Chapter 0.5 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.7

Generation Zero: Beige - Starts with a HUMAN Sim

Appearance: Dark Blonde Hair, poor clothing style
Traits: Slob, Childish, Clumsy
Aspiration: Pick whatever you'd like. (Your goal this
generation is only to become a Mermaid and have your heir)
Occupation: Part Time Jobs ONLY
House Goal: None
Lot Trait: Off the Grid

---

Tevin and Vaea were so cute together. Teaching Tevin the things he needed to know was so much fun. You know, walking.. talking.. basic learning skills. I was already determined I would be a better parent than my neglectful, angry parents had been.. and I was sure I was off to a great start. It seemed it came naturally. Vaea had grown up in an extended household, and was as natural a parent as I felt… so the days passed smoothly.

Building blocks was the beginning of all things, apparently. At least that was what the toy store had said. So we bought the blocks enthusiastically, along with a dollhouse and the other things we would need to get through this toddler stage.

… And Tevin LOVED the dollhouse. Even when we were busy with other things, Tevin found the dolls irresistible. He treated them with such care, and I never had to worry about him chewing on things that shouldn’t go in the mouth.

Tevin also took to water like a little fish. Although.. when it comes down to it, I guess we sort of are, aren’t we? We bought him a toddler pool and he thought the fish on the bottom of it were his best friends as he splashed and played.

Giving him baths, however, was a struggle. We couldn’t waste the water, so we waited until he simply couldn’t get any dirtier, and only when he begged for a bath could I manage to complete the process.

(A/N: you can’t queue up giving a toddler a bath, and they can’t ask for one on an off the grid lot. However, if a toddler is left on his own, apparently he (or she) can ask autonomously for a bath and the parent will comply. Just a note for other people trying this challenge or any other off-the-grid challenge..)

Tevin wasn’t a picky eater, either. Which was good since there were a limited number of meals we could make with our facilities.

He’s trying so hard to learn. I feel sure that he’ll be some sort of genius. Then again, I guess all parents think that way, right?

I enjoyed playing with him, and the dollhouse was definitely our favorite activity. My childish nature made playtime the best time of the day.

Tevin was so cooperative. Even bedtime was easy. He rarely had nightmares, and all it took was a tuck into bed while reading him a bit of a book, and he was out like a light. Which was good. Because I had big plans for the next day – since it was a Saturday and I didn’t work until evening.. I had planned for a full day at the beach.

Tevin LOVED the ocean. And he looked so cute in his little yellow water “wings”. The mermaid that Vaea had met last week was there, too, so I had a chance to get to know her. We chatted for quite a while, then she had to go. I didn’t ask her to where, since she had mentioned she was unemployed, but she swam off in the direction of the caves, so I had my suspicions.

Tevin was apparently a master artist with sand already, and spent quite a while building a sand castle with absolutely no help from me (Since I was busy making our lunch).

After eating, we were back to playing in the sand. The beach was crowded, but Tevin was the only little one there, so everyone seemed to be watching him play with smiles and laughter.

And here’s the masterpiece that Tevin built. A cowplant! The most dangerous plant in our world.. and he thought the monster would make a good sand castle. I had to admit, though, that it was pretty epic for a toddler having built it.

I took a break, while Tevin played in the sand and met a crab. Wisely, he let it wander away, and woke me to help him build another castle.

By this time, Vaea had come home from work and was here, too, but he was far more interested in playing in the waves than in getting his hands dirty in the sand. What a great day we had! The sun was starting to go down, so after building this last castle, we packed up our beach toys and towels and made the short walk home.

The next day dawned rainy, and made me glad I had used the day before as our beach day. Tevin and I vowed to stay inside and play (after I was home from work, of course), and we played with the blocks for hours. He was getting pretty good at making towers.. and he was starting to be able to name the colors and the letters on them, as well.

With his manual labor job, Vaea had to learn about gardening, so he took the small store of island fruits I had saved from the plants I had harvested while exploring the islands.. and started a small garden. He was a natural at playing in the dirt, and the light rain for the day made watering them unnecessary.

The big bear we had bought had been named Blarffy. (No idea why, that’s just what Tevin calls it!) … And Tevin’s faculty for talking was improving day by day. He could talk in full sentences, now, and babbled with his bear quite happily while I worked on household chores.

Once again, I hated to waste the water, but Tevin needed to keep his hygiene up, so I relented and gave him another bath before bed.

Tevin never needed to know that I would play quietly with his toys while he was asleep, right?

Our clothes were starting to get pretty ratty, but I wasn’t ready to splurge and buy new clothes just yet, so we continued to carefully scrub them in our wash basin and hang them outside.

Tevin sure loved his fruit salad. And it was so easy to make. It was the perfect food to have just sitting in the fridge for whenever Tevin got hungry and needed a healthy snack.

Vaea was still a huge help around the house, and continued to be my sounding board when I was frustrated with my dead end part time jobs. I couldn’t be happier that I had found him.

Before I knew it, on a stormy, stormy day, Tevin had his first day of school. He dodged the mud puddles, and I hid my tears in the rain.. and off he went. I knew he was going to be great at school, and he was excited to make friends. The week had passed by with hardly any effort at all. Terrible twos, what? I don’t know why other parents complained!

