July - Day 25:"Forest Hideaway Renovation - Vacation for the Cure"
Notes
Cale woke up after a fitful nap on the lab floor and went upstairs to see if Sandy was awake. She was in the living room enjoying a fire and a book. The two had a chat about their efforts to find a cure and how they'd almost ran out of new combinations of plants and other materials to test.
He told her about a place called Granite Falls that had rare and uncommon plants only found there he'd learned about while researching online. Sandy agreed they should go there and gather as many of the plants and any other resources they could find. She said they could all use a vacation anyway too. Once the boys got up, they told them their plan and of course they were thrilled to have some time off school and hang out in the woods, especially since the rental Cale had found was near a lake.
After Cale tended to his garden and harvested what he could, the family packed a few things and left for Granite Falls.
I thought the daily post image was the front of the rental, turns out it's actually the back. This is the front. I did not build this from scratch but changed almost everything about the Maxis default build except most of the landscaping is original to the build. I added the roof over the porch, added the wreath, columns and changed out the exterior siding and interior wallpaper, changed the roof, trim and fixed up the chimney. The house has all new windows, flooring and doors too.
Right side
Added the bench, bunny, lantern and the plants on the wall.
Left Side - Added the picnic table, candle and a few more plants/rocks.
Upper deck accessible from the second floor loft area. All new furnishings.
Back deck was there as well, I added a couple plants in front, the railing posts lights, columns, furnishings including a chess set & BBQ, plants on the wall, and added a partial glass flat roof over it.
To the left when entering from the front is a wood stove, though it has rocks in it for some reason, with a small seating area and stereo/speaker by the loft staircase.
On the right across from the woodstove is a gaming table for Don't Wake the Llama, bar area and the door that leads to the Master bedroom.
I went very minimal when furnishing this house since it's a rental. I could've cluttered it up, but it's not like they'll be living here so realistically it wouldn't have a lot.
However, I did give them a desk/computer in here.
Behind the staircase to the right of the woodstove area is a living area with a TV & Console. The door leads to a full bath.
They have lots of simoleans so can afford to rent a place a bit more 'luxurious' I guess you could say. However, I did try to still keep it a bit simple.
Across from the living area/bathroom is the kitchen. Of course they have the best appliances and a dishwasher.
Across from the kitchen is the dining area with sliding glass doors to the back deck.
Upstairs on the loft landing is another gaming table and double doors to the deck.
This loft is HUGE! It had two single beds up here and a dresser. I think that was it. All new furnishings here. I see I forgot to put anything on the dresser. Ah well...
There is two desks/computers up here for the boys to use. Since they will have full autonomy, I won't be able to or want to control them all the time so it'll give them something else to do.
There is a bathroom up here too. Almost the same furnishings as the downstairs bathroom. It's a bit smaller though, so not as many decorations.
Overhead Birdseye view of the lot. Not showcased is a firepit area, horseshoes pit and an easel.
Loft area layout, looking down into the kitchen/dining area.
First floor layout
And here is the reason I took all screenshots of the build from Manage Worlds. It's Sunday, the first day of Spring and everything still looks pretty much dead when they arrived. Sandy and the boys just looked around where they stood, big smiles on their faces while Cale took off to check out the inside of the rental.
And to also make everyone some lunch since the fridge was empty. Chicken Stir Fry coming right up! This is where I left them for the night so I could get this posted.
Yesterday's placeholder screenshot will be the daily post pic for the day. We'll just call yesterday a 'Build Interlude.' I don't know about anyone else, but when I build/decorate I get lost in what I'm doing, totally focused on the task at hand. I meant to just fix up a few things on this default Maxis rental. But once I got started, I couldn't stop. No offense to Maxis, but...well, it wasn't very good. I should've just downloaded something from the Gallery, But, I love renovating builds anyway. Hence the reason I was SO late yesterday. o.O
Today we had some vehicle troubles. The starter went out on the truck and I spent all day helping Hubby fix it, running to town to get a new one, handing him tools, holding the light, etc., etc. I'm his Go-fer Girl or Shop Girl I guess you could say. hehe Sooo, I'm later tonight too because of that. The good news is, he got it fixed himself and saved us a ton of money. So happy my Hubby is good at stuff like that. Love him so much!
I'll get started on comments/replies next! Hope y'all had a wonderful day/night!
Tina got Adam good on Prank Day. I wonder if Adam noticed one of the clones hanging out. Too bad he wasn't a prank. That cat at the end...lol! Has a 'feed me' look.
You're welcome! She's just flying along eh? Go Oona! No worries, you're exactly right! I had planned on at least Joe moving out next month, but this way I might do a time jump and both boys will have aged up and moved out to live in the factory. I just need to renovate it at some point. That thing is a MONSTER though, it's three floors and huge. To take up some space, I might build a rocket silo inside. I might've mentioned that already, if I did, I apologize. Also, no, I don't like playing with a lot of Sims, prefer one, two is okay, three is pushing it and four is about the limit, but it's stressful.
Unlike others, I just can't let them go on full autonomy to do whatever. If a Sim is in a household I'm playing, I want them to do well in their little pixel lives. So despite the fact I do have full autonomy on, I still somewhat control Sandy, Joe and CJ. They get more freedom than other Sims I've had in the past on full autonomy though. I'm trying! hehe It's tough though for a micromanager like me. That's my long-winded way of saying, although I absolutely love the boys, I will be happy when they've moved out.
Yup, fresh brains and fresh air in Granite Falls! Yay! I love that world but don't play in it near enough, so I'm looking forward to playing with them there. Plus, it kills some time until the end of the month. I could finish Cale's Cure Seeker aspiration very quickly, but dragging things out a bit for story purposes.
The Urbz eh? I've heard of that spin-off Sims game, but never played it. I know a lot of Simmers who did play it though that rave about it. Have you played it?
Jake is such a sweetheart and a wonderful agent for helping DJ to use the media maker thingie to upload videos to his Simspace and I love how he always helps DJ with his auditions too.
Black Eyed Peas! Very cool. Did you make those Sims or download them? I know very little about this group, the one I know the most is Fergie. I have a pair of Fergalicious boots she either designed or sponsored for one thing. I love them! Very sweet of apl.de.ap to read lines with DJ.
Yeah, I figured he should spend some one-on-one time with his oldest Son since he's been spending so much time with CJ. It's understandable, but still, he loves to spend time with Joe and help him however he can too. hehe Well, I don't think he really was thinking about being an astronaut or figured someone he knew might, he was just a bored teen who happened to find himself in a rocketship parts factory. I like your explanation though, it is cool one of his Son just happened to want to be one in the end. Win-win for both eh?
I imagine Kris' convo with Jacob went something like what you said, yes. He would've been very vague about it.
I hope so too or maybe he'll get that perk where he doesn't need to get hair/makeup soon!
Aww, I love that cuddles screenshot. DJ looks so happy!
Looks like The Urbz gig went great! His red-head co-star is very cute! Hey, good for you! Great idea just taking the hit for a lower than gold rating while he's just starting out. I don't blame him for wanting to have his own look for the gig. He looks great too! I can see why some gigs might need a different look, but some of them are SO radically different, it's jarring. Why can't they at least keep their own hair color? Ah well...
HAHA Great explanation for my daily post pic of Cale looking so happy/excited! I love it! I hope he does like the rental, I took long enough renovating the darn thing. It was fun though.
Poor Dylan, he just can NEVER catch a break it seems eh? I don't know if finding that photo of Morgan and him together was a good thing or not. At least he has that to hold on to, but at the same time, it has to sting and make him sad looking at it.
Oh boy! Wooo! Look at you Dylan, Holy Simoly! Lovin' the eye candy! Thanks! hehe You'd never guess he was that muscular. I knew he was big, but Wow! Methinks Ms. Rory was liking the view as well and that's the reason she's pushing HARD to get him to join the Wildfangs for one things. Cool that he's now friends with the pack at least. We'll see if he actually joins them or the Moonwood Collective in a few days. So, so curious what his werewolf looks like! Great update!
I like the renovation for Adam's place. Looks more cozy now. I think Knox was curious about what Adam was doing. And that cat...ha, ha! 'Let me warm that fish up for you!'
Oh, I like the look of the rental. I do enjoy when others renovate the default as well. It's fun to see their take on it. Yours has a nice modern look to it while also keep it campish looking for a forestry home.
I've never played The Urbz, either. Just heard about it. Did some research for my daily image chapter tho. The Black Eyed Peas were a major part of it. I downloaded the group from the Gallery. Didn't have time to create them from scratch. I just updated them a bit to my liking. Since Jake is D.J.'s talent agent, he's going to help him in any way he can. If D.J. gets paid, Jake gets paid. I didn't realize D.J.'s co-star was going to be a male sim. Ha, ha. I looked up the gig online as well to prepare myself. Guess the co-star can be any gender for any gig. I'll put something in my next chapter about it. D.J. seemed to be okay and good with it. But he was acting, of course.
Looking forward to the rocket ship being completed and Joe taking a trip to space. Is he going to wait to fly until he gets that college degree? lol
Today was a gray overcast day, but I didn't let that get me down. I continued my clean-up project by tackling the pile of burnt furniture on the edge of my property.
I was able to clean up what I think they call a chaise lounge as well as a simple box bench.
Nice.
I sold the bench right away but kept the chaise lounge as I was so impressed by how well it cleaned up.
I was now out of fuel for my vacuum, so I shifted my focus to cleaning up and repairing a stove I'd found, which I was also able to turn around and sell right away.
After that, I took care of my bug boxes and was able to harvest some more fuel from them.
My dumpster was overflowing, so I spent the rest of the day sorting through it for recyclables and compostables as well as other treasures.
By the end of the day I was hungry and feeling a little lonely, so I took a shower and went over to the bar for some food and socialization.
I introduced myself to the barkeep and learned his name was Eric Lewis, that he didn't like fitness, but that he did enjoy listening to the Blues.
You can learn the oddest things about people in a bar.
Just as I was beginning to interview him on his thoughts about our current NAPs, the other bartender showed up and once again gave me that strange look.
Eric excused himself to head home for the night, and I figured I should do likewise.
Hi All! Based on what I just saw on a YouTube video about today's patch up-date when playing on Long, that your sims could just age up and die, I am going to wait a few days to play when EA issues an emergency patch. This apparently affects everyone, including vanilla players, which is me.
While Cale finished preparing lunch for everyone, the boys took a jog around the lake to see what they could find. Hopefully they'd discover some of the rare plants that were supposed to be here.
They didn't find anything growing yet, but did find some interesting frogs and a couple new crystals. Oh and a set of cute twin girls that smiled at them from their campsite. They thought about going over to meet them until their Dad stepped out of the tent and glared at them. It was time to head back to the rental anyway.
After lunch, the boys went for another hike while Sandy decided to do a painting of the lake. Cale went to the information kiosk to ask about the rare plants in the area. He was told that not many were here in the campgrounds/rental area. Most could be found deeper in the woods of the National Park. Plus, if he could find the rumored hidden entrance to where a hermit lived, it was said that rare plants, insects and even rare fish could be found there.
The kiosk attendant looked around to make sure nobody else was near and leaned closer to the opening to whisper something to Cale.
"Look for a big fallen log behind the park hospitality building and then go due North to the granite rocks. You'll find the entrance hidden in some brambles. Shhh, don't tell anyone I told you and if you find it, be nice to the hermit. The dude's a friend of mine, okay?"
"Hey thanks! I won't tell anyone and I'll be nice." Cale said with a smile and then reached in the opening to shake the guy's hand who nodded and winked at him.
In the middle of the campground Cale checked out a giant wooden statue of the camp mascot.
Since Cale has enough handiness skills, he also was able to get the schematic to make a smaller version on a woodworking table. I'm thinking I'll have him make one as a souvenir of their trip. Those things can go for a lot of simoleans, but they don't need more so he'll probably only do the one.
Back at the rental Cale found a very irritated and angry CJ ranting and raving about some rude guy, cute girls and how life just wasn't fair. Obviously he was on the verge of a rampage and not making any sense.
Cale used his pacify skills to help CJ calm down, reminding him to take three deep breaths, let them out slowly and count to 10. Thankfully it helped to dispel CJ's rage.
Sandy wanted to check out the Don't Wake the Llama game set up on a table downstairs and asked her family to join her. They decided to play four rounds. Whoever didn't knock down all the pegs would win. If it happened they all knocked them down, they'd play elimination rounds until the last one to let the llama sleep would be the winner!
First to wake up the llama was Sandy.
Followed by Joe.
CJ was next. That left one more round with Cale the only one who hadn't woke the llama. If anyone but him lost this round, he would be the winner!
"YES! I win!" "Dangit!"
"Anyone want to go fishing? Maybe we'll catch one of the rare fish or crawdads in the lake." "Better chance of crawdads in the stream, let's try there first."
"Sounds good to me. Let's go."
It was a gorgeous day for just chillin' out and doing some fishing in the stream. Everyone had high hopes of catching something rare, but the fishing was very slow today. Lots of weeds, logs and minnows were caught, but nothing any bigger.
Cale was getting extremely annoyed. He was a pro at fishing and all he could catch was weeds.
Finally he did catch a normal everyday perch, but scoffed at it.
