I've been struggling to come up with a way for Rayvn and Judith to escape from Forgotten Hollow. Every time I come up with an idea I think it through and find a hole in the plot. So I tried to clear my mind with some decorating on Danielle and Londyn's home. The living room this time around. It's a fun challenge to create an environment with decorations to prevent the dreaded uncomfortable moodlet. It's easy to raise the mood score with paintings, but in a room almost entirely made up of windows you have to get creative. I'm loving the challenge. I didn't get a lot done because I took forever choosing just the right sofa. The one I chose, Suavis from Simcredible, gives me lots of slots on the back of the sofa/loveseat combo to place decorations.
If I can't figure out this Judith and Rayvn storyline soon I may do another Under The Tartosan Sun while I sort it out.
@permanentrose That was fun. Welcome Marigold! @DaniRose2143 That's looking lovely so far. It's hard to make a cozy space in such a big open floor plan and you've done beautifully! For the decor I suggest objects that can go on the floor, like rugs, dividers, large plants, maybe a freestanding sculpture or two.
@mightysprite Thank you very much.❤️ I love the rug idea. One of the things I love about that sofa combo is not only can I place flowers, plants, and knickknacks on the shelf that runs around the top I can also put them in the cubby holes down below too. The other trick is not blocking the views. This really is a fun challenge.
@BlueSeaWaves , thank you @LonelyWolfTales , yay, cannot wait to see the second part @DaniRose2143 , You make the house look so big!! great job so far! @permanentrose , they had great time in jungle Beatrix has been teen for so long in my game its "weird" to see her as a child still
Justine had another boring day at her job in Tartosan Mail.
After she got home , Lia invited her over to a festival in Sulani.
Lia did not even show up Justine had kava all by herself.
She had good time with the locals @Metior_Ice , thats Coraline these days, and i think blue dressed lady in next pic is yours too.
Everyone seemed to have good time.
Finally , when all was almost over,Lia showed up. (she was indeed coming all the time, she just walked all the way from other side of the hood)
They had fun. Not sure what's her problem in the background, tho.
Lia pulled the rose from her pocket autonomously , she was at flirty mood. She accepted it, what was a surprise as she was tense and in bad mood, still from work. And tired.
but I think she sensed the tired mood of Justine, as she started joking after that.
Back home, she painted a little, while listening that strange sad piano music what was coming every night from the villa uphill.
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..
Ah, thank you so much I missed posting here too! Owen left that detail out from Mikkel, but Jack's younger brother was captured by a different race Jack was supposed to get him to safety, but he let his hand go by accident and ran off without him.
Awww, Reese! Such a cute baby I can’t decide who’s cuter, him or Nora (both!), but I just love how he played peek a boo to cheer Collete up Such a shame her day at work didn’t go so well though. Going straight to the bar, that definitely can’t be good. Warner is a great friend! Wonderful to have someone like that around when you’re feeling down.
What an terrifying vampire screenshot Those poses are amazing, really give the creepy vibe. Also, really waiting forward to see how you decorate the movie lot on the inside! It looks so real from the outside and so does the cafeteria, I never stop being amazed at your builds
Thank you, your comments always cheer me up Oh, Ianto might look cute and naive on the outside, but on the inside he might be as much as an evil mastermind, and no one will ever know. His brain works in genius ways.
So funny how Scarlet first destroys the dollhouse and then feels bad about it, hehe. Those quirks really make the game trickier. And ahhh, poor William! Good thing he got spitted out
Ahhh, your family is just the cutest! My sims rarely leave their home lot, but your Selvadorada photos really inspire me to get out more. Such cuteness with the butterflies and sleeping bags and the baby in the carrier!
Ahh, if only there was a festival popping by every time I had a boring day at work Awesome for Justine! Looks like a great party. And seems like she really likes Lia, if she accepted the flirting while still feeling tense from work Ooh, is that a little cliffhanger there in the end?
Part two of my backstory update! Part one is two pages away
edit: deleted repeating bit somewhere in the middle!
"..."
"So Jack disappeared. Again. For another whole year. We didn't know where he was, what happened to him, we searched and searched... And then Ianto got a call."
"A call from Jack."
"He was a mess. And so was the place he stayed in."
"And in the centre of it all, there was you."
"The reason of all of our troubles."
"Don't move, Jack said. And Ianto didn't know it back then, but he was on the verge of death that moment. Anyone in his place wouldn't have listened, because hey—your long-lost boyfriend finally back and with a child? No one could resist to rush over to it. But not Ianto. Smart little Ianto didn't make a single step towards you—he just stared and quietly asked: Why? And Jack replied very calmly, very quietly:"
"Because I'll snap your throat."
"Why!?"
"Instinct. A very powerful and uncontrollable parental instinct to protect. Happens when you give birth to a psychic. Especially to a psychic that a comes from a race that will do anything to survive. You were literally linked to his brain, kid. You shared each others feelings. So the slightest feeling of danger and..."
"That's why he couldn't come to us. He couldn't leave you for a single second and he couldn't visit us with you because all it would take was one soft cry, and we'd all be ended. So he called the smartest person out of all of us. The person he trusted the most. And he told him what happened."
"Jack was captured on a ship that belong to the Venandi race. Your race. One of the most deadly creatures out there. Hunters. Killers. Life is a game they want to win. And who could possibly help them out more than Jack—the guy that owns Torchwood and knows every single government passcode and security breach out there?"
"But more then that... the Venandi's were always searching for ways to improve themselves. Become smarter, stronger, faster. More invincible. They are a product of mixing with various species, taking out their strong sides and throwing out the weak sides. After they found out that Jack can't die... they decided to kill two birds with one stone."
"He was impregnated against his own will. Left in a cell with little to nothing, monitored and observed."
"When you were born, they were left with an interesting result. You had different powers than them: you read emotions instead of thoughts. That's just so... human. Jack claims you've got the heart of a human and the body of a venandi. I'd say that's wishful thinking, but whatever. Point is, all venandi offspring's are mentally linked to the person who gave birth for their first few months. Everything they learn about life during that period is through the link. They get taught about hatred. The thrill of winning."
"Jack taught you love."
"Or at least he tried, I guess. He loved you with all of his heart. He wanted to be close— no, he needed to be close every single second. But he only got short periods with you while being carefully observed."
"The rest of the day, he was locked out. And that itself was suffering, but he tried to manage it. He tried to block out the pain because he knew you'll feel it, but..."
"That's when they'd come in. When he was weak, torn apart by the need to hold you close, they'd come in and ask questions. They wanted information. Passcodes. Military base locations. Everything."
"He refused to answer, of course. Our planet comes first—that's the rule. That's why we're doing this job—so no one else has to."
"And then they'd make one step."
"One single step towards you with each question he wouldn't answer."
"And another one."
"And another one."
"And he'd break down, he'd yell at them, he'd beg them to stop, because they could do anything to you. And oh, they were interested."
"Were you immortal? Could you die? What is the exact percentage of human blood in you? Which species dominates? So many things to examine..."
"They took you once. Took you out of his sight for an entire night, and that was a night of screaming, screaming his lungs out in that tiny little cell with no food, no water, the never turning-off light because why bother if he'll come back from the dead anyway?"
"And after that night, he broke."
"They let him look at you. See that you were unharmed."
"And then he told them everything."
"..."
"What, you think that's bad?"
