figure out the roof situation and a floor plan. I had problems with the basement too. When you add a foundation, the basement and first floors don't meet, there's a gap. I figured out how to fix that by raising the basement platform style.
However, one corner of the yard next to the house bumped up as a result. I could not figure out how to fix it and still have a foundation so I just covered it up by making a rocky fountain feature. hehe Not ideal, but oh well. Hope it looks good. Seriously doubt she'll even see the build at all and I mostly made it for Cale/Fox anyway and because I've wanted to try a shell challenge for a long time. Cale needed a house, so why not combine the two eh? I think it turned out quite well. I'm proud of it anyway. Biggest build I've done in a long, long time.
Very cool Dylan decided to return everything that he had stolen. Did he actually do that? I guess they can, it's an option. I've never had my Sims do it though. Oh man, so cute how all the housemates were cheering, blowing horns and throwing confetti for Morgan! Congrats to her for getting into Britechester with a full ride! Yay! Congrats to Dylan too! Congrats to Robin, no worries about needing a job, Lifeguard is perfect for her since she's a Mermaid.
Aww man, bummer for Adam, but oh well, at least he's still going to Uni! Oh no, poor DJ. Well, at least he'll still get to go for an Economics degree too. Good idea writing books to earn simoleans to pay his way. You'll be fine DJ.
Yay! Go Cale! Good job Buddy! Oh, well dang, spoke too soon. He looks so upset, hot-headed trait kicks into gear, yep. Bummer he bought all those Foxbury clothes though. o.O Maybe the store will let him exchange them for Britechester clothes. Way to look on the bright side Dude. Yep, working outside landscaping will definitely buff up those muscles and impress the ladies. Wha...? Sheesh, talk about good luck! Congrats Cale! Glad he kept the job though. Chick magnet! hehe That's my Cale!
Congrats to Wolfgang! Lucky guy! Oh and Velma too! Both got into the Distinguished programs they wanted! Aww, no distinguished or scholarships for Aaron and Hunter, but love how they don't care as long as they can be together in Uni.
Sounds like some great degrees for the rest of the challenge Sims too, even if only regular ones. Cool. Very sweet of you to help out those in the house with Dylan with essays, presentations and term papers. Makes sense you'd let them be on their own after that and only control Dylan. I mostly don't control Fox either unless for story reasons.
*The rest of my April updates are going to be sort of 'highlight reels' for each of Aaron's three terms. I've played enough so that he's already finished his degree as well as the aspiration and he'll be ready to move to StrangerVille when I next get a chance to play.
This way, I can catch up to May in my posts here without feeling like I'm falling majorly behind
Each of my April posts will have at least 7 screenshots to function as 'daily images' for all of the days covered - I just don't want to spam with heaps of posts in a row
April 8 - 15: First Term
Aaron continued to work on his presentation.
Gosh, stop being so dramatic
And it's finished, what are you so sad about? Well actually I think he was just fatigued from jogging but sheesh haha
Elle visited, which was nice
Hunter got an investigator gig in San Myshuno from the Bheeda family
Of course he had to take care of their baby while he was there because parents on autonomy are useless in this game
And look who decided to show her ghostly face...
Never fear, Bonehilda is here!
Aaron met up with Robin at Larry's Lagoon and asked her for feedback and advice on his presentation board
But that wasn't all LOL
She came over one morning just as he was about to leave for class (he almost walked right into her as he was leaving )
So she hung out with Hunter instead
And the plants haha
Plus Yoshi!
Nice to see you, DJ!
Aaron met another of his soccer team members at Pepper's Pub. This is Eli, and he's a sim I created almost 3 years ago (but updated with the CC I have now, naturally He's in Physics at Foxbury).
Aaron was at Larry's using one of the ERAM machines when I happened to look outside at the statue, and spotted someone approaching it...
Adam!!! How dare you???
Also, you don't go here either, Seth (Seth is another of my older sims, but from 2018 and with an updated look. He's at Britechester, in Fine Arts)
And DJ is here too! Boo, Britechester! (jokes it was fun to see him haha)
The night before finals (also the night before WINTERFEST (!!!!)), Adonis and Aaron hit the ERAMs at Larry's (Also, Adonis is not a Foxbury student either but I knew it would just be easier if I brought him along with Aaron lol)
The Bot Savants were having a meeting, and apparently Caleb Vatore is a member!
Except...
he wasn't a member for very long after that...
Yes, Caleb Vatore straight up just died.
But unfortunately there was no time for mourning (Aaron did bring Caleb's urn back home with him though, so we'll get to see some ghostly Caleb visits soon )
The next morning, Aaron decorated the Winterfest tree before leaving for his final exams.
I didn't manage to get a screenshot of his report card, but he got A+ on all of his courses
I sent everyone out to watch Aaron's soccer game, but they lost again!
Have this pic of Aaron and Hunter being romantic to finish the update
Also if anyone wants to update Aaron's skills in their save, here they are:
It's May 1st! Some of our sims are having fun at uni dancing around the "maypole", two sims are expecting nooboos that they "mayest" have in the merry month of May, while others are heading to Strangerville and will soon be shouting "mayday!" And still other sims are joining the "mayhem" for this challenge. Yes! We all love May, and I even posted my May update early (okay, well, it will all go downhill from here, but for once, I am early!) Woot! And now on to comments for all your fabulous stories.
Congrats to Cale for completing the Academic Aspiration. And I did go to imgur to look at all the screenies of the house you built. Wow! I just love all the colors of the house, and you are right, those butterflies in the greenhouse are so cute placed like that. The whole house is just gorgeous. No wonder you took so long on it. I have never done a shell challenge either. I love that Cale went into flower design...which ties in perfectly to Strangerville and those "wild flowers" growing all over the place! lol Anyway, the house is just so perfect. You really did an absolutely fabulous job! Cudos! The next time I am in-game, I will download it. Stunning! And you are so far ahead with the 100 Baby Challenge. Dylan will be "smooching" a lot at uni for the 100 Bae Challenge, so hopefully he can get this done.
Good idea about not everything is private when contributing knowledge. I have had mixed things happen with this. One of my sims got dazed, the other got energetic, and another one just got absolutely exhausted. How did DJ feel after he did this?
I love the fast forward for a week of updates. I should probably do that, too, because I have already played the first Term for Dylan. Hopefully I can get all the screenies in the correct order. lol Oh funny...the presentation board. They are all so dramatic when they do that. But it takes sooooo long! lol And Robin talking to the plants, that is funny, because she does that at Dylan's house autonomously, too. Oh my gosh, Caleb died at the robo station. I had that happen last year in this challenge with another challenge sim. My sim had made a club with robotics as a club activity, and one got zapped. Luckily one of the other challenge sims had a death flower in their personal inventory and did a plea bargain when Grim arrived. Needless to say, my sim removed robotics as a club activity after that. I love that crooked Xmas tree ornament on the tree. lol Oh and poor Aaron lost at soccer. Um, Aaron, maybe you should have read that soccer playbook before the game! hehehe Ahhh...and a loving shot of Hunter and Aaron fills out the up-date.
Because I don't use mods, I could only have 8 sims in the house. So, in my game, I decided to place Aaron and Hunter together in one of the residences. So, Aaron will still appear in the world, and he and Hunter will be invited to events.
Lovely Winterfest with Kiyoshi. Yes, Kiyoshi loves snowboarding and would definitely love a new snowboard. And a new camera for Savannah. That is so good. I tend to forget it's in their personal inventory whenever my sim takes photos. And Savannah's baby bump? is showing. !! Savannah looks so pretty in that one shot of her and Kiyoshi outside. I apologize it I haven't kept up with your updates, but it's been rather hectic.
Apr 25 - Nice shot of Robin and Posey. And what the heck is Cale wearing? lol He is certainly a fashionably dresser for New Year's! lol Ooh! A ring for Aaron...yes! Go for it! Love the update and the private "celebration" at the end.
I wouldn't worry about trying to get through the updates on a daily basis. We all have things to do in rl, and you, especially, with exams. That is the most important thing right now...and also being a bridesmaid. Dylan is just starting uni. I am just doing this at my own pace this year and not trying to do daily posts. Robin will be sharing a house with Dylan, so you'll be seeing her a lot.
Added note to @afai1261 - after I saw your comments on my comments. - Ugh! Yes, I knew Hunter was a vampire in your game, and I am alluding to that in mine, however, I thought that he would go into cooking, to make excellent meals for Aaron...lol Because he is in love with Aaron so much, he would do anything for him. Of course, Hunter won't be taste testing any of those dishes he makes...okay, well, maybe if he makes "blood sausage." hehe
And now for some comments on everyone's recent posts (mostly from this page since I'm too tired to do any more than that, but there are a couple of posts I wanted to comment on from page 65 )
Apr 25:when we're so much on the same wavelength that we even come back to post on the same day
Lovely pic of Robin and Posey for their New Year celebration!
Cale's outfit is absolutely atrocious though LOL The hat is taking it a bit TOO far
AHHHH yay Hunter and Aaron are engaged!! So happy!
Super fun to see Aaron and Hunter living with DJ in the hall! I'm proud of them for getting such good grades haha. Economics for both of them, eh? Shame Aaron and DJ got off a bit on the wrong foot when they first met though. Loved Robin describing them as the cutest couple
LOL at Robin saying Cale wants to be a style influencer just so he can see pretty girls in hot outfits
Also the toga party was very fun to see too!
Almost forgot! DJ and Paige are adorable!!! I feel like she's much better for him than Caitlin was I definitely do wonder when and how DJ will find out that Anton is actually his son though...
Apr 19: That is a very interesting way to spin the use of contributing knowledge!
I'm not going to comment on all of your posts that I missed, but I do need to say something about Fox being an alien and Eros' brother!!! What a plot twist! Well I did already guess him being an alien way back, but him also being Eros' brother just adds another layer to your storytelling and it's great!
Based on his inner thoughts, Cale's not the first one that he's been forced to monitor like this... and sheesh, he's in love with Venus! I see some trouble ahead... Also I couldn't help but wonder if Fox and Venus made a baby in your April 25 update but that's what having risky woohoo on has conditioned me to think with every woohoo my sims engage in HAHA
Oh also did I see that Aaron and Hunter are engaged in your game now?
Of course, I also have to say congratulations to Cale for getting his degree with honours! And love that you're tying it in with StrangerVille by having him hired as a plant biologist there! My idea for Aaron's segue to StrangerVille is somewhat similar (Aaron's a botanist in my game, like Cale is) but slightly different
Apr 30: That daily pic is so cool! Love it!!
Cale's house in StrangerVille is looking absolutely fantastic! And cool that you're using lilsimsie's shell!
Once again, this is definitely a house I'd love to live in IRL, it's amazing haha
Cannot wait to see how Cale fares in StrangerVille!
I actually teared up at Adam proposing to Kaori, it was so sweet and such a gorgeous place for him to propose!
Congrats to Adam for being the first challenge sim to get engaged! (I think, lol)
The situation that Adam's found himself in regarding the secret society is intriguing! I love how everything is so interwoven in your lore, like Guidry and the Keepers of the Light, and the vampire that killed Kaori's grandparents (!!!). And the segue to StrangerVille is super perfect too!
Apr 28: Congrats for completing the aspiration!
Apr 29: And then married at the festival, everything about it was so perfect and lovely to see Mt. Komorebi again! Their vows were beautiful too!!!!
And Gemma proposing to Kiyoshi, adorable!!
Apr 30: Bittersweet to say goodbye to everyone that Adam shared his university journey with (aside from Kaori and Carol of course). Congrats to Gemma and Kiyoshi on the baby!
And now, finally in StrangerVille... And there's Ted, good thing he recognised Adam!
Ooh, Adam changed his name when he left???
Going to be interesting to find out whether or not Adam's mother is actually here, given that the scientists don't seem to recognise the name, hmm...
Excited to read about Adam's new adventures in this strange town
And it was nice to see what degrees everyone else will be doing, even if some of them didn't get into the degrees they wanted!
This line made me laugh:
Wolfgang chose an Elective course on Playing Hooky...because...well...he knew a lot about that subject!
Ah even if Aaron didn't get into the biology program, history is still perfect for him! He's somewhat based on me, and when I was deciding what I wanted to study IRL I was torn between history and biology. Chose biology but I'm doing history papers this year as electives so I can definitely see Aaron getting a history degree!