"Hmmpf, I could catch this at home. Big whoop!" "You okay Dad? You seem a little tense."
"Yeah, I'm fine, just annoyed. I'll live."
Finally, Joe caught a yellow perch, one of the fish indigenous to the area. He was thrilled! Everyone smiled, happy for him when he shouted in excitement. Cale's annoyance melted away hearing the joy in his voice and seeing the happiness on his Son's face. It put things in perspective for him. He was glad Joe had caught it rather than himself. Nothing made him happier than knowing his family was happy.
It made coming here all the more worthwhile, even if they never found anything else to help find the cure here. Tomorrow they would go deeper in the woods and get serious about looking for what they'd come for. But today, they all needed this time to set their worries aside to just relax and have fun together.
Once darkness fell, they all headed back to the rental to hang out around the firepit, have a chat, watch the stars and roast some marshmallows.
"Gah! That's the third one I lost in the fire. Dangit!"
"Try putting the marshmallow farther back on the stick."
He tried Joe's advice, but lost another one anyway. "How come yours don't fall off Dad?"
"I dunno, luck?" Cale managed to get out around a mouthful of marshmallow he'd roasted to a perfect toasty golden brown.
CJ finally managed not to lose a marshmallow, but it was burnt to a crisp. "Ow, ow, ow, hoth, hoth, hoth! I burnth my thongue."
"Here, I'll roast one for you." "Me too."
Unfortunately, this time Joe and Cale both lost their marshmallows.
"Dangit! Sorry Buddy." "Opps!"
"Great, I'll never get a good one!"
CJ contented himself with eating a handful of 'raw' marshmallows instead. Cale asked if anyone would like to hear a ghost story. Which of course they all agreed might be fun to hear. Joe and Sandy groaned at the end and declared the story lame, but CJ was aghast with how scary it turned out to be. He loved it!
After the story, Joe and CJ got up to go inside. However, CJ looked back and noticed his Dad had an angry look on his face and a bright red aura surrounding him. Cale was slipping ever closer to a rampage. CJ went back to the firepit and tried to return the favor Cale had done for him earlier in the day.
"Deep breath...let it out....deep breath...let it out...again. Now count to 10."
Unfortunately, it didn't work. Cale had to try something else and fast or he was going to lose it.
Cale let out a somber howl in frustration. Thankfully it worked to lower his rage and delay a fully enraged state for the time being.
CJ went inside afterward. Cale and Sandy stayed outside to enjoy some time alone. Cale had brought out his guitar and picked it up to play a slow, sweet romantic song. Sandy closed her eyes, listening to the notes the one she loved coaxed from the instrument serenading her soul. When the song was finished, Cale put the guitar down and walked over to Sandy who stood up as he approached.
They shared some hugs and kisses under a sky full of stars and a first quarter moon. It felt like they were the only two here in the silent beauty surrounding them.
They pulled apart and just gazed into each other's eyes, speaking volumes without any words. Cale doused the fire and the two walked inside hand-in-hand to the bedroom.
And that's where I ended my play session. Tomorrow, their Monday, the family will travel to the National Park area and the Deep Woods. The day after is a full moon. I haven't decided if they'll stay in Granite Falls for that, or not take the risk and send them home to be near the rage rooms. We shall see...
Thanks! Glad you like the renovation! How you described it is exactly what I was going for so glad to read I succeeded.
Ah, okay, cool. I guess they're a popular group, or perhaps used to be back in the day when that spin-off was created anyway. Makes sense that Jake would want to see DJ succeed since it means money in both their pockets. Yeah, I'm sure the gender of co-stars is totally random, Cale had both for his gigs.
I saw tweets about the aging issue from the patch and also read about it here on the forum. I have not updated for the patch yet and don't plan to do so until any of the Mods I have that were broken are updated and the aging issue resolved. I play offline and have it set so patches are not automatic for me, I have to do them manually. So I'll just live without the patch update for awhile and still play. I would've suggested you do the same, just don't patch, but you've already patched so yeah, I'd wait until the aging issue is resolved before playing again in your case too. Hope they get that fixed soon with a hot fix patch! o.O
It was Winterfest morning and the Sterling family had once again invited me over for dinner. I showered and put on my best sweater before heading on over through the rain. I noticed that their place was nicely decorated as I stepped up and knocked on the door.
Once inside I presented a gift to Bess I'd put together in appreciation for their hospitality.
It was one of the scented candles I'd made, and she seemed really touched that it was something I'd created. In return she gave me some orange dye to use on future candles which was unexpected and very kind of her.
I asked how their nooboo was doing, and she led me upstairs to introduce me to little baby Kian.
Aww! So cute!
Jules called us downstairs for the grand feast and we all sat down to a delicious turkey dinner.
The toddlers ate on the floor, but we had a lovely chat all the same.
After dinner, Jules took little Kaci over to the stereo and started to dance with her.
Of course it looked like so much fun that we all had to join in!
I love impromptu dance parties, even when it's just to Winterfest music.
As evening descended, we gathered around the beautifully decorated tree to open some gifts.
Bess handed me one and said she'd made it just for me.
I opened it to find a hand carved rabbit statue, and almost started tearing up in gratitude for her thoughtfulness.
After all the presents were opened, we gathered back around the tree to sing some carols together.
It felt so amazing being part of a family again, and I suddenly had a overwhelming desire to hold Kaori and give her a kiss.
As I helped clean up dinner, I heard a familiar jolly laugh behind me and turned to find Father Winter!
I grinned and went over to give him a hug, but as I did so, he put a finger up to his lips and motioned for me to stop and look behind me.
Kaori!
I pulled her into a sweet kiss and we just held each other for a blissful moment.
As we pulled apart she faded away and was gone as quickly as she had appeared. I turned back to Father Winter and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you", I whispered before letting him go, "I needed that."
He just winked and went back to putting presents under the tree like nothing had happened.
Feeling warm and full of gratitude, I bid the Sterlings a happy Winterfest and walked back home to my cozy containers.
Very early the next morning Cale and CJ went on a hunt for food. They both had a craving for fresh raw meat. The packaged store variety in the fridge just wasn't fresh enough for their particular needs. I think the thrill of the hunt in a new area may have added to it too.
The park area they wanted to visit today wasn't open for another couple hours, so they had a game of Party Frenzy together to pass the time.
It seemed to be going well so far for all of them with no one dominating over the others.
Joe got what looked like an alarming text in the middle of the game.
"Are you gonna play or gawk at your phone?" "Oh, uh, yeah. play, I guess."
"Bad news?"
"Um... I'll tell you later."
Can you tell by their faces who was the one loser in the bunch? The rest all won, which I really don't understand. Shouldn't there be only one winner instead of one loser?
It was Joe. Probably got distracted by that text would be my guess.
They left for the heavily forested area of the park after changing clothes and packing a few supplies including camping equipment in case they decided to stay in the woods overnight.
They spent some time wandering around the woods, taking samples of any plants they didn't recognize and a few interesting bugs not available back home. Sandy saw something intriguing and called everyone over to take a look.
"Does that look like an entrance to somewhere to you?"
"Yup! And I know where it goes too, I hope. Remember what I told you the kiosk attendant told me?" "Ooo that's right! I bet that's it. Cool!"
"I'll take a look first to make sure. You guys keep looking around, but stay close. I'll come back to get you if my suspicions are correct." "Psst, hey, what was that text all about?" CJ whispered to Joe. "I don't want to get into it right now Dude, later." Joe whispered back. "That bad huh?"
"No, no, not bad, just... surprising." "What are you two whispering about?" "Nothing!" The boys said in unison. "Okay, well let's look around like your Dad asked, but don't go too far."
CJ found an interesting looking plant almost right away a few feet from the brambles opening. When he picked a flower from it, it made his hand burn a little. (Ow! What is this stuff?)
Joe found some weird looking bugs he'd never seen before.
Sandy noticed what looked like a crystal sticking out of a rock hidden in some weeds. She chiseled the rock it was stuck in with some tools she'd brought along. She smiled when the red and orange stone fell in her lap. It looked like the burning flames of a fire. She couldn't wait to take it home and research what it might be.
"Dad's been gone a long time, do you think he's okay? I'm getting a little worried."
"Of course he's okay, right, he's okay, okay? Why'd you have to say that? Now I'm worried. Great."
"Now I'm getting worried too. Maybe we should go in there and make sure."
"Shh, wait a second, I think I hear something."
What she heard was Cale coming back to collect his family. They'd found the entrance to the hermit's home area. He couldn't wait to show them, especially a beautiful waterfall falling over a large hill of rocks into a crystal clear pool of water. Of course one of the first things they wanted to do was try to catch a legendary Mountain Lion fish said to be only available in a certain area of the park. This had to be it.
The area was beautiful even if only the second day of Spring. Cale hoped they could come back later in the Summer and experience it when everything was fully green and the flowers were blooming. Sandy ended up catching, not one, but two of the Mountain Lion fish. CJ caught a shower tarp and a red crawdad. Joe caught a red & a blue crawdad, while Cale caught a Rainbow fish and a couple walleye. It seemed to be good fishing here for all of them.
After awhile, Cale went exploring, but kept his family in view, just in case. They would all go looking around together later. He saw something he thought was just a stick, until it moved!
By the time he reached it, there were two of them. Could he catch them before they got away?
Got 'em!
A group of large, brilliant blue butterflies caught his eye next. He'd seen butterflies similar, but these were larger and more brightly colored.
"Gotcha!"
(Sandy's going to love these!)
He was able to get three of them. One would be used to experiment for the cure, but he planned to gift the other two to Sandy since they were her favorite color.
Not too far away he found a garden area surrounded by rocks obviously fashioned that way by someone. If this was the hermit's garden, he hoped the guy didn't mind if he picked a couple of two varieties of mushrooms growing in there. He didn't know what kind they were, but was excited to find out once they went back home to their lab.
Poor Cale, he'd been plagued by mosquitos ever since they'd arrived, apparently now fleas were after him again too.
(Dangit! Should've brought bug spray!)
Who in their right mind leaves fishing at such a beautiful spot to break into someone's house and gawk at a statue of a rooster? Apparently Joe, that's who. What the heck Dude? (Rooster? I thought they were called a-"
Don't say it! It's a rooster! Got it?
(Okay, okay, whatever.)
I can't believe how fast the rage raises for Cale & CJ here. Tomorrow is a full moon for them so maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, CJ reminded his Dad how to calm down and the rage lowered to an acceptable level. At least for now.
"Dang mosquitos! Leave me alone! Gawd, these things are HUGE!" "I'm getting a headache. Ugh!"
These two may not be raging, but they are still tense and every little thing seems to annoy them lately. I think the beasts inside them are craving to come out and enjoy the wilderness here. Perhaps I'll let them go on an unfettered rampage at least once before they go back home and hopefully find a cure.
Nothing but nature out here; rocks, plants, bugs, streams, lakes, plus miles and miles of trees with not many people. What could go wrong, am I right? Right? o.O
Since it was getting dark now, Sandy and the boys set-up camp while Cale went to see if he could find the hermit. He found the guy outside his shack making some kind of concoction on a grill. After introductions, the two had a chat. Cale asked if it was okay he'd taken a couple mushrooms from his garden. The hermit said that was fine since there was more than he could ever eat by himself anyway. He even offered to give Cale a sample of his Fungal Infusion Fertilizer along with the recipe for it. Of course he accepted with gratitude.
The hermit also gave Cale some tips on where to find a rare insect called the Will-o-Wisp, which only thrived and survived in this area of the park and only came out at night. Cale thanked the guy for everything and invited him to hang out at their campsite and meet his family. The hermit said he just might do that as Cale walked away with a wave and a smile.
On his way to where the rare insect could supposedly be found, Cale saw a group of fireflies. Though they weren't uncommon or rare, he still decided to catch a few anyway. Perhaps they were a different variety than in other worlds.
He saw a brilliant blue glow not far away and walked excitedly in that direction. The closer he got, the louder an eerie kind of music the insect seemed to be emitting became. It wasn't very easy to catch, it kept floating away just out of reach as if teasing him. But finally he was able to fool it, by pretending to walk away and quickly whirled around to grab it.
"Ohhh Yeahhh! Gotcha Wispie!"
Back at the camp his family had set-up, Cale was delighted to see the Hermit had indeed wandered over to spend some time with his family. He was a little surprised the man actually did since he seemed a bit shy and professed to be a loner. I guess even loners, at least some of them, like to have company now and then.
He and Sandy sat down together and shared some snuggles and kisses while the boys talked to each other and the Hermit. That is, until the guy decided to take a nap. He must've had a long day or something. "Hey, is now a good time? Nobody's paying attention to us. What was in that text?" CJ whispered to Joe.
"Oh, well..."
"Here, go ahead, read it." Joe said somewhat apprehensively, watching his brother's face for any reaction. "Oh...Wow, uh, did you text back yet?" "No, I don't know what to say. What can I say? I never expected to get a text like that, especially from...him."
"hehe Cale!" Sandy whispered, barely able to restrain her giggles. "I mean, I like the guy, he's a friend. But...not like that."
"They'll hear us, you're so naughty!" Sandy whispered to Cale. "Not if we're quiet. They're busy on their phones and talking to each other. Come on, I know you want to, you're just as naughty as I am."
