The Conell Dynasty -- One More Try!

[Serena Darrin]

Hello all!

So yes, I'm back after quite the hiatus (I had some serious crashing problems with my Sims game and then gave up and didn't play for the better part of a year).   Haven't gotten Sims 4 yet.  It's on my wish list, but I want to get Into the Future first, since it's the last expansion I don't have.

I also lost all of my saved games, too.  Luckily, I did manage to keep my edited copies of some of the towns as well as my saved sims and that sort of stuff.

So, here's yet another attempt at the Conell Immortal Dynasty.


Table Of Contents:


Elisha
Chapter One:  Beginning Again:
Chapter Two: Assembling Old Friends:
Chapter Three: Whirlwind Romance:
Chapter Four: Crazy Day:
Chapter Five: Baby Daze
Chapter Six: Double Trouble:
Chapter Seven: Terrible Toddlers:
Chapter Eight: Arts and Childhood:


Immortals:

Elisha Conell:

Traits: Artistic, Loves the Outdoors, Green Thumb, Lucky, Athletic
Lifetime Wish: The Perfect Garden
Supermax Skill: Gardening
Career: Self-Employed Gardener
Property:
Building:
Lifetime Rewards:
Best Friends:  Agnes Crumplebottom, Christopher (Steele) Conell, Thomas Conell, Anya Conell
Opportunities:
Portraits: Young Adult
Photographs: Young Adult
Sculptures: Young Adult

Thomas Conell:

Traits: Friendly, Good, Perfectionist
Lifetime Wish:
Supermax Skill: Charisma
Career:
Property:
Building:
Lifetime Rewards:
Best Friends:  Elisha Conell
Opportunities:
Portraits: Toddler
Photographs: Toddler
Sculptures: Toddler


Other notes:

1) This isn't an entry for the Hall of Fame.  I'm using some bug-stomping mods as well as a few gameplay mods.  But that's ok by me.

2) As usual, this is going to come and go.  Right now I've got the time and energy to devote to this, but that might not stay.

3) Hope you all enjoy, and it's good to be back!

[dontmindme]

Hi and good luck with your dynasty! Hopefully everything goes well.

[wa-wa-world]

Good luck!! 

[Serena Darrin]

Hi and good luck with your dynasty! Hopefully everything goes well.

Thank you!

Right now I'm in the time crunch of trying to get the unmelting ice sculptures, and it's looking like it will be a very close race to my founder's Adult Birthday. . .

[Serena Darrin]

Good luck!! 

[Serena Darrin]

Ugh.  And of course, I'm already running into crashes. 

That being said, I'm currently playing with Gen 2 as a child, so I've got a buffer of screenshots that I can go through while I try and figure this out.  I'll go back one save and see if that helps me out.

[Serena Darrin]

Chapter One:

Elisha:

Beginning Again:

Well, here I am again.

I know I've done this several times before.  Each time starts similar and spirals into difference -- maybe this time will finally work out.

For those who don't know me by now, my name is Elisha Conell;  and my watcher has declared that I am to once again, be the founder of a dynasty of Immortals.




Well, lets start at the beginning.

So I'm dropped off in my new lot with pretty much nothing.  Just the clothes on my back, my sleeping bag, and a handful of Simoleons.

My first priority is finding fruit.  Not only is it something to eat, but I can also plant it as well! I'm hoping I can have as awesome a garden as I had last time.

I found some fruit in the neighbour's front lawn.



They were initially a bit surprised by my being there. . . .



but once I got the chance to talk to them, work things out, they were generally decent folks.

Then, it was off to the park, to find some more fruit.



The fruit wasn't the only thing I found, though!  Look at the mushrooms I found growing in the park!




I can't plant them yet, but they're good to have around.

After that, I went for a quick shower at the gym,



and then went to meet up with a very old friend -- well, at least an old friend to me. 





She didn't remember me -- which, when I think about it is quite fair.   So there's not really any surprise that she wouldn't agree to move in as a roommate -- even without considering that I don't have any -rooms- yet!

Thank the watcher it's summer and I can sleep under the stars.



- - -

Elisha's Traits:  Athletic, Green Thumb, Lucky, Loves the Outdoors, Artistic
LTW: The Perfect Garden

Everyday:



Formal:



Sleepwear:



Athletic:



Swimwear:



Outerwear:

[Serena Darrin]

No formal update again, just letting you know that things might be slow.  I (once again) had to go back to an earlier save, since a glitch ate the 2nd gen's Child Portrait.

[Serena Darrin]

Ah-ha!  I think I found the reasons for my glitching. I lost a good bit of play time, but I can make it up.

[Serena Darrin]

So my game has developed an interesting quirk where occassionally it gets 'stuck' between buy mode and build mode.  Sometimes I can get out of that, and sometimes I can't.

All I can say is thank goodness I'm pretty good about saving.

[EtnaFan666]

I'm sorry to hear that - I had that glitch too. The game freezes and gives an incomplete HUD when you enter Build or Buy mode. I had to turn off Sims 3 whenever that happened. That's why I stop playing Sims 3.

Good luck!

