End of the Line Dynasty (4x4)

[hazelnut]

Oh how lovely! Gold immediately made me think of Once Upon a Time. I loved the wedding and the new surname is perfect! And Adam is just darling! A little gold rainboo, how sweet.

It's funny: I'd decided on either Gold or Gould as the surname even before the challenge went live and then Adam popped out with skin to match .

Welcome baby Adam! I bet he'll be a cutie 

He grows up with distinctly Goole-ish looks, although not at all bad-looking - oddly, he seems to look more like some of the earlier Gooles than Sam does, which I didn't think was possible in a different game  .  Maybe it's just his colouring.

What a lovely shot of Hidden Springs! The Golds are off to a great start.

Hidden Springs is beautiful.  One of the reasons I'm playing this game relatively slowly is that I keep stopping to gawp at the scenery.  The view from their lot is amazing.

[maisie]

Wonderful update! I have to agree with the others: both the new name and the little baby boy are perfect. 

[Rhoxi]

"Oh Sam, you idiot.  Get up off the grass.  You’ll ruin your suit."

I got a big laugh out of this! Hehehe. I just love how adorable and practical their story is. And magical genie rings? That's as good as any explanation I've heard! Also: goldboo, huzzah!

[hazelnut]

Wonderful update! I have to agree with the others: both the new name and the little baby boy are perfect. 

Thank you .

"Oh Sam, you idiot.  Get up off the grass.  You’ll ruin your suit."

I got a big laugh out of this! Hehehe. I just love how adorable and practical their story is. And magical genie rings? That's as good as any explanation I've heard! Also: goldboo, huzzah!

Well, given how lush the grass is in Hidden Springs, you'd have to be daft to kneel on it wearing light-coloured trousers  .

[hazelnut]

Play It Again, Sam



The next morning, they were all up early.  It was going to be a busy day – although Sophia still took some time out to admire her disappearing jewellery.



Since Cassidy had been on baby-minding duty all night, it was probably only fair that she was the one who took Adam to his first cake.



He grew up into a cute toddler who definitely took after his father.



While everyone except Adam finished eating his cake, Sophia went out to collect the post.  A package had arrived by airmail.



“Sam, do you know a Riley?  A parcel’s arrived.  I thought it’d be from Deirdra, because she said something about trying to send help, but it seems to be a present for Adam from ‘Uncle Riley’.  There’s no-one of that name in my family.”



“Riley?  Trust him to find a way round the restrictions!  He’s Deirdra’s brother-in-law – and an imaginary friend.”
“An imaginary friend?  Come on, Sam.  Imaginary friends don’t really exist.  They’re just, you know, imaginary.  The clue’s in the name, really.”
“They may not have existed in your world but they did in mine – and it appears they do here, as well.  I bet that present turns out to be a funny-looking doll.  You see, it works like this…”

*   *   *   *   *

Adam loved his new toy but didn’t get much time to play with it.  Succeeding in life was more important, so Sophia started teaching him to talk.



Sam took his guitar off into one of the bedrooms to practise.  He hadn’t quite reached the stage of being pleasant to listen to.  In fact, Jess described his playing as ‘unbearable’.



After lunch, Sophia taught Adam to walk.



Both of them were tired by evening, so they had an early night.  Sam, who’d sneaked a nap earlier, stayed up and kept an ear out for the baby – when he wasn’t playing his guitar.



The next day, Sophia took her son to the library, trying to pass on her love of books.



Sam played for tips outside the theatre.

*   *   *   *   *

Life wasn’t all toddler skills and guitar.  The house might still be tiny but the garden was expanding rapidly.



Emmaline and Cassidy were progressing through the medical career and Nick had switched from journalism to cooking.  He was still very junior but his natural talent was beginning to shine through. 

There were other developments, too.  Cassidy and Nick were no longer just friends.





Shortly before Adam’s second birthday, they realised there was going to be another addition to the household.



This time, Sophia helped Adam to blow out his candles.



Sam was out, playing for tips in Subalpine Square.



Sophia showed Adam the inexplicably well-stocked dressers at the Lodge and let him pick out some clothes he liked.