"hehe You got me there."
Cale and Sandy got up and silently went into their tent together. Joe and Cale were too distracted with the text Joe had received to even notice. But someone did... "I get it. You're not into Dudes. Maybe he meant go as friends? Lemme see that again."
I guess the Hermit decided it was time to go home and give this family some privacy. Or maybe he simply didn't want to sleep on a log anymore and wanted his own soft bed. "It says, 'Wanna go to the prom with me, Buddy?' Sounds like friend zone to me."
"Yeah, I'm probably freaking out for nothing. Maybe he just couldn't get a date, but still wanted to go or something."
"That would be my guess."
"But what if...what if he meant like...a date?"
"I dunno...uh, you could answer back something like, 'Sure, Buddy, unless I can get a date' and see what he says? I'm guessing you don't have a date if you're even considering going with him, right?"
"Nah, I don't. No time to ask lately and I don't know who I'd ask anyway. I wasn't even planning on going at all."
The two continued to discuss Joe's text for awhile, totally oblivious, until they got tired and crawled into their own little tent to get some sleep.
The next morning before anyone was awake, Cale went out looking for more insects and plants. Today he found some colorful beetles In the same place he found the walking sticks yesterday.
"Ugh, how much longer are we staying here?"
"What's your hurry? It's so nice and peaceful here."
"Yeah, it's pretty but, but, the mosquitos are driving me crazy!"
"Alright, I know. He should be back soon. Joe and I will start transportalating stuff home after I finish my granola."
"I can start now Mom, take your time. It's cool."
"Aww, thanks Joe!"
"I'll meet you boys at the brambles."
"Dang, wish I'd brought my broom too."
Joe took the time during the walk to the exit from the Hermit's haven to text his friend about prom. He took CJ's advice and texted he'd go with him if he couldn't find a date, hopefully making it clear he meant as a friend. (Maybe I should've made it clear? He'll get it, won't he?)
Cale used his cell to jot down some notes about the plants, insects and other things they'd found in this area.
Joe got a text back almost instantly that said, 'It's coo Bud! Lemme know soon tho so I can ask someone else if you can't go with me. Hope ya can tho, be more fun hangin out w/you.'
He sent a copy of the text to his brother.
(Whew! I think he did mean as friends. Right?)
(Sounds like it, yep! Are you gonna go with him?)
(Yeah. I guess. Maybe. I don't know. I gotta think about it.)
Back in the forested area of the park, the family spread out to see what they could find here. They'd found the brambles opening almost instantly and hadn't really took much time to do that before. They would meet up in a couple hours or so at the big waterfalls fishing area. Cale used his phone to take notes again of anything he found as he enjoyed the natural beauty of the area.
Sandy and the boys were already fishing as Cale made his way over there. He was thrilled to come upon a group of Monarch butterflies since they were now on the endangered species list. He decided they'd only use one of them as a last resort if nothing else worked to make a cure. The other two or perhaps all three would be donated to a butterfly garden at his old alma mater, Foxbury.
Cale wondered if there was any other kinds of fish indigenous to the area they might catch. However, it didn't matter. This time fishing together was just for fun and relaxation in a peaceful and very beautiful part of the park before they went back home.
They were even blessed with a rainbow made from the sun shining on the mist of the waterfall. The silence here was only broken by the call of a pair of majestic Bald eagles gliding on thermals above them and the roar of the falls. The pool of water was so crystal clear, they could see the rocky bottom very easily here.
But then, CJ let out a guttural growl and threw down his pole. He was filled with rage out of nowhere. Cale tried to pacify him, but it was no use. His Son howled sadly in frustration as Cale swatted at a swarm of pesky mosquitos that never left his side.
One of Cale's baby Mamas, Caroline Albright, looked around with a look of surprise or fright? I thought perhaps it was over hearing CJ howl, but...
It was actually because of some guy in a pathetic bear suit running around trying to scare people. "You should be ashamed of yourself Dude. What are you trying to prove?"
"D'uh, I dunno. I guess I'm not smarter than the average bear? Uh...RAWR!"
"Cut it out Mister, you're annoying the lady."
"Mind your own business Sonny....uh...ROAR!"
"You don't scare me, but I bet I could scare you. Don't test me." CJ said and let out another terrifying guttural growl in warning. "Whoa! You better than me kid. Teach me how to do that!"
"Tsk, I'm outta here." Caroline said and walked away with a frown.
CJ thought about transforming to scare the heck out of this bozo, but thought better of it. If he did, he wouldn't be any better than the clown in the bear suit.
Cale had been watching what was going on and walked over to take CJ aside.
"Come on, let's do some cloud-gazing Son." He said loudly glaring at the 'bear' as he hustled CJ over to a patch of grass.
The 'bear' just stood there in confusion wondering why they weren't scared of him, everybody else would scream and run away. He got such a thrill out of it.
"You guys are no fun." He yelled and then tried to scare Skye Savant, one of Cale's daughters who'd come over to fish. She immediately threw down her pole and pulled out her cell to send a text. "I'm reporting you to the Forest Ranger unless you go away right now!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going. You guys have no sense of humor. Oh! Wait! Is that a pick-a-nicka basket? It IS! I uh, better go get Boo Boo, he'll wanna share it with me."
"You do that Yogi." She said and rolled her eyes.
After cloud gazing for a while, Cale and CJ went on a hunt for food and said they'd meet Sandy and Joe at the entrance to the park in an hour to transportalate back to the rental. By the time they arrived back from the hunt with some fresh meat for later, everyone was more than ready to go. Especially Joe who was now also being attacked by mosquitos.
"Are you two okay? You look a little...tense."
"Yeah, fine, let's go already."
"Don't snap at your Mother!" "Sorry."
"Oh boy, maybe we should just go home tonight after we pack up. I think the two of you are getting a bit...grumpy."
"Fine by me." "Alright, hold on while I cast the spell."
Sandy transportalated them all back to the rental to pack and leave Granite Falls. It had been a successful trip and they were all eager to get back to the lab and finally, hopefully find a cure with the additional resources they'd found in the forest and at the Hermit's haven. It was also a full moon in just a few hours. Cale and CJ's rage was increasing at an alarming rate so they also wanted to be near the rage rooms, just in case...
Adam must be happy folks keep his dumpster nice and full for him. He's making decent profit from the stuff.
@SoulGal7
Understandable. I was shocked about the "sibling" portion of that video. I think EA/Maxis were in a hurry to get the update out, they didn't count what can happen as we noticed by that player.
I don't hear much about the Black Eyed Peas group anymore, but I have seen a couple on tv lately. A lot of singers tend to move to acting careers...lol.
I've played with Granite Falls a few times. I love the Hermit area. The developers did a good job with it. Curious if your hermit will be male or female...lol! I've encountered both genders. I hope Cale and/or C.J. don't scare them if their rage takes over while still there in front of the hermit...or maybe the hermit has a cure...ooo...all the possibilities.
There's Nancy...criticizing Adam's work. Probably being all negative. OMG, it looks like Adam is spraying the poor cat! And the cat's reaction is priceless. Too funny.
Aww...I was hoping there was more with the hermit than that. Oh, well. I did enjoy the bear scene. I know you dislike those costumes. Glad you found some humorous way to add it to your daily pic chapter since one I am guessing appeared.
(Not a lot happened today and my arm is giving me some trouble, so I'm just going to post a couple pictures.
Today Adam worked on a bunch of candles for his aspiration until he passed out in his bathroom. Hey, at least it wasn't outside in the rain this time!
Still hasn't been able to make 20 candles though, and I don't think he's going to make it to the top of his career by the end of the month, so I might have to jump back into it at a later date.)
July - Day 29:"Success is best when it's shared..."
Notes
No story mode for today, just the daily post pic. We've been gone most of the day. Got up very early without much sleep this morning to go pick up our portion of a 1/2 beef we bought with our Son, then went back to their house after storing it in our freezer and had a very nice afternoon/evening grilling steaks, tossing a football around and just hanging out playing with our grandchildren. We just got home a few minutes ago. It was a fantastic day/night, one of the best of the Summer in my opinion. However, I'm exhausted and don't have the energy to put together a story tonight. I apologize for it, but comments/replies will have to wait until tomorrow too. I hope you understand. And, I hope everyone of you had a great day/night too!
I like watching them play that game too, the faces they make crack me up. Especially when they trash talk the other team if playing teams. They had a great time in Granite Falls together. I even bit the bullet and patched while they were there, after making a copy of my Sims 4 folder from documents, of course, just in case. o.O So far so good with that, haven't noticed any glitches.
However, I'm glad I took the advice of crinrict to go in game options and check what life span your Sims have before going in live mode. Aging was already off for everyone, but the life span I had for Cale at first was on Long, so that was still there though greyed out which, can still trigger the aging bug. I just changed that to normal and put them back on no aging and all is good. So far, the only thing that I don't like is how much they're on their cells now, but I tried to incorporate that into the story so it was a bit plausible. I won't get HSY until the emergency patch comes out some time next week according to The Sims.
Ah, yes, some singers do go into acting, I've noticed that too. The last time I heard anything about the Black Eyed Peas is when they did the Superbowl halftime show years ago.
I adore the Hermit's area too, I love that entire world! As you know by now the hermit was a guy, I've had both genders too. Yeah, lots of possibilities with the hermit, but I'm running out of time to end the month and wrap things up, so I didn't do much with him. Cale did get the fertilizer recipe from him though. Hadn't really thought about having him have anything to do with the cure. You always have such great ideas! If I had more time I might've done more with the hermit. Sorry...
You're right, yup, don't like those bears. But I did have fun making something up for it's appearance. It just came over there on their own, I didn't dress up a Sim and make them appear, just some rando NPC.
When I woke up it was snowing hard enough to accumulate, which was the first time I'd seen that since I was unceremoniously sent here.
I spent the morning and afternoon making more candles and playing with the strays that had adopted me.
As evening descended, I went outside to enjoy the snow and ended up making both a snowangel and a snowpal.
As the sun set on the last day of winter, I headed over to the bar to celebrate New Year's Eve with my Evergreen Harbor friends.
We played foosball, and Tina and I soundly beat the Sterlings 5-0!
After we said goodnight and wished each other a happy New Year, I went into the bar to watch the midnight countdown.
There were a bunch of sims in there, and many of them were dressed up in old fashioned costumes, so there must have been a theme to this party that I missed the memo on.
At midnight we blew trumpets, sang, and toasted in the new year.
I even ordered some fish and chips for this special occasion.
By 1:00 I was yawning and knew I needed to get home to bed if I didn't want to face plant again, so I wished everyone a Happy New Year and trudged home through the snow.
I kind of wonder what this new year will have in store for me?
Back home from Granite Falls, Cale and his family worked hard and long together experimenting using the plants, insects and other things they'd dug up there in their quest to find a cure for lycanthropy.
As their supplies began to dwindle, Cale started to feel a bit resigned to the fact they might never find the cure. What were they missing? Were his suspicions incorrect? Perhaps the Moonpetal flower and Wolfbane weren't the key ingredients. Nothing they combined with the two individually worked.
(Wait! What about combining the Moonpetal with Wolfbane? Just those two?)
They had tried every other combination with every other plant, insect and minerals using either Wolfbane or samples from the Moonpetal, why not just the two together? It seemed so obvious, maybe too obvious? It was worth a try anyway.
Cale carefully combined these two precious ingredients in a vial and placed it in the centrifuge. While it was spinning, he prepared a beaker with an activator solution he'd devised specifically for their experiments.
When he'd mixed other plant combinations in it with a drop of his blood or CJ's and gave it a stir, the blood droplet would break apart. However, the human portion would mix with the solution, but the werewolf blood would stubbornly stay intact, completely unaffected.
When the centrifuge stopped spinning, Cale carefully removed the vial and poured the solution into a beaker. The beaker glowed a brilliant white at first, as expected. This was nothing new, it had happened every time they'd used it in their experiments.
However, this time, the white glow began to morph into blue and then purple, pulsing and swirling between the three in the beaker.
(That's new. Okay, here goes the final test.)
Cale grabbed a syringe filled with a sample of his own blood, hovered the tip over the beaker and depressed the plunger. A drop plopped into the solution which promptly split apart with a tiny explosion. He'd not had a chance to even mix it together in the solution before getting a reaction. However, the werewolf portion of his blood was still there, but it seemed a bit smaller in size.
( Hmm, maybe I just don't have the ratio correct?)
He had used a one Moonpetal to one Wolfbane ratio, which seemed to partially work, but it wasn't near enough to completely destroy his werewolf blood.
Cale kept experimenting, trying different ratios between the two ingredients. Each time the werewolf part of his blood would lessen, but would not be completely removed. His rage increased with every failed experiment as the full moon glowed above, but he ignored it pushing onward in excitement. He was so close, he could feel it!
And then, the rage engulfed him and he transformed right there in the lab as CJ watched. Sandy and Joe immediately transportalated upstairs upon seeing what was happening.
CJ stayed behind to try to appeal to his Father to go into a rage room and not destroy any of the lab equipment. Somehow he'd been able to get through to him, perhaps because they shared a werewolf kinship and were packmates.
CJ remained near the locked door listening to see if his Father could regain control. Thankfully, Cale was able to do it quickly, though his rage once again began to immediately increase, influenced by the full moon.
