The Straud Dynasty (new -- Dec 11)

[MarianT]

Chapter 63 -- Final Report

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With Nadia's responsibilities winding down, she's found time to try making something with the building blocks.

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Sharon continues her work on the table, as we wait to see what new construction will emerge.

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And Justine gets to play with a space monster destroying the rocket ship that brought it to earth.

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Argus is soon going to be the main character from this branch of the family. Now that he has been promoted to Latte Artiste in the Barista career, he can quit any time.

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He's getting started on his portraits of the household members.

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Nadia was still in her work clothes when she posed.

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But he got a good picture of Malcolm. It's obvious here that Argus inherited Malcolm's nose, mouth, and fortunately, chin.

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Working on the Good Vampire aspiration is going to take up most of his time as a teen. Argus has to accumulate enough points to become a Grand Master Vampire so that he can buy the "tamed thirst" power. Getting instruction from his grandfather is one way to do that.

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And one level of the aspiration requires that he drink from two willing donors. His twin brother Andrew offered his wrist, but neither of Argus's parents wanted to. They both told him to keep his fangs away from them, and Argus was forced to find someone in the park.

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Dark meditation is another way for Argus to get vampire points, and he has much to meditate darkly about: what job will he get? what skills will he try to master? And what will he collect for his museum?

Nadia's 200 Points
Skills: 18 -- gardening, 5; pipe organ, 7; fishing, 6
Promotions: 34 -- Nadia, 9; Malcolm, 8; Sharon, 6; Kengo, 3; Argus, 3; Andrew, 3; Justine, 2
Satisfaction Points: 11
$30,000: 16
Collections: 12 -- magic beans, metals, elements, crystals, geodes, frogs
Places Visited: 3 -- Magnolia Blossom Park, Desert Bloom Park. Forgotten Grotto
Good Friends: 7 -- Andrew, Argus, Sharon Ricci, Tabitha, Justine, Invention Constructor, Alexander Goth
Maxed Skills: 78 -- Nadia, vampire lore, cooking, logic, gardening, charisma, handiness, gourmet cooking, painting, video gaming, 18; Malcolm, logic, 2; Argus, potty, communication, imagination, movement, thinking, motor, creativity, social, mental, vampire lore 20; Andrew, potty, communication, imagination, movemen, thinking, creativity, mental, 14; Tabitha, potty, communication, movement, thinking, mental, motor, 12; Justine, potty, communication, imagination, thinking, movement, creativity, motor, 12
Maxed Aspirations: 20 -- Nadia, The Curator, 2; Argus, Whiz Kid, Rambunctious Scamp, Artistic Prodigy, 6; Andrew, Social Butterfly, Artistic Prodigy, Rambunctious Scamp, 6; Tabitha, Whiz Kid, Rambunctious Scamp, 4; Justine, Rambunctious Scamp, 2
Maxed Careers: 4 -- Nadia, Scientist, 2; Argus, Barista, 2
Negative: -2 -- Sharon pass out, Nadia pass out

[Magz from Oz]

Yay.  Go Argus!  Still I don't want to give up on Nadia's chin just yet.  I predict a reappearance in a future generation. 

[PeregrineTook]

As Argus takes over, I will miss Tabitha.  Hoping she makes lots of guest appearances.
That profile shot during the vampire training was pretty sweet.  Hadn't realized from the front views that Argus' face was quite that flat nor that his chin was quite that pointy.  I believe it sticks out almost as far as his nose (unless he was just making an odd expression that exaggerated it).

[MarianT]

I guess Argus did inherit his grandfather's chin.

[MarianT]

Chapter 64 -- Life as a Teenage Vampiress

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Probably the best thing about being a vampire is that you get to have a dark form, and you can wear anything. Papa and Mama would never let me wear a dress like this normally (the only thing keeping it up is the obi), but as a vampire I can show as much skin as I want. The only thing I don't like is that my dark form has so many wrinkles.

