Wrangler in Space: The Wrangler Immortal Dynasty, Take 2

[Sarabi]

Restart of this.

Premise:  Wrangler in Space
1.  Adam Arrives
2.  Moving In
3.  An Interview with Agnes
4.  Promises Kept, Objects Broken
5.  Birthdays to Death Fish
6.  Adam Catches Up
7.  Brenda Toddles
8.  Two Birthdays and Other Promotions
9.  Congratulations in Order
10.  Adam Checks In
11.  Grim Takes Two
12.  Brenda's Confusion
13.  The French Connection
14.  A House Overview
15.  So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish
16.  And Two Shall Become... Three?
17.  The Ties That Bind
18.  Wilkerson Friendships and Other Acquisitions
19.  Claire with a Flair

[Sarabi]

Founder: Adam
Traits: Neat, Friendly, Green Thumb, Loves the Outdoors, Brave
LTW: The Perfect Garden
Career: Self-employed Gardener
Skill: Gardening
Building: The Crumplebottom Cafe (originally Hogan's Deep Fried Diner)
Property: Stoney Falls
Unique LTRs: Super Green Thumb, Food Replicator, Professional Slacker
Best Friends: Wife Agnes, Malcolm Landgraab, Christopher Steel, Holly Alto, Nephew Mortimer Goth, Abraham Finkel
BlackOps: Uncommonly Good, Outstandingly Rare, The Omnificent Plant, The Fruit of Life, Perfect Produce, Outstanding Tasting Ingredients
Last Seen: Frolicking in the sprinkler

[Sarabi]

Premise:  Wrangler in Space


A long time ago on a planet far, far away... a small pod containing the life essence of a single being from a highly evolved race was launched, and hurtling toward Planet Sims III.   While in transit, the energy life form contained therein received messages from an authoritative yet compassionate voice.

Watcher:  Adam.  That is how you shall be known.

Adam: Okey-doke.  What is it you want me to do?

Watcher: Investigate.  Explore.  Experience.  Adapt.

Adam: Come again?

Watcher: As you know, your species is highly advanced in many ways, yet you seem to have lost a certain sense of community or empathy that is abundantly present on Planet Sims III.  You have a unique opportunity to live among them, as one of them, and glean information for your species that could not be accessed in any other way.

Adam: Uh, yeah, if you say so.  So I'll live there for a few bleems, maintain a timeline, and send a few log entries back to Galactic Command.  Got'cha.

Watcher: Yes – and no.  I want your timelines and regular logs, but you need to be there for a very long time, and raise seven generations of descendants.

Adam: Seven generations!

Watcher:  You will live long and prosper.

Adam: How am I supposed to do this?

Watcher: Trust yourself and the support you will have there.  Adam, I see your pod is nearing its destination, and we still need to download data about the world you will soon inhabit.  Good luck – we are counting on you.

… and with that, the connection was broken.  “Why me?” Adam moaned to himself, but was immediately inundated with vast knowledge of Simkind – their history, culture, values, belief systems, technology, mating rituals, traits, and habits.  While he found some of it fascinating (and some downright distasteful), he had precious little time to ponder or process it.  As his pod streaked through the atmosphere of Planet Sims III, his energy form transmuted into a Young Adult Sim body, and was beamed directly to a place called 15 Summerhill Court of Sunset Valley.

And so it begins... this odyssey of oddity that is the Wrangler Immortal Dynasty.

[Sarabi]

1.  Adam Arrives


Adam spent his first moments on Planet Sims III in a state of shock as his life force essence adapted to the strange sensations – physical as well as emotional – inherent in the new Sim body he occupied.



As the fog started to clear and specific thoughts came into focus, he was stricken by an overwhelming sense of deja vu – he knew he had been here before, and started to recall some of the specific events of his previous visit to this strange place called Planet Sims III.  And he knew exactly what he must do.

Meanwhile, across town, another inhabitant of Sunset Valley experienced the same sense of deja vu all over again...



“Oh, goody!”  Agnes Crumplebottom muttered under her breath.  “Another dynasty player comes along to glom onto my wealth and enslave me in service to whatever it is they want from me.”  Regardless, she had little choice but to  abandon her plans for the day and wait, motionless, until he arrived.



A friendly sort, Adam introduced himself and marveled at her lovely home, considering that he was the proud owner of an empty lot.  Agnes seemed to know what Adam needed from her, and she gazed past him to admire her Bwan Speedster for what she expected might be one of the last times.

They became friends, speaking of many things, including a new movie about a space cowboy that Agnes had seen, titled “Wrangler in Space.”  Adam recognized that persona, and adopted Wrangler as his surname.  He also found himself constantly wanting to shift the conversation to gardening, which could mean only one thing – his Sim self was that of a Green Thumb, and his role in all of this was to establish a garden.



Although he enjoyed visiting with Agnes, he had other things to accomplish, and went to the local library to commence his study of gardening on Planet Sims III.




After a long, busy, yet oddly fulfilling day,  Adam made this entry on his logging device

Starlog W1D1:
Arrived in 35-day-old Sim body.  Bizarre place, strange sensations.  Became friends with an Agnes Crumplebottom (really!), and I feel really strange when she's around.  Sort of... weak and fluttery, like I've swallowed butterflies.  She seems to have some strange power over me.   Also learned gardening, planted some common varieties of native plants.  No seeds to collect here, maybe something will spawn overnight, will try tomorrow.  Tired now.

...transmission complete

He activated the transmission control on his logging unit to send the report to the Galactic Command Center.  Finding an empty bed at the local firestation, he fell into deep slumber, dreaming about his new life here on Planet Sims III and what may lie ahead.

[Sarabi]

2.  Moving In


Adam's second day on Planet Sims III was quite eventful.  I could describe it in great gory detail, but I think I'll step aside and let him tell you all about it via the following entry he wrote on his logging device.


Starlog W1D2:
Where do I even begin?  I think I agreed to marry this Agnes Crumplebottom, who, by the way, is now my roommate.  I called to ask her to meet me at the Library, and ended up asking her to move in.  Move into what?  So she drove over to my big mostly empty lot while I stayed at the Library and read about Odor Free Fertilizer.  It got late, I got tired and wanted to go to the firestation to sleep, but I figured I'd better go look for Agnes.  The taxi pulled up in front of a house – a big house, with a wraparound deck – and I told him it was the wrong place, because 15 Summerhill Court is an empty lot.  He booted me out of the cab and drove off, but then I saw Agnes standing on the deck, painting something on an easel.

I don't know exactly what happened next, but I remember saying something to Agnes about the house, and she sort of shrugged and said, “It's fine.  It has everything we need.  I found an easel, but no sculpting station yet.”

“Well, yes,” I said, “but how did it get here?”

I guess I was still gawking around in disbelief, and then I saw a car parked there, in front of my house.  My house?  Our house?  The house.  The one that wasn't there a few hours ago.  A cute little Wornado Triage registered to me.  I was pretty excited to have my own nice little car, and said so to Agnes.  She rolled her eyes, and I think I actually saw her bite her tongue.

Now about Agnes – did I tell you she is the most exquisite creature in the known universe?  Being with her, watching her graceful movements, it makes me feel tingly inside.  It's like she's the only other Sim in the world.  I guess I'm glad she moved in, so I can spend more time with her.

Meanwhile, Agnes finished her painting, at least I think it was finished.  I'm not always sure, but I go along with it.  Then she said she was ready to do my portrait, but we might want to wait until morning for better lighting.  “Portrait?”  I said.  “Of me?”