"Dad? Are you okay now?" CJ asked, not hearing any howling or snarling, or sounds of his Father destroying anything in a fit of angry, uncontrollable rage.
"I'm fine, I have control over it. At least for awhile. Let me out, okay?"
CJ unlocked the door and Cale walked straight back into the lab with his Son hot on his heels. Cale explained about his experiments with the Moonpetal and Wolfbane, which of course got the boy very excited. The two began trying different ratios together.
Sandy and Joe came back to the lab after a little while and were told about Cale's discovery. Everyone was extremely optimistic now and thrilled they were apparently very close to finding the cure. With nothing to do but watch and wait, Sandy and Joe offered to go harvest more Moonpetal flowers and Wolfbane since their supplies were running dangerously low. It was imperative especially to harvest more Moonpetals since they only bloomed under a full moon.
While they were gone, a miracle happened in the lab. With a scream of triumph, Cale watched as the werewolf part of his blood was completely destroyed in a brilliant explosion of white and purple colored smoke bursting out of a beaker. The correct ratio turned out to be three Moonpetals to ten Wolfbane. Incredibly, against all odds, he'd found the cure for lycanthropy...
Cale made two samples of the solution; one for himself, one for CJ and poured them into a couple glasses to drink. In hindsight, they probably should've tried taking the cure in the rage rooms in case something went wrong, but Cale was confident it would work. He brought the drinks upstairs to the livingroom and set them on the coffee table.
CJ could barely contain his excitement, cheering and clapping his hands in joy! He'd never wanted to be a werewolf and had felt an underlying sense of remorse and sadness every time he thought about how he had bit and turned his own Father. Cale had of course assured him it wasn't his fault, he knew his Son didn't have control over his actions at the time. But, the guilt still continued to plague CJ though he'd come to somewhat accept their fate.
Now, he felt a sense of relief it would be over soon. It seemed the phrase, 'you can't change fate' wasn't entirely true in some circumstances. Yes, they'd probably been fated to be werewolves, but that fate wasn't permanent. At least he hoped so. They'd soon find out! (Please, please, I pray to the Watcher this works!)
Cale picked up his drink and drained the glass. He immediately began to feel the effects spreading throughout his body. His eyes began to glow and he had a massive headache like none he'd ever experienced in his life. It was 10 times worse than the headaches he would experience after transforming to and from a werewolf.
"AHHH! Maybe you should wait CJ! I feel like my head is going to explode!" "Maybe I should, but I can't, I won't. I have to know, I have to take that chance. I won't let you die alone if that's what happens. We're doing this together!"
CJ quickly gulped down the hoped for cure and immediately began to feel the same effects as his Father.
Cale was lifted into the air and began to spin, faster and faster as CJ grabbed his head and screamed over the frightful pain.
The werewolf in Cale burst in a blinding bluish white explosive light from his chest as purple, black and golden waves of smoke flew outward from all over his body, filled with the werewolf hair that had covered his body. The smoke dissipated as Cale floated softly back to the floor. The beast inside him was gone. He felt a sense of calm and relief without a morsel of rage coloring his emotions.
Cale watched as his Son went through the same transformation back to his former entirely human self. He smiled and then began to laugh in stunned happiness with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.
CJ ran over to his Father and grabbed him to hold on tight in a loving embrace. "Oh my GAWD! We did it! YOU did it! I can't believe it! We're cured. Thank you, thank you so much, I love you Daddy!" CJ said in a shaky voice, sobbing his heart out in gratitude and relief.
"We did it Son, all of us, together! I love you too."
*Note - I noticed that both of them can still howl if they want to. Must be a small reward or something from being a former werewolf. Pretty cool!
Sandy and Joe had been waiting outside on the porch until they knew the cure had worked. They'd arrived right when Cale and CJ were going through the transformation. Sandy was a little upset they didn't wait for them to be there or the fact they'd not taken the cure in the rage rooms as a precaution, but she quickly got over it since it didn't really matter in the end.
After the family had a small celebration together, toasting each other with glasses of Sweet & Spicy and turning on the stereo to dance with joy for awhile, Cale and CJ went to visit Kristopher at his house to tell him the good news. It seemed somehow Kris knew they were coming. He was waiting for them outside when they arrived. CJ went inside to find Jacob, while Cale had a chat with the Alpha of the Moonwood Collective.
"We did it Kris, we found the cure! CJ and I took it earlier tonight and it appears to have worked!" "Yes, as packmates, we all can feel and sense each other. I knew something had changed with both of you as soon as it happened. Congratulations, you've managed to do what others have not for centuries. I had a feeling you were special since the moment I met you Cale, and I was right. I will admit I am a bit sad you have decided you do not wish to remain werewolves, but can understand your reasons for wishing to be simply human again. However, you and your Son will always remain part of the pack."
"Thanks, it still doesn't seem real, it's truly a miracle! We'll always remain friends Kris, that will never change. I'll continue to be an emissary for werewolves too. We'll also spread the word of the cure now and give you the recipe to make it yourself, if you'd like. For yourself and for anyone else that might like to take it. I have a feeling you won't take it though." "You are correct. Being a werewolf is just who I am, I was born this way. I thank you for the offer though and I will gladly accept the recipe for others to make."
"We'll be going back home now Kris, I hope you understand. This isn't goodbye though, it's see you soon, okay?" "I thought you might, I understand. I'm so glad I met you Cale, and your family, despite the circumstances that made it so. You'll be a hero to so many now, I hope you're ready for that."
"Oh, well, I have a bit of prior experience with people thinking that way about me, it'll be alright. Ever heard of StrangerVille?" "Oh my, you're the Hero of StrangerVille? I am not surprised, I should've known."
"Yeah, well, the same as with finding the cure, I didn't do it by myself. I had great teammates. We did it together!" "Always so humble, I love that about you Cale. Stay that way Son."
"Hey, Jacob tells me he's working hard to get into a university after high school. He said he wants to be a scientist too, just like I do. Dad gave Joe a place to live while he goes to Uni this Fall. It's huge, used to be a factory! Dad's going to fix it up for him and I'll be living there with him. I want to attend Foxbury where Dad went and Jacob says he's applied there too. Do you think... maybe, hopefully, Jacob could live there with us, when he goes to Uni?"
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather he lived with than you CJ, and your brother. Let's wait to see if he gets accepted, I'm sure he will though, but I'm not opposed to that idea at all. I know how close the two of you have become. It warms my old werewolf heart. Good luck with everything you do in life CJ, you're a great kid. Not surprising considering you have such a great Father. He taught you well."
"Ohhh Yeahhh! Jacob's going to be so geeked! Thanks Kris, I hope you know how much I admire you."
"And I you dear boy. I will miss both you until we meet again."
Cale and CJ left after that to make their way to the top of Howling Point where the only Moonpetal flower plant known to exist was located. Since it was still a full moon for a few hours, they wanted to take advantage and harvest the rare and precious flower to make more of the cure. So far every time he had tried to plant one of the flowers in his own garden, it would not propagate.
Of course he already knew the plant was rare, but this fact made it even more precious. There was something mystical about this plant and he wondered who had put it here. He suspected perhaps it was a Spellcaster from long ago since it was obviously made of powerful magic. He was positive the fact it had survived and thrived only here for centuries wasn't a coincidence.
*Note - Speaking of magic, Spellcasters that know the Copypasto spell can use it to make duplicate glasses of the cure! Cale had enough ingredients to make more, but out of curiosity, I had Sandy try that spell on it.
"Hey slowpoke, took you long enough to get up here." "Yeah, well, there are some things I'll miss about not being a werewolf anymore, like tunneling anywhere. Had to get here the boring old human way. Not that I'm complaining!" CJ said with a chuckle.
"I know, believe me. I'll miss some things too, but not enough to want to be one again. Even knowing there's a cure for it now." "I love how we can be up here with the full moon and just enjoy it now too, thanks to you."
"Props to you Dad, despite what you think, you'll always be a Hero to me."
The Conrads will soon be saying goodbye to Moonwood Mill, at least for now. They'll take many memories with them of their time here, some good, others, not so much. But they will always have ties here in the form of friends and packmates. Plus, the world itself will always call to the tiny part left inside them of who they were and are, forever.
Good morning! Comment time! Hope everyone has a good day/night! Have been a bit bummed from the last update and not being able to play, even though I did make a copy of my save file and turned the aging to normal, but didn't actually play. Anyway, at least an emergency patch is now coming later this week.
June 6 -Let's Get It Started! Cool! I never played the Urbz because it was only released on console, not PC. I actually just watched the trailer now because of your story. I love the breakdancing dance moves with the head spin that they had, and see a lot of the San Myshuno vibe in this, and also the celebrity vibe like the bouncer at the club - although I think I like the Urbz bouncer better. lol The characters looked so different from how the regular sims looked like. Anyway, very cool that DJ passed his audition, got some instruction on recording videos and got to meet the Black-Eyed Peas.
June 7 - Okay, a romantic cuddle with Paige is always welcome
June 8 - Woot! Steamy Kevin and DJ!
Your comment on DJ's styling in my story - I had to give DJ the "Paolo" hairstyle so he had some hair sticking out from that hat I put on him. And that claw mark just added to his look. DJ - Financial Investor by day - bada** badboy by night!
Jul 23 - Love all the shots of Adam, especially petting that stray.
Jul 24 -Fun times on prank day and getting those shocked looks when Adam adds soap to the fountain. lol Scandal! Oh no! Love the shot of that 1/2 moon as Adam is walking along the docks.
Jul 25 - Adam's place is looking really good. Oh gosh! Fish chowder cat bum meal! lol
July 26 - I love that machine to just whip those burned items into usable items again.
July 27 - Lovely that Bess invited Adam over for Winterfest...and they certainly have a houseful of kids. Such a wonderful Winterfest gift that Father Winter gave Adam, and lo and behold Kaori appears and he gives her a kiss. Now that was a nice Winterfest kiss come true. That Father Winter is a secret romantic, I think.
July 28 - Love that Adam now has a flower making station. And in one of those photos, it looks like Adam is going to suck up those 3 cats sitting on the desk! lol
July 29 - Poor Adam...all that candle making is tiring him out. Sorry that your arm is bothering you. Hope you feel better soon. *hugs*
July 30 - Fun times at the bar for New Year's. Everyone is in vintage costumes...lol...wow, and Adam even splurged and bought some fish and chips for the occasion.
July 23 - Fun conversation between Joe & Cale Jr. about the warehouse. lol And then Sandy & Cale being locked in when he is going to go on a rampage. Geez! Thankfully Sandy remembered she was a spellcaster and just transportulated outside into a snowstorm! lol Well, that sort of worked. And Cale continues to try to find a cure.
July 24 - Nice shot of Cale against the snow background.
July 25 - Very nice vacation house reno. Love the fireplace area. The 2 levels of windows at the dining area is gorgeous.
July 26 - Nice shot of CJ & Joe running with the lake and the birds flying in the background. I do love all the photo ops for Granite Falls. A nice day together playing Don't Wake the Llama, and eating marshmallows by the fire. And, of course, trying to calm down before the rage hit.
July 27 - Wonderful that they found the Hermit's Area. That waterfall is so lovely, and great fishing for everyone. Love that they caught a shower tarp! lol Yes, out in the woods probably the beast within is wanting to run wild.
July 28 - Nice that they found the Hermit, who joined them at the campfire and then promptly fell asleep. And then left after Sandy and Cale had some intimate tent moments. lol I also see how you incorporated the "excessive phone usage" into your story with the new High School pack "prom" idea. lol And, of course, a "fake" bear shows up to get CJ all riled up. Yes, time to head home for sure.
July 29 - Looks like the whole family is working together on the cure.
When I woke up it was a beautiful bright spring morning. There was still snow on the ground and the temperature was still freezing, but my spring garden was beginning to grow! I took care of my bug farms before lighting a fire in my fire pit to warm up a bit.
Then it was back to candle making again. I have a personal goal of creating 20 unique candles, and I only had a few to go!
By mid-afternoon I finally reached my goal and let out a whoop of excitement, unintentionally scaring some of my furry friends who just so happened to be hanging around.
Sorry guys.
I returned to my garden and started to put together a holly bouquet when I heard a knock at my front door.
I went to investigate and found Knox waiting for me. He asked if he could borrow my recycler and I gave my permission.
Hey, at least he asked this time!
We had a good chat afterwards and I told him that if I ever had to pick up and leave in a hurry, he was welcome to my recycler.
That reminded me, I needed to write a note in case of my disappearance. I pulled out some paper after Knox left and scribbled out a rough draft of an explanation. I was feeling pretty sleepy, so I decided to polish it up later. I tucked my letter into a desk drawer and crawled up into my bunk for a quick nap.
And then it happened.
I was awoken into a trance like state where I was aware of my actions, but not in control of them.
I found myself climbing down my ladder and approaching a dark figure standing near my bedroom door.
The figure had glowing yellow eyes and that seemed to dance with a dark malice, and I noticed a sneer slithering across his face as he raised his hands to send me even deeper into my trance.
I could feel him pull me towards him and was unable to resist what I knew was coming next.
