The Straud Dynasty (new -- Dec 11)

[MarianT]

Chapter 86 -- Agatha -- All the Cousins

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It's not enough at work for me to be brainy and logical any more. I have to be in good shape, too -- not just slender, but also muscular.

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I went over to Vital Climb to do some arm work and also get training from Aarav Gupta, who is now my good friend.

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After my work on the punching bag, I tried the climbing wall, and discovered that my competitors were Argus (more adept) and Jocasta (less). I don't know how long it's been since the three of us were all in the same place.

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I mentioned the coincidence at home and later heard Rudy and Scott chuckling over something. "It'll be so cool," said Rudy. "She'll freak," said Scott.

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After they came home from school the next day, I looked outside and saw that their cousins Mort and Mick had joined Scott on the monkey bars.

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When I looked again, all of the children (excluding Arianna, who is still a baby) were in the back yard. Scott told me they've formed a club so they won't lose touch with each other in the future.

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That might be a good idea. When Mom and I went over to the Solar Flare Lounge the other night, we had no idea that Cousin Jocasta would be performing there.

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She told me later that she was gathering material for her next screenplay.

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I brought home a new desk (legitimately), and Travis said he found it very useful when he was working on his new app -- TwinTrak. It's for parents of twins, to help them keep track of which twin is doing what.

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Travis has gone into the eSport Competitor branch at work, so is spending more time playing computer games now.

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Summer has been helping him with that. Surprisingly, she's the best player in the house and has even unlocked the Genie game. I guess it's not too surprising now that I think of it -- she likes to play games after she finishes cleaning.

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The Sixamites grabbed Alyssa the other night. She was really cross when she returned. Apparently they'd mistaken her for me and warned her not to collect any more space rocks.
"Why not?" I asked.
"They said it would give you an unfair advantage in your competition with Cousin Jocasta."
"But we're not in competition," I said.
"Well, they think you are," said Alyssa.
Competition for what? I couldn't help wondering.

[PeregrineTook]

Ah, dear sweet Agatha sharing her update with all sorts of family!  I actually really enjoy how connected you manage to keep them. 
Poor Alyssa.  Of course, being mistaken for Agatha is quite the compliment.  Agatha is second in beauty only to Queen Gretchen!

[FrancescaFiori]

The kids club is too adorable! So fun to see them all playing together!

The climbing wall comparison cracked me up. Poor Jocasta!

Way to go on the video gaming, Summer! I like to play after I clean, too. Except without the cleaning part.

[MarianT]

Way to go on the video gaming, Summer! I like to play after I clean, too. Except without the cleaning part.

You and me both!

Jocasta fell just when I noticed the three of them were on the walls, so I quick grabbed the picture.

@PeregrineTook, it is fun seeing the other family members around. Right now, I'm mostly concerned about getting the kids to work on their aspirations (not easy, seeing as how most of the time I can't control them), which is kind of dull to write about.

[oshizu]

At Vital Climb, I couldn't find Jocasta at first and laughed to find her splattered on the floor at the bottom of her climbing wall. Poor Jocasta!

What, there's no competition? My memory must be deceiving me but isn't there some benefit gained by the winning household every generation?
But how would one decide which heir "won"? Or maybe the Sixamites have determined some criteria for victory?

It's so cute seeing all the cousins together!
How do you handle the children's aspirations? Do you mostly get them to level the particular skill first, then deal with specific aspiration goals on a free day?
I can't even imagine how hard it must be.

Way to go on the video gaming, Summer! I like to play after I clean, too. Except without the cleaning part.

I've started a new rehab program where I can only play after x hours of housecleaning...

[MarianT]

At Vital Climb, I couldn't find Jocasta at first and laughed to find her splattered on the floor at the bottom of her climbing wall. Poor Jocasta!

What, there's no competition? My memory must be deceiving me but isn't there some benefit gained by the winning household every generation?
But how would one decide which heir "won"? Or maybe the Sixamites have determined some criteria for victory?

It's so cute seeing all the cousins together!
How do you handle the children's aspirations? Do you mostly get them to level the particular skill first, then deal with specific aspiration goals on a free day?
I can't even imagine how hard it must be.

Way to go on the video gaming, Summer! I like to play after I clean, too. Except without the cleaning part.

I've started a new rehab program where I can only play after x hours of housecleaning...

Yes, there's still a competition going on. Agatha might not be aware of it, but Argus and Jocasta sure are.
Children's aspirations are difficult. My preference would be to finish the tasks and then have them complete the skills, since I could start them on that just before the end of a free day. But usually, they max the skill first. Parenthood helps a little. Social Butterfly is the worst -- it seems like they can make only one friend per free day. I made the mistake this generation of trying for it early. It's better to wait until they've picked up enough points for the Incredibly Friendly reward.

