A Townie Dynasty with Zest, Completed

[MarianT]

Chapter 38 -- The Fourth 10 Points and Free Day



When Vivi left for school one morning, she had no idea what lay in store for her. She came home in the afternoon -- really tired because she'd stayed up late the night before -- and watched some television until she heard an odd noise in the elevator lobby.



It was her Aunt Navya, who had collapsed as soon as she got off the elevator. Vivi was grief-stricken.



But also exhausted, so she passed out.



When the Grim Reaper arrived, he wasn't sure which one to take.  "My daughter has z's coming out of her mouth, so she's still alive," Maki said with a groan.
"Are you sure?" asked Grim. "She looks pretty comatose to me."



Later, Vivi asked her father the question that had been troubling her ever since she'd witnessed her Grandmother Aarohi's death: "Dad, why do people have to die?"
"We're Sims, honey," he said. "We don't ask questions like that."



She tried asking her mother, who said, "Less philosophy and more homework."



Vivi tried  putting her feelings on canvas, but that only helped a little bit.
(Hello, Vivi, I hear you're having some issues.)
And now she was hearing voices.
(It's just me, the Watcher. I understand you're upset about death.)
"You could say that, yeah. And life. And everything. Like the fact that the only reason they let me join the cheerleading squad was so that they'd have another person for the base of their stupid pyramid."
(Ouch. Anyway, would it make you feel better to know that you're only a string of data code so you have very limited consciousness to begin with?)
"Not really. No."
(If you want to be immortal, you could become a vampire. You do have that option now, but it means you'll have to gain an extra 10 points before handing over to your heir in the dynasty.)
"Yeah, about this dynasty thing. If I do this, it means I'm going to have to get married, right?"
(There's no "if" about it. And yes, you will have to marry someone.)
"I don't want to."
(We'll talk more later. Your mom just came home with a promotion, and I need to check on her.)



"Watcher! No photographs!"
(You're sure? Because I think you've got a shot at winning the Worst Career Outfit Ever award.)



Maki was still feeling tense, so she and Ishaan went to the sauna for a date. He promptly dozed off, which wasn't quite what she wanted.



So they went to Myshuno Meadows, where the fireworks ignited for the renewal of their wedding vows.



Ishaan was really tired by now, so he went home, while Maki arranged to meet her friend -- soon to be good friend -- Yumiko Nakamura at the Spice Festival.



"Don't look now," said Maki, "but that food vendor over there is the creepy guy who was coming to our elevator lobby at night for a while. I'm glad I didn't know at the time that he had access to so many sharp knives."



The free day arrived, and Ishaan was pleased to pose for his portrait.



(Nice work, Vivi. But I never realized quite how much of you there was at the back.)
"You can go ahead and call me fat. All the kids at school do."
(I'm sorry to hear that.)
"But I have inner beauty, that's what Mom and Dad say."
(Absolutely. Although...as your Watcher, there is something I could do, especially for someone who was willing to marry and continue as Generation 8 of her dynasty. It's called an Insta-Lean potion, and since you're on a free day, you can take it without any penalties.)
"I'm not interested. There's nothing wrong with being overweight."
(Of course not. And you're setting an excellent example for all those young Watchers out there who don't realize that it's better to have inner beauty and that they're worth 10 of the skinny kids who tease them.)



"Oh, go ahead and give me that potion."
(And you agree to get married and have a baby?)



(So that's a yes, then. Who are you texting?)
"The head cheerleader. I'm letting her know she can find someone else to step on when she climbs up the pyramid."



(One more thing -- you are going to have to exercise regularly to stay in shape. But don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way.)

Vivian passed out twice (the second time was after watching a boring program on TV), so Maki had to score 12 points. She maxed cooking for 2 points and got promoted twice. She also added $30,000 to household income, completed the Computer Whiz aspiration, and gained 2000 satisfaction points for another 6 points. Finally, she became good friends with Yumiko Nakamura and gained another level in programing.

[cyclonenic]

Oh dear, the horrors of Grim seem to always make Vivi pass out poor girl! I quite liked her hips. They were good baby making hips  Loving all her outfits too.

Congrats Maki on getting that next 10 points, especially for completing the C Whiz aspiration, that seemed to go quickly! Though you really should look into getting some shorts that at least fit your bottom 

Maki and Ishaan renewing vows = <3

And Vlad as a Vendor just made me LOL- selling food as a front to get his food, so clever Vlad.

[FrancescaFiori]

Oh, Grim getting confused about who to reap cracked me up! Glad he picked the right one!