With practiced ease my assailant suck his teeth into my neck and began to drink deeply. At each draw I could feel myself falling further and further into a deep pit of darkness until I was only hanging by a thread of awareness.
Just as I was about to pass out he released me, and I stumbled out of my bedroom doors in a futile attempt to escape. I had only gone a few steps when the thread of consciousness broke, and I collapsed into a heap in the snow.
As my site faded to black, I watched my captor follow me outside and grin over my prone body.
I was both excited and terrified at the thought of where I might find myself when I regained consciousness.
Afterhit, shower to theshrinken gym, to fit the climbing walls. its very early sunday morning.
My love, my love, my fearless love, I will not say goodbye..
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
*Updated my July 30th post above! Today's post will most likely be just a daily post pic as I set-up, build and prepare for Cale's move to San Myshuno. I will most likely be doing somewhat of a time jump as well. How far in the future remains to be seen, but not too far. Comments/replies coming soon. I hope y'all are having a wonderful day/night!
July - Day 31:"122 Hakim House - Arts Quarter WIP..."
Notes
This is where Cale and Sandy will live in San Myshuno once I'm finished furnishing it! It will have an open floor plan for the kitchen/living/dining and garden area, one bathroom and one bedroom. They will move in tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on when I'm finished with it. I still need to renovate the factory for Joe and CJ too, but that might have to wait a bit. We shall see how it goes...
Hope y'all had a great day/night! I'll get started on comments/replies next!
I had fun with that convo too, glad you liked it. Yeah, Sandy was in a panic and not thinking clearly, at first. Thankfully she finally came to her senses. hehe
Thank you about the vacation reno, the fireplace and dining areas are my two favorites as well. I'm very happy with how the entire build turned out.
Granite Falls is just gorgeous! Despite what some might think, I believe it has a lot of repeat playability. I love the aspiration that came with the pack too and all the build/buy/CAS, plus the cloudgaze/stargaze option. I use assets from this pack all the time! They had a great day together as a family, I think this is the first time they've spent so much time doing everything together. I loved playing it out with them.
hehe Always cracks me up they can catch that, CJ also caught a small tent! o.O Yeah, I should've let them run wild, but meh.
Love the Hermit's area so much, it's just so peaceful and beautiful. I think the Hermit had a very long day or something and yeah, he got out of there very fast once he realized what was going on in that tent. hehe Thank you! I was just going to cut those screenshots out, but thought to myself, no, let's see if I can use this somehow in the story. I think it turned out kind of plausible. I had fun trying to be creative with it anyway. Oh man, I SO wanted to have CJ transform into his werewolf form and scare the heck out of that bear, but it's just not something I feel he'd do. I could tell he wanted to do that though. hehe
Yes, they worked together right from the beginning trying to find the cure. It was very much a team effort.
Aww man, poor Oona getting hit by lightening. She really needs a home of her own soon. Is that Jon outside the gym? Oh, yep, I see it is. He doesn't look very happy at all, I think he's tired, looked like he was about to pass out before. hehe Great screenshots of Oona swimming and that last one with the sunrise just took my breath away, love it! Absolutely magnificent!
Comments
Notes
Cale woke up after a fitful nap on the lab floor and went upstairs to see if Sandy was awake. She was in the living room enjoying a fire and a book. The two had a chat about their efforts to find a cure and how they'd almost ran out of new combinations of plants and other materials to test.
He told her about a place called Granite Falls that had rare and uncommon plants only found there he'd learned about while researching online. Sandy agreed they should go there and gather as many of the plants and any other resources they could find. She said they could all use a vacation anyway too. Once the boys got up, they told them their plan and of course they were thrilled to have some time off school and hang out in the woods, especially since the rental Cale had found was near a lake.
After Cale tended to his garden and harvested what he could, the family packed a few things and left for Granite Falls.
I thought the daily post image was the front of the rental, turns out it's actually the back. This is the front. I did not build this from scratch but changed almost everything about the Maxis default build except most of the landscaping is original to the build. I added the roof over the porch, added the wreath, columns and changed out the exterior siding and interior wallpaper, changed the roof, trim and fixed up the chimney. The house has all new windows, flooring and doors too.
Right side
Added the bench, bunny, lantern and the plants on the wall.
Left Side - Added the picnic table, candle and a few more plants/rocks.
Upper deck accessible from the second floor loft area. All new furnishings.
Back deck was there as well, I added a couple plants in front, the railing posts lights, columns, furnishings including a chess set & BBQ, plants on the wall, and added a partial glass flat roof over it.
To the left when entering from the front is a wood stove, though it has rocks in it for some reason, with a small seating area and stereo/speaker by the loft staircase.
On the right across from the woodstove is a gaming table for Don't Wake the Llama, bar area and the door that leads to the Master bedroom.
I went very minimal when furnishing this house since it's a rental. I could've cluttered it up, but it's not like they'll be living here so realistically it wouldn't have a lot.
However, I did give them a desk/computer in here.
Behind the staircase to the right of the woodstove area is a living area with a TV & Console. The door leads to a full bath.
They have lots of simoleans so can afford to rent a place a bit more 'luxurious' I guess you could say. However, I did try to still keep it a bit simple.
Across from the living area/bathroom is the kitchen. Of course they have the best appliances and a dishwasher.
Across from the kitchen is the dining area with sliding glass doors to the back deck.
Upstairs on the loft landing is another gaming table and double doors to the deck.
This loft is HUGE! It had two single beds up here and a dresser. I think that was it. All new furnishings here. I see I forgot to put anything on the dresser. Ah well...
There is two desks/computers up here for the boys to use. Since they will have full autonomy, I won't be able to or want to control them all the time so it'll give them something else to do.
There is a bathroom up here too. Almost the same furnishings as the downstairs bathroom. It's a bit smaller though, so not as many decorations.
Overhead Birdseye view of the lot. Not showcased is a firepit area, horseshoes pit and an easel.
Loft area layout, looking down into the kitchen/dining area.
First floor layout
And here is the reason I took all screenshots of the build from Manage Worlds. It's Sunday, the first day of Spring and everything still looks pretty much dead when they arrived. Sandy and the boys just looked around where they stood, big smiles on their faces while Cale took off to check out the inside of the rental.
And to also make everyone some lunch since the fridge was empty. Chicken Stir Fry coming right up! This is where I left them for the night so I could get this posted.
Yesterday's placeholder screenshot will be the daily post pic for the day. We'll just call yesterday a 'Build Interlude.' I don't know about anyone else, but when I build/decorate I get lost in what I'm doing, totally focused on the task at hand. I meant to just fix up a few things on this default Maxis rental. But once I got started, I couldn't stop. No offense to Maxis, but...well, it wasn't very good. I should've just downloaded something from the Gallery, But, I love renovating builds anyway. Hence the reason I was SO late yesterday. o.O
Today we had some vehicle troubles. The starter went out on the truck and I spent all day helping Hubby fix it, running to town to get a new one, handing him tools, holding the light, etc., etc. I'm his Go-fer Girl or Shop Girl I guess you could say. hehe Sooo, I'm later tonight too because of that. The good news is, he got it fixed himself and saved us a ton of money. So happy my Hubby is good at stuff like that. Love him so much!
I'll get started on comments/replies next! Hope y'all had a wonderful day/night!
@RememberJoy
@Karababy52
Unlike others, I just can't let them go on full autonomy to do whatever. If a Sim is in a household I'm playing, I want them to do well in their little pixel lives. So despite the fact I do have full autonomy on, I still somewhat control Sandy, Joe and CJ. They get more freedom than other Sims I've had in the past on full autonomy though. I'm trying! hehe It's tough though for a micromanager like me. That's my long-winded way of saying, although I absolutely love the boys, I will be happy when they've moved out.
Yup, fresh brains and fresh air in Granite Falls! Yay! I love that world but don't play in it near enough, so I'm looking forward to playing with them there.
@LegacySims2017
Jake is such a sweetheart and a wonderful agent for helping DJ to use the media maker thingie to upload videos to his Simspace and I love how he always helps DJ with his auditions too.
Black Eyed Peas! Very cool. Did you make those Sims or download them? I know very little about this group, the one I know the most is Fergie. I have a pair of Fergalicious boots she either designed or sponsored for one thing. I love them! Very sweet of apl.de.ap to read lines with DJ.
Yeah, I figured he should spend some one-on-one time with his oldest Son since he's been spending so much time with CJ. It's understandable, but still, he loves to spend time with Joe and help him however he can too. hehe Well, I don't think he really was thinking about being an astronaut or figured someone he knew might, he was just a bored teen who happened to find himself in a rocketship parts factory. I like your explanation though, it is cool one of his Son just happened to want to be one in the end. Win-win for both eh?
I imagine Kris' convo with Jacob went something like what you said, yes. He would've been very vague about it.
I hope so too or maybe he'll get that perk where he doesn't need to get hair/makeup soon!
Aww, I love that cuddles screenshot. DJ looks so happy!
Looks like The Urbz gig went great! His red-head co-star is very cute! Hey, good for you! Great idea just taking the hit for a lower than gold rating while he's just starting out. I don't blame him for wanting to have his own look for the gig. He looks great too! I can see why some gigs might need a different look, but some of them are SO radically different, it's jarring. Why can't they at least keep their own hair color? Ah well...
HAHA Great explanation for my daily post pic of Cale looking so happy/excited! I love it! I hope he does like the rental, I took long enough renovating the darn thing. It was fun though.
@SoulGal7
Oh boy! Wooo! Look at you Dylan, Holy Simoly! Lovin' the eye candy! Thanks! hehe You'd never guess he was that muscular. I knew he was big, but Wow! Methinks Ms. Rory was liking the view as well and that's the reason she's pushing HARD to get him to join the Wildfangs for one things. Cool that he's now friends with the pack at least. We'll see if he actually joins them or the Moonwood Collective in a few days. So, so curious what his werewolf looks like! Great update!
@SoulGal7
@RememberJoy
@Karababy52
Looking forward to the rocket ship being completed and Joe taking a trip to space. Is he going to wait to fly until he gets that college degree? lol
I was able to clean up what I think they call a chaise lounge as well as a simple box bench.
Nice.
I sold the bench right away but kept the chaise lounge as I was so impressed by how well it cleaned up.
I was now out of fuel for my vacuum, so I shifted my focus to cleaning up and repairing a stove I'd found, which I was also able to turn around and sell right away.
After that, I took care of my bug boxes and was able to harvest some more fuel from them.
My dumpster was overflowing, so I spent the rest of the day sorting through it for recyclables and compostables as well as other treasures.
By the end of the day I was hungry and feeling a little lonely, so I took a shower and went over to the bar for some food and socialization.
I introduced myself to the barkeep and learned his name was Eric Lewis, that he didn't like fitness, but that he did enjoy listening to the Blues.
You can learn the oddest things about people in a bar.
Just as I was beginning to interview him on his thoughts about our current NAPs, the other bartender showed up and once again gave me that strange look.
Eric excused himself to head home for the night, and I figured I should do likewise.
Hi All! Based on what I just saw on a YouTube video about today's patch up-date when playing on Long, that your sims could just age up and die, I am going to wait a few days to play when EA issues an emergency patch. This apparently affects everyone, including vanilla players, which is me.
Here is the link to the video I watched. https://youtube.com/watch?v=i9HZ4pY33Go
I also did the update but didn't go into my save files. So just so everyone knows what is going on. Take care. Have a great day/night
Notes
While Cale finished preparing lunch for everyone, the boys took a jog around the lake to see what they could find. Hopefully they'd discover some of the rare plants that were supposed to be here.
They didn't find anything growing yet, but did find some interesting frogs and a couple new crystals. Oh and a set of cute twin girls that smiled at them from their campsite. They thought about going over to meet them until their Dad stepped out of the tent and glared at them. It was time to head back to the rental anyway.
After lunch, the boys went for another hike while Sandy decided to do a painting of the lake. Cale went to the information kiosk to ask about the rare plants in the area. He was told that not many were here in the campgrounds/rental area. Most could be found deeper in the woods of the National Park. Plus, if he could find the rumored hidden entrance to where a hermit lived, it was said that rare plants, insects and even rare fish could be found there.
The kiosk attendant looked around to make sure nobody else was near and leaned closer to the opening to whisper something to Cale.
"Look for a big fallen log behind the park hospitality building and then go due North to the granite rocks. You'll find the entrance hidden in some brambles. Shhh, don't tell anyone I told you and if you find it, be nice to the hermit. The dude's a friend of mine, okay?"
"Hey thanks! I won't tell anyone and I'll be nice." Cale said with a smile and then reached in the opening to shake the guy's hand who nodded and winked at him.
In the middle of the campground Cale checked out a giant wooden statue of the camp mascot.
Since Cale has enough handiness skills, he also was able to get the schematic to make a smaller version on a woodworking table. I'm thinking I'll have him make one as a souvenir of their trip. Those things can go for a lot of simoleans, but they don't need more so he'll probably only do the one.
Back at the rental Cale found a very irritated and angry CJ ranting and raving about some rude guy, cute girls and how life just wasn't fair. Obviously he was on the verge of a rampage and not making any sense.
Cale used his pacify skills to help CJ calm down, reminding him to take three deep breaths, let them out slowly and count to 10. Thankfully it helped to dispel CJ's rage.
