House 009 Chapter 6 < | > House 010 Chapter 1

Checking on our goals:

House 009 Building Goals:
Build a disguised underground lair with no ground floor walls
(I think I can consider this complete)
House 009 Generational Goals:
Level 10 Diamond Agent branch of the Secret Agent career on The Drifter
Level 11 of the Villain branch of the Secret Agent Career on The Secondary Sim
At Level 4 Field Agent, add a Gym to Burners and Builders in Oasis Springs
Raise the heir to Young Adult age (must take Vegetarian trait)

Welcome back! I play most of this on speed three… because the only things left are career promotions, skilling, and watching the kids grow. So not many pics were taken over the three weeks of sim time, and I’m going to squash it all into one post. That being said, this was a hairy ride here at the end. I BARELY made it, as you’ll see. I thought it was going to be my first house fail. And I was NOT looking forward to re-doing it!

Also, when I loaded this up… I realized I never rolled for lot traits. >,< … oops. So here they are.

And now.. here’s how the end went down…

To help with Karson’s athletic skill, we take all but the toddler to the Gym. Eva and Cassidy enjoy swimming together in the pool.

… While Karson works his tail-end off up here.

Cassidy.. how dare you!

Um.. Eva.. Brynlee’s looking upset. Maybe you should put her down??

Jack comes back to haunt fairly regularly. Luckily the worst he does is startle people and eat the alive-dogs’ food.

Hazley turns elder while her son, Cole, looks on.

And Karson ages up to elder. Seems very early. And I only got him to level 7 (almost 8) fitness for his aspiration.. now what.. I also realize he’s only on level 8 of his career, and needs to get to level 11!!! So he NEEDS to finish that physical aspiration to have even a chance to live long enough to finish his career. And not much of a chance. All those times I forgot to put him on “hard work” really hurt me in the long run.

Eva’s sisters start dying, one by one. So she’s perpetually sad for a while.

Good dog, Cole!

I’m not sure who’s having more fun with this play session, but it looks like it’s Karson… not the toddler.

Hazley ends up being sick. So off to the vet again.

Brynlee looks very confused about what her mother’s doing. I am, too….

What’s this mean?

One goal done!! Eva’s at max career now.

Cole runs away. Spoiler: he comes back.

Just in time to be an elder doggie.

It’s that time!

Rolled randomly. Per the rules, I’ll take the vegetarian trait at the YA birthday.

Oh, and Karson is in his swimsuit because I sent him to Sulani beaches to swim his rear end off. With moodlet solvers to get rid of the pulled muscles along the way, he got to level ten fitness.. (over the course of 2-3 days) and therefore long life. It’s the most I can do for him. He’s also got all his skills completed for all the promotions.. and he does his daily task every day. But I’m still afraid he won’t make it.

Yes, Eva, your eldest is a teenager. Don’t know what she’s actually bugging out about.. but that seems a likely thing to be worried about.. 🙂

Everyone is at work/school when Hazley crosses the Rainbow Bridge. Even Cole misses it because he was sleeping.

Our little graveyard.

Cole’s turn at the vet.

I pushed her too hard on getting skills for an “A”…. poor Cassidy. Brynlee seems to be reveling in his discomfort, even though I know she’s not an evil sim.

Hey, guys… look who’s still around!?!!  HAHAHA!

Yeah! Go, Cole!

Eva.. that was supposed to be your birthday cake. *takes cake away* Bad sim.

… And that’s the second attempt. Now Eva’s looking annoyed. But she didn’t try to eat it this time….

… Cassidy did. *takes cake away*. AGAIN.

Oh, yeah, friendly reminder today is also harvestfest. Karson goes to work anyway because he needs those promotions.

I figured maybe it was the white cake jynxing me. So I baked a chocolate cake. Success.

The maid looks inordinately happy about Eva’s birthday. It’s not like they EVER talk…. and: Spoiler: that maid gets stuck in “celebrate” mode.. and has to eventually be reset.

See? Stuck maid.

Cole loves trash, and I hardly ever SEE him in it, so I never get him trained away from it. So he gets a lot of baths.

Family homework party. I tend to take photos when everyone’s in one spot, because it happens so rarely.

Like this one. Everyone decided to get leftovers at the same time. … And then actually all sat down to eat.

We lose our final pupper. 🙁  Although I won’t miss cleaning up the hair piles and poo everywhere!!

Karson is very sad.

Winterfest gifts. Brynlee’s looking evil in this picture because she decided to prank the gifts with everyone standing around the tree… needless to say, she got embarrassed because she got caught. Obviously!

A Winter cake for a winterfest birthday.

Brynlee’s traits and aspiration were rolled randomly. Although they did have to be re rolled once due to rolling a vampire wish. LOL. Just NO.

She looks unimpressed.

And… it’s Sunday. Cassidy ages up on Monday (and monday is a day off work for the agents, anyway)… and that checkmark for promotion showed up literally 30 sim-minutes from the end of work. Talk about cutting it close!!

However.. that’s all but Cassidy’s aging up party.

.. Which is the next day. I let her get her needs up and then cancel her out of going to school to age her up on the ready cake.

Here’s what she ended up with trait-wise. Who knows what she’ll be doing in the next house.. but hopefully the quick learner trait will help her!