"Owen does. Mikkel feels Owen's pain when he talks."
"...Sheesh, can't get anything past you, can I."
"Time went. You grew."
"Jack was running out of information he could give them."
"And he knew that when he does, they will take you away for good."
"So one day, he just had enough. He stole the freeze ray from one of the guards and shot him."
"Got you out."
"And ran off."
"He had to fight his way through a bunch of guards. Possibly died. Possibly not once. But he managed to land on a tiny escape shuttle in San My, and in the end of the day, there you were. Safe and snug."
"And we had to find out what to do with you."
"Jack wasn't in a good place at all. Not physically, not mentally. He had nightmares of the torture he went through every single night, he was constantly afraid of losing you and it was obvious he's not coming to work any time soon."
"Ianto... I feel like the only reason why he didn't search them out and end every single one of them was because he was too afraid to leave Jack like that."
"He comforted Jack as best as he could."
"And Jack believed him."
"He called me only a few weeks in, when Jack was comfortable with him being around Mikkel."
"I wasn't allowed to get close yet, obviously."
"But even there, as I stared at your little green face..."
"Ohhh. I knew we won't get along."
"Mikkel gets along with Owen!"
"Oh yeah? Tell that to your baby self!"
"So you obviously loved Jack."
"And you quickly got along with Ianto."
"But me? You hated me!"
"And I was the one doing all of the hard work. I taught you, I examined you, I was figuring out what the hell you are, while those two just showered you with love."
"You wouldn't eat anything human and Jack was running out of baby alien formula, so I had to create specific diets for you that would transition you to human food!"
"And you hated it. You hated the food, you hated the tests I ran on you, you hated the rolling over and the sitting up because you'd rather work on teething out your little butterfly wings than do normal human behaviour that we desperately needed so you wouldn't stick out."
"I taught you how to change to human form, for gods sake! And you hated that the most!"
"Everything I did just made you sad. And I hated being the bad guy, but someone had to put in the work. What if you were dangerous? What if you brought with yourself alien diseases? What if there's a part of your brain that hasn't evolved yet but will turn you into a killing machine when it does? You are half-human, which is a deadly race, and half-venandi, which is an even more deadly race! And don't get me started on being born by an immortal! We. Knew. Nothing."
"And those two just figured that showering you with love will be enough."
"Human lives were at stake, but no, we can't make poor little Mikkel go through another brain test, those are bad for him."
"Well what if he's bad for us?"
"I was just getting so. Tired. I kept my distance from you emotionally, because I knew that I find out something dangerous, I'll have to be the one to get rid of you. And because of that, I was getting driven away from Jack and Ianto too. I guess in a way... you replaced me. Kind of. It hurt. Seeing them coo over you, like this is all we are, like there never was the three of us."
"And one day, it happened."
"You suddenly decided to change to your alien form in front of the entire main square."
"And that was just the final straw. First I lost my relationship, then my city, now my job. I lost everything. And ever since that moment I kept thinking that if only there was a way to get back to my job, get back to my life... I'll be happy again."
"I'm kind of getting back now. And for some reason... For some reason, it's not working."
"Anyway, I suppose you know the rest, we moved to Henford, blah blah blah, end on story, any questions?"
"When is Owen coming back?"
"...uh. I can't, kid..."
"But why not? Owen isn't happy because Owen has to be with Jack and Ianto!"
"They won't want me. Not after what I did."
"Will too! They forgive you! They know you didn't mean it!"
"Okay, they won't want me because I'm just— I'm generally mean, if you haven't noticed."
"Owen is mean, but Owen is family!"
"...Because I don't like you?"
"Those are stupid, stupid, stupid answers! Ianto and Jack want Owen home! Mikkel wants Owen home! Why can't Owen come home!?"
"Okay, okay, just calm down! Look uh. It's not technically about them..."
"There's something I probably should show you."
Mikkel headed after Owen, all filled with confused thoughts. He has made a few things clear after what he heard. First of all, Owen desperately wanted to be loved. So desperate, when he finally got love, he just couldn't share it with anyone else. Mikkel forgave him for that. Second, Owen said he hated him because it was easier. It's so much easier to say that you're just all mean and bad than to admit that you are afraid of losing the people you love. Mikkel forgave him for that too. Mikkel had lived on this planet for a few years now—he learnt that human emotions are too hard and complex for themselves to control. But there was one thing he still couldn't understand: why couldn't Owen come home?
The answer was there. In the bedroom.
"There he is," Owen softly knelt down.
"Fell through the rift of time and space right on the doorstep of my trailer. Don't know what race he is, but I assume it has something to do with mind control because he's already tested that on me a few times during snack time. Called him Anders. No reason, really. Just seemed to fit..."
Mikkel looked down, unknown what to think of this.
Here's Emerald! Only Sapphire and Violet left It's not too long until Primrose becomes a toddler, and then Scarlet becomes a child the day after Harvestfest which is about two weeks away. Maybe I'll have Sapphire and Violet be twins.
Emerald has the Cautious trait. Since each sister has had a unique trait - Scarlet being sunny, Clementine (Clemmie) wiggly and Primrose being calm, I don't know if I'll use the other two on the upcoming babies, since I'm left with sensitive and intense. Maybe I could have one calm and one intense twin?
I think Emerald looks quite like Scarlet did - same eyes - but there's a bit of Primrose there too. I haven't posted many close-ups of Clemmie and Primrose though. Not sure what I should give Primrose as a nickname - Prim sounds a bit too like "prim and proper"; it means that you're very formal/correct in your attitude. So maybe Rosie? And then Emerald can be Em or Emmy. I don't know about Scarlet. Scar sounds kinda harsh, and then Lettie just makes me think of lettuce, and here in the UK calling someone a "wet lettuce" is a way of calling them wimpy/loser/over-sensitive.
Unsure if this is due to the recent update and I haven't checked Neighbourhood Planner, but after switching a community space to a community garden, Agatha Crumplebottom - garden shop owner from Cottage Living - showed up.
Then a second Agatha Crumplebottom showed up again... Then behold, a third...
And all three Agatha Crumplebottoms started talking to each other and hanging out.
Am unsure if they're physically separate sims, or some kind of clone. But now every time my sims visits the community garden, there's always 3 Agatha's chilling out there.
Unsure if this is due to the recent update and I haven't checked Neighbourhood Planner, but after switching a community space to a community garden, Agatha Crumplebottom - garden shop owner from Cottage Living - showed up.
Then a second Agatha Crumplebottom showed up again...
Then behold, a third...
And all three Agatha Crumplebottoms started talking to each other and hanging out.
Am unsure if they're physically separate sims, or some kind of clone.
But now every time my sims visits the community garden, there's always 3 Agatha's chilling out there.
I've seen people talking about that glitch before, and from before the recent update too. It's an odd glitch for sure! I don't think I've seen it myself though.
Scarlet and Clemmie having a chat in the kitchen, whilst William helps Primrose with her crawling.
Scarlet and Clemmie "met" Emerald when she was a baby, and neither was impressed! Maybe they're discussing how sad they are here.
Two llamas left the household due to neglect. So I decided that it'd be easier to get rid of the animal sheds entirely and build a swimming pool instead. I mean, it's hardly surprising that the animals got neglected, given that there are four young children in the family! I still have the chickens though, they're a little easier to look after since they spend much more time outside of their coops, and so it's easier to see if they're hungry/dirty.