Sandy wanted to check out the Don't Wake the Llama game set up on a table downstairs and asked her family to join her. They decided to play four rounds. Whoever didn't knock down all the pegs would win. If it happened they all knocked them down, they'd play elimination rounds until the last one to let the llama sleep would be the winner!
First to wake up the llama was Sandy.
Followed by Joe.
CJ was next. That left one more round with Cale the only one who hadn't woke the llama. If anyone but him lost this round, he would be the winner!
"YES! I win!"
"Dangit!"
"Anyone want to go fishing? Maybe we'll catch one of the rare fish or crawdads in the lake."
"Better chance of crawdads in the stream, let's try there first."
"Sounds good to me. Let's go."
It was a gorgeous day for just chillin' out and doing some fishing in the stream. Everyone had high hopes of catching something rare, but the fishing was very slow today. Lots of weeds, logs and minnows were caught, but nothing any bigger.
Cale was getting extremely annoyed. He was a pro at fishing and all he could catch was weeds.
Finally he did catch a normal everyday perch, but scoffed at it.
"Hmmpf, I could catch this at home. Big whoop!"
"You okay Dad? You seem a little tense."
"Yeah, I'm fine, just annoyed. I'll live."
Finally, Joe caught a yellow perch, one of the fish indigenous to the area. He was thrilled! Everyone smiled, happy for him when he shouted in excitement. Cale's annoyance melted away hearing the joy in his voice and seeing the happiness on his Son's face. It put things in perspective for him. He was glad Joe had caught it rather than himself. Nothing made him happier than knowing his family was happy.
It made coming here all the more worthwhile, even if they never found anything else to help find the cure here. Tomorrow they would go deeper in the woods and get serious about looking for what they'd come for. But today, they all needed this time to set their worries aside to just relax and have fun together.
Once darkness fell, they all headed back to the rental to hang out around the firepit, have a chat, watch the stars and roast some marshmallows.
"Gah! That's the third one I lost in the fire. Dangit!"
"Try putting the marshmallow farther back on the stick."
He tried Joe's advice, but lost another one anyway.
"How come yours don't fall off Dad?"
"I dunno, luck?" Cale managed to get out around a mouthful of marshmallow he'd roasted to a perfect toasty golden brown.
CJ finally managed not to lose a marshmallow, but it was burnt to a crisp.
"Ow, ow, ow, hoth, hoth, hoth! I burnth my thongue."
"Here, I'll roast one for you."
"Me too."
Unfortunately, this time Joe and Cale both lost their marshmallows.
"Dangit! Sorry Buddy."
"Opps!"
"Great, I'll never get a good one!"
CJ contented himself with eating a handful of 'raw' marshmallows instead. Cale asked if anyone would like to hear a ghost story. Which of course they all agreed might be fun to hear. Joe and Sandy groaned at the end and declared the story lame, but CJ was aghast with how scary it turned out to be. He loved it!
After the story, Joe and CJ got up to go inside. However, CJ looked back and noticed his Dad had an angry look on his face and a bright red aura surrounding him. Cale was slipping ever closer to a rampage. CJ went back to the firepit and tried to return the favor Cale had done for him earlier in the day.
"Deep breath...let it out....deep breath...let it out...again. Now count to 10."
Unfortunately, it didn't work. Cale had to try something else and fast or he was going to lose it.
Cale let out a somber howl in frustration. Thankfully it worked to lower his rage and delay a fully enraged state for the time being.
CJ went inside afterward. Cale and Sandy stayed outside to enjoy some time alone. Cale had brought out his guitar and picked it up to play a slow, sweet romantic song. Sandy closed her eyes, listening to the notes the one she loved coaxed from the instrument serenading her soul. When the song was finished, Cale put the guitar down and walked over to Sandy who stood up as he approached.
They shared some hugs and kisses under a sky full of stars and a first quarter moon. It felt like they were the only two here in the silent beauty surrounding them.
They pulled apart and just gazed into each other's eyes, speaking volumes without any words. Cale doused the fire and the two walked inside hand-in-hand to the bedroom.
And that's where I ended my play session. Tomorrow, their Monday, the family will travel to the National Park area and the Deep Woods. The day after is a full moon. I haven't decided if they'll stay in Granite Falls for that, or not take the risk and send them home to be near the rage rooms. We shall see...
Ah, okay, cool. I guess they're a popular group, or perhaps used to be back in the day when that spin-off was created anyway. Makes sense that Jake would want to see DJ succeed since it means money in both their pockets.
@SoulGal7
Once inside I presented a gift to Bess I'd put together in appreciation for their hospitality.
It was one of the scented candles I'd made, and she seemed really touched that it was something I'd created. In return she gave me some orange dye to use on future candles which was unexpected and very kind of her.
I asked how their nooboo was doing, and she led me upstairs to introduce me to little baby Kian.
Aww! So cute!
Jules called us downstairs for the grand feast and we all sat down to a delicious turkey dinner.
The toddlers ate on the floor, but we had a lovely chat all the same.
After dinner, Jules took little Kaci over to the stereo and started to dance with her.
Of course it looked like so much fun that we all had to join in!
I love impromptu dance parties, even when it's just to Winterfest music.
As evening descended, we gathered around the beautifully decorated tree to open some gifts.
Bess handed me one and said she'd made it just for me.
I opened it to find a hand carved rabbit statue, and almost started tearing up in gratitude for her thoughtfulness.
After all the presents were opened, we gathered back around the tree to sing some carols together.
It felt so amazing being part of a family again, and I suddenly had a overwhelming desire to hold Kaori and give her a kiss.
As I helped clean up dinner, I heard a familiar jolly laugh behind me and turned to find Father Winter!
I grinned and went over to give him a hug, but as I did so, he put a finger up to his lips and motioned for me to stop and look behind me.
Kaori!
I pulled her into a sweet kiss and we just held each other for a blissful moment.
As we pulled apart she faded away and was gone as quickly as she had appeared. I turned back to Father Winter and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you", I whispered before letting him go, "I needed that."
He just winked and went back to putting presents under the tree like nothing had happened.
Feeling warm and full of gratitude, I bid the Sterlings a happy Winterfest and walked back home to my cozy containers.
It truly was a magical Winterfest.
Notes
Very early the next morning Cale and CJ went on a hunt for food. They both had a craving for fresh raw meat. The packaged store variety in the fridge just wasn't fresh enough for their particular needs. I think the thrill of the hunt in a new area may have added to it too.
The park area they wanted to visit today wasn't open for another couple hours, so they had a game of Party Frenzy together to pass the time.
It seemed to be going well so far for all of them with no one dominating over the others.
Joe got what looked like an alarming text in the middle of the game.
"Are you gonna play or gawk at your phone?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. play, I guess."
"Bad news?"
"Um... I'll tell you later."
Can you tell by their faces who was the one loser in the bunch? The rest all won, which I really don't understand. Shouldn't there be only one winner instead of one loser?
They left for the heavily forested area of the park after changing clothes and packing a few supplies including camping equipment in case they decided to stay in the woods overnight.
They spent some time wandering around the woods, taking samples of any plants they didn't recognize and a few interesting bugs not available back home. Sandy saw something intriguing and called everyone over to take a look.
"Does that look like an entrance to somewhere to you?"
"Yup! And I know where it goes too, I hope. Remember what I told you the kiosk attendant told me?"
"Ooo that's right! I bet that's it. Cool!"
"I'll take a look first to make sure. You guys keep looking around, but stay close. I'll come back to get you if my suspicions are correct."
"Psst, hey, what was that text all about?" CJ whispered to Joe.
"I don't want to get into it right now Dude, later." Joe whispered back.
"That bad huh?"
"No, no, not bad, just... surprising."
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Nothing!" The boys said in unison.
"Okay, well let's look around like your Dad asked, but don't go too far."
CJ found an interesting looking plant almost right away a few feet from the brambles opening. When he picked a flower from it, it made his hand burn a little.
(Ow! What is this stuff?)
Joe found some weird looking bugs he'd never seen before.
Sandy noticed what looked like a crystal sticking out of a rock hidden in some weeds. She chiseled the rock it was stuck in with some tools she'd brought along. She smiled when the red and orange stone fell in her lap. It looked like the burning flames of a fire. She couldn't wait to take it home and research what it might be.
"Dad's been gone a long time, do you think he's okay? I'm getting a little worried."
"Of course he's okay, right, he's okay, okay? Why'd you have to say that? Now I'm worried. Great."
"Now I'm getting worried too. Maybe we should go in there and make sure."
"Shh, wait a second, I think I hear something."
What she heard was Cale coming back to collect his family. They'd found the entrance to the hermit's home area. He couldn't wait to show them, especially a beautiful waterfall falling over a large hill of rocks into a crystal clear pool of water. Of course one of the first things they wanted to do was try to catch a legendary Mountain Lion fish said to be only available in a certain area of the park. This had to be it.
The area was beautiful even if only the second day of Spring. Cale hoped they could come back later in the Summer and experience it when everything was fully green and the flowers were blooming. Sandy ended up catching, not one, but two of the Mountain Lion fish. CJ caught a shower tarp and a red crawdad. Joe caught a red & a blue crawdad, while Cale caught a Rainbow fish and a couple walleye. It seemed to be good fishing here for all of them.
After awhile, Cale went exploring, but kept his family in view, just in case. They would all go looking around together later. He saw something he thought was just a stick, until it moved!
By the time he reached it, there were two of them. Could he catch them before they got away?
Got 'em!
A group of large, brilliant blue butterflies caught his eye next. He'd seen butterflies similar, but these were larger and more brightly colored.
"Gotcha!"
(Sandy's going to love these!)
He was able to get three of them. One would be used to experiment for the cure, but he planned to gift the other two to Sandy since they were her favorite color.
Not too far away he found a garden area surrounded by rocks obviously fashioned that way by someone. If this was the hermit's garden, he hoped the guy didn't mind if he picked a couple of two varieties of mushrooms growing in there. He didn't know what kind they were, but was excited to find out once they went back home to their lab.
Poor Cale, he'd been plagued by mosquitos ever since they'd arrived, apparently now fleas were after him again too.
(Dangit! Should've brought bug spray!)
Who in their right mind leaves fishing at such a beautiful spot to break into someone's house and gawk at a statue of a rooster? Apparently Joe, that's who. What the heck Dude?
(Rooster? I thought they were called a-"
Don't say it! It's a rooster! Got it?
(Okay, okay, whatever.)
I can't believe how fast the rage raises for Cale & CJ here. Tomorrow is a full moon for them so maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, CJ reminded his Dad how to calm down and the rage lowered to an acceptable level. At least for now.
"Dang mosquitos! Leave me alone! Gawd, these things are HUGE!"
"I'm getting a headache. Ugh!"
These two may not be raging, but they are still tense and every little thing seems to annoy them lately. I think the beasts inside them are craving to come out and enjoy the wilderness here. Perhaps I'll let them go on an unfettered rampage at least once before they go back home and hopefully find a cure.
Nothing but nature out here; rocks, plants, bugs, streams, lakes, plus miles and miles of trees with not many people. What could go wrong, am I right? Right? o.O
Hope y'all are having a fantastic day/night!
Notes
Since it was getting dark now, Sandy and the boys set-up camp while Cale went to see if he could find the hermit. He found the guy outside his shack making some kind of concoction on a grill. After introductions, the two had a chat. Cale asked if it was okay he'd taken a couple mushrooms from his garden. The hermit said that was fine since there was more than he could ever eat by himself anyway. He even offered to give Cale a sample of his Fungal Infusion Fertilizer along with the recipe for it. Of course he accepted with gratitude.
The hermit also gave Cale some tips on where to find a rare insect called the Will-o-Wisp, which only thrived and survived in this area of the park and only came out at night. Cale thanked the guy for everything and invited him to hang out at their campsite and meet his family. The hermit said he just might do that as Cale walked away with a wave and a smile.
On his way to where the rare insect could supposedly be found, Cale saw a group of fireflies. Though they weren't uncommon or rare, he still decided to catch a few anyway. Perhaps they were a different variety than in other worlds.
He saw a brilliant blue glow not far away and walked excitedly in that direction. The closer he got, the louder an eerie kind of music the insect seemed to be emitting became. It wasn't very easy to catch, it kept floating away just out of reach as if teasing him. But finally he was able to fool it, by pretending to walk away and quickly whirled around to grab it.
"Ohhh Yeahhh! Gotcha Wispie!"
Back at the camp his family had set-up, Cale was delighted to see the Hermit had indeed wandered over to spend some time with his family. He was a little surprised the man actually did since he seemed a bit shy and professed to be a loner. I guess even loners, at least some of them, like to have company now and then.
He and Sandy sat down together and shared some snuggles and kisses while the boys talked to each other and the Hermit. That is, until the guy decided to take a nap. He must've had a long day or something.
"Hey, is now a good time? Nobody's paying attention to us. What was in that text?" CJ whispered to Joe.
"Oh, well..."
"Here, go ahead, read it." Joe said somewhat apprehensively, watching his brother's face for any reaction.
"Oh...Wow, uh, did you text back yet?"
"No, I don't know what to say. What can I say? I never expected to get a text like that, especially from...him."
"hehe Cale!" Sandy whispered, barely able to restrain her giggles.