Chapter 0.5 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.7

Chapter 0.4 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.6

Generation Zero: Beige - Starts with a HUMAN Sim

Appearance: Dark Blonde Hair, poor clothing style
Traits: Slob, Childish, Clumsy
Aspiration: Pick whatever you'd like. (Your goal this
generation is only to become a Mermaid and have your heir)
Occupation: Part Time Jobs ONLY
House Goal: None
Lot Trait: Off the Grid

---

So.. I left you on a cliffhanger.

And as it turns out.. yes. I am expecting!

Vaea is as excited as I am.. and he quickly takes the time to get a Manual Labor and a Lifeguard job. With both of us working two jobs, we should be able to afford the baby.

Having someone around to help me in the hunt for seashells and treasure is such a great thing.. it gives me more time to play in the ocean and enjoy the sunshine.

Vaea takes an early morning jog while I’m at work.. he’ll need the fitness skill for his Lifeguard job.

Then, he joins me in the ocean. Things couldn’t be more peaceful or perfect.

At least.. until I get home.. and realize – that with no real running water, I can’t really clean the toilet. However, with my skill in handiness (thank goodness for all that practice back at Willow Creek Gym!) – I come up with a work-a-round. I can install a self-cleaning mechanism that apparently doesn’t use running water. I just needed to get the parts for it. So I bought a laptop, and went to the Bar to use their wi-fi to order parts. I got some weird looks – but that’s ok. Living off the grid isn’t always the easiest thing to do, and if I have to deal with some strange looks to do it, so be it.

While I worked on the plumbing, Vaea tried his hand at grilling. I can’t say it turned out too bad. Wasn’t that great, either.. but it was edible, and I wasn’t about to knock him for trying to help out around the house.

And help out, he did. Having him around was awesome, since we could work as a team, and get things done twice as fast. Laundry, however, still took just as long.. and things never seemed to come out completely clean. But such are the hazards of off the grid living.

The next day was New Year’s Eve, and we both made resolutions to get promotions. We had a small celebration, just the two of us, and used our watches to count down to the new year. What a year it was going to be, too, with a new nooboo on the way, and the two of us together!

By this time, Vaea had become my best friend. Not that I had a ton of other friends, but he was definitely the best. We tucked ourselves into bed and cuddled up close to ward off the night’s chill.

We certainly didn’t  make it until morning, however, since regular pains in my lower back woke me up. Vaea, of course, panicked immediately, and insisted we go to the hospital. I wasn’t sure how they would handle me being a mermaid.. but it turned out the question never came up. There wasn’t exactly a blank on the forms for that particular fact. We checked in, and I headed back to the procedure room, while Vaea waited nervously in the waiting room, absent-mindedly watching the TV.

With the weird contraption they had me stuffed into, I wasn’t any less nervous.. but the doctor quickly reassured me that she did this sort of thing all the time..

.. And before long, little Tevin Naiades joined the world. He was adorable. No sign of fins, yet, but our little merman would get them with time. Back home, we tucked him into his little bassinet, and headed back to bed.

The next couple days were a blind rush of baby care and naps for me. Vaea helped out as much as he possibly could.. and I was so very glad I had taken care of all the plumbing upgrades before the baby had arrived. At least everything had a less chance of breaking, and would keep itself clean. I’d run out of parts before getting to any other upgrades, but that was okay. We had other things to spend the money on now than upgrade parts!

The first load of baby laundry, however, was the last one for the clothesline.. and on yet another rainy day, I ended up having to fix it.

So what else is there to do.. but make the rain go away, right?? With the sun out, we could now focus on fixing the clothesline.. and building a room for little Tevin.

Vaea was proving to be such a good parent, stepping in when I absolutely couldn’t stay awake anymore, and neither of us had to take time off of work – which was important because we had toddler furniture to buy soon.

When one thing goes wrong.. so does everything else. Glad that I had Vaea to take care of the baby, I fixed the plumbing. It took forever, and by the time I was done, I was starving.

Well that.. and my scales were itchy and needed a break in the ocean. First things first.. I let Vaea take a swim break, and set out to make dinner. It had been a long day, but when Vaea came home, he had a surprise for me.

He had met another mermaid who lived in town! I KNEW there were more of us living out here! Maybe we could invite her over for dinner on another day….

But first.. today had other things for us… Like Tevin growing up. His beautiful big eyes and black hair matched his dark skin, and he was amazing. I couldn’t believe I had made such a sweet little merman. Still, no scales and fins yet.. but I had faith. That would come in time!

Chapter 0.4 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.6

Chapter 0.3 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.5

Generation Zero: Beige - Starts with a HUMAN Sim

Appearance: Dark Blonde Hair, poor clothing style
Traits: Slob, Childish, Clumsy
Aspiration: Pick whatever you'd like. (Your goal this
generation is only to become a Mermaid and have your heir)
Occupation: Part Time Jobs ONLY
House Goal: None
Lot Trait: Off the Grid

A/N: This challenge is written in first person, and I started her as a teen for the purpose of the story. Now that we’re in Sulani.. I’ll tell you, I find that “Off the Grid” Lot Trait REALLY hard to play with. It makes taking care of your sim SO much harder. As it should be. As things progressed and I was able to afford some “luxuries” (read: higher quality items), it did get a little easier. But be forewarned.. this is NOT an easy challenge!

