The Straud Dynasty (new -- Dec 11)

[Nancy01905]

I am also enjoying the story as well, can't wait for more chapters

[MarianT]

@Nancy01905, Glad you're enjoying it! I'm another Dr. Who fan -- I've got my husband to watch the shows, too.

[MarianT]

Chapter 44 -- Hugs and Vampires

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"I'm so glad you're back to normal and that you aren't a plantsim any more," said Malcolm. "Does that mean you've forgiven me? Because really there's no reason to be jealous. I didn't feel a thing for that woman."
"You must have felt something, otherwise you couldn't have gotten her pregnant," Nadia muttered.
"No, really, you're the only one I love," said Malcolm. "Would it help if I promised never to go over there again?"
"I guess."

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Nadia wasn't sure that she had forgiven Malcolm, but she didn't want to upset the children. She gave Justine a big hug...

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...then Tabitha. Both little girls loved their daddy. She wanted a happy household, so Nadia guessed that she would have to forgive Malcolm, but she still wasn't happy about it. And speaking of Malcolm, where had he disappeared to?

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There were still a couple of desirable houses that had young adults or teens living in them. One was the Hardy residence in Willow Creek. J's two sons were teens now, and Malcolm turned Lucas.

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Behind the Hardy boys was the Maeda house. Mizuki was still a teen, and Malcolm turned her. It was late when he got back to Oasis Springs.

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"Where were you last night?" Nadia asked the next morning.
Malcolm explained about turning Lucas and Mizuki. "And then I stopped at the house across the street to check on the two toddlers, Roland and the one whose name I can't remember. Unfortunately, neither one is a vampire so someone will have to turn one of them when they grow up."
"But you promised you wouldn't go there again," said Nadia.
"Well, it's not like I did anything," said Malcolm. "I didn't even see Tatiana, just the two kids. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

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Justine was crying, so Nadia went and gave her a hug. She was shaking, too, she was so angry.

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She felt like she couldn't stay another minute in the house, so she took her outside to do flash cards.

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When Justine got tired of numbers, Nadia took her back inside and then went out to look for fossils. She had two collections already -- magic beans and metals -- and she was close to finishing up fossils and crystals. It was really beautiful outside, and Nadia could feel her anger and hurt dissipate. But she still couldn't forgive Malcolm.

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He was good with the girls, she would give him that.

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And he encouraged the boys to treat their little sisters well.

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Both Andrew and Argus were always happy to come and talk with them while they were eating.

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And if she needed confirmation that Malcolm had been out turning Lucas and Mizuki, she got it a few days later, when Lucas completed his change practically on their front door step.

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He was a good-looking lad, a lot like his father J, when in human form, that is.

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Nadia did use her SimRay a couple of times to make Malcolm clean, but that didn't make her feel much better. He enjoyed cleaning, so he wasn't actually suffering. Nadia felt like it would be so much easier to forgive him if he suffered a little bit.

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Then one day at work, she tested her ghost goo serum on an annoying woman who was part of a tour group. The woman didn't turn into a ghost, but the Grim Reaper showed up and got mad at her for pretending to be a ghost.

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"I'm impressed that you take it so seriously when people pretend to be dying," said Nadia.
"I can't stand it when people don't take death seriously," said the Grim Reaper. "Or when they refuse to die at all, like vampires."
"My husband's a vampire," said Nadia. "I don't suppose you'd consider giving him a scare?"
Grim disappeared before answering her question.

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Unfortunately Malcolm refused to take the serum when she offered it to him. "Don't you want to find out what it's like being a ghost?" she asked.
"You take it first and then I'll try it," he said.
The phone rang, interrupting her. It was Vlad, wanting to know when she'd bring the toddlers to see him.

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Nadia took the whole family over.

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While the children played upstairs, she played the organ downstairs and got a few tips from her father. She hadn't given up on the idea of taking revenge on Malcolm, but for the moment, she was willing to just enjoy the music.

[oshizu]

Oh, poor Nadia! Still, I laughed at the shot of Malcolm happily whistling as he mopped up the floor!

I was initially glad that Malcolm would play a spousal role in a challenge, but he's turning out to be kind of a jerk.
At least, he's good to the children. Is that his only redeeming feature?