“You are doing a dynasty, aren't you?”  she said.  She must have seen that I had no idea what she was on about, so she continued, “Seven generations of descendants?”  I must have nodded in the affirmative, because then she said, “We don't need to do it right away, but we'll need to finish a portrait of you in the next 15 days or so.  It's in the rules.”

So many questions were tumbling around in my mind, I could not find the words to articulate any of them.  She told me it's okay, she knows the ropes, and is happy to help me start this dynasty.  She said that even though she doesn't yet know exactly what I will want from her, whatever it is will make her life much more interesting than it would have been if I had not included her in my plans.  (My plans... as if.)

She took my hand, stepped toward me, looked lovingly into my eyes and said, “So, Adam.  What are your intentions toward me?  Let's find out – right now.”  Then she knelt on the deck and asked me if I wanted to marry her!

What could I say?  She took me by complete surprise!   And now I'm worried about whether I'll be called “Crumplebottom” for the rest of my life.  You wouldn't believe what it means in Simlish.

 I guess it's okay, though.  After I agreed, she took me inside to indoctrinate me in this – this mating ritual they do here.  It still seems really distasteful when I think about it, but she seems to like it, and I think I'll get used to it.

Oh, and I found some seeds today, mostly mysterious.  I've no idea what they are, but if any of them turn out to be carnivorous, well I hope it isn't Sim flesh they're after.  Sometimes I still have nightmares about the vegetation on Prxweexz BIV.  I planted the ones I could, maybe I can plant the others later.  I'll keep trying.  The ones I've planted are germinating and starting to sprout.

Still don't how the house, furnishings, and car came about.  Will continue to research.

Attaching images.









... transmission complete.

[Sarabi]

3.  An Interview with Agnes


Over the next few days, Adam and Agnes tirelessly went about their chores, making great progress in their assigned tasks.  Adam approached the soil and toil of gardening with great gusto, being constantly rewarded as an outdoor-lover at one with nature.  Agnes, on the other hand, seemed a bit confused and frustrated about her path.  She seemed to have a lot on her mind, and needed to chat about it.  The gist of the conversation follows.

Agnes:  Where are the sculpting stations?  I haven't found any in this place.  Unless... they're in the basement!  These dynasty homes always have inaccessible basements.

Watcher: No, no sculpting, at least not now.  We're going to keep this simple with portraits only.

Agnes:  But the museum value will be... pretty inconsequential in the overall scheme of things.

Watcher:  Yes, but that's okay.  Maybe we'll try to optimize museum value another time.  For now, let's just try to get through the whole thing successfully.

Agnes: I see.  Was I right about the secret basement?

Watcher: Yes.  It will house museum pieces as they are created, and some other things we aren't using at this time.

Agnes:  Why am I the only other person living here?  Most dynasty founders move in additional Sims to support the founder in building the dynasty.

Watcher: Each dynasty attempt is operated a bit differently, wouldn't you agree?  We're taking the standard couple single-family with minimalist museum approach.

Agnes:  But there's so much to do!

Watcher:  And you are a uniquely talented Sim.  I've no doubt that you will accomplish all that I need you to do.  You've done it before, and will do it again.

Agnes:  High expectations much?  What about me and my goals?  I want to be an Illustrious Author, but you reject every one of my wishes to learn the writing skill!

Watcher:  Well, you got me there.  If you remember, you did complete that lifetime wish the last time we tried this, but you spent much of your time stressed out and still ended up with a tiny tombstone.

Agnes:  I also left “A Legacy of Love” and quite a few other titles for my descendants to read.

Watcher:  Yes, yes you did.  Tell you what – I promise that you will fulfill many wishes, including a lifetime wish, although it won't be Illustrious Author.  Fair enough?

Agnes:  Will I get to marry Adam soon?  Why the delay – are you waiting for his wish to marry me?

Watcher:  Yes and yes.

Agnes:  Hmm.  Will I get a big tombstone, too?

Watcher:  The biggest.

Agnes:  Alright.  But handiness, of all things?  Why am I learning handiness?

Watcher:  As you know, Adam is a neat Sim, and upgrading all of the plumbing fixtures to self-cleaning is a great help in keeping him happy.  I will also need you to upgrade some special rewards that Adam will purchase someday.

Agnes:  Food replicators, no doubt.  Last time, he did all of the handy stuff.

Watcher:  This time – different.  Get used to it.  Anything else?

Agnes:  Why haven't I been sent to the dresser or mirror?  Don't you care about my appearance?

Watcher:  Not as much as I care about the other things you bring to this effort.  I'm content to let you be the original, unimitable Agnes.  We'll see what the random outfit generator does to you when you age up to elder.

The Watcher, growing weary of being interviewed, abruptly ended the dialogue and set Agnes back to task.

[Anna33]

Yay. Its nice to see someone keep Agnes as her self.

[Sarabi]

Yay. Its nice to see someone keep Agnes as her self.

Thanks.  She's sort of an iconic character.

Five years later - I came back to this.  I still have the file and my notes, so here we go...

[Sarabi]

4.  Promises Kept, Objects Broken

Three days after their engagement, Adam's wish to Marry Agnes was captured, and it was time for the nuptials to take place.  The celebrants changed into their formalwear, and enjoyed a simple, private ceremony in their own backyard.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Agnes continued her one-Sim campaign to make every fixture in their home permanently pristine.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And did her best to keep the puddles down to a minimum.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Which is not an especially easy thing to do when you're living with a neatnik who insists on using the sink every time he uses the toilet.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As Adam's gardening skill grew, he became capable of planting every type of seed he found and collected.  He bought the Super Green Thumb lifetime reward, and by the end of the second week, he had SuperMaxed the gardening skill.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

After a late dinner one evening, loner Agnes became an adult in a very private birthday celebration, which was her choice.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She also joined the culinary career, which was not.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

At that point, she requested another interview.  I declined.

[Sarabi]

5.  Birthdays to Death Fish

A lot has happened within the span of a few days in the lives of these Sims.

Although Agnes had developed a satisfactory working relationship with the plumbing fixtures around the house, the day came when that relationship would change.  Instead of rushing to repair a fixture leak, she rushed to take care of her own personal plumbing problem.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Yes, the time for family expansion was drawing near.  Both Adam and Agnes had wished to have their first child a week after they wed, and the try for baby was timed to have minimal impact on Agnes's career progress, given the maternity leave automatically granted.

Ever the trooper, dear Agnes had made some significant progress in her career.  She whirled into her uniform and went to work as always, despite the nausea of unidentified origin.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Adam was having quite an eventful day himself.  That very morning he had completed his lifetime wish for The Perfect Garden, and purchased a food replicator with the proceeds.  His daily chores had kept him busy, too busy to acknowledge his own birthday until that evening when it was thrust upon him.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Meanwhile, Agnes had returned home from work and started the replicator upgrade.  Mere moments after Adam's age transition, Agnes had her moment of recognition, wrought by a visit from the truly terrifying outfit fairy.  Poor Agnes.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As is often the case in the first generation of a new dynasty struggling toward success, the couple didn't find much time to celebrate the happy news.  There was another round of portraits to be done in commemoration of Adam's new status as an adult.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Both of them recognized the importance of properly preparing for the blessed event yet to come, and both wanted to read pregnancy books.  The following day, after a midday nap for a full energy bar, Agnes went to the library and breezed through both titles.  Adam joined her after completing his gardening chores for the day, but true to his nature, he chose to read outside, on the balcony.  Knowing Adam, it's hard to tell how much of it he understood, but he did read the entire book.  She then started reading “Yummy and Delicious”, and managed to master the cooking skill before she needed to leave for her midnight appointment.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Among all of her other activities, Agnes had also learned to fish and had stockpiled some angelfish in her inventory.  She knew she needed to do this, and wanted to get it over and done with before the baby came.  She also wanted to get the angelfish out of her inventory – toting those stinking things around certainly wasn't helping with the nausea.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Now, anyone who has ever seen the less pleasant side of grumpy Agnes during one of her grump-out moments would know better than to mess with her when she's pregnant.  Perhaps the denizens of the local cemetery will know better next time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Final score:  Agnes 6, Ghosts 0.  Since Adam will be able to replicate deathfish with the omni plant soon,   Agnes has completed the only graveyard fishing trip this dynasty will ever need.  Thank you, dear Agnes.