The family has a ridiculous amount of money, over 550,000 Simoleons! Much of it is because of the money tree they have (they used to have more, but still have one which is now at Perfect quality).
Scarlet and Clementine singing to each other sounds adorable! Emerald is so cute, but I'd keep an eye on Scarlet and Clementine. There's no telling what they may be planning. You know how jealous older siblings can get.
The whole family looks so cute together and they really seem to be having a wonderful time. There are so many little gems tucked away like the butterfly interactions. It's a shame our sims can't call that world home.
Thank you for the kind words.❤️ It's so nice to see Justine again! She picked such a lovely place to find her muse. Oh good Lia didn't stand her up! A rose is a wonderful gesture when you're feeling down. Oh, the mysterious music is back. I wonder what's up with that? I can't wait to learn the answer.
Thank you so much.❤️ Poses add a lot to the storytelling but they can be time consuming. I'm glad I could creep you out with the vampires. Wait that's not right...is it? You are so kind with your compliments on my builds. I feel like I'm only just beginning to really get a feel for it.
Your backstory is really spellbinding! There is so much more to the characters. All of them are good to some degree but they all have some pretty big flaws. They feel real. Wow!!! Now that is what I call a plot twist! Bravo!
I spent a little more time with Danielle and Londyn's home this evening. I made a bunch of little tweaks. I switched out the stairs for a set of 'floating' stairs from Syboulette. I tried out some different wood floors. I kind of fell in love with this herringbone pattern. I did some more decorating too. All the items you see on the sofa/loveseat combo are just small taste of what you can do with those pieces. I used less than half of the available slots. You can crowd objects right up against each other. I stopped far short of what I could do because using all the slots feels like overkill. But it is nice to have so many options. I did a lot more but I don't want to reveal all of it here. I want to leave some surprises for the next Under The Tartosan Sun.
I'm go to work on the movie lot tomorrow and hopefully that will give my imagination the push it needs to get this Judith and Rayvn thing sorted out, finally...hopefully.
@Lucy_Henley I love that they have both a cupcake machine and a fizzing machine in their kitchen Looks like a fun family.
For Primrose's nickname, I vote for Pip, or Mimi.
Tried out the family reunion event on a secondary save I've been using to test infants. Selected the grandparents' house as the location because it's much bigger and I had already set the house up for infants to test stay overs. It was going well at first and then quickly turned into an epic fail because little Madison got bored of the dollhouse and decide to crawl to a spot. I had no idea where she was going and could not cancel out the action and could not intercept her. Well, she decided to crawl outside where it was freezing cold and snowing. Dad went outside to pick her up and they unable to re-enter the house. The option to knock on the door was greyed out and said you've been kicked out, come back later. Thanks a lot, fam! Haha. Meanwhile, Mom was stuck inside. So much for that, it became the shortest family reunion in history, lol.
@DaniRose2143 Your home looks lovely! And thanks for the comments! It is a shame that El Selvadora can't be residential. I had a mod for it at one point but it was too glitchy, sadly.
Okay, so I loaded my game and checked on the households in my save. I’ve been adding a new Goth and Landgraab household to the gallery every so often as changes happen in those households.
Anyways, I also made MCCC move the homeless sims into homes. I discovered that Baby Ariel moved into Forgotten Hollow with a home that has the Vampire Nexus lot trait. 😂😆🤣 Of all the premades that could have moved into the home world of vampires, it was her!
Also, as for the Goth household, one of the children became teens… he’s a slob and the game gave him the good trait. He also got the Public Enemy Aspiration… I changed it to the other deviant aspiration, I think Master of Mayhem or what not, because I struggle to see a good sim become public enemy number one. 😆🤣
No update for the Landgraab household because I forgot to add them to my save. I also realized that I need to retrieve Caleb’s Sister from my console version of the game. It seems I forgot to upload her to the gallery. A major oversight on my part because Caleb is the boyfriend of Damion. This means that if Caleb starts to appear in the story, I need to add Lilith too.
Honestly, I know that, in the story, Damion has a soft spot for Caleb… might be the only person he genuinely cares about doing right by, but I still can’t figure out why I made them a couple to begin with. 🤔 I’m sure there was a reason, and believe me, they are a difficult relationship to maintain… I mean, I actually don’t think Caleb approves of Damion’s Evil ways… it’s like a clash of good and evil between the two of them… I do plan on rotating to that household to play out their relationship…
I’m seriously wondering if there’s some underlying factor that is creating friction between Damion and Caleb, and when Growing Together goes on sale, I’m wondering if the game will do something to make them have more friction? 🤔
Maybe it’s Damion’s Twisted Heart trait? 🤔 It’s the reward trait from the Villainous Valentine aspiration. I did cheat to give him that trait… I didn’t want to play out the scenario.
@mightysprite hmm, Pip and Mimi are both good! What to choose… I could use both, maybe. Kids often have more than one nickname.
They don’t actually use the cupcake machine much. I think there’s some mod to allow toddlers to eat cupcakes since they can’t normally. Perhaps I’ll get that mod and use the machine more. It’s funny because sometimes Sims will autonomously use the machine to make themselves a single cupcake, but neither William or Barbara have done.
I'm doing a rotational gameplay, and I've just started with the BFF household.
I gave them all makeovers - Travis is less cartoonish (got rid of that YELLOW hair), Liberty is more geeky girl and Summer matches her sporty personality. I added lots of likes and dislikes in to see what kind of relationships this creates between the three of them as I have no idea which girl I'd actually like Travis to be with.
I decided to leave their house as is. Yes it's terrible, no it doesn't suit them at all, therefore it's perfect for a bunch of young adults moving out for the first time! It looks like they brought their bedroom furniture from their childhood bedrooms (explains Travis' single bed sitch) and they've thrown whatever furniture was donated or bought cheap in the shared areas which is why it looks like the dullest house that doesn't reflect any of them.
I document all the changes here: https://dywb-sims-play.fandom.com/wiki/BFF
@LonelyWolfTales Ha! I can believe the mastermind part, but evil? Nah, I don't believe it. Also, I'm not one to get all soft over stories, but these Venandi make me very angry. -.- Also Mikkel's starry eyes are the cutest thing ever, have I told you yet? (The new baby is cute too of course, but Mikkel still wins.)
Hello everyone I used to be pretty active on this thread a few years ago and then real life kind of took over me and, well... Basically I haven't played the sims for nearly two years now. So much has happened and for a while I thought I'm done with the sims forever, but never say never, haha! The infants update drove me back in.
I used to share here a storyline based on some Marvel fanarts I saw on pinterest with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers raising together Peter Parker. But something that was supposed to be just fun and lighthearted family gameplay somehow escalated to a tragical drama series Mostly because my main sim, a infamous actor Tony Stark, had a very messed up childhood. Everyone saw him as a failure, his parents didn't accept the fact that he loves guys, and the only person that showed any remote interest in him was Nicholas - a sly actor agency boss who's ultimate goal was to make Tony depend on him in every way possible. So as I was planning a new save for testing out the infants, I suddenly got a silly idea: what if I play out that same story, beginning with young Tony, except in this universe he will be adopted by a wonderful supportive family that will accept him for who he is? Will he go on the same acting path and accept Nick's request? Will he face the same struggles he had to before?