"I mean, I like the guy, he's a friend. But...not like that."
"They'll hear us, you're so naughty!" Sandy whispered to Cale.
"Not if we're quiet. They're busy on their phones and talking to each other. Come on, I know you want to, you're just as naughty as I am."
"hehe You got me there."
Cale and Sandy got up and silently went into their tent together. Joe and Cale were too distracted with the text Joe had received to even notice. But someone did...
"I get it. You're not into Dudes. Maybe he meant go as friends? Lemme see that again."
I guess the Hermit decided it was time to go home and give this family some privacy. Or maybe he simply didn't want to sleep on a log anymore and wanted his own soft bed.
"It says, 'Wanna go to the prom with me, Buddy?' Sounds like friend zone to me."
"Yeah, I'm probably freaking out for nothing. Maybe he just couldn't get a date, but still wanted to go or something."
"That would be my guess."
"But what if...what if he meant like...a date?"
"I dunno...uh, you could answer back something like, 'Sure, Buddy, unless I can get a date' and see what he says? I'm guessing you don't have a date if you're even considering going with him, right?"
"Nah, I don't. No time to ask lately and I don't know who I'd ask anyway. I wasn't even planning on going at all."
The two continued to discuss Joe's text for awhile, totally oblivious, until they got tired and crawled into their own little tent to get some sleep.
The next morning before anyone was awake, Cale went out looking for more insects and plants. Today he found some colorful beetles In the same place he found the walking sticks yesterday.
"Ugh, how much longer are we staying here?"
"What's your hurry? It's so nice and peaceful here."
"Yeah, it's pretty but, but, the mosquitos are driving me crazy!"
"Alright, I know. He should be back soon. Joe and I will start transportalating stuff home after I finish my granola."
"I can start now Mom, take your time. It's cool."
"Aww, thanks Joe!"
"I'll meet you boys at the brambles."
"Dang, wish I'd brought my broom too."
Joe took the time during the walk to the exit from the Hermit's haven to text his friend about prom. He took CJ's advice and texted he'd go with him if he couldn't find a date, hopefully making it clear he meant as a friend.
(Maybe I should've made it clear? He'll get it, won't he?)
Cale used his cell to jot down some notes about the plants, insects and other things they'd found in this area.
Joe got a text back almost instantly that said, 'It's coo Bud! Lemme know soon tho so I can ask someone else if you can't go with me. Hope ya can tho, be more fun hangin out w/you.'
He sent a copy of the text to his brother.
(Whew! I think he did mean as friends. Right?)
(Sounds like it, yep!
(Yeah. I guess. Maybe. I don't know. I gotta think about it.)
Back in the forested area of the park, the family spread out to see what they could find here. They'd found the brambles opening almost instantly and hadn't really took much time to do that before. They would meet up in a couple hours or so at the big waterfalls fishing area. Cale used his phone to take notes again of anything he found as he enjoyed the natural beauty of the area.
Sandy and the boys were already fishing as Cale made his way over there. He was thrilled to come upon a group of Monarch butterflies since they were now on the endangered species list. He decided they'd only use one of them as a last resort if nothing else worked to make a cure. The other two or perhaps all three would be donated to a butterfly garden at his old alma mater, Foxbury.
Cale wondered if there was any other kinds of fish indigenous to the area they might catch. However, it didn't matter. This time fishing together was just for fun and relaxation in a peaceful and very beautiful part of the park before they went back home.
They were even blessed with a rainbow made from the sun shining on the mist of the waterfall. The silence here was only broken by the call of a pair of majestic Bald eagles gliding on thermals above them and the roar of the falls. The pool of water was so crystal clear, they could see the rocky bottom very easily here.
But then, CJ let out a guttural growl and threw down his pole. He was filled with rage out of nowhere. Cale tried to pacify him, but it was no use. His Son howled sadly in frustration as Cale swatted at a swarm of pesky mosquitos that never left his side.
One of Cale's baby Mamas, Caroline Albright, looked around with a look of surprise or fright? I thought perhaps it was over hearing CJ howl, but...
It was actually because of some guy in a pathetic bear suit running around trying to scare people.
"You should be ashamed of yourself Dude. What are you trying to prove?"
"D'uh, I dunno. I guess I'm not smarter than the average bear? Uh...RAWR!"
"Cut it out Mister, you're annoying the lady."
"Mind your own business Sonny....uh...ROAR!"
"You don't scare me, but I bet I could scare you. Don't test me." CJ said and let out another terrifying guttural growl in warning.
"Whoa! You better than me kid. Teach me how to do that!"
"Tsk, I'm outta here." Caroline said and walked away with a frown.
CJ thought about transforming to scare the heck out of this bozo, but thought better of it. If he did, he wouldn't be any better than the clown in the bear suit.
Cale had been watching what was going on and walked over to take CJ aside.
"Come on, let's do some cloud-gazing Son." He said loudly glaring at the 'bear' as he hustled CJ over to a patch of grass.
The 'bear' just stood there in confusion wondering why they weren't scared of him, everybody else would scream and run away. He got such a thrill out of it.
"You guys are no fun." He yelled and then tried to scare Skye Savant, one of Cale's daughters who'd come over to fish. She immediately threw down her pole and pulled out her cell to send a text.
"I'm reporting you to the Forest Ranger unless you go away right now!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going. You guys have no sense of humor. Oh! Wait! Is that a pick-a-nicka basket? It IS! I uh, better go get Boo Boo, he'll wanna share it with me."
"You do that Yogi." She said and rolled her eyes.
After cloud gazing for a while, Cale and CJ went on a hunt for food and said they'd meet Sandy and Joe at the entrance to the park in an hour to transportalate back to the rental. By the time they arrived back from the hunt with some fresh meat for later, everyone was more than ready to go. Especially Joe who was now also being attacked by mosquitos.
"Are you two okay? You look a little...tense."
"Yeah, fine, let's go already."
"Don't snap at your Mother!"
"Sorry."
"Oh boy, maybe we should just go home tonight after we pack up. I think the two of you are getting a bit...grumpy."
"Fine by me."
"Alright, hold on while I cast the spell."
Sandy transportalated them all back to the rental to pack and leave Granite Falls. It had been a successful trip and they were all eager to get back to the lab and finally, hopefully find a cure with the additional resources they'd found in the forest and at the Hermit's haven. It was also a full moon in just a few hours. Cale and CJ's rage was increasing at an alarming rate so they also wanted to be near the rage rooms, just in case...
I hope y'all are having a great day/night!
@RememberJoy
@SoulGal7
Understandable. I was shocked about the "sibling" portion of that video. I think EA/Maxis were in a hurry to get the update out, they didn't count what can happen as we noticed by that player.
@Karababy52
July 27th Comments:
@Karababy52
@RememberJoy
July 28th Comments:
@RememberJoy
@Karababy52
Today Adam worked on a bunch of candles for his aspiration until he passed out in his bathroom. Hey, at least it wasn't outside in the rain this time!
Still hasn't been able to make 20 candles though, and I don't think he's going to make it to the top of his career by the end of the month, so I might have to jump back into it at a later date.)
Notes
No story mode for today, just the daily post pic. We've been gone most of the day. Got up very early without much sleep this morning to go pick up our portion of a 1/2 beef we bought with our Son, then went back to their house after storing it in our freezer and had a very nice afternoon/evening grilling steaks, tossing a football around and just hanging out playing with our grandchildren. We just got home a few minutes ago. It was a fantastic day/night, one of the best of the Summer in my opinion. However, I'm exhausted and don't have the energy to put together a story tonight. I apologize for it, but comments/replies will have to wait until tomorrow too. I hope you understand. And, I hope everyone of you had a great day/night too!
However, I'm glad I took the advice of crinrict to go in game options and check what life span your Sims have before going in live mode. Aging was already off for everyone, but the life span I had for Cale at first was on Long, so that was still there though greyed out which, can still trigger the aging bug. I just changed that to normal and put them back on no aging and all is good. So far, the only thing that I don't like is how much they're on their cells now, but I tried to incorporate that into the story so it was a bit plausible. I won't get HSY until the emergency patch comes out some time next week according to The Sims.
Ah, yes, some singers do go into acting, I've noticed that too. The last time I heard anything about the Black Eyed Peas is when they did the Superbowl halftime show years ago.
I adore the Hermit's area too, I love that entire world! As you know by now the hermit was a guy, I've had both genders too. Yeah, lots of possibilities with the hermit, but I'm running out of time to end the month and wrap things up, so I didn't do much with him. Cale did get the fertilizer recipe from him though. Hadn't really thought about having him have anything to do with the cure. You always have such great ideas! If I had more time I might've done more with the hermit. Sorry...
You're right, yup, don't like those bears. But I did have fun making something up for it's appearance. It just came over there on their own, I didn't dress up a Sim and make them appear, just some rando NPC.
I spent the morning and afternoon making more candles and playing with the strays that had adopted me.
As evening descended, I went outside to enjoy the snow and ended up making both a snowangel and a snowpal.
As the sun set on the last day of winter, I headed over to the bar to celebrate New Year's Eve with my Evergreen Harbor friends.
We played foosball, and Tina and I soundly beat the Sterlings 5-0!
After we said goodnight and wished each other a happy New Year, I went into the bar to watch the midnight countdown.
There were a bunch of sims in there, and many of them were dressed up in old fashioned costumes, so there must have been a theme to this party that I missed the memo on.
At midnight we blew trumpets, sang, and toasted in the new year.
I even ordered some fish and chips for this special occasion.
By 1:00 I was yawning and knew I needed to get home to bed if I didn't want to face plant again, so I wished everyone a Happy New Year and trudged home through the snow.
I kind of wonder what this new year will have in store for me?
Notes
Back home from Granite Falls, Cale and his family worked hard and long together experimenting using the plants, insects and other things they'd dug up there in their quest to find a cure for lycanthropy.
As their supplies began to dwindle, Cale started to feel a bit resigned to the fact they might never find the cure. What were they missing? Were his suspicions incorrect? Perhaps the Moonpetal flower and Wolfbane weren't the key ingredients. Nothing they combined with the two individually worked.
(Wait! What about combining the Moonpetal with Wolfbane? Just those two?)
They had tried every other combination with every other plant, insect and minerals using either Wolfbane or samples from the Moonpetal, why not just the two together? It seemed so obvious, maybe too obvious? It was worth a try anyway.
Cale carefully combined these two precious ingredients in a vial and placed it in the centrifuge. While it was spinning, he prepared a beaker with an activator solution he'd devised specifically for their experiments.
When he'd mixed other plant combinations in it with a drop of his blood or CJ's and gave it a stir, the blood droplet would break apart. However, the human portion would mix with the solution, but the werewolf blood would stubbornly stay intact, completely unaffected.
When the centrifuge stopped spinning, Cale carefully removed the vial and poured the solution into a beaker. The beaker glowed a brilliant white at first, as expected. This was nothing new, it had happened every time they'd used it in their experiments.
However, this time, the white glow began to morph into blue and then purple, pulsing and swirling between the three in the beaker.
(That's new. Okay, here goes the final test.)
Cale grabbed a syringe filled with a sample of his own blood, hovered the tip over the beaker and depressed the plunger. A drop plopped into the solution which promptly split apart with a tiny explosion. He'd not had a chance to even mix it together in the solution before getting a reaction. However, the werewolf portion of his blood was still there, but it seemed a bit smaller in size.
( Hmm, maybe I just don't have the ratio correct?)
He had used a one Moonpetal to one Wolfbane ratio, which seemed to partially work, but it wasn't near enough to completely destroy his werewolf blood.
Cale kept experimenting, trying different ratios between the two ingredients. Each time the werewolf part of his blood would lessen, but would not be completely removed. His rage increased with every failed experiment as the full moon glowed above, but he ignored it pushing onward in excitement. He was so close, he could feel it!
And then, the rage engulfed him and he transformed right there in the lab as CJ watched. Sandy and Joe immediately transportalated upstairs upon seeing what was happening.
CJ stayed behind to try to appeal to his Father to go into a rage room and not destroy any of the lab equipment. Somehow he'd been able to get through to him, perhaps because they shared a werewolf kinship and were packmates.
CJ remained near the locked door listening to see if his Father could regain control. Thankfully, Cale was able to do it quickly, though his rage once again began to immediately increase, influenced by the full moon.
"Dad? Are you okay now?" CJ asked, not hearing any howling or snarling, or sounds of his Father destroying anything in a fit of angry, uncontrollable rage.
"I'm fine, I have control over it. At least for awhile. Let me out, okay?"
CJ unlocked the door and Cale walked straight back into the lab with his Son hot on his heels. Cale explained about his experiments with the Moonpetal and Wolfbane, which of course got the boy very excited. The two began trying different ratios together.
Sandy and Joe came back to the lab after a little while and were told about Cale's discovery. Everyone was extremely optimistic now and thrilled they were apparently very close to finding the cure. With nothing to do but watch and wait, Sandy and Joe offered to go harvest more Moonpetal flowers and Wolfbane since their supplies were running dangerously low. It was imperative especially to harvest more Moonpetals since they only bloomed under a full moon.
