The Wisewoman of Forgotten Hollow -- Legacies in Rotation (Aug 4)

[MarianT]

Tiffany Landgraab 2


Here is Mom working on another flower arrangement. She's always busy either with the garden or with her flowers.


And her arrangements are always worth it.


I had to meet some new people in my effort to become a Social Butterfly. One of the people was this really cute teen named Carl Newbida. I hope he'll still be a teen when I become one.


I also met Julia Wright, who's a student at the University of Britechester. She says she'll probably still be a student when I'm ready for college because she keeps changing her major.


My birthday at last! Now that I'm older, I have a greater love for the outdoors.


And Mom had her birthday soon afterwards.


These days, any time I'm near a sink, I seem to feel compelled to wash my hands.


When I was talking to Julia, she told me that her school offered an athletic scholarship for people who were good at soccer, so I'm starting to practice. Also, kicking around a soccer ball is more fun than running on the treadmill.


Working out with a dance video is more fun, too.


Working out with a cute guy who shares your interest in sports is the most fun, though.


Do you think Carl might have been flirting with me a little when I took his picture?


I think he was. Woot! Woot!

[MarianT]

Oddity Curious 2


Oddity's career as an actor was getting off to a rocky start. To begin with, since he wasn't going to college, he lost his student deferment. That meant he had to go into the army.


"Not a problem," said his agent. "Trying to meet their requirements will help you get rid of that juice belly."
So for a few days, Oddity worked on his fitness skill and hung out at home.


He admired Zara's tricks on the climbing bars.


He watched the season premiere of Odder Things (his favorite program) with his mother Cosma.


He helped deal with a gremlin crisis. "Good!" said his agent when he told her. "Vladislaus Hardware is always looking for someone to do their commercials. I'll add handiness skill to your file."


And one night...


...he went outside to investigate some twinkling lights.


He also went to Alien Night at the Rattlesnake Juice bar, where he tried to make friends with every woman there. "You might as well start looking for a spouse," Cosma told him. "And they might show up in disguise. Not everyone is as proud of their origins as we are."
Oddity became good friends with Madilyn Watts.


And he performed a romantic scene with Alison Vidal. But neither of them turned out to be from Sixam.


When he returned home, Cosma was returning from a visit to the spaceship. "I love going up there," she told him. "It's always so invigorating."


The next day Oddity got his promotion and was discharged from the Army. After calling the A.I. Staffing Agency, he began working on his acting skills. "Great!" said his agent. "I've got you an audition with Vladislaus Hardware. Unless you'd rather -- no, those people want someone who can sing."


So Oddity started to work on his singing. Outside, where he wouldn't bother his mother, aunt, or little sister.


Unfortunately, when the day of his audition dawned, Oddity realized that his juice belly had gotten quite a bit bigger. "Bummer," said his agent. "You'll just have to work out some more."
"Don't you have any work I can do?" asked Oddity.


"Well, the government is looking for stills of people washing their hands to put in a PSA -- public service announcement," his agent replied. "Send me a pic. They might just pay us for it, especially with you being blue and all."
And so they did. Oddity got 2 simoleons, the rest going to his agency, which was guaranteed a minimum of 100 simoleons per gig.

[MarianT]

Jonah Cottoneye 2


Strangerville! Jonah loved the little town, especially in the evening when the moon rose over the buttes.


He loved going jogging through its "downtown,"


...and even through its trailer park.


People might say the weather was always the same in Strangerville, but Jonah had seen it snow.


He'd even seen rain, cloaking the scientific installation in a mysterious mist.


Like most of the people in Strangerville, Jonah was pretty sure there was a connection between the scientific installation and the occasional odd behavior of its inhabitants. That was something he might investigate later, when he became an adult.


Even though his mother was an artist and his father a detective, Jonah knew that his future lay in the sciences. He might become an astronaut, he thought, as he worked on building a rocket.


Even though it returned to its base, Jonah knew he could have done a better job.


But he was more interested in robotics. Maybe he could build a bunch of robots and then investigate the science lab? The future held many possibilities.