Time to find out through the Mitchell family! These are Allyson and Graham Mitchell, a couple in their mid-30s. Been together since high school and still madly, madly in love with each other. Don't fall for their serious looks, they're just trying to convince you that they're actual adults and not some goofballs Important note - the story begins somewhere around the 80s, so no computers or cellphones or flat-screen TV's. More under the cut! Warning: picture heavy
And here are the Mitchell babies!
Alicia Mitchell, only a few months old:
And Gordon Mitchell, a beautiful Labrador Retriever pup.
Alicia was long-awaited by Allyson and Graham for years now. Years of trying, failing, trying again, and now she's finally here. The Mitchells couldn't be more happy.
Allyson and Alicia have a close family dynamic - if that little bub is crying, all it takes is one look of her Momma and she calms down immediately.
And Graham and Alicia got a jokester family dynamic, always cheerful and goofing around.
So there we have it - a perfectly content and loving family with a baby of their own and cute lil' pup. What else could they possibly need?
And why would they possibly be seen on one summer night at the foster care centre?
"Unfortunately, given the circumstances of your income, house size and the presence of a pet, there's only one child we can pair you up with from the age group you've chosen. And this is no easy child, believe me."
"He's unruly, loud, disobedient, doesn't get along with social workers or the other children."
"He's involved in nearly every argument and fight. Trust me, no one wants him. He gets kicked out of every foster family within weeks."
"So how about you wait a couple more months or perhaps choose someone younger?" the social worker ended her loud speech. "We've got some lovely preschoolers in need of care..."
Allyson glared at Graham with a smile.
"What do you think, hubby? Are we ready for an unruly, loud and disobedient ten-year-old who gets thrown out of every house?"
Graham smiled back.
"Sounds like a charm."
"WHAT!?"
"Okay, let me just make one thing straight."
"That kid has the word 'criminal' written all over him!"
"He needs discipline, lots of hard work and a strict hand!"
"Oh yeah," the little boy, waiting just outside the door as his fate was being decided, muttered to himself sarcastically. "I'm a criminal".
"I'm a bad, bad criminal."
"This boy is trouble, period. He won't be of any good use, he won't even be grateful if you take him in!"
"Hehe, good thing we know all children are like that, just an endless money pit from which you get nothing in return," Allyson joked. "Isn't that why we love them unconditionally?"
"Look, we just want to help out a kid. Any kid. We know it won't be easy, but it's something we've wanted to do since... forever, really."
"No, no, you don't understand..."
"Look, I can't have you taking him in and then returning him back, it's not good for our company! And it will happen, inevitably. He's a nuisance, this one..."
"Oh yeah it will," the little boy kept on mumbling to himself. "Yeah it will."
" 'Cause I'm just soooo terrible."
"Look, I... I haven't told the worst. He's also a thief! Stole my purse just a couple of days ago."
"That's not true!" the little boy quietly gasped. It was Timmy who stole Mrs. Keller's purse.
But of course, they all blamed him. They always blamed him. He knew it wasn't his fault, yet he never argued. Because there's something much worse about him than theft. Something so much worse.
A secret he will never be able to tell.
"Grrr, so dangerous. A ten-year-old purse-snatcher!"
"You are missing the point!" the social worker hissed as the Mitchells laughed.
"Why do you even want to foster? I don't understand! If you're looking for a free babysitter for your daughter then you should've at least went for a girl!"
The little boy couldn't listen to them any longer. He always kept getting told that something is wrong with him. Not as fast as the boys, not as strong. Weird. Strange. A nuisance. And he pushed back, arguing and fighting. Ever since he was left here on the doorstep ten years ago. Ten whole years, no one ever wanted him. Sometimes he'd be taken in, but he was always sent back. This time won't be any different.
They all can feel it - what's wrong with him. They never say it out loud, but they know. He reeks of it.
"Honestly, I have no idea how are you planning to foster with this kind of behaviour, I don't know how you managed to pass all of the tests, but I will repeat for the final time, THIS CHILD-"
"Hey, how about we meet the lil' troublemaker first and then decide?"
"Yeah! Bring in the lad!"
"You know what? Fine. Whatever. Have it your way. I warned you."
The Mitchells smiled politely as they watched the social worker leave.
As soon as the door closed shut, all smiles were gone.
"Okay but did you see that woman? Did you see her? That sly little fox, her job is to help a child and all she's worried about is that HER REPUTATION might get ruined if he gets sent back again!"
"And what was all of that about a "free babysitter", huh? Ooooh, I want to wrestle her. But then again, this is Del Sol Valley, it's all about reputation, isn't in. Oooooh, I hate this town to my guts! And talk about prices on adoption! Why do we want to foster? Why do we? Because we can't afford to a-dopt! Ugh!"
Graham just smiled, staring at his wife in absolute adoration. Oh I love you so much, he thought.
Meanwhile, the little boy sat quietly in the hallway, waiting for the decision to be made.
"Antony!"
He slowly turned, not allowing even the slightest glimpse of hope flicker in his eyes.
"Yes, Mrs. Keller?"
"My office, now. They want to meet you."
"This is a nice family, Tony. A very nice family. And it looks like they're searching for some hardworking hands to help them around the house with their new baby. Behave just well enough, do as you're told and maybe they might allow you to stay around for a longer while than the rest. But if you go on with your horrible behaviour and stealing-"
"But I didn't steal! I swear I didn't, it was-"
"Hush", Mrs. Keller quietened him down. "I do not want to hear any more of these lies. You are a selfish and arrogant boy, Tony Stark. But this might be your chance."
"And here he is! Our little Antony. Antony, say hello!"
Tony blinked, staring at the two people sitting in front of him. They looked different to all of the previous families who fostered him. No inquisitive looks that examined him from head to toes, no strictness. Just smiles. He never cared for getting adopted, but this time he really felt like he wanted to.
"U-um... Hi, I'm- I'm Tony..."
"Well go on, tell something about yourself!" Mrs. Keller insisted.
Tony tried. Genuinely, he tried. But it was almost as if he lost all words.
"I'm Tony," he stammered again, staring at the beautiful woman and the very kind-looking man. He could do this. He could be good. He would do the chores, the dishes, mop the floor, look after their real kid if that meant he'd stay with them for at least a few months. But to do that, he had to talk - and he suddenly found himself forgetting how to. They just looked so nice, and Mrs. Keller was hurrying him up so hard, and Tony was nearly on the verge of tears: once in a lifetime he actually gets the chance to live with a nice family, and he's ruining his only chance!
"Excuse me?" the man smiled at Mrs. Keller politely.
"Yes?"
"Could you leave, please?"
Tony stared at him in shock. How could someone say that to Mrs. Keller?
"Oh um- Are you sure? Well... okay then..."
The door shut behind Tony's back, and panic flooded through his body immediately. What was he to do now? What was he supposed to say?
"Hey there, Tony!" the woman laughed, waving at him. And it was a friendly laugh. Not a mean laugh. "Geez, you look tired! Have you been waiting out there the whole time?"
"Yes ma'am," Tony quickly nodded. It was easier to answer questions than to speak from himself.
"Hey, don't ma'am me, I'm Allyson. This is Graham, my hubby. He's a bit shy of you, but don't worry, he'll get around!"
"Am not," Graham rolled his eyes. Tony smiled a bit: a grownup shy of him? Well that's funny. He's supposed to be the shy one.
"Do you like movies, Tony?"
"Oh um- yes, I do," Tony stammered. "The superhero ones are my favourite."