---

Day after day, I searched the cave, looking for more evidence of Mermaids. Some days, I didn’t even take the time to change out of my work uniform.

And amazingly, today I hit pay dirt. I found something called Mermadic Kelp. I was so tired, though, I elected to wait until the next day to try it. I had hear rumors about such a thing, and from those, I knew I had to eat it. Despite being so exhausted, I was so excited I had trouble getting to sleep.

The next day dawned sunny and gorgeous. A perfect day.. to become a mermaid. At least, that’s what I thought the stuff would do. No matter how unappetizing it looked, I worked up my courage and took a big bite. Then another. Then another. By the time I finished it, I was suffused with strange, energized feelings, and I had an undeniable urge to be in the water. So.. off I went. The moment I stepped in the water, I knew my life had changed. For the better! I watched my legs disappear beneath the waves and a tail appear. A gorgeous blue tail. Nobody could deny the existence of mermaids to me anymore. But for some reason, I didn’t feel the same urge to tell everyone about them anymore. Maybe being was was validating enough.

Echo was thrilled. I had fins now, too! I fed him a couple fish, gave him a belly rub, and generally enjoyed an afternoon of being in the water playing with my dolphin friend.

That night, there was another party at the communal bonfire by my home. It was such a great night that I attended.. and I met my destiny. He didn’t know it yet.. but I certainly did. I was going to use every bit of charm I had (and maybe some of my new mermaid powers) to convince this beautiful man to be mine. His name was Vaea, and he’d lived on the island all his life. He loved the outdoors, was a goofball, and a bookworm. (But I wasn’t about to hold the bookworm against him.) I spent the evening thoroughly monopolizing his time, making sure the other island girls wouldn’t have a chance.

When I felt we were good enough friends, I took the moment, and slyly added in a note of flirtatiousness. Where I got the boldness, I will never know. But he liked it! I’d never been really good around guys.. but for some reason, my new life as a mermaid gave me the confidence.

He was shocked, but receptive to a first kiss… and it was a perfect end to the evening. The cool winter air played across my skin as I walked home, practically floating on air in my happiness.

The next day, my first order of business was to contact the contractors and get my hut expanded. By now, I certainly had the money.. and the upgrade to the double bed was going to be needed. I would make sure of that!

I hummed Winterfest tunes to myself as I put up my first official tree.. and placed some presents below it’s branches. I made sure there was at least a couple of them for Vaea.

Then, I put my new wash basin to good use and did all my laundry. It was a horrible rainy day.. and I let it rain for as long as I could.. but when I hung my laundry out to dry on my new clothesline, I called up my powers.. and I brought out the sun.

I had clearly left an impression, because while I was hanging my clothes out, Vaea showed up at my door.. claiming he couldn’t stop thinking about me. Perfect. He seemed impressed with my home, and all that I had accomplished on my own since coming to the island.. and part of me had to agree. All that beach-combing, work on part time jobs, and the random treasure I’d found in the caves to sell while hunting for my mermaid dreams had paid off.

We watched the clouds for a while, but the air became cold, so we headed next door to cuddle by the bonfire for a while to warm up.

There was some Kava, and a crowd of locals.. but we were too busy with each other to notice. After a while, my stomach started growling.. so I offered to try out the communal BBQ pit to make us a feast for Winterfest.

The feast was a huge success, and I made a note to come back to make more feasts here in the future. But for now.. my future was standing right next to me. I invited him back to my home, and convinced him (it didn’t take much) to stay overnight.

By the next day, I felt confident enough to ask him to be mine. And he agreed! I let him in on my mermadic secret, and I showed him the stock of kelp I had left over, letting him know that he could be one, too.

We had a lovely “ceremony” outside – because neither of us wanted to wait. I gave him his kelp, and he bravely (and excitedly) chomped it right down.

Before the afternoon was over, he had fins, too. My life had certainly spun out of my control.. but I was loving every moment of it. I introduced him to Echo, and showed him where I had found the kelp in the caves. It was nearly bedtime before I remembered the gifts under the tree, and we shared a belated gift-giving party.

There was only one thing that could make my life better at this point. And it was time to get “working” on it!

---

Bonus Outtake:

Apparently the local Alien night at the bar spawned a bunch of aliens in the world..

Chapter 0.3 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.5

Prologue | Island Spirits Welcome page | Chapter Two

Nork was annoyed. Then again, when was Nork not annoyed today. Why had he agreed to this silly Journey? And with such a disagreeable female as Utel. He’d never really liked her, preferring the company of the other females of the village… the ones that didn’t talk back. After the brutal winter in the village, though, there weren’t many of those left. Nork had been raised to trust completely in the village mystic, so when she said go.. he went. He should have changed his mind at the last minute, though, when he found out the vision that was sending him on this quest wasn’t actually the mystic’s vision. How could he trust Utel’s vision? She wasn’t a mystic by any stretch of the imagination. Active, yes – Outgoing and friendly, yes .. but she didn’t even eat fish! How was she going to survive a long journey without eating meat? .. And what if they got lost? She’d never even left the village to hunt – for obvious reasons. Nork was utterly filled with doubt.

And now he had to deal with her stopping at every harvest-able plant on the way. They were NEVER going to make it there at this rate. She had mentioned an Oasis they could camp for the night in – but he was sure she’d never actually been there. His urgings for speed, though, fell on deaf ears when he tried mentioning them, so finally he just shut his mouth and trudged on.