One thing Jonah didn't love about Strangerville was his tiny house. The only comfortable place to sit was his parents' bed.


Plus they all had to spend a lot of time up on the roof. This was okay when the weather was nice -- as it often was in Strangerville -- but he couldn't keep anything electronic up there.


And when his parents got amorous, as they seemed to do on Spooky Day, it was hard to figure out a way to give them space.


Jonah went downstairs to hand out treats to the trick-or-treaters.


There was one girl from his school who teased him about not being in costume.
 

Jonah decided he was tired of handing out treats and set out his robot army to guard the bowl.


Then he went to the library, the Strangerville Information Center, to read. A little girl with lavender skin, obviously an alien, was there, and Jonah knew he had to meet her.


"I'd love to live in Strangerville," she said in her thin, piping voice. "I feel like I belong here."
Jonah almost told her that she could move in with him when she got old enough, but then he remembered that he'd always intended to marry the girl who had given him Bleep back when they were both children. He couldn't remember her name, but he'd written it down in his homework. What to do?


Washing his hands when he got home (for 20 seconds, the way everyone said you were supposed to), Jonah decided that was a problem that could be solved when he got older. In the meantime, there were more robots to build and another rocket kit to work on.

[MarianT]

Elspeth Hecking 2


Brindleton Bay has really pretty sunsets when it's not raining. Sad to say, most of the time this fall it's been raining.


Silhouetted against the full moon, our lighthouse looks like a wizard's tower, the perfect place for a spellcaster to live.


I still have a long way to go as a spellcaster. I tried repairing our jukebox with a spell, but it caught fire instead. "I set fire to that same jukebox," Dad told me. "Well, not that same one exactly, but the one we had before. It's safer using that spell on plumbing." Now he tells me.


I continue working on homework.


Amanda and I both are A students now.


Mom has been promoted to a hush-hush job and needs to start improving her logic. Since I'm working on my logic skill, too, we've been playing chess together. (Note: regarding my outfit, it's what I have to wear for drama club. Don't ask.)


I know the formula for a new, useful potion, the Nimble Mind one. It speeds up your skill development. It requires parsley and a spotted dirt frog. I have plenty of parsley, but the frog has been hard to come by.


Breeding a spotted leaf frog with a dirt frog, I was able to get the key ingredient. I wish I could say that no frogs were harmed in the making of this potion, but...


I tested it during one of my chess games with Mom.


I don't know whether my skill improved more quickly -- we waste a lot of time chatting -- but it zoomed up while I was using the microscope.


Morgyn invited me to go to the opera with him! I was stunned when I got the invitation, and I think he was stunned when he saw my dress. He did tell me that black and white were good colors for me, though.


So I got a new dress before going to the Magic Realm again. Morgyn's gaze was appreciative, but also sad. "Who knows whether I'll live long enough to see you become an adult," he told me. "You should meet some people closer to your own age."


I've become good friends with a young spellcaster, Chance Givens, but I really do hope Morgyn will still be around. If only I could learn the potion of rejuvenation!

[MarianT]

Robin Newbida 4




People are entirely too careless with fires in this house. Putting them out is one of my more tiresome duties as an heir.


Along with cleaning. I had to clean the sauna the other day, which was really unfair because I hadn't even used it yet. Mumsie said that as a teen I didn't get stressed enough to need to use the sauna.


I decided that I was stressed enough, and it was wonderful. But then I had to do homework.


Also, it was time for Popsie's birthday. He says he's an old man now, but the only change is that his hair is gray.


We all hoped that Grams would live long enough to realize her dream of becoming a musical genius, but it didn't happen.


I begged for her life, but the Grim Reaper was implacable.


Later, I sat down at her piano, and discovered that Grams had set it up so that she could look at some of the pictures that Carl and I did as children. That started me crying again.


To cheer me up, Mumsie said I could go off to Selvadorada on my own. She even gave me a blessing with one of the relics.


Given the various obstacles I had to overcome,


I certainly needed the blessing.


Most of the puzzles were difficult, too...


...but this one was easy, and it gave me a little ball of sunshine to travel around with me, just as useful as a flashlight in these dark tombs.