And culinary is an interesting one for Hunter, but then I remembered he isn't a vampire in your game so it's all good
The bit about them just being happy to be going to uni together
I am so sorry I missed this one. And thank you so much on going back and commenting on all the updates. That is a momentous task. I couldn't have Velma go into Computer Science in my game, because she got accepted into a Distinguished Degree in Fine Arts...the only Distinguished degree she was eligible for, so I went with that. She tends to play the violin autonomously a lot.
Feb 27:
Oh gosh! Cale vs Dylan on who is the father! lol And then Cale and Dylan nearly get into a fight about it! Oops! But, it looks like Dylan won the argument and is seen kissing Velma on the neck. My guess is that it is probably Cale, since he is leaving babies all around the world in everyone's storyline, and he is holding Velma's hands in front of a photo oh the wall of the two of them. But...maybe it's Dylan (who, I might add, hasn't even woohooed in my game yet!), or even DJ. lol Well, we will soon find out the big "who's your Daddy" mystery. Whoever they are, I hope they step up and want to be with Velma. Of course, Velma does have this awful crush on Aldo. lol Lots of great photos of the pool party with all the sims. And Velma has a "dark side" lol hacking computers from rich sims to donate to the poor. I see a Robin Hood syndrome here.
I am so sorry I missed this one. And thank you so much on going back and commenting on all the updates. That is a momentous task. I couldn't have Velma go into Computer Science in my game, because she got accepted into a Distinguished Degree in Fine Arts...the only Distinguished degree she was eligible for, so I went with that. She tends to play the violin autonomously a lot.
Feb 27:
Oh gosh! Cale vs Dylan on who is the father! lol And then Cale and Dylan nearly get into a fight about it! Oops! But, it looks like Dylan won the argument and is seen kissing Velma on the neck. My guess is that it is probably Cale, since he is leaving babies all around the world in everyone's storyline, and he is holding Velma's hands in front of a photo oh the wall of the two of them. But...maybe it's Dylan (who, I might add, hasn't even woohooed in my game yet!), or even DJ. lol Well, we will soon find out the big "who's your Daddy" mystery. Whoever they are, I hope they step up and want to be with Velma. Of course, Velma does have this awful crush on Aldo. lol Lots of great photos of the pool party with all the sims. And Velma has a "dark side" lol hacking computers from rich sims to donate to the poor. I see a Robin Hood syndrome here.
That's alright either really work for her.
And I want to read the stories and not just jump back in down the road. Even if it takes me a little bit because of other stuff going on. I really enjoy everyone's stories.
Sounds like a good plan! So happy to see you here again and read that you've finished Uni and ready to go for StrangerVille.
hehe Don't you just love hot-headed Sims? I should let Cale have full autonomy more. I never see that trait in him anymore. I'm always afraid he'll be mean to one of his paramours though and not be able to make a baby with her. o.O Oh geez, Hunter sure earned his simoleans at the Bheeda house. Go Bonehilda kicking Temperance's butt! Very cool Robin and Aaron kicked the soccer ball around together, seems appropriate considering they both love it. hehe Nice that she hung out with Hunter, the plants and Yoshi too!
Eli is a cutie! Tsk, Adam! Glad Aaron caught him at least! Hello Seth and DJ! Oh no! Caleb got fried! o.O Well, he'll make a fun ghost for Aaron and Hunter to deal with anyway. hehe Love the frown on Aaron's face after decorating the tree. Is he frowning because the topper is crooked? I've never seen that happen before. o.O Yay! All A+s for Aaron, Congrats Dude! Aww man, that bites his team lost again, he looks so sad. And a lovely hug between the two to end the update. I love them so much!
Thanks for showing Aaron's skills, I'll update them for him in my save next chance I get.
Yep, they're brothers, but completely different personalities. Eros knows Fox's secret and he's using it against him to keep him in control and do his bidding. Fox is getting fed up with it though and I foresee a confrontation in the future. Not only about that, but also concerning Venus. It's about to get all messy up in here, as the saying goes. hehe
No, Fox and Venus didn't make a baby. I seriously thought about it, I won't lie. But, it just seemed too cliché' to do that to me. They just had regular woohoo so no nooboo.
Yes! They're engaged, but I haven't done anything about it, yet. It was my plan all along to tie-in Cale's degree with StrangerVille in some way. Curious to see how you tie-in Aaron's career with StrangerVille too.
Absolutely LOVE that mirror from Décor to the Max, it's gorgeous! I thought the image was cool, it's kind of like a sneak peek with the broken up images in the mirror. Highest compliment I could get from you that you love the build so much you'd want to live in it! Thank you, I'm flattered! *Hugs*
hehe Love how many times you managed to use 'May' in your intro comment. Thanks so much for checking out the slideshow for my build for Cale and lilsimsie! Made me smile! Yep, it worked out well for Cale taking biology with StrangerVille the next month. I'm glad you like the house so much you want to download it, thanks again! I had hoped to have it finished last month, but with the little glitch I had, got a little behind. Hopefully he'll be able to finish it this month and he and Sandy will be reunited! Can't wait to see how it goes for Dylan with his 100 Baes. I hope his lips don't get sore. hehe
While eating breakfast I decided I needed to fill in Kaori and Carol about some things from my childhood I'd never revealed before.
I told them about how I rarely ever saw my mother growing up, that I was raised by a nanny bot she'd built, and that for most of my life I didn't know what my real name even was.
"When I did see her," I explained, "she would just call me Boy or Child. It was only when I needed my birth certificate to get a passport that I found out my given name was Damion Ioca."
Kaori looked surprised but reached out and took my hand, "And you changed your name to Adam Strong to bury the past, is that right?"
I nodded. "I should have told you this sooner," I admitted, "but it's not something I like to talk about. I thought I could leave that past behind for good, but it looks like that was wishful thinking."
Kaori squeezed my hand again, "Just remember you don't have to face your past alone. Whatever we find, we'll face together," she reached for Carol's hand. "As a family."
I smiled as I looked into Kaori's encouraging eyes, she was indeed my rock and I felt better knowing she was by my side. I leaned across the table and gave her a quick kiss before excusing myself to go for a run. I needed to think.
I ran past a tiny shop that appeared to be closed and came upon what looked like a decaying military plane sitting out in a field.
Nearby I noticed a strange looking blue plant that almost seemed to glow, so I went over to investigate.
As I looked down on the alien looking vegetation a shot of paranoia coursed through me; it almost felt like the plant was aware of me and I was overcome by an overwhelming urge to hide.
I jogged back to the pub and found the Sergeant we'd met the day before waiting for me.
She sat us down and told us they had found the scientist we were looking for. My heart dropped into my stomach and I had to take a couple of deep breathes to concentrate on what she said next.
"She's a part of a special division and is an independent contractor," she continued. "We've let her know you are here and she's agreed to see you. I'm to take you to her residence as soon as you are ready."
My heart was racing and my hands were shaking ever so slightly; I doubted I'd ever be ready, but she was the only one I knew who could shed some light on what was going on, so I rose to my feet and followed the Sergeant out the doors.
We had to drive out of town and up a steep road that lead to a gated community in the mountains. We pulled up to a nice looking house and approached the front door.
The Sergeant led us inside and asked us to wait in a little sitting room near the doors while she went to find Dr Ioca.
Kaori scooted close to me and took my hand, "I'm here," she said. "Remember to keep breathing."
I took her hand and inhaled deeply, "Thank you," I said.
Just than I saw a familiar face rounding the corner and I probably squeezed Kaori's hand a little too tightly as our eyes met.
"So you've returned," she said in a cold voice that made me feel like I was a child again. "I thought we agreed that if you left my house you would never be allowed to return."
I started to speak but she cut me off, "I see you also brought your entourage with you," she continued, glancing over at Kaori and Carol. "It's a shame you chose someone with such an uninteresting hereditary background," she said sitting down across from us, "You've always been such a disappointment to me Boy."
My fear turned to anger as she said this and I got up and sat next to her.
"I didn't come here to listen to you judge me and my life choices," I said angrily, "I've had more than enough of that to fill several lives already. We're here to ask some important questions about somebody you used to know!"
She gave me a disdainful look, "I know why you're here Boy," she spat. "Don't patronize me." She composed herself and gave me a sly smile. "I'm willing to tell you what you want to know, but not for free."
"What do you want?" I growled.
"As you have likely come to realize," she began, "there are some strange happenings in this town. The official cover story for the town's quarantine is that there was a chemical spill, but the truth is more extraordinary. I will not share with you the details as I believe it will be more interesting for me to watch you uncover them for yourself. Your task will be to figure out what is happening and put a stop to it's cause. I will give you four weeks to do this. I will also pull some strings to have the military look the other way in this matter so you might have free reign to explore."
Kaori spoke up sounding frustrated, "Why can't you just tell us how you know this Darius Lord?" she asked angrily, "Adam's your son for goodness sake!"
Dr Ioca looked over at Kaori like she was an annoying insect, "Adam," she said coolly, "is indeed my offspring, but that has little to do with anything. You would do well, my child, to stay out of discussions that don't involve you."
I could see Kaori's face turning red and I stepped in before she exploded, "She is involved in our conversation, Irene (she hated me calling her that), she's my wife!"
She turned back to me and I could see her cool was slipping, "Very well," she said, "but if you want my cooperation I would recommend you watch how you address me in the future, is that clear Boy."
I nodded begrudgingly and she regained her composure and smiled. "Good," she said. "Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted? Ah yes, your quest. I will be watching you closely and monitoring your progress. You may stay here or find your own lodging, it makes no difference to me. If you are successful I will tell you everything you wish to know, if you fail I will cut you off completely and you'll never see me again. Do we have an agreement?"
I looked over at Kaori and Carol who both looked miserable and I was tempted to just get up and walk out with them there and then. Nothing seemed worth this aggravation. "I need to discuss it with Koari and Carol first," I said firmly. "Privately."
Dr Ioca smirked, "Very well," she said rising from her seat, "Discuss it. But I will require your answer by tomorrow." She strode from the room leaving us in an awkward silence. I rejoined Kaori and Carol on their couch, and Kaori helped calm me down, "Deep breathes Adam," she said, and we breathed deeply together and I could feel my muscles relaxing a little.
"Wow," Carol said finally, "She's a piece of work."
I had to agree.
I needed to get out of this house so I asked if we go outside and get some air. We found a pool out back and Carol decided she wanted to go swimming, so we put on our suits and climbed in too. After a couple laps Kaori and I pulled ourselves out to talk while Carol went inside to use the bathroom.
"So that's the woman who gave you life?" Kaori said with a look of disgust. "No wonder you left as soon as you could. I'm surprised you turned as well as you did with genetics like that."
I smiled, "Yeah, it's a wonder," I said, "Maybe my father was more even tempered."
"You never knew him?" she asked.
I shook my head, "No, she refused to discuss it with me. I think they had a falling out after I was born."
"So are you going to do this ridiculous charade your mother is demanding of you?" Kaori asked, changing the subject. "She's treating you like some sort of lab rat with all this."
"I swear it's the only reason she had me," I said. "I've always only been an interesting specimen to her. Something to observe and study, to poke and prod for bits of data." I sighed, "I don't know if I should do it, but it might be the only way to find out why I'm being chased by a powerful vampire."
Now it was Kaori's turn to sigh, "I don't like any of this Adam, but if this is something you need to do, I'll be by your side and help you see it through to the finish." She smiled, "We can be lab rats together."
We decided to stay the night, but planned to find a piece of land to set up a tent on going forward; nobody wanted to stick around here longer then we had too.
We were shown to our rooms by my mother's Servo Bot and I quickly fell into an uneasy sleep.
May - Day 1:"Welcome to StrangerVille Cowboy Cale and Fox!"
Notes
Cale's new wardrobe! I decided to try to use CAS assets from the StrangerVille pack as much as possible. He's gone in full 'cowboy' mode to acclimate himself with the 'southwestern' laidback style of the region. I also gave him his original hairstyle back too. I figured it would've grown out by now and he doesn't need to look like a student anymore anyway. Sleep and Swimwear stayed the same as before.