One thing I have to do because of the family curse is to complete the Good Vampire aspiration. Part of that is to ask a couple of people to let me drink from them. Mama acquiesced because she was once a vampire herself. And so did Aunt Cass, for the same reason, but she left before I could drink. That's okay, though -- all she had to do was give permission.

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Another thing I have to do is learn how to make a plasma pack. I can order them from the computer, but I have to actually make a few myself. Catching a frog wasn't hard, but rendering it -- ugh. At least it didn't smell of formaldehyde like the one I had to dissect at school.

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I thought doing a fish might be easier. Mama says that she and Papa used to go fishing at night together, and that she was quite fond of fishing when she was my age. Of course, when she was my age, she was a boy, which is a long story that I won't go into. Anyway, I don't enjoy making a plasma pack out of fish any more than I do out of a frog.
 
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And finally, I have to get training from some other vampire -- in this case, my grandfather. I'm also supposed to become good friends with him. I don't know how that's going to happen. At the moment he thinks I'm pretty hopeless in my training. I know what the commands mean, but somehow my body refuses to do the same thing he just did.

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Anyway, I've made the acquaintance of Lilith Vatore, a vampiress who used to live near Grandfather Straud. I think I'll ask her to go over the basics with me and then go to Grandfather for the more advanced stuff.

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As for the rest of my life, I go to school every day like any other teenager. Because I'm a dynasty heir (no money, just requirements), I have to get an A (done) and reach the top level of a part-time job (retail, also done).

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And I also have to paint portraits of every member of my family. So far I've done Mama, Aunt Cass, and Grannibella.

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That includes my little cousin Lotty. She's just a kid, and I know it's not her fault that she got saddled with the hot-headed trait, but she can be a real pain sometimes. And she always gets mad if you beat her at chess, which is bound to happen because all the rest of us are better at the game than she is.

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Mama has a bunch of things that she has to do before turning over full control to me. She maxed handiness recently and got the tools she needed to go explore an old mine shaft where there's good fishing.

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And she also maxed dancing. She set up a little area in the second floor hallway where we all can dance to the radio.

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Both my younger sister and brother, Chiara and Gavin, have been trying to become social butterflies so they can age up to adolescence. Chiara became friends with our cousin Tabitha, which was all she needed to complete the aspiration.

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She requested a pink cake for her birthday (which Gavin might have to use, although Mama will probably make him one that's all his own).

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I'm kind of envious that Chiara inherited the Straud physique, even though she says she's too thin. Now that she's older, you can see that she got her nose and mouth from Mama (who says she inherited them from Grandmama Zoe), and her eyes from Papa.

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I think Papa is a little disconcerted at the thought of having two teenaged daughters. I already know whom I'm going to marry (but nobody else does yet), but Chiara will be free to get involved with anyone and everyone. I don't think Papa's prepared for that.

[PeregrineTook]

Ooooo, can't wait to see who the spouse choice will be!
The bit about "when mom was my age she was a boy" was priceless!  Such a lovely update.  Of course, sneaking in a shot of Tabitha always makes things even better  ;=)

[MarianT]

Chapter 65 -- Final Report

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I finally mastered this pose in yoga, so I'm showing it off here.

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I don't know whether Paolo was really happy with his massage. He kept saying "ouch!" when I went after his deep tissues. I enjoyed it, though *wink*.

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Jade was so close to maxing logic that I persuaded her to stay home from work one day so we could play chess. Instead of playing at home, I took her to Hare's Square so I could get a point for visiting a new community lot.

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I took Paolo out for a date, and we decided to go to Zara's restaurant for ice cream. The ambiance was convivial rather than romantic, but we flirted anyway.

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Before our ice cream could be delivered, though, a fight broke out.