Deep in his heart, he knew his village was doomed – so there was little point in turning back. If this journey didn’t work, there was nothing to go back to. The mystic was right in one thing – the future lived elsewhere. Nork just didn’t want to have to follow this particular female to find it.

---

How had she gotten stuck with Nork? The strongest in the village? You mean the dumbest. She’s seen bags of rocks that were brighter. He was even complaining every time she stopped to harvest more food. Wasn’t he hungry, too? Having a garden ready to plant when they arrived was important for their survival, yet he seemed to be in such a hurry that food wasn’t on his mind at all.

At least he wasn’t trying to lead. He didn’t know where he was going, but she did. She felt confident, and full of hope. Their new home would be amazing. A paradise full of food and friendly faces. She couldn’t wait to get there, but the mystic had said the journey was as important as the destination. She didn’t understand why, but she had faith that the mystic was correct.

The day crept past in hostile silence, one harvest-able plant at a time, but by the time the sun was still in the sky, they had made it to the Oasis, and Utel had a healthy feast for dinner with a stockpile of vegetables and some herbs to plant when they arrived at their new home. Utel happily set up camp while Nork, seeming exhausted, set up his fishing pole and tried dejectedly to catch a fish for his dinner. Why he wouldn’t even consider sharing her strawberries and carrots, she didn’t know, but he had definitely turned up his nose to her produce.

Utel went to fetch clean water and to take a bathroom break in a nearby bush, glad to leave the grumpy Nork behind. He was apparently a better fisherman than she had given him credit for, however, because by the time she returned, he was proudly grilling his fish on a stick.

---

Nork grilled his mouth-watering dinner happily, wondering where Utel had wandered off to. She was probably hunting down more of her stupid plants.

When she returned with kindling, however, Nork tried to re-evaluate his new partner. Maybe she wasn’t the brightest, but at least she was easy on the eyes.

He surreptitiously watched her poke at the fire with a stick, and tried not to laugh too hard when she managed to catch her stick on fire.

By the time his fish was done, the silence had been broken, and they chatted cheerfully about the hope both were finally feeling, with full bellies and a safe camp. Maybe things weren’t going to be too bad.

The next morning, Nork caught another fish, roasted it, and had most of it eaten before Utel had hardly even risen for the day.

He thought to scold her for her laziness, but instead he put out the fire and helped her break camp, packing things securely away for the day’s trek. He felt filthy and the day’s sun was already scorching, but there was still a long way to go.

As the day passed, they got closer and closer to the mountains. The baked desert ground slowly gave way to cool, refreshing grass beneath their feet. Utel wasn’t even stopping for produce – perhaps because there really wasn’t any in this desert.

By the time they arrived at a suitable camp, both were miserable, and the companionable silence had stretched thin again. They put up their tent, built a fire, and both split up to take care of business.

Nork’s first task  was to take a bath in the stream, then find another area where he hadn’t scared off all the fish to find some dinner. He was starving. Perhaps Utel’s idea to carry food with her wasn’t the worst idea in the world. He fished as the sun went down, hoping to catch something large enough to fill his belly. Her idea may not be too bad, but he wasn’t about to admit it to her, and he was even less inclined to ask to share her vegetables.

---

Utel, meanwhile, had mostly filled her belly, and, out of pure curiosity, was roasting some juicy beetles she had caught to see how they would taste. She quickly found out that they didn’t agree with her stomach, and she had a couple more berries while she waited for Nork to reappear.

It was completely dark by the time he had returned with a fish, and he sat miserably down by the fire to roast it. Before long, he had managed to catch both his fish – and himself – on fire. Utel splashed him with water, and they both ran to the nearby stream to wash off.. and poor Nork had to admit her strawberries weren’t too bad after all.

Breakfast consisted of veggies and fish, although Utel wisely passed on the fish. They packed camp in near silence, and headed off before the sun had completely risen.

The forest and the terrain seemed nearly impassable at times during the day, and the sun was frustratingly absent behind the trees. Utel was nearly at her wit’s end by the time they found a lush meadow, and she finally could again see where they were going. With the plentiful fishing, and things to harvest, both agreed to spend a bit of time here, resting for the next leg of their journey.

Prologue | Island Spirits Welcome page | Chapter Two

Island Spirits Welcome page | Chapter One

The air was crisp and clean, and smelled like salt. It left Utel very confused, because the air where she lived was hot, heavy, and full of desert dust. She opened her eyes and immediately knew she was somewhere else. The trees looked similar, being the palm trees she was used to… but everything else was different. There was lush vegetation everywhere, a virtual paradise. Birds sang from the trees in hope, and there were signs of animals aplenty. Following the sound of rushing water, Utel rounded a corner to stop and stare.

Now this was something she had never seen. Water pounded down over a cliff face, crystal clear and bountiful. The sounds of fish playing in the resulting roil of water was intriguing and made her stomach growl. It had been a long time since she’d had a succulent fish, living off scraps of drying vegetation in the desert and whatever the aging hunters of her village could bring in. Which wasn’t much. It had been a particularly brutal cold season, taking the lives of many of the village’s most vital and healthy people.. leaving nothing but skeletons where there had been a prosperous village.