And I guess that's a wrap.  No?  Oh, wait – there's one other birth day that I've neglected to mention in this report.

One detail previously omitted – Agnes had embarked on a special pregnancy diet that started right after the chimes.  Both Adam and Agnes wished for a girl, which was a very happy coincidence for me, because I want to re-create our prior attempt as closely as possible.  On the final day of her pregnancy, Agnes got back to business working on Adam's adult portraits... and waiting.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Evening rolled around, and Agnes switched labor types.  She continued to be the trooper throughout it all, while Adam – good grief, man, where is your head?  You might have some 'splaining to do, big fella.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

A quick trip to the local hospital, where Adam paced nervously outside - but mere moments later, Agnes emerged a little lighter and carrying a precious package.  Without further ado, Adam and Agnes proudly present... Ms. Brenda Crumplebottom.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Oops.  I guess we forgot to do the name change thing when these two got hitched.  Agnes's to-do list just grew.

Next time, we'll see what Adam has to say about all of this.

[Sarabi]

6.  Adam Catches Up

Starlog W3D6

There's a baby in my house.  A teeny, tiny little Sim with some serious personal hygiene issues that just lays around all day, sleeps a lot, and can't even feed herself.  It's feed the baby, change the baby, weed the garden, snuggle the baby, harvest some produce, change the baby, feed the baby, harvest more produce, etc.  All day, every day.  It's the same for Agnes.  Except for the gardening parts.

I noticed her belly was getting bigger, but thought it might be from all the watermelon she kept taking out of my produce inventory and gobbling up.  Then I went to the library and read a book we wanted me to read.  It turns out that Agnes had that baby inside, but then she came out.  From the hospital.  We call the baby Brenda.  So I guess this means that I've done okay with the Sim mating rituals and have successfully reproduced here, because everyone says she's my baby, too.

I don't... can't find the words to describe how I feel about all of this.  It's amazing and wonderful and scary and burdensome all at the same time.  I didn't think it was possible, but sometimes I feel even closer to Agnes now than I did before Brenda came.  Other times, I'm not sure I even know who she is.  Or me, either.  I don't know if I'm the same, or if there is any reason that I should want to be.

I thought I had planted every variety of garden plant on Planet Sims III, but sometimes I get phone calls for things I don't have.  Plums... pomegranates... no idea what they are or how I could get any.  See, I'm getting a reputation for good fresh garden produce, and other Sims call me when they want something special.  Sometimes when I fill orders, I learn how to plant something new, like special eggplants that actually grow eggs instead of eggplant, which is big and purple and not very egg-like.

I have perfected everything I've been growing, well except some of the newer things I just got to plant.  They're getting better, though, and will also be perfected.  I feel that I have mastered the art and science of gardening on Planet Sims III, well except for a few species I haven't found yet.

Oh, and I had a birthday here, too.  That's the transition to the next Sim life stage.  I had a noisemaker and there were sparklies and colorful glowing orbs and whirling and then I was an adult.  No big deal, really.

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last log entry.  Agnes and I got officially married, we've been so busy, so much to do.  Day after day working, no time for anything else.  It's okay, though.  I like the work, there really isn't anything else I'd rather be doing.  It's hard for me to say this, but I'm not sure there is anywhere else I'd rather be.  I've grown accustomed to this place, and attached to these strange backward beings and I don't know if I would want to come back home now even if I could.

Just so you know, I've been thinking about logging a lot.  I was thinking about it last night when Agnes was trying to let the baby come out, I was looking for a transmission control device because I couldn't find mine and I guess I panicked about it because I'm so far behind with my logging.  I have been keeping up with my timeline, though, so that will just have to do.

I still don't know how the house got here, but something similar happened again.  I woke up one morning and it was different.  Different wall coverings, different flooring, and some of the lighting has changed.  I really don't know what to make of it.  Also, we have a food replicator, which I apparently wished into existence.  A magical place this is.

Attaching images...  isn't she perfect?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

BrendaSmiling.jpg
BrendaSpittingUp.jpg
BrendaCrying.jpg
BrendaMakingDirtyDiaper.jpg
BrendaCryingAgain.jpg
BrendaEating.jpg
BrendaEatingMore.jpg
BrendaFussing.jpg
BrendaTeething.jpg
BrendaDrooling.jpg
BrendaLookingAtMe.jpg
BrendaLookingOverThere.jpg
BrendaLookingAtPortraitOfMe.jpg
BrendaLookingAtMommy.jpg
MommyFeedingBrenda.jpg
MommyChangingBrenda.jpg
...
...
...

(Ed. Note: The images Adam uploaded flooded our intergalactic server to the point we felt we were under a denial of service attack, and promptly closed the connection.  Some of the images were thus lost - sorry about that.)

[Sarabi]

7.  Brenda Toddles

The Wranglers' sleepless nights and hectic days were soon rewarded as baby Brenda was well-prepared to take on the next phase of her life.  The proud parents hosted a small birthday party to celebrate the event.  Auntie Cornelia (Goth) even brought her famous Baked Angel Food Cake!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Strange habits, these Sims have – placing infants on the floor to celebrate birthdays.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

A shower of sparklies later, toddler-hood officially arrives...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

… with a vengeance, it would seem.  Brenda was pretty cranky after a long day, a fact not lost on the friends who'd come to celebrate with her.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Her parents' desire to relieve themselves of having to assist her relieve herself got them started straightaway on some training.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

In spite of how busy he was, Adam usually managed to keep some space for cuddle and tickle time in his schedule.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And so did Agnes, despite the career and other pressures constantly demanding her attention.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Though it took a great deal of time and persistence, they eventually completed their initial Brenda toddler training missions.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Since Brenda was constantly sneaking outside, they resigned to place her toys out on the deck, where she could entertain herself when her parents were otherwise occupied.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

While helping her learn to talk, Adam couldn't help but notice how excited little Brenda got when he spoke of sea creatures.  Maybe it was the pattern on her clothing?  He guessed that in time, the reason would be revealed.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Eventually, and with a lot of help from both parents, Brenda completed her toddler basic training and was ready to move forward into the next steps... (to be continued)

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

[Sarabi]

8.  Two Birthdays and Other Promotions

More and more, Adam found that he relied on Agnes' steady stream of support.  In addition to a very long list of tasks she was expected to fulfill, she frequently helped him with the gardening chores to enable him to spend more time with Brenda as she was growing up.  The fact that she also helped herself achieve her LTW of Swimming in Cash didn't hurt, either.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Having successfully navigated toddler-hood, it was time for another Brenda birthday party and some friends came to help her celebrate.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She more-or-less managed to blow out the candles herself this time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And the adorable tyke commenced a wholly new phase of her journey through this life.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda wasn't the only one who had a birthday that day, but she is the only one who chose to celebrate the event.  Agnes, too, entered the next phase of her life – with no fanfare and marked by another visit from the terrible outfit fairy.  This is not what one usually expects when one thinks about before and after images.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Agnes went to work that day as usual, still striving for promotions.  On this day, there were none to be had – an unfortunate garlic accident at work left her with quite the dour mood.  Adam tried to cheer her up by buying Stony Falls and fully upgrading it.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Meanwhile, Brenda... Brenda, where are you?  Sneaking across the road is quickly becoming a habit of hers.  It was really not a surprise when she chose something about a Perfect Aquarium as her lifetime avocation.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It may be a good thing that Brenda is a rather independent child, since her parents are quite busy and frequently occupied with other concerns.  In fact, they seem to spend quite a bit of time on their phones in the evening – Adam calls people to promote friendships, and Agnes calls co-workers to improve her career performance.  Learning a bit of charisma also helped Agnes to overcome her tendency toward difficult relationships with others.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Ever the devoted father,  Adam still makes time to help Brenda excel in school by occasionally helping her complete her homework.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Agnes' hard work eventually paid off.  She came home one day sporting the uniform of a five-star chef, and brought home the fanciest fridge in the galaxy to prove it.  Well done, Agnes. 

