Sims from Stardew Valley (Finished)

[MarianT]

Introduction

A couple of months ago, I started playing Stardew Valley. It's a game that is very appealing for Sims players if you can get past the 2D graphics. Your character inherits a farm in Stardew Valley and goes there to get away from dreariness of a job at JojaMart. Living in Stardew Valley are five single men and five single women that your character can choose from to marry.

While playing Stardew Valley, I kept thinking how great it would be if you could get all the singles married to each other and have children and live happily (or not) ever after. And where can you do something like that? In the Sims, of course.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, Eric Barone, the genius who created Stardew Valley single-handedly -- art work, music, coding, story. Carl has a Guide to the game, and you can find a link to Stardew Valley there. Or if you have a subscription to Steam, you can find the game on its site.

Second, to ShaddBoi, whose houses I'm using. They can be found on the Gallery under EAaccount Shaddboi1. He has taken some of the catalog houses of the 1920's - 40's and made Sim versions of them. You can find a thread about his houses here.

And finally, Dr. Fangg, who made Sim versions of some of the bachelors and bachelorettes and put them on the Gallery. Specifically, I'm using his Alex, Elliott, and Shane.

I was going to wait until I had all my characters and buildings in place before I started playing and writing, but then I thought that other people might like to meet them as they are created. I should warn other Stardew Valley players that my layout is not the same as the game's. I figured it didn't make a difference where buildings were, since Sims can teleport anywhere. I'm also giving some of my characters more than one outfit to wear (Haley wants 5), and Marnie's ranch won't have any animals. I thought of using TS3 so that she could have chickens and cows, but TS3 is terrible for rotational play. Maybe someday my heroine will be able to have her little orange cat again.

Changes

First of all, I haven't played all of the cutscenes, so I'll probably stray from the original occasionally.  Let me know if you think I went too far out with a character.
Some things have to be changed because the game is different. George is free from his wheelchair, and Marnie's livestock have to be imaginary. Kent's in the game from the beginning, to contribute to Sam's and Vincent's genetics. Abigail's hair is shorter but more purple than I could have made it with long hair. One big change is that Gus is gone because there's no way you can make someone a permanent bartender in the Sims 4. Marlon is temporarily gone until we get an eyepatch and swords. And finally, no one actually runs a store except Pierre. I'll add more changes here.
Another change:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

There aren't any vampires in the original Stardew Valley, so my apologies to purists. Once I had the idea that Rasmodius was a reformed vampire, I couldn't resist using it.

PART ONE

In the Beginning
Not What was Expected
Dramatis Personae
Tildy's Second Day
Some Villagers and a Visit with the Wizard
Alex and the Egg Hunt
The World According to Haley
Setting an Example
Tildy's Diary
A Night at the Mullners'
Flower Dance
A Proposal, a Wedding, and an Invitation
Haley's Job
Gossip
Aftermath
In the Jungle
Four Weddings and no Funeral

PART TWO -- Generation 2
2.1 Good News!
2.2 Meet the Toddlers
2.3.1 Week One: Barnharts
2.3.2 Week One: Betancourts
2.3.3 Week One: Bibblers
2.3.4 Week One: Carpenters
2.3.5 Week One: Farmers
2.3.6 Week One: Harveys
2.3.7 Week One: Lewises
2.3.8 Week One: Maldonados
2.3.9 Week One: Marshes
2.3.10 Week One: Mullners
2.3.11 Week One: Sorianos
2.4.01 Three Years Later: Barnhart & Betancourt
2.4.02 Three Years Later: Bibbler, Carpenter, Farmer

[MarianT]

In the Beginning

We'll start by visiting the Wizard Rasmodius. He lives in a tower on the outskirts of town. Most of the residents of Pelican Town are afraid of him even though (or perhaps because) he provides them with their Haunted Maze every autumn.



"Wizard Rasmodius? Wizard? Ras?"



"No one calls me Ras," he growls. "Not unless they want to be added to my cauldron of spirits."



"Well, I'm the Watcher. You'll have to make an exception in my case. Anyway, I was hoping you could tell these good people how Stardew Valley came to exist."

Silence.

"All right, I apologize, O wise and powerful Wizard Rasmodius. Can you tell them the creation myth?"

