The Riversong 4x4 Dynasty chapter 16

[Trip]

Polly's cute! I love how green her eyes are.

Can't wait for the new heir.

[Nettlejuice]

Susan is as beautiful as ever. Welcome Polly, those eyes are amazingly green - love them!

[Rhoxi]

Whoah, those eyes are super green! They almost look like a save preset or something, or are they the dad's?

Yay for Susan and the incoming next gen!

[Tilia]

Yay, all caught up.  I am stunned at how big a difference a lot of your sims experience physically between teen and young adult.  I guess you need time to grow into all those custom features

[betabee]

Polly's cute! I love how green her eyes are.

Can't wait for the new heir.

Susan is as beautiful as ever. Welcome Polly, those eyes are amazingly green - love them!

Whoah, those eyes are super green! They almost look like a save preset or something, or are they the dad's?

Yay for Susan and the incoming next gen!

Polly's eyes are lovely. I think they're probably a save preset- I checked her father's eyes in a separate file.

Yay, all caught up.  I am stunned at how big a difference a lot of your sims experience physically between teen and young adult.  I guess you need time to grow into all those custom features

I think the genetic variation in hidden springs is brilliant so far- All the children so far in the house have been brilliantly unique and diverse, which I think is awesome. :-)

Chapter 9: The Time Meddler



We start with another birthday.



Sebastian: Sigh.
Betabee: What's wrong?
Sebastian: Oh, just feelings of impending death and suchlike.
Betabee: Will a makeover help you feel better?




Sebastian: Yeah. And I've got some aqua in there this time!



Nick finally retired from his journalist job. It means he can stay at home to help look after Polly, generation 2 and any other children (though house space may be a bit tight once generation 2 is born).



Speaking of generation 2. . .



Hey, it's another greenboo! Meet Barbara, everyone!



Barbara was quickly caked up to toddlerdom. (I really love that we can cake up babies in this dynasty!)



She looks a lot like her mother, with the same hair and skin colours. That eye colour is definitely one of the custom ones I saved earlier.



(Thankfully) Barbara's favourite colour is green, which works quite well with the skin colour (unlike white).
Susan: Oi! I heard that!



Next it was Jess' turn to grow old.




I quite like how Jess looks as an elder. I may age her down again at some point, since her alchemy and potion making skills are useful. Plus she may have more children somewhere down the line.



Barbara: So, is this where you show off a slew of cute pictures of me?
Betabee: Erm, actually we've got other stuff to cover in this chapter. Next time, ok?
Barbara: Okay.



Polly: So when do I get to have a birthday again? Birthdays are fun.



Jess: Once you've finished your toddler skills, darling.
Polly: But this is the last one, right?



Jess: Yep. It's cake time!



Polly: Soo many sparkles . . .



In response to questions about Polly's eye colour- It's another custom colour saved on my computer.



It's certainly not from her father- I checked Liam's eye colour in a new game, and this is what he looks like without the glasses. Polly definitely inherited his mouth.



Betabee: Well, that's your wardrobe done. The spare room is yours for the moment. I can do a redecorating if you want.
Polly: Nah, I'm fine with the fish theme for the mo. Thanks for the offer though.



Instead of remaking the spare room, I spent a bit of time redoing the living room.




I used this as a good opportunity to experiment with the new furniture and wallpapers from Island Paradise.



Finally, a shot of Nick's Normalwear to make up for the missing screenshot at the end of the last chapter. I think the waistcoat suits him quite well.

Next time: Toddler cuteness and extended family.

[butterfly]

Those custom eyecolors are just awesome, I love seeing deep blue and green eyes in my town Welcome, generation 2 and happy birthay everyone

[Nettlejuice]

Happy birthday, everyone! I love how Liam and Polly's lips give them a permanent smile.

[betabee]

Those custom eyecolors are just awesome, I love seeing deep blue and green eyes in my town Welcome, generation 2 and happy birthay everyone

I've always found most of the preset eye colours are too dull, hence the introduction of customs. I've got a few shades of purples saved there as well.:-)

Happy birthday, everyone! I love how Liam and Polly's lips give them a permanent smile.

