The Jones Random Town Jump: Complete

[saltpastillen]

I'm so excited to see where they are moving to next!

[Beezy]

Great Update! Love the picture of Lisa insulting Tammie. 

[JudesSims]

Wonderful update...as usual...Ausette!

[Ausette]

Wait, so Magpie's father is Marc Brandt? Congrats to the newlyweds! Can't wait for the next town.

I still have to work it into the story, but yeah, the blue hair kind of gives it away. I picked him specifically for his Commitment Issues trait and the distinctive hair colour.

Jones-Brown-Jones. I think EA has a slight obsession with one certain surname.

Hey, it's a common name  . There's a Jones family in Riverview too.

Very good update!  I usually play in Twinbrook but the thought never occurred to use the amphitheater for a wedding but it looks great!  I'll definitely follow suit in the future.

Thanks Odinsdottir! I love Willowglen Amphitheatre. It also makes a great performance park if you have Showtime, just make sure you don't forget to add toilets.

I'm glad Magpie are going with them. I can't wait for the next town.

As soon as I started writing dialogue for her I knew I had to bring her along. I'm glad you approve. 

I'm so excited to see where they are moving to next!

I always get excited for the moves! The change in environment goes a long way in keeping the game fresh and interesting for me.

Great Update! Love the picture of Lisa insulting Tammie. 

Thanks Corey. Lisa insults pretty much everyone, and it cracks me up every time. 

Wonderful update...as usual...Ausette!

Thank you, Jude. 

[Ausette]

Chapter 31 – Into the Sunset



Between the fog of the cities and the mists of the swamp, no Jones Sim has ever really felt the sun on their skin. That, my friends, is all about to change! Welcome to Sunset Valley, a town of families, gardens, and beaches. Lots and lots of beaches. In fact, that’s exactly where the new house is located.



The Joneses have moved into Swordfish Decks, the first home of the project built entirely from scratch. It has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a deck at the back leading down to the beach.



Here’s a view of the floor plan. Notable features include a large family room for entertaining, a private studio flat for Magpie, and two empty bedrooms for future family members to occupy. I think Tammie did a pretty good job on it. 



Magpie immediately takes an interest in the pool table. One of the first wishes she has is to learn the Putt-Putt Gnome trick shot. In my experience most of the Sims who try that shot get a pool ball to the face, but let’s see how wily little Magpie handles it.



*CRACK*
“OW!”

Oh well, she had a pretty flat nose to start with anyway.
   


“Hello, young whippersnapper! Isn’t it a beautiful morning?”
“…?”

That's a great first impression to make on the neighbours, Ben. He drives to the station early to get acquainted with the Sunset Valley Fire Department.



Ben introduces himself to his new co-workers, two thirds of whom turn out to be attractive (if slightly sinister) young blonde women. Unfortunately for them, Ben's heart only has room for one attractive if slightly sinister young blonde woman.



Speaking of Lisa, her traits as a Young Adult are Star Quality, Hot-Headed, Artistic, Light Sleeper and Mean Spirited. Yikes! Her Lifetime Wish is Master of the Arts and she’s already filled half her Charisma, so it seems only natural for her to join the Music career.



She doesn’t stay at work for very long, though.



“Ben, I think I’m in labour!”
“OH HEAVENS! WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO?”



“Ha ha, you’re funny! Dance, fireman, dance!”
   
Yes, she’s clapping. I didn’t know Sims could do that during birth. Luckily, Ben calms down enough to take Lisa to the hospital.



A few hours later they head home with a boy called Courage.



Lisa, as you can see, is simply radiant with joy. I honestly don't know what her problem is - she doesn't dislike children and her mood is perfectly fine. Perhaps she doesn’t approve of Ben’s naming choice?



Whatever it is, it doesn’t stop her from trying for an eighth family member!



Courage is the first Jones to grow up in Sunset Valley, so I think it's time for a party! Luckily Lisa has tons of friends from playing guitar at the theatre.