House 009 Building Goals:
Build a disguised underground lair with no ground floor walls
(I think I can consider this complete)
House 009 Generational Goals:
Level 10 Diamond Agent branch of the Secret Agent career on The Drifter
Level 11 of the Villain branch of the Secret Agent Career on The Secondary Sim
At Level 4 Field Agent, add a Gym to Burners and Builders in Oasis Springs
Raise the heir to Young Adult age (must take Vegetarian trait)

House complete!!  … oh, and…. Just in case you’re curious, here’s final skills, traits, jobs, and the house/funds.

Karson:

Eva:

Final funds:

Final bunker/house value:

And House pics:

(Yep, I know they have mail!) Anyway.. see you in House 10!

House 009 Chapter 6 < | > House 010 Chapter 1

Chapter 1.16 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.1

Generation One: Black

Appearance: Black hair, siren-like clothing style
Traits: Evil, Non Committal, Kleptomaniac
Aspiration: Renaissance Sim
Occupation: Collector/Random careers of choice
House Goal: 10,000 worth

(A/N: I did it! I completed my personal goals as well as getting the “boost” medal for doing more than 25,000 words. AND I posted every day for a whole month! What a huge achievement! This is also the final post for this generation, so that’s another big achievement. I hope you enjoyed reading along with Corina’s journey!)

A Family Grows

Meilani and Austen’s wedding was on a gorgeous sunny day at the restaurant, which had been nice enough to add a wedding arch just in time for the ceremony.

They cut the cake and fed each other, as tradition dictates…

And then everyone else shared in the cake. I had gained more family members, and I was so proud of Austen.

I had a feeling from the touchy-feelies I saw between Rarahu and Kaleb at the reception we held at our house after the ceremony that he wouldn’t be single for much longer, either.

Kimber seemed to have a great day socializing with family, although I was exhausted and had gone to bed. She played hostess for the rest of the event, and it turned out amazing.

Meilani’s pregnancy has not been easy on her. But I’ve been here to support her so she hasn’t been alone while Austen is at work.

We’ve spent quite a lot of time getting to know each other, though, and it’s been great. She’s really a great girl. Austen chose well!

On another note, my nephew Kyler finally came to visit Sulani from the city. In honor of this, I started another impromptu family reunion.

The only one who didn’t attend was Kaleb’s little boy, Grayson, who I have yet to meet.

Kaleb had big news, however, he and Rarahu had finally tied the knot. Apparently he had waited so long because he had been “taking care” of his parents.. and now he felt it was time to take care of himself. I agreed wholeheartedly.

Kaleb tried cooking again.. only he’d gotten better at it….

So this time we all had hot dogs made by him, and they were truly excellent.

Meilani had a little accident, having not been able to hold it all the way to the restroom.. but I can understand. Pregnancy does awful things to one’s bladder. Shortly after this picture, I took her home with me so she could get some sleep. The rest of the family stayed on at the beach.

Kimber met an Azure dolphin, and it was so cute to watch them play… luckily Rangi took some pictures.

Also, my newest nephew, Grayson, finally made an appearance (he’s the little one in this picture) and Kimber and he apparently got along famously.

Kimber was the last to leave the beach, and even met a local teen named Leinani.

The next day was bittersweet, as it was my Elder birthday.

But it was also New Year’s Day, so there was still so much to celebrate on what had been a big year.

Kimber toasted the whole family, and everyone made their resolutions. We didn’t watch the new year’s TV because.. well. we’d never had a TV.. and I didn’t see the need to start with one now.

Yep.. that night, it was time.

Austen utterly panicked, as most fathers do…

But Meilani was a pro, and a little girl, Kaci, joined the family.

The next day.. I baked yet another special coconut cake (Kimber’s favorite) and we all watched her pack her things as she picked her new home on the island (right down the hill from us!) and moved out on her own. I had faith she would do amazing things.. and carry on the legacy. I gifted her the mermadic kelp I had gotten from my mother when I moved out so she could change whoever she chose as a mate, and she left with a big, hopeful smile on her face. I held back the tears until she left, wondering how much we would see of her… but I hoped it was a lot, since she wouldn’t be living very far away. I knew in my heart she would be an amazing heir for this legacy my mother started, and I couldn’t wait to see where she would go.

(A/N: See you in the next post, where Kimber takes over!)

Chapter 1.16 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.1

Back to Chapter 2.6 | On to Chapter 3.2

First, we check on our goals… Again, I rolled randomly for them.. and by what I got.. I’m wishing I hadn’t. LOL.

Set #16 – Retail Mogul (Get to Work) - Brent Ireland (heir)
Own a Retail Store worth at least 100,000 simoleons
Have 3 top level employees
Have All Retail Perks

Set #26 – Comedian - Brynn Myles (spouse-to-be)
Get to Level 10 in the Entertainer Career (Comedian)
Master the Charisma Skill
Master the Comedy Skill
Complete the Joke Star Aspiration
Have 10 Perfect Comedy Routines
Have 3 Perfect Long Comedy Routines
Perform a Perfect Comedy Routine at a Gold Level Party 2 Times

Our first task, after checking the goals.. is to make our second sim. In the hopes that said sim has time to do anything with us working on the retail career. So.. Meet Brynn.

Next task: give Brent a makeover. He’s going to be a business man, after all. Hoodie and ripped jeans just don’t cut it anymore.

Third: we load the house to one bed missing. As in, one sim doesn’t have a place to sleep. Namely Brynn. And Brock probably doesn’t want the kiddie bedroom. So things have got to be changed.

I changed the master bedroom upstairs to be used for Brent..

And built an entire downstairs with a guest suite for Brock and Aiden.

Then I started playing. Finally.