Then Emmaline came home from work and took him off for tutoring.  It was vital to get a head start on his schoolwork.  Or so all the adults insisted.



Cassidy spent a large proportion of her pregnancy with Sophia at the library, working on her charisma skill…



...but towards the end, she felt too ungainly to bother going out and just listened to Sam performing Two Steps at a Time.
“More like Two Hundred Steps at a Time,” muttered Jess, driven to distraction by Sam’s efforts to get that phrase to come out the way it sounded in his head.



Cassidy went into labour while watching Sam and, soon after, Ivy Riverhawk made her appearance…



..and Jess, sick of lovey-dovey couples, crying babies and, above all, the constant guitar practice, moved out.




Next chapter


The game really did say that Adam’s IF doll had been sent by ‘Uncle Riley’.  I don’t remember seeing that particular version of the pop-up before.  Such a neat coincidence had to become part of the story .

[Rhoxi]

Ugh, Adam is just the cutest! The grey eyes go wonderfully with his skin tone. Ivy Riverhawk is a pretty awesome name, although its unfortunate she didn't get the green tone. Lovely screenshots of the valley.

[RainBeau]

I smell a spouse! Buahaha. That is so cool about Uncle Riley! Considering how often Imaginary Friends end up being called Riley, I think it's a sly twist. In this case, especially appropriate.

[hazelnut]

Ugh, Adam is just the cutest! The grey eyes go wonderfully with his skin tone. Ivy Riverhawk is a pretty awesome name, although its unfortunate she didn't get the green tone. Lovely screenshots of the valley.

A flower name seemed right for Cassidy's daughter, somehow - and I did choose a green one deliberately.  As it turns out, Rose might have suited her better  .

I smell a spouse! Buahaha. That is so cool about Uncle Riley! Considering how often Imaginary Friends end up being called Riley, I think it's a sly twist. In this case, especially appropriate.

You'll have to wait and see (said in 'mum' voice).

[Serenity S.]

Ugh, Adam is just the cutest! The grey eyes go wonderfully with his skin tone. Ivy Riverhawk is a pretty awesome name, although its unfortunate she didn't get the green tone. Lovely screenshots of the valley.

It's not fun when you don't get the skin tone you want... thinking about my own try about them when I had a blue rainbow man, tried for baby with him with seven ladies, and result was two rainboos and five normal. The Sims really isn't fair... or maybe it is fair for his normal-coloured one-night relationships 

[hazelnut]

It's not fun when you don't get the skin tone you want... thinking about my own try about them when I had a blue rainbow man, tried for baby with him with seven ladies, and result was two rainboos and five normal. The Sims really isn't fair... or maybe it is fair for his normal-coloured one-night relationships 

It's probably one of those not-really-random random numbers things, like my game producing ghost babies all the time when my daughter (an avid Simmer) hasn't had a single one - or my total failure to get any sculpting gnomes when it's probably my favourite skill  .  Still, Cassidy and Nick can always try again...


Celebrations and Confusion

Life, thought Nicholas Riverhawk, could get overwhelming sometimes.  One minute you were WooHooing with your best-friend-turned-girlfriend; the next, she was looking even greener than usual and announcing that you were going to become a father. Then, just as you were starting to get over that shock, you came home from work one day and found you were a father.  Suddenly, there was a tiny pink bundle relying on you for, well, everything.  As if having just become a full adult and going through a midlife crisis wasn’t stressful enough already.
Come on, Nick.  Calm.  You can do it.  One step at a time.
So, step one:



Sophia and Sam had set a good example, he thought.  Fortunately, Cass wasn’t much for parties either, so they opted for the shortest possible engagement, left their housemates literally holding the baby, and escaped to Fairyfolk Park to exchange their vows.









The wedding night was briefly interrupted when the bride started sparkling…



…although the honeymoon was resumed before Nick had time to get seriously worried.  But then it seemed that everyone was ageing and changing.

First Ivy had a birthday…



…then it became obvious that she was going to become a big sister.  More responsibilities!



Then, mere minutes after Cassidy had stopped spinning, there were more sparkles.





