@oshizu Clean nasal passages are important! I enjoyed writing that nonsense. :p
Well, at least 150k. It only had dividing walls on the lower floor, and even then I was painting in broad strokes. All the bedrooms are en suite, obviously, but I hadn't actually divided up the space and put doors in or anything.
@FrancescaFiori He's still a teen, so I hope it's not love at first sight. Though, that has given me the idea of finishing this save with that wedding (end on a happy note) and then move to the 17th century estate. I'm rather excited by that house, and I'm incorporating a few ideas I've seen elsewhere to make it look super posh. Chadwick and Ahilac, can be moved in to that world when strategically appropriate.
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Part 32.
So Quentin was stressed out as a pianist. All he could think about was the stash of Fancy Pianos at the theater. He yearned for them. He enjoyed the thrill of theft.*
*It's really bad though. Don't do it.
Ethan had the thought bubble about Quentin, and is doing that excited animation. He thinks his dad is a rock star or something. Hold that thought Ethan...
Lacy and Ethan (I'm sure he was about somewhere!) visit the park, of a weekend, to become Soial Butterflies.
And behold the abundance of children to simply use a tool for my own ends. It's not even a joke. It's totally what's happening here. Do these cheerful kids really expect an invite to play void critters? Ain't nobody got time for that. Often there's a shortage of children for the aspiration, which there wasn't this time. So that's something.
While the children were befriending, Kelly, hanging out at the bar (for the first time! she was only trying some drink her friend in the book club talked about!) was somewhat ignored and aged up.
We have at least got Ocular Proof. The sad moodlets from not having a birthday don't phase me too much. They're seldom the dominating mood.
Long days at the grand piano entertaining others are over. Star struck young Ethan now must deal with his father finding more entertainment for himself... as a Criminal. And unlawful citizens who blight our fair Society, need the mischief skill.
The first time you do the hand buzzer they laugh. I don't like raising the mischief skill with actions that - at least within the logic and universe of the Sims - offend other sims. Like... electrocuting your pretty wife is a bad move. I'd not do that.
Kelly also was redeployed. Instead of raising funds for others, she decided to raise funds for herself and has gone into the business career. There's a little bit of time pressure to get Quentin to the end of is career before becoming an elder. He hasn't had his life prolonged by giving birth, and is about a week into adulthood.
Group activities were changed to get the family to use some of the fun but neglected activities. Like mixing drinks.
Quentin, with some liquid courage (he doesn't drink either, this is a one-off) visits the wishing well in need of a promotion.
Success. And he has a drink to celebrate with. What foresight. It wasn't an instant promotion, but it did fill up his performance bar. Kelly also tried, but first time it emptied her performance bar which was a disappointing setback.
Ahilac stares at the ceiling, Part 1.
And the outfit that had the Cats & Dogs sweater got redesigned. That's usually a nice top to match with alien skin, because the orange or pink can take the edge off the eye searing skin tone.
So with the wedding ghost, and then the deaths of Alyssa and Anissa, there were once again too many gravestones. And this called for a visit to Ayaka and her family. It's getting quite weird to have such a graveyard at a residential property. And some sims are rather prone to mourning.
Another purpose of the visit was for Ahilac to meet Chadwick...
He's awful! That's surely not physically normal. But remember that picture, because one day out of the blue (many years from now, or tomorrow night) he'll look a bit different. In the background you can just about see Kelly in her business suit.
And then Miracle died.
Miracle Shaeffer. I think Antwan met her at the wedding, or some other event she was catering. He needed company. I didn't pay attention to her physical exhaustion, and yes, this is Death by Woohoo. It actually wasn't intended. Oh well. Antwan slept through it all. Did not even get a sad moodlet.
Kelly was rather emotional. Ahilac was too, only a different emotion. For a compassionate sim, she's remarkably emotionally detached.
Ahilac stares at the ceiling Part 2.
She's in a little world of her own. Quentin was still on a mission to raise his mischievousness (without hurting anyone's feelings). One of the oft used interaction is "instill with fake confidence". This is where the game reaches into Dickensian depths of psychological realism and social commentary. Because fake confidence works just as well as real confidence. It's a tiny detail that I really like.
So we come full circle to the other kid chatting with Quentin in the same room. He looks much less stressed. He has found his happy space as a Criminal.
And finally, Kelly has some luck with the wishing well.
Hey, it only makes up for the bad luck earlier but who's counting right? Not me. That wasn't 15k she just spent on nothing. It wasn't time with her children, it wasn't holidays to the basement that she lost. Or anything. No, I'm totally fine. I haven't kept any spreadsheets on the well. I didn't once call the well to do performance evaluation. It's nothing. She wished and she go her wish. Well... KINDA got her wish. It's not like the lousy well could find it in the depths of his bucket to actually give a promotion, oh no, but let's take positives. (Like every losing sports team.) I don't even remember the past 16 failed wishes. I don't remember what colour shirt Kelly had on at all. I live in the present.
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Next emotional installment: Kelly and Quentin stand in the garden, the first last teenager stands in the dining room, and Quentin stands next to a window!