Pushing these thoughts our of her head, and refusing to wonder at her good luck, Utel thanked the Watcher and hurriedly stripped down to her skin and waded into the cool water. She avoided the deep areas instinctively, never having learned to swim, and sidled up to the falling water, letting it run down her body and wash the constant dirt away. The water was so powerful it nearly hurt, but the sensation of being clean for once was so amazing that she welcomed the small pain.

Heading back to the bank of the water, she suddenly realized she was not alone. She was not worried about modesty, for that was never something she’d worried about in her short life with a closely-knit family that lived practically on top of each other in small caves in the desert. However, she did not know this Sim’s intentions, so she was immediately wary, and she dropped to a defensive crouch, squinting her eyes to focus on the woman that stood on the other bank past the spray of the salty water.

The woman was old, but healthy, and looked well-fed. She spoke something, but Utel had to shake her head, unable to understand a word the woman said. The woman tried again, then pantomimed eating something, pointing at Utel and motioning for her to follow her. Finally understanding, and not feeling in any danger, Utel gathered up her filthy wrap and followed the woman warily into the underbrush.

They came out onto an expanse of water and sand like Utel had never seen. A large wooden craft of some kind was tethered to a tree that was clearly heavy with mouth watering coconuts, and Utel briefly wondered if the wooden monstrosity was a way to get the food down. She was quickly dissuaded of this thought, as the woman climbed INTO the wooden shell and motioned Utel to do the same. Utel did so, carefully, and with no small amount of fear, but the woman ignored her unease and simply untied the rope and used a wooden stick with a flat end to push away from the shore. Utel squeaked in fear and distress, but again, the woman smiled gently and she confidently moved the craft away from the sandy shore.

Gripping the sides of the shell tightly, Utel watched in utter horror as they moved farther and farther into the water, but still the old woman showed no fear. The flat of the stick she held slapped the water rhythmically as they slid seemingly effortlessly through the impossibly blue water. Slowly, Utel’s curiosity got the better of her and she peered over the edge of the shell, wondering at the amount of fish and colorful life she saw under the surface of the water. Surely, she had died and gone to the afterlife, to be where food was bountiful and within reach. Before Utel could really form much else of a thought, the woman paddled around a corner and a small hut came into view.

Utel looked in consternation, wondering what held the little structure up. Just then, a young boy ran out of the opening of the hut, waving excitedly and calling, again in a language Utel couldn’t understand. The woman tied the boat up to the wood that ran it’s way around the strange man-made cave, and confidently exited the wooden craft, making her way towards the beach. Utel looked around in confusion, wondering what she was supposed to do, then the old woman motioned for her to follow her, and Utel finally understood. She slipped over the edge of the rocking shell, and waded towards the shore.

The boy greeted the woman enthusiastically with a hug, then warily peered around her skirts at the new addition to the beach. Feeling more than a bit confused still, Utel motioned to her chest and simply said her name. “Utel.” Then she motioned towards the pair standing in front of her. Both replied with sounds like Utel had never heard before, and she shook her head in confusion, trying to say her name slower to them, in the hopes that they would understand to say whatever they had said slower.

“UUU-aaa–crooww” the boy said, pointing to himself, then pointed at the woman and said slowly, “Saaaaeee-luuuu-aaa”. Utel tried making those sounds, pointing at each in turn, and the boy nodded enthusiastically.

After several more repeats of halting introductions, the boy turned to the woman and babbled incoherently in their language for a moment, before motioning both to follow them towards a steaming pit on the beach. The woman reached the pit first, and pulled the leaves back to release mouth-watering smells such as Utel had never beheld before. Nearly weak with hunger, she knelt down beside the pit, and took the trencher of food she was offered in utter gratitude.

For a while, the only sound was of the three of them eating, although the boy couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of Utel in his curiosity. At the end of the meal, he collected the wooden trenchers and headed off towards the water, clearly intending to clean them up.

The old woman grunted, said something approximating Utel’s name, and motioned for her to follow her into the man-made cave. Utel followed, gasping at the array of dried herbs and plants hung up from the hut’s windows. Never had she seen such bounty, and she couldn’t identify a single plant. Slowly, it dawned on her that this woman must be a mystic or shaman to have such knowledge of plants. The woman lit a bit of leaf, wafting the powerful smell over both of them, and indicating that Utel should breathe deeply.

Utel started to feel a bit woozy, and quickly sat down in front of the woman, fearing for her balance. The woman indicated she should breathe deeply again, and Utel did, wondering if it was the smoke that was making her feel wobbly.

“There, there, dear.” the woman said, and Utel looked at her in consternation. “Can you understand me now?” the woman asked, and Utel nodded mutely, her eyes wide in wonder. How did the woman suddenly know how to speak her language??

“You’ve come a long way, Utel.” the woman said, her voice deep and powerful. “And you have a far longer way to go.”

“What?” Utel asked in confusion, wondering if she was hearing things.

“You must not be confused. You’re having a vision, dearie. You must hear me and understand, or your very life is at stake.”

Utel looked at the woman, wide-eyed and mute, trying desperately to understand.

“You are still in your dry homeland, you are merely asleep.. but before you wake you must hear me. Find a strong warrior to accompany you – and pack all your things. You must walk many days to get to where I am. Follow the mountains into the trees, until the trees start to thin. You will find a grassy clearing with plentiful fish, but you must not stop there long. The trees will become thick again, and very tall. Make your way ever on, until the water is clear and you can see the smoking mountain. Beside the mountain, you will find your new home. And me. I will be there too, and I will help you and your warrior find a new village that will welcome your youthful energy.”