Mumsie's blessing didn't cover everything, though. It rained the whole time I was there. Kneeling in puddles is not my idea of fun.


I got stuck with a poison dart, too, as you can tell from the circles in an unflattering shade of green on my face.


But my new friend Juanita was able to make an antidote for me.


Back at home, I discovered a blogger I really liked -- #FrankieWiththeSkinny.


I found out that he lived in Windenburg, so I went over to meet him. He told me I was the most beautiful and intriguing follower he had, and we really hit it off.


Returning home, I encountered Grams' ghost. "Why haven't you applied for college yet?" she demanded.


I told her I wanted to get my archaeology skill higher before submitting an application. "Don't worry," she said. "You'll do fine."


So I went ahead and took the plunge. The next few days were filled with anxiety.


I had my birthday and am now a cheerful, well-mannered, and responsible bro and geek. Finally, finally, I got my acceptance letter. I can get into any distinguished degree program at Britechester or Foxbury except...computer science. Apparently, following Frank's blog hasn't been enough to qualify me for that.


23
I had dinner with him at Villa Bovine to celebrate. I'll have to finish my degree before I can marry anyone, but he just might be the one.

[PeregrineTook]

Lots of sessions of binge reading, but I'm finally caught up. 
Zara is just a delight!!  She's my favorite, but that adorable goof, Tiffany Landgraab, definitely is giving her some competition.
And poor Robin.  She's already doing the firefighter career even though it doesn't exist in Sims 4 yet  ;=)

[MarianT]

Robin is a first-responder. Glad that you like Tiffany -- as a Landgraab, she's not the most popular.

[MarianT]

Dion Caliente 2


Now that he's a young adult, Dion feels that his life is beginning to shape up nicely. For one thing, he doesn't have to go to drama club any more. Whatever acting genes might be in the Caliente pool, they certainly passed him by. He couldn't even get his Junior Artiste award. But that's in the past.


He has a spiffy new slumber pod to sleep in, which is very comfortable.


He bought a bird feeder for the garden, and a fence, to keep other critters out.


One night, a strange creature moved in. Dion started talking to him whenever he was watering plants.


And one day, the scarecrow started moving around. He told Dion his name was Patchy, and he was there to help with the garden.


After that conversation, he returned to his tree stump in a puff of smoke.


Patchy is not the only unusual creature in Dion's garden -- there's also this little fellow.


Besides the garden, the other big event in Dion's life has been college. He's been accepted into Foxbury Institute's Distinguished Degree program in Biology.


He's taking a full load: two courses in gardening and two in fitness. That means a lot of homework.


He also has to work on two presentations. But his classes are more interesting than what he had to study in high school, so Dion doesn't mind.


Dion spends most of his day on campus.


Foxbury Institute is pretty, especially on a sunny day, but Dion can't help thinking that it needs more plants to break up all the straight lines.


He doesn't think toilet paper is the solution though, and cleans up the statue that's a target for those punks from Britechester.


Most of the time he does homework between classes, but occasionally he can get in a game of ping-pong. His opponent, Cameron Fletcher is wicked good, though, returning his serve so fast that the ball elongates in mid-air.


Back at home, Dion's family is doing well. His father Hugh is one promotion away from becoming a Patron of the Arts.


And his mother Nikita was recently promoted to Ufologist despite playing hookey from work to go to GeekCon.


Little brother Luis is a teenager now.


But the pride of the family is Grandfather J, who is still going strong.


He's in competition with Don Gothario for the title of oldest living hunk.


Dion's first term is over. What will his grades be? he can't help wondering. Should he have worked harder on his presentations? Studied more for his exams? Only time will tell.

[PeregrineTook]

"Oldest living hunk."  Who wouldn't want that title?
With Patchy and the Cowplant as his pals, Dion's working towards the title of "weirdest entourage!"

[MarianT]

Patchy is actually hard to make friends with. You can work on the relationship only when he's up and moving around, which has only been once so far.

Both Don and J are over 1200 days old, which is pretty long-lived for a Sim. Vlad is as old as they are, but he's not what you would call a hunk.