Next, it was Adam’s turn.  Being the heir, he had a proper birthday, with cake and stuff.





Of course, Adam having aged up meant that he needed tutoring again.  Suddenly, you couldn’t go anywhere without falling over people and schoolbooks on the floor.  Not to mention being asked if you’d mind your precious van being used for driving lessons.



Ivy had another birthday.  How was he the father of a schoolgirl already?



Worst of all, a workplace prank went seriously wrong and Nick found himself outside the bistro starkers and stinky.  Cue ‘Knickerless’ jokes all round.



He just had time for a shower and a quick nap before Cass was shaking him awake.  Her contractions had started.



“Welcome to the madhouse, Lily.”

*   *   *   *   *

That same night, Deirdra’s promised help finally appeared, in the shape of a dusty old lamp.  Adam gave it a bit of a polish.



He (but no-one else) was surprised when a genie appeared and granted his wish for more money.



Sophia had been trading at the consignment store, selling Nick’s garden produce and Jess’ fish.  While he was still a child, Adam had started taking photos with Sam’s old camera and they were also proving popular with customers.  With their new infusion of wealth, the household took to bargain-hunting with great enthusiasm.  Finally, a better camera turned up in the store and Adam had a late birthday present.

With photography on top of school, homework, tutoring and driving lessons, he had a busy schedule but he somehow still made time to help look after Lily – although holding a baby securely turned out to be rather trickier than he’d expected.



Ivy had yet another birthday.



Adam was puzzled.  How come she seemed to be catching him up?  His mother explained (rather smugly, he thought) that girls grew up faster than boys.  He still wasn’t convinced, though.

Meanwhile, another girl was doing her best to grow up quickly – with some help from him.












Next chapter


I made quite a few mistakes at about this point.  I should have cashed in Emmaline’s LTW points at once for a genie lamp and wished for fortune as many times as necessary to get the nice camera.  It would also have helped if I’d realised how often you can buy out the consignment store.  For some reason, I had it in my head that you could only do that once per Sim day.  No idea why.  It was only during this game that I realised it regenerates immediately.  Even so, it was annoying that it took something like a dozen buy-outs for the camera to appear.  Of course, since then there always seems to have been one in stock .

Also, I shouldn’t have let Adam start learning photography until he was close to young adulthood, to maximise the scope for opportunities: a lesson I’d already learned in generation two of the DecaDynasty but had somehow decided didn’t apply this time around.  This challenge may be on a faster speed but their lives aren’t that short.  Oh well.

With the left-over genie money, they bought more property.  It irritates me slightly that all of the Hidden Springs rabbitholes have two names.  There are the standard Sunset Valley-type names, which are the most obvious, but in Edit Town and sometimes in-game, different ones appear.  Oddly, the spa, which is a unique building, also has two names.  Anyway, this time around, I’m renaming all of the buildings to their Hidden Springs names as they’re purchased – so now they own The Enchanted Grill, Tuatha de Books and Alvetta’s Fresh Produce.

[RainBeau]

Well, Lily looks much prettier, and she's green, so I vote her for spouse.

[maisie]

Well, Lily looks much prettier, and she's green, so I vote her for spouse.

I support that, she is so cute with her big eyes. Besides, it will take a time for Adam to fullfill all of his requirements and therefore she won't be too young. 

[hazelnut]

Well, Lily looks much prettier, and she's green, so I vote her for spouse.

Dear me, fickle aren't we?   What happened to

I smell a spouse! Buahaha

?

Poor Ivy.  Just because she grew up funny-looking...  I think it's mostly the fault of Nick's genes.  I hadn't really noticed until he aged up to elder what a long face he has.  There's also something rather odd about his jawline.  As an old man, his skin sticks out through his beard in places  .

I support that, she is so cute with her big eyes. Besides, it will take a time for Adam to fullfill all of his requirements and therefore she won't be too young. 

The game is well ahead of the story at this point, so the question of Adam's wife has already been decided.  I'm hoping to get the time to put together at least one more update this weekend, so maybe you'll find out soon  .

