The Straud Dynasty (new -- Dec 11)

[Magpie2012]

One thing I don't like about the game is that you never get a notification of an impending death for a family member who is not part of the immediate household.

Agreed. It used to bug me when I would get the pop-ups in TS3 saying "X only has Y days left. You should go see them and say your goodbyes" (can't remember the exact wording), but, to now NOT have them... It is a bit sad when you decide to use your relationship panel to give someone a call and "oops" they're a ghost :-( And, that's only if they even show up in the panel at all. I'm liking @PeregrineTook dance parties because of the fact it tends to bring the spooks out of the woodwork...

[MarianT]

Chapter 95 -- A New Member of the Family

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Now that we're surrounded by teenagers (only two, I know, but Rudy and Scott seem to take up more space), Travis and I have been going to the rocket ship to get some privacy. On our way back to the landing pad, I took a couple of pictures -- this one of the railyard...

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...and this one of the community garden.

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Given my interest in aliens, I wouldn't mind being abducted, but Alyssa is the one they take, every time. Go figure.

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Rudy finally got permission from Summer to drink from her wrist. She's always been so sweet to the boys that I'm not surprised she finally relented.

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He's been taking guitar lessons from Grandfather. They're friends now, and he's making a lot of progress on the instrument. I hope that he'll soon get to the point where practicing helps with his emotional control.

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Grandfather has had his portrait painted by a professional, and he sent us a copy. I'm pretty sure that Argus and Jocasta are getting one, too.

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On our free day, the boys decided to have a club meeting at the house. I was a little surprised to see Scott flirting with Vanessa, but then I realized they're both a bit romantic.

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I think Vanessa is more interested in her other cousin, Mick, though. I hope Scott doesn't decide that his heart's been broken.

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GeekCon came to town again, and for once, Travis and I didn't have to work. We took Summer with us and had a great time playing games on the big screen. Summer is quite the video gaming expert now, and Travis is almost to the same level.

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But all of that happened before I met Lulu. I went for a walk along the beach in Brindleton Bay, and there she was, looking hungry. (Note: Lulu always is hungry. I can't have an automatic feeder for her because she'd blow up like a beach ball.) After a couple of treats and pets, I adopted her.

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The first order of business was a bath.

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The next day I took her for a walk over to Pupperstone Park. She didn't know what to make of the obstacle course and picked up three faults. After a while, she decided it was time for a nap.

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I took a picture of the two of us together and uploaded it to Simstagram -- Lulu is on her way to becoming a celebrity. And just so you know, I have it on good authority that the bush with the paw-shaped flowers in the background has been known to harbor a skunk.

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Lulu is an interesting mix of fears and interests. She's afraid of the TV (we had to move it into the study and lock the door) and the dishwasher, but interested in the vacuum cleaner and the refrigerator (not too hard to understand why the latter). I'm not sure what breed she is -- the tail and blue eyes suggest part husky, but I don't know about the rest.
You can ask her to sing, and she'll oblige with something that's almost a tune.

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There are a couple of downsides to owning a dog -- the sidewalk in front of our house has become a more hazardous place to walk.

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And I can't say that we've accomplished much since we got her. Alyssa got a promotion, but that's about it. Even so, now that she's joined the family, I can't imagine life without her.

[PeregrineTook]

Aww, Pets has infiltrated the Strauds!  So glad to see little Lulu bringing happiness to my dear Agatha.
Can the pets earn point for things?  I mean, they build skills, right?  So does that count?  Actually, I should probably be checking the rule page for that.  I was typing  while thinking.  Dangerous!
Vanessa is lovely, so I understand Scott's interest, though I can understand Vanessa favoring Mick, though.  I mean, he's got that whole Jae vibe going!  I'll be interested to see how this now-teen generation takes things forward, though I'll greatly miss Agatha when that happens.

[MarianT]

Chapter 96 -- Third Quarter Report

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Luna has always wanted a dog; she says she feels an affinity for them, Weimaraners especially. So we acquired a puppy and named him Charming.

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He soon grew up into a full-sized dog, smart, friendly, and active -- always ready to go for a walk.

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He and I became good friends and then companions.
 
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It's possible that I neglected the rest of the family while taking care of him, but we did get some new clothes for Britta and Arianna.

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Charming loves to explore bushes, and occasionally he startles some birds and comes home with a few feathers.

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But one time he got sprayed by a skunk, and another time he was bitten by a squirrel so badly that he got sick.

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I took him to the vet clinic over in Brindleton Bay.

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I was a little surprised to see that my cousin Chiara was working there. I didn't think she had an interest in animals, and the last I'd heard, she was trying to become an athlete.

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Charming was soon back to his happy normal self, although the vet's bill was rather steep.

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I'm not the only one in the family who looks after Charming. Late at night, Vanessa can be persuaded to take him out for a run.

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Agatha's son Scott often comes home from school with her. I can't tell whether he's interested in her or in our computer.

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Apparently his presence isn't enough to deter Vanessa from going into a mood swing. I tried asking her what she was sulking about. "I'm not sulking," she replied furiously. Luna thinks that she would prefer it if her cousin Mick was the one coming home from school with her, but Vanessa goes into a rage if anyone mentions Mick's name and then locks herself in her room.