Brynn gets her job…

.. They all sit down to breakfast… I got to buy the retail lot… and then everything goes wrong.

Now, to make a long story short.. things didn’t work out as planned, and I noticed that most of our money had mysteriously disappeared. I *think* it bugged when I added a sim to the family, but I can’t be sure. So, I saved a backup of the save, saved the family to my library to make sure I didn’t “lose” Brynn.. and recovered the save to the last time before I started all this new stuff. Money still there. Okayyy… so I added the family from the bin to a lot, moved Brynn over to the one with the money.. and yep. money still there. Deleted the bin family, and .. then realized I still had to fix the house and re-do Brent’s makeover. (As I’m typing this, I kept having to change Brent’s name, because for some reason I was calling him Brock.. wtg Thrall.) So.. I got lazy on the house. And this is what I did.

Stuck Brynn’s bed in the hallway of collections..

.. And upgraded Brent’s kid room to a “master” bedroom for him. And eventually, Brynn.

Then.. Brent’s makeover. Luckily I hadn’t changed a huge amount, and I remembered most of the clothes I had picked out.. so it went pretty smoothly.. and I didn’t have to take a new picture.

So.. let’s try this again.

Family breakfast again.

Our first customer. I plopped an EA Get to Work room down, and eventually edited a bit to get the “store”.. it’ll grow as we get funds to do it.

Took Brynn out to dinner.. it looks a little awkward to start with.

But pretty soon they’re really getting along..

.. and I mean really. =)

The store gets a bathroom.. because.. well.. I forgot about one earlier.

Here’s what the outside of the store looks like.

Shelves get dirty. Who knew?

Here’s our first employee, Hollie.

… who is learning skills quickly!

Breanna got her “A” today.. so it’s time for her to see the world.

She moves in with her aunties.

I finally get around to getting Brynn and Brent Hitched.

Aiden: *side eye of disapproval* “You should have had a wedding party!!”

Yep. I should have.

But that was too much like work.

And there were skills that needed working on. That trophy on the coffee table, by the way, was the gold reward from Aiden’s Charity party. Pretty cool looking.

She’s just so pretty. I hope she makes cute babies!!

Oh, this is a Love Day date. It goes far smoother than my mermaids’ Love Day date.. lol although this is the second date in a row Brent let someone steal the food I paid for… This is the second meal he ordered.

Grimm?? (Nice shadow, by the way…)

.. Oh yeah. It is about that time, isn’t it…

We use our polite introduction, ask him to hang out, and a couple more socials…

Yay! Achievement!

Sigh.. well, while you’re here….

Don’t know why Victor Feng is so sad. We didn’t even know the guy. But oh well. Now I’m down to a family of three. And Aiden shouldn’t be too far behind these other two deaths. So this house is going to get a whole lot easier really fast. But that’s the end of the sim-week.. so time for me to move on to another save!

Back to Chapter 2.6 | On to Chapter 3.2

Chapter 1.15 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.17

Generation One: Black

Appearance: Black hair, siren-like clothing style
Traits: Evil, Non Committal, Kleptomaniac
Aspiration: Renaissance Sim
Occupation: Collector/Random careers of choice
House Goal: 10,000 worth

Festival Blues

Kaleb and I took a relaxing swim in the ocean, then headed back home.

Kimber came home from school and was immediately aware that I was struggling to get through the day. Losing my parents in one horrible day has been incredibly rough. I was strong for everyone else the day before, but today I’ve just been miserable. I guess some days are like that.

Rangi helped Kimber with her electricity project since I wasn’t really up for it.

He struggled a bit, but they got it done.

That night, there was another huge volcanic eruption (A/N: and I finally got a good shot of it coming down!!) Which woke everyone up early.

Luckily, however, there was no school or work the next day because it was Harvestfest. We all tried to appease a gnome, and I made a huge breakfast for everyone since we were up early.

Kimber’s gnome apparently didn’t like coffee, though. So she had to beg for forgiveness.

Just to keep things interesting, we had yet another volcanic attack – this one actually resulted in a fire. Rangi saved the day, however – and my garden.

Over the next few days, Kimber started learning to cook, claiming she was going to need to learn soon, anyway. And I agreed. Also, she’s been losing weight and feels great with all the swimming she’s been doing.

The volcano really has been letting us know that it’s there lately, but that just means more gems to sell. Luckily, it hasn’t started any more fires. That must have just been a fluke thing.

I’ve finally been feeling better about things, and so has the rest of the family. I really appreciate their support through this tough time. I fully expected to be able to spend Harvestfest with my parents.. but for the first time, they’re not around. I stay in constant phone contact with my brothers, as well, and both of them have had their own struggles. It’s nice to have close family at a time like this.

Speaking of learning new things, Austen has started taking over the repair duties from me to work on his aspiration, Nerd Brain. He wanted to get a head start on it before growing up.

It was vanilla cake for Austen when he blew his candles out with an “A” in school, and he earned the Ambitious trait, which didn’t surprise me with as much as he’s been looking forward to his career as a scientist. With his grades and skills, the local lab was more than happy to take him on with a promotion to start with.

Austen really is determined to succeed. He’s been working on his handiness skill – and work starts the day after tomorrow. He can’t wait.

Rangi gave me quite a scare today and decided he just couldn’t wait to go for an ocean swim – in the middle of a monsoon. He came home struck by lightning and singed around the edges. As luck would have it, I had to fix the fridge today, too, which made me a little nervous as I looked at his singed hair.