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

There was no time to celebrate her achievement, though, because Adam had acquired another food replicator in need of upgrading.  What's that, Agnes?  You want to retire?  Oh, alright.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Agnes' retirement brought some additional benefits to her family, as it gave her more time to spend with them.  Being highly skilled in fishing herself, she was now able to take Brenda fishing in more remote locations around Sunset Valley and expose her to different varieties of fish, where she spoke to Brenda of... writing?  Agnes put forth her very best efforts to convince Brenda to take up writing, but Brenda wasn't having it.  Fishing is what Brenda lives to do.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

… and that's a wrap for this entry.

[Sarabi]

9.  Congratulations in Order

With Agnes retired, Adam purchased Hogan's Deep Fried Diner and renamed it the Crumplebottom Cafe to honor her career accomplishments there.  Agnes stocked the pond across the street with deathfish Adam had replicated with his omni plants to further support Brenda's ongoing fishing expeditions.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Now a teenager, Brenda sought out all of the best fishing spots around Sunset Valley, gradually increasing her knowledge of the various species and their favorite bait.  Adam supplied her with plenty of produce to use as bait on her forays to expand her knowledge and skills.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

During this time, she not only mastered the fishing skill, but also completed the Amateur Ichthyologist challenge.  Her response to these accomplishments: “Boney Hay!”  In the process, she also managed to collect... let's see now... 1, 2, 3...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Yep.  Thirteen perfect fish completed her lifetime wish of “Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium.”  Congratulations, Brenda!  That's an awful lot of fish to feed, though.  I wonder if she still has time to keep up with her homework?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Well, apparently she does – though one never knows where she might end up after school.  In a park, at the beach, maybe in a jungle gym somewhere.  If anything, her independent streak has only grown along with her.  From time to time, she'd meet a nice fella...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

… but she still always seemed to be obsessed with fishing.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Adam's birthday arrived.  The Birthday Inferno Birthday Cake demonstrated that it's aptly named.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It's probably a good thing, then, that Adam is a brave sort.  He handled the blaze before the firefighters arrived.  With the charred cake replaced, the birthday celebration continued.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The birthday fairy gave Adam a good whack with the birthday wand...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

… and he morphed into an Egyptian elder.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It didn't take Agnes long to complete his elder portrait.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Adam then received and completed his final BlackOp and firmed up a few friendships.  With that, it was time for Agnes to do the thing she'd been working toward all along.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

No, not that, silly.  It was time for Agnes to make Adam's first serving of Ambrosia, and she did so joyfully.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She also stored it in two upgraded replicators, so that Adam and their other descendants would have a supply of Ambrosia to last them well into the future.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Adam came to the table and sat down to consume that magical dish that he and Agnes had both worked so hard to make possible.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And with that, Adam became immortal.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Congratulations, Adam!

Founder: Adam
Traits: Neat, Friendly, Green Thumb, Loves the Outdoors, Brave
LTW: The Perfect Garden
Career: Self-employed Gardener
Skill: Gardening
Building: The Crumplebottom Cafe (originally Hogan's Deep Fried Diner)
Property: Stoney Falls
Unique LTRs: Super Green Thumb, Food Replicator, Professional Slacker
Best Friends: Wife Agnes, Malcolm Landgraab, Christopher Steel, Holly Alto, Nephew Mortimer Goth, Abraham Finkel
BlackOps: Uncommonly Good, Outstandingly Rare, The Omnificent Plant, The Fruit of Life, Perfect Produce, Outstanding Tasting Ingredients

(Ed. Note:  This might be a good time to talk about my choice of gardening for the founder's vocation.  I admit I'm biased – I love gardening in TS3, and rarely ever play a household that does not include a gardener.

Bias aside, there are other reasons to get a gardener early in the dynasty.  Beyond the obvious need to grow life fruit for Ambrosia and desire to provide those just-in-case death flowers to immortals, gardening also supports other skill development – fishing (better quality bait catches better quality fish), cooking (moodlets from high quality meals are extremely helpful), alchemy, nectar-making, even mixology.  Once developed, a garden provides a steady source of ongoing high income.

I also find it fairly easy to keep Adam busy over the long haul.  The right size garden will occupy him all day, every day with the “tend garden” interaction.  Also, one needs to be particularly wary of any mortal handling life fruit or death flowers, and I find it much easier to be vigilant about removing them from inventory early in the dynasty, when there are fewer household members to manage.  Passersby frequently stop by the garden to chat with Adam, which makes it easy for my household to meet other sims in the community.  I rarely fertilize, and the only thing I really need to do to manage his gardening is to delete barren plants and have him re-plant.

When he gets stir-crazy, I send him to sell produce at the supermarket, pick up a few seeds off-lot, or  play in the sprinkler across the street (I added a sprinkler when I bought that property).   It's relatively easy as far as long-term immortal elder management goes.)

[Deklitch]

Yay!!!! Congrats. I hope you get your aging issues sorted.

[Sarabi]

Thanks, Dek.  I think the immediate issues are solved, at least for now.

10.  Adam Checks In

Adam pulled out his comm device, and began entering his report:

Starlog W6D7

I guess it's been awhile since I've reported in.  A lot has happened, a lot has changed, including our Sim bodies.  Mine has changed, Agnes's has changed, and so has Brenda's along with a lot of other Sims I've gotten to know here.  I guess I knew this would happen, that knowledge was downloaded to me when I first arrived here.  But still, I wasn't really prepared for the way everything has happened.

Although I sometimes make my own choices, I still feel manipulated from afar, as if my will is not my own.  This is going to be a short report, because I really feel like I need to talk with you like we did in the past.

… transmitting... transmission complete.

Moments later, the Watcher opened a direct communication link to Adam's mind.

Watcher:  Hello, Adam.  You wanted to talk with me?

Adam:  Yes.  I think I've done what you asked of me.

Watcher:  Well, you're certainly off to a good start.  You'll need to continue what you're doing for several more generations.  Congratulations, by the way.

Adam:  So this is it, then?  This is my life for all eternity?

Watcher:  No, not forever, but for a very long time.

Adam:  But I've little left to do.  I go through the same routine every day.  Eat, garden, shower, eat, sleep.  Eat, garden, shower, eat, sleep.  I'm not allowed to do much else.

Watcher:  You left out your near-daily sprinkler play.

Adam:  Well, yeah, there's that, too.

Watcher:  Plus occasional birthday parties, socializing with others, watching your family grow up?