[MarianT]

Rosa Straud 2

Excerpts from The Silver Spoon by Rosa Straud:


My childhood was idyllic. I grew up in the most beautiful setting -- Windenburg, near the ocean, where a genuine sea monster lurked. I was the granddaughter of two aristocrats -- Luna Villareal, and Count Vladislaus IV.


My childhood was filled with excursions to distant playgrounds, and I attended regular school.


But I preferred the company of my stuffed bear Blarffy…


...and my family members, like Great-Uncle Hugo, who made wonderful meals...


...and my darling grandmother, Luna. She was the one who made sure I did homework...


...and washed my hands thoroughly.


She also encouraged me to develop my interest in playwriting. "Each puppet represents a part of you," she would tell me. "In fact, each puppet is you, but a different facet. Even when they quarrel, remember that."


One year, winter in Windenburg was terrible, with one blizzard after another.


Grandfather suffered; in fact, all of us did, and we referred to the vast expanse of the front lawn as Siberia.


Even so, Grandmother's death came as a horrible shock.


I begged for her life to be spared -- just one more day so that I could tell her how much I loved her. But the Grim Reaper was implacable. "I've exceeded my quota, kid," he told me. "Sorry, and all that, but you know how it is."


With one swipe of his blade, Grandmother was taken, and something inside me broke.


Even Great-uncle Max -- who is not noted for his tender heart -- was grief-stricken by her death.


Eventually, I became a teen-ager and discovered that I had inherited the family curse. No, not clumsiness, although I do seem more prone to slipping on ice than the others.


Like my grandmother and my great-grandfather before her, I am what we euphemistically call "erratic." "Crazy as a coot," my Uncle Frank calls it.


But as curses go, it's not so bad. We celebrated Mother's birthday right after mine.


As a present, I read my dramatic monologue to her. I've done so well with Drama Club that I made Junior Artiste almost as soon as I became a teen. I think I'll go into drama as a career, but as a playwright rather than an actress -- unless I decide later that I want to take to the stage myself.

[PeregrineTook]

Really enjoyed the narrative as young Rosa writing her own story.  Can't wait to see how her erratic trait shows up in future installments!

[reggikko]

Are you rolling for careers and aspirations or are you choosing those? I like the idea of a playwright Sim and Rosa seems like she will be a fun Sim to play. You’re really moving along and I like how you’re giving all of your heirs such distinct personalities.

[MarianT]

@PeregrineTook, I'll be curious to see how Rosa turns out, too. I was really amazed that she got to Junior Artiste so fast. Dion Caliente had all the requirements and check-marks and never did make it.

@reggikko, I don't roll for careers and aspirations, but I do have an "astrology" system for traits. Since Rosa had her birthday between the 8th and 14th of winter, erratic was one of the possibilities. And since Jaques and Luna both had that trait, I could go with Rosa "inheriting" it. I tend to avoid the Location aspirations, the Deviant ones, and the Family ones, at least as beginning aspirations.

[MarianT]

Toby Zest 2


I'm still doing the writing for my son Toby. Cooking, too. I'm looking forward to the day when he can take over -- both the writing and the cooking.


We lost Mom a while back. She collapsed in the street.


Aunt Yuki was the only one at home by then, with everyone else having to go to work or school. I don't know how much any of us got done, as we were all very sad.


The city set off fireworks that night in her honor. It seems like we've lost several great musicians lately, both her and Betty Newbie.


Dad shows up occasionally -- to use the computer, obviously. But with Mom gone, I think he'll stop coming around.


Toby is quite the little genius, but he's developing empathy, too. He's thought about becoming a doctor.


But he has a creative side as well. Now that he's exhausted all the possibilities of his chemistry lab (except for stink bombs -- I put it away before he could start playing with those), he's taken up drawing.


As for Nathan, he's all about moving.


"I want to be a dancer when I grow up," he tells me. I don't think that's a possibility, but you never know.


And speaking of growing up, the big day finally came for Toby.