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When the dust settled, we were both surprised to see that the two combatants were Malcolm and his son Andrew. "I didn't think teens could fight with adults," I whispered to Paolo. He just shrugged, then said, "It looks like the kid got the best of his old man." Zara was shocked, and Nadia was embarrassed -- I didn't know whether to offer sympathy or just keep my mouth shut. Our ice cream never did make it to the table, so we left after finishing our coffee because Paolo had to go to work.

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The last community lot I visited was the Vital Climb Gym. It was late at night so I had the place to myself. I think climbing is a metaphor for life -- there's always a handhold if you just look for it, but sometimes your foot slips and you fall.
 
Speaking non-metaphorically, my greatest regret is that I wasn't able to keep Rudy from dying. My greatest joy is that I married Paolo, and my greatest pride is in my two girls, Agatha and Alyssa. I'll always be grateful to Marcus, Eva, and Jade, and to my parents, and the Watcher, of course.

Looking forward to the future, I can't wait to see who Agatha marries and how her children turn out. And now I'm not going to say any more because I don't want to start crying. I'm at the top of my mountain, and I just want to sit and admire the view for a while.

Gretchen's 200 Points
Skills: 24 -- DJ Mixing, 10; Wellness, 8; Fitness, 5
Promotions: 31 -- Gretchen, 3; Paolo, 8; Jade, 7; Eva, 4; Agatha, 3; Rudolfo, 4; Alyssa, 2
Satisfaction Points: 15
$30,000: 20
$10,000 - Retail: 10
Gold Medal Parties: 1 -- Date
Character Traits: 3 -- Agatha, Responsible, Compassionate, Argumentative
Good Friends: 10 -- Rudolfo, Agatha, Eva Capricciosa, Marcus Flex, Alyssa, Jade Rosa, Yumiko Yoshida. Janine Winslow, Don Lothario, Jaron Kellogg
Places Visited: 8 -- Burners & Builders, Fit & Fancy, Point & Shoot, Chez Llama, Hare & Hedgehog, Hare's Square, Zara's Ices, Vital Climb Gym
Maxed Skills: 72 -- Gretchen, Cooking, Vampire Lore, Fitness, Painting, Gourmet Cooking, DJ Mixing, Charisma, Handiness, Dancing, Photography, 22; Agatha, Potty, Communication, Movement, Imagination, Social, Mental, 12; Rudolfo, Potty, Communication, Imagination Movement, Thinking, Creative, Mental, Motor, 16; Alyssa, Potty, Communication, Imagination, Movement, Thinking, Creativity, Social, Mental, 16; Paolo, Fitness, 2; Marcus, Fitness, 2; Jade, Logic, 2
Maxed Aspirations: 22 -- Gretchen, Body Builder, 2; Agatha, Whiz Kid, Rambunctious Scamp, Social Butterfly, Artistic Prodigy, 8; Rudy, Artistic Prodigy, Whiz Kid, Rambunctious Scamp, 6; Alyssa, Artistic Prodigy, Whiz Kid, Rambunctious Scamp, 6
Maxed Careers: 6 -- Agatha, Retail, 2; Rudolfo, Retail, 2; Paolo, Athletic, 2
Negatives: -19 -- Marcus, Fire, Pass out, -3; Jade, Pass out, -3; Eva, Pass out, -4; Alyssa, Bladder fail, -1; Agatha, Fight, Pass out, -3; Rudolfo, Death from Sunlight Exposure, -5.

[PeregrineTook]

So adore my Gretchen and I will miss her updates tremendously! 
Looking forward to finding out who Agatha marries and to her beautiful nooboos (my Gretchen will be a granny!).

[MarianT]

So adore my Gretchen and I will miss her updates tremendously! 
Looking forward to finding out who Agatha marries and to her beautiful nooboos (my Gretchen will be a granny!).

You're just going to have to send your good wishes to Agatha. She's starting at zero and will need all the help she can get.

[oshizu]

I really enjoyed Gretchen's final update as heir before she passes the baton to Agatha.