Adam:  But there's nothing else for me to achieve, nothing to strive toward, not much to wish for.

Watcher:  That's because you've achieved success.  Since you're no longer focused on your own need to realize your potential, your own quest for self-actualization, you are uniquely positioned to be a better observer of others.  And that is what we really need from you now.   Collect a great wealth of experience, learn all that you can about sim life.

Adam:  I see.  And do what with this information?

Watcher:  You and all of your descendants will be de-briefed when this project is complete.

Adam:  Okey-doke.  Oh, and I think I figured out what Wrangler means.  I still don't know how it applies to me.

Watcher:  Well, I suppose you do some wrangling, at least in the sense of persuading and caretaking.  You've wrangled a fairly complex set of requirements to completion, a family along with some other sims, and some plants.  It was you, after all, who chose to use that moniker.

Adam:  I suppose I did.  I guess the word can apply to other stuff.

Watcher:  Also, a brand of clothing, vehicle model, and other things.  Anything else?

Adam:  I'm good, I guess.  Thanks.

And with that, the connection was dropped.

Next up... a visit from Grim.

[Sarabi]

11.  Grim Takes Two

While she continued to grow ever more self-reliant as she matured, Brenda remained very close to the mother who had done so very much for the family.  Even as a teenager, Brenda recognized that Agnes would not always be there for her, and wanted to make memories sharing quality time with her mum.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She sometimes challenged Agnes to play a game of chess with her

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

and other times invited Agnes outside for some Gnubb.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Adam also jumped aboard the Agnes appreciation bandwagon

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

with a few special moves of his own.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Feeling a bit of pressure from the parents about her complete lack of dating, Brenda invited a school friend named Kendall Solis to visit on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  Always a concerned and protective father, Adam greeted him at the door and began to assess whether he might be a suitable suitor for his daughter.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The family decided to visit the park across the street with their guest.  Upon arrival Brenda, of course, proceeded to do her typical Brenda thing...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

… while Adam befriended the young man.  Upon learning that he had no home or family, Adam invited Kendall to move in with them, and he gratefully accepted.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

(Ed. Note: Kendall had been Brenda's friend in grade school, and a paper carrier.  He did not age up to high school when Brenda did, but a few days later.  When he arrived for the visit at Brenda's invitation, he was a YA.  He's a little on the thin side, but overall not a bad looking fellow.  He has a rather odd mixture of traits, which we'll discuss later.)

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The following day, the Wrangler residence had other visitors, this time uninvited.  It's more than a little disconcerting when Mr. Grim takes an active interest in one of your immortal-to-be heirs.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  Hearing the wailing of deep pain and unrelenting sorrow on their front deck, Agnes went outside to find Judy Bunch grieving the loss of beloved husband Jack.  Hoping to provide some companionship that might help to ease her suffering, Agnes kindly invited her to come inside.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But Mr. Grim had not yet finished his work on this day; there was another Sim to harvest, another elderly life that would come to a close, and right here on the Wrangler homestead.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Judy Bunch's grieving was summarily ended when she was taken to join Jack in Sim afterlife.  Over the next couple of days, the Wranglers found other members of the Bunch family grieving on and around their homestead, and did their best to offer comfort to their friends.

Next up: Brenda's confusion.

[Sarabi]

12.  Brenda's Confusion

“Dear, dear, dear, dear diary,” Brenda muttered under her breath as she cast out her line for the umpteenth time today.  “So many young men out there, all with different personalities and qualities.  I just don't know.”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She reeled in her latest nibble, giggling out loud at the absurd situation before her, marveling at the direct parallel between tossing a lure out there to catch fish and tossing herself out there to lure a husband.  Or at the very least, someone to father the child who would satisfy her growing maternal instincts.

For quite some time now, Brenda had been aware of certain expectations.  She was expected to wed Kendall Solis, the young man her father had invited to move in with them some time ago.  She also knew, on some level, that she was expected to produce a child – a desire that came very naturally to her as a family-oriented sim.  Both of her parents wanted to see her marry.  Of course, they also both wanted to see her enter the Science career field, which probably wasn't going to happen.

She genuinely liked Kendall.  Like a lot.  Great big gobs of liking him, and being with him was so comfortable he felt like family, like he was already a part of her.  Indeed, he was already a part of her household.  She was able to tolerate his grumpiness, having been raised by a mother who shares that trait.  Though Kendall had his own personal goals and wishes, he'd been so willing to do whatever the family requested of him, so willing to sublimate himself in service to the Wranglers.

Kendall had much to offer, yet there seemed to be something...   “There's just something missing,” Brenda blurted aloud, still pondering her dilemma.  “He's comfortable like an old shoe – not the sort of thing that gets a girls' heart racing.”  There was also the fact that Kendall had no family in the area, which would deprive any child they might have of paternal relatives.  Family was so very important to Brenda; she had certainly enjoyed her relationships with extended family growing up, and wanted that for her offspring.  And really, how would he adapt to being a father, to being part of a family, with so very little knowledge or experience of such?  Brows furrowed, Brenda chewed her lower lip considering the implications of building a life and family with Kendall.  Although she was not completely sure what she was supposed to feel toward a life partner, she was confident that her feelings toward Kendall were not it.

But perhaps we should back up a bit.

The Wranglers had thrown a big party to celebrate Brenda's birthday, that magical moment when she left adolescence to enter adulthood and take on its privileges and responsibilities.  A bevy of boys attended – teenagers as well as adults – and Brenda made an effort to talk with every one of them.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Hosting a party – and making the rounds to make sure everyone in attendance is enjoying themselves – comes very easily and naturally to Brenda.  Her affable nature makes her quite popular, and everyone around her is happy to step up and line up to celebrate with her.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And she worked the crowd, worked her way through the crowd.  All were friendly, cordial, and welcoming, but there just wasn't any particular sparkage.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Her parents did all they could to set the mood, going so far as to fumble around on the fretboard to try to provide some romance-inducing background music.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But there still wasn't much in the way of romance happening for our Brenda.  And then she met Javier Hopper.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

In his presence, she felt all warm and fluttery, weak-in-the-knees.  There was chemistry and the flirting came so easily and so naturally.  The other guests filed out one by one, but Javier stayed... and stayed... and stayed.  Is he the one?

But even Javier had to leave eventually, and Agnes called Brenda to pose for a new set of portraits, birthday portraits being a time-honored tradition in the Wrangler household.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Returning to the daily business of fishing, Brenda continued to mull over the decisions before her.  As present experiences are processed into memories of the past, Brenda found her interest in Javier fading, and wondered if that was because she was trying to turn what was a brief, spontaneous emotional encounter into something her mind could fully embrace.  Different spheres of influence, the head and the heart, and Brenda was having great difficulty wrangling hers into alignment with one another.

Seeing no obvious way to resolve her uncertainty, Brenda felt that a change of scenery might shake something loose and offer her a different perspective.  Besides, she'd been an honor student throughout her school career and had already achieved much success in her young life.  She deserved a trip to France, bought herself a prepared traveler award, and made her travel plans.

Next Up:  The French Connection

[Sarabi]

13.  The French Connection

Brenda arrived in Champs Les Sims eager to explore and immerse herself in the local color, flavor, and especially the great outdoors.  Her first order of business was, of course, to check out the local waterways to see what new types of aquatic life she could coax out of them.
 