As if to celebrate Austen’s birthday, another big lava rock struck right behind the house. He thought it funny, as he was getting ready to head out for the evening to the restaurant. We had all offered to go along with him to help him celebrate his promotions, but he was insistent on going himself because he was “all grown up now”. I had to laugh, as it seemed like such a silly thing to say, but off he went.

He was dressed to the nines, too. My “little boy”, now a scientist. Hard to believe… but I knew that’s what he would be long before he did, that’s for sure.

When he came home, he had so much to report. Apparently Kaleb had been out at the restaurant with Rarahu, his old girlfriend, and they had news. They had a kid! Kaleb was apparently as surprised as we were, but they were determined to work things out.

On top of that, Austen couldn’t stop talking about the chef. Apparently his meal was amazing, and when he went to compliment the chef, he ran into the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. He tried to talk to her a bit, but she was clearly busy with work, so all he managed to do was get her name – Meilani – and her number.

The next day was Winterfest – and we celebrated as a family, as usual. With Austen’s constant talking about this new girl he liked, though, I insisted he invite her over to celebrate with us if she’d like.

Meilani agreed, and she showed up just in time to help finish the tree decorating.

Austen was right about one thing, though. She really was gorgeous. I watched him proudly as he flirted with her and was relieved to see that she was as interested in him as he was in her.

I had to laugh, however, as Father Winter showed up wanting a selfie after being hit by lightning on the way up to our front door. Never let it be said that he’s not the cheerful sort, because it didn’t faze him a bit, and he went on handing out presents as if nothing had happened.

While we were all talking to Father Winter, I managed to catch a photo of Austen and Meilani’s first kiss. She had agreed to spend the night, and they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

Austen insisted on making a feast for everyone – a ham dinner – and amazingly (for his first time cooking) it turned out pretty well.

We pulled up the computer chair so that we’d have enough seating for Meilani, and I made a mental note to make some more chairs tomorrow.

I tried not to hear what was going on in the next room, but it was pretty obvious. Rangi and I grinned.. and fell asleep peacefully despite the storm raging outside.

The next morning, Austen had big news. Not only had they found out they were pregnant….

… but Meilani had agreed to be his wife, too! I was gaining a daughter-in-law and a grand-baby all at the same time! This was the best news ever, and I completely approved of Austen calling in to get the day off work for his wedding and honeymoon.

Chapter 1.15 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.17

Back to Intro Page > Chapter 1.2

The last thing I need is a new challenge. But what did I do? Started one anyway. I made an elder with the new CAS Stories a while ago, and was trying to figure out what to do with him. Eventually, I thought of the old Sims 3 Backwards ISBIs. Basically, you start with a male sim elder and each generation takes over at the next age group down. So the elder has to live long enough for his heir to make it to the adult life stage before taking over. Then, the next takes over as a young adult.. then teen.. all the way down to infant. I don’t even know if this is possible on Sims 4.. but I’m the one that is crazy enough to try. So here we go.

Meet Jesse Lockett.

I should have taken a picture of his starting screen with what he got from the story, but I didn’t realize I was going to documenting a challenge with him, so I didn’t. Lesson learned for next time. Take pictures of everything. LOL!

As you can see from the featured picture, I put him in my new favorite world, Sulani, on a starter house I haven’t played before. And, of course, didn’t take a picture of it right away.. so it has that annoying build mode white line around it. But such is life. Still a gorgeous pic. Love the moon in the background.

Anyways. I started the game up and dove right into the action. Obviously, getting an heir on the way ASAP was my first priority. Second was getting the aspiration points to start banking some youth potions.

For some reason, I decided I wanted to try for a librarian wife – they’re always generated sims and usually have pretty good traits.. so I sent him off to the library.

We try Windenburg first. And struck out. The librarian is a guy. Next!

Willow Creek is also a bust. Another guy librarian… and that lady back there is married. Takes too long to break up a marriage. So we move on. I rack my brain trying to remember if there’s any other libraries in the world.. and then I remember..

.. StrangeVille! And here we hit jackpot. Not only is it a Young Adult female, but she’s CUTE, too! We find out her two of her traits pretty quick and they’re the typical “Neat” and “Bookworm”.. and whatever the last one is, we’ll deal with it.

For now.. we really need to get the heir on the way. So cloudgazing to raise social is the way to go.

Lilith looks like she approves. I then ask Fetia (that’s her name) on a date, and take them to my Sulani restaurant that I plopped into this world.

They seem to be getting along really well. I finish the date as a gold pretty easily.. and decide “Why Not?” on trying to get her to marry us right here and now.

She accepted!! Sometimes sims can be so contrary on that first day.. I think that’s the fastest I’ve ever gotten two sims together. I’m getting better at this.

So I really do have them get married right there.. Clara seems to be thrilled by the whole thing (the sim in the background).. but then again, she might have been cheering over her dinner. Who knows, with sims.

Anyway, Meet Fetia.

Haha. Poor girl wanted to be a Vampire. Luckily we saved her from all that. They appear at home with the date complete.. and I immediately send them to try for baby.

Success! Nooboo incoming.

.. In the meantime, I never did have them eat at the restaurant.. so Jesse makes some dinner. (Also to try to prevent fires from Fetia trying to cook.) Yup, it’s just a garden salad. Can’t be taking chances on our points. Oh. on another note… per the “preferred” rules for an ISBI – we deleted her funds.. so we’re on a shoestring budget here. And Jesse can’t even afford a computer for his work task (that’s why we wrote a column at Windenburg library back in the first screenshot). He’s a Critic, by the way.

