The Immortals at Eldersymm Hall!

[Heart Foam]

Thank goodness I know that you make it to the ambrosia!  It seems like an impossible goal at the moment! Must say, really love how you build your house and landscape.

Yip. In the end, the hardest part of eating ambrosia was the ambrosia itself. I've played a painter before, but it's only when I was keeping such a close eye on the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration that it became clear just how much they earn. But I was asking an awful lot of Lyric. And Eugi didn't level up in gardening as quickly as his successor... and trees take so long to grow!

Wow, that mansion is gorgeous. And I like it's name, too. Hopefully the Eldersymm Hall will eventually be filled with elders!

It's a great house. It's not entirely a Victorian boarding school. I named the house, and named the thread here after the house, just because the line of Waughs will end when the firstborn is a boy (although, so far, they're all girls). As a point of continuity, all sims will get a screenshot at the bar in the Fire Room. Maybe I'll make a post of that when the dynasty is completed (or failed) as a retrospect.

[Heart Foam]

This was such a momentous occasion. Eugi with the newly grafted orchid / death flower / pomegranate. Massive sigh of relief.



His age bar had been in bubbles for a few days, he had the message that his death was imminent, but he - and Lyric, and everyone else - got lucky that he hung around long enough for this. Eugi never lived to see the death flowers actually grow. Once that major milestone was done, at least I knew I'd have the ingredients for ambrosia.



Once death flowers were sorted out, he returned to Granada Place to fish while waiting for the blackberry bush in the foreground to grow. And they take even longer than cherry trees. But Eugi didn't have to wait long, and later that day he took a cutting to graft on to a waiting tomato. If you have a high-level gardener, you may as well. One day I cleared out the next gardener's inventory and they had 20k worth of blackberries.

Jess was flying through her Master Chef aspiration, or as much as she could. So here is gen 2, Miss Jessica Waugh, on her way to maxing cooking as a teenager. This was to "earn silver at a dinner party", as well as cook some meals while inspired. Lyric again taking the opportunity to socialize.



In my first post, you'll see that Lyric made friends with Grim Reaper. And this is when she met him:















The one where Lyric is calming Blarfy down (or that's what it looks like) is too precious. She didn't witness the death, so didn't get that moodlet, but she did lose her true love.

Eugi Hartley sacrificed a lot for the dynasty. He was known by some chefs - well... not that many, he wasn't that good at it - and lacked talent for gardening, although not dedication. Future generations might forget him, or, if he haunts the house too often will wish they could forget him. Mr Hartley is survived by his wife, Lyric, and two children, Jessica and Thomas.

[Whirligig]

I'm beginning to think that holding off on publishing until you know you've made it was wise. I agree with KTK10, I'm happy to know that you did manage to pull it off because, as she said, it seems like a rather difficult goal presently.
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Fake edit: Oh good, you got the cherry tree! Cue a sigh of relief. Ah, Eugi, such a dedicated gardener. You will be missed.

Additionally, I love the sophistication with which you write - the tone especially really adds to the experience. Something about illusions of grandeur? It's entertaining, is what I'm trying to say.

[Playalot]

If I hadn't known your founder had made it to immortality I would have been on the edge of my seat. 

[Heart Foam]

I'm beginning to think that holding off on publishing until you know you've made it was wise. I agree with KTK10, I'm happy to know that you did manage to pull it off because, as she said, it seems like a rather difficult goal presently.
---
Fake edit: Oh good, you got the cherry tree! Cue a sigh of relief. Ah, Eugi, such a dedicated gardener. You will be missed.

Additionally, I love the sophistication with which you write - the tone especially really adds to the experience. Something about illusions of grandeur? It's entertaining, is what I'm trying to say.

Um. I'm flattered. I hope it's much like a speak, actually. But I'm very aware of my limitations. I know I can't write convincing dialogue for some type of characters, so I don't try. If anything I only joined and posted things because I think to myself "oh my hat, I've made an incredible house" - not because I've consciously set out to astonish and charm anyone with dry humour and poor sentence structure. All I hope is that the writing doesn't put anyone to sleep. That's really the goal.

Eugi's brief, he's-dead-but-who's-gonna-miss-him obituary really reflects my own feeling towards him. It's a shrug. Jess is gorgeous. He gave the dynasty the most amazing sim, and once he grafted the death flowers I was ready to let him go. Lyric was a little sad, but not overcome. She's got Blarfy. I don't judge.

 

[Heart Foam]

If I hadn't known your founder had made it to immortality I would have been on the edge of my seat. 

Sometimes knowing that it works out is okay too. Eugi had served his purpose though. Well, they're only immortal so long as we remember to keep feeding them with ambrosia...

Lyric's second aspiration did take up more time than others might have, but it wasn't too bad. But absolutely, when she was about halfway through adulthood I was getting a bit worried about how much she still had to earn. The waiting for cherries and pomegranates was terrible. Once death flowers were safe, I figured I'd get Lyric through somehow.

