Chapter 0.6 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.8

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: So.. I have good news and bad news. I was so happy with Tevin, that I had let “fate” decide.. and when they tried for baby and failed while Tevin was still a toddler, I figured it was destiny. So I sold the baby crib and played on with his toddler years. I blithely gave him the Klepto trait per the next generation’s rules and settled in to let him grow up and learn at school. It wasn’t until another couple days had passed that I re-read the rules and suddenly remembered it had to be a FEMALE heir.. so I was thrown back into the baby-making deep end. You’ll love the result. I sure didn’t, though! –Also of note, as of yesterday, I signed this challenge up to be in the SimNaNo over at boolprop forums, with the goal to publish one 1000+ word chapter a day for the whole month of July! I have several updates just waiting, and more to come, so expect this story to move along pretty quick for a while here.)

---

Life couldn’t be better. I had a wonderful husband, and a beautiful baby boy who was now old enough to go to school. Vaea’s garden was growing great, and both were at the top of our part time job ladders. Without a toddler to care for constantly, I had all this time on my hands. I figured working around the house should probably be top of my list.

The first thing on my list was upgrading the clothesline so it would stop breaking. Surely an iron line would keep things in order.

Tevin was hungry when he got home from school, so we sat down to a very early dinner, as a whole family. Spending time together is such an amazing thing, and being that Vaea and I only have part time jobs, it’s something we can very easily do. It’s certainly more than my parents ever did back in the city with their crazy hours spent on their careers!

Then I helped him with his homework, and scooted him off to play for the rest of the day. Of course, his first order of business was head straight to the beach. That’s my boy!

The next day, Tevin wanted to do his homework all by himself. They grow up so fast, don’t they? I watched him proudly from a distance, then we went out swimming again. The beach was practically deserted, so we had it almost all to ourselves. Perhaps it was because of the clouds. They weren’t going to stop us, however!

Late that night, I had to have a serious discussion with Vaea. We were expecting again! After his initial shock (we had tried once before this, and failed!) – he was immediately sold on the idea, and we completely regretted selling all the baby and toddler stuff from when Tevin was little. Oh well. At least we knew what we were going to need. We also had a fairly healthy bank account, so part of the discussion was saving to give the new baby a room of his/her own. We didn’t really have a huge amount of space on our lot, but there was definitely enough space for that.

I waffled a bit about telling Tevin about the baby, but in the end, I decided to wait a little while until I had a better moment. Although, with my little baby bump, he might have already noticed…

We took another day at the beach, and this time it was sunny. Tevin was still wishing he had his tail already, but I maintained that patience would make it so much better when it arrived. (I didn’t really know, but it was a good guess, and sound advice, I thought.) We swam and played in the water, enjoying the feel of the sun on our shoulders.

Tevin got a bit tired, however, so he commandeered his favorite community pool lounger and took a nap. This photo caught me mid-change into my mermaid tail, so if I look a little weird – that’s why. Nalani, our favorite local mermaid was also around, cavorting in the waves, just like us.

…. So I called her over for a chat. She was always so nice, and we were starting to be great friends. (Although I found it odd that she still refused to admit she was a mermaid – when she so obviously was! – but that was her choice, I suppose. Hiding what we are is a bit of a habit with some of us, I guess. I certainly wasn’t hiding, however.. so each to his/her own.)

I grilled us some pineapple I had from Vaea’s garden (why are things always better when they’ve been grown by someone you love?) for dinner, while Tevin played in the sand. He still loved the feel of the grains sliding between his fingers, and, as usual, he makes the neatest sand castles.

After babysitting that night, I was surprised to find Tevin still up. I finally decided there was no time like the present to tell him the big news. He acted surprised, but I think he had already guessed it. Most importantly, he was excited to be a big brother. Knowing that he was all-in was a huge relief to me, because the mom in me had really been worrying that he would be upset.

I let him feel the baby, and the joy on his face when the baby kicked against his hand made everything settle in my stomach. My little family might be growing, but it was still going to be a happy one.

The next afternoon, I made some more grilled pineapple at Tevin’s request, and we had a liesurely dinner, just the two of us. Vaea had some urgent lifeguard business, so he hadn’t even gotten to finish his dinner – but since we had the fridge, I could save it for him for later.

After dinner, Tevin and I went outside to play on the new swingset Vaea and I had bought and built for him in the backyard, behind the garden. He swore it was nearly as much fun as swimming, but we both knew that wasn’t true.

Vaea’s garden is coming along great, and is definitely making dinners cheaper to make. All the extra produce we had sold easily at the market, too, so it was a few extra simoleons that we could always use.