It's quite an interesting feature- it'll be interesting to see how Polly looks with it once she's all grown up.

Chapter 10- Galaxy 4



Nick: Come on barbie . . . come to grandpa.
Barbara: No. I dislike the nickname barbie. It brings too many negative connotations.
Nick: *sigh*. Watcher, why don't you check out what the rest of the house is up to while I try to convince this one that walking is a good idea?



Forum: Steven!



Sebastian: Hey Steven. How's life?
Steven: Well, I still have a disturbing lack of love life. Does the watcher mind if I move back in?
Betabee: Not at all! Welcome back!



Steven: Okay. Now I've quaffed an elixir, I'm ready to go find the One! (and maybe move out the spare room . . .?)
Betabee: Sorry, you can't move out the spare room yet- we don't have enough bedrooms. You'll simply have to share a room with Polly for the time being.
Steven: Oh well. Can I begin my quest to find my true love now then?



Betabee: In a moment. But first . . .



Cassidy: I'll take a moment to retire to the corner before I pick my new outfits, ok?
Betabee: Fair dos.



Cassidy looks plain weird with grey hair, so we made the joint decision to fool the world into thinking she's just an adult with back problems.



Cassidy: I guess this will do. Can I go back to watching telly now?



We rejoin Steven in the library.
Steven: Hi, I'm Steven. And you are . . .?
Francisca: Francisca Vanderburg- I believe my brother's wife is your sister.
Steven: Hmm. Small world.



Steven: Do you ever get the feeling that, as a spare, your wishes and dreams are sidelined in favour of the heir's wishes?
Francisca: I get that all the time! My parents always used to dote on Sebastian, especially when he got into a Watched house, though he doesn't enjoy being watched at all.
Steven: I like you. Will you marry me and have my children? (Not necessarily in that order.)
Francisca: I'd love to. I always thought I would die childless because of story progression.



Their relationship advances quickly . . .



. . .to boyfriend/girlfriend. However, now Steven's moved in, we have eight in the house, so their relationship can't progress any further for now.



They do decide to start a family, though. Extended family FTW!



Susan: Barbara, would you please come here?
Barbara: Okay.



Susan: Why didn't you walk over before.
Barbara: You didn't ask nicely enough before. Nor did grandpa.



Susan: So, what do you want to do when you're older?
Barbara: I want to write. It seems like a worthy occupation, to record a lyrical stream of words for others to peruse and enjoy . . .
Susan: Yeah, she's going to be a writer alright.
Barbara: Or not to be a writer, but to question and challenge people through the medium of literature.



Barbara: A horse, a horse, my small amount of pocket money for a cuddle-sized pony!
Betabee: Aww, she's already misquoting Shakespeare.



Betabee: And that's the last of the toddler skills finished! To the cake!



But first, Steven becomes an adult. He may get youth potions/tattoos later on so he can spend more time with his fair lady.



Susan: I've already got enough LTHP for the right gravestone, so I guess no more toddlers for me.
Betabee: No, sorry. We don't have enough house space, anyhow.
Susan: Don't worry. One is quite enough, especially when it's this one. Besides, I can always go and visit my brother's toddlers, and have the auntie's joy of handing them back at the end of the day!



Barbara: Who thought of putting candles on flammable objects like cakes? You strange strange people . . .



Susan: Well, we can't extinguish them and make the place safe if you don't blow as well.



Barbara: Gosh! I'm wearing so much re I almost resemble uncle Steven!
Steven: *clears his throat in the background*
Barbara: Not that that's such a bad thing. Regardless, a dresser visit wouldn't go amiss.



The island paradise plaits go with the imaginative writer look I'm trying to establish.
Barbara: Well, plaits are useful for keeping the hair out your eyes when running away from angry treasure hunters.



Barbara has a wide range of clothing, reflecting her diverse and wide imagination.

Next time: childhood!

[Nettlejuice]

Welcome back, Steven! I'm happy you got him back, I think story progression would have given him a sad existence :[ Happy birthday to Cassidy and Barbara - her face before blowing the candle is priceless! Her ponytails really suit her well.