Nadia's Final Report spilled a lot of ink about the next heir, Argus. Gretchen, however, kept the narrative reins firmly in hand.
She tied up all the loose ends and reflected on her "reign" with a metaphorical climb, ending at the mountain peak enjoying her view of the path she'd traveled.
Great writing!

P.S. I was really surprised by the fight between Malcolm and Andrew! Could the fight between a teen and adult only occur, I wonder, because they weren't being controlled?

[MarianT]

I really enjoyed Gretchen's final update as heir before she passes the baton to Agatha.

Nadia's Final Report spilled a lot of ink about the next heir, Argus. Gretchen, however, kept the narrative reins firmly in hand.
She tied up all the loose ends and reflected on her "reign" with a metaphorical climb, ending at the mountain peak enjoying her view of the path she'd traveled.
Great writing!

P.S. I was really surprised by the fight between Malcolm and Andrew! Could the fight between a teen and adult only occur, I wonder, because they weren't being controlled?

I was surprised by the fight, too. I think you're right, that a fight between a teen and an adult can only happen when they're not controlled. Also, the two of them have a pretty good relationship, so I don't know what the fight was about.

[MarianT]

Chapter 66 -- A New House

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"Agatha here. I realize it's a great honor to be a controlled Sim and a dynasty heir, but honestly -- frogs?"
They're easy to collect, and you're able to be outside during the day, unlike your cousins.
"Watcher? To what do I owe the honor of your conversation?"
You're argumentative. Rather than have you alienate your family, friends, and co-workers, I thought I'd give you someone to argue with. Have you made up your mind about your spouse yet?

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"I thought I'd decided, but if he's just going to sleep all the time..."
He's an uncontrolled vampire, dear. They're not very good at looking after their needs. If you wake him up, he'll talk to you.

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"You like Captain Picard, too? I can't believe it! He's my favorite, Travis."
"And you know who my second favorite is -- don't laugh. It's Captain Janeway."
"The bun?"
"Is that any way to talk about the first woman to pilot a starship?"
"You're right," Agatha sighed. "To be honest, I'm thinking about becoming an astronaut myself."
"Great!" Travis yawned.

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Agatha took him home, and then went over to her mother's museum, Straud Mansion. After adding Gretchen's portrait to the wall, she went downstairs.

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There she found a space for her portraits and frog collection. (The rest of her frogs she turned into plasma packs for Travis.)

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After a long nap, Agatha went over to Travis's house when he was due home from work.
"So here's the deal, Travis," she explained. "Every so often you'll get a day when the Watcher controls you, so you can get promotions and work on skills. In return, we'll have to have lots of children and maybe move in a few helpers when Liberty and Summer are gone. Are you in?"
"Is this a proposal? I'm just asking because I never kissed anyone, and I always thought that kissing came before proposing."

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"Indeed, it does," said Agatha. "And I'm sorry about the rush job, but I'm on a deadline. I've got ten days in which to get married and give birth."

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"Yes! The little carrot cake is in the oven!"
You want a boy, then?
"Yes, and I plan to name him after Rudy. And I don't want to hear any reindeer jokes."
Wouldn't dream of it, dear. (Aside -- At least not until he's old enough to wear a Christmas sweater.)

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"Travis, please say you'll marry me, and please help me get to my feet again, because I have to tell you -- moving around is getting difficult."

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"I can't believe that the wedding planner doesn't think we're engaged. I was hoping we'd have a big wedding with my family and your housemates. I baked a cake and everything."
"Ssh. Let me just say that I never dreamed I would have such a beautiful woman walk into my life and want to marry me. And I promise to do anything that will make you happy -- reach the top of my career, complete my aspiration, anything."

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"Oh Travis, that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."
Watcher's note -- St. Llama's Church came from the Gallery, and is the work of irrelephant7. Also, there was apparently a bug that made it impossible for vampires to arrange weddings, but that has been fixed in the 7/18 patch.