"Do you want to start writing now?" I asked him. He grunted in response. I don't know whether that was a yes or a no or a whatever. Or maybe it was an "I can't answer that question while I'm choosing my hair style." Teens. Oh dear.

[PeregrineTook]

Those Zest-Behr kiddos turn out so attractive, right?
Looking forward to hearing Toby's voice, though I imagine he'd be fine letting his mom still handle the cooking  :=)

[MarianT]

Those Zest-Behr kiddos turn out so attractive, right?
Looking forward to hearing Toby's voice, though I imagine he'd be fine letting his mom still handle the cooking  :=)

They do indeed. Toby has the added advantage of some muscle from his Cottoneye father. And his other grandmother was Summer Holiday, so he has good genes.

[MarianT]

Justice Lee-Scott 2


Public Service Announcement: Remember to wash your hands. In fact, instead of reading this, why don't you go wash your hands right now? 20 seconds, with plenty of lather.


Justice Lee-Scott is an unusual teen in that he gets along with his parents, he does well at school, and he knows what he's going to be when he grows up -- a judge. In order to become a judge, he has to get into college.


Money won't be a problem. Besides some extra cash from Faith's painting, the Lee-Scotts also have a money tree.


But Justice can't help wondering whether money and good grades will be enough.


Should he try for an athletic scholarship? Take the mens sana in corpore sana approach? And will he get extra points for knowing Latin?


One thing to be said for all this exercise is that it gets him the Keep Fit badge.


That's the last one he needs in order to become a Llamacorn Scout.


When Winterfest arrives, Justice is ready to celebrate.


But what does he get as a present? A carrot. A single, kind of old carrot.


For consolation, he goes to see his friend Maria Gothario. She has two sisters, she keeps telling him. Two attractive, unattached sisters. When Justice meets Angela, his heart makes an interesting thump.


He becomes friends with Vivian, because he wants to be fair.


But Justice is pretty sure that Angela is the one.


Returning home, he gets a present from Father Winter -- a camera. It's not great, but it's better than a carrot.


He takes a picture with Father Winter to prove to any doubters that he's met him.


And then he sends off that all-important college application. Justice is pretty sure he'll be accepted, but will he get the program he wants?

[PeregrineTook]

Justice and Angela.  What a lovely couple!!  Poor guy hasn't even started college nor had his first date with his likely future wife (he did indicate "pretty sure") and I'm already looking forward to seeing their nooboos!

[MarianT]

Justice and Angela.  What a lovely couple!!  Poor guy hasn't even started college nor had his first date with his likely future wife (he did indicate "pretty sure") and I'm already looking forward to seeing their nooboos!

I'm looking forward to them, too, but Justice has to get through college first.

[MarianT]

Oddity Curious 3


"Not so much vinegar," Brenna warned him. "They'll turn out soggy." Oddity sighed. It seemed like he couldn't do anything without some woman in his family telling him how to do it.


Now that he was finished with his military service, Oddity could get married. But with a mother, an aunt, and a younger sister, he didn't feel a need to add a wife to the mix. If he could find someone docile and biddable...But Aunt Brenna and his mother assured him that these words were synonymous with brain-dead.


Oddity already had an heir, so he didn't actually need to get married.


Make that an heiress. Meet Venusia Curious, Generation 4 in the Curious family.


That evening Oddity got a call from his agent, Lilith Vatore. "I got you an audition for the Sudsy Sanitizer people tomorrow," she told him. "Come on over and I'll help you prepare."


"We're going to do some role-playing," Lilith ordered. "You're a pirate, and I'm a vicious mermaid that you just captured. You have to subdue me with a single kiss."
"Uh, that wasn't in the notes they sent me," Oddity began to say, but Lilith was giving him the just-do-what-I-tell-you look.


"O-kay," Lilith gasped when he released her. "Pretty good. But I detected just a wee bit of tension there. You need to relax before the audition."


"Are you sure this will help me relax?" Oddity asked.
"Positive," said Lilith. "But you have to do exactly what I tell you."


Later, Lilith exercised a bit and then left.