"Oh great! We never watched those, you can show us then. But we've got a huge collection, you know, all of the latest hits! E.T, Back to The Future, Star Wars... watched any of those?"
"Y-yeah... They're great too. I don't like the acting in Star Wars though. It's pretty on the nose."
"Oh, this kid knows style, I like him!" Allyson winked at Graham.
"What else do you like?"
"Uh... I go to a drama club at school... I can do an impression of Doc from Back to The Future."
"Drama club!" Graham gasped. "Ah, I remember when I used to be a theatre kid..."
"He still is," Allyson mouthed at Tony and he couldn't help but giggle.
"So, show us!"
"Uh..?"
"The Doc impression!"
"Oh, right..."
"Great Scott!"
"Hey! He did that perfectly! What, I'm not the star of the fam anymore?"
"Seems like someone just threw you off the throne, hun, no offence..."
"Unbelievable!"
"Oh I- I didn't mean to-" Tony stammered, taken aback by the reaction.
"Relax, we're just messing around," Allyson laughed.
"Yeah, you'll have to get used to her humour, kid..."
Tony smiled, watching them.
"Oh, I can also make an impression Mrs. Keller."
"Oooh, show us, show us!"
"You are a TERRIBLE and ARROGANT young maaa..."
"Tony!" Mrs. Keller said in a sharp tone, cutting off his sentence. "Are you trying to get yourself detention?"
"Sorry Mrs. Keller..." Tony groaned. It was fun while it lasted, but it was nearly bedtime in the foster centre. He must've missed dinner while he was waiting, so he'll have to go to bed hungry. It's alright, no big deal. He had a nice time.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Mrs. Keller smiled pleasantly at the Mitchells. "I assume you've seen more than enough of his behaviour..."
"Oh, you're right," Allyson nodded. "We've seen more than enough to make a decision."
"And he's uh... He's definitely not getting detention," Graham smiled. "Because we're taking him home right now."
Tony turned in absolute shock. They were... they were taking him? For real?
"Ex- excuse me?" Mrs. Keller was as surprised as he was.
"Alright, sit down, kid... Now first of all, we hate cooking. And we love eating fast-food. And we have a little baby that cries a lot during the night. And a puppy, which still isn't potty-trained and does its business in the house. Oh and, we are so, so lazy, so homework - that's on you."
"So the question is..."
"Do you want to come live with us?"
Tony couldn't say a word, but he nodded as quickly as possible. He'll be good. He'll be good.
"Then it's settled!"
"Now, the papers, please..."
"Welcome to the family."
"This won't end well..."
Tony suspected that too as he made his first steps with his new family out of the building.
"So, McDonalds first? I'm starving!"
How long till they get tired of him? How long till he does something wrong? How long till they find out his secret?
One thing he knew for sure: he was going to make it last as long as possible.
I probably won't leave updates very frequently, but I'll be sure to stop by now and then!
@Koteyka , I do remember your story well, glad to see you back
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..
@Th3_H0wling_Ch1ld Quads, huh? Best of luck with that. I used to watch the show Outdaughtered which was about a couple who had an only daughter and desired to give her siblings. For their trouble they got quintuplets. Two of which were actually twins. It was a fun show, but after so many seasons I left it behind. You are in for one royal ride!
Comments
If I can't figure out this Judith and Rayvn storyline soon I may do another Under The Tartosan Sun while I sort it out.
@DaniRose2143 That's looking lovely so far. It's hard to make a cozy space in such a big open floor plan and you've done beautifully! For the decor I suggest objects that can go on the floor, like rugs, dividers, large plants, maybe a freestanding sculpture or two.
@LonelyWolfTales , yay, cannot wait to see the second part
@DaniRose2143 , You make the house look so big!! great job so far!
@permanentrose , they had great time in jungle
Justine had another boring day at her job in Tartosan Mail.
After she got home , Lia invited her over to a festival in Sulani.
Lia did not even show up
She had good time with the locals @Metior_Ice , thats Coraline these days, and i think blue dressed lady in next pic is yours too.
Everyone seemed to have good time.
Finally , when all was almost over,Lia showed up. (she was indeed coming all the time, she just walked all the way from other side of the hood)
They had fun. Not sure what's her problem in the background, tho.
Lia pulled the rose from her pocket autonomously , she was at flirty mood. She accepted it, what was a surprise as she was tense and in bad mood, still from work. And tired.
but I think she sensed the tired mood of Justine, as she started joking after that.
Back home, she painted a little, while listening that strange sad piano music what was coming every night from the villa uphill.
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..
Awww, Reese! Such a cute baby
@mightysprite
@DaniRose2143
What an terrifying vampire screenshot
@_Gina
@Lucy_Henley
@permanentrose
@Ellupelluellu
Ahh, if only there was a festival popping by every time I had a boring day at work
Part two of my backstory update! Part one is two pages away
edit: deleted repeating bit somewhere in the middle!
"..."
"So Jack disappeared. Again. For another whole year. We didn't know where he was, what happened to him, we searched and searched... And then Ianto got a call."
"He was a mess. And so was the place he stayed in."
"And in the centre of it all, there was you."
"The reason of all of our troubles."
"Don't move, Jack said. And Ianto didn't know it back then, but he was on the verge of death that moment. Anyone in his place wouldn't have listened, because hey—your long-lost boyfriend finally back and with a child? No one could resist to rush over to it. But not Ianto. Smart little Ianto didn't make a single step towards you—he just stared and quietly asked: Why? And Jack replied very calmly, very quietly:"
"Because I'll snap your throat."
"Why!?"
"Instinct. A very powerful and uncontrollable parental instinct to protect. Happens when you give birth to a psychic. Especially to a psychic that a comes from a race that will do anything to survive. You were literally linked to his brain, kid. You shared each others feelings. So the slightest feeling of danger and..."
"That's why he couldn't come to us. He couldn't leave you for a single second and he couldn't visit us with you because all it would take was one soft cry, and we'd all be ended. So he called the smartest person out of all of us. The person he trusted the most. And he told him what happened."
"Jack was captured on a ship that belong to the Venandi race. Your race. One of the most deadly creatures out there. Hunters. Killers. Life is a game they want to win. And who could possibly help them out more than Jack—the guy that owns Torchwood and knows every single government passcode and security breach out there?"
"But more then that... the Venandi's were always searching for ways to improve themselves. Become smarter, stronger, faster. More invincible. They are a product of mixing with various species, taking out their strong sides and throwing out the weak sides. After they found out that Jack can't die... they decided to kill two birds with one stone."
"He was impregnated against his own will. Left in a cell with little to nothing, monitored and observed."
"When you were born, they were left with an interesting result. You had different powers than them: you read emotions instead of thoughts. That's just so... human. Jack claims you've got the heart of a human and the body of a venandi. I'd say that's wishful thinking, but whatever. Point is, all venandi offspring's are mentally linked to the person who gave birth for their first few months. Everything they learn about life during that period is through the link. They get taught about hatred. The thrill of winning."
"Jack taught you love."
"Or at least he tried, I guess. He loved you with all of his heart. He wanted to be close— no, he needed to be close every single second. But he only got short periods with you while being carefully observed."
"The rest of the day, he was locked out. And that itself was suffering, but he tried to manage it. He tried to block out the pain because he knew you'll feel it, but..."