She also invites Magpie and Caitlin’s friends from school. Caitlin seems particularly taken with Ethan and Arlo Bunch.



A heavily pregnant Lisa carries Courage to the cake to blow out his birthday candles.



Apart from Lisa’s bleach-blonde hair, I think Courage looks a lot like his daddy. He’s an Excitable Couch Potato who likes crepes, French music and spiceberry. Lisa and Ben are going back to work soon, so his grandparents are going to do most of the childcare and-



Oh. Maybe not.



“OH, THAT’S RIGHT, EVERYONE CROWD INTO THE BEDROOM. IT’S NOT LIKE THAT MAKES MY JOB HARDER OR ANYTHING.”



“Mum, no! I’m sorry I never wanted to talk to you, please don’t die!”



“You! How dare you take my mother away? She was only eighty-nine!”
“HEY, DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER, KID. SHE WAS OLD. I’M JUST DOING MY JOB.” 



“*sniff* But it’s just not fair!”
“LIFE ISN’T FAIR, CAITLIN. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS FAIR? THE AFTERLIFE. TAMARA JONES WILL GET EVERYTHING SHE DESERVES.”
“Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“YES. YOU’RE WELCOME.”



Rest in peace, Tammie Best-Jones. I was always amazed by how you managed to be neurotic and unflirty without being Neurotic and Unflirty. You were truly unique and I’ll miss you greatly.



“You sure know how to throw an awesome party! See you later.”

And as her final gift to the family, Tammie manages to die without ruining her grandson’s birthday party. Good on you, Tammie Jones.

[Odinsdottir]

Oh, no.  I hoped we'd have Tammie for much, much longer.  She really was a sweet sim.  RIP.

[saltpastillen]

Whoa, you sure entered the Sunset Valley social scene with a bang! How happy were you to find out that Agnes and Maddie were Ben's new colleagues?

[Ausette]

Oh, no.  I hoped we'd have Tammie for much, much longer.  She really was a sweet sim.  RIP.

Me too.  I can only hope the next heir's spouse will be as fun.

Whoa, you sure entered the Sunset Valley social scene with a bang! How happy were you to find out that Agnes and Maddie were Ben's new colleagues?

I was very amused by the fire department, but to be honest I was kind of hoping Christopher Steel would be there. Can't you just imagine Mr Most Desirable Dynasty Spouse as a fireman? 

[RaiaDraconis]

Aw Tammie...so sad to see her go so soon. I hate it when they go that fast. It's always the ones you like the most, too.

I was very amused by the fire department, but to be honest I was kind of hoping Christopher Steel would be there. Can't you just imagine Mr Most Desirable Dynasty Spouse as a fireman? 

Oh dear, you had to stick that idea in my head.

[TheTripWasInfraGreen]

Mr. Steel is a daredevil, so he'd actually be a pretty darn good firefighter.

Agnes, probably not so much.

Anyways, Courage is a cute little guy. I'm hoping that the next one looks a little more like Lisa, for some variety.

[Ausette]

Chapter 32 – Little Animals



“Lisa, are you sure it's okay for you to drink that in your condition?”
“Yes, Riley. Shouldn’t you be packing up your wife’s old drafting board?”



“...I know.” *sniff*

Oh, Riley. He’s a broken man. All he does is drift around the house and mourn for Tammie.



He decides to retire and spend the rest of his elderhood with his family. His pay goes from $511 an hour to $400 a day, but getting a chance to be with the grandkids is worth it.



Speaking of grandkids…



Lisa gives birth to a healthy little girl called Liberty. If you could give middle names in The Sims, hers would be Tamara. *sniff*



And to my utter shock, Liberty has a sister! The extra kid is hastily named Hope. She brings the household count up to eight, which means if Tammie had lived for just one more day this baby wouldn’t even exist.



Ben ages to Adult in this timeframe, catching me completely off guard. Isn’t Lisa supposed to be older than him? He’s apparently as confused as I am about his missing youth, because he immediately has a midlife crisis upon aging.