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

While touring the countryside, she spotted a small island in the river which appeared at first glance to be inaccessible.  Her very protective father had insisted she learned some basic self-defense very young, and she had developed her meditative skills to the point where she was actually able to teleport herself across some distance.  Her efforts to get to the island bore fruit in the form of some new plant varieties she knew would be of great interest to her father.  She also dug up some relics and found a few more prime fishing spots around the island.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Although Brenda could never tire of fishing or simply being in the great outdoors – not really – after a time, she reminded herself that there was much more to experience, and resolved to get on with it.  A quick check of the bulletin board posted outside the inn where she was staying revealed some adventures she could take on, and she chose to do exactly that.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She stopped by the local shops to purchase gear and supplies for her adventures and meet some locals.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda was very aware that France was considered the home of haute couture, a magnet for those with a passion for fashion, a place where she'd expect to find those with exquisitely refined tastes.  Imagine her surprise, then, when she met a local shopkeeper wearing a hairstyle that she could only describe as “mom hair.”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Maybe her mother had better taste than she'd ever given her credit for?  Brenda didn't spend too much time pondering the question, since she herself always preferred simple pragmatism and function over form in her own clothing and style selections.  Fishing vests and hip waders suited her just fine.

Brenda was also very surprised when, just a few days into her trip, who would she find at the base camp but her parents?

Yep – they, too, wanted to experience France and made the decision to spend the rest of her trip there with her.  One of Brenda's favorite new toys was the Kenspa scooter that would allow her to feel the sun and wind on her face as she buzzed around the countryside.  Brenda purchased a couple more of them, so her parents could also get around easier.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Adam and Agnes enjoyed their visit to the local museum.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Agnes enjoyed the ambiance of the Nectary – in fact, it inspired some of her writing – a lifelong avocation that she finally had time to develop.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Adam also enjoyed the Nectary, but engaged in his usual pursuits while there.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

For the most part, the elderly couple spent their French holiday hanging around the base camp, where Adam kept the place tidy...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

… and Agnes continued the writing she'd waited most of her life to be able to pursue.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda's French adventures took her into some places she'd otherwise never have been able to see.  Some of the environments were perilous, but Brenda persisted and trudged on.  One place in particular that she found unforgettable was Chateau du Landgraab – the rich materials and textures, overall size and scale, and arrangement of uniquely adorned spaces made her long for such a place to call home, or at least visit frequently.  Her family was certainly wealthy, but their home was so... average.  So nondescript.  So boring.

Continuing her exploration of this elegant wonderland, she walked right into a trap.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Fortunately, there was first aid nearby where she could patch herself up and regain her composure to continue.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Through her adventures, Brenda earned visa points bit-by-bit, and eventually made visa level 3.  This made it possible for her to purchase a vacation home in France, and she was thrilled to obtain a massive castle she believed would be on par with Chateau du Landgraab.  She could barely wait to share the good news with her parents.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The family members settled in to their usual activities.  Agnes continued with her writing in the castle's office space.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

After planting a small garden on the estate, Adam proceeded to... um, yeah

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda's joy with the acquisition was short-lived.  Touring the place revealed that it was indeed huge, but very sparsely furnished – and large, empty indoor spaces weren't especially inviting or interesting to Brenda.  She'd rather be outside, after all.  Just as Chateau du Landgraab had drawn her admiration only to zap her with traps, the stark reality of the castle she'd purchased was utterly disappointing.  How could she have been so deluded?

Because she didn't look past the surface, she realized, and allowed herself to be fooled by initial, first impressions.  Kind of like her brief chemistry with Javier Hopper.  Fascinating, even compelling at first blush, but not much else there to discover.

And there it was – the understanding she needed to forge ahead with eyes wide open and heart wide open to romance with Kendall.  He was always there for her and her family, stable, secure, known and understood.  The two already enjoyed a strong foundation of not only friendship, but familial bonds – and that is exactly what Brenda needed in a life partner.

[Sarabi]

14.  A House Overview

I thought it might be about time to show what the Wrangler homestead looks like overall at this point.  Like every other sim house I've ever built, it's pretty much an uninspired box.

First, some exterior shots.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It's a full two-story, except that the second floor has a small deck (veranda ?).  The whole thing is built upon and surrounded by a wrap-around deck, with stairs to the ground on each side, and 2 sets of stairs in the back.

The first floor layout looks like this:

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

With loads of interior space wasted by hallways.  I have this tendency to try to leave at least 2 squares around any high-traffic object (like the dining room table) and make hallways at least 2 wide.  I don't know how much it actually helps, because I still seem to have sims doing the I-can't-get-there stompy dance while abandoning plates of food because they run into routing conflicts with other sims.

I usually put dining areas close to the front door, since eating breakfast is typically the last thing they do before they leave for work or school.  There's a study in the lower left corner, and a living room in the lower right.

The middle (horizontal) stripe includes the staircase, laundry room, food prep kitchen, and a bathroom at either end.  Only the current cook has access to the food prep kitchen.  I leave only the fancy fridge and a dishwasher in the dining area.  Most meals prepared by the current cook (typically a mortal spouse) are slid into the fridge and consumed as leftovers.

There are 4 bedrooms across the rear of the first floor.  From left to right, the current occupants are Adam & Agnes, Brenda, Kendall, and empty.  Kendall's room is locked to him only and includes a bookcase with the skill books that are off-limits to the immortals.

The second floor layout looks like this:

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It's mostly unfinished/unfurnished at this point.  There are some bathroom fixtures tucked up there for future use – they've been upgraded.  Most of the space has been hacked into 4 bedrooms plus 4 studios for generations to come.  There's also an extra fridge tucked up there for now – I plan to put a small dining table and chairs and a dishwasher along the wall that separates the interior space from the deck/veranda, once some of the upstairs bedrooms are occupied.

Kendall was working on an ice sculpture when I took this screenshot.  I briefly entertained notions of adding sculptures to the immortal museum, but then decided to stick with portraits only for this run.

The museum pieces are currently being stored in an unfinished basement that has no entrance as of yet.  More building to do at a later date.

Way too much wasted space, but it functions well enough.

[Sarabi]

15.  So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish

Upon returning from France, Brenda wasted no time in re-connecting with Kendall, desperate to know whether she could truly generate the feelings she'd wanted to share with a potential mate.  The results of her interactions with him were just right for both of them.  It would work, though she wasn't quite ready to fully take the plunge just yet.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But the Wranglers hadn't quite fully scratched the itch left by the travel bug bite, and made their way to Shang Simla, China, posthaste.

Brenda was fascinated by the variety and abundance of koi species, and spent the bulk of her time in China catching them.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Even though fishing remained her primary interest and motivation in life, it was not without its downsides and unpleasantries.  Her recognition that the sweetest roses come with thorns helped her to further process and embrace her decision to move forward with building a life with the oft out-of-sorts Kendall.

Adam was eager to strike out adventuring, and found himself a number of ancient awe-inspiring dungeons and crypts, replete with secret passageways, traps, and other perils.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Along the way, he collected a variety of treasures – ancient coins, valuable relics, and the like.  Eventually, his bravery and persistence led him to one of the greatest treasures of all – Pangu's Axe.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

His successful adventuring (hugely enhanced by the Opportunistic LTR) made it possible for Adam to purchase a vacation property in China.  As he'd done in France, he planted a small garden to provide fresh, high-quality produce for any other family members who may visit the location in the future.

Meanwhile, Agnes visited the local attractions, continued to write children's books, and wrangled the plumbing fixtures as needed.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

They returned from their vacation in the usual way...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

… feeling a sense of family togetherness, closeness, and unity unlike anything they'd ever experienced.

 The timing of this last blast as a family could not have been more fitting.  Upon their return, they each went back to their separate activities – Brenda fishing, Adam in the garden, Agnes writing.  What was different about this day was that Agnes finished the last children's book she would ever write.