Looking forward to seeing how Nadia exacts her revenge, though.

[PeregrineTook]

Malcolm's such a jerk!  Nadia deserves better.  Maybe Gretchen could send Paolo over to teach Malcolm a lesson?  Or maybe that could be Marcus' last great act before Grim comes for him?
Tabitha is adorable!  She has such great expressions!

[FrancescaFiori]

Ugh! Malcolm! Boundaries! He says he won't go over there again and the next night there he is! Evil husbands are the worst!

Loved the shot of all the kids hanging out, playing and eating together.

Nadia is very funny, trying to persuade Grim to come and scare Malcolm. That would certainly be appropriate. Too bad he didn't go for the potion! I do hope she comes up with something eventually.

[MarianT]

Chapter 45 -- First Quarter Report

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Al was rather hurt by all the negative reaction to my statement that he doesn't "do" diapers. He feels that it would have been more accurate to say that he doesn't like doing diapers and that even though he doesn't like children much in general, he is certainly very fond of his own.

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So here is proof positive that he does, in fact, "do" diapers.

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He also works very hard at a difficult job (and has been promoted 4 times).

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Besides all that, he tries to take me out to dinner once a week. Given that I often have to work at dinnertime, this is harder than it sounds.

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Although Bella hasn't complained about the amount of "press" that I've given her, I do feel that I've given her short shrift. In truth, she's been quite helpful with the children.

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She says she loves doing things with them, but I'm not sure that anyone loves being awakened after 2 hours of sleep by a toddler who's had a nightmare.

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Cassandra has been helpful, too, but we're encouraging her to have a life of her own. She's making progress with the violin.

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She also may be finding a little romance, although I'm not sure Don Lothario is the best pick. But Cassandra says that since she can't get into a long-term relationship, she should make sure she has as much fun as she can while it lasts. So she's going for charm and good looks rather than more domestic qualities.

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As for me, I did manage to get away from the house on my own for a short time -- long enough to reach the top of the fishing skill.

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I'm not the only one trying to get out of the house. Here's Jocasta making a break for it.

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Gavin would take up residence in the front garden if we let him.

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And Chiara wanted to cast off all restraints entirely.

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Now that she's getting older, Jocasta is developing more of a relationship with her younger siblings. I still don't know what she said that surprised Gavin so much.

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And it was sweet seeing her and Chiara hugging.

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The day finally arrived when she was a toddler no longer. She wants to start telling her story in her own words now.

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So here she is:

My name is Jocasta, and I am a genius. Mama said that I may turn out to be a beauty, too, because both Grannibella and Grannizoe were beauties. She says it's better to be a genius, though, and that is what I am.

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Besides Mama and Grannibella and my little sister Chiara, my two other favorite people are Papa and Gavin. Gavin is such a cute little fellow. It's hard to believe that I was ever as young as he is.

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This is my new bedroom, which I'll be sharing with Chiara when she gets older. I kind of wish I could move in with my Aunt Cass or with Grannibella, but I guess being with Chiara will be okay. That's all for now. Bye.

Zara's First 50 Points
Skills: 14 -- Gourmet Cooking, 9; Baking, 5
Promotions: 12 -- Mortimer, 1; Zara, 3; Bella, 2; Cassandra, 3; Alexander, 3
Satisfaction Points: 4
Good Friends: 5 -- Cassandra Goth. Mitchell Kalani, Jocasta, Gavin, and Chiara Straud
Places Visited: 1 -- Willow Creek Archives
Maxed Skills: 20 -- Zara, cooking, gourmet cooking, 4; Jocasta, potty, thinking, movement, imagination, 8; Chiara, potty, movement, 4; Gavin, potty movement, 4
Negatives: -5 -- pass out, Mortimer, 2, Bella, 2, Zara. 1

[PeregrineTook]

Jocasta the genius!  Looking forward to seeing her grow and develop more.

[FrancescaFiori]

Awww. Nice that Al got some love in this chapter. He is a good hubby after all!

Cassandra and Don! Well, it is kind of meant to be, I suppose. Whether or not it's meant to last is another story . . .

Chiara is adorable and makes me want to make all of my toddlers wild. I'm excited for Jocasta's takeover, though.