Nice going using the Insta-Lean as a bargaining chip to get Vivi on board with the dynasty. I may have to see if it works on my sims to get them to do what I want more often.

[oshizu]

Poor Vivi and her lack of marital options but her sensitivity and strength of character will make her a great heir!

Wow, that Insta-Lean Potion really packs a punch!
It's almost time for Maki to pass the torch!

My favorite shot was Vlad as the food stall vendor, haha.

[MarianT]

Chapter 39 -- The Last 10 Points and Free Day



The first thing that Maki had to do was to make sure that Navya was laid to rest next to her mother, Aarohi.



The second thing was to finish up the programming skill and also to get the last promotion. She was working on both when Vivi came home from school.
"Guess what," she announced. "I beat Sharon Baines by two ounces at weigh-in, so I got to be at the top of the pyramid!"
"That's nice, dear," said Maki. "Now who is Sharon Baines?"
"Our head cheerleader," said Vivi. "The one who's been jumping on my back -- literally -- since day one of high school. Oh, and by the way, I promised the Watcher I'd go ahead with the whole dynasty thing, so if you want to check out the profiles of the local bachelors, I'm okay with that."



The current crop was not very promising -- two elders, one evil and one who hated children, and two adults, both hot-headed. Maki decided to check out the hot-headed one who was not also a glutton, Marcos Shimizu (no relation to her grandmother Izumi Shimizu).



"Being a spouse will mean that you'll have the privilege of being in a dynasty. You'll get 5 days when you can do whatever you want -- within reason -- and you'll have the joy of seeing your child continue the line. Oh, and your portrait will hang for posterity in our family museum, and there's a good chance you'll be buried in the family plot."
"You haven't told me anything about your daughter," said Marcos.
"Well, she's still a teen. I thought it would be best if you became friends with her first."



To encourage a friendship between Marcos and Vivi, Maki gave him a key to the apartment. "Come by any time," she said. "After all, you're practically family."



Marcos made the acquaintance of Vivi in the bathroom, as she finished washing her hands. The joke he told didn't get an overwhelmingly positive result, but at least she didn't get mad.



Maki started to help Vivi with her homework, but then realized there was someone else on the premises who could do that, someone whose relationship with Vivi would improve by the action. She called Marcos over and went back to work on the computer.



A couple of days later Maki was finished with maxing the computer skill and ready to take on video gaming. She also needed one more point -- which she picked up from becoming good friends with Marcos.



Renewing her vows with Ishaan enabled him to complete his Soulmate aspiration which brought in another 2 points. And it put her in a very good mood for getting that last promotion at work.



All things considered, except for her back, Maki felt pretty pleased with herself when she became an elder.

Final Stats -- Maki Zest
Skills: 11 -- programming 10, video gaming 1
Promotions: 15 -- Maki 8, Ishaan 3, Navya 3, Vivi 1
Satisfaction Points: 8
Good Friends: Ishaan Joyson, Vivi, Navya Joyson, Shanaya Gupta, Yumiko Nakamura, Marcos Shimizu
Gold Date: 1
$30,000: 2
Maxed Skill/Job/Aspiration:12 -- Maki cooking, programming 4, Vivi potty training 2/Tech Guru 2/Maki Computer Whiz 2, Ishaan Soulmate 2
Negatives: Vivi pass out -3, Navya pass out -1
Total -- 51

[cyclonenic]

Oh wow, maxing her job and aspiration, go Maki!

Congrats Vivi for getting the edge over Sharon. Does this means she gets to be top of the pyramid now?

I feel for Vivi and her severe lack of suitors. Marcos looks like he may scrub up well with a meeting with the dresser.

[MarianT]

Chapter 40 -- Transition to Vivi



(Happy Birthday, Vivian! Let me be the first to congratulate you and let me give you this Moodlet Solver potion so you can get started painting.)
"But I thought I was finished after I did Mom and Dad."
(No, you're contributing 10 paintings to the Museum.)



Later...
(I guess your futile attempt at flirting didn't go so well.)
"You're the one who selected it. I was quite willing to stick with 'brighten day' and 'compliment outfit.'"
(Well, to be honest, I wanted to see what would happen. Let's see -- we can try "reluctantly embrace," "ineptly kiss cheek," "crudely compliment appearance" -- none of these sound very promising. I don't see how you're going to get married if you can't even get him in the mood -- ah!)



"Do you really think a couple of stick figures with a heart are going to make me feel flirty?"



(Oh, let's take a break and go over to hang your paintings in the Museum.)
"Wow. I didn't realize how many ancestors I had. I mean I knew there were 7 but seeing their portraits makes a difference. It really is pretty inspiring."