The next Sim to age up is Caitlin. Ideally she’d have a love interest by now, but the school refuses to throw a dance! There hasn’t been a prom in my game since Starlight Shores!



“Hey Ben, you know how you’re my favourite brother?”
“I’m your only brother, Caitlin.”
“Well since you love me so much, do you think you could invite some of your hot fireman friends to my birthday party?”
“That sounds reasonable. Would you rather meet Agnes, Madison, or Buster?”
“…Never mind.”



Caitlin opts for a swimsuit party with lots of teenage boys instead.



She gains the Savvy Sculptor trait and decides to become a Professional Author. I had a hard time picking that Lifetime Wish; Caitlin doesn’t seem like the type of Sim to have long-term goals.



Hope and Liberty have their birthday on the same night as their aunt. Because Caitlin grew up so late in the day, by the time the guests have eaten the cake the twins have grown themselves up on the nursery floor.



Liberty has her mum’s facial structure, which looks a little skull-like on a toddler. I have no idea where those hair and eye colours came from. She’s a Good little Genius who likes pop, ratatouille and hot pink.



Hope takes after her mother even more than her sister does. Her traits are Virtuoso and Light Sleeper, and her favourite things are country music, lobster thermidor and sea foam.



Aw, Riley’s such a good grandad! He never stops playing with all the toddlers. Retiring from work was a good decision for him.



Lisa, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to like children very much. She makes all sorts of scrunched-up faces on the rare occasions she interacts with her kids.



Magpie also helps when she has the time, but she’s always busy doing homework and visiting friends after school.



“So Maggie, what are you doing on Saturday night?”
“Well, I’m planning… Ethan, why can I smell smoke?”



*DING DING DING DING DING DING WEEEEWOOOWEEEEWOOO*

Oh dear. Who knew you could get fire-fighter emergencies on lots with household members on them? Apparently Magpie’s presence causes the game to glitch, because Ben can't get in the house to rescue anyone. I do hope they didn’t die. 



Glitches have been getting alarmingly common in my game. Now Sunset Valley has an invisible magician or possibly a troupe of performing fleas.
   


Caitlin, meanwhile, takes her laptop to the park in the hope some cute artsy guy will notice her.



Caity’s yet to find a boyfriend, but she does find a cute chinchilla. She gives it a quick cuddle and releases it back into the wild.



…And it flaps its little arms and legs and glides off into the sunset. Wow, a flying chinchilla! Do you think it gave Caitlin three wishes for releasing it?



Ben finishes off his midlife crisis with a wish for some facial hair, and holy cow what an excellent idea! I can’t stop giggling at the moustache. It’s amazing on him.



And right after he grows the 'stache, Ben gets promoted to Fire Chief! (Connection? I think so.) Now Ben’s at the top of his career and can work from home if he likes, which will be great for looking after the kids.

Now all he has to do is save enough civilians from death. Sims saved so far: 2/30. I’m starting to regret picking out this Lifetime Wish.

[Odinsdottir]

Awesome update.  Very good thing you have grandad around with unexpected twins.  Maybe hope is Tammie's reincarnation!

[RaiaDraconis]

I love how you are making the glitches part of the story. The performing fleas and flying chinchilla were hilarious, though I do hope no one died in the fire. That would make for fewer boyfriend prospects for Caity and Maggie. 

[cndneh]

The firefighter LTW seems a great idea at the time, so easy to get chief, but it takes forever to rescue enough people.  I almost never can finish it since my game never spawns enough disasters!

Love the story

I love how you are making the glitches part of the story. The performing fleas and flying chinchilla were hilarious.

I second this!  The performing fleas were great.  I had an image of the little flea circuses with a Ferris wheel and teeter totter.  And the Chinchilla -  "Caity’s yet to find a boyfriend, but she does find a cute chinchilla. She gives it a quick cuddle and releases it back into the wild."  Release it back into the wild by throwing it through the air?    Then I read the glitch part and thought "phew!"

 

[saltpastillen]

Love the 'stache! It is a great addition, I bet he looks like Zorro with his mask on.