Fox has a few new outfits as well. Most of his wardrobe already had a gray/white/black theme, so I kept that for his new clothes. Cale ditched the big boots, but not Fox! He loves those things. Well...okay, I love them so he does by default.
After they moved into their new home and got a bit settled, the first thing Cale did was plant his roses and a few other plants. He'd missed having a full garden and was looking forward to the joy of watching his plants grow and thrive under his loving care.
He was so grateful to Fox for finding a place that had a greenhouse. The entire place was just incredible. He was almost afraid to ask how much was the rent. But he would need to know at some point so he could pay Fox back for it. Hopefully his new position would be enough to cover it.
I'm so glad I decided to unlock Cale's bedroom door. Fox made a beeline for the chess set on the balcony. I knew he would, Dude seems obsessed with it. He's very close to Level 10 as a result. Love that little cactus plant we got in the latest Sims Delivery. It's so cute, and it glows at night!
Back in the greenhouse, Cale is still busy tending to his plants giving them a drink and fertilizer for all.
I noticed he has a new option for gardening now, analyze. He didn't have that before he joined the Botanist career. When he first joined, he had the option to get an early start by analyzing a plant. I canceled it since I thought he'd need to use the gigantic microscope to do it and there is no room in the house to put it. He got one as a career reward. I was going to expand the basement for the microscope thinking he might need to do it when he started for real. I guess he can sell it now though.
Fox got hungry and a bit chilly on the balcony. He put on some more clothes and went to the kitchen to grab some leftover Blackened Bass. I love how even if they don't bring their old fridge when moving, any food still inside left behind still makes the trip to the new fridge in the new house anyway.
"Dude, this place is amazing! Thanks again for finding it for us and paying the rent until I can play for it myself." "It's my pleasure Buddy."
"Did you see the gym in the basement? There's a bathroom down there and a place to make coffee and store snacks. How cool is that?" "Yes, well, not in person yet, but I saw photos of it."
"And the greenhouse is perfect! I LOVE it! There's a flower arranging area in there too. I'm thinking I might give that a try. Maybe I can sell some bouquets in town for some extra funds." "Do you have any experience with that?"
"No, not really but how hard can it be? Just plop a bunch of flowers in a vase, add some greenery and voila, done! Easy peasy!" "Hmm...I think it's a little more involved than that, you have to have an artistic eye to arrange them in a pleasing symmetrical fashion."
"Eh, whatever, I'll learn as I make them. IF I make any, I mostly want to sell my produce again. I used to make pretty good bank doing that." "You've got a degree and a career in botany, I doubt you'll have a problem doing anything you want with your plants, or any plants."
"Hey would you like to go into town and look around? Maybe scope out the local babes. I know I still haven't scored yet, which is unbelievable to me, it's been way too long. I bet you could use some action too, am I right?" (Oh Cale, Buddy, you've had more action than I've ever had in my entire life in just the last month.)
Fox sat thinking about Venus and their time together. He didn't want any 'action' from anyone but her. Cale didn't know about her though.
"Sure, we can go take a look around town. Let me just go take care of my plate."
"Cool. I'll practice my pick up lines while you do that."
Fox walked into the kitchen on autopilot. He hadn't really 'heard' half of what Cale was saying. He was too distracted thinking about and missing Venus. Wondering how she is, if she's thinking about and missing him too.
(I hope we can be together again soon.)
(She's married.)
(In name only.)
(She's still married.)
(Maybe not for long.)
Meanwhile, just outside their house on a pathway, someone made their way toward a strange bizarre looking plant. It was glowing and seemed to be pulsing with some kind of sound.
He knelt down and began excitedly talking gibberish and laughing at it. Most of what he said was indecipherable except for one consistent word, "ΜØŦĦ€Ř."
After a little while the guy got up and walked away, his limbs jerking all over, his eyes wide open and twitching as he continued to mumble about ΜØŦĦ€Ř and something like "ŦĦ€ ΜØŦĦ€Ř ҜŇØŴŞ ΔŁŁ! ŞĦ€ ƗŞ β€ΔỮŦ¥! ĆØΜ€ ŦØ ŦĦ€ ΜØŦĦ€Ř!"
Inside, Fox and Cale were totally oblivious to what was going on so close to their house and everywhere around the area tonight.
"Hey, did you want to go into town, check things out?"
"Uh yeah, we just talked about that. I was waiting for you so we could go, remember?" "Oh, yeah, that's right, of course. Let's go Buddy!"
"Excellent!"
(I think he's got a girl on his mind or something. I saw that dreamy smile on his face earlier. He's been so distracted lately too. Good for him!)
(I think we're both going to love it here. Ohhh Yeahhh!)
Once everyone had opened their acceptance letters and moved into their rooms, they decided to get a head-start on the term. With four classes each, some with part-time jobs, E-Sports and Soccer, they really had to manage their time.
Yep, that is exactly what DJ and Robin were doing. Managing their time. DJ and Robin felt that they should be in the most relaxed mood possible to start all that homework that was waiting for them. Yep, getting those Party Frenzy video skills up and just chillin'. This was their plan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meanwhile, Velma had other ideas. She had to begin her violin lessons for her program...and she was bad...really bad...fingernails on a chalkboard sounded better than Velma did right now. Ok, you get the idea. But, maybe she felt she was doing a "good deed" for DJ and Robin. With her violin playing sounding like a screeching cat, maybe Velma thought that DJ and Robin would find sitting there unbearable and leave the room and go and start their homework. Great plan! Velma is so looking out for everyone, isn't she?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cale had been working on his presentation board upstairs when Velma started playing the violin. He tried to close the door to his room, but that didn't work. That sound...THAT horrible sound was coming up through the heating vents. Cale couldn't take it anymore, and grabbed his presentation board and headed outside. Oh yeah, so much better. And with the birds chirping on this sunny day, it was the perfect way to work on his biology board. In fact, he was so happy, he started singing a tune:
"Let me tell ya 'bout the birds and the bees
And the flowers and the trees
And the moon up above
And a thing called love"
Cale thinking: "Oh yeah! Biology is all about love..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the other living room, Adam and Wolfgang were deep in thought pondering their moves in their chess game together. They didn't seem to hear Velma's piercing violin playing in the other room. Perhaps they were so focused on the game that they were oblivious to everything else around them.
Wolfgang points to the wall: "Holy plumbobs! Do you see that spider on the wall over there? Oh gosh look at the size of it! Hit it with your shoe. Oh wait...don't...carry it outside..."
Wolfgang quickly switches some chess pieces around.
Adam: "Where are you looking? I don't see a thing..."
Wolfgang looking innocent: "Oh...my bad...that's just a crack in the wall. In the candlelight, it looked like a spider, though. My move, right? Oh, that would be Check..."
Adam: "This board looks different. I think my pawn was over there. Oh nevermind...that pawn is exactly where I want it! Checkmate!"
Wolfgang: "What? You won with your pawn? How...how did that happen? Grr...."
Wolfgang wasn't too happy with Adam winning and threw his hand across the board and wiped out all the chess pieces. Whoa!
Adam was speechless. He had never seen this side of Wolfgang before.
Wolfgang: "Sorry, Adam, I think I need a Snickers bar or something. I'm kind of hungry and just not myself."
Adam: "Yeah, alright, I get it. 'You're not you when you're hungry.' I get why you have that cooler in your room now."
They then got up and walked to the kitchen area. Everything was fine and they shook hands and Wolfgang told Adam it was a good game.
Wolfgang: "We'll have a re-match later..."
Adam agreed laughing: "Okay, but I'm going to make sure you eat something first!"
Wolfgang: "Deal!" he said as he grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich from the fridge.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Even though Morgan had a desk in her room, she decided to set up her laptop on the kitchen table. She had started working on her essay on Historical Perspectives and was doing rather well...that is, until Velma had started playing the violin. Morgan had never heard someone play the violin like that before. Oh her aching head! Morgan had to do something. She would never get any work done at this rate. Morgan quickly went to Plopsy and looked up noise-deafening earplugs. Oh yeah, found some! Well, they won't block out all the noise, but some was better than none. Morgan clicked on the box that said "next day delivery." Perfect. Well, Velma couldn't practice all day, so Morgan decided to make a cup of tea and continue on her essay later.
Poor Morgan, little does she know it, but she is sick. But, I am sure that Velma's violin playing is not helping her head.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dylan had decided to take advantage of the lovely day and practice his juggling skills for his soccer team. It was a daily task that he had to do, and what better time to do it than now? Oh yeah, he was getting the hang of this!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wolfgang headed off to his E-Sports meeting to play SimShuffle with his team. With all the homework he had, he didn't have time to play any SimShuffle beforehand. He still had a lot to learn about this video game.
Dylan had Soccer practice from 6-9 pm tonight, and it was an intense practice of kicking and passing skills. He had never really played Soccer before, and was pretty exhausted when he returned home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Later that night, a few other roomies joined the house.
Adam, who might not have heard Velma's tinny violin playing earlier today, did hear a kind of squeaky noise, which woke him up. He went downstairs, only to find out that...oh my gosh...they had a mouse infestation in the house.
Adam speaking to the mice: "Look, I don't mind you living here, but could you keep the noise down a bit? I can hear you all the way upstairs in my room! Consider this a warning. Next time, you'll be getting an eviction notice!"
Apparently, Adam wasn't the only one who the mice woke up. Cale came down shortly afterwards, and saw the mice, too. Oh geez! He also saw something else.
Adam to ghost: "Oh hey! Um, are you the house inspector or something? Because I think we have a mouse problem. Yeah...right over there...see that little chewy hole in the baseboard...yep...that's mouse party central. Must be a family reunion because I think they called their cousins over, too...."
Well, the ghost didn't seem too impressed with Cale, the house or the mice. She was rather tense, and with a snarky look towards Cale, she quickly left.
The Snickers chocolate bar tagline is “You're not you when you're hungry.” I thought this was appropriate since I had never seen someone get so upset the way Wolfgang did after losing that game of chess. Plus, he was hungry. lol
It's good to know that Hunter is just as obsessed with balls as his boyfriend is
The homework never ends.
But at least Yoshi's here to keep Aaron company!
And Caleb's urn too LOL
The day after Winterfest, Aaron returned home from his soccer game, triumphant at last!
He later caught up on some homework while Hunter danced with Yoshi. (The presentation board in the back is Adonis' board)
And a certain someone decided to come out of his urn...
He cleaned up the dirty dishes, how kind of him!
Robin called saying she found a ring in Melissa's bag and wanted to know how she should respond to a proposal... I had Aaron say she should decide for herself and... uh...
Sheesh Robin... (She and Melissa actually are engaged in my game now though )
I wanted to try out the debating so sent the boys over to the Britechester campus
I think they debated whether cowplants were cows or plants Thought it was appropriate since they're both doing biology lol
Hey look, it's Adam and Kaori! I should put them together in my save haha
They all went out for dinner to celebrate the end of the first term.
Lilith Vatore was the hostess, and she's still grieving her brother
And Aaron destroyed Adonis in juice pong at Larry's Lagoon.
Aaron came home from soccer on Monday having injured himself.
He did get promoted to Playmaker though and got the MVP trophy
There it is on top of the drawers
Hunter was called out to Windenburg, where three very familiar faces still live:
That's right, it's Dylan, Bryon and Aldo's house!
Found Aldo and Bryon in bed together which was... interesting...
I finally made Aaron clean up the statue that Adam so rudely TP'ed
Final exams were about to happen again so Aaron and Adonis camped at the ERAMs at Larry's to cram.
Robin was also at Larry's, and so was Cale!
I believe Aaron got 3 A+s and one A, must have been slacking lol. His overall GPA is still A+ though of course
Aaron quit the soccer team during this term so he could attend guest lectures, and he attended the last of those on the Friday.
And I totally forgot about it until the next day.... but it was the day before New Year's Eve in game, and that's Aaron and Hunter's anniversary so now they've been together for 2 years!
I'll finish off this update with the New Year's party held at Cale, DJ and Adam's house
Aaron tapped the keg and failed
I don't think you need much commentary for the rest of these screenshots lol (under the spoiler because I take too many)
You two are literally engaged and have a toddler son, WHY are you hugging instead of kissing?
Yeah, playing through uni in TS4 was actually pretty fun once I got into the groove! And this is my first time ever putting a sim through university which is exciting haha.