[Rhoxi]

Yeah, I don't blame Barbara; I wouldn't want to go by "Barbie" either. She's quite the precocious little tot! Also, Sebastian is a great looking elder, just adorable.

[betabee]

Welcome back, Steven! I'm happy you got him back, I think story progression would have given him a sad existence :[ Happy birthday to Cassidy and Barbara - her face before blowing the candle is priceless! Her ponytails really suit her well.

Steven's such a wonderful character- it would have been a shame to abandon him to story progression. :-)

Yeah, I don't blame Barbara; I wouldn't want to go by "Barbie" either. She's quite the precocious little tot! Also, Sebastian is a great looking elder, just adorable.

I think Sebastian looks like quite a cheeky grandpa as an elder, he's quite a fun-looking individual!

Notice:

My RL is quite busy at the moment- I'm currently trying to write a novel for Nanowrimo, as well as applying for a summer job and of course working on my degree. Therefore I have decided to put both my current stories on a temporary hiatus until things get less busy (probably sometime in the new year after my January exams). I'm not sure I could continue giving you the same quality of stories if I continued doing all these things at once, but these stories will resume, never fear! Thankyou for all the wonderful comments and for reading my stories so far.
Barbara: We will be back. Even if I have to write it myself.

[Rhoxi]

Sounds like a big project. Good luck!

[betabee]

Another update about when I'm updating:

I'm going to try and post an update a week, either for the Scientias or the Riversongs (not two in a week as I did last term), depending on which I've been playing. These updates will probably occur Sunday evenings, so keep your eyes peeled (or check Monday morning!).

[betabee]

Though you do get a new chapter tonight for being such good and patient readers! (and also because I've gotten the hang of photobucket . . .)

Chapter 11- The Myth Makers

And we're back!





Since Barbara is now a child and we have plenty of funds, the nursery has been remodelled into a bedroom more to her tastes. I don't anticipate any more children in the household for a while, and Steven and Polly are sharing the fishy spare room for now (unless I decide to remodel it, but not yet- it's a cool room! Suggestions for new spare room themes would be appreciated to give me remodelling inspiration).



Barbara: Auntie Jess, why do I have to learn maths? I'm probably never going to use it . . .
Jessica: You might want to look back on the difficulty of this as inspiration for your writing. All adventurers must overcome adversity, including maths homework.



Barbara's skill challenges will all come from writing, so she's starting off as soon as possible so she can (try to) get it done before adulthood.
Barbara: Don't underestimate my writing speed. I can totally win Nanowrimo!
(If you're interested, I lost Nanowrimo spectacularly after getting a really bad cold/fluey thing in the middle of november. I'll try again next year!)



In other news- after a quick inspection of the family tree, a visit to Dodo and company is arranged after seeing that Monte is now a child.



It's hard to tell in this picture, but I think Monte might have his mother's hair. I'll try and get a picture of him when he ages up to see who he resembles and suchlike.



I decided to feed Jess a young again potion before she got near the danger zone, since I'm planning on having her around the house for a good while yet.



Jessica: What in the world am I wearing?
Liam: You look lovely no matter what you're wearing, darling.
Jessica: Even so- Watcher? Dresser?




I think the larger hair suits Jess quite well.
Jessica: I agree. And thanks for the appropriately green outfits. It's so nice to feel young again. . .



Betabee: Well, this will make you feel old again. Polly's birthday has come around!



. . . well, that didn't go to plan.



Firefighter: Not another cake fire! What do they put on these candles? Petrol?



Barbara: So what made you decide to become a firefighter?
Firefighter: Well, mostly story progression, but I did also think it might be a good method of meeting women to date. It hasn't turned out too successfully so far . . .
Barbara: I think you can't trust cultural depictions of dangerous jobs since they tend to get romanticised and that takes away the grim reality of . . .
Betabee: Shall we cut to the second attempt at Polly's birthday before Barbara goes into English essay mode?



Polly: I wish for . . . a distinct lack of butt fires.