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We've encouraged her to play the piano as that seems to help with emotional issues. Luckily for us, Vanessa plays with her back to the rest of the room, so we can all tiptoe out quietly when she starts playing.

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Getting help with emotional issues is something we all need to do for a while. Justine stayed out too long in the sun coming home from work one day.

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I tried pleading with Grim for her. "It was all my fault," I protested. "I couldn't get her to come indoors with me because I was so tired." Grim refused to listen to my plea. "Vamps know they've got to be careful," he said. "I've got no sympathy for people who think they can cheat me by being immortal." It had never occurred to me that the Grim Reaper might resent people who refused to be reaped.

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After he left, everyone was sad, even Charming.

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I carried Justine's tombstone to the family plot by our museum. It's a small comfort that Dad and I and Andrew will all join her someday, but I still feel like crying when I remember that we weren't able to get Mom's urn. Justine was a big contributor to the success of our family. She was on the verge of maxing fitness and getting another promotion, but that's not why I'm going to miss her.

Argus's Third 50 Points
Promotions: 6 -- Max, 2; Luna, 1; Vanessa, 2; Britta, 1
$30,000: 2
Gold Medal Parties: 1
Good Friends: 8 -- Dennis Dixon, Deanna Hankins, Naoki Sasaki, Aanya Gupta, Catarina Lynx, Vihaan Srivastava, Charming Villareal, Carson Stoner
Places Visited: 5 -- Skye Fitness, Hare Square, Hare & Hedgehog, Brindleton Pawspital, Pupperstone Park
Maxed Skills: 20 -- Argus, gourmet cooking, charisma, 4; Vanessa, mental, 2; Britta, creativity, mental, 4; Arianna, potty, imagination, movement, communication, thinking, 10
Maxed Aspirations: 10 -- Vanessa, Artistic Prodigy, Social Butterfly, Whiz Kid, 6; Britta, Artistic Prodigy, Whiz Kid, 4
Maxed Career: 2 -- Vanessa, Retail, 2
Negatives: -4 -- Vanessa, fight, -2; Max, pass out, -2

[PeregrineTook]

Vanessa is so cute!  I've got a great new term for her obsession with Mick:  she's Micksick!
So exciting that Charming has become such a great part of the family.  It definitely started the update in such a light, happy tone.  Then the end came.
Poor Justine.  And poor Argus blaming himself for it.  Hopefully, the family will pull together and get through this tough time  :=(

[MarianT]

Chapter 97 -- Kitty Spam

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Diego has always wanted a Sphynx cat, so when I saw that one was available, I called the adoption agency.

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But they also had a Norwegian Forest cat who looked adorable, so I asked the agency to send him over, too.

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It turned out that the Sphynx had the territorial trait, but we decided to adopt her anyway. She was also affectionate and a glutton, and we named her Bastet.

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But I didn't have the heart to send back this gentleman. Meet Ibsen, who is affectionate, friendly, and also a glutton.

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Diego thought that Bastet looked a bit chilly. Rather than crank up the heat in the apartment, we got a sweater for her.

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Both cats love to ride on the vacuum cleaner. Bastet will sit on it and meow until someone turns it on. But the cat that looks truly comical is Ibsen. I'm would expect him to weigh it down so much that it can't move, but apparently it has a very powerful engine.

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A few days after we got them, Bastet went into heat. I encouraged her to mate with Ibsen, but I didn't expect them to get friendly enough, considering her territorial trait.

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Nevertheless, a few days later, she produced a litter. Here's Bassen.

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And this little one is Ibtet. They're both female. So we now have four cats, two litter boxes, two cat trees, a cat bed that no one uses, and an automated food bowl that is on a 3-hour schedule.

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Other news is that we finally finished the mural we'd been painting in the bedroom. We try to persuade visitors that it was caused by our most recent earthquake, but it doesn't quite trompe l'oeil enough.

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Speaking of visitors, Mama and Papa won't be coming over anymore. A particularly virulent strain of the flu took them and Aunt Cass all at the same time.

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I took their tombstones to our museum and set them next to the statue of a handsome young man, something I think all three of them will appreciate.

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After strengthening their connection to the physical world, I mourned for a while before going home.

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On our next free day, Mort went over to the house of his llama friend. He flirted with her a little, and then decided to take her out to a restaurant so she would have to change out of her mascot suit.

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Mort was blown away by how beautiful she was. Her name is Morgan Fyres, by the way.
 
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After some more flirting, he got up the courage to kiss her.

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Mort spent the next free day putting together a collection of posters. He says that he doesn't want to wait any longer than he has to before getting married. He's already completed portraits of me, Diego, and Mick, and he has photos of all the cats, so he can go as soon as we reach the magic number of points.

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Mick made friends with Grandfather and completed his other requirements, so he was ready to blow out his candles and become a young adult. There was a slight hitch in the proceedings, however. Ibsen wanted to find out whether hamburger cake tasted as good as it looked.