[Serena Darrin]

I'm sorry to hear that - I had that glitch too. The game freezes and gives an incomplete HUD when you enter Build or Buy mode. I had to turn off Sims 3 whenever that happened. That's why I stop playing Sims 3.

Good luck!

It's inconsistent for me and usually doesn't happen, but when it does it's rather annoying.  Sometimes I can get out of it by going to the menu, though.

I'm hoping it doesn't reappear again.

[Serena Darrin]

Chapter Two:

Elisha:

Assembling Old Friends

The next morning, I did convince Agnes to move in with me.  I guess such questions are much better asked on a good night's sleep and a full stomach!

I may not be a stylist, but even I know unflattering when I see it.  I coaxed Agnes into going on a shopping spree, and sending her to the salon. Even before the construction crew came to start building the house. 



Then, Agnes and I had some fun on the waterslide that I'd brought back from the store.  Moving and having a house built is -hard-, so we took a break for a bit!





But, after our fun and games, this whole Dynasty thing has to come first.  I've already been informed that my Watcher (I have one of those now?) will be annoyed if this fails again, especially because of something simple, like me not selling my fruit.

So, I went off to the consignment store to sell what fruit I didn't plant (or put in the fridge),



while Agnes started sculpting.



And after my trip to the store, I went looking for another old friend. . . .




We shared a meal.



It was difficult to remember that he knew none of what I remembered in bits and pieces, that his life, up until now, had been 'normal.'    I didn't know how much he would believe.

And after a deep breath, I presented him with flowers I'd picked.



This would be the second time in as many days I learned the same lesson.  People don't respond well when they're falling over half-asleep.   I blame the full moon for my own foolishness.

At least this time I had a proper bed to go home to.

- - -

Agnes' wardrobe:

Formal:



Sleepwear:



Athletic:



Swimwear:



Outerwear:

[KRae]

Agnes looks amazing. I love that side braid. Where is it from?

[Serena Darrin]

Agnes looks amazing.

Thank you!

I love that side braid. Where is it from?

It's a personal favorite of mine, too, as you'll see!  I got it ages ago from a mod site. (I can't remember if I'm allowed to link mods sites here, but I can send you where I found it, if you like!)

[Serena Darrin]

Chapter Three:

Elisha:

Whirlwind Romance:

I knew what I had to do.  I know that some people would judge me, say that I was only using him because he was convenient, good-looking, or any number of other excuses.  (Ok, so he is good-looking, but that's not the point).

I wasn't just 'using him' and I'm not 'using him' now.  He's been my husband a few times now for a reason -- because he's a sweet, wonderful man who I fell in love with, and who I still love despite years (and all of the strangeness that being in a dynasty brings).   I.  Love. Him. 

I just have to see if he loves me. 

Why is that easier said then done?

Still, it started out innocuously enough.  I invited him over and we slid on the waterslide together.





This time, he didn't say no to my flowers;



or my other more, shall we say, forward advances.



And as the sun began to set, I leaned in for my first kiss.




That wasn't all we accomplished that night. 





He said yes!  I knew he would -- but I have to admit, there was a small fear that he would say 'no.'  I don't know what I would have done -- but he didn't, he said yes!

We had the wedding right on the spot.  Neither of us are the type to cling to ceremony, and all we needed was each other.



I was hoping to get Agnes to be our witness, but she was otherwise occupied.



And so, we welcomed in the second of old companions into the Dynasty once more.

- - -


Chris' Wardrobe:

Everyday:



Formal:



Sleepwear:



Athletic:



Swimwear:



Outerwear:

[Serena Darrin]

Chapter Four:

Elisha:

Crazy Day:

Well, first off, Chris is (and was) an amazing cook, which, not only being super-useful for the dynasty, also means that we're no longer subsisting on Agnes' waffles.



I kept at my garden,




and Chris went out fishing,



while Agnes kept to her sculpting.






Of course, Chris and I also did what almost all newly-weds do:



.

And, well, a predictable consequence arose:




And, just to make a crazy day even more crazy, Agnes surprised us all with her adult birthday -- while I was in labour!




But, craziness aside, I got to welcome my son, and the second generation of the dynasty, into the world.

This is Thomas!



- - -


Thomas' Traits: Friendly, Good

[wa-wa-world]

Welcome Thomas, he's got some pretty good starting traits

[Serena Darrin]

Welcome Thomas, he's got some pretty good starting traits

It was a bit of a puzzle figuring out his baby traits -- it's my intention to have him do a Charisma supermax, so traits were hard to decide upon. (Yes, that may be asking for trouble, but I want to do something a bit different this dynasty. )

[Serena Darrin]

Chapter Five:

Elisha:

Baby Daze:

Chris doted on his son.




While I still worked in the garden.



I got the opportunity to plant eggs and cheese plants, so that will help me out quite a bit (and provide the family with a source of eggs for Chris' waffles!)



While Agnes continued her sculpting. She was getting awfully close to perfecting unmelting ice.



And, if I wasn't working in the garden, Chris was.



But beyond the garden, little Thomas got most of my attention.





Well. . . .I did say 'most' of my attention, right?




Well, shortly after that, we found out that Thomas was getting a little brother or sister!