"That's when they'd come in. When he was weak, torn apart by the need to hold you close, they'd come in and ask questions. They wanted information. Passcodes. Military base locations. Everything."
"He refused to answer, of course. Our planet comes first—that's the rule. That's why we're doing this job—so no one else has to."
"And then they'd make one step."
"One single step towards you with each question he wouldn't answer."
"And another one."
"And another one."
"And he'd break down, he'd yell at them, he'd beg them to stop, because they could do anything to you. And oh, they were interested."
"Were you immortal? Could you die? What is the exact percentage of human blood in you? Which species dominates? So many things to examine..."
"They took you once. Took you out of his sight for an entire night, and that was a night of screaming, screaming his lungs out in that tiny little cell with no food, no water, the never turning-off light because why bother if he'll come back from the dead anyway?"
"And after that night, he broke."
"They let him look at you. See that you were unharmed."
"And then he told them everything."
"..."
"What, you think that's bad?"
"Owen does. Mikkel feels Owen's pain when he talks."
"...Sheesh, can't get anything past you, can I."
"Time went. You grew."
"Jack was running out of information he could give them."
"And he knew that when he does, they will take you away for good."
"So one day, he just had enough. He stole the freeze ray from one of the guards and shot him."
"Got you out."
"And ran off."
"He had to fight his way through a bunch of guards. Possibly died. Possibly not once. But he managed to land on a tiny escape shuttle in San My, and in the end of the day, there you were. Safe and snug."
"And we had to find out what to do with you."
"Jack wasn't in a good place at all. Not physically, not mentally. He had nightmares of the torture he went through every single night, he was constantly afraid of losing you and it was obvious he's not coming to work any time soon."
"Ianto... I feel like the only reason why he didn't search them out and end every single one of them was because he was too afraid to leave Jack like that."
"He comforted Jack as best as he could."
"And Jack believed him."
"He called me only a few weeks in, when Jack was comfortable with him being around Mikkel."
"I wasn't allowed to get close yet, obviously."
"But even there, as I stared at your little green face..."
"Ohhh. I knew we won't get along."
"Mikkel gets along with Owen!"
"Oh yeah? Tell that to your baby self!"
"So you obviously loved Jack."
"And you quickly got along with Ianto."
"But me? You hated me!"
"And I was the one doing all of the hard work. I taught you, I examined you, I was figuring out what the hell you are, while those two just showered you with love."
"You wouldn't eat anything human and Jack was running out of baby alien formula, so I had to create specific diets for you that would transition you to human food!"
"And you hated it. You hated the food, you hated the tests I ran on you, you hated the rolling over and the sitting up because you'd rather work on teething out your little butterfly wings than do normal human behaviour that we desperately needed so you wouldn't stick out."
"I taught you how to change to human form, for gods sake! And you hated that the most!"
"Everything I did just made you sad. And I hated being the bad guy, but someone had to put in the work. What if you were dangerous? What if you brought with yourself alien diseases? What if there's a part of your brain that hasn't evolved yet but will turn you into a killing machine when it does? You are half-human, which is a deadly race, and half-venandi, which is an even more deadly race! And don't get me started on being born by an immortal! We. Knew. Nothing."
"And those two just figured that showering you with love will be enough."
"Human lives were at stake, but no, we can't make poor little Mikkel go through another brain test, those are bad for him."
"Well what if he's bad for us?"
"I was just getting so. Tired. I kept my distance from you emotionally, because I knew that I find out something dangerous, I'll have to be the one to get rid of you. And because of that, I was getting driven away from Jack and Ianto too. I guess in a way... you replaced me. Kind of. It hurt. Seeing them coo over you, like this is all we are, like there never was the three of us."
"And one day, it happened."
"You suddenly decided to change to your alien form in front of the entire main square."
"And that was just the final straw. First I lost my relationship, then my city, now my job. I lost everything. And ever since that moment I kept thinking that if only there was a way to get back to my job, get back to my life... I'll be happy again."
"I'm kind of getting back now. And for some reason... For some reason, it's not working."
"Anyway, I suppose you know the rest, we moved to Henford, blah blah blah, end on story, any questions?"
"When is Owen coming back?"
"...uh. I can't, kid..."
"But why not? Owen isn't happy because Owen has to be with Jack and Ianto!"
"They won't want me. Not after what I did."
"Will too! They forgive you! They know you didn't mean it!"
"Okay, they won't want me because I'm just— I'm generally mean, if you haven't noticed."
"Owen is mean, but Owen is family!"
"...Because I don't like you?"
"Those are stupid, stupid, stupid answers! Ianto and Jack want Owen home! Mikkel wants Owen home! Why can't Owen come home!?"
"Okay, okay, just calm down! Look uh. It's not technically about them..."
"There's something I probably should show you."
Mikkel headed after Owen, all filled with confused thoughts. He has made a few things clear after what he heard. First of all, Owen desperately wanted to be loved. So desperate, when he finally got love, he just couldn't share it with anyone else. Mikkel forgave him for that. Second, Owen said he hated him because it was easier. It's so much easier to say that you're just all mean and bad than to admit that you are afraid of losing the people you love. Mikkel forgave him for that too. Mikkel had lived on this planet for a few years now—he learnt that human emotions are too hard and complex for themselves to control. But there was one thing he still couldn't understand: why couldn't Owen come home?
The answer was there. In the bedroom.
"There he is," Owen softly knelt down.
"Fell through the rift of time and space right on the doorstep of my trailer. Don't know what race he is, but I assume it has something to do with mind control because he's already tested that on me a few times during snack time. Called him Anders. No reason, really. Just seemed to fit..."
Mikkel looked down, unknown what to think of this.
The baby woke up, slowly turning at him.
And then it smiled.
Leaving it on a plot twist! Lol. Happy simming!
Emerald has the Cautious trait. Since each sister has had a unique trait - Scarlet being sunny, Clementine (Clemmie) wiggly and Primrose being calm, I don't know if I'll use the other two on the upcoming babies, since I'm left with sensitive and intense. Maybe I could have one calm and one intense twin?
I think Emerald looks quite like Scarlet did - same eyes - but there's a bit of Primrose there too. I haven't posted many close-ups of Clemmie and Primrose though. Not sure what I should give Primrose as a nickname - Prim sounds a bit too like "prim and proper"; it means that you're very formal/correct in your attitude. So maybe Rosie? And then Emerald can be Em or Emmy. I don't know about Scarlet. Scar sounds kinda harsh, and then Lettie just makes me think of lettuce, and here in the UK calling someone a "wet lettuce" is a way of calling them wimpy/loser/over-sensitive.
Then a second Agatha Crumplebottom showed up again...
Then behold, a third...
And all three Agatha Crumplebottoms started talking to each other and hanging out.
Am unsure if they're physically separate sims, or some kind of clone.
But now every time my sims visits the community garden, there's always 3 Agatha's chilling out there.
I've seen people talking about that glitch before, and from before the recent update too. It's an odd glitch for sure! I don't think I've seen it myself though.
Scarlet and Clemmie having a chat in the kitchen, whilst William helps Primrose with her crawling.
Scarlet and Clemmie "met" Emerald when she was a baby, and neither was impressed! Maybe they're discussing how sad they are here.
Two llamas left the household due to neglect. So I decided that it'd be easier to get rid of the animal sheds entirely and build a swimming pool instead. I mean, it's hardly surprising that the animals got neglected, given that there are four young children in the family! I still have the chickens though, they're a little easier to look after since they spend much more time outside of their coops, and so it's easier to see if they're hungry/dirty.
