The Jones Random Town Jump: Complete

[Beezy]

That was so funny! I loved the Frio brothers part!

[saltpastillen]

IIIIiiii VJ and Magpie! Of course she won't regret it, I hope.

[Odinsdottir]

Wow! I had never heard of earthquakes!  I looked it up, and I understand now, but that's insane.  Learn something everyday, don't you!

[Silverbella]

I spied that little heart covered speedo in there    And I agree with Trip, totally meant to be!

[Louise56]

That was some party lol. The speech was very funny.
I hope Arlo will be ok, poor guy.

[Ausette]

Was that Mortimer under that first pile of rubble?

Ben wins the award for "Best Soon-To-Be Brother-In-Law" for saving Arlo. I somehow doubt that Caity would forgive him if he failed.

Fantastic update! The bachelorette parties are just so much fun! It's always amusing to see what they wear when they "Dress to Impress".

Thanks Raia, I love the bachelor/ette parties too! Yep, that was Morty. Ben, of course, got him and Arlo out perfectly fine. 

I admire VJ for being able to keep his mohawk in peak condition in spite of smashing it against the ceiling. Plus, he has blue hair like Magpie. It's meant to be.

Curses, I knew I should have commented on the blue hair earlier! You're all beating me to it  .

That was so funny! I loved the Frio brothers part!

Thanks Corey  . It cracked me up when they both got on the counter, I just knew I had to include it somehow.

IIIIiiii VJ and Magpie! Of course she won't regret it, I hope.

Lol, I thought you'd be happy about that!    I (and Magpie) haven't made my mind up about VJ yet, so we'll see.

Wow! I had never heard of earthquakes!  I looked it up, and I understand now, but that's insane.  Learn something everyday, don't you!

I'm still learning things about The Sims! Before I played The Joneses I had no idea that you could get parents to let teens off the hook when they got grounded. That ended poorly for Sarah. 

(Also, your comment posted twice, so I deleted one.)

I spied that little heart covered speedo in there    And I agree with Trip, totally meant to be!

Lol, good catch  . He got home really late and went straight to bed. I don't think he even noticed there was a party.

That was some party lol. The speech was very funny.
I hope Arlo will be ok, poor guy.

Thanks, Louise  . Yes, once Ben put the fire out and cleared away the rubble, Arlo was fine. As scary as the animations are, the Sims always make a full recovery!

[Ausette]

Chapter 38 – Couples



Liberty invites Barry over in the morning in a last-ditch effort to get a date for the dance. There won’t be time to build a decent friendship before six, but luckily Libby has a trick up her sleeve.



“I like you, Barry. I really do. Would you be comfortable speeding up our relationship a little?”
“Sure! This involves romantic stuff, right?”



*SMASH*

“Argh! There’s glass in my shoes! Why do I like you so much for doing that?!”

Yes, that’s a Jar of Potent Friendship. How I love those things! If this was real life I’d be appalled by an object that could force someone to like you, but luckily The Sims is a lot less complicated.



“So Barry, what do you say to being my date tonight?”
“Definitely! But can we tell people that I was the one who asked you out?”
“Haha, sure! Do you have something to wear?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think I can hire a limo in time.”
“That’s okay, Courage has already obtained one somehow. You can come with the rest of us.”



In the evening the teens dress up in their formal wear. Hope even decides to dye her hair for the event. She’ll change it back if she ever has kids (I want her natural hair colour to be passed along correctly), but for now she’s single and loving it.



The limo turns up at five thirty to take everyone to the school. Let the rabbithole pop-ups begin!



Courage becomes Prom King and cheerfully thanks everyone for rigging the votes.  He decides to go steady with Kelley, and she kisses him for the first time by sneaking up on him while he’s talking to his friends. Typical Diva, can’t stand her boyfriend paying attention to anyone else.



Barry asks Liberty to go steady during the slow dance. She can’t wipe the smile off her face. I’m sure Kelley wasn’t too thrilled when she saw Barry was wearing the same pants as her.



Hope is “tearing up the dance floor” (oh, Hope) when she’s declared the year’s Prom Queen! She’s thrilled about her crown, but even more thrilled when she catches the attention of a classmate named Raymundo (not an original townie) and becomes his love interest.

All in all, I’m thrilled with how the night turned out. Finally, I have a nicely organised dance with couples and everything!



This is the point where I install the Seasons patch. For those of you reading from the future (hi, guys!), this is the patch that messes up weddings, including the one I plan to throw for Arlo and Caitlin on Sunday. It takes me a few real-life days to figure out how I want to handle it, but in the end I decide that nothing shall keep them apart. A glitched-up backyard wedding it is!