"What you call a myth, more knowledgeable individuals consider a deep truth. But I suppose by myth, you mean the story of Yoba. Come with me, and I will take you to a special place...



Before time there was only the endless golden light. The light called out to itself...'Yoba.'...
Yoba swirled the golden light into a vortex...
From this hole sprung a seed...
Yoba smoothed the light into soil, and into this soil, Yoba planted the seed.
The seed sprouted and behold! A vine sprung skyward...
After 11 days the vine bore fruit. Yoba, with knowing wisdom, peeled the tough skin off the fruit and saw that the world was inside.*

"I learned this directly from the Junimos, the spirits of the forest.



"They prefer to stay in this glade, but you can see them if you look closely.



"Not everyone believes in Yoba. There's a simpler story floating around -- that in the beginning was Sludge and in the end will be Sludge. We came from sludge and we'll return to sludge. If you care to join me, I'll take you to the places where sludge can be found...



"Those who go into the old mine say that there is plenty of sludge down there -- it breeds in the tailings left by miners who cared only for copper and silver and gold.



"Sometimes a ball of sludge will come out of the darkness and attack the unwary venturer.



"But lately a more potent source of sludge has entered our beloved valley. I'm referring to JojaMart, the purveyors of JojaCola.



"The store is empty now, but soon, I'm sad to say, it will fill with the locals, eager to get good prices for stuff that they really don't need."



"Are the Junimos at war with Sludge?"

The Wizard shakes his head. "'War' is a concept completely unknown to the Junimos. But they are ready to heal the damage done by Sludge if we humans will only give them an opening. Indeed, Watcher, I'd hoped that was why you came by -- to give me news that a hero would soon be arriving in Stardew Valley."

"Heroine rather than hero, and I'm working on it. Well, thank you, O wise and great Wizard Rasmodius. We'll let you return to your studies now."

*Taken from "Excerpts from The Book of Yoba" in the game, Stardew Valley

[Trip]

All I know about Stardew Valley comes from my girlfriend (in which case...@Senna LOOK-), but I'm intrigued! The last set of shots are pretty nice and atmospheric.

[MarianT]

Not What Was Expected

Somewhere, in a cubicle far, far away, Mathilda Holmes was struggling to stay awake. Eating that piece of strawberry cake at lunch was the culprit -- well, that and the soul-crushing nature of her work -- but for the moment the cake was more to blame. Eating anything at lunchtime made her sleepy and cake compounded the problem. But everyone agreed that she was too thin, "almost anorexic," her friends said, so she'd let herself be talked into dessert.



Matilda leaned forward over her keyboard. She would close her eyes for just ten seconds...

She awoke to the music of Kool and the Gang. Celebrate good times, come on! Once she had loved that song, but now it merely meant that JojaMart had opened a new store somewhere. Which also meant that she had to get out in the hall.
 
"You cut it close," Brigit whispered. "He's just turning the corner."



Over the past few years going out into the hallway to congratulate the CEO whenever JojaMart opened a new store had evolved into every department producing its own cheering squad with its own routine. Prizes were now awarded and the girls of Data Entry were hoping to win first place two years in a row.

"Where's the new store going to be?" whispered Matilda. "There was a buzzing noise on my intercom," she added, lest anyone suspect that she'd been dozing off.



"Some place with a bird name," whispered Jordan. "Seagull City? A-a-and close."



"No," said Brigit after the CEO passed. "Pelican Town."

"That's right," Julie confirmed. "Pelican Town."

Stunned, Matilda groped her way back into her cubicle. It couldn't be Pelican Town. That was where her grandfather's farm was, the farm that she could go to when everything got to be too much. Every night, she went to bed thinking that tomorrow, for sure, she would quit her job and take the bus down to Stardew Valley and begin working on her grandfather's farm. And every morning, she recollected that she didn't know the first thing about farming and was lucky to have a job when so many didn't, even if it was a job she hated.

There was probably more than one Pelican Town in the country, thought Matilda. Probably half a dozen, and JojaMart was opening in one that was nowhere near her grandfather's farm. She turned on her computer and googled "Pelican Town."

There was only one. Moreover, there was a story from the Zuzu City Daily News about JojaMart coming to Pelican Town, "that cozy little hamlet on the shore of the Gem Sea."