The family has a ridiculous amount of money, over 550,000 Simoleons! Much of it is because of the money tree they have (they used to have more, but still have one which is now at Perfect quality).
@Lucy_Henley
@mightysprite
@permanentrose
@Ellupelluellu
@LonelyWolfTales
Your backstory is really spellbinding! There is so much more to the characters. All of them are good to some degree but they all have some pretty big flaws. They feel real. Wow!!! Now that is what I call a plot twist! Bravo!
I spent a little more time with Danielle and Londyn's home this evening. I made a bunch of little tweaks. I switched out the stairs for a set of 'floating' stairs from Syboulette. I tried out some different wood floors. I kind of fell in love with this herringbone pattern. I did some more decorating too. All the items you see on the sofa/loveseat combo are just small taste of what you can do with those pieces. I used less than half of the available slots. You can crowd objects right up against each other. I stopped far short of what I could do because using all the slots feels like overkill. But it is nice to have so many options. I did a lot more but I don't want to reveal all of it here. I want to leave some surprises for the next Under The Tartosan Sun.
I'm go to work on the movie lot tomorrow and hopefully that will give my imagination the push it needs to get this Judith and Rayvn thing sorted out, finally...hopefully.
@Lucy_Henley I love that they have both a cupcake machine and a fizzing machine in their kitchen
For Primrose's nickname, I vote for Pip, or Mimi.
Anyways, I also made MCCC move the homeless sims into homes. I discovered that Baby Ariel moved into Forgotten Hollow with a home that has the Vampire Nexus lot trait. 😂😆🤣 Of all the premades that could have moved into the home world of vampires, it was her!
Also, as for the Goth household, one of the children became teens… he’s a slob and the game gave him the good trait. He also got the Public Enemy Aspiration… I changed it to the other deviant aspiration, I think Master of Mayhem or what not, because I struggle to see a good sim become public enemy number one. 😆🤣
No update for the Landgraab household because I forgot to add them to my save. I also realized that I need to retrieve Caleb’s Sister from my console version of the game. It seems I forgot to upload her to the gallery. A major oversight on my part because Caleb is the boyfriend of Damion. This means that if Caleb starts to appear in the story, I need to add Lilith too.
Honestly, I know that, in the story, Damion has a soft spot for Caleb… might be the only person he genuinely cares about doing right by, but I still can’t figure out why I made them a couple to begin with. 🤔 I’m sure there was a reason, and believe me, they are a difficult relationship to maintain… I mean, I actually don’t think Caleb approves of Damion’s Evil ways… it’s like a clash of good and evil between the two of them… I do plan on rotating to that household to play out their relationship…
I’m seriously wondering if there’s some underlying factor that is creating friction between Damion and Caleb, and when Growing Together goes on sale, I’m wondering if the game will do something to make them have more friction? 🤔
Maybe it’s Damion’s Twisted Heart trait? 🤔 It’s the reward trait from the Villainous Valentine aspiration. I did cheat to give him that trait… I didn’t want to play out the scenario.
They don’t actually use the cupcake machine much. I think there’s some mod to allow toddlers to eat cupcakes since they can’t normally. Perhaps I’ll get that mod and use the machine more. It’s funny because sometimes Sims will autonomously use the machine to make themselves a single cupcake, but neither William or Barbara have done.
I gave them all makeovers - Travis is less cartoonish (got rid of that YELLOW hair), Liberty is more geeky girl and Summer matches her sporty personality. I added lots of likes and dislikes in to see what kind of relationships this creates between the three of them as I have no idea which girl I'd actually like Travis to be with.
I decided to leave their house as is. Yes it's terrible, no it doesn't suit them at all, therefore it's perfect for a bunch of young adults moving out for the first time! It looks like they brought their bedroom furniture from their childhood bedrooms (explains Travis' single bed sitch) and they've thrown whatever furniture was donated or bought cheap in the shared areas which is why it looks like the dullest house that doesn't reflect any of them.
I document all the changes here: https://dywb-sims-play.fandom.com/wiki/BFF
xox
I used to share here a storyline based on some Marvel fanarts I saw on pinterest with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers raising together Peter Parker. But something that was supposed to be just fun and lighthearted family gameplay somehow escalated to a tragical drama series
Time to find out through the Mitchell family! These are Allyson and Graham Mitchell, a couple in their mid-30s. Been together since high school and still madly, madly in love with each other. Don't fall for their serious looks, they're just trying to convince you that they're actual adults and not some goofballs
Alicia Mitchell, only a few months old:
And Gordon Mitchell, a beautiful Labrador Retriever pup.
Alicia was long-awaited by Allyson and Graham for years now. Years of trying, failing, trying again, and now she's finally here. The Mitchells couldn't be more happy.
Allyson and Alicia have a close family dynamic - if that little bub is crying, all it takes is one look of her Momma and she calms down immediately.
And Graham and Alicia got a jokester family dynamic, always cheerful and goofing around.
So there we have it - a perfectly content and loving family with a baby of their own and cute lil' pup. What else could they possibly need?
And why would they possibly be seen on one summer night at the foster care centre?
"Unfortunately, given the circumstances of your income, house size and the presence of a pet, there's only one child we can pair you up with from the age group you've chosen. And this is no easy child, believe me."
"He's unruly, loud, disobedient, doesn't get along with social workers or the other children."
"He's involved in nearly every argument and fight. Trust me, no one wants him. He gets kicked out of every foster family within weeks."
"So how about you wait a couple more months or perhaps choose someone younger?" the social worker ended her loud speech. "We've got some lovely preschoolers in need of care..."
Allyson glared at Graham with a smile.
"What do you think, hubby? Are we ready for an unruly, loud and disobedient ten-year-old who gets thrown out of every house?"
Graham smiled back.
"Sounds like a charm."
"WHAT!?"
"Okay, let me just make one thing straight."
"That kid has the word 'criminal' written all over him!"
"He needs discipline, lots of hard work and a strict hand!"
"Oh yeah," the little boy, waiting just outside the door as his fate was being decided, muttered to himself sarcastically. "I'm a criminal".
"I'm a bad, bad criminal."
"This boy is trouble, period. He won't be of any good use, he won't even be grateful if you take him in!"
"Hehe, good thing we know all children are like that, just an endless money pit from which you get nothing in return," Allyson joked. "Isn't that why we love them unconditionally?"
"Look, we just want to help out a kid. Any kid. We know it won't be easy, but it's something we've wanted to do since... forever, really."
"No, no, you don't understand..."
"Look, I can't have you taking him in and then returning him back, it's not good for our company! And it will happen, inevitably. He's a nuisance, this one..."
"Oh yeah it will," the little boy kept on mumbling to himself. "Yeah it will."
" 'Cause I'm just soooo terrible."
"Look, I... I haven't told the worst. He's also a thief! Stole my purse just a couple of days ago."
"That's not true!" the little boy quietly gasped. It was Timmy who stole Mrs. Keller's purse.
But of course, they all blamed him. They always blamed him. He knew it wasn't his fault, yet he never argued. Because there's something much worse about him than theft. Something so much worse.
A secret he will never be able to tell.
"Grrr, so dangerous. A ten-year-old purse-snatcher!"