Still need to find a house for Aaron, Hunter and Yoshi to live in StrangerVille though...
I was so surprised to see Temperance (I'm pretty sure it was an adept gig, worth $1500 so it'd naturally be harder) but was so glad that Bonehilda actually kicked her butt this time! The last time Hunter summoned Bonehilda to fight Temperance, the fight never happened (which was in my February 27 update actually).
Was absolutely speechless when Caleb died! The poor guy, he's not even an actual uni student and he had to die to the robotics station... He's part of the story now (well at least when I get back into writing actual story). It'll be fun having his ghost pop up randomly lol. Had to put his urn away though since Adonis just wouldn't stop mourning him.
They get a bad moodlet when they put the decorations on wrong and I'm pretty sure that's why Aaron was frowning in that pic with the tree lol. I think its related to mood if they decorate it well or not.
May 1: Hehe love Cale's new cowboy look! Yeehaw!
That colourful butterfly wall next to Cale's planters is everything
Oh yeah that assignment to analyze a plant popped up for Aaron too when he joined the career and I thought it needed the microscope as well
I love how even if they don't bring their old fridge when moving, any food still inside left behind still makes the trip to the new fridge in the new house anyway
WHAT omg every time Aaron has moved house I always bring the fridge I had no idea that they had that functionality. I knew that fridges on the same lot shared inventory but not that it could transfer between houses when moving. Very handy!
(She's still married.)
(Maybe not for long.)
O.O ooh Fox that's a dangerous game to be playing...
HAHA of course Cale just knows that Fox is thinking about a girl
May 1: Ooh yikes, poor Adam! Raised by a robot? And he didn't even know his name, and his mother... ugh... what the heck is wrong with her??? I despise her already...
Just wanna give Adam a hug! I'm so glad he has Kaori and Carol. They're his real family, not his witch of a mother.
Oh and she's making him solve the mystery, and potentially put himself as well as others in danger, just so she'll tell him some information??? I get that it's vital information, but still. Taking on the Mother is dangerous!
YES Adam, stick up for your wife!
Wonder what Adam's father is up to then...
"We can be lab rats together" - awww I actually love that. Kaori is so perfect for Adam, they have such a wonderful relationship and seeing that she'll be with Adam every step of the way is heartwarming
May 2: LOL, DJ and Robin playing videogames instead of doing homework But that's actually me HAHA
And Velma's cunning plan to get them to leave the room with her awful violin playing is perfect
Love Adam still winning at chess even after Wolfgang cheated! Cheaters never prosper, Wolfgang!
His reaction to losing though - wow! I've never seen that happen before! Poor Adam, he looks freaked out.
Oof poor Morgan getting sick, being sick and doing uni at the same time is not fun. I know this from experience lol
Comments
Table of Contents
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.
D.J. uses a special computer in the library where students can go and contribute knowledge they've learned and turn it around to gain private information from those said students. He will use this as part of his final to show that not every personal piece of information is truly private. He also hopes he doesn't get in trouble from the University for doing this.
Side Note:
@RememberJoy
@SoulGal7
@Karababy52
Year Long Community Challenge
@afai1261 - Welcome back! Have missed you. Hope you are doing better with managing your uni workload.
@permanentrose - Good luck on your finals!
@Shadami - How terrific for you to self-publish a book! Woot! Good luck with that!
And everyone else, I will be doing comments this weekend. Tomorrow is year end, and then my life will be back to normal (?) again! lol
Today's Accomplishments:
- Reach level 7 in Research & Debate
- Get a job with degree
- Complete Academic aspiration
Kaori and I sat on the edge of our bed and cuddled for awhile, enjoying each other's company.
I finally pulled back and asked her if she had any ideas for our wedding.
She smiled and said she had been thinking about it ever since I'd asked her and had decided she didn't want anything big or elaborate.
"I would love to exchange our vows where we shared our first kiss," she said, "on the bridge during the light festival."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't that tomorrow?" I asked. "Are you sure you want to do it so soon? There won't really be any time to arrange anything."
Kaori nodded, "We can plan a bigger celebration for another time," she said, "but I would love to exchange our vows there, tomorrow."
I leaned in and gave her a kiss. "Then that's exactly what we'll do," I said softly, nuzzling in closer to her. "I love you."
We went downstairs and let everyone know we were planning on eloping at the light festival the next day and that they were all invited to come, but that it wasn't going to be a big affair.
As we were talking Morgyn casually strolled in the front door and greeted us. I jumped up and gave him a hug, welcoming him in. I told him there was some things I needed to discuss with him and I was so happy he'd shown up. He explained he had actually come to talk to Gemma, but that he'd be happy to chat with me first. I led him upstairs for some privacy and Kaori followed us up.
"Let me start by congratulating both of you on graduating with honors," Morgyn said with a big smile, "you two continue to impress me."
I thanked him and hesitantly asked if he had heard that Sofia and I had been invited to join the Keepers of the Light. He looked surprised and said he had not, explaining he had been busy traveling around to find support and had heard very little since he had joined us for Winterfest.
I quickly filled him in on everything that had happened, leaving out the specifics of what the Keepers' purpose was. When I got to the meeting from the night before I stopped and took a deep breath. "Morgyn," I said softly. "Do you remember when I told you about the time I saw a vampire as a kid?"
Morgyn nodded.
"Well," I continued, "when I asked Kaori's grandparents what the cause of their death was, they showed me a image of the exact same vampire," I swallowed hard, "I'm sure of it."
Morgyn rubbed his chin, "Interesting," he said quietly. "How did Ekram handle this news?"
"Not well," I said rubbing my neck. "He said he recognized him, that he's the leader of the vampires."
Morgyn gasped, "No," he said, "It can't be Darius Lord! He would never do his own dirty work. Was he sure?"
I nodded, feeling a heavy weight in my stomach, "Absolutely," I said. "He got very angry and threatened us if we ever came back. His Grandson Rohan stood up for us but I ran out of the room before I heard much more. It was a lot to take in."
Morgyn sighed, "I think it's time I talk to this Ekram. Maybe we can work something out in both of our favors." Morgyn returned his gaze to me, "So what is your next move?"
Kaori spoke up, "Our next move is to get married tomorrow at the Festival of Light. You're invited of course."
Morgyn grinned, "It's about time," he said. "Congratulations! I'm not sure I can make it tomorrow, but if you're planning a reception for later, let me know."
"We will," I said, "but we plan to locate my mother and ask her a few questions first though. She knew this Darius Lord somehow, and we want to know how and why."
"Seems like a logical next step," Morgyn said. "Do you know where she is?"
"All I have to do is find news of something big and weird," I said. "Knowing her, that's where she'll be."
When we returned to the others, Morgyn immediately turned his attention to Gemma, explaining that he needed to ask her a favor.
He laid out that he was in need of someone with ties in Glimmerbrook who could go in and talk to the families living there for him. He knew that the moment he stepped into the town he would be caught, but because Gemma had family living there, she could more easily slip in unnoticed.
Gemma agreed, saying she was planning on returning home in a couple days anyway to introduce Kiyoshi to her family.
She suddenly got a mischievous glint in her eye, and with a sly smile she said she'd do it if Morgyn would give Kiyoshi the Rite of Ascension.
Morgyn asked Kiyoshi if that was something he wanted, and Kiyoshi stated that it was indeed.
Morgyn had Kiyoshi stand up, and with a twirl of magic, Kiyoshi too was now a spellcaster.
Rohan popped out of the kitchen when he saw Kiyoshi being given the Rite, and introduced himself to Morgyn. "I don't think we've met yet," he said with a small wave. "My name's Rohan, I'm dating Adam's friend Sofia."
"You must be Rohan Elderberry then," Morgyn said with a small knowing smile. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."
Rohan gave me a sideways glance before returning his attention to Morgyn. "May I ask who you are?" he said cautiously, "You seem to know about me, but I can't say the same about you."
"I'm an old friend and mentor to both Adam and Kaori, and to a lesser extent, Gemma as well," Morgyn said, withholding his name. "You have not heard of me because right now it suits me to be anonymous. I hope you understand."
Rohan nodded but looked uncomfortable about the situation.
Just then Kaori returned from upstairs, placing her laptop on the table. "Alright," she said, oblivious to the conversation, "let's start looking for weird news stories." She began tapping away on her keyboard and I almost laughed, wondering what Rohan thought of the sudden shift in conversation.
"I've got a story about a mermaid sighting in Sulani," she said without looking up. "And here's one about a magical portal that was found in a tree. It supposedly leads to the fairy realm. Do you think that's big enough for your mother?"
This time I did laugh, "Perhaps," I said, "but I'm pretty sure both of those things are old news to her already. Do you have anything that seems more hushed up?"
Rohan gave me a bewildered look, and I quickly explained we were trying to find my mother, a scientist who specialized in the unusual.
"Wait!" Kaori said excitedly, "Listen to this! There's a small desert town in the Southwest that the military has shut down for an unknown reason. The official reason is there was a chemical spill, but insiders say that they've seen people acting very strangely, almost like they're possessed by something. Conspiracy theorists are saying they think the government is covering up something from another planet, something that can control the minds of Sims."
"That does sound like something she'd be in the middle of," I said thoughtfully. "What's the name of the town?"
"Strangerville," Kaori said with a laugh. "It's almost as if they wanted to attract something odd."
"Strangerville," I said. "Why does that sound so familiar? I've heard that name before." I racked my brain for where I'd heard it before, and then it hit me. "There was a guy at one of the cafes in Windenburg. He said he was the mayor of a Strangerville and that something odd was happening there. I bet it's the same place!" I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found his name near the bottom. "Ted Roswell! Maybe I should give him a call and find out what's going on there." I dialed the number, but a robotic voice informed me the number had been disconnected.
"Well," Morgyn said rising from his chair, "it looks like you have a lead into your next adventure then. As for me, I will wish you luck and be on my way; there is some business I still need to attend to."
Gemma gave him a hug and promised to talk to the people in Glimmerbrook when she returned home.
With a wave Morgyn walked through the door and was gone.
Soon after, Gemma and Kiyoshi wandered off together and Sofia said she had some job applications she needed to fill out, leaving just Kaori and myself with Rohan.
"So you're not going to tell me who that was," Rohan said, "are you."
I shook my head, "He's avoiding some dangerous people right now," I explained, "and the fewer people who know his name, the better."
"I see," Rohan said. "Did you tell him about us?"
"Only the basics," I said. "I haven't shared anything of what your group's purpose is, and he hasn't asked. In fact it was his digging that informed us of the existence of your Grandfather's organization."
Rohan looked impressed. "He must have some good connections then," he said, "there are not many who know about us."
I decided to direct the conversation away from Morgyn and back to what had happened the night before. "So is Sofia really going to be cast out of your group because of me?" I asked. "I completely understand not wanting me around, I plan on leaving soon anyways, but Sofia isn't really connected to the vampires, and I know she really loved being a part of it since you were there."
Rohan sighed, "My grandfather can be very stubborn, but I'll talk to him and try to work something out. I think once you've left the area he'll calm down. I've really never seen him so agitated before, this vampire must be bad news to shake him so badly." Rohan stopped and looked up at us, "You really have no idea why a vampire lord is possibly after you?
I shrugged, "I wish I did. None of this makes any sense. If I had to guess, I'd say it was something my mother did. When I saw him the first time, they were arguing. Maybe she angered him somehow and he's trying to take it out on me for some reason. The sooner we find her, the sooner we'll have some answers."
"And you're going to start looking in this 'Strangerville'?" Rohan asked.
"Yes," I said taking Kaori's hand," but first I'm going to get married."
The rest of the evening was spent researching Strangerville, signing up to be a freelance artist, and going fishing with Carol.
Notes
Be back later to update, comment/reply! Hope y'all had a wonderful day/night!
I apologize for never updating this like I said I might.
Kiyoshi went out to the garden and picked some roses for us to share.
He tried to give one to Gemma, but she's not a hopeless romantic like he is, and didn't really appreciate it.
Rohan had better luck with Sofia, and soon they were making out in the middle of the room, oblivious to the rest of us.
I took Kaori out into the yard for some privacy to give her my rose.
I took her hands and told her how how much I loved her, and that I would try to be a good husband to her.