Matilda clicked on the JojaMart Personnel website. She filled out a "Request for Vacation" form, and a "Termination of Employment" form. At the bottom of the latter was the following statement from the Director of Personnel:

The motto at JojaMart is "Join us. Thrive." Are you sure that you will thrive if you leave? Think about that before you press "Submit."

So Matilda thought about it. She was practically anorexic so she wasn't exactly thriving. She went to work in the morning, went home after work and slept. She spent her weekends doing laundry and trying to relax. It wasn't much of a life. She pressed "Submit."



Her grandfather had suggested getting in touch with Mayor Lewis. Matilda e-mailed him, and he e-mailed her back immediately.

The Southwest  5 bus gets into Pelican Town around 7 pm. I'll be at the bus station to meet you. The land might need a bit of tidying up, but I'm sending someone over to the house to clean and turn the utilities on. I'm sure I speak for the rest of the town when I say that we look forward to meeting Mr. Holmes's granddaughter. He was a much-loved resident here, and I'm sure you'll fit in just fine.

Matilda felt her eyes tearing up. She had never fit in anywhere. Maybe Stardew Valley would be different. That hope sustained her as she packed, terminated the lease on her apartment, and walked out the door. She was burning all her bridges behind her. If things didn't work out in Stardew Valley, she didn't know what she'd do.




Mayor Ted Lewis waited impatiently at the bus stop. Robin Carpenter, one of the local matrons in town had agreed to meet the bus with him, but there was no sign of her. Oh well, if you wanted a job done right, you had to do it yourself.



The bus pulled in. A young woman got off. Mayor Lewis kept his eyes focused on the door though, hoping to see someone a bit sturdier, a bit more attractive, a bit less like his 8th grade English teacher. There were so few young people in Pelican Town, and none of them were getting married and having children. He'd hoped that Matilda Holmes would settle in and marry someone, maybe start a trend.

"Mayor Lewis?"

Lewis quickly pasted on his heartiest mayoral smile. "Yes, yes, and you must be my old friend's granddaughter. I'm so pleased to meet you." Her hand felt thin and delicate in his; he didn't think it likely that she'd last a week on the farm.

"Our local carpenter -- Robin Carpenter -- was going to be here, too, but perhaps she decided to meet us at the farm. Shall we go?"

The farm. Matilda didn't know what she'd expected, but a shabby house surrounded by saplings and weeds wasn't it.



A middle-aged woman came forward to greet her. "It's kind of a mess, isn't it?" she said. "And I'm afraid there's not much furniture inside. I got rid of your grandfather's bed -- the springs were poking out of the mattress. I put in an air mattress, but you can order a new bed at Pierre's. Anyway, it looks like you'll need a fighting spirit to get rid of those weeds."



Matilda straightened up a bit. "Back in high school, when I was in the chess club, people called me Matilda the Hun," she said. "I'll just have to think of the weeds as pawns."

"Yes, of course," said Robin. "Or I could send my son Sebastian over to help out, assuming I can drag him away from his computer. He's about your age and doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Matchmaking, Robin?" said Mayor Lewis.

"Well, it's about time we had a wedding around here," she retorted. "Of course, you could set an example, Lewis, if you wanted."

Mayor Lewis glared at her, and Matilda wondered what that was about.



"Matilda's going to think there's some kind of blight on the town with so few children," Robin continued.

"Please," Matilda interrupted. "Matilda's such a mouthful. Why don't you call me Tildy?"

"Tildy," Robin repeated.

"And I don't think I'll need any help with the weeds," she added. "Although I'd love to meet Sebastian, of course."

"There's also Alex, Sam, Dr. Harvey, Shane, and that writer fellow --"

"Elliott," supplied Robin when Lewis paused. She and Mayor Lewis exchanged another look.

"Or you might have a boyfriend in the city," said Lewis.

Matilda blinked. She'd heard that small-town people were friendly, but this interest in her love life was a bit overwhelming. The blink turned into a yawn that she tried to suppress.

"You must be exhausted after that long bus ride," said Robin. "We'll be on our way, but just give a holler if you need anything."

Inside the house, Matilda fixed herself some yogurt and sat down at the small table which was the only piece of furniture in the room. "Tildy," she reminded herself. A person named Matilda might have a problem with empty rooms and monster weeds, but Tildy could handle anything.