(And here are your paintings. Now call Marcos and have him come over.)



(Okay, I think he's feeling flirty enough not to mind that you just told him that his shoulders are so broad that you hardly notice that he's developing a pot belly.)



Several hours and several Flirty Potions later, Vivi has managed to get Marcos to accept a proposal of marriage and agree to an elopement.



(And we have confetti! By the way, that grill has to become history before it becomes toast.)

Vivi's Stats upon Moving in:
Portraits: $297
Collection of Paintings: $1761
Satisfaction Points: 85
Household Income: $18,885
Skill: Painting, 5

Watcher's Note -- Sorry there are so few pictures. I was concentrating on maneuvering Vivi through her minefield of romantic options. Luckily, First Kiss, Propose, Elope, and Try for Baby don't have little pink padlocks next to them.

[FrancescaFiori]

Oh, man. The unflirty interaction labels are such a mood killer! In my experience, they work just about as well as regular flirty interactions (provided your partner is not also unflirty), but the hard part is actually getting yourself to click on them. They're so discouraging!

Kudos to Vivi for forging her way forward and getting together with Marcos!

Love the shots of the museum portraits. You've come so far!

P.S. I didn't get the toast joke, but googling it did lead me to come across a very amusing discussion on reddit regarding the point at which bread becomes toast, so that you for that.

[oshizu]

Wow, already 7 portraits in your museum.
I'm with Vivi. Hearing there are seven and seeing 7 portraits are not the same!

Congratulations, Watcher, on helping your unflirty sim successfully initiate all those romantic socials!
That sounds so stressful!
I think Marcos could be a nice match for her, even if hotheaded. And he's not an elder!

It's hard to believe that you've already started Generation 8!

[MarianT]

@FrancescaFiori, there's an expression, if something becomes toast, that means it's done, it's over, it's gone up in flames. And of course, if something becomes history that means the same. So basically we got rid of the grill before it could go up in flames. But I never realized people could actually discuss when bread becomes toast, so thanks for making me aware of that.

As for the unflirty romantic options, if the other Sim is not in a flirty mood, they seem to result in embarrassment and an awkward encounter. The flirty potion is strong enough to give you some options with pink edges, and those seem to work okay.

[MarianT]

Chapter 41 -- The First 10 Points and Free Day



"I'd really rather not be photographed in the bathroom."
(Sims have been proposed to, gotten married, and even tried for baby in bathrooms. Capturing the moment you discover you're pregnant is actually something that can only be done in the bathroom.)



Marcos was the first to get the good news.



And Maki the second. Unfortunately, she had some news of her own -- Ishaan had died about the same time that Vivi and Marcos were getting married. But he did know about the baby and sent a congratulatory text.



Yuma Heights is quite a large house.



Vivi was able to add $30,000 to household income almost entirely by selling off extra beds and the knight's armor in one of the bedrooms.



She and Marcos plan to move up to the 3rd floor once the baby has finished its toddler days. Right now, she uses the balcony just for painting.



It has some lovely views.



Vivi began learning how to cook.



Marcos took her comment about his pot belly to heart and began exercizing. By the end of the first free day, he went from level 1 fitness to level 5 and joined the athletic career.



Moving into a house wouldn't be complete without a visit from the unwelcome wagon -- Vlad Straud, who doesn't even live in Oasis Springs.



His story was that he'd heard about Marcos's complete collection of crystals and wanted to admire them.
(Watcher's Note -- Marcos also has nearly complete collections of frogs and metals in his inventory, the first time I've seen that. He doesn't have a collecting aspiration either, but wants to be a city native.)



Given the size of the house, Vivi wanted to add another person, just to make sure the baby wouldn't be neglected when she went to work. She met Akshara Anand in the Spice Market District of San Myshuno. As soon as they became friends, she asked her to move in.



Vivi didn't realize that Akshara had a son and teen-aged daughter, but of course they were welcome. Siya, the daughter, soon became a young adult, and Shaurya, the son, a teen. Since Siya's hairstyle was the same as Vivi's, she got it cut.



"Huff, huff, aieee!"
"Help, help, someone call 911!"
(You know, Marcos is actually the first Sim spouse I've seen go into a panic at the right time in the right place. Usually they're on the other side of the lot or they throw the fit an hour later.)
"I -- huff -- don't care -- ow -- what spouses -- huff -- usually...owww!"



And just like that, Marcos's panic and Vivi's pain ended and Olive Zest appeared on the scene.



The next morning there was a Flea Market in San Myshuno, and Vivi was able to sell all the paintings she'd kept at a 25% markup. "I should go for 100% next time," she said. "My stuff is hot!"