Pregnancy cravings are funny things. For some reason, I keep wanting cheese crackers. We have a fridge stocked with healthy things, and all I want are crackers and cheese. Tevin thinks it’s hilarious.

Late that night, I was awoken by a familiar pain. I quickly woke Vaea and we headed off to the hospital again.

This time, Vaea was brave enough to follow me into the procedure room – although he continued panicking. Who knows what he thought could go wrong.. but it certainly wasn’t what actually happened.

Twins. What?!?! We definitely hadn’t planned for that. I got the baby girl I’d always wanted, but a baby boy just had to tag along, apparently. Where were we going to fit another child in this tiny house?? We named them Corina and Kaleb, and stopped for an extra bassinet on the way home. Luckily there was a late-night superstore on the way home from the hospital, because heaven knows what we would have done with Kaleb otherwise!

Chapter 0.6 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.8

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

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!

---

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!

---

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

Prologue | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.2

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. Poor Jazmin was miserable most of the chapter, as you can tell from her plumbbob in the pictures. But she kept fighting, and I’m really starting to like her.

---

Well, the storm never did let up last night, and I ended up eating in the pouring rain. But at least it was food. Soggy, but it filled the belly, which was important. Never have I had a better-tasting hot dog, even if the edges were a bit burnt.

I also got to meet a few of the area teens.. although I tried not to get too close to any of them, fearing that they might turn me in if they found out I was a runaway.

The morning was just as rainy, but I got to work okay, and did the best I could to learn what they needed from me. It was hard work, but nobody seemed to be asking any questions, which is just what I needed… and the paycheck, although small, helped immensely. I tucked every little bit I could save into a hidden fold in my shorts, and started counting the days until I could move to the beach.

However, it was still rainy. And after a night on the couch at Willow Creek Park, I was stiff, sore, and grumpy. For a while, it felt like things were never going to get better. Being on my own was certainly no fun at all. I finally decided to head back to the park and maybe try some fishing.. maybe I could catch something to eat other than hot dogs.

Unfortunately, the only thing I could catch were tiny fish… and all I ended up getting was dirtier. I felt like a real bum. I tried not to second-think my running away from home, but when you feel as miserable as I do.. it’s hard not to look back and wonder.

There was no way I was cooking a goldfish for dinner, so hot dogs again it was. At least the edges weren’t burnt this time. Maybe I was getting better at this.

Back to the couch – bench – whatever it was. Another uncomfortable night and an early morning of work makes for a grumpy Sim.

For something fun, I found a local teen (his name was Wolfgang.. what a weird name) and challenged him to a couple rounds of chess. I’m not very good at chess… but it turned out, neither was he. So the games were pretty evenly matched, and it ended up being a lot of fun.

When Wolfgang had to head home (which he thankfully did without asking anything about my home), I spent some more time selling frogs. It seems that I’m making more money from that than from my job, but that wasn’t going to make me quit my job.

That night, a conspiracy theorist showed up at the park and decided to share my hot dog dinner.. which I didn’t mind.. but all his paranoid talk was making me paranoid, too. What if people were starting to notice me hanging around the park a lot – and possibly turned me in? Maybe it was time to move to somewhere else.

After finishing dinner, I cleaned up best I could in the bathroom sink, and headed out for “downtown” Willow Creek. I was sure I could find an inconspicuous bench there for the night – and at least it wasn’t raining for a change.

After another few days of this, I managed to net a promotion at work. However, now they expected me to know something about Mixology. Short of trying to Moonlight at a local bar, I couldn’t figure out how I was going to get this skill. I spent some time fishing, contemplating what to do.

Later, walking around the town, I passed the Library. And then it occurred to me. Maybe the Library had a book on Mixology? So off to the Library I went.

I got distracted by the computers, though, and spent a few hours playing games and surreptitiously checking my old social media accounts. It seemed nobody knew where I’d gone. Which was a good thing. I thought about making myself some new social media accounts with my new name.. but what was I going to need with technology on the islands? .. Nothing.. that’s right. Nothing. So I didn’t make them.

Then it occurred to me that I needed to research Mixology – and the Library was almost closed! I had just enough time to find the correct section for tomorrow before it was back to the bench for me. Although I did make a pit stop at the local food booth and got some yummy popcorn shrimp. If only I had a stove of my own, I think I could make it now.

The next day after work, I did some more fishing while the other teens were at school (I didn’t want to give myself away by being at the Library during school hours!).. and then headed straight to the Mixology books in the Library. The rest of the evening was spent reading up on it, but I wasn’t sure I was making any progress. It sure didn’t feel like it.