We arrived in Kaori's old town of Senbamachi a few hours before the festival was to begin.
Gemma dragged Kiyoshi inside to sing some Karaoke while Sofia and Rohan found a nice little out-of-the-way nook to make-out in.
I asked Kaori if she'd like to take a quick hike for old times sake, despite already being dressed up for our wedding. She laughed and said she was hoping I'd ask. Grabbing my arm she pulled me towards our old stomping grounds.
Meanwhile Carol decided to go visit her grandparent's memorial and leave one of her childhood toys in honor of them.
As evening settled in, we all gathered on the bridge where Kaori and I had shared our first kiss.
We pulled out our vows we'd written for each other and began.
"Kaori," I said, "when I first met you, you sparked a flame in me that slowly grew to consume my heart. You showed me what it felt like to be loved for the first time in my life, a love that molded me into the man I am today. We've been through a lot together already, and I'm sure we have many adventures before us still. Today I am here to declare to you, and to all those who are here to witness, that I will strive to provide for and protect you, to love and to nourish you, to the best of my ability, today and for all time."
I looked into Kaori's eyes and drew her into a kiss, holding her close to my heart for a moment before she stepped back to say her vows.
"Adam," she said, tears in hers eyes, "You have been my rock in difficult times. Your strength both outer and inner has held my head above the waves when I felt like I could have so easily drowned. Together we've brought a new life into the world, and together we said goodbye to two others. You gave me both magic and a hope that kept me moving forward when all other light faded. Today I want to declare to you, and to our witnesses, that I will stand by your side no matter the size of the storms we face. I will be your strength when you feel weak, and your courage when you feel overwhelmed. Together we will overcome any obstacles that arise in our path, whether they be physical or emotional, and I will love you in all ways, always and forever."
Now it was my turn to have tears in my eyes as she gently leaned in and kissed me.
We pulled out our rings and placed them on each other's fingers while our friends cheered in the background.
Overwhelmed with love and joy, I swept Kaori into a passionate kiss as Kiyoshi shouted his approval.
Afterwards, Carol ran up to us and gave us each a hug, telling us she couldn't be happier that her parents were now married.
Some townies also seemed to be very excited over our marriage, I guess they're romantics.
The sun was now setting, and a bonfire had been lit on the other side of the festival, so our friends headed over to enjoy it's warmth.
Kaori led me over to a wishing tree and asked if we could write down our hopes and dreams for each other and place them on the tree. I wrote down 'Kaori's happiness' and hung it on the tree next to hers.
We joined hands and walked over to the fire where the others were cozying up together.
Suddenly Gemma pulled Kiyoshi away from the fire and bent down on one knee, "Kiyoshi," she said pulling out a ring, "will you marry me?"
Kiyoshi was just as surprised as the rest of us, but he nodded and accepted the ring. After they kissed, we went over to congratulate them.
"I always thought Kiyoshi would be the one to propose," I said with a laugh, "he being the romantic of the two."
Gemma punched me lightly in the arm, "Hey," she protested, "I can be romantic too. Besides, I got tired of waiting for him to do it."
Kiyoshi grinned, "I was waiting until we got to Glimmerbrook," he said. "I was going to take you to the waterfall you told me about and do it there."
For once Gemma was speechless.
Kiyoshi pulled her in for a kiss, "But this was a nice surprise too," he assured her, "and it does take a lot of pressure off me to come up with the perfect proposal."
They hugged and we all walked over to the food booths to pick up a late night's supper.
I don't think Rohan cared for his choice of food.
By now it was past midnight and we were all in need of sleep, so we reluctantly said goodbye to the Light Festival, and headed home for the night.
Notes
Gah! Hubby had me working outside again so I got behind in finishing this. I apologize for it, but I need to finish this up and then I'll do comments/replies. Thanks for understanding! Here's the right side though so you can see some of the backyard as it is right now. Not much more to do! Be back soon, promise!
EDIT: Took longer to finish this than I had planned. My playtester found a few problems that needed to be fixed. Full update in April 30th's post.
After saying a fond farewell to Ethren, Dylan took the train to Britechester and found the house. He was the first one there. This was a new start for him, and with that, he pulled out all the...um..."borrowed" items that he had collected from high school, Drama Club, Scouts, the restaurants, and the climbing gym. There were quite alot, including some posters as well.
He decided to box everything up and return them anonymously by mail. After doing so, he felt so much better. Yes, this was a brand new start for him!
He then planted that mysterious berry that he had caught fishing. The one that somehow looked like a cow.
Not long afterwards, all the other roomies arrived. Since they all lived in Windenburg, they had arrived on the same train, and were in high spirits when they got there. Dylan met them in front of the house, and then Morgan decided she couldn't wait anymore, and opened her acceptance letter! Morgan got her first choice, Britechester University, History Distinguished Degree. With the scholarships she got, she didn't have to pay any tuition!
Well, there was cheering, and someone threw confetti. It was party time already! She chose her courses, and decided to take an Elective in Debating, because she really wanted to get on that Debating Team.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Next, Dylan opened his acceptance letter. And he got into his first choice. Foxbury Institute, Psychology Distinguished Degree. He was also on the Foxbury Soccer Team, which was the Athletics scholarship that he had received. Woot! More partying.
And again, Dylan didn't have to pay any tuition either. He chose his courses, and took an Elective course in Yoga, since that was another way to help control his mind.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Then Robin opened her letter, and she got her first choice, too. Foxbury Institute, Biology Distinguished Degree. Robin was super excited! Since she hadn't received any scholarships, she had to take out a student loan and get a part-time job. She chose her courses and decided to take an Elective course in Research because she knew she would be doing a lot of research on all the different plants she would be handling.
Robin: "I am so excited to be getting into my first choice at uni. And getting a job won't be so bad. Oh look! There's a job as a lifeguard. This is THE perfect job for me, as I can swim faster than most sims. Plus, I just love the water, and I'll get to look after all the aquatic life, too. Sweet!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They were on a roll! Everyone was getting into their first choice.
Well, that was until Adam opened his acceptance letter. Ugh! Adam wasn't so lucky, and didn't get into any distinguished degrees at either university.
Dang! But he was accepted into Britechester University in the Economics program. Because he hadn't been awarded any scholarships, he had to take out a student loan to pay for his tuition. He also decided to get a part-time job. He chose his courses and when looking over the Elective courses, the word "Art" stuck out on the page, and he chose a course in Intro Comedy called Life or Art.
Adam: "Well, I guess Fine Arts wasn't in my future. But, okay, Economics is good. Oh look, this course might fit me. "Not Enough Simoleons: Living the Shoestring Life." Oh gee. I better get a part-time job. Maybe a barista would be a good choice. And then I can create works of art in coffee cups. I can still pursue my dream...oh my plumbobs...what a great idea!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Oh gosh, and now DJ opened his letter and didn't get into any distinguished degrees either. He went into the house and cried at the computer. Poor guy! But at least he was accepted into the Economics program at Britechester. DJ also had to take out a student loan and decided to continue on his dream, and write books to bring in some simoleons. He chose his courses, and took an Elective course in Charisma. Yes, charisma was how he was going to convince those publishers to publish his books.
DJ: "My dreams of being the center of the communications hub have been flushed away. But at least I am in the same program as Adam. Alright, we can be study bros! Oh geez...will you look at that tuition bill. Aw man...well, maybe I can write some children's books or something. Yeah, get some book royalties...be famous....yes...yes...that's it!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cale was next. He actually got two letters. And he won a scholarship! Way to go Cale!
The next one was his acceptance letter, and Cale didn't get into any distinguished degrees either. He went upstairs to the top of the stairs and let out a moanful wail. Oh my gosh! He may not have gotten into the distinguished Biology program at Foxbury, but he did get into the regular Biology program at Britechester. The scholarship didn't quite cover his tuition, so he had to take out a student loan, and he also had to get a part-time job. He chose his courses and decided that an Elective course in Wellness would be good to curb some of his hot-headed anger.
Cale: "All I ever wanted to do was get into Biology...so going to Britechester won't be so bad. I just have to return all this Foxbury clothing I bought. But, hey...I am still in the program I want to be in. And Robin and I can study together. Plus, there's a co-op program at Britechester and I can get a part-time job as a weekend landscaper. The pay looks good...and a few hours in the morning on the weekend won't cut into my juice pong time down at Pepper's Pub. Plus, I'll be getting my body in shape, and those uni chicks will be flocking to be with me. Oh yeah! This might work out rather well."
Later that night, Cale received a call about getting an inheritance of $2,500 simoleons. Woot! Now, he wouldn't really need to get that part-time co-op job. However, he decided to keep the job because he really wanted to have a buff body to become a chick magnet. Life goals, right?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wolfgang and Velma had gone into the house as Velma had asked Wolfgang if he could help her bring her boxes upstairs. After setting them down, they both opened their acceptance letters.
Wolfgang got his first choice into Foxbury's Distinguished Computer Science Program. He was also on the E-Sports Team, which was a scholarship that he had received. He had to take out a small student loan, and was going to work on some computer apps to make some simoleons. Wolfgang chose an Elective course on Playing Hooky...because...well...he knew a lot about that subject! Yes! Life was good.
And Velma got into her first choice at Britechester's Distinguished Fine Arts Program. Velma didn't get any scholarships, so she had to take out a student loan, and will sell some of her paintings to make some simoleons. She chose a course on Photography for her Elective, and even though she loved to take selfies, she was going to broaden her horizons and maybe take some other photos. Like maybe photos of someone else...of course she could be in the photo with them, right? Or maybe a nature photo...perhaps a tree...but a tree is just boring, so she could stand beside the tree, right? Oh yeah! She's got this.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Over at Briny Hall Residence, Aaron and Hunter had opened their acceptance letters. Unfortunately, they both didn't get into any Distinguished degrees, nor did they receive any scholarships. However, they were both just happy to be going to Foxbury Institute together, and that was all that mattered.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the challenge sims over in Chester House, I just randomly picked some degrees for them. All have regular degrees.
University of Britechester: Lucy-Biology; Savannah-Computer Science; Selena-Psychology
Foxbury Institute: Bryon-Psychology. Aldo-History; Kenzie-Drama
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
When they arrived in Britechester, I had those who hadn't received any scholarships apply for the Britechester Resident Scholarship, which was the only one available to them. I will apply for scholarships for everyone for Term 2 to see if they are eligible for any others.
I decided that the challenge sims would have to take out a student loan if they couldn't cover the cost of the tuition with scholarships. They would also have to get a part-time job or make simoleons another way if they had to get a loan. I hope you like the choices I came up with for each challenge sim.
The first day of each Term, I will be controlling Dylan's roomies to work on their essays and presentation boards, and helping them submit those. They will autonomously do homework, but won't autonomously do essays or the boards. So, just a bit of a helping hand on the first day of each term. I will only be controlling Dylan in the house, so the final grade is up to each of them.
Notes
Cale finally applied for the Botanist career and completed his aspiration for the month! He's now a 'Flower Fellow.' Congratulations Cale! I had thoughts of having him quit right after he completed the aspiration, but he can do the job at home so he'll keep it for now.
Cale and Fox have now moved to StrangerVille, but I have not played with them yet, I'll wait until after midnight. He still needs around 30-40 babies to complete the male version of the 100 Baby Challenge.
Here's the front of their new home! Finally finished it! Yay! This took a long time to do, but I'm happy with the results. If anyone wants to download it for themselves, it's called 'Strange Bachelor Mansion' on the Gallery. My Origin ID is the same as here on the forum. Here's a link to it:
Strange Bachelor Mansion
I'll be posting only screenshots of each side of the exterior and overhead shots of each floor plans in this update. I took way too many screenshots to post them all. However, if you'd like to see a closer-up/detailed slideshow with additional screenshots, here's a link for it as well:
Complete Strange Bachelor Mansion Slideshow
*Note - I took all screenshots in Manage Worlds build mode before Cale and Fox moved in since it's still Winter for a few days.
Right Side - Shows the pool and part of the greenhouse.
Part of the backyard - More of the greenhouse and a peek at the BBQ area. Well, you can see the picnic table at least.
Left Side - Includes BBQ/Bar area.
Greenhouse Overhead floor plan
Overhead Basement Gym floor plan - includes a coffee/snack area & half bath.