[/URL]

[FrancescaFiori]

I'm really enjoying this! I just got this game a couple of days ago and I've been having a lot of fun with it. I had been hearing about it and having it appear on this forum convinced me that I needed to check it out. I will have to read the guide, though. I'm still a bit lost.
Looking forward to meeting the rest of the town!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MarianT]

I'm really enjoying this! I just got this game a couple of days ago and I've been having a lot of fun with it. I had been hearing about it and having it appear on this forum convinced me that I needed to check it out. I will have to read the guide, though. I'm still a bit lost.
Looking forward to meeting the rest of the town!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glad you're enjoying the game -- and the story. Carl is working on a guide (there's a link in the introduction of my story), and there are a couple of good guides on Steam.

[MarianT]

Dramatis Personae

It's going to take Tildy a few days to meet everyone, but Mayor Lewis has consented to perform introductions.

Lewis: I don't know if I'm the best person to do this.



Watcher: Can you think of anyone better? They've already met the Wizard and Robin.

Lewis: But what if I leave someone out?

Watcher: Then you won't get unanimously elected Mayor in the next election. But I think we have almost everyone.

Lewis: Okay. You've met Robin already. She has a son Sebastian from her first marriage -- he's the computer geek in black. She's married to Demetrius, who's sitting next to her on the couch. He's a scientist. And their daughter is Maru, the girl in white who helps out at the Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays.



Maru works with Frank Harvey, our doctor.



His oldest patients are probably George and Evelyn Mullner. Their grandson Alex has lived with them ever since his mother died when he was about 14. Alex was quarterback for the Consolidated Llamas when he was in high school, and they went to the Division III State Championship.



He was Homecoming King the year that Haley was Homecoming Queen, and they made a lovely couple. I keep expecting them to get married one of these days.



Haley's sister Emily works at the Stardrop Saloon; we hardly ever see the owner Gus. Clint, our local blacksmith and repairman, has a crush on Emily, which everyone in town knows about -- except Emily, of course. Emily's the one with blue hair.



Our other elders consist of Linus, our local hermit...



...and Willy, our fisherman. Willy wins the ice fishing contest every year.



The beach house next to Willy's belongs to a writer who moved here from the city -- Elliott.



We also have an artist who used to live in the city -- Leah.



And our librarian, Gunther, came from the city too. He was a bit dismayed to find that the former librarian took off with all the artifacts and historical records, so if anyone finds anything interesting, he'll be happy to accept a donation.



In fact, I'll be happy to accept a donation. Pelican Town used to offer a local bus service, but we had to lay off our driver. That's Pam, who lives in a trailer with her daughter Penny.



Penny is home-schooling Vincent for a couple of years until his mother Jodi thinks he's old enough to attend the Consolidated. Her husband Kent has been off fighting the Gotoros, and is a bit jumpy around fireworks. Their oldest son Sam is a bit of a rascal. He's trying to get a band going, but I think he needs to get better on the guitar myself. Still as long as he's playing the guitar, he's staying out of trouble.



Last but not least, there's our general store owner, Pierre. His wife is Caroline with the green hair and Abigail with purple. I don't know why they dye their hair -- never had the courage to ask them.



Watcher: Um, Lewis, aren't you forgetting someone?

Lewis: No, I think I covered everyone.

Watcher: Owns a ranch? Name begins with M?



Lewis: See, I knew I'd screw up. Don't tell her, okay? Anway, there's Marnie, a nice lady who owns the local ranch. Her sister's son Shane lives with her and so does the daughter of her other sister. Shane works at JojaMart and helps out with the chickens and Jas is being home-schooled with Vincent.



Lewis: And that's the bunch. So if you see someone you don't recognize, you can flip back here. If they're not here, they're probably a tourist.

[oshizu]

This story is so much fun! I've been afraid to look at Stardew Valley, because I've played the various Harvest Moon incarnations across different consoles since it first came out.
Now, it will be hard to resist although I've been waiting for the release of Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories.

Looking forward to the next update!

Edited to add: Hahaha, I couldn't resist after all. Playing now...

[MarianT]

Tildy's Second Day

Dear Diary,

I spent the first day clearing out the saplings and weeds so I didn't have much to write about, and was too tired anyway.
I awoke early the next morning, anxious to go outside and start planting the seeds that Mayor Lewis had left me.