…Well, this new attraction system is interesting. Almost every Sim who walks through the door immediately proclaims their lust for Ben. I can only wonder why.



The guests, including all six of the Bunches, gather on the deck to watch the ceremony. There’s tears and swooning all round.



Congratulations, Arlo and Caitlin Bunch (names to be legally changed after the ceremony)!



“YAAAAWN… What are all these citizens doing here?”

Oh for heaven’s sake, Ben!



“DAD! How DARE you be so disrespectful at your only sister’s wedding!”

No, Liberty, that’s not helping in the slightest! Good grief, I have no clue how the rest of you Simmers all manage such beautiful weddings. My Sims are always charging around like the lunatics they are.



“Arlo, I’m so sorry about all this trouble. You don’t regret marrying me already, do you?”
“Of course not, pumpkin! For some reason I feel like I’ll fit right in.”



Awwww. I think he will.



Oh look, it’s VJ Alvi on the countertop again. He's friends with most of the Joneses and gets invited to all their parties.



“Oh, you’re here. Normally I’d tear you to shreds for kissing me on Friday, but since it’s my cousin’s wedding I think I’ll just-”



“VJ! You kissed this woman? What’s going on?”
“Er, nothing babe, it's just a glitch from the new attraction system! Messed up, isn't it?”



“That system wasn’t patched in until Saturday, you JERK! *SMACK SMACK SMACK*
“VJ, why am I not surprised you have a girlfriend?”
“Why did you invite her?! You planned this!”
“It's her brother's wedding, you idiot. Why do you think we invited her?”
“STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT EVEN HERE!”



“Yawn! Come back when you have some actual conflict. I’m hitting the bar.” 



I think we have plenty of conflict, thank you very much. Lisa Bunch spends the rest of her visit screaming at VJ in the kitchen.



“Magpie! How could you mess up my relationship with Lisa like that?”
“I’m sorry, how is it my fault you cheated on her?”
“But you… Arrgh!”
“Guys, you can quibble all you want as long as you stay out of my way. MOVE!”



Despite that hiccup, Arlo and Caitlin’s wedding is a hit. The marriage glitch means they can't move in together straight after the ceremony, but nothing can stop them from spending their wedding night in each other's arms. And the next day, after Caitlin legally changes her surname to Bunch, she and Arlo head out to their brand new house to spend the rest of their lives together.

[Silverbella]

Congratulations to the happy couple!!  This update was so brilliant and hilarious...I love your lunatics

[Louise56]

Congrats to the newlyweds! You are right, sims are lunatics lol.

[RaiaDraconis]

Yay! Congrats to Caity and Arlo! I should have suspected drama between Lisa and VJ.

Arlo has grown on me. He may not be the cutest of the bunch, but he's a cool guy. I hope they wind up having a nooboo before the rest of the family jumps to the next town!

[saltpastillen]

That last picture of Caitlin and Arlo was adorable.

I'm glad you went through with the wedding despite the glitches.

My sims aren't halfway as fun and crazy as yours (well, they might be as crazy but not as much fun). You'r weddings and parties are a lot more lively than mine ever turn out to be.

[Ausette]

Congratulations to the happy couple!!  This update was so brilliant and hilarious...I love your lunatics

Thank you, Silverbella  . I've grown very fond of them too.

Congrats to the newlyweds! You are right, sims are lunatics lol.

They certainly are! It just wouldn't feel like the same game without all the crazy stuff. 

Yay! Congrats to Caity and Arlo! I should have suspected drama between Lisa and VJ.

Arlo has grown on me. He may not be the cutest of the bunch, but he's a cool guy. I hope they wind up having a nooboo before the rest of the family jumps to the next town!

Thanks Raia  . The family won't be moving until Hope and Liberty are young adults, so we'll be seeing Caitlin and Arlo for at least a few more weeks.

That last picture of Caitlin and Arlo was adorable.

I'm glad you went through with the wedding despite the glitches.

My sims aren't halfway as fun and crazy as yours (well, they might be as crazy but not as much fun). You'r weddings and parties are a lot more lively than mine ever turn out to be.

Don't be silly, your Sims are amazing! I find it hard to write really touching and emotional stories like you, so I comprimise with lots and lots of wackiness. There's always something funny going on in The Sims if you look hard enough. 

[Ausette]

Chapter 39 – Crime and Conflict



The Joneses get a burglar on the night after Caitlin’s wedding. As you can no doubt tell from the guy's terrified expression, the family has invested in a burglar alarm. The police apprehend him without any trouble.