(Another Watcher's Note -- My favorite thing in TS2 was watching toddlers fall asleep. Before we got toddlers in TS4, it was watching babies wake up. They do a little stretch and yawn, which is quite endearing, as Olive demonstrates.)



And just like that, Olive figured out how to walk, or rather, lurch.



Siya is turning out to be a good baby-sitter, firm, but encouraging.



And Olive, like her mother before her, prefers eating anywhere to being in the high chair.



Vivi spent her free day at work, so she was stressed when she came home. She's taking time off tomorrow, though, to be with Olive. Siya got a job in Social Media, and Marcos in Athletics. Akshara is going to wait until Olive becomes a child before she takes a job.

Vivi picked up 2 points from adding $30,000 to household income, 2 points from earning 2000 satisfaction points, 3 points from gaining levels in painting, 1 point from getting a promotion, and 2 points from becoming good friends with Marcos and Olive.

[oshizu]

How nice that Vivi's marriage is working out after all. And what a house!
I'm loving her paint by reference paintings of scenery, wild flowers, and so on. Very nice (and ingenious).

Siya is growing so quickly! Everything seems to be going smoothly for this generation so far!
(I laughed about selling off the knight...what a find!)

[FrancescaFiori]

Wow! How interesting to find a spouse with a pocketful of collections! I've never had that happen. What luck!

Vivi's paintings from reference are so lovely I'm surprised she could let herself sell them, but I'm glad she's having good luck at the flea market.

Nice move adding some helpers, even if you got more than you bargained for.

Olive is adorable, and I'm glad she'll have plenty of caregivers.

[MarianT]

Chapter 42 -- The Second 10 Points and Free Day



Warning -- This is one of only four screenshots that do not show a toddler. This shows the parent of a toddler. If you've had your fill of toddler spam, skip to the end of the chapter.



Breakfast time, and you can almost tell by the expression on Olive's face, what's going to happen next.



For someone who's only at level 1 Movement, she has pretty good aim.



She was treated to a bubble bath anyway.



Vivi took a few minutes to work on a painting, and Akshara came in on her own to watch Olive play with her blocks.



That night, after a potty session and late snack, Olive was left on her own. She had a short conversation with the big orange thing.



Then she went wandering on her own and found her father looking up something on WebMD. (Note -- When Olive is by herself, the Watcher "watches" her to monitor her needs, hence the plumbob.)



Even though he wasn't feeling well, Marcos complied with her request to do flashcards. (And I must say that Marcos has been a real gem of a spouse.)



Eventually Marcos had to go lie down, much to Olive's displeasure.



Just screaming wasn't satisfying enough, so she engaged in a small act of vandalism.



Which escalated.



Happy again, Olive settled down to play with her blocks until Vivi woke up enough to put her back to bed. (Is it my imagination, or do parents of toddlers lose energy more quickly than normal?)



Next morning (or afternoon -- it's easy to forget what time of day it is when dealing with a toddler), Olive chatted with her empty food bowl until someone came and got her out of the high chair.



There was something she wanted to investigate...



And she chose to take an air bath rather than the one her mother intended.



Dressed again, Olive demonstrated her new skill.



Vivi went upstairs to get her but stopped to repair the broken jukebox. While she was doing that, Olive came downstairs on her own.



A little after midnight, Vivi got a call from her mother, saying she wanted to come over. "Sure!" said Vivi. "You know you're welcome any time."
Maki never made it through the front door.



"Don't you dare wake the baby," were Maki's last words to Grim.



A little while later, Grim went to check on the rest of the family. "It was very peaceful," he said. "The last thing she wanted was for you and the little one to get upset. You'll find her urn downstairs on the front porch."



Next morning, Olive experienced a new taste sensation -- peas.



After eating, she went to pay a social call on Akshara in her boudoir.



A little while later she received instruction from Shaurya in the fine art of block stacking.



Meanwhile, during the free day, Marcos celebrated his elder birthday. He and Vivi actually found the time, energy, and empty bed to celebrate another way, too.

Vivi, Marcos, and Siya each got a promotion at work, Olive maxed potty training, and Vivi reached level 10 in painting, which also caused her to gain 2000 aspiration points. Astonishingly, no one passed out, although there were a few near misses.

[oshizu]

That was quite a stellar week for the entire family!

I'm glad Vivi ended up with such a nice spouse! And Olive is just too adorable! She's wearing the new 17th anniversary T-shirt, which I hadn't seen yet!
Do your toddlers get cuter every generation?

Rest in peace, Maki! The timing of her death was quite something, resulting on her urn on the front porch...