Polly: Meh. It's not too bad- the skirt's the right colour at least.



I've no idea where she gets most of her colouring. Her features are mostly her father's apart from the shape of her face, I think. She's quite a mix of her parents.



The lilac continues, as before.
Polly: But not in my room. Surely I should have a more individual room by now?
Betabee: Fine. I'll work on redecorating the spare room, but you and Steven need to talk about how you want it decorated. Suggestions for room themes the two of them might like should be left in the comments!

[betabee]

Chapter 12: The Ark



We open this chapter with happy news- the extended family is extending!



Despite Toby not being a greenboo, he's still a very sweet kid- and as a fairy he should have a good lifespan despite the age settings. It's so sweet that faeboos sparkle . . .
Steven: Are you getting soppy, Watcher?
Betabee: I'm perfectly allowed to be a soppy individual, and it's my personal opinion that the world would be a better place if more people were gentle and soppy old lumps.



Barbara's teenage years arrived remarkably fast.



Barbara: Watcher? Why did you have to take a screenshot at this highly unfortunate moment?
Betabee: Sheer dumb luck.



Steven: Woot! My niece isn't just a stretched version of her child self!
Barbara: Thanks . . . I think.




Due to the amount of time Barbara spent in front of a computer screen as a child, it seemed appropriate that she obtained glasses to assist with her short-sightedness. She does seem to really ressemble her mother looks-wise.



Barbara: I thought I'd have gotten past the maths homework by now . . .
Polly: Calculus isn't so bad. It's just a set of logical rules to follow to arrive at a solution . . .
Barbara: But I can't remember all the rules!
Polly: You could try deriving them from first principles?
Barbara: I guess. But that would take ages and I'm not sure I quite get that either.
Polly: Hmm . . . We've got a long way to go with this, I fear.



A few days later, Steven's second child arrived.
Betabee: What colour is it?



Woot! A greenboo!
(Toby, I apologise in advance that you won't get nearly as much Watcher attention as your brother. But you'll at least have the consolation prize of having a nice long life, right?)



And so, child #3 is on the way! (I plan for Steven and Francisca to have about 6 children, then Steven will move out of the main house to be with his family.)



Susan: Ah, sparkles again. Can I have another youth potion?
Betabee: Erm, nope. You remember the moving requirements, right?



Susan: Oh. There goes my youth then. *sighs, then begins a midlife crisis*



Steven, on the other hand, is still required to extend is family. (Besides, if he aged and died it would break Francisca's heart. And think of the children!)



Steven: What is it with the sparkles ruining my hair? Do they have an intense hatred of afros or something?



Life continued as normal for the next few days, until the day before Polly and Barbara's prom night, which is when I recieved this notification.

Betabee: Well, what do you think, Polly?
Polly: I don't know Monte that well- we shared a few classes, but not much other than that. What do you think? Should I go out with my (sort of sister)'s cousin?
Betabee: I think it would be excellent to get dodo's side of the family to have more kids for the two of you to get to know each other better. Off you go!



And so, dear forum viewers, here is a good look at Monte Riversong, the son of Dodo and her husband Todd. He definitely has his mother's (and grandmother Cassidy's) hair. Woot!



Monte: I think you're a lovely person, Polly. Would you consider going to prom with me?
Polly: I'd love to. 





Polly: I'm glad I got the chance to spend time with you, Monte. It's so interesting to hear about growing up in an unwatched household.
Monte: Similarly, it's been brilliant to get to know you better.



Unfortunately, my obervance of their date was interrupted by the random death of a paparazzi. I returned to observing Polly and Monte. It was a short while before I noticed the other happenings on the home lot. . .



 . . . because I thought the music and so on was for the paparazzi, I remained blissfully unaware of Sebastian's ghosthood until I glanced at the relationship panel.



So while the family was mourning the death of the random woman on the front doorstep, none were aware of Sebastian's quiet and uneventful death.



Sebastian: Maybe it's for the best. Watcher, give Susan my love, will you? I'm off to greener pastures.
Betabee: I will. Farewell.