Utel shook her head in confusion, but the woman merely repeated her directions, then slowly motioned Utel to lay down on a pile of furs nearby.

Unable to speak for her exhaustion, Utel complied, and laid down, soon drifting into a deep sleep.

When Utel next awoke, she looked around in fear… for once again, she was in her small cave in the desert, and she had nearly slept so long the fire was out. In panic, she built the fire back up, then squatted next to the flames pensively. Clearly she had dreamed, but never had she had such a vivid dream. Peering outside, the early rays of another scorching day were coming over the horizon, and Utel made up her mind. She quickly packed her small store of personal things, and headed towards the main cave.

She found the mystic mixing some sort of concoction in a bowl in the back of the main cave, and she approached her warily, not wanting to distract her from her task.

“Utel, I expected you this morning.” the ancient woman said quietly, looking up to see if anyone else was in hearing distance. “You’ve had quite a night, I think.”

Utel nodded, wondering how on Earth the mystic knew the things she clearly knew.

“I think you should follow your heart, Utel” the woman said, motioning to the bundle of personal things she carried. “You have far to go, and not much time to travel the distance. This tribe is dying, Utel. You are young, you are strong, you need a tribe that can appreciate you. Take Nork.”

“Nork?” Utel said, wrinkling her nose. “Why Nork?” she asked, thinking of the selfish young man the mystic indicated.

“Because he is the strongest. The rest are needed here. Nork will make a good protector, a good father for your young.” the mystic continued, completely ignoring Utel’s sudden protests. She patted Utel’s shoulder, and placed a small packet of medicinal herbs in her hand. “For your journey. It’s the last I have left, and you may need the medicine on your way. You must not argue, you don’t have time. Go. Pack the rest of your camp. I will get Nork.”

Utel, struggling to understand exactly what was happening, took the herbs and returned to her small cave, packing up her shelter and what she would need to start a fire. She packed all her survival tools, and shouldered her packs confidently, returning to the main cave where the mystic waited with Nork, who was similarly burdened, and looking no more pleased than Utel felt.

“Utel, you know the way.” the mystic said. “Do not waver from your path. You will know where to camp each night if you search your heart. Now I must go tend to the chieftain. His days are numbered, and I must ease his passing.

“Can you believe this?” Nork finally said as they watched the old woman toddle away. “Traveling so far on just the mystic’s vision??”

“It wasn’t the mystic’s vision.” muttered Utel… and she quickly turned and walked away. Towards the mountains in the distance. She knew of an oasis halfway there, but they would need to travel quickly in the day’s heat to reach it before nightfall. And arguing about it with Nork was definitely not high on her list of priorities at the moment. For now, she felt sure of her future. She didn’t know why.. but she did. And she wanted to get back to her dream. Back to Uacro and Saelua. And all that food. If traveling with this man was the Watcher’s will.. who was she to argue. Arguing took too much energy, anyway, and she would need all of that for this journey. She could hear Nork complaining behind her, but she didn’t slow her walk. She had too far to go. If he was coming, so be it. If not, she would go alone. It did not matter to her.

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Author’s Note: This is the start of my Sulani History Challenge. I’m not sure exactly where all this backstory came from… I just sat down and started writing. But that’s the way all good stories start, right? I hope you liked the start of this, and I hope the rest of the story is as good as the beginning of this is! My intention was to just start in on the challenge and let the story happen, but for some reason I started writing this prologue, and .. well, it’s here now. So here it will stay. Enjoy!

Island Spirits Welcome page | Chapter One

I spent quite a lot of time getting ready for my history Challenge on Sulani, and literally built the whole world from scratch. Initially, I had planned to download some from gallery, but it didn’t turn out that way. I had the hardest time building the sims for this (creating sims is REALLY not my thing), but I got them all done and moved in. Now all I have to do is start playing!

(more…)

“I’ve been wanting to do a History Challenge for quite a while, and the new world coming out seems like the perfect excuse. My other new game is based solely on the Mermaids.. this one is based on Island Sims and the challenge itself.”

When I started this challenge, I had so many fun ideas floating around in my, admittedly, overactive imagination. I quickly started to find out it’s very hard to reconcile the game play with the story. There’s so many things that the challenge asks you to do that are hard to reconcile with an understandable story. I have pulled this story back off hiatus, thankfully, and have been able to come up with ways to involve the challenge rules into the story.

One final note: This story has a “bit” of a spin-off coming soon. Two members of this story will be setting off on their own to start a new challenge/story. Expect to see this launching in the next month or two! AND – even better – it will be moving to Twitch! For more information, see The Timeline Children page!

(more…)

I have spent quite a lot of time getting ready for my history Challenge on Sulani, and I literally built the whole world from scratch. Initially, I had planned to download some of it from the gallery, but I ended up just taking inspiration from the gallery and then building my own. So, here’s the lots I built and their descriptions on the gallery. You know, just in case someone else wants to start a Sulani History Challenge and doesn’t feel like making town lots. Will also be publishing the Townies I made for the challenge, but I’ll put those in another post. I did leave quite a bit of the world blank, with the thought that things will get more built up as I play.