The next morning, we start the marathon aspiration-point hunt .. and double that up with trying to catch some fish for money. He doesn’t work for a couple days, so we have to make money somehow. Weirdly enough, the fishing spots in Sulani don’t seem to count for “fishing in 3 locations” .. so I send him to Willow Creek park to get that done with. He catches a cowplant berry… money! WooT!

Later, (literally, it’s 10pm sim time) .. the islanders show up with extra food for us.. which is clearly a win for us, less stuff for Jesse to cook.

Fetia goes into labor.. during the party.. and takes a shower. As you do. #simslogic

Sorry, Fetia, but we can’t really afford a bassinet. You’ll have to give birth on your own. What a face, though.

Baby time!! +5 points! … And Jesse sleeps through the whole thing. LOL. You can’t see it in this picture, but by this point I’ve been able to afford a computer and an extra chair.. but not wasting money on a desk.. so the computer’s at one end of the dining table.

Jesse has to watch TV for a work at home task.. so I buy them a TV, grumbling the whole time.

Fetia keeps winning the race to the bassinet. By the time Jaxson is a toddler, she’s already level four in parenting. She clearly wins the ISBI spouse award for this one. And she cleans house, too!

Another work task.. and luckily there’s an easel right there, so I can keep an eye on what’s going on.

That first milestone.. buying the first youth potion to stockpile.

Umm…. Thrall/Jesse.. you can’t get a suntan when there’s no sun out. Try again. (FAIL!)

And Jaxson grows up. He rolled the independent trait. Which is a good one to have in an ISBI. I splurge and buy all the toddler stuff.. and wince at the cost.

Oh, this one is a charmer for sure. Look at that face! And Fetia is still winning at the mom game. She’s helping him learn all by herself… while Jesse sleeps.

.. So much for that dollhouse I spent good money on. At some point during this day, Fetia ALMOST has an accident because I didn’t notice the toilet was broken.. but I got it fixed just in time. *knock on wood* still haven’t lost any points!

And this seemed a good point to end this play session. What a cute picture, too. At the end of this.. Jesse almost has enough points to get another youth potion thanks to my frenzied aspiration jumping and skill-work. This is one of the first times that Jesse has had a “break” since I started this thing.

Anyway. See you next time!

Back to Intro Page > Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.14 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.16

Generation One: Black

Appearance: Black hair, siren-like clothing style
Traits: Evil, Non Committal, Kleptomaniac
Aspiration: Renaissance Sim
Occupation: Collector/Random careers of choice
House Goal: 10,000 worth

A Sad Day

I am truly blessed with a great family. With Kimber growing up tomorrow, that fact has really come home to me. She really had excelled in school, and I expect high school will be the same.

Kimber’s final night as a child seemed to drag by, but Austen took time out of his schedule to help her get through it.

The next day, after school Rangi and Austen took a swim while I baked the coconut cake Kimber had requested. Made with fresh coconuts from the garden, no less!

We were all there to with Kimber a happy birthday, and she blew out her candles enthusiastically, more than ready to “catch up” to her brother again.

She was not happy with her look, however, so we went into Sulani town for her to get a makeover and get some new clothes.

Later, she headed down to the beach to try out her new tail, and she ran into a litterbug. This disappointed her greatly, and she took the time to go confront the woman.

Neither were very happy with each other, and the conversation turned venomous. Both were angry by the end of the conversation, and I heard an earful about it when she got home.

Before swimming, Kimber took some time to clean up the beach, vowing that this island would remain pristine.

Then, she took a long swim, hoping (like I had when I was a teen) to lose some of that baby fat she got from growing up.

I assured her that I had had the same problem as a teen, and there was nothing wrong with it, but she still felt guilty about eating leftover french toast for dinner. I told her I would get some fixings for salads the next time I went grocery shopping, which made her feel a bit better.

The next day, I surprised her with a makeover on her room, just like I had with Austen, and she loved it.

Then, Austen and I sat down to work on his electricity project for school. I was glad for all the training I had got at SpaceY from my first job, because the project proved to be pretty complicated.

Both of us were glad to get it done.

Then, I got the phone call no one ever wants to get. My mom had passed away. I quickly invited Dad over to console him, knowing he would be feeling completely bereft.

What happened next was a scene from my worst nightmares.

I pleaded with grim, but to effect. Dad was still gone. And I was left with an urn I had no idea what to do with. After crying in Rangi’s arms for a while, I resolved to take Dad home and let Kaleb know what had happened.

At first, Kaleb was thrilled to see me, and being home again felt fitting for the day.

When I explained what happened, however, the pleasure at seeing one another was completely gone. We cried for a while, deciding what to do with mom and dad’s remains.

Finally, we decided the best thing to do was bury them by dad’s garden at their home, where both had loved being. It was a bittersweet moment, because we knew dad was at least with mom, now… but we missed them terribly.

I offered a sugar skull in tribute to them, and a Day of the Dead sim showed up.

It was then that I noticed the gathering in the town square. I quickly related the news to the townsfolk, and the gathering became an impromptu wake for my parents. I did some melancholy fire dancing, and invited the rest of my family out to join in the festivities.

In honor of mom, I made a huge island feast for everyone.

Kimber took it harder than Austen, I think, and the entire gathering was colored by sadness.