But this was by no means the end of her troubles. For example, the first time she picked up a violin was after Eugi died and had the whim to play the violin in her melancholy. And that's why it's a blue violin, which you'll see later. On the plus side, she had the Inspiration Room from her painting and could get Very Inspired very easily - and only practiced when "very inspired". When it dropped to "inspired" she stopped practicing to fill up food or social needs, because every last bit of efficiency mattered. Poor girl. Hugging Blarfy was part of her routine. A quick and easy 4h moodlet. So there was some use for her childishness, but a creative music lover might have had a slightly easier time.

[Lisa46]

I love your writing style!

[Heart Foam]

The random shot of Don swaggering into the gym was not incidental, or just to please all the many fans of that particular collection of pixels.

With Eugi gone, attention turned to Jess who was a day from becoming a young adult. It's nice to get some original townie blood into the family, just because its someone we all have in-game. If my heir was male, I'd probably have him pursue Bella Goth. This was part of the plan from the start, so getting the founder pregnant on day 1 was crucial. Like Don, I think she'd be about 8 days from elder. As a man, however, I don't add Don because I think he's hot. He does nothing for me. I rather find him annoying and immature. It's just the worst thing to have him wandering around as an elder in board shorts with a cap on backwards. The way to cure this is to add him to the house and give him a makeover. And he was non-commiting to the Caliente girls, so I figured I'd make Jessica a snob and she and Don would be a good match.



After making his acquaintance at the gym (and I only sent Lyric and Jess to the gym expecting he'd show up), the next day he was invited over to start building friendship. I think while he was visiting Jess aged up with a cake, but I don't have pictures of that, and they had a few double negative "- -" socializations because of his non-committal trait.

But I still wanted to save Don from an undignified dotage dressed as a teenager - very noble intentions. Somehow I don't think my motivation exactly matches Jessica's, who persisted, and was more than happy to get flirty with Mr Lothario. And he was invited to move in.









I'm not sure why she's angry. I would ask, but because she lacked a strong father figure, she's emotionally handicapped and doesn't know how to talk about her feelings. It's also why she throws herself at Don. Or that's the way to rationalize it if you so desire. But the main reason I wont ask why Jess is angry is because Jess... is a sim.

So gen 3 is on the way. Because Don is non-committal, and 8 days from elder when he moved in, I didn't plan to have them marry. Perhaps morally dubious, but Don is non-committal. And the needs of the dynasty. And the Empire. And courage for our friends! I've lost the plot now.

I expected I'd be replacing Don soon.

So... Eugi came to visit.



You can see the Inspiration Room now has a crafted table and chair acting as a computer desk - and that's because of the good environment and comfort score. Also, it was due to Lyric needing to raise her handiness skill.

To erase that... distinctive... picture of Eugi from your minds, here's Don, after his mild make-over, busy with his indentured servitude in the garden. Wave to the camera Don.



Well, it's a pretty charmed life he has at Eldersymm, so let's not pity him too much. :p



He even found time to plunk away at the piano, and became pretty good at it too. I present to you the heart and soul of the house, the Fire Room. There's so many interesting moments that have happened here. It's just a beautiful room. The barstools are excellent quality ones handmade by Lyric, just in case someone thinks they're the cheap 'n nasty ones.

[KTK10]

I'm really looking forward to seeing generation 3. I know that Don has some great genes when it comes to his offspring - and Jessica is very pretty, so I am positive you are about to create some very interesting pixels! hahaha.  RIP Euigi, I know that many of the founders spouses get forgotten, especially in a dynasty, but it's great that they work so hard so the challenge can continue!

[Heart Foam]

I'm really looking forward to seeing generation 3. I know that Don has some great genes when it comes to his offspring - and Jessica is very pretty, so I am positive you are about to create some very interesting pixels! hahaha.  RIP Euigi, I know that many of the founders spouses get forgotten, especially in a dynasty, but it's great that they work so hard so the challenge can continue!

When gen 3 was a teenager, I took some pictures in front of the mirror / dresser of most of the family. Somehow I seem to have left out Don, but everyone knows what he looks like. And I took those 'portraits' because gen 3 is so interesting, so you'll get to see how Don's gene's worked out. He doesn't have plain kids. It seems many people have Don as a spouse, so it'll be interesting to compare.

[Heart Foam]

Firstly, the picture of proof of Gen 3. This is Miss Rosalind Waugh.



Granddad Eugi even managed to change her. You can't really get a good idea of what they look like until teens, so I haven't gone overboard with pictures of Ros as a baby or child.

Jess was now throwing her own parties, and this is Lyric at the bar during one of them. She's still making friends and acquaintances, because she still needs to.



Rosalind as a child. There are better pictures of her as a child coming up. She's a whiz kid destined to be in the tech-guru career. You can tell there was a party the night before by the state of that counter. It always the one used to prepare food, and it always gets dirty. That kitchen table and chairs I had since the start, but I always intended to replace them when Lyric had the time to craft something.