(more…)

Chapter 0.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.4

Generation Zero: Beige - Starts with a HUMAN Sim

Appearance: Dark Blonde Hair, poor clothing style
Traits: Slob, Childish, Clumsy
Aspiration: Pick whatever you'd like. (Your goal this
generation is only to become a Mermaid and have your heir)
Occupation: Part Time Jobs ONLY
House Goal: None
Lot Trait: Off the Grid

A/N: This challenge is written in first person, and I started her as a teen for the purpose of the story. Now that we’re in Sulani.. I’ll tell you, I find that “Off the Grid” Lot Trait REALLY hard to play with. It makes taking care of your sim SO much harder. As it should be. As things progressed and I was able to afford some “luxuries” (read: higher quality items), it did get a little easier. But be forewarned.. this is NOT an easy challenge!

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My second day in paradise began with taking the bus to work, doing my shift, and heading back. Exciting, huh? After getting home, however, the fun began. I immediately swam out to the volcanic island to check out that cave. I had to take several trips into it, but before long, I hit pay dirt.

I saw an actual mermaid! I knew they existed! Nobody was going to believe me, however, so I kept going back to the cave, trying to catch another glimpse.. or maybe some other form of proof.

It was late before I realized it, and I swam home (I still can’t get over being able to write “home” and mean it!) in the dark and a pouring rainstorm. I took a brief detour to snorkel at a known dolphin location, but I didn’t see anything particularly exciting. What I was thinking I would see in the dark, I don’t know… but whatever. It had been a great birthday…. even if I didn’t have a way to bake a cake (or the know-how).

The next day was overcast, but at least it wasn’t raining. It didn’t look like it was going to stay that way, however, so I skipped going out to the cave and went hunting for dolphins. Admittedly, most of the day was spent beach-combing while waiting for the elusive beasts to show up.. but they finally did. I talked to them, and fed them some bait fish I’d brought along, and before long one of them had apparently decided I was an “okay” human and let me pet it!

Later that day, I went to the bar to get some connectivity on my phone, and found a second job – babysitting. Now that I was officially an adult, I could get away with two part time jobs since I didn’t have “school”. (Like I had gone to that since I ran away from home.)

Between my two jobs, my new obsession with the dolphins, and exploring the cave, I barely had a spare moment. Summer passed by before I’d known it, and half of the fall, too. I could now get the dolphin to do tricks for me, and I’d named it “Echo”. Still wasn’t sure whether it was a girl or a boy.. but that was okay. We were good friends.

I hadn’t found anything in the way of proof of mermaids, either.. but I was still looking. Things at home were looking up.. I’d been able to afford an upgrade to my bathroom – I now had a bathtub/shower combo.. and I had added on to my hut the beginnings of a real vintage kitchen.

On Harvestfest, my home was invaded by magical gnomes.. that didn’t like me very much. After giving them gifts and pleading with them didn’t work.. I took them to town and sold them. Maybe they wouldn’t come back.

However, angering them had consequences, and I spent the next couple days repairing the bathroom fixtures they broke. Fun.

In the evenings, I found the lot next to mine often had parties where half the town got together for a bonfire with a drink they called “Kava”. It was clearly alcoholic, so I didn’t partake often (mostly because I usually had to work first thing in the morning), but it was always fun to meet new people. I was starting to make friends around the town, and I was constantly on the lookout for signs one of the people might very well be a mermaid in disguise. Everyone denied it, however, and usually I got laughed at for my obsession.

Some of the locals taught me how to dance with fire, and I practiced every chance I got, and I thought I was getting pretty good. At least I wasn’t burning myself very often anymore!

Back at home, I had finally been able to afford a fridge to store my food. Without electricity, I had to get a very old fashioned one and keep it stocked with ice, but I finally was able to keep food. No more nightmares like this spoiled grilled cheese… And the gas stove allowed me to eat novelties like, yes, grilled cheese… even though I was still learning this whole cooking thing. Without a library in town, and no interest in “wasting” my money on a bookshelf and book collection just yet, learning new things was pretty much trial and error.

Having a real table and chairs to eat at, however, was so amazing. My next purchase was upgrading the air mattress I slept on.. but I was really starting to feel like I had a real home. I had a place to escape the rain, at least, and I was thoroughly glad to finally be able to cook INSIDE.

Chapter 0.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.4

Chapter 0.1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.3

Generation Zero: Beige - Starts with a HUMAN Sim

Appearance: Dark Blonde Hair, poor clothing style
Traits: Slob, Childish, Clumsy
Aspiration: Pick whatever you'd like. (Your goal this
generation is only to become a Mermaid and have your heir)
Occupation: Part Time Jobs ONLY
House Goal: None
Lot Trait: Off the Grid

A/N: This challenge is written in first person, and I started her as a teen for the purpose of the story. Also, I am ignoring the “don’t travel to other worlds” until she actually moves to Sulani. Yesterday was the longest day EVER – waiting for Island Living to release. Being that I had been watching a Live Stream Party ALL day while waiting, I was pretty tired by the time it released, and only ended up playing a couple hours worth. But the little bit I played was AMAZING! The world’s beauty alone is worth the pre-order price to me. On that note.. let’s get the rest of Jazzy’s last days in Willow Creek completed so we can see the new world!