I planted (and watered) two apples, a plantain, two grapes, a strawberry, a spinach, a mushroom, two basils, and a parsley. I want to grow at least one of everything, so this is just a start.



By the time I finished, it was mid-morning. I got a text from Willy, the local fisherman, saying he had a fishing pole for me if I would stop by and see him. Fishing? I hadn't thought of doing that, but he made it sound like an easy way to pick up a few dollars.



"I been a fisherman for nigh on fifty years," he confided to me. "You know why I stuck with it that long?"

"No," I said.

He leaned in closer. "The ladies really go for the smell."

I went too -- in the opposite direction. But it had been kind of him to give me his old fishing pole, and I decided to make use of it. I actually caught something, too! But I never would have guessed that a minnow would put up so much of a struggle.



As I left the fishing hole, I spotted Mayor Lewis sitting on the park bench with another man. "This is Gunther." He made the introduction while eating a hamburger. "He's our librarian and museum curator. Tell her about the museum," Lewis prompted. "She might be able to help."



Gunther not only told me, he took me over to the library and showed me. The shelves upstairs were all empty. "My predecessor took all the displays when he left," he said sadly. "He probably would have taken the shelves, too, if he could have fit them into his inventory."



I promised to do what I could, and said good-bye.



I then spent the afternoon digging up rocks.



I didn't find much, but Gunther was quite pleased with the heavy metal and punium I brought him. And he was ecstatic over the doll. "People have told me that long ago the woman who owned your farm before your grandfather bought it buried all her dolls in time capsules when she was a little girl. It would be wonderful to have her collection on display for people -- the children especially might come to look at it."



After all my labors, I was tired, hungry, and smelly. I took a shower and changed out of my jeans, resolving to buy some new clothes as soon as I had the money so I would have an alternative to my suit from Jojamart. I then set about making fruit salad. Halfway through, I chopped my finger instead of a melon.



Blood does not make good salad dressing, so I decided to go out to eat instead. Mayor Lewis had recommended the Stardrop Saloon, saying that sometimes they got wild and put a quarter in the jukebox.



Tuesday night was apparently not a wild night -- I was the only one there. But my root beer float and BLT tasted okay.



The combination seemed to have hallucinatory properties because last night I had a very strange and vivid dream. I started out in a garden with pink rocks, and a white-haired man in a white robe was walking towards me.



As he got closer, I saw his face. "Grandfather!" I exclaimed. "Are you -- Is this heaven?"

"No," he said, "It's the glade of the Junimos, but we don't have time for chitchat. There's something I have to show you."



The scene changed and we were outside a building -- the Pelican Town Community Center, my grandfather told me. "As you can see, it's fallen on hard times -- walls covered with grafitti and beer bottles scattered around what once was the town's pride and glory. But the Junimos are willing to help you restore it.



"Here is where people used to get married," he continued. "There hasn't been a wedding in town since Jodi and Kent tied the knot before he took off for the wars twenty years ago. Nine weddings will have to take place, and yours will be the last."



"But how? What can I do?"

"Ask the Wizard," Grandfather said as he faded. "He can find out what the Junimos want."

And I woke up. Probably the dream was all root beer float, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask the Mayor if there's a Wizard in town. The worst he can do is laugh at me. Oh well, plants to water, fish to catch, more townspeople to meet. Until the next time, Tildy.

[MarianT]

Some Villagers and a Talk with the Wizard

Over the next few days, Tildy attempted to make the acquaintance of the residents of Pelican Town. She met the town's children, Vincent and Jas.



She met their teacher, Miss Penny, who said they were a handful but they deserved an education.



She also met Maru, who was Robin's daughter.



"You'll have to meet my brother Sebastian," said Maru. "That is, if he can be lured out of his lair. He spends all his time in his bedroom. He actually has two computers -- one for work and one for games. His favorite movie is "Moonlight Massacre" -- he says the rabbit cracks him up every time.



"Don't get me wrong -- he's not a total hermit. He does come up for meals, and to argue with our mother."



Maru worked at the local clinic, along with Dr. Frank Harvey.



"Dr. Harvey is really good with children," she gushed. "He's the only person that can get little Jas to lie still for a shot.



"And it's so sweet to see him giving an exam to Vincent. I think it's important that a man get along with children, don't you?"