And what are the teens doing during the burglary? They’re drinking. At four in the morning with a policeman on the lot. Luckily for them, the policeman never enters the main part of the house. He instead barges through a locked door to talk to Magpie.



“I appreciate Sims who take it upon themselves to learn a new craft. Let’s get to know each other better. Oh, and any stolen items have been placed in your family inventory.”
“Get out of my bathroom.”



Magpie gets a lot of unwelcome attention, the poor thing. VJ Alvi tries to call her every other day.



Meanwhile, Lisa's making excellent progress with her career and lifetime wish. Her Guitar and Painting skills are almost maxed. I'd like to say the skill-boosting elixir helped, but it raised her Charisma instead of something useful.



She has a nice daily routine worked out – Get up, shower, buy some fruit for breakfast, and then play for tips in front of the theatre before work.



One day she runs into Kelley Ursine, who it seems has become a young adult. Lisa autonomously decides to insult her family.



“Ugh, you’re the Diva my son dragged in for the dance? You’re just that hideous angler’s daughter! What right does a tramp like you have to be so full of yourself?”



“Oh, you did not just say that.”



*SMACK SMACK SMACK*

Whoa! I’ve never seen anyone stand up to Lisa like that!



Kelley and Lisa fight for hours, greatly amusing the passers-by. Not to mention me. Oh Kelley, I can’t wait until Courage brings you into the family!



Speaking of Courage, he's all grown up and ready to become a young adult as well. It’s time for another birthday party!



Here’s a cool thing about the Seasons patch – your Sims will never need buffet tables again. The guests bring all sorts of dishes to Courage’s party.



Even VJ shows up with some hot dogs. Knowing VJ, they may or may not have been stolen from someone’s community barbeque.



Add a cake to the equation, and we’re going to have one full fridge!



He may be a near clone of his father, but I think Courage has plenty of charm of his own. He rolls the Neurotic trait and chooses the Master Thief lifetime wish.



“Whoa! You look hot, Kelley!”
“I know, right! It’s my amazing fashion sense. Oh my gosh, you’ve just got to see the adorable little shoes I-”



*smooch*
“Mrgh!”

Courage is suddenly really attracted to Kelley. He was actually pretty indifferent to her when they were teens, but now all his wishes are to Kiss Kelley, Make Out With Kelley, Leap Into Kelley’s Arms and so on.



If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was doing it to annoy his mother. But that’s silly. They’re best friends.



“Hey babe, those two are giving me ideas. You follow?”



“VJ, you have ten seconds to give me a good reason for why you're here.”
“Sure. I broke up with Lisa Bunch.”
“Actually, she broke up with you because you kissed another woman. And how is that supposed to explain why you’re in my house?”
“Uh, I’m single now? I can ask you out without cheating on anyone?”
“In theory you could, but in reality we both know that asking me out would get you nowhere.”
“I thought you might feel that way. That’s why I’ve decided to blackmail you.”



“What? You have nothing on me!”
“You’d be surprised, Magpie. When I was a teenager my dad had me sent to Twinbrook for military school, and rumours spread like wildfire in small towns. In fact, I happened to hear an interesting story from a certain Sargent Brandt. Something about a crime lord’s wife and her mysterious runaway daughter. Does that sound like something you'd like me to share?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“You do know I'm Evil, right? All I’m asking for is one little date.”
“Fine. It'll be a good chance to discuss what you know. But you will never tell anyone about this, okay?”
“Of course not! It wouldn’t look good for my girlfriend to have ties to the mob, would it?”
“Argh!”



The party goes well blah blah blah. Kelley stays over so she can go to graduation with Courage.



I like this new Greeting Card option! Courage is voted Class Valedictorian and Most Likely to Get Arrested. He also earns Highest Honour, which is starting to become a tradition in this household.


 
And to close off the chapter, I’d like to introduce you all to someone special. Readers, say hello to Elvin Bunch.

[RaiaDraconis]

Oh Lisa is going to get along beautifully with her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

The blackmail was a fantastic plot device. Very clever, and it is definitely something that fits VJ's character.

Awww, nooboo! What a cutie! It definitely appears that he has inherited his father's facial structure, at least in part. The chin looks drastically different though. I know he won't be grown by the time the family jumps, but do you plan to age him in Edit in CAS just to see what he will look like as a YA?

[Louise56]

Little Elvin is so cute! I would love to see him as a young adult.
Awesome update!