I agree, Lily is/was very cute, even by Sim toddler standards.  Her genes seem to be almost pure Cassidy (including her ears, unfortunately.  Cass can't quite rival Justin Kayes from Twinbrook, but she's distinctly generously endowed in the aural department, like all of the green Hidden Springs Sims  .)  The only thing Lily seems to have inherited from Nick is his eye colour.  I was rather hoping that Cassidy's ridiculously green eyes would be passed on.

[Serenity S.]

I agree, Lily is/was very cute, even by Sim toddler standards.  Her genes seem to be almost pure Cassidy (including her ears, unfortunately.  Cass can't quite rival Justin Kayes from Twinbrook, but she's distinctly generously endowed in the aural department, like all of the green Hidden Springs Sims  .)  The only thing Lily seems to have inherited from Nick is his eye colour.  I was rather hoping that Cassidy's ridiculously green eyes would be passed on.

One of my sister's Sims tried for baby with Justin Kayes, and well, their little girl Miisa wasn't a beauty but she wasn't truly hopeless case either. With some right hairstyle and clothes, she was quite attractive.

[hazelnut]

One of my sister's Sims tried for baby with Justin Kayes, and well, their little girl Miisa wasn't a beauty but she wasn't truly hopeless case either. With some right hairstyle and clothes, she was quite attractive.

Yes, hairstyles can do a lot to help.  In fact, I find Justin pretty good-looking – until you remove his hair .


More Birthdays, Some Building and a Near-Disaster



With five adults and a teenager sharing the teaching duties, Lily soon learned all of her toddler skills and was ready for another birthday.  Again, it was Adam who picked her up and took her to the cake.





The kitchen garden had now outgrown its original plot by the house and was moved across to the other side of the property.  They bought a second sprinkler to allow for further expansion, which also gave the outdoorsy types a new source of fun.



The house, though, was unchanged – still the same poky one-room hut.  With the children growing up, there was no longer room for everyone to eat together and celebrating birthdays could get chaotic.  Adam did the sensible thing and blew out his next set of candles when only his parents were at home.









The lack of bathroom facilities was also becoming a problem.  As the household became larger and busier, embarrassing accidents happened distressingly often and Nick was frequently heard to remark that if anyone from Public Health saw where he had to cook at home, he was likely to lose his food hygiene certificate.

Worryingly, Lily took to waking up in the night and wandering back home instead of staying in her comfortable bed at the Lodge. As children, Adam and Ivy had both adapted well to the idea of living in two places at once but Lily insisted that she belonged in Proper Home and the Lodge smelt funny anyway.  (Probably the lack of accidents there, thought the more cynical adults.)  Ivy grew up and left home, moving into her parents’ old house and thereby reminding them that their lives used to be much more comfortable.  Clearly, something would have to be done.



Matters came to a head on the day of Adam’s graduation.  Somehow, none of them had remembered to pay the bills and the repo man came to visit.



Poor Lily was heartbroken.  Everything he took was hers: her old peg box, her beloved toy oven and her shiny new bake sale stand.

That was it.  The last straw.  The genie was summoned again and by the end of the day, Lily had not only had her toys replaced but had a bright new bedroom of her very own.




The house is still far from finished but it’s shaping up well.  I meant to build a simple, basic house but started looking at Tyrolean chalets and got a bit carried away.





With more space available, they adopted a pair of kittens, Nugget…



…and Kerri Gold.  (Those were the names the game gave them, by the way .)



Adam entered Kerri in the pet show at the stadium and this happened:



Another dynasty, another generation 1 heir nearly squished by a meteor.  It’s almost getting to be routine  .  Adam was unhurt but escaping meant that he left the lot and failed to complete the opportunity.  On the plus side, a row of cars had been wiped out, so there was plenty of scrap to collect as well as the big space rocks.  Shortly after this, I zoomed right in to get a screenshot of the kittens being cute together and the game froze and then crashed.  The last save turned out to have been some time before the pet show.  On the second attempt, there were no natural disasters and Kerri won ‘Best in Show’.


It was soon time for the first birthday in the new house.  This time, Lily took herself to the cake.



She made a wish, blew out the candles and grew up…



…from a cute kid into a beautiful teen.




Next chapter