Tildy figured Maru and Dr. Harvey would be one of the nine weddings her grandfather had referred to.

"Working at the clinic, I sometimes get to see my Dad," Maru added. "He's a scientist and often tests serums on himself. That's not always a great idea."



After talking to Maru, Tildy decided to go pay a visit to the rancher, Marnie. Marnie had told her that she lived across the river from a tower and that sometimes strange, spooky noises came from the tower. A spooky tower sounded like a good place to find a wizard.



Tildy told Marnie that she'd dreamed that her grandfather had asked her to talk to a wizard. "I was wondering," she said, "do you know of a wizard living in Pelican Town?"



"You don't want to go see him," said Marnie. "No one goes to see the wizard -- he comes to us, usually at the end of autumn, when he designs our Haunted Maze. I wouldn't dream of disturbing him. There's no telling what he might do."



But Tildy did dream. She crossed the river and met the Wizard outside his tower.



"My grandfather came to me in a dream," she began to explain.



"Yes, yes, I know all about the Junimos," said the Wizard. "They'll want you to become an expert at gardening, fishing, cooking, and herbalism. Go on."

"Grandfather said there would have to be nine weddings, and mine would be the last," Tildy continued.



"Hmm," said the Wizard. "I can think of two or three couples, but nine -- that's a tall order. You're going to have to do some flirting. And change the way you dress."



"What's wrong with the way I dress?" protested Tildy.

"It's perfectly appropriate for gardening and fishing," said the Wizard. "But you're never going to make anyone jealous in those clothes. And jealousy is how you get one person to realize she's attracted to another."

"So you're saying I should flirt with Dr. Harvey to make Maru jealous? But Maru already has a crush on Dr. Harvey."

"No, no, no!" expostulated the Wizard. "And don't try to get Maru and Dr. Harvey together -- they'd be terrible as a couple."



"Why?" asked Tildy.

"Because they're both competent and they both like taking care of other people. They both need someone they can fuss over. You can start by flirting with Alex."

"Who's Alex?" Tildy began, but she was talking to empty space. The Wizard had vanished.

To calm herself (the talk with the Wizard had been rather unsettling), she fished for a while. Beware all enterprises that require new clothing, Thoreau had said. Thoreau was right.



Note: Marnie's house comes from ShaddBoi1. It's The Avalon on the Gallery.

[MarianT]

Alex and the Egg Hunt

To look at Alex, you might think he's the typical sports star wannabe. He turns on the sports channel the first thing when he gets up in the morning and turns it off last thing at night.



He jogs, partly because he enjoys jogging, but mostly because he wants to be ready when the moment for his big break comes, the moment when the team manager realizes he doesn't have any available players and says, "O'Brien, you'll have to suit up. Just try not to do anything stupid."



But there's more to Alex O'Brien than sweat and Gatorade. For one thing, he lives with his grandparents, George and Evelyn Mullner because his mother, their daughter, died a few years ago. Alex has no idea where his dad is, but thinks he's probably in prison, deservedly so.



For another, Alex has memories. Senior year in high school was the happiest time of his life. He led the Consolidated High's Pelicans to an undefeated season and second place in the state's Division III Championship. He won an athletic scholarship to college -- the first step toward getting into the pros. And Haley Hudson, head cheerleader and Homecoming Queen, agreed to go to Prom with him.



The two of them had so many plans for the future. They would get married as soon as he got a pro contract -- maybe he'd declare hardship and go into the draft before he finished college, maybe not. And Haley would be there cheering him on when he won the MVP award and Rookie of the Year.



But then George had a stroke a week before Alex was due to leave for summer training. He survived, but was somewhat impaired. His grandmother Evelyn kept saying, "Don't you worry about us. We'll manage just fine. You've got your own life to live -- you go on to college."



But who would help George get around when his legs refused to work? Evelyn certainly couldn't lift him. Alex knew his grandfatehr wouldn't be happy -- would probably die -- in a nursing home, and Pelican Town was so far off the beaten track that Evelyn wouldn't be able to hire an aide, assuming they could afford to pay for one. So Alex declined his scholarship, took a course in Home Health Care, and got a job as locker room attendant with the local minor league baseball team, the Llamas.