"I don't like that woman," Zara told Cosma. "She's not one of us. And she's not like an ordinary Sim either."


Cosma had to agree that there was something "different" about Lilith. She picked up a skin sample from the sparring machine and analyzed it in the microscope. "You need to do a mind-read," she told Oddity. "Find out what her intentions are."
"I could just ask her," said Oddity.
"Probe," said Cosma.


That evening he met Lilith at the Solar Flare to celebrate Oddity's passing his audition. "Whoa, what was that?" Lilith complained.
"I was trying to find out whether you wanted to marry me," said Oddity.
"I'm not the marrying kind," said Lilith. "And by the way, the Sudsy Sanitizer people called. Their stuff is flying off the shelves so they don't really need a new commercial. Sorry."


Oddity went home and cheered himself up by playing with Venusia for a few minutes.


She really was an adorable little girl...


...even if she was a bit messy.

[oshizu]

I wanted to refresh my memory so I reread the last few months of your story.
So glad I did because I saw (for the first time) your spoiler about shortening the teen stage for college-bound kids. What a brilliant idea. I want to borrow it!

Your format of limiting your rotation to 10 households is quite appealing.
My BACC will eventually explode into 20-30 households per round, which I'm dreading. So I gather ideas about how to deal with that from this story of yours.

It's amazing how strong the founding generations' genes are persisting in the third-generation.
Also, I forgot to ask earlier but is Death-by-Volcanic-Activity a real possibility as with the Cottoneyes, or had you transformed a game glitch into a narrative opportunity?
Toby is delightful while Oddity and Lilith make such an unexpected pairing!

One last question about the Drama Club. I notice that a good number of your children are joining Drama Club (which I've never completed) instead of Scouting.
Do you decide which club on the basis of their traits in combination with their future career?

[MarianT]

I wanted to refresh my memory so I reread the last few months of your story.
So glad I did because I saw (for the first time) your spoiler about shortening the teen stage for college-bound kids. What a brilliant idea. I want to borrow it!

Borrow away! When I played Sims 2, I sent my teens off to college as soon as they qualified for a scholarship. I have just never enjoyed the teen stage of the Sims as much as other stages.

Your format of limiting your rotation to 10 households is quite appealing.
My BACC will eventually explode into 20-30 households per round, which I'm dreading. So I gather ideas about how to deal with that from this story of yours.

The main thing to watch out for is that you're not damaging the promotion prospects of the household you're jumping to. That said, I'm always arriving 2 hours before somebody is due to finish work for the day. And of course, Aging on for the Active Household Only is what you want.

It's amazing how strong the founding generations' genes are persisting in the third-generation.

It's something I didn't expect. Liberty Lee and Johnny Zest almost have clones and wait until you see Maria Gothario as a teen.

Also, I forgot to ask earlier but is Death-by-Volcanic-Activity a real possibility as with the Cottoneyes, or had you transformed a game glitch into a narrative opportunity?

There's no death from a volcano. I suppose your Sim could try to break open a volcanic rock before it cooled, but that would still be death from fire. It's all narrative.

Toby is delightful while Oddity and Lilith make such an unexpected pairing!

One last question about the Drama Club. I notice that a good number of your children are joining Drama Club (which I've never completed) instead of Scouting.
Do you decide which club on the basis of their traits in combination with their future career?

Drama Club has only 4 levels instead of the 5 for Scouting and requires level 3 Acting skill to get the last level. So the Sims have to be teens to complete it. And yes, I go with traits, possibly future career, and parents. Dion Caliente would have been happier as a Scout, but being descended from a famous actress pushed him into drama. Rosa Straud had the gloomy trait and is going to be a writer. I wish we had more clubs besides the ones we make ourselves.

[oshizu]

Thank you for your detailed response.
I've actually changed my rotation cycle to start and end at 11 pm on Sundays, allowing households to enjoy a two-day weekend.
I will be sure to check your tips about rotational gameplay and university when I'm ready. Still haven't had any of my sims graduate.

[reggikko]

Venusia is adorable and I like an Oddity and Lilith pairing. Poor Lilith is always the bridesmaid in most stories.