By the time the “party” split up, the feast was ready, and we all sat down, comforting each other with positive memories about mom and dad. There were so many of them. My parents had lived full and happy lives.. and that was the only fact that we kept returning to. At the end of the meal, we all quietly headed home, holding back the tears that surely would come before sleep.

(A/N: I seriously almost cried over playing this chapter. I had just invited Vaea over to comfort him.. and then he died right in front of me, literally minutes after the death notification of Jazmin. I guess he couldn’t bear to be without her. And, no, I have no idea how the two of them lived as long as they did. Must be the fact they were so physically fit from swimming all the time? Their age bars were bubbling when I left them at the last house, and I figured they would be gone soon.. then they lasted nearly the whole generation until I mostly forgot they were old – so losing them was quite a shock. Also – Kimber’s makeover was a bit early, but I decided since her generation was “brown” themed she definitely couldn’t stay in that neon pink outfit. The bluish-brown tail was as close as I could get to the “right” color.)

Chapter 1.14 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.16

Chapter 1.13 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.15

Generation One: Black

Appearance: Black hair, siren-like clothing style
Traits: Evil, Non Committal, Kleptomaniac
Aspiration: Renaissance Sim
Occupation: Collector/Random careers of choice
House Goal: 10,000 worth

Austin’s New Tail

Now that my aspiration is complete, I find myself puttering around the house doing not much of anything really. I mean, there’s my job requirements that I do daily, but I just haven’t really been pushing myself. It’s been very nice to take a break.

My work task is usually to research gardening, read a gardening book, or submit a paper. All of which are easily done, although I sometimes have to fight to get some computer time to get them done.

I also put some time into upgrading household appliances. Mainly so they don’t have to be cleaned ever again. I remember my mother doing that, and it saved SO much time. What baffles me is forgetting to do it until now.

And then… Austen’s big day arrived. Our little Klepto is growing up! I made him a confetti cake, and we all sang to him while he spun up.

He ended up with the Nerd Brain aspiration (big surprise there) and Genius trait. Now, as he says it, he’s just waiting to grow all the way up so that he can join the scientist career.

With that in mind, his first action as a teen was to ask for help to do his homework for the next day of school. I was more than happy to oblige, and with two of us working, it didn’t take long at all.

Meanwhile, Kimber was keeping Rangi occupied with some serious play time. Rangi, Watcher Bless Him, was playing along. They were so cute voicing their dolls and having them run all over the dollhouse.

Austen’s next task was working on his Logic skill. He had done some research on his chosen career path, and knew that it was going to be very useful down the road, so that’s what he was working on.

Kimber, finally finished “torturing” her dad, decided to work on her homework, too. She’s usually able to breeze right through any work they send home with her, so it leaves her with plenty of time to work on her extra credit, too. (Not that she needs extra credit.)

My garden had a close call today as flying lava landed virtually on top of it. Amazingly, no plants were injured though, and it just reinforced my belief that we were mostly save from lava damage, thanks to the Watcher.

When Austen came home from school, I surprised him with a brand new teen-worthy room.

… And partially solved the computer problem by giving him a laptop of his own. He hadn’t expected any of it, so the look on his face was all the reward I needed for the hard work Rangi and I had put in that morning of getting the new bed in and expanding the house to be able to fit it in.

He celebrated by taking his first trip down to the ocean, to try out his new tail. He may have gotten a little carried away, though, because it was almost too late by the time he came home with his homework to do.

I helped the two of them with homework, and then served them dinner.

Of course, the volcano had to pip up then, again scaring poor Rangi half to death. You’d think he’d be used to it by now. After having them clear the table, I tucked the kids into their beds. (Well, at least I tucked Kimber in. Austen insisted he was too big to be tucked in anymore.)

The next day, while the kids were at school, the volcano erupted AGAIN! Was this going to be an every day thing now? I hoped not!

Kimber came home from school, and went straight into a shower then got on the computer to play Sims. I don’t blame her. That game is fun!

Tevin stopped by to tell us that Everett had passed on. Their son, Kyler, had stayed back in the city with his friends, but promised to visit soon. Poor Tevin, though, was beside himself in grief.

I comforted him the very best that I could, and I even elicited a smile for a little while.

We invited him in for dinner, but he swore he couldn’t stay long, because he had to go home and check on Kyler. As a mother, I understood, and gave him a big hug to pass on to my nephew.

After playing Sims, I told Kimber there was a surprise for her outside when she finished her dinner. I’m not sure she quite believed me, but I’ve never seen her eat that fast before, either.

She squealed in delight when she found the swingset, and immediately recruited Rangi to push her. They played until nearly past bedtime, then I trundled her into bed, giving her a kiss goodnight.

The next day was “Night on the Town” holiday, so I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers that this would be a more NORMAL trip to the restaurant. Austen, of course, was playing on his phone the whole time, but that’s a teenager for you.

Kimber insisted on being the big girl and ordering for us, and the waiter played along (which was very nice of him!)

She did a great job of ordering, too. She got Rangi and I Tilapia and Salmon for her and Austen.

Everyone had a great time, but it was very late by the time we got home, so right away it was time for bed.

Unfortunately, that’s also when we noticed that poor Kimber had contracted food poisoning. She immediately called the restaurant to report it, and I made sure she drank plenty of water. Then I stayed by her side all night with a bucket while she was sick. Poor little tyke. I felt so bad for her. Luckily, by morning, she was feeling better…. and I was the one in need of a nap!