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As the first one in her generation to leave home, Agatha was able to bulldoze Travis's old house and build a new one.

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"Watcher, how did they ever manage with just one bathroom?"
Best not to think about it. But three should be sufficient for the time being.

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Gretchen was not terribly impressed with the house. "The living room is awfully bare."
"I'll just have to steal some stuff and fill it up, then."
"Agatha!"
"My house, my rules, Mom."

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Liberty Lee was a geek like Agatha, so they soon became good friends.

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Summer Holiday is taking a little longer.

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"Why is Liberty throwing up when I'm the one who's pregnant and she's not?"
Because your house has the Grody lot trait. That means there's always going to be a nausea-inducing smell in the air. You also have On Ley Line and Child's Play. That last might be helpful with the toddlers.
"Why couldn't you give me something useful, like Science Lair or Fast Internet?"
The roll of the dice was what got you Child's Play, and the Witch's curse gave you Grody. You have your grandfather to thank for the Ley Line one.

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Agatha soon got down to business and began working on her rocket ship.

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Her other concern is making sure that Travis doesn't fry in the sun. Proposing a game of chess is one way to get him inside.

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And then there's another way.
"Mmm, no one ever told me there would be kissing after the proposal, too."
"You've got to stop playing Blicbloc, sweetheart. There's a lot that happens outside the computer that you don't know about."
Looks like Travis will be staying inside for the next two weeks.

Agatha's Moving in Stats
Traits: geek, kleptomaniac, ambitious, responsible, compassionate, argumentative
Portraits: Gretchen, Paolo, Marcus, Jade, Eva, Alyssa, and a selfie, worth $1160
Collection: frogs, worth $860
Satisfaction Points: 1125
Household Income: $15,711

[oshizu]

Wow, Agatha doesn't waste any time with her requirements!
Travis is a great choice for geeky Agatha. Summer will be the odd sim out in a house full of geeks! (I was surprised to see how much Liberty & Summer had aged.)

I loved the decor of the church you selected for their wedding! So lovely!
The Child's Play lot trait....does that mean Travis will be too busy playing with the Buildem Blocks Table to go outdoors?
When you say vampires can't "arrange" weddings, do you mean they can't phone in the wedding? Or is there a new feature I've missed?

C'mon Argus, you're falling behind, bro! Hurry and catch up!!!

[PeregrineTook]

Agatha is so beautiful!  Good heavens!!  Those selfies were amazing!
Loved that the courting involved a discussion of Star Trek captains  ;=)
The my house, my rules bit was rather hilarious as well. 
A lovely update all around!

[MarianT]

Chapter 67 -- Almost a Grand Master

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I thought I would kill two birds with one stone -- or two bats with one plasma fruit pit -- by getting Grandfather Vlad to give me vampire training. The two bats -- becoming good friends with him and leveling up in vampiric rank so I could buy the "Tamed Thirst" power that I needed to finish the Good Vampire aspiration. (Actually, I would also then need to spend 14 days without drinking from anyone, but the Watcher finds this tedious, so she's waiving that requirement for all future vampiric offspring.)

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Anyway, Grandfather Vlad was not impressed with my skills and yelled at me, which made me angry enough to change into my dark form and start thinking about who I could bite. Since it was broad daylight outside, this was not a good idea. I went home immediately and calmed down enough to fix a birthday cake for Tabitha, who had just polished off the last of her childhood aspirations.

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She looks just like Mom, which is kind of scary.

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What's really scary, though, is her dark form -- sort of a groupie from the nether regions.

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Justine wasn't able to finish her requirements before the last free day ran out, so she's stuck as a child until she ages up naturally.

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By which time, I hope to be out of the house entirely. It's hard enough trying to keep myself from frying without having to worry about Tabitha, too, and a second sister would be a disaster. As soon as we get home from school, I have to challenge her to chess, or foosball  to get her inside. And she never gets enough rest. Unlike Mom, I don't have the ability to tell her to get some sleep or to give her a second wind.