Grannibella made me smile.

[MarianT]

Chapter 46 -- Juggling

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For all of Marcus's fans out there -- he's still very much alive and going strong, in better shape than most men half his age.

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I'll start by admitting that I've had a few relaxing moments this week. There was one day when I didn't have to work, and the children were at school, and I could do whatever I wanted. So I had fun mixing tapes.

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I've also been able to enjoy some of Alyssa's early childhood moments, like her discovering the bottle of bubble mixture I got.

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She also has had fun with the climbing bars.

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But mostly I've felt like it's been one thing after another -- either cooking and cleaning at home...

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Or making sure I spend "quality time" with each of the children -- watching a movie with Agatha...

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...giving Rudy a hug...

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...and reading to Alyssa.

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I soon found that I was punching the bag more fiercely than usual.

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When I suggested to Paolo that he "put up his dukes" for some practice fighting in the bathroom, he laughed and said I needed to find a different way to de-stress.

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Yoga was his suggestion. I figured that because I was in such good shape that I wouldn't have any trouble with it.

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I figured wrong. This isn't a pose, it's what happened when I attempted a headstand.

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Of course, the biggest source of stress in my life wasn't my home, it was my job. Talk about unpredictable! One day the woman on the street who is trying to help me find a criminal is my mother.

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The next day I'm dealing with other cops who don't know how to behave professionally -- like this guy who worked on a painting at the crime scene instead of doing his job...

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...or this woman who settled down for a nap. If you get the feeling that I'm not overly impressed by San Myshuno's LEOs, you're right.

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"Expect the unexpected," the chief told me when I had my first performance review with him.

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The next day I watched someone turn into a vampire at the crime scene.

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The official word on vampires is that they don't exist, and who am I to argue? So I kept my mouth shut about Billie Jang's transformation.

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Finally I was given a case of my own rather than one where I was collecting evidence for a more senior detective. I took photographs and dusted for fingerprints.

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I interviewed witnesses and did everything by the book.

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At last I was able to make an arrest -- in Nadia's museum. The woman was accused of art theft, and I'm glad I caught up with her before she could take any of Nadia's paintings.

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I was a little tense about the interrogation at first -- the suspect didn't want to admit anything.

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But eventually I found the right tone to strike, and she confessed.

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When I got home, Agatha was celebrating her birthday.

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Now that she's become a teen (and isn't she beautiful!), I feel like I can finally relax.

[PeregrineTook]

Oh.  My.  GOODNESS!  Agatha is gorgeous!
Good thing Gretchen was there to save the day for Nadia!  My Gretchen is obviously the dynasty MVP.  Just sayin'.

[oshizu]

Lol, Pippin! Good thing you never play favorites!

I love seeing all the shots of the children.
I'm green with envy about Gretchen joining the detective career but, since my game won't allow me to move forward with that career, feel lucky that I can enjoy it vicariously through Gretchen.
How funny that Gretchen would arrest a thief at her sister's museum! Wow!
And yes, Agatha is a knock-out!

[MarianT]

Lol, Pippin! Good thing you never play favorites!

I love seeing all the shots of the children.
I'm green with envy about Gretchen joining the detective career but, since my game won't allow me to move forward with that career, feel lucky that I can enjoy it vicariously through Gretchen.
How funny that Gretchen would arrest a thief at her sister's museum! Wow!
And yes, Agatha is a knock-out!

Are you sure the game won't allow you to move forward? I'm asking because it did take Gretchen several APBs before she was able to make her first arrest. On the other hand, I'm playing on long and don't have to max the career, which does make a difference.

[oshizu]

Thanks for asking!
Even in a repaired game with no cc (I don't use mods), I've been unable to get the APB site to load--my game hangs at the world map.
My sim has all the clues but can't reach the venue where the suspect should be.  We have played up to Level 4 Detective many times, though.

I should probably try the career again after every patch, because I do love the Detective career. I'm glad Gretchen joined it!

[FrancescaFiori]

Agatha is really lovely! Wow!

My favorite pictures this update are of Gretchen, though. She makes a fantastic crazy cop! I also loved her overturned turtle yoga pose.

The incompetent co-detectives cracked me up, too. Just a really funny chapter, overall!