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I had to scold him for eating human food, and then Mick could age up.

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With my little boys grown up and my parents gone, I might feel sad, if it weren't for the kittens. They're always doing something to surprise and delight me, whether it's Ibsen giving Bassen a wash behind her ears...

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...or Bassen and Ibtet making friends...

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...or Ibtet drinking from the water spewed by a broken faucet.

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And there's nothing to put a smile on your face like a cuddle with a purring little pound of fur.

[PeregrineTook]

Awww, the cats are all so cute!  And so is Morgan.  Just sayin'.
If one were to give them a shipping name, I imagine it would be Mortgan.  I think that works.  Looking forward to seeing how amazingly adorable their children turn out!

[MarianT]

Chapter 98 -- Third Quarter Report

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After finishing his aspiration to be a Computer Whiz, Travis decided to work on becoming a Soulmate, which was fine with me. We went out to dinner at Chez Sul Sul, where I ran into three of my cousins. Gavin was with a total stranger, but Chiara and Andrew seemed to be together.

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Lulu is house-trained now, but she still likes to go out for walks.

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We had to take her to the vet the other day. It was expensive, but worth it to have her well again.

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I had some free time and went to the new museum, Deadgrass Discoveries.

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While there, I saw something that I just had to have, and since no one was around...

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Rudy and Scott have been clamoring for a computer of their own for years.

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When I became an Interstellar Smuggler, I was given a new rocket ship. I decided to scrap the old one, and Rudy helped me build this one -- at night, of course.

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He's trying to collect space rocks. I told him I'd be happy to help with the occasional upgrade, but most of it he'll have to do on his own.

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Travis picked up some more programming experience by finishing up Scott's robotics project. It's a cute little thing.

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Rudy has become friends with Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis. They're still just friends until he can become a young adult. He needs to work on his conflict resolution skills before that can happen, though.

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Even though he hasn't been a vampire as long as Olivia has, he's at a higher level, so he's been giving her instruction. He's starting to get impatient for the day when he can take over the dynasty, and I must say, I'm getting impatient, too. Maybe next time?

Agatha's Third 50 Points
Skills: 1 -- mischief, 1
Promotions: 7 -- Agatha, 1; Alyssa, 2; Travis, 1; Scott, 1; Rudy, 2
Satisfaction Points: 3
$30,000: 6
Good Friends: 2 -- Britta Straud, Lulu
Places Visited: 6 -- Flea Market, Dust Bowl, Enchanted Pool, Perfect Balance Spa, Pupperstone Park, Chez Sul Sul
Maxed Skills: 18 -- Agatha, charisma, painting, fitness, 6; Alyssa, painting, 2; Summer, video gaming, 2; Travis, video gaming, 2; Rudy, motor, vampire lore, 4; Scott, mental, 2
Maxed Aspirations: 4 -- Rudy, Rambunctious Scamp, 2; Scott, Whiz Kid, 2
Maxed Careers: 6 -- Agatha, Astronaut, 2; Rudy, barista, 2; Scott, babysitting, 2
Negatives: -3 -- Scott pass out, -1; Travis, fire, -2

[PeregrineTook]

Dear, wonderful Agatha:  helping out the kids by "borrowing" a computer.  She's so thoughtful!
I'm sure Rudy's leg of the adventure will be great, but I'll miss having Agatha around quite as much.

[Shewolf13]

Oh wow!  I haven't been on Carl's in ages.  Life got crazy.  I didn't get much of a chance to check out the Ten Gen Dynasty.  this is amazing!  I read it all in about two days.  I have a hard time picking a favorite, though quite honestly, there's a special place in my heart for Zara and her brood.  This is just amazing!

[MarianT]

Oh wow!  I haven't been on Carl's in ages.  Life got crazy.  I didn't get much of a chance to check out the Ten Gen Dynasty.  this is amazing!  I read it all in about two days.  I have a hard time picking a favorite, though quite honestly, there's a special place in my heart for Zara and her brood.  This is just amazing!

So glad to hear that the Goth-Strauds have a fan! Gretchen's family and Nadia's both have fans, but I think you're the first for Zara.

[Shewolf13]

There was just something about her, about what she went through.  And I love Jocasta, quite a lot.

[MarianT]

As you all might have noticed, the pictures for my first 33 chapters have vanished. That's because I accidentally deleted the album instead of a single photo when I was transferring photos out of photobucket. At this point I'm not sure what I'll do --but I think this thread is done.

[PeregrineTook]

As you all might have noticed, the pictures for my first 33 chapters have vanished. That's because I accidentally deleted the album instead of a single photo when I was transferring photos out of photobucket. At this point I'm not sure what I'll do --but I think this thread is done.

Oh no!!  So sorry you lost all those shots!  Even more sorry to hear this thread might end.  I've really enjoyed this family and storyline!

[Shewolf13]

As you all might have noticed, the pictures for my first 33 chapters have vanished. That's because I accidentally deleted the album instead of a single photo when I was transferring photos out of photobucket. At this point I'm not sure what I'll do --but I think this thread is done.

Oh Marian!  I'm so sorry to hear that!