"You are missing the point!" the social worker hissed as the Mitchells laughed.
"Why do you even want to foster? I don't understand! If you're looking for a free babysitter for your daughter then you should've at least went for a girl!"
The little boy couldn't listen to them any longer. He always kept getting told that something is wrong with him. Not as fast as the boys, not as strong. Weird. Strange. A nuisance. And he pushed back, arguing and fighting. Ever since he was left here on the doorstep ten years ago. Ten whole years, no one ever wanted him. Sometimes he'd be taken in, but he was always sent back. This time won't be any different.
They all can feel it - what's wrong with him. They never say it out loud, but they know. He reeks of it.
"Honestly, I have no idea how are you planning to foster with this kind of behaviour, I don't know how you managed to pass all of the tests, but I will repeat for the final time, THIS CHILD-"
"Hey, how about we meet the lil' troublemaker first and then decide?"
"Yeah! Bring in the lad!"
"You know what? Fine. Whatever. Have it your way. I warned you."
The Mitchells smiled politely as they watched the social worker leave.
As soon as the door closed shut, all smiles were gone.
"Okay but did you see that woman? Did you see her? That sly little fox, her job is to help a child and all she's worried about is that HER REPUTATION might get ruined if he gets sent back again!"
"And what was all of that about a "free babysitter", huh? Ooooh, I want to wrestle her. But then again, this is Del Sol Valley, it's all about reputation, isn't in. Oooooh, I hate this town to my guts! And talk about prices on adoption! Why do we want to foster? Why do we? Because we can't afford to a-dopt! Ugh!"
Graham just smiled, staring at his wife in absolute adoration. Oh I love you so much, he thought.
Meanwhile, the little boy sat quietly in the hallway, waiting for the decision to be made.
"Antony!"
He slowly turned, not allowing even the slightest glimpse of hope flicker in his eyes.
"Yes, Mrs. Keller?"
"My office, now. They want to meet you."
"This is a nice family, Tony. A very nice family. And it looks like they're searching for some hardworking hands to help them around the house with their new baby. Behave just well enough, do as you're told and maybe they might allow you to stay around for a longer while than the rest. But if you go on with your horrible behaviour and stealing-"
"But I didn't steal! I swear I didn't, it was-"
"Hush", Mrs. Keller quietened him down. "I do not want to hear any more of these lies. You are a selfish and arrogant boy, Tony Stark. But this might be your chance."
"And here he is! Our little Antony. Antony, say hello!"
Tony blinked, staring at the two people sitting in front of him. They looked different to all of the previous families who fostered him. No inquisitive looks that examined him from head to toes, no strictness. Just smiles. He never cared for getting adopted, but this time he really felt like he wanted to.
"U-um... Hi, I'm- I'm Tony..."
"Well go on, tell something about yourself!" Mrs. Keller insisted.
Tony tried. Genuinely, he tried. But it was almost as if he lost all words.
"I'm Tony," he stammered again, staring at the beautiful woman and the very kind-looking man. He could do this. He could be good. He would do the chores, the dishes, mop the floor, look after their real kid if that meant he'd stay with them for at least a few months. But to do that, he had to talk - and he suddenly found himself forgetting how to. They just looked so nice, and Mrs. Keller was hurrying him up so hard, and Tony was nearly on the verge of tears: once in a lifetime he actually gets the chance to live with a nice family, and he's ruining his only chance!
"Excuse me?" the man smiled at Mrs. Keller politely.
"Yes?"
"Could you leave, please?"
Tony stared at him in shock. How could someone say that to Mrs. Keller?
"Oh um- Are you sure? Well... okay then..."
The door shut behind Tony's back, and panic flooded through his body immediately. What was he to do now? What was he supposed to say?
"Hey there, Tony!" the woman laughed, waving at him. And it was a friendly laugh. Not a mean laugh. "Geez, you look tired! Have you been waiting out there the whole time?"
"Yes ma'am," Tony quickly nodded. It was easier to answer questions than to speak from himself.
"Hey, don't ma'am me, I'm Allyson. This is Graham, my hubby. He's a bit shy of you, but don't worry, he'll get around!"
"Am not," Graham rolled his eyes. Tony smiled a bit: a grownup shy of him? Well that's funny. He's supposed to be the shy one.
"Do you like movies, Tony?"
"Oh um- yes, I do," Tony stammered. "The superhero ones are my favourite."
"Oh great! We never watched those, you can show us then. But we've got a huge collection, you know, all of the latest hits! E.T, Back to The Future, Star Wars... watched any of those?"
"Y-yeah... They're great too. I don't like the acting in Star Wars though. It's pretty on the nose."
"Oh, this kid knows style, I like him!" Allyson winked at Graham.
"What else do you like?"
"Uh... I go to a drama club at school... I can do an impression of Doc from Back to The Future."
"Drama club!" Graham gasped. "Ah, I remember when I used to be a theatre kid..."
"He still is," Allyson mouthed at Tony and he couldn't help but giggle.
"So, show us!"
"Uh..?"
"The Doc impression!"
"Oh, right..."
"Great Scott!"
"Hey! He did that perfectly! What, I'm not the star of the fam anymore?"
"Seems like someone just threw you off the throne, hun, no offence..."
"Unbelievable!"
"Oh I- I didn't mean to-" Tony stammered, taken aback by the reaction.
"Relax, we're just messing around," Allyson laughed.
"Yeah, you'll have to get used to her humour, kid..."
Tony smiled, watching them.
"Oh, I can also make an impression Mrs. Keller."
"Oooh, show us, show us!"
"You are a TERRIBLE and ARROGANT young maaa..."
"Tony!" Mrs. Keller said in a sharp tone, cutting off his sentence. "Are you trying to get yourself detention?"
"Sorry Mrs. Keller..." Tony groaned. It was fun while it lasted, but it was nearly bedtime in the foster centre. He must've missed dinner while he was waiting, so he'll have to go to bed hungry. It's alright, no big deal. He had a nice time.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Mrs. Keller smiled pleasantly at the Mitchells. "I assume you've seen more than enough of his behaviour..."
"Oh, you're right," Allyson nodded. "We've seen more than enough to make a decision."
"And he's uh... He's definitely not getting detention," Graham smiled. "Because we're taking him home right now."
Tony turned in absolute shock. They were... they were taking him? For real?
"Ex- excuse me?" Mrs. Keller was as surprised as he was.
"Alright, sit down, kid... Now first of all, we hate cooking. And we love eating fast-food. And we have a little baby that cries a lot during the night. And a puppy, which still isn't potty-trained and does its business in the house. Oh and, we are so, so lazy, so homework - that's on you."
"So the question is..."
"Do you want to come live with us?"
Tony couldn't say a word, but he nodded as quickly as possible. He'll be good. He'll be good.
"Then it's settled!"
"Now, the papers, please..."
"Welcome to the family."
"This won't end well..."
Tony suspected that too as he made his first steps with his new family out of the building.
"So, McDonalds first? I'm starving!"
How long till they get tired of him? How long till he does something wrong? How long till they find out his secret?
One thing he knew for sure: he was going to make it last as long as possible.
Good to see you again! I remember Nick's demise very well. Got struck by lightning from the angry Sulani gods!
(Currently, I'm typing this out on my phone. Internet playing up... 😑)
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
Juniper: *hidden behind dust*
They are my (Newest) Werewolf family
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..
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/