A couple days later, I came back from work in a horrible mood. Worse than usual. I was just so angry. Why did everything have to go so wrong at home that I had to leave all my friends and family?

I spent a while calming down in front of the Library’s mirror before I felt I could face the world again.

Then, I managed to get another skill level of Mixology – finally – for work. Which meant that I could find another place to hang out so the Librarian would stop giving me the fish eye.

The next day at work, my boss was so impressed, I got my promotion, and even a bonus! More money to tuck away. I was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. With all my work with the silly frogs and at work, I already had over 2000 simoleons! Another week of this, and I should have enough money to move by the time my birthday arrived.

Prologue | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.2

Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.1

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.

---

Hi. My name is Jazmin … well, we’ll call me Jazmin Naiades. Pronounced ney-uh-deez. My real last name isn’t important anymore because I ran away from home.. and I’m not going back. The last name I picked has to do with mermaids. Why? Because they exist! I’m SURE of it. I’ve read all the fairy tales, and heard all the theories.. but you’re not going to tell me no fat sea cow-manatee thing fooled ALL the sailors. There had to be something more to the stories. My goal in life is to find one… to prove once and for all that they exist. At least to me. I’m the only person who needs to know, right?

But that’s a ways away. Currently I’m living moment to moment.. and sleeping at the Willow Creek Park. It’s cold this Spring morning, and there’s hardly anyone around.. which is a good thing, because I’m still exhausted from my trip here to the suburbs. I came from.. well, let’s just say the city. IT certainly wasn’t anything like this. This is green, and lush, and holds promise… despite the fact that there’s no promise of Mermaids. I didn’t have enough for a bus ticket all the way out to the shore, so this is where I landed. I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and get a job in the area to make enough money for that ticket and a little bit of land to live on. I don’t need much.. as evidenced by the hard bench I’m currently on. I can’t go to school, because they’ll catch me and send me home. Plus.. What good is school anyway. They only tell us what they think we ought to know – and I don’t need that. I know enough already to know that I’m better off on my own. My parents never paid any attention to me anyway – but then, that’s all behind me now. So it doesn’t matter.

I push thoughts of where I came from behind me and dig through a trash can looking for a local paper. Perhaps there I can find some employment opportunities that won’t ask too many questions. Let’s see.. Lawn Mower.. Don’t have one of those… Retail Employee and Fast Food Employee.. too much paperwork to fill out at the beginning. So I guess that leaves me Babysitter or Barista. Always liked kids .. but working only two days a week seems like a bad start. I need more hours.. so I guess Barista it is. I don’t need to sleep in, anyway, right? Time is irrelevant when you’re living on a bench in a park.

I spend some coins I found on the ground to place a call to the number listed, and am quickly rewarded with my first job. But they don’t need to know that, right? Apparently I start tomorrow. Which means that I’m on my own for money today. My stomach rumbles loudly, reminding me that food wasn’t high on the list of priorities while you were on the run… but it’s rapidly rising up the ranks.

The pond has been ribbiting at me all morning, so my first thought is “Let’s catch some frogs and sell them at the yard sale table over there.” Well, it wasn’t quite as easy as I’d hoped, and I spent most the morning at it. But I had some frogs to keep to breed.. and some to sell.

Amazingly, even with a 50% markup, my frogs were selling. Miraculously, I now had a couple hundred dollars – which would certainly cover both transportation to work the next day and some food for my growling belly. Things were already looking up.

Then the skies let loose. For a moment, I considered grilling some hot dogs anyway.. but soggy food really didn’t appeal, so I went inside the park’s restroom area to wait out the storm. Before long, I was sound asleep on one of the benches, without a care in the world. Naps can fix everything. Least that’s what they seem to teach in pre-school, right?

Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.1

This story has been probably one of my most successful stories ever. And it’s definitely the longest-running. It started with the need for me to test out how mermaids played.. And turned into not just a challenge, but an inspiring legacy with each main sim having their own personality and writing each entry like a journal. I had originally intended just to play it like a commentary challenge… but that first sim just spoke to me. Looking back, I’m glad she did. Meeting her and her descendants has been so much fun! The story is an uplifting and fun read about a family of mermaids who all start from humble beginnings and have some goals to meet to be able to pass the legacy on to the firstborn female of each generation.

I hope you all enjoy meeting my mermaids as much as I have enjoyed writing about them. I’m still a long way from finishing the story, and I will be continuing it… as soon as I have the time.

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