1st Floor Overhead floor plan
2nd Floor Overhead floor plan
Overhead Private Balcony view - The petite dance floor fit perfectly there so I used it instead of making a lattice pergola type roof.
Last but not least, roof on overhead bird's eye view of the entire lot. *Note - the upper two tiers of the house tower is made of half walls.
And that's it for the tour (unless you check out the slideshow. Highly recommended
I apologize for the one screenshot updates lately and for being so behind on comments. I'll get started on comments/replies next. Hope y'all had a wonderful day/night!
Today's Accomplishments:
- Talk about StrangerVille with 5 sims
We gave each other hugs and high fives and shared our plans.
Sofia had gotten a job as a doctor and was planning to stay in the area with Rohan. Gemma and Kiyoshi were going to look into renting a small house in Glimmerbrook together, and Kiyoshi had found a job as a personal trainer and planned to commute by way of broom. Gemma had gotten a job as a Trend Setter, a job she could work from home, and they surprised us with the news that they were pregnant and expecting!
We congratulated them and promised we'd come and visit as soon as we were able.
After a few more hugs, we grabbed our stuff and headed to the train station. We planned on taking a train as far as we could, and then teleporting the rest of the way.
A few hours later we were walking through the doors of StrangerVille's one and only bar.
Immediately we caught the attention of the military personal patronizing the place, and an officer jumped up and ordered us to halt.
"Excuse me!" she yelled. "This town has been quarantined! How did you get in here?"
"I was invited here by the town's Mayor, Ted Roswell!" I said, putting my hands up to show I posed no threat. "I'm sorry if this isn't a good time, but I'm looking for someone."
The officer turned and called out, "Mayor Roswell, do you know this young man?"
I looked past her and saw Ted sitting at the bar, and gave him a little wave. "Hi sir," I said. "Do you remember me? We met awhile back in Windenburg? You gave me your number and invited me to visit you, saying you had a problem for an adventurer?"
Ted broke out into a big smile, "Kid?" he asked. "You're looking all grown up, almost didn't recognize you."
He turned to the officer, "At ease Sergeant, they're with me."
She relaxed and I took the opportunity to introduce myself and my family to both of them. We found a table and sat down together, Carol wandering off to watch a girl playing the violin.
"So what brings you out here to my small corner of the world?" Ted asked after we were seated. "Was it the military lock down? I bet you heard about that and got curious, didn't ya."
"Well actually," I said, "we're here looking for a scientist. She's the type that's drawn to unusual phenomenon, and I thought there might be a good chance I'd find her here."
"Unusual phenomenon," Ted laughed. "Well, you've come to the right place then. But I'm curious, what have you heard about what's going on around here?"
Kaori piped up, "I only did a little digging, but the rumors are something alien is being covered up. Either that or it's just a chemical spill."
The Sergeant shot us a look, but Ted ignored her, "The rumors aren't too far off than," Ted said with a wink, but I can't say much more. Now that you're here though, I'm afraid you won't be allowed to leave any time soon. Since we don't get many visitors these days, you can use the rooms upstairs that we usually rent out to visitors until you find who you're looking for. Feel free to walk around the town and explore, but the military base in the crater is off limits."
We thanked him and and I gave them my mother's name, Irene Ioca, so they could make some inquiries. Kaori gave me a weird look when I mentioned my mother's name, and I realized I'd never told her I'd changed my name when I left home. I'd have to talk to her about it later.
Ted told us that a lot of scientists liked to hang out at the library around the corner, and maybe we'd get lucky and find her there.
It was worth a shot.
When we got to the library I asked the lady at the front desk where the scientists were. She shrugged and said she'd seen some earlier, but they tended to come and go at all hours.
We searched the library, but there was not a scientist to be found. I asked a guy browsing the bookshelves upstairs what was going on in this town, and he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.
"There was an explosion out at the military base a couple weeks back. The next day we were told we weren't allowed to leave the area, and we've been stuck here ever since. But it gets weirder," he leaned in closer, "people have been acting, well, strange. Sometimes they'll have big goofy grins and wide eyes one minute, and the next they seem perfectly normal. It gives me the creeps."
I thanked him and wandered outside, thinking I might go on a jog to get an idea of the area, but instead saw a bunch of scientists sitting out at the picnic tables.
I jogged over and introduced myself to a guy sitting by himself, asking if he knew a scientist by the name of Irene.
He seemed a bit nervous talking to me, but politely told me he was not familiar with a scientist by that name. I thanked him and went and asked a couple more, but got the same results.
A man wearing a colander with lights attached to it came and sat down next to me, and one of the scientists I'd been talking to immediately got up and walked away.
He leaned over towards me and whispered, "Leave while you still can. It's too late for us, but you may still be unaffected."
Before I could ask him what he meant Kaori came out and asked if we could head back to the bar because she was getting tired. When I turned back to the man, he'd already gotten up and was quickly walking away.
We returned to the bar and were led upstairs to a couple of cozy rooms usually rented out to tourists and travelers. I took a nice bath while Kaori and Carol had a bite to eat down at the bar before turning in for the night.
There was definitely a mystery here, but the real question was, was my mother?
Sounds good starting in May, and yes, the rules/guidelines say you actually must start with a teen anyway, so that's age appropriate to begin.
@LegacySims2017
Thank you so much for the sweet comments about my try at lilsimsie's Dino Shell challenge! It was a challenge to figure out the roof situation and a floor plan. I had problems with the basement too. When you add a foundation, the basement and first floors don't meet, there's a gap. I figured out how to fix that by raising the basement platform style.
However, one corner of the yard next to the house bumped up as a result. I could not figure out how to fix it and still have a foundation so I just covered it up by making a rocky fountain feature. hehe Not ideal, but oh well. Hope it looks good.
@SoulGal7
Aww man, bummer for Adam, but oh well, at least he's still going to Uni! Oh no, poor DJ.
Yay! Go Cale! Good job Buddy! Oh, well dang, spoke too soon. He looks so upset, hot-headed trait kicks into gear, yep. Bummer he bought all those Foxbury clothes though. o.O Maybe the store will let him exchange them for Britechester clothes. Way to look on the bright side Dude. Yep, working outside landscaping will definitely buff up those muscles and impress the ladies.
Congrats to Wolfgang! Lucky guy! Oh and Velma too! Both got into the Distinguished programs they wanted! Aww, no distinguished or scholarships for Aaron and Hunter, but love how they don't care as long as they can be together in Uni.
Sounds like some great degrees for the rest of the challenge Sims too, even if only regular ones. Cool.
This way, I can catch up to May in my posts here without feeling like I'm falling majorly behind
Each of my April posts will have at least 7 screenshots to function as 'daily images' for all of the days covered - I just don't want to spam with heaps of posts in a row
Gosh, stop being so dramatic
And it's finished, what are you so sad about?
Elle visited, which was nice
Hunter got an investigator gig in San Myshuno from the Bheeda family
And look who decided to show her ghostly face...
Never fear, Bonehilda is here!
Aaron met up with Robin at Larry's Lagoon and asked her for feedback and advice on his presentation board
But that wasn't all LOL
She came over one morning just as he was about to leave for class (he almost walked right into her as he was leaving
So she hung out with Hunter instead
And the plants haha
Plus Yoshi!
Nice to see you, DJ!
Aaron met another of his soccer team members at Pepper's Pub. This is Eli, and he's a sim I created almost 3 years ago (but updated with the CC I have now, naturally
Aaron was at Larry's using one of the ERAM machines when I happened to look outside at the statue, and spotted someone approaching it...
Adam!!! How dare you???
Also, you don't go here either, Seth (Seth is another of my older sims, but from 2018 and with an updated look. He's at Britechester, in Fine Arts)
And DJ is here too! Boo, Britechester! (jokes it was fun to see him haha)
The night before finals (also the night before WINTERFEST (!!!!)), Adonis and Aaron hit the ERAMs at Larry's (Also, Adonis is not a Foxbury student either but I knew it would just be easier if I brought him along with Aaron lol)
The Bot Savants were having a meeting, and apparently Caleb Vatore is a member!
Except...
he wasn't a member for very long after that...
Yes, Caleb Vatore straight up just died.
But unfortunately there was no time for mourning (Aaron did bring Caleb's urn back home with him though, so we'll get to see some ghostly Caleb visits soon
The next morning, Aaron decorated the Winterfest tree before leaving for his final exams.
I didn't manage to get a screenshot of his report card, but he got A+ on all of his courses
I sent everyone out to watch Aaron's soccer game, but they lost again!
Have this pic of Aaron and Hunter being romantic to finish the update
Also if anyone wants to update Aaron's skills in their save, here they are:
It's May 1st! Some of our sims are having fun at uni dancing around the "maypole", two sims are expecting nooboos that they "mayest" have in the merry month of May, while others are heading to Strangerville and will soon be shouting "mayday!" And still other sims are joining the "mayhem" for this challenge. Yes! We all love May, and I even posted my May update early (okay, well, it will all go downhill from here, but for once, I am early!) Woot! And now on to comments for all your fabulous stories.
@Karababy52 -
@LegacySims2017
@afai1261 -
Because I don't use mods, I could only have 8 sims in the house. So, in my game, I decided to place Aaron and Hunter together in one of the residences. So, Aaron will still appear in the world, and he and Hunter will be invited to events.
@Carebear92 -
@permanentrose -
I wouldn't worry about trying to get through the updates on a daily basis. We all have things to do in rl, and you, especially, with exams. That is the most important thing right now...and also being a bridesmaid. Dylan is just starting uni. I am just doing this at my own pace this year and not trying to do daily posts. Robin will be sharing a house with Dylan, so you'll be seeing her a lot.
Added note to @afai1261 - after I saw your comments on my comments. - Ugh! Yes, I knew Hunter was a vampire in your game, and I am alluding to that in mine, however, I thought that he would go into cooking, to make excellent meals for Aaron...lol Because he is in love with Aaron so much, he would do anything for him. Of course, Hunter won't be taste testing any of those dishes he makes...okay, well, maybe if he makes "blood sausage." hehe
@permanentrose
Lovely pic of Robin and Posey for their New Year celebration!
Cale's outfit is absolutely atrocious though LOL
AHHHH yay Hunter and Aaron are engaged!!
@LegacySims2017
LOL at Robin saying Cale wants to be a style influencer just so he can see pretty girls in hot outfits
Also the toga party was very fun to see too!
Almost forgot! DJ and Paige are adorable!!! I feel like she's much better for him than Caitlin was
Apr 19: That is a very interesting way to spin the use of contributing knowledge!
@Karababy52
Based on his inner thoughts, Cale's not the first one that he's been forced to monitor like this... and sheesh, he's in love with Venus! I see some trouble ahead... Also I couldn't help but wonder if Fox and Venus made a baby in your April 25 update
Oh also did I see that Aaron and Hunter are engaged in your game now?
Of course, I also have to say congratulations to Cale for getting his degree with honours! And love that you're tying it in with StrangerVille by having him hired as a plant biologist there! My idea for Aaron's segue to StrangerVille is somewhat similar (Aaron's a botanist in my game, like Cale is) but slightly different
Apr 30: That daily pic is so cool! Love it!!
Cale's house in StrangerVille is looking absolutely fantastic! And cool that you're using lilsimsie's shell!
Once again, this is definitely a house I'd love to live in IRL, it's amazing haha
Cannot wait to see how Cale fares in StrangerVille!
@Shadami
@RememberJoy
I actually teared up at Adam proposing to Kaori, it was so sweet and such a gorgeous place for him to propose!
Congrats to Adam for being the first challenge sim to get engaged! (I think, lol)
The situation that Adam's found himself in regarding the secret society is intriguing! I love how everything is so interwoven in your lore, like Guidry and the Keepers of the Light, and the vampire that killed Kaori's grandparents (!!!). And the segue to StrangerVille is super perfect too!
Apr 28: Congrats for completing the aspiration!
Apr 29: And then married at the festival, everything about it was so perfect and lovely to see Mt. Komorebi again! Their vows were beautiful too!!!!
And Gemma proposing to Kiyoshi, adorable!!
Apr 30: Bittersweet to say goodbye to everyone that Adam shared his university journey with (aside from Kaori and Carol of course). Congrats to Gemma and Kiyoshi on the baby!