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I was starting to get looks wherever I went in town, so I kept trying to stay out of the way during school hours, keeping to outdoorsy activities. After school hours, though, I spent a lot of time downtown. Today, the venue of choice was the Gym.

It turned out they were having some trouble with their plumbing, so I stepped in to help out. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but there was no time like the present to learn, right? It took a couple hours.. but I did manage to fix the leak, and the trainers at the Gym were so thankful they offered to let me use the Gym machines free-of-charge for as long as I was in town. (I did fudge a little bit and pretend I wasn’t a teen. I also made sure they knew I wasn’t in town for long, just passing through on my way to the beach.)

So.. the next day or two after work and hiding out during school hours, I spent time at the gym, working on my Fitness skill. I knew I was going to need it when I was swimming in the ocean, so I even managed to talk the Gym Trainer into a couple of training sessions. Too bad they didn’t have a pool, but I still remembered my swimming lessons from when I was a kid, so I figured I’d be okay.

There was also a playground near the Gym and Library, and I often spent time with the kids there after school. They enjoyed having an “adult” around to play the sea monster, and, luckily, they didn’t ask too many questions. I had to do SOMETHING for fun – because working out was the pits. Being able to take a real hot shower in the Gym bathrooms, however, was much appreciated, and being clean for a change was certainly a luxury I enjoyed.

I found this park area near the Gym with a picnic area and a place to fish.. and that’s where much of my week was spent. I was definitely getting better at this grilling thing, and I hadn’t burnt a hot dog in days.. but I was getting awfully tired of the processed meat. I didn’t want to dig into my savings, however, to buy anything else, so hot dogs it was. What can I say, cheap food is cheap food. And when I had no way to STORE the food, and had to throw away whatever I couldn’t fit in my tummy, cheap was important.

The fishing hole was fun during school hours, but I wasn’t particularly good at actually catching anything. However, hours upon hours of practice does pay off, and I finally caught a couple fish that were big enough to gut and eat. I had to ask for help learning how to do just that from another fisherman I spotted, however, since that wasn’t exactly something they taught in the city where I grew up.

Fish. Finally. Something else to eat. It was a rare and welcome treat.. and free food. Things were looking up – despite this being a very slow, torturous week while I saved up more money in the hopes that I could afford to build at least a weather-proof hut when I moved.

I had done some research at the Library and found the cheapest lot in Sulani was going to cost me 2,200 Simoleons, so I figured if I could save up around 5-6 thousand, I would at least have a little bit of a start. I was still selling my frogs daily, and, having gotten another promotion at work, I was doing pretty good at saving up.

Tomorrow was my birthday. And I could think of no better birthday present than to get out of town. People were starting to ask questions I couldn’t really answer, and I had a grand total of 5,901 Simoleons saved up. So I made the phone calls, bought the bus ticket, and took the “plunge”.

The bus ride itself took forever. It may have been only hours on an overnight ride, but it felt like forever. Days, even. Each minute passed by so slowly, and the only thing I had to pass the time was looking out the window. I watched the scenery pass by, and got more and more excited with every Palm tree I noticed. Ages later, we pulled into the bus Depot on Sulani, and I headed immediately to the Real Estate office. It was early morning, but they were there, waiting for me.

They all seemed terribly glad to see me – apparently finding residents for the town wasn’t going too well for them… so they were thrilled that I was moving in. I had found a cafe that I could transfer to and keep my current job level, so I even had employment I could use to fill out the forms. Granted, I had to fudge a little on the age department, but it really wasn’t much of a fudge since my birthday was so close. Luckily, the agents didn’t seem to be interested in asking too many questions. Even better, they found a building crew that could get a little thatched hut built for me today. I was now the proud owner of my very own land. I helped out with the construction, and even learned a few things, so I felt I could expand when I managed to save up some more money.

Before long, I had myself a home. It was off-the-grid, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and I was definitely a beggar. Above all, though, it was MINE. I was even able to afford a tiny bathroom, so I cleaned up for the day, and used my new outdoor grill to make “breakfast.” (Even though it was raining. I was pretty used to cooking in the rain by now.)

Baked Potatoes.. because I couldn’t stomach the thought of eating any more hot dogs. That particular meal was always going to remind me of these last weeks. And now that I had my own home, I felt splurging on something a little more expensive was okay. I had a job. I had my frogs. I was going to make it.

By the afternoon, the rain had stopped and I took the opportunity to wander around town, meeting the locals and asking questions about my new town. I couldn’t get over how gorgeous the scenery was… and I have to admit, I even “wasted” a couple hours building a crude sand castle to commemorate my new home.

That evening, the rain moved back in, so I spent some time at the local bar, meeting more people, and enjoying the rumors. Apparently there was a cave near the local waterfall and volcano that people avoided, but I couldn’t help but think it sounded like a great place to explore. There were also dolphins that frequented these waters that weren’t afraid of humans.. and I couldn’t wait to meet one.

A bed. A REAL bed. It was little more than an air mattress, but in time, I would be able to afford better. I was sure of it. In a mood that I couldn’t even describe, I tucked myself in, and let myself drift off to my first uninterrupted sleep in a very long time. I had work in the morning, of course, so the alarm was set.. but at least I wouldn’t be woken by people wandering past my bench or couch. The sounds of the local wildlife lulled me to sleep in no time at all… and the rest of my life began.

Chapter 0.1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.3