Chapter 1.13 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.15

Chapter 1.12 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.14

Generation One: Black

Appearance: Black hair, siren-like clothing style
Traits: Evil, Non Committal, Kleptomaniac
Aspiration: Renaissance Sim
Occupation: Collector/Random careers of choice
House Goal: 10,000 worth

Renaissance Sim

After yesterday’s outing, Austen’s swimming shows definite improvement. Enough that I let him go down for a swim this morning on his own. It’s not like I couldn’t see him from the window and run to help if he needed it.

He came back up in time for breakfast, though, of course. If there’s one thing he likes more than science, it’s food. I’m sure if he wasn’t dead-set on being a scientist when he grows up, he probably would have been a chef.

Then, the two of us worked on our “homework” together. I’m still working on my gardening skill, but it’s getting close to where I need it to be for my aspiration.

Rangi danced while I studied. I’m getting so close to my aspiration, I can almost touch it. Tonight, I finally got gardening to level 8, and I just have one more skill to get from 7 to 8 – logic.

In the meantime, though, Kimber played chess quietly while I read my gardening book. I appreciate that my family is so good at being quiet while I try to study. It makes things so much easier for me.

Then, Rangi decided to climb in the bath while I was taking a shower. I tried to insist that we didn’t both fit, but he proved otherwise.. and I finished my shower hurriedly and climbed out to let him relax.

The marathon chess session began in earnest then. Rangi tried to help by chatting with me, but he was more a distraction than anything else. I wasn’t about to tell him that, though. Eventually, he got bored, though, and wandered off to do his own thing. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief and settled in for the long haul.

Kimber has almost completely taken over the science station from Austen. Austen claims he’s learned most of what he can from it, and that he’s okay with sharing with his sister, which I appreciate. It certainly eliminates any arguments that could have formed .. and saves me from having to buy a second science set.

The next day, finally, I finished getting logic to level 8. Which means that I’m now officially a Renaissance Sim. I couldn’t wait to tell the kids when they got home from school.

That night, we also had another volcano attack while everyone was in their beds…

.. And Rangi, true to form, panicked. He gets like that sometimes. Luckily for him, there are no plans for more babies in this household, so the volcano is the worst thing he can panic about.

Kimber and Austen are so great together. I love that Austen takes time out of his busy day to spend time with his little sister. A lot of kids wouldn’t do that, and Kimber looks up to him so it means so much to her to be able to be with him. They seem to be the best of friends, always talking about science.

I never realized how much smoke is generated when I break those lava rocks. More stuff to sell, now… although we’re pretty set on funds. My house goal has been met for quite a while, and I really am not worried about money.

The kids head off to school, and Rangi proudly tells me that the baby turtle hatching season has begun. So we finish up our breakfast quickly and swim/walk over to the next island to see them.

Rangi’s fellow conservationists have made little “lanes” for the baby turtles to help protect them, and I think half the population of Sulani has shown up to cheer them on.

We stay to watch them and chat for quite a while, Rangi telling me about all the work he and his coworkers did just to get the turtles to be able to breed safely here on Sulani.

With one last look at the adorable baby turtles, we head home in time to meet the kids when they get off of school.

Rangi plays the Sims while I fix some things around the house. We are expecting them to bring home projects because today is Monday.

Sure enough, the expected projects are lugged home with two tired, but excited kids.. and both wanted to get to work on them right away. Kimber’s class is learning about castles, while, to Austen’s delight, he gets to build another volcano.

Kimber is a little disappointed in her project because it doesn’t turn out as spectacular as Austen’s working volcano, but he is quick to point out her project had more detail and was more difficult. This makes Kimber feel a little better, but she still asks to go along when Rangi takes Austen up to the volcano just to take a peek at the real thing.

I do have to admit, however, that Austen’s volcano sure turned out great this time. He’ll get top marks for it for sure.

Nobody wanted to wait for me to finish making dinner, so they had leftovers, which was alright by me.

The kids both found something to occupy themselves for the rest of the evening, and it was a quiet, productive night. Everyone got what they were hoping to get done completed, and went to bed happily.

I must be the luckiest person in Sulani to have such a great family!

Chapter 1.12 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.14

Back to Chapter 2.5 | On to Chapter 3.1

First, we check on our goals…

Set #46 – Stylist - Aiden Ireland (heir)
Get to level 10 of the Style Influencer career (Stylist)
Make over 15 sims

Set #21 – Chef - Brock Savage (spouse)
Get to Level 10 of the Culinary Career (Chef)
(currently level 9)
Master the Cooking Skill
Master the Gourmet Cooking Skill
Complete the Master Chef Aspiration
Cook All Base Game Recipes in Excellent Quality

Set #4 – Master of the Real - Maren Brink (roommate)
Get to Level 10 in the Painting Career (Master of the Real)
(currently level 9)
Master the Painting Skill
Master the Photography Skill
Take and display 25 Perfect Quality Photos

And we seriously are almost done. … and I found playing this family with basically nothing to do incredibly boring, so you’ll have to bear with me as I race to finish this generation real fast in one post. I aged sims up when they had all their goals done, so there’s several early birthdays here, too.

First thing I do is invite Olivia over and finish that pesky Social aspiration. Of course, I forgot to get a picture.. but oh well.

Then, it’s time for Breanna to age up with her Top Notch Toddler trait.

.. What are you wearing? .. Oh, nevermind. Wear a bunny suit around the house in the daytime. Be weird. You do you!

Working on typing skills.

And this is what happens when Brock turns into an alcoholic. Ok. Not really. But he spends most his free time here.