While they were gone, a miracle happened in the lab. With a scream of triumph, Cale watched as the werewolf part of his blood was completely destroyed in a brilliant explosion of white and purple colored smoke bursting out of a beaker. The correct ratio turned out to be three Moonpetals to ten Wolfbane. Incredibly, against all odds, he'd found the cure for lycanthropy...
Cale made two samples of the solution; one for himself, one for CJ and poured them into a couple glasses to drink. In hindsight, they probably should've tried taking the cure in the rage rooms in case something went wrong, but Cale was confident it would work. He brought the drinks upstairs to the livingroom and set them on the coffee table.
CJ could barely contain his excitement, cheering and clapping his hands in joy! He'd never wanted to be a werewolf and had felt an underlying sense of remorse and sadness every time he thought about how he had bit and turned his own Father. Cale had of course assured him it wasn't his fault, he knew his Son didn't have control over his actions at the time. But, the guilt still continued to plague CJ though he'd come to somewhat accept their fate.
Now, he felt a sense of relief it would be over soon. It seemed the phrase, 'you can't change fate' wasn't entirely true in some circumstances. Yes, they'd probably been fated to be werewolves, but that fate wasn't permanent. At least he hoped so. They'd soon find out!
(Please, please, I pray to the Watcher this works!)
Cale picked up his drink and drained the glass. He immediately began to feel the effects spreading throughout his body. His eyes began to glow and he had a massive headache like none he'd ever experienced in his life. It was 10 times worse than the headaches he would experience after transforming to and from a werewolf.
"AHHH! Maybe you should wait CJ! I feel like my head is going to explode!"
"Maybe I should, but I can't, I won't. I have to know, I have to take that chance. I won't let you die alone if that's what happens. We're doing this together!"
CJ quickly gulped down the hoped for cure and immediately began to feel the same effects as his Father.
Cale was lifted into the air and began to spin, faster and faster as CJ grabbed his head and screamed over the frightful pain.
The werewolf in Cale burst in a blinding bluish white explosive light from his chest as purple, black and golden waves of smoke flew outward from all over his body, filled with the werewolf hair that had covered his body. The smoke dissipated as Cale floated softly back to the floor. The beast inside him was gone. He felt a sense of calm and relief without a morsel of rage coloring his emotions.
Cale watched as his Son went through the same transformation back to his former entirely human self. He smiled and then began to laugh in stunned happiness with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.
CJ ran over to his Father and grabbed him to hold on tight in a loving embrace.
"Oh my GAWD! We did it! YOU did it! I can't believe it! We're cured. Thank you, thank you so much, I love you Daddy!" CJ said in a shaky voice, sobbing his heart out in gratitude and relief.
"We did it Son, all of us, together! I love you too."
*Note - I noticed that both of them can still howl if they want to. Must be a small reward or something from being a former werewolf. Pretty cool!
Sandy and Joe had been waiting outside on the porch until they knew the cure had worked. They'd arrived right when Cale and CJ were going through the transformation. Sandy was a little upset they didn't wait for them to be there or the fact they'd not taken the cure in the rage rooms as a precaution, but she quickly got over it since it didn't really matter in the end.
After the family had a small celebration together, toasting each other with glasses of Sweet & Spicy and turning on the stereo to dance with joy for awhile, Cale and CJ went to visit Kristopher at his house to tell him the good news. It seemed somehow Kris knew they were coming. He was waiting for them outside when they arrived. CJ went inside to find Jacob, while Cale had a chat with the Alpha of the Moonwood Collective.
"We did it Kris, we found the cure! CJ and I took it earlier tonight and it appears to have worked!"
"Yes, as packmates, we all can feel and sense each other. I knew something had changed with both of you as soon as it happened. Congratulations, you've managed to do what others have not for centuries. I had a feeling you were special since the moment I met you Cale, and I was right. I will admit I am a bit sad you have decided you do not wish to remain werewolves, but can understand your reasons for wishing to be simply human again. However, you and your Son will always remain part of the pack."
"Thanks, it still doesn't seem real, it's truly a miracle! We'll always remain friends Kris, that will never change. I'll continue to be an emissary for werewolves too. We'll also spread the word of the cure now and give you the recipe to make it yourself, if you'd like. For yourself and for anyone else that might like to take it. I have a feeling you won't take it though."
"You are correct. Being a werewolf is just who I am, I was born this way. I thank you for the offer though and I will gladly accept the recipe for others to make."
"We'll be going back home now Kris, I hope you understand. This isn't goodbye though, it's see you soon, okay?"
"I thought you might, I understand. I'm so glad I met you Cale, and your family, despite the circumstances that made it so. You'll be a hero to so many now, I hope you're ready for that."
"Oh, well, I have a bit of prior experience with people thinking that way about me, it'll be alright. Ever heard of StrangerVille?"
"Oh my, you're the Hero of StrangerVille? I am not surprised, I should've known."
"Yeah, well, the same as with finding the cure, I didn't do it by myself. I had great teammates. We did it together!"
"Always so humble, I love that about you Cale. Stay that way Son."
"Hey, Jacob tells me he's working hard to get into a university after high school. He said he wants to be a scientist too, just like I do. Dad gave Joe a place to live while he goes to Uni this Fall. It's huge, used to be a factory! Dad's going to fix it up for him and I'll be living there with him. I want to attend Foxbury where Dad went and Jacob says he's applied there too. Do you think... maybe, hopefully, Jacob could live there with us, when he goes to Uni?"
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather he lived with than you CJ, and your brother. Let's wait to see if he gets accepted, I'm sure he will though, but I'm not opposed to that idea at all. I know how close the two of you have become. It warms my old werewolf heart. Good luck with everything you do in life CJ, you're a great kid. Not surprising considering you have such a great Father. He taught you well."
"Ohhh Yeahhh! Jacob's going to be so geeked! Thanks Kris, I hope you know how much I admire you."
"And I you dear boy. I will miss both you until we meet again."
Cale and CJ left after that to make their way to the top of Howling Point where the only Moonpetal flower plant known to exist was located. Since it was still a full moon for a few hours, they wanted to take advantage and harvest the rare and precious flower to make more of the cure. So far every time he had tried to plant one of the flowers in his own garden, it would not propagate.
Of course he already knew the plant was rare, but this fact made it even more precious. There was something mystical about this plant and he wondered who had put it here. He suspected perhaps it was a Spellcaster from long ago since it was obviously made of powerful magic. He was positive the fact it had survived and thrived only here for centuries wasn't a coincidence.
*Note - Speaking of magic, Spellcasters that know the Copypasto spell can use it to make duplicate glasses of the cure! Cale had enough ingredients to make more, but out of curiosity, I had Sandy try that spell on it.
"Hey slowpoke, took you long enough to get up here."
"Yeah, well, there are some things I'll miss about not being a werewolf anymore, like tunneling anywhere. Had to get here the boring old human way. Not that I'm complaining!" CJ said with a chuckle.
"I know, believe me. I'll miss some things too, but not enough to want to be one again. Even knowing there's a cure for it now."
"I love how we can be up here with the full moon and just enjoy it now too, thanks to you."
"Props to you Dad, despite what you think, you'll always be a Hero to me."
The Conrads will soon be saying goodbye to Moonwood Mill, at least for now. They'll take many memories with them of their time here, some good, others, not so much. But they will always have ties here in the form of friends and packmates. Plus, the world itself will always call to the tiny part left inside them of who they were and are, forever.
@LegacySims2017 -
June 7 - Okay, a romantic cuddle with Paige is always welcome
June 8 - Woot! Steamy Kevin and DJ!
Your comment on DJ's styling in my story - I had to give DJ the "Paolo" hairstyle so he had some hair sticking out from that hat I put on him. And that claw mark just added to his look. DJ - Financial Investor by day - bada** badboy by night!
@RememberJoy -
Jul 24 -Fun times on prank day and getting those shocked looks when Adam adds soap to the fountain. lol Scandal! Oh no! Love the shot of that 1/2 moon as Adam is walking along the docks.
Jul 25 - Adam's place is looking really good. Oh gosh! Fish chowder cat bum meal! lol
July 26 - I love that machine to just whip those burned items into usable items again.
July 27 - Lovely that Bess invited Adam over for Winterfest...and they certainly have a houseful of kids. Such a wonderful Winterfest gift that Father Winter gave Adam, and lo and behold Kaori appears and he gives her a kiss. Now that was a nice Winterfest kiss come true. That Father Winter is a secret romantic, I think.
July 28 - Love that Adam now has a flower making station. And in one of those photos, it looks like Adam is going to suck up those 3 cats sitting on the desk! lol
July 29 - Poor Adam...all that candle making is tiring him out. Sorry that your arm is bothering you. Hope you feel better soon. *hugs*
July 30 - Fun times at the bar for New Year's. Everyone is in vintage costumes...lol...wow, and Adam even splurged and bought some fish and chips for the occasion.
@Karababy52 -
July 24 - Nice shot of Cale against the snow background.
July 25 - Very nice vacation house reno. Love the fireplace area. The 2 levels of windows at the dining area is gorgeous.
July 26 - Nice shot of CJ & Joe running with the lake and the birds flying in the background. I do love all the photo ops for Granite Falls. A nice day together playing Don't Wake the Llama, and eating marshmallows by the fire. And, of course, trying to calm down before the rage hit.
July 27 - Wonderful that they found the Hermit's Area. That waterfall is so lovely, and great fishing for everyone. Love that they caught a shower tarp! lol Yes, out in the woods probably the beast within is wanting to run wild.
July 28 - Nice that they found the Hermit, who joined them at the campfire and then promptly fell asleep. And then left after Sandy and Cale had some intimate tent moments. lol I also see how you incorporated the "excessive phone usage" into your story with the new High School pack "prom" idea. lol And, of course, a "fake" bear shows up to get CJ all riled up. Yes, time to head home for sure.
July 29 - Looks like the whole family is working together on the cure.
July 30 - Ah yes! The Moonpetal flower!
Today's Accomplishments:
Master Maker
- Craft 20 candles
Then it was back to candle making again. I have a personal goal of creating 20 unique candles, and I only had a few to go!
By mid-afternoon I finally reached my goal and let out a whoop of excitement, unintentionally scaring some of my furry friends who just so happened to be hanging around.
Sorry guys.
I returned to my garden and started to put together a holly bouquet when I heard a knock at my front door.
I went to investigate and found Knox waiting for me. He asked if he could borrow my recycler and I gave my permission.
Hey, at least he asked this time!
We had a good chat afterwards and I told him that if I ever had to pick up and leave in a hurry, he was welcome to my recycler.
That reminded me, I needed to write a note in case of my disappearance. I pulled out some paper after Knox left and scribbled out a rough draft of an explanation. I was feeling pretty sleepy, so I decided to polish it up later. I tucked my letter into a desk drawer and crawled up into my bunk for a quick nap.
And then it happened.
I was awoken into a trance like state where I was aware of my actions, but not in control of them.
I found myself climbing down my ladder and approaching a dark figure standing near my bedroom door.
The figure had glowing yellow eyes and that seemed to dance with a dark malice, and I noticed a sneer slithering across his face as he raised his hands to send me even deeper into my trance.
I could feel him pull me towards him and was unable to resist what I knew was coming next.
With practiced ease my assailant suck his teeth into my neck and began to drink deeply. At each draw I could feel myself falling further and further into a deep pit of darkness until I was only hanging by a thread of awareness.
Just as I was about to pass out he released me, and I stumbled out of my bedroom doors in a futile attempt to escape. I had only gone a few steps when the thread of consciousness broke, and I collapsed into a heap in the snow.
As my site faded to black, I watched my captor follow me outside and grin over my prone body.
I was both excited and terrified at the thought of where I might find myself when I regained consciousness.
Afterhit, shower to theshrinken gym, to fit the climbing walls. its very early sunday morning.
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
Notes
This is where Cale and Sandy will live in San Myshuno once I'm finished furnishing it! It will have an open floor plan for the kitchen/living/dining and garden area, one bathroom and one bedroom. They will move in tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on when I'm finished with it. I still need to renovate the factory for Joe and CJ too, but that might have to wait a bit. We shall see how it goes...
Hope y'all had a great day/night! I'll get started on comments/replies next!
Thank you about the vacation reno, the fireplace and dining areas are my two favorites as well. I'm very happy with how the entire build turned out.
Granite Falls is just gorgeous! Despite what some might think, I believe it has a lot of repeat playability. I love the aspiration that came with the pack too and all the build/buy/CAS, plus the cloudgaze/stargaze option. I use assets from this pack all the time! They had a great day together as a family, I think this is the first time they've spent so much time doing everything together. I loved playing it out with them.
hehe Always cracks me up they can catch that, CJ also caught a small tent! o.O Yeah, I should've let them run wild, but meh.
Love the Hermit's area so much, it's just so peaceful and beautiful. I think the Hermit had a very long day or something and yeah, he got out of there very fast once he realized what was going on in that tent. hehe Thank you! I was just going to cut those screenshots out, but thought to myself, no, let's see if I can use this somehow in the story. I think it turned out kind of plausible. I had fun trying to be creative with it anyway. Oh man, I SO wanted to have CJ transform into his werewolf form and scare the heck out of that bear, but it's just not something I feel he'd do. I could tell he wanted to do that though. hehe
Yes, they worked together right from the beginning trying to find the cure. It was very much a team effort.
@Ellupelluellu