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To minimize the dangers at home, I spend a lot of time with my bride-to-be, Luna. Luna pretends that I'm joking about marrying her, but as soon as I have my next birthday, she's going to find herself awash in romantic interactions. To develop our friendship, I've been giving her training, and I can understand a little why Grandfather Straud got so mad at me. That's not an Ush Kinnara, honey. Not even close.

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When I don't have the energy for training, I watch television with her and her brother Max, who is a mascot for some sports team.

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But my favorite thing to do with Luna, since romance is off the table, is to get her to help me with my homework. Not that I actually use her answers -- I like to keep my A average intact -- but it's always amusing to hear what she'll say when I ask a question. Like, the Mayflower Compact was face powder made from spring blossoms. Luna admits that when she doesn't know the answer, she just makes one up, which explains why she had a C average in high school. Needless to say, she won't be helping our children with their homework.

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The other day when I got home from school, who should show up but my half-brother Rolando Fonseca. I hadn't realized he was a teen already, but I took the opportunity to turn him into a vampire.

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A couple of days later, he completed the transformation, and I'm kind of sorry I turned him because he's pretty lame-looking. In fact, I had to get rid of my comfy flannel shirt and torn jeans combination because it was identical with one he was wearing.

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Even his dark form is uninspiring. Oh well, he'll be good enough for a descendant of one of my cousins to marry.

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Changing Rolando did give me some of those precious points towards become a Grand Master, so I also changed Mariko Yamaguchi in Willow Creek...

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And Scott Bheeda from San Myshuno. His apartment is pretty small, but I won't be living there, so that's okay.

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When I'm not at Luna's, I also spend some time at my grandparents'. When Grandfather Straud needs to rest up for our training session, I put in some work on the exercise machine. I don't want to drop Luna when she jumps into my arms.

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It also gives me time to work on my relationship with Grandmother. Her time is getting near -- both Gavin and Mitchell have died, although J is still going strong.

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I do spend some time at home, too -- usually at night when it doesn't matter if Tabitha goes running around outside. I'm trying to develop my Spiderman skills -- I wonder if Luna would like to kiss me upside down?

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Andrew and I play darts together, and he's still my best friend. I'm thinking about asking him to move in with me when I marry Luna. Dad made him really mad the other day by telling him he was "useless" now that Mom's got all her points. I'm the heir, of course, and Tabitha and Justine are both vampires so some future cousin can marry one of them, but Andrew's normal. Anyway, Andrew was so upset that he got into a fight with him in Aunt Zara's restaurant. Andrew won -- good for him!

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I also spent a few hours working on a school project (Tabitha's, I think) and talking to Mom. She has lots of good tips about what I should do once I move out.

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Speaking of moving out, I'm using Mom's wormhole generator to go to Sixam and collect geodes. I can go there during the day without getting burned. Besides putting together my collection for the museum, I'm trying to gather enough geodes to have a full collection when I move, thus getting an extra 2 points. Of course, I won't know I have a full collection until I polish them, but even so, they'll be worth some money.

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Speaking of the museum, here's my portrait of Mom, hanging next to Grandfather.

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And here's the rest of my display. You can't see Kengo and Sharon very well, but that's okay, because the portraits aren't that great. I have to remember to add my selfie.

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And that pretty much wraps it up. I've got a feeling that the electrical project didn't quite turn out the way it was supposed to, but that's okay -- it's Tabitha's project anyway. Or maybe Andrew's. I've finished up the Fledgling, Minor, Prime, and Master levels of Vampirism and am halfway through Grand Master, so I won't be a teen much longer. Grandfather and I are good friends now, and all I have to do is get Conflict Resolution in range for the Mediator trait. I'm closer for Uncontrolled Emotions, but Grandfather says a Straud is always in control of his emotions, so that's no go.