And now, finally in StrangerVille... And there's Ted, good thing he recognised Adam!
Ooh, Adam changed his name when he left???
Going to be interesting to find out whether or not Adam's mother is actually here, given that the scientists don't seem to recognise the name, hmm...
Excited to read about Adam's new adventures in this strange town
@DramaticJedi5
@SoulGal7
Ooh, cowplant! Yay!
Love seeing everyone cheer for Morgan and Dylan!
And it was nice to see what degrees everyone else will be doing, even if some of them didn't get into the degrees they wanted!
This line made me laugh:
Ah even if Aaron didn't get into the biology program, history is still perfect for him! He's somewhat based on me, and when I was deciding what I wanted to study IRL I was torn between history and biology. Chose biology but I'm doing history papers this year as electives so I can definitely see Aaron getting a history degree!
And culinary is an interesting one for Hunter, but then I remembered he isn't a vampire in your game so it's all good
The bit about them just being happy to be going to uni together
@Shadami -
Feb 27:
Oh gosh! Cale vs Dylan on who is the father! lol And then Cale and Dylan nearly get into a fight about it! Oops! But, it looks like Dylan won the argument and is seen kissing Velma on the neck. My guess is that it is probably Cale, since he is leaving babies all around the world in everyone's storyline, and he is holding Velma's hands in front of a photo oh the wall of the two of them. But...maybe it's Dylan (who, I might add, hasn't even woohooed in my game yet!), or even DJ. lol Well, we will soon find out the big "who's your Daddy" mystery. Whoever they are, I hope they step up and want to be with Velma. Of course, Velma does have this awful crush on Aldo. lol Lots of great photos of the pool party with all the sims. And Velma has a "dark side" lol hacking computers from rich sims to donate to the poor. I see a Robin Hood syndrome here.
That's alright
And I want to read the stories and not just jump back in down the road. Even if it takes me a little bit because of other stuff going on. I really enjoy everyone's stories.
Year Long Community Challenge
hehe Don't you just love hot-headed Sims? I should let Cale have full autonomy more. I never see that trait in him anymore. I'm always afraid he'll be mean to one of his paramours though and not be able to make a baby with her. o.O Oh geez, Hunter sure earned his simoleans at the Bheeda house. Go Bonehilda kicking Temperance's butt! Very cool Robin and Aaron kicked the soccer ball around together, seems appropriate considering they both love it. hehe Nice that she hung out with Hunter, the plants and Yoshi too!
Eli is a cutie! Tsk, Adam! Glad Aaron caught him at least! Hello Seth and DJ! Oh no! Caleb got fried! o.O Well, he'll make a fun ghost for Aaron and Hunter to deal with anyway. hehe Love the frown on Aaron's face after decorating the tree. Is he frowning because the topper is crooked? I've never seen that happen before. o.O Yay! All A+s for Aaron, Congrats Dude! Aww man, that bites his team lost again, he looks so sad.
Thanks for showing Aaron's skills, I'll update them for him in my save next chance I get.
Yep, they're brothers, but completely different personalities. Eros knows Fox's secret and he's using it against him to keep him in control and do his bidding. Fox is getting fed up with it though and I foresee a confrontation in the future. Not only about that, but also concerning Venus. It's about to get all messy up in here, as the saying goes. hehe
No, Fox and Venus didn't make a baby. I seriously thought about it, I won't lie. But, it just seemed too cliché' to do that to me. They just had regular woohoo so no nooboo.
Yes! They're engaged, but I haven't done anything about it, yet.
Absolutely LOVE that mirror from Décor to the Max, it's gorgeous! I thought the image was cool, it's kind of like a sneak peek with the broken up images in the mirror. Highest compliment I could get from you that you love the build so much you'd want to live in it! Thank you, I'm flattered! *Hugs*
@SoulGal7
I told them about how I rarely ever saw my mother growing up, that I was raised by a nanny bot she'd built, and that for most of my life I didn't know what my real name even was.
"When I did see her," I explained, "she would just call me Boy or Child. It was only when I needed my birth certificate to get a passport that I found out my given name was Damion Ioca."
Kaori looked surprised but reached out and took my hand, "And you changed your name to Adam Strong to bury the past, is that right?"
I nodded. "I should have told you this sooner," I admitted, "but it's not something I like to talk about. I thought I could leave that past behind for good, but it looks like that was wishful thinking."
Kaori squeezed my hand again, "Just remember you don't have to face your past alone. Whatever we find, we'll face together," she reached for Carol's hand. "As a family."
I smiled as I looked into Kaori's encouraging eyes, she was indeed my rock and I felt better knowing she was by my side. I leaned across the table and gave her a quick kiss before excusing myself to go for a run. I needed to think.
I ran past a tiny shop that appeared to be closed and came upon what looked like a decaying military plane sitting out in a field.
Nearby I noticed a strange looking blue plant that almost seemed to glow, so I went over to investigate.
As I looked down on the alien looking vegetation a shot of paranoia coursed through me; it almost felt like the plant was aware of me and I was overcome by an overwhelming urge to hide.
I jogged back to the pub and found the Sergeant we'd met the day before waiting for me.
She sat us down and told us they had found the scientist we were looking for. My heart dropped into my stomach and I had to take a couple of deep breathes to concentrate on what she said next.
"She's a part of a special division and is an independent contractor," she continued. "We've let her know you are here and she's agreed to see you. I'm to take you to her residence as soon as you are ready."
My heart was racing and my hands were shaking ever so slightly; I doubted I'd ever be ready, but she was the only one I knew who could shed some light on what was going on, so I rose to my feet and followed the Sergeant out the doors.
We had to drive out of town and up a steep road that lead to a gated community in the mountains. We pulled up to a nice looking house and approached the front door.
The Sergeant led us inside and asked us to wait in a little sitting room near the doors while she went to find Dr Ioca.
Kaori scooted close to me and took my hand, "I'm here," she said. "Remember to keep breathing."
I took her hand and inhaled deeply, "Thank you," I said.
Just than I saw a familiar face rounding the corner and I probably squeezed Kaori's hand a little too tightly as our eyes met.
"So you've returned," she said in a cold voice that made me feel like I was a child again. "I thought we agreed that if you left my house you would never be allowed to return."
I started to speak but she cut me off, "I see you also brought your entourage with you," she continued, glancing over at Kaori and Carol. "It's a shame you chose someone with such an uninteresting hereditary background," she said sitting down across from us, "You've always been such a disappointment to me Boy."
My fear turned to anger as she said this and I got up and sat next to her.
"I didn't come here to listen to you judge me and my life choices," I said angrily, "I've had more than enough of that to fill several lives already. We're here to ask some important questions about somebody you used to know!"
She gave me a disdainful look, "I know why you're here Boy," she spat. "Don't patronize me." She composed herself and gave me a sly smile. "I'm willing to tell you what you want to know, but not for free."
"What do you want?" I growled.
"As you have likely come to realize," she began, "there are some strange happenings in this town. The official cover story for the town's quarantine is that there was a chemical spill, but the truth is more extraordinary. I will not share with you the details as I believe it will be more interesting for me to watch you uncover them for yourself. Your task will be to figure out what is happening and put a stop to it's cause. I will give you four weeks to do this. I will also pull some strings to have the military look the other way in this matter so you might have free reign to explore."
Kaori spoke up sounding frustrated, "Why can't you just tell us how you know this Darius Lord?" she asked angrily, "Adam's your son for goodness sake!"
Dr Ioca looked over at Kaori like she was an annoying insect, "Adam," she said coolly, "is indeed my offspring, but that has little to do with anything. You would do well, my child, to stay out of discussions that don't involve you."
I could see Kaori's face turning red and I stepped in before she exploded, "She is involved in our conversation, Irene (she hated me calling her that), she's my wife!"
She turned back to me and I could see her cool was slipping, "Very well," she said, "but if you want my cooperation I would recommend you watch how you address me in the future, is that clear Boy."
I nodded begrudgingly and she regained her composure and smiled. "Good," she said. "Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted? Ah yes, your quest. I will be watching you closely and monitoring your progress. You may stay here or find your own lodging, it makes no difference to me. If you are successful I will tell you everything you wish to know, if you fail I will cut you off completely and you'll never see me again. Do we have an agreement?"
I looked over at Kaori and Carol who both looked miserable and I was tempted to just get up and walk out with them there and then. Nothing seemed worth this aggravation. "I need to discuss it with Koari and Carol first," I said firmly. "Privately."
Dr Ioca smirked, "Very well," she said rising from her seat, "Discuss it. But I will require your answer by tomorrow." She strode from the room leaving us in an awkward silence. I rejoined Kaori and Carol on their couch, and Kaori helped calm me down, "Deep breathes Adam," she said, and we breathed deeply together and I could feel my muscles relaxing a little.
"Wow," Carol said finally, "She's a piece of work."
I had to agree.
I needed to get out of this house so I asked if we go outside and get some air. We found a pool out back and Carol decided she wanted to go swimming, so we put on our suits and climbed in too. After a couple laps Kaori and I pulled ourselves out to talk while Carol went inside to use the bathroom.
"So that's the woman who gave you life?" Kaori said with a look of disgust. "No wonder you left as soon as you could. I'm surprised you turned as well as you did with genetics like that."
I smiled, "Yeah, it's a wonder," I said, "Maybe my father was more even tempered."
"You never knew him?" she asked.
I shook my head, "No, she refused to discuss it with me. I think they had a falling out after I was born."
"So are you going to do this ridiculous charade your mother is demanding of you?" Kaori asked, changing the subject. "She's treating you like some sort of lab rat with all this."
"I swear it's the only reason she had me," I said. "I've always only been an interesting specimen to her. Something to observe and study, to poke and prod for bits of data." I sighed, "I don't know if I should do it, but it might be the only way to find out why I'm being chased by a powerful vampire."
Now it was Kaori's turn to sigh, "I don't like any of this Adam, but if this is something you need to do, I'll be by your side and help you see it through to the finish." She smiled, "We can be lab rats together."
We decided to stay the night, but planned to find a piece of land to set up a tent on going forward; nobody wanted to stick around here longer then we had too.
We were shown to our rooms by my mother's Servo Bot and I quickly fell into an uneasy sleep.
Notes
Cale's new wardrobe! I decided to try to use CAS assets from the StrangerVille pack as much as possible. He's gone in full 'cowboy' mode to acclimate himself with the 'southwestern' laidback style of the region. I also gave him his original hairstyle back too. I figured it would've grown out by now and he doesn't need to look like a student anymore anyway. Sleep and Swimwear stayed the same as before.
Fox has a few new outfits as well. Most of his wardrobe already had a gray/white/black theme, so I kept that for his new clothes. Cale ditched the big boots, but not Fox! He loves those things. Well...okay, I love them so he does by default.
After they moved into their new home and got a bit settled, the first thing Cale did was plant his roses and a few other plants. He'd missed having a full garden and was looking forward to the joy of watching his plants grow and thrive under his loving care.
He was so grateful to Fox for finding a place that had a greenhouse. The entire place was just incredible. He was almost afraid to ask how much was the rent. But he would need to know at some point so he could pay Fox back for it. Hopefully his new position would be enough to cover it.
I'm so glad I decided to unlock Cale's bedroom door. Fox made a beeline for the chess set on the balcony. I knew he would, Dude seems obsessed with it. He's very close to Level 10 as a result. Love that little cactus plant we got in the latest Sims Delivery. It's so cute, and it glows at night!
Back in the greenhouse, Cale is still busy tending to his plants giving them a drink and fertilizer for all.
I noticed he has a new option for gardening now, analyze. He didn't have that before he joined the Botanist career. When he first joined, he had the option to get an early start by analyzing a plant. I canceled it since I thought he'd need to use the gigantic microscope to do it and there is no room in the house to put it. He got one as a career reward. I was going to expand the basement for the microscope thinking he might need to do it when he started for real. I guess he can sell it now though.
Fox got hungry and a bit chilly on the balcony. He put on some more clothes and went to the kitchen to grab some leftover Blackened Bass. I love how even if they don't bring their old fridge when moving, any food still inside left behind still makes the trip to the new fridge in the new house anyway.
"Dude, this place is amazing! Thanks again for finding it for us and paying the rent until I can play for it myself."