While she was preparing yet another meal for her family late that afternoon, he returned – and this time it was for Agnes.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Noone else was in their home at the time, and it was probably just as well.  They didn't have to watch her plead with Mr. Grim for an extension of the life in which she'd found such joy and meaning.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But he was not to be dissuaded from completing his mission to take her from them, and thus ended a life very well-lived.  She was 98 days old.

Her obituary would include this list of contributions and accomplishments for Agnes (nee Crumplebottom) Wrangler:

• Mastered 5 skills including fishing, cooking, painting, handiness, and writing.  Also had a few points in charisma.
• Painted all 3 of Adam's portraits as well as Brenda's through Young Adult.
• Completed the culinary career track, obtaining a super fancy fridge that would serve her family for generations to come.
• She left that fancy fridge filled with a lot of meals to feed them well into the future.
• Caught the deathfish required for Ambrosia, and stocked the pond across the street with deathfish.
• Upgraded every appliance and plumbing fixture in their home and kept them in repair.
• Upgraded 3 food replicators and filled them with Ambrosia.
• Achieved a LTW of Swimming in Cash.  In the end, she could also have fulfilled her original LTW of Illustrious Author.
• Wrote 32 books (mostly children's) including 21 best-sellers and 10 hits.

The promises that the Watcher had made to Agnes so long ago were kept.  She'd been an integral part, a key co-founder of a dynasty that would outlast her by several generations.

So long, Agnes.  And thanks for all the fish.

[Sarabi]

16.  And Two Shall Become... Three?

In the days following Agnes' passing, her survivors adjusted to her absence bit-by-bit.  Adam quit shaving

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

while Kendall assumed some of the home maintenance chores.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda continued her near-daily trips to the consignment store where she often spoke of her family while conducting business.  She purchased a new harvester there to help ease Adam's gardening burden.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But using it always seemed to make him feel sick and dizzy.  Brenda also placed some newly acquired hygienators in the garden for Adam's amusement, but they too had a tendency to leave him making a mad dash for the bathroom.

Brenda purchased the property across the street, where she spent so much time fishing, and fully upgraded it.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She even included a small family cemetery which would become her mother's final resting place – complete with one of her favorite titles.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Having managed to adapt to life without Agnes – while knowing they would always miss her – Brenda felt that the time had come for her to take the next step in building the family.  She invited Kendall on a very late date, which he readily accepted.  She took him across the road, to her favorite fishing pond, where they danced beneath the light of a pale moon.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Eager for a nooboo, Brenda revealed her family orientation to Kendall, and asked for his assistance in the creation of a new life.  He readily agreed.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda wasn't feeling so good the next day.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Kendall was ecstatic to learn of his impending fatherhood.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But he wanted to be more than a father.  He also wanted to be a husband, asked Brenda to join him in marriage, and they became engaged.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The couple made their preparations for the baby's arrival by learning all that they could about what to expect.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda then explained everything to her father, who wasn't too pleased about it at first.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But once she got him to understand that everything was working out exactly as she wanted – and that he would soon have a grandchild – he expressed his congratulations and happiness for his daughter.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And here we have the infamous pregnant walk, only this time with pirate boots clipping through the  pants.  I've been using those boots as makeshift hip-waders for her everyday going-fishing outfit, and of course you can't really adjust what they're given to wear while pregnant.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

What may be worse, though, is the hairstyle they'd given her with the “career” outfit.  I don't usually bother to adjust those, since I don't use them – but since the game uses them anyway, perhaps I ought to pay more attention when I'm planning outfits.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Yep, that's a watermelon she's eating in that shot.  It was a tough call – in my original file, both Brenda and her husband (Chadwick last time) had wanted a boy, so the 3rd gen was a boy in that game.  In this game, Brenda wanted a girl, Kendall didn't specify, so... watermelon it is.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The baby is coming!  The ever independent, always self-reliant Brenda gave birth at home all by herself.  Welcome, Claire.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

With Claire safely tucked into her crib, the new parents switched gears and clothes and went outside to exchange vows in a very private ceremony.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And with that, a new family was born.

Brenda was a bit sad that her mother wasn't there to see her married or meet her grandchild, but also a bit relieved that she didn't have to fend off her efforts to make a major social event out of it.  That it had all come about in the no-muss, no-fuss Brenda sort of way suited her just fine.

[Sarabi]

17.  The Ties That Bind

In spite of his humble background, Kendall proved to be highly motivated, and eager to learn a variety of skills.  He also developed a keen interest in celestial bodies, and enjoyed searching the heavens for undiscovered bodies.  As he was doing so one evening, he entered adulthood, with that same passion for knowledge that had sustained him through much skill-building since he joined the Wrangler household.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

He also proved himself to be quite a dedicated husband and father, quickly allaying Brenda's fears about how he might take to those roles.  Where Claire was concerned he took everything in stride, putting her well-being above any minor indignities he might suffer -- even when his inherent grumpiness had him feeling out-of-sorts.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

One thing in particular that was difficult for Kendall to manage was running simple errands.  You'd think that a vehicle enthusiast would especially enjoy car trips, but the eco-friendly Kendall often returned feeling sad about not sharing the ride.  To help him mediate these opposing traits, Brenda gifted him with something she felt would satisfy both – and he was delighted to receive such a thoughtful gift from his beloved wife.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It seemed the husband-father-family man thing was going to work out for Kendall, after all.

While Kendall balanced his time between Claire care and skill development, Brenda split hers between motherhood and career.  To grow her income from fishing, Brenda built an impressive reputation at the Consignment store and invested in the Suave Seller LTR.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Of course, she always enjoyed meeting new people and telling them about her family.  When she went to pick up her service award for reaching level 9 of her self-employed angler career, she found a crowd of protesters letting the local government know how they felt about the recent rainbow clown menace.   She'd been so busy with her family and career, she'd not noticed the threat posed by rainbow clowns, and asked Ethan Bunch to explain.  Once enlightened, Brenda was especially glad that her father was brave, that both she and him had taken some self-defense training, and that Kendall was such an involved, protective father.  With all of that going for them, rainbow clowns would never pose any danger to the Wrangler family.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Claire's baby days were filled with regular feeding, snuggling, cuddling, and... other forms of attention from every member of her household.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Those baby days flew by in a haze of odd sleeping patterns and interrupted activities for the rest of the household, and Claire's toddler-hood arrived with a typical Wrangler-style epic party.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As a toddler, Claire continued to cling to a particular well-worn baby blanket her parents had used for her in infancy.  They never quite understood the appeal – it was something that Brenda had picked up at the consignment shop, handmade from a custom-designed fabric.  They sometimes wondered if the appeal had to do with the fact that its colors were very similar to the colors Kendall wore, but were otherwise stymied by her attachment to it.  As a toddler, Claire's world was supposed to expand, yet her apparent need for proximity to the blanket that they could take away to launder only when she was sound asleep seemed to confine her.  To ease that problem, Brenda tracked down the artisan who had made it, and commissioned an entire bolt of that custom-dyed cloth that she could use to make clothing for Claire.  It worked.