For a while, the future seemed possible, if not exactly rosy, as the team manager said he might get a place on the roster if he worked on developing his skills -- batting and fielding, mainly. Sadly, when he explained all this to Haley, she said that they should reconsider their relationship -- maybe put it on hold until he was actually on the team.



Alex had been devastated, but he had to admit Haley was right. It wasn't fair to her to expect her to trade her dreams for life with a lowly water boy.


There were still quite a few people in Pelican Town that Tildy hadn't met yet. That was one reason why she kept having dinner at the Stardrop Saloon even though her finances were running low. Robin and her husband Demetrius were busy flirting with each other, but she met Jodi, Kent, Vincent's parents.



"Are you coming to the Egg Hunt?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, do come," said Jodi. "The whole town turns out for it."

"I found three eggs last year," said Vincent. "But Abigail won. She always wins."

"We'll try and drag our other son, Sam, away from his guitar so he can meet you," added Kent.



Tildy realized the Egg Hunt would be the perfect place to introduce her new look. The Wizard's comments still stung -- she thought she looked pretty good in her plaid shirt and jeans -- but she realized a few changes would have to be made if she wanted to give the young ladies of Pelican Town any competition. So she got her hair cut and fluffed out a bit, changed her glasses for contact lenses, and applied some make-up.

And she did manage to meet Alex and flirt with him, as she informed the Wizard.

"Reporting in," she announced brightly, after the prize for the most eggs found had been awarded to Abigail.



"What do you think?" she asked. "Is this outfit jealousy-inducing enough?"

"Yes, yes, it's fine," said Rasmodius. Tildy noticed that he kept his gaze fixed firmly on the top of her shoulder.



"Well, I met Alex, as per your instructions," said Tildy.



"He told me he'd been a star quarterback, and I oohed and ahhed over that," she continued.



"He asked me if I'd like to hang out at the beach with him sometime and show up in my bikini," said Tildy. "I noticed that there was a blond girl -- very pretty -- kind of listening to our conversation."



"That would be Haley," said Rasmodius.

"I suggested we go look at clouds instead," said Tildy.



"I didn't get a really good look at her face, but I got the impression that she wasn't pleased," said Tildy.



"And then it was time for us to go look for eggs. I lost track of Alex after that."



"That all sounds good," said Rasmodius. "It sounds like you did enough to get Haley moving. We'll have to wait a bit and see."

"I hope I don't have to go hang out with him in my bikini," said Tildy. "I don't have much interest in sports and besides, I don't have a bikini and can't afford to buy one. In fact, I'm down to my last few simoleons."

"Why don't you try my wishing well?" Rasmodius offered. "I can't make any guarantees -- I don't have any control over it -- but nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Tildy went and threw a coin in.



"The well takes a bit to make up its mind," said Rasmodius, "but that green glow is a good sign."

The next thing Tildy knew, she was being bombarded with golden simoleons -- 6700 of them when the well was finished.



"Oh my!" she said. "I had no idea. Thank you!"

Rasmodius shrugged. "The well has taken a shine to you. But I wouldn't ask it for anything else just yet. It doesn't approve of greed."



"Never fear," said Tildy. "I guess I'd better be going. Plants to water, fish to catch, young men to flirt with. Who's my next target?"

"Um, I hadn't thought that far ahead," said Rasmodius. "Check back in a couple of days and I'll let you know."

Note: Alex and his grandparents live in ShaddBoi1's house, the Americana.

[Joria]

Oh, I'm so glad I found this!  I don't know that game but I'm going to look it up.  I love the way you are building this story and how you are playing these new Sims.  Thank you for posting who and how about the houses and Sims.  I LOVE his houses.  They remind me of home and some of my relatives who had these houses.

[MarianT]

Thanks, Joria! Have you seen ShaddBoi1's thread on the catalog homes over on the official forum? It's in the Builders section. I'm going to have to hurry with the story so that some of my Sims and/ or their children can move into San Myshuno when we get it.

[MarianT]

The World According to Haley

Haley watched Alex and Tildy with mounting displeasure. She wasn't about to demean herself by breaking up their little lovefest -- and Haley knew she could do it -- but for once she was glad that Alex had to go to work at the highly inconvenient time of two in the afternoon.