I really was cranking out the parties for Jess, because here's Tommy who has already changed into costume and looking at his mom as if she crawled out of cheese. Lyric is on the treadmill because she's a few days from elder at this point, and working out becomes dangerous then. I don't want her to expand to silly proportions. I'm sure, given the choice, not many women would want that.



Because Tommy is pursuing Nerd Brain, and that requires a rocket, he wasn't making much progress on account of not having one. But he wasn't allowed to get one until Lyric had reached Fabulously Wealthy. But that day came, and there was money available to spend. Yes. The pool goes around the rocket. And it's great.   



Tommy, being the spare, did much of the reading to Rosalind as part of her Whiz Kid goal. And you'll see the kitchen table has now been replaced. Lyric was now mostly free from painting having completed her two aspirations, so she was raising handiness by crafting stuff. I think in making the tables and chairs she maxed handiness. After that, she was only worried about friends and maxing a 3rd skill. So that looked possible, but she's on the verge of being an elder.

(Jess raced through her cooking and gourmet cooking, so cooking ambrosia was not going to be a problem. And being creative she used her spare time to start writing.)



Back in the garden, Don was leveling up far quicker than Eugi ever did. Eugi, who I had from the start of his adulthood, only reached level 9 in gardening. I'm sorry I didn't think much of Don when he arrived. He was actually amazing. There's now 4 spliced Tomato / Blackberry plants thanks to Don.



But, as I knew from the start, I wouldn't have Don long. It was his elder birthday and his age bar was in bubbles, and having woken up early, Jess wasn't available to make his cake. I couldn't let Don be sad and be forgotten, so he made his own.







I guess it's a slightly sad and lonely way to age up, but the rest of the house woke up to eat the cake. :p

[KTK10]

I personally love Don - but I think I am biased as he is my legacy founder's spouse... Favourite quote of the day.. "... as if she crawled out of cheese" had me laughing out loud!

[Playalot]

I'm with KTK10... case in point: "I'm sorry I didn't think much of Don when he arrived. He was actually amazing"  I think he looks even better with your make over though!

[Heart Foam]

Tommy went to space for the first time, and he wrote a speech to read to the aliens. (It's a rather long-winded speech.) I've got the whole thing here. It covers major points in the history of human civilization, and printed in 20 other languages... using an online translator. I sympathise with Tommy. I was an important moment, but still I have sympathy for the aliens who might be under the impression that reality cooking shows (and Tommy has been exposed to a lot of that, from his dad and sister) are the acme of human accomplishment. Also sympathy because it's so boring. There's no style in his writing. No magic. The 12 chapters explaining the rules of cooking shows conclude with the ineloquent: "in conclusion I like them i think their grate u shud watch one if u can".

Is that Jess' phone number scrawled on the page? I'm sure a small green man would love to call Jessica (er, how?) to know how to make hazelnut dacquoise. It's what I'd do if I was an alien who had survived through 8 hours of a speech about cooking shows and high school football. Absolutely. No sarcasm at all. Way to go Tommy.

Sigh. But he was thrilled. So we're thrilled.

Moving on to... Music and Lyric. (You'd make that pun too if you could. I'm not going to be made to feel guilty about it.)



The game suggests those are recognizable notes coming from the Violin of Sadness, but Lyric's face disagrees.

And then, alas, she aged up. The first permanent elder sim at Eldersymm Hall.





Jessica, Donald, and Rosalind all together. The pool gets used a lot.



Tommy looks dissatisfied here. Holding a book. I don't think his speech went well.



Rosalind, after school, looking less-than-enthusiastic about something. Come on kiddo. Get excited about Arithmetic Attack! You can even talk about fractions with whoever you like.



When the garden was tended to, Don spent some time fishing, which no one else was doing. Eugi, being mediocre in everything he did, had only caught 3 in his life. The inventory of angelfish is pretty small. I like smaller families because I can look after everyone better, but I'm certainly not accumulating the same number of ambrosia ingredients that others manage.
 


Lyric begins to socialize more. This was when violin was finished. I know that by the time she ate ambrosia she had both warnings about imminent death, and probably had the first warning already when this picture was taken. She didn't have a massive list of acquaintances to befriend, which is why she got chatting with Grim online.





Incidentally, the BFF Ericka Morrow is the one in the bowler hat. Not sure that look suits her. And as you see the other is the post lady. I'm not sure if anyone else has had this on the Willow Creek lot, but the postwoman doesn't arrive at the front of the lot from the road, but from the path at the back. And merrily walks through house to the post box in front. So that's why she got befriended.

Next up, ambrosia and family photos. And thank you all who read this.

[KTK10]

The more I see of your house the more amazed I am.. it's truly incredible. No wonder you are proud of it. Can't wait to see Lyric eat ambrosia for the first time!  I'm with you on the smaller family - I'm no good with anything over 4.