Kendall got started with Claire's toddler portraits, one of which turned out to be a side-eye shot.  I'm going to have fun with that one.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Virtuoso Daddy loved nothing better than conducting young Claire in xylophone sessions.  Claire really responded to those sessions, and naturally slipped into the making-music-with-daddy zone.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Their easygoing rapport over the xylophone was representative of a deeper level of communication they shared, which made it very easy for Kendall to help Claire learn to talk.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Not to be outdone, Mom also devoted plenty of time to helping Claire master the skills that would serve her throughout her life.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Grandpa found ways to help, too.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

(Check out the side-eye portrait)

Given the benevolence of a Daddy who knew how to cook and a Grandma who'd left behind many delightful meals, Claire was able to enjoy some mighty fine cuisine even at a very young age.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

During those rare moments of independent play, Claire really dug into the toddler art books her parents had left for her to read at will.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

If Brenda ever had a lick of doubt or remorse over her decision to make her family with Kendall, you'd  never have known it.  She was completely immersed in her family life, and her admiration for Kendall continued to grow.  Like him, she quietly aged up to Adult late one night, on her own.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

In keeping with tradition, her dear husband started on her new portraits straightaway.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Claire's birthday the following day did not pass without fanfare, but was celebrated by her family.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As her father lined up the easels to start her new set of portraits, Claire stepped right up and started a painting of her own.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

On her second day of school, the very friendly Claire was invited to go home with new chum Meghan Wilkerson, and gladly accepted.  Arriving at their home, she found that Meghan had not one, but two toddler brothers named Cecil and Shea.  In days to come, Claire would be a frequent guest at the Wilkerson's home, with a front row seat into the lives and growth of those two young fellas.  Hmm...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

[Sarabi]

18.  Wilkerson Friendships and Other Acquisitions

Kendall continued to make home repairs as objects became broken.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda bought a Teleportation Pad, and found that attempts to teleport sometimes ended in unexpected ways.  To allay that, Kendall modified the unit to provide perfect teleportation.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She also bought herself a Margaret Vaguester for speedy transport when the teleporter was inconvenient.  It proved to be especially handy during those times when she was racing the clock to get to the consignment store in time to make the day's sales.  Kendall wasn't sure what to make of his wife's new purchase – the vehicle enthusiast in him had great admiration for its engineering while his eco-friendly nature railed against the excesses.  Kendall also found it odd that his wife insisted on being the family's representative to the consignment store since he was a Born Salesman – but Brenda had purchased the Suave Seller LTR, and that was that. 

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Kendall was also not quite sure what to make of another one of his wife's new habits.  Brenda had never cared much about clothes, but she'd gotten to a point where she really didn't care about clothes.  Like at all.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Adam purchased a fourth food replicator, which Kendall upgraded.  He then cooked up a perfect batch of French Toast, and Brenda stored it in the replicator.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Wanting to further expand their real estate portfolio, Brenda purchased the EverFresh Delights Supermarket, which, along with the consignment store, had served as an important outlet for Adam's produce and Brenda's fish.  The family certainly enjoyed Brenda's previous purchase and upgrade of Summer Hill Springs (also known as the pond across the road, or simply “the pond”).  They sometimes had impromptu family outings there.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Brenda even cooked hot dogs once, which were shared with a friend also visiting the pond that day.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Other times, Claire would sneak out to the garden to join Grandpa in his favorite pasttime.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Of course, life wasn't always pure fun and games.  There was always homework to be done, and usually help available for the asking.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As for Adam, he continued to spend a vast amount of time alone in the garden, but lately it was... different.  He'd always talked to his plants, but their conversations were becoming more and more profound, more dramatic, more an expression of some deeply held fear or frustration, apparently involving Brenda.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As for the Wilkersons, the entire family made themselves awfully easy to befriend.

Deon, the family's patriarch, showed up in the Wrangler's front yard one day.  Brenda befriended him, and invited him in to share in the organic spaghetti feast that Kendall had prepared.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Wilkerson matriarch Melonie stopped by to chat with Adam in the garden, and she was invited to share in the fresh organic sushi Kendall had prepared from Brenda's best catch of the day.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Meanwhile, Claire continued to be a frequent invited guest at the Wilkerson's.  Meghan had quickly become her very first best friend, but Claire was also interested in getting to know her younger brothers.

It wasn't long before the li'l guys started to grow up, which gave Claire an opportunity to get to know them better.  Her Observant LTR allowed Claire to discover that Cecil is a couch potato, easily impressed, and a light sleeper while Shea is artistic, unlucky, and hates the outdoors.  Double hmm...

[Sarabi]

19.  Claire with a Flair

If you asked Claire, anytime was easel time.  Though she always kept up with her homework and spent quite a bit of time with the Wilkersons, she still found plenty of opportunities to use the easel her parents had placed in her room.  She loved the rich odor of the paints as she squirted them out of the tubes and onto her palette, and came to recognize the different colors by smell as well as sight.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Claire's father, a master painter himself, fully supported her endeavors and frequently shared different ideas and perspectives with her.  Of course, he was also quite busy making changes to appliances and fixtures around the house.  Since the already neat Brenda had purchased the Speedy Cleaner LTR, they did not particularly need self-cleaning fixtures.  Avoiding future breakdowns by making them unbreakable became a better choice at this phase in their family life.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Although the Wranglers did not organize a full-blown birthday party for Claire's entry to adolescence, Cecil Wilkerson happened to stop by and share in the event.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Claire's unique tastes would no longer be thwarted.  Unlike her mum, who had a penchant for sturdy boots, hip-waders, fishing vests, and other outdoorsy gear, young Claire was a rather girly-girl, with a flair for fashion of her own design.  She could hardly wait to start wearing jewelry and would rather be barefoot or in sandals than enclose her feet in the heavy footwear her mother would choose.  It was always a struggle to get Claire to wear protective footwear, and by the time she reached her teen years, her parents flat gave up.  They also quit trying to tone down her style choices, and allowed her to fully express her own self in her own way.

Claire really wanted to try her hand at portraiture, and saw her father as the perfect candidate.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Accompanying her growing independence was a growing need for personal space and privacy.  To accommodate her, the Wranglers furnished some Claire space upstairs, complete with a bedroom decorated to her tastes, an art studio, and her own dining facilities.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
(Ed. Note - I stuck a hamper close to the top of the stairs.  I drag clothes piles into it, so the laundry sim doesn't have to go around to collect them all.)

Painting was not the only interest she had in common with her father.  Claire was also quite gifted musically, and the toddler time she'd spent at the xylophone with him really paid off when she took up the guitar.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Speaking of Kendall, the Wranglers could not allow his elder birthday to pass unmarked, so Brenda organized a major bash to honor him.  Among the attendees was Shea Wilkerson, the young man that Claire had first met as a toddler, now a teen.  Claire and Shea found that they had much in common, including their love of art.  In addition to his previously revealed traits (artistic, unlucky, hates the outdoors), Shea is now a computer whiz.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Several guests brought food to share, so there was plenty to go around.  Brenda even made a little more effort than usual to dress up a bit as her way of supporting Kendall's special day.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Given his particular interest in art, Shea took the opportunity to talk with Kendall about it and learn whatever he could from Kendall.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

This became quite a regular thing, as Kendall would welcome Shea for ongoing tutoring sessions covering a variety of skills.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Claire would sometimes feel a tinge of jealousy about this arrangement, though she wasn't able to discern at whom it was directed.  Her father had certainly always been there for her, always willing to teach her whatever she was willing to learn from him.  Perhaps she was feeling a bit jealous of her father for the time he got to spend with Shea?  She did take advantage of his presence in their home, and continued to build a strong bond with Shea.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

While her Dad was frequently occupied with teaching Shea, Claire still had help available to keep up with her homework.  Mom, too, was always there for Claire.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Meanwhile, Adam became increasingly despondent to the point where he'd spend time in the garden without even bothering to actually care for the plants.  It was as if it had become a shrine of sorts, a place where he would cry out to some invisible deity for help and support that never came.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

What could be troubling Adam so?