… doing this. Um.. thanks, Brock.

Working on that creativity skill.

At least the bar is clean for once…

And.. success!

Aspiration number two.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post for Harvestfest…

… Sorry, it was midnight when we finished this aspiration…

.. But yay for aspiration three.

Breanna’s working on getting her “A” so she can age up early, too. So she doesn’t get left behind.

Mental skill..

.. And that’s done!

Mm.. chocolate cake. (Except I don’t really like chocolate… lol)

Brent picks up the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration, because it’s the only one I can think of that’s appropriate while he’s working on a retail store.

And.. Maren is the first to come home with her level 10 career…

Well, technically second after Aiden.

Then, later, Brock finally maxes his.

.. I kept forgetting to have him “work hard”, so I wasn’t sure he was ever going to get there.

.. To be fair, she aged only a day and a half early. I’d already gotten the warning about her birthday.

Same with Brock.

Aiden making a derpy face.

… And that’s three elders.

Winterfest got in the way of them coming home with an “A” in school, but we paused to celebrate it anyway.

Not like anyone wanted to go outside in a blizzard, anyway.

A shot of them being a cute little family.

Both came home with an “A”.. and are eligible for aging up.

But, then I realize Brent is literally two badges away from maxing scouting, so I have him get to work on his fitness…

.. Then that outdoors badge.

.. And.. Llamacorn scout!

Happy Birthday Breanna!

.. Interesting random traits.. but okay.

Maren doesn’t look like she approves of the outfit.

And.. that’s the end of the generation.

Here’s Brent’s age-up screen. I chose his traits, hopefully they’ll help with retail, but I really don’t know.

And.. lastly.. Aiden’s final stats for his generation…

Lots of traits..

A successful career…

.. A ton of skills…

.. And so much money in the bank I’ll never be able to spend it. See you in Gen three!

Back to Chapter 2.5 | On to Chapter 3.1

Chapter 1.11 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.13

Generation One: Black

Appearance: Black hair, siren-like clothing style
Traits: Evil, Non Committal, Kleptomaniac
Aspiration: Renaissance Sim
Occupation: Collector/Random careers of choice
House Goal: 10,000 worth

Fun in the Sun

The next day started out ordinary enough. Homework, chores, and showers. But I had a surprise, since today was an off day for everyone.

After, of course, I finished fixing the toilet. At least things don’t seem to break as often around here as they did when I was younger. I don’t know how Mom dealt with it!

While everyone was off doing their own thing, I made some phone calls. All the plans were now in place, and I got everyone rounded up to go.

“Where are we going, Mom?” was all I kept hearing, but I refused to respond, letting it be a surprise. Obediently, my family followed me

… On a family trip to the beach! We were the first ones there, and Rangi and Austen were quick to add to the sand castle collection there.

Before they finished, however, the rest of the family showed up. Mom, Dad, Kaleb, Tevin – everyone was here. Tevin apologized for Everett and Kyler not coming, but apparently they had had plans they couldn’t break in the city. This was the first time we’d really been able to get everyone together, and it was fantastic.

Mom immediately found time to play with her grand-kids, and Kimber was overjoyed. It couldn’t have been a better day for it, either!

Tevin cornered me to apologize for his behavior at dinner yesterday, but I just laughed it off. It had definitely been weird, but I’m used to my family being a little “out there”.

Speaking of which, Mom had brought her action figure toy to the beach – and was now playing with it by herself at the picnic table. She was voicing a whole story about him, too.. which was garnering some weird looks. As a family, we all chuckled about it, and let her have her time to “herself”.

Kaleb decided to try to make some lunch, but he burnt it badly.. so he asked me to step in.

I was more than happy to do so, and I threw some juicy steaks I’d brought with me on the grill, which immediately caught the attention of everyone at the beach. The steaks smelled absolutely delicious!

Another sandcastle was built while the steaks cooked, this time by Kimber and Austen. We can forgive them for it being sub-par because they were terribly distracted at the time!

I took a break after cooking, enjoying a beach towel in the setting sun. Mom and Rangi chatted, planning an all out assault on the ocean by the Naiades family.

It was hectic. Fins everywhere! I participated for a while, then reminded everyone that the steaks were probably getting cold.

At that, everyone rushed the beach and hurriedly grabbed their steak. Then we all spread out to eat.

Dinner was fabulous. Everyone cleaned their plate – even Rangi. Apparently steak is more his thing than lobster!

After dinner, we all ended up in the cool ocean water again.

We all splashed around and generally had a great time. There were races, and some swimming lessons for the little ones.

By this time, most everyone else had left the beach, so we had it pretty much to ourselves. Which was just as well. We were certainly making plenty of noise!

I managed to get some great pictures, too. Like this one of Vaea’s tail framing my sleepy little Austen. And the earlier one of my mother treading water with a big grin on her face. I’m not sure how Austen slept through all the splashing and the noise, but he definitely enjoyed a little nap.

Best of all, Mom and I finally had a chance to talk and work things out. Being that we were both mothers, the worrying comes natural, and I let her know I completely understood her concern. – But the volcano really wasn’t that dangerous. It dropped a few rocks around the outside of our house, sure, but it had never caused any damage, and it had never done anything more than scare us. By the end of the evening, we had come to an understanding, and I had finally put her mind at ease.

By the time we got home, it was way past bedtime, and we were all exhausted. It took only moments for everyone to fall into bed and head off to dreamland.

What a wonderful day it had been!

Chapter 1.11 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 1.13