The new farmer girl had nice legs -- Haley would give her that -- but the rest of her? Meh. Haley was the total package, a definite 10. Even so, it might be time to give Alex a call. Not to ask him out for a date, of course -- one of Haley's rules was that it was up to the guy to make the first (and second and third) move -- but to...Haley had to think for a minute. There weren't any plumbing or electrical problems for Alex to look at and besides, Clint the blacksmith was only too eager to take care of those for Emily. Ah, she would ask him to come over to practice their moves for the upcoming Flower Dance.

That decision made, Haley went home before the winner of the Egg Hunt could be declared. It would be Abigail, of course. It was always Abigail.
Arriving home, she picked up the mail. There was a postcard from her parents. They were having a wonderful time and hoped that she and Emily were having a wonderful time, too.



Haley's and Emily's mother and father had decided that their parenting duties were over when Haley graduated from high school. They had always wanted to travel and see the world, so they had left their two daughters on their own. Money went into the girls' bank account regularly, and Emily loved to cook, so their presence wasn't really necessary.
Haley didn't miss her parents exactly -- they'd been a bit tiresome when she was in high school, insisting on a curfew and not letting her go to the Stardrop Saloon by herself, that sort of thing. But it was a bit lonely around the house without them. And Emily was always nagging her to do things.

Haley went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. A pile of dirty dishes was sitting on the counter with a note on top, "Your turn." It was a long-standing argument they had. Emily felt that because she did the cooking, Haley should do the dishes. But Haley felt that Emily dirtied entirely too many pots and pans while making a meal. If it were left to her, she would just eat yogurt out of the container and maybe have an apple or two, which would require no dishes at all. And Emily wouldn't let them get a dishwasher because a dishwasher was a waste of water and electricity. Haley picked up the dishes, carried them out to the table outside to pick up another dish, and then decided she would leave the dishes until later, when she didn't feel upset about Alex and that farmer girl.



Haley changed her clothes (she usually changed her clothes several times during the day) and settled down to watch her favorite movie instead, "Lost Dog's Journey Home."



The movie always made her cry. "You'll be sorry," she chided, when the little dog took off chasing after the cat. And she gasped when the evil mummy picked up the cat and looked at the dog, scaring him. Even though Haley knew the outcome, she couldn't help worrying about the little dog as he trotted through city after city, country after country, trying to find his way home. And the ending was gloriously happy. You just knew that the little dog would never leave his mistress again to go chasing after any cats, no matter how nice their legs were.



When Emily came home from work, she was not happy to find that the dishes still had not been washed.



Picking them up, she found a note from Haley underneath, written on the back of Emily's own note.

Postcard came from Mom and Dad. I put it up on the bulletin board.



Clint came over. I told him you'd be at work for a long time.



He came in and watched TV anyway. You ought to keep him, Em. It's the rare man who's not at all interested in flirting with me.



Emily sighed. Was there a word for killing your sister? Sororicide -- something like that? But she couldn't really hate Haley. When your parents have satisfied your every whim since you were a tiny, pretty, baby, it wasn't surprising that you turned out a bit immature. And when they were children, Emily had thought Haley was just adorable, too. She had loved dressing her up, just as if she were one of her dolls. The teachers at school had been indulgent, and the other children had all wanted to be her friend. So it was only natural that Haley should float in her own, rainbow-sparkly bubble.

The bubble couldn't last forever, though. Emily had asked her sister once what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. "Own a clothing store and sell fabulous clothes to women," Haley had replied promptly.

"Here in Pelican Town?" Emily had asked.

"Sure, why not?" had been Haley's answer.

Because there are only 12 women in town, Emily had wanted to shout at her. And none of them dress the same way you do.

Anyway, it was getting late, and she had work again tomorrow. Emily settled down to watch a few minutes of her own favorite movie -- "The Klumzee Sisters" -- which made working in a restaurant look like fun. It wasn't, of course, and it certainly would be terrible if the things that happened to the Klumzee sisters happened to her, but that made the movie all the more enjoyable.



Note: Haley and Emily live in ShaddBoi1's Rosemary Cottage.

Stardew Valley fans -- the 1.1 update is available for beta testing on Steam.

[Joria]

Haley really has a strong love affair going on......with herself!  Is there any room for true romance with her?  Guess I'll have to revive my Steam account.  Stardew Valley just sounds too much fun....and frankly....Sims are getting a wee bit boring at this point.