I started wishing for sushi, which Chris was happy to supply using his own fresh-caught (and freshly cooked!) fish.



But otherwise, I didn't let it interfere too much with the daily comings and goings of life.

I went to check out the new Elixir store that had just opened up,



and I even found seeds there to plant.



And, of course, I spent time with my son.



At least this time I was inside when Thomas' sibling decided to make an appearance.



Chris, as expected, was of no help.



And where was Agnes?

Downstairs, finishing her sculpture.  Of course.



So, despite my husband's rather frantic flailing, I held my little daughter Anya in my arms just fine.



But she wasn't the only exciting news.  Only a day after that, I had to take little Thomas out of his crib for his birthday!



He grew up into quite a cutie, I think!



- - -

Thomas' Wardrobe:

Formal:



Sleepwear:



Outerwear:



- - -

Anya's Traits:  Brave, Athletic

[KRae]

Those are some pinchable cheeks.

[Serena Darrin]

Those are some pinchable cheeks.

I know -- isn't he adorable?

[Serena Darrin]

Hello all!  So the updates have been a bit faster then I expected, especially because I was sick today and spent most of the day just playing Sims! Sadly, I lost most of what I'd been playing today when my game locked up (I lost an entire trip to Egypt.  Grrr.)

Anyway, onto the next chapter!


Chapter Six:

Elisha:

Double Trouble:

So, Chris continued his adventures in Cooking.  He really was getting quite good at it!




He needed to cook, considering we had a howling, hungry, toddler in the house,




as well as a hungry baby!




Agnes was still sculpting away;



while Chris started experimenting with chemistry in what little spare time we had.



It didn't always go so well for him, but he kept at it.



And I was still gardening away.  I had a lot of produce still to plant and sell if I wanted to get to the top of my career. And I remembered how difficult it was to find Money Trees.  I wasn't going through that again.




But, even with my garden, we had more important things on both our minds.










However, we weren't the only ones with things to occupy our time. . .



It was a gift in the mail, and Thomas is fascinated by it.  Honestly, I'm kind of glad.  It's something to occupy his attention when we're not around.  He'll sit and play with it for hours!  It gives us a bit of free time without a toddler underfoot!

And speaking of time -- it quickly became time for Anya to grow up.




Her birthday fell on the full moon.  I wonder if that's a bad omen?



Well, omen or not, she is a cutie, just like her brother!

- - -

  Anya's Wardrobe:

Formal:



Sleepwear:



Outerwear:

[Serena Darrin]

So, just a note that I've decided to switch photo hosting services. I found one that had better storage then what I was using before.

That being said, if anyone is having trouble with any new screenshots, please drop me a line to let me know.

[Serena Darrin]

Chapter Seven:

Elisha:

Terrible Toddlers:

Life very quickly got quite interesting with two toddlers in the house now.  Before, Anya had been content in her crib.  Now, she quickly decided she wanted to explore, well, just about everything.

She played with her bear,



And absolutely -loved- the toy box. 





The peg box seemed to be quite entertaining as well.



But it always seemed like one or both of them was hungry!  I never remembered toddlers being this hungry all the time!




But Chris still doted on his son.






I took time away from my garden (winter doesn't make for very good gardening.  I'm in discussions with my watcher about building a greenhouse, but that's another matter entirely!), to teach Anya some basic life skills.




And Thomas still has that unusual doll.  Why do I have have a bad feeling about that doll?  Apparently he's even named her (and yes, it is a her) Keles. 




I know now that there's a world of strange magic, magic food that can keep people alive, keep them young.  I know that ghosts and vampires are real.  Why does that doll unnerve me so much?

[mpart]

  Is Keles going to become real?

[Serena Darrin]

Is Keles going to become real?

That would be telling! /innocent whistle/

[Serena Darrin]

Chapter Eight:

Elisha:

Arts and Childhood:

It seems that life always continues.

Chris was cooking still,



but always managed to find time for me and the kids.






Agnes had started working on the portraits and sculptures -- what Chris jokingly termed (again) as the "Museum".









She also, however, became defacto babysitter when Chris and I wanted a few moments without two toddlers underfoot.



And with it being winter and me not being able to garden (this didn't happen last time so things are going to be rather difficult!), I spent time helping the children get the best possible start in life.








Of course, it being winter wasn't a complete loss.  I might not be able to garden, but I could still have a bit of fun!





Thomas was still inseparable from that toy, though.  It didn't seem harmful, though, just unnerving.  Anya had one too, but at least in her case, the peg box seemed far more interesting.





But soon, it was time for Thomas to leave his toys behind.  We didn't have a big party for him, but he seemed to enjoy it all the same.



Look at that face!



Well, now my little boy starts school. I hope he'll be alright -- there's so much riding on his shoulders.

- - -

Thomas' Traits: Friendly, Good, Perfectionist

Thomas' wardrobe:

Everyday:



Formal:



Sleepwear:



Athletic:



Swimwear:



Outerwear:

[Nutella]

I'm moving this to the Stories Graveyard due to inactivity.  @Serena Darrin - you can revive this story by contacting a moderator.

Original Storyboard: Sims 3 Immortal Dynasty Stories