"It's my pleasure Buddy."
"Did you see the gym in the basement? There's a bathroom down there and a place to make coffee and store snacks. How cool is that?"
"Yes, well, not in person yet, but I saw photos of it."
"And the greenhouse is perfect! I LOVE it! There's a flower arranging area in there too. I'm thinking I might give that a try. Maybe I can sell some bouquets in town for some extra funds."
"Do you have any experience with that?"
"No, not really but how hard can it be? Just plop a bunch of flowers in a vase, add some greenery and voila, done! Easy peasy!"
"Hmm...I think it's a little more involved than that, you have to have an artistic eye to arrange them in a pleasing symmetrical fashion."
"Eh, whatever, I'll learn as I make them. IF I make any, I mostly want to sell my produce again. I used to make pretty good bank doing that."
"You've got a degree and a career in botany, I doubt you'll have a problem doing anything you want with your plants, or any plants."
"Hey would you like to go into town and look around? Maybe scope out the local babes. I know I still haven't scored yet, which is unbelievable to me, it's been way too long. I bet you could use some action too, am I right?"
(Oh Cale, Buddy, you've had more action than I've ever had in my entire life in just the last month.)
Fox sat thinking about Venus and their time together. He didn't want any 'action' from anyone but her. Cale didn't know about her though.
"Sure, we can go take a look around town. Let me just go take care of my plate."
"Cool. I'll practice my pick up lines while you do that."
Fox walked into the kitchen on autopilot. He hadn't really 'heard' half of what Cale was saying. He was too distracted thinking about and missing Venus. Wondering how she is, if she's thinking about and missing him too.
(I hope we can be together again soon.)
(She's married.)
(In name only.)
(She's still married.)
(Maybe not for long.)
Meanwhile, just outside their house on a pathway, someone made their way toward a strange bizarre looking plant. It was glowing and seemed to be pulsing with some kind of sound.
He knelt down and began excitedly talking gibberish and laughing at it. Most of what he said was indecipherable except for one consistent word, "ΜØŦĦ€Ř."
After a little while the guy got up and walked away, his limbs jerking all over, his eyes wide open and twitching as he continued to mumble about ΜØŦĦ€Ř and something like "ŦĦ€ ΜØŦĦ€Ř ҜŇØŴŞ ΔŁŁ! ŞĦ€ ƗŞ β€ΔỮŦ¥! ĆØΜ€ ŦØ ŦĦ€ ΜØŦĦ€Ř!"
Inside, Fox and Cale were totally oblivious to what was going on so close to their house and everywhere around the area tonight.
"Hey, did you want to go into town, check things out?"
"Uh yeah, we just talked about that. I was waiting for you so we could go, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, that's right, of course. Let's go Buddy!"
"Excellent!"
(I think he's got a girl on his mind or something. I saw that dreamy smile on his face earlier. He's been so distracted lately too. Good for him!)
(I think we're both going to love it here. Ohhh Yeahhh!)
Yep, that is exactly what DJ and Robin were doing. Managing their time. DJ and Robin felt that they should be in the most relaxed mood possible to start all that homework that was waiting for them. Yep, getting those Party Frenzy video skills up and just chillin'. This was their plan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meanwhile, Velma had other ideas. She had to begin her violin lessons for her program...and she was bad...really bad...fingernails on a chalkboard sounded better than Velma did right now. Ok, you get the idea. But, maybe she felt she was doing a "good deed" for DJ and Robin. With her violin playing sounding like a screeching cat, maybe Velma thought that DJ and Robin would find sitting there unbearable and leave the room and go and start their homework. Great plan! Velma is so looking out for everyone, isn't she?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cale had been working on his presentation board upstairs when Velma started playing the violin. He tried to close the door to his room, but that didn't work. That sound...THAT horrible sound was coming up through the heating vents. Cale couldn't take it anymore, and grabbed his presentation board and headed outside. Oh yeah, so much better. And with the birds chirping on this sunny day, it was the perfect way to work on his biology board. In fact, he was so happy, he started singing a tune:
And the flowers and the trees
And the moon up above
And a thing called love"
Cale thinking: "Oh yeah! Biology is all about love..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the other living room, Adam and Wolfgang were deep in thought pondering their moves in their chess game together. They didn't seem to hear Velma's piercing violin playing in the other room. Perhaps they were so focused on the game that they were oblivious to everything else around them.
Wolfgang points to the wall: "Holy plumbobs! Do you see that spider on the wall over there? Oh gosh look at the size of it! Hit it with your shoe. Oh wait...don't...carry it outside..."
Wolfgang quickly switches some chess pieces around.
Adam: "Where are you looking? I don't see a thing..."
Wolfgang looking innocent: "Oh...my bad...that's just a crack in the wall. In the candlelight, it looked like a spider, though. My move, right? Oh, that would be Check..."
Adam: "This board looks different. I think my pawn was over there. Oh nevermind...that pawn is exactly where I want it! Checkmate!"
Wolfgang: "What? You won with your pawn? How...how did that happen? Grr...."
Wolfgang wasn't too happy with Adam winning and threw his hand across the board and wiped out all the chess pieces. Whoa!
Adam was speechless. He had never seen this side of Wolfgang before.
Wolfgang: "Sorry, Adam, I think I need a Snickers bar or something. I'm kind of hungry and just not myself."
Adam: "Yeah, alright, I get it. 'You're not you when you're hungry.' I get why you have that cooler in your room now."
They then got up and walked to the kitchen area. Everything was fine and they shook hands and Wolfgang told Adam it was a good game.
Wolfgang: "We'll have a re-match later..."
Adam agreed laughing: "Okay, but I'm going to make sure you eat something first!"
Wolfgang: "Deal!" he said as he grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich from the fridge.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Even though Morgan had a desk in her room, she decided to set up her laptop on the kitchen table. She had started working on her essay on Historical Perspectives and was doing rather well...that is, until Velma had started playing the violin. Morgan had never heard someone play the violin like that before. Oh her aching head! Morgan had to do something. She would never get any work done at this rate. Morgan quickly went to Plopsy and looked up noise-deafening earplugs. Oh yeah, found some! Well, they won't block out all the noise, but some was better than none. Morgan clicked on the box that said "next day delivery." Perfect. Well, Velma couldn't practice all day, so Morgan decided to make a cup of tea and continue on her essay later.
Poor Morgan, little does she know it, but she is sick. But, I am sure that Velma's violin playing is not helping her head.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dylan had decided to take advantage of the lovely day and practice his juggling skills for his soccer team. It was a daily task that he had to do, and what better time to do it than now? Oh yeah, he was getting the hang of this!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wolfgang headed off to his E-Sports meeting to play SimShuffle with his team. With all the homework he had, he didn't have time to play any SimShuffle beforehand. He still had a lot to learn about this video game.
Dylan had Soccer practice from 6-9 pm tonight, and it was an intense practice of kicking and passing skills. He had never really played Soccer before, and was pretty exhausted when he returned home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Later that night, a few other roomies joined the house.
Adam, who might not have heard Velma's tinny violin playing earlier today, did hear a kind of squeaky noise, which woke him up. He went downstairs, only to find out that...oh my gosh...they had a mouse infestation in the house.
Adam speaking to the mice: "Look, I don't mind you living here, but could you keep the noise down a bit? I can hear you all the way upstairs in my room! Consider this a warning. Next time, you'll be getting an eviction notice!"
Apparently, Adam wasn't the only one who the mice woke up. Cale came down shortly afterwards, and saw the mice, too. Oh geez! He also saw something else.
Adam to ghost: "Oh hey! Um, are you the house inspector or something? Because I think we have a mouse problem. Yeah...right over there...see that little chewy hole in the baseboard...yep...that's mouse party central. Must be a family reunion because I think they called their cousins over, too...."
Well, the ghost didn't seem too impressed with Cale, the house or the mice. She was rather tense, and with a snarky look towards Cale, she quickly left.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
The Birds and The Bees, song by Jewel Akens, 1965.
The Snickers chocolate bar tagline is “You're not you when you're hungry.” I thought this was appropriate since I had never seen someone get so upset the way Wolfgang did after losing that game of chess. Plus, he was hungry. lol
The homework never ends.
But at least Yoshi's here to keep Aaron company!
And Caleb's urn too LOL
The day after Winterfest, Aaron returned home from his soccer game, triumphant at last!
He later caught up on some homework while Hunter danced with Yoshi. (The presentation board in the back is Adonis' board)
And a certain someone decided to come out of his urn...
He cleaned up the dirty dishes, how kind of him!
Robin called saying she found a ring in Melissa's bag and wanted to know how she should respond to a proposal... I had Aaron say she should decide for herself and... uh...
Sheesh Robin... (She and Melissa actually are engaged in my game now though
I wanted to try out the debating so sent the boys over to the Britechester campus
I think they debated whether cowplants were cows or plants
Hey look, it's Adam and Kaori! I should put them together in my save haha
They all went out for dinner to celebrate the end of the first term.
Lilith Vatore was the hostess, and she's still grieving her brother
And Aaron destroyed Adonis in juice pong at Larry's Lagoon.
Aaron came home from soccer on Monday having injured himself.
He did get promoted to Playmaker though and got the MVP trophy
There it is on top of the drawers
Hunter was called out to Windenburg, where three very familiar faces still live:
Found Aldo and Bryon in bed together which was... interesting...
I finally made Aaron clean up the statue that Adam so rudely TP'ed
Final exams were about to happen again so Aaron and Adonis camped at the ERAMs at Larry's to cram.
Robin was also at Larry's, and so was Cale!
I believe Aaron got 3 A+s and one A, must have been slacking lol. His overall GPA is still A+ though of course
Aaron quit the soccer team during this term so he could attend guest lectures, and he attended the last of those on the Friday.
And I totally forgot about it until the next day.... but it was the day before New Year's Eve in game, and that's Aaron and Hunter's anniversary so now they've been together for 2 years!
I'll finish off this update with the New Year's party held at Cale, DJ and Adam's house
Aaron tapped the keg and failed
I don't think you need much commentary for the rest of these screenshots lol (under the spoiler because I take too many)
You two are literally engaged and have a toddler son, WHY are you hugging instead of kissing?
And a nice pic of Cale to end
Still need to find a house for Aaron, Hunter and Yoshi to live in StrangerVille though...
I was so surprised to see Temperance (I'm pretty sure it was an adept gig, worth $1500 so it'd naturally be harder) but was so glad that Bonehilda actually kicked her butt this time! The last time Hunter summoned Bonehilda to fight Temperance, the fight never happened (which was in my February 27 update actually).
Was absolutely speechless when Caleb died! The poor guy, he's not even an actual uni student and he had to die to the robotics station... He's part of the story now
They get a bad moodlet when they put the decorations on wrong and I'm pretty sure that's why Aaron was frowning in that pic with the tree lol. I think its related to mood if they decorate it well or not.
May 1: Hehe love Cale's new cowboy look! Yeehaw!
That colourful butterfly wall next to Cale's planters is everything
Oh yeah that assignment to analyze a plant popped up for Aaron too when he joined the career and I thought it needed the microscope as well
WHAT omg every time Aaron has moved house I always bring the fridge
O.O ooh Fox that's a dangerous game to be playing...
HAHA of course Cale just knows that Fox is thinking about a girl
@RememberJoy
Just wanna give Adam a hug! I'm so glad he has Kaori and Carol. They're his real family, not his witch of a mother.
Oh and she's making him solve the mystery, and potentially put himself as well as others in danger, just so she'll tell him some information??? I get that it's vital information, but still. Taking on the Mother is dangerous!
YES Adam, stick up for your wife!
Wonder what Adam's father is up to then...
"We can be lab rats together" - awww I actually love that. Kaori is so perfect for Adam, they have such a wonderful relationship and seeing that she'll be with Adam every step of the way is heartwarming
@SoulGal7
And Velma's cunning plan to get them to leave the room with her awful violin playing is perfect
Love Adam still winning at chess even after Wolfgang cheated! Cheaters never prosper, Wolfgang!
His reaction to losing though - wow! I've never seen that happen before! Poor Adam, he looks freaked out.
Oof poor Morgan getting sick, being sick and doing uni at the same time is not fun. I know this from experience lol