[MarianT]

Chapter 87 -- Argus -- Second Quarter Report

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I can't tell you what a big help Hugo has been to us with the children. Besides cooking up excellent meals for us, he has always been there to look after them.

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But even though he slimmed down (almost entirely on his own), the day finally arrived when the Grim Reaper came for him.
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Poor Britta walked in on the reaping.

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Her cousin Rudy was also affected, even though he didn't know Hugo. "Someday my Aunt Summer is going to go, too," he sobbed, while Britta tried to console him.

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Grim stayed around long enough to watch the Khlumzee Sisters movie before leaving.

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I added his tombstone to our graveyard, right beside my grandparents, the next day. Mom is an elder now, and it won't be long before she goes, too.

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After saying good-bye to Hugo, I went into our museum. Dad was there, and I gave him a big hug, which probably surprised him as I'm usually not so demonstrative.

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We converted Hugo's room to a room for Arianna. When she gets older, we'll probably move her into the nursery upstairs with Britta, and give this room to Vanessa.

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She soon went from being a quiet baby to becoming a maelstrom of energy.

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Justine has taken over Hugo's role of babysitter. Her job in public relations allows her to work from home. Also, we know that Arianna will be safer with her than she would be with Max, who is evil and insane.
 
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That said, Arianna seems to have a lot in common with Max. The other day I grabbed her and suggested flash cards before she could start destroying Britta's school project.

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As soon as I left for work, though, she demolished the solar system. (Note: We're going to keep her anyway.)

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As for the other members of the family, my lovely Luna is now the president of her company and looks quite elegant in her new suit.

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Despite her exalted position, she still enjoys playing dolls with Britta.

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Justine is making rapid progress in public relations. She's more interested in exercising, though, which she can only do at night.

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Vanessa has finished the Artistic Prodigy aspiration and is working on Social Butterfly. Teasing her Uncle Max is probably not the best way to become friends with him, though.

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She made friends with a little girl at the playground, Ashleigh, and is working on becoming friends with her cousins.

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Vanessa is an A student now, but still finds school frustrating sometimes. I wish she wouldn't take it out on poor Dino, though.

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But I'm not one to talk. I'm usually pretty good about keeping my emotions under control, but every once in a while something like a messy bathroom will cause me to throw a fit.
 
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Nevertheless, I couldn't be happier. I'm at the top of my profession, I've achieved my aspiration, and really, if I wanted to, I could spend all day playing with my little bumblebee.

Argus's Second 50 Points
Skills: 4 -- Programming, 2; Video gaming, 2
Promotions: 8 -- Argus, 3; Luna, 1; Justine, 2; Vanessa, 1; Britta, 1
Satisfaction Points: 4
$30,000: 2
Good Friends: 6 -- Mizuki Sasaki, Dina Caliente, Ira Ramesh, Arianna Straud, Masami Ishikawa, Pranev Ramesh
Places Visited: 3 -- Flea Market, Bathe De Rill, Straud Modern
Maxed Skills: 16 -- Argus, programming, parenting, video gaming, photography, 8; Vanessa, motor, creativity, 4; Britta, communication, social, 4
Maxed Aspirations: 4 -- Argus, Computer Whiz, 2; Vanessa, Rambunctious Scamp, 2
Maxed Career: 2 -- Argus, Tech Guru

[FrancescaFiori]

Nice going, Argus! Too bad about Hugo, but it seems like everything else is going well for him. I really liked the unexpected hug with Malcolm. Very sweet.

I love that Arianna's Straud eyebrows are very apparent even from a distance! She's so cute in her little bee outfit.

Also kind of loved Argus' tantrum about the messy bathroom. I was wondering how the "uncontrolled emotions" trait would work out. I haven't had a sim with that one yet. Very interesting!

[oshizu]

I love this household!
Excellent work in your careers, Argus and Luna!
Rest in peace, Hugo. I'm sure your gourmet meals and general company are dearly missed. Buuuuutttt, how great that Justine lives there now and with a job that allows working from home.
So many redheads in this house, lol.
I know Vanessa is the heir (isn't she?) and she looks very graceful like her lovely mother Luna.
But I can't help but feel partial toward that little trouble-maker Arianna. Her red hair, curly locks, and bumblebee outfit are just irresistible! What is her toddler trait?

[MarianT]

I love this household!
Excellent work in your careers, Argus and Luna!
Rest in peace, Hugo. I'm sure your gourmet meals and general company are dearly missed. Buuuuutttt, how great that Justine lives there now and with a job that allows working from home.
So many redheads in this house, lol.
I know Vanessa is the heir (isn't she?) and she looks very graceful like her lovely mother Luna.
But I can't help but feel partial toward that little trouble-maker Arianna. Her red hair, curly locks, and bumblebee outfit are just irresistible! What is her toddler trait?

Yes, Vanessa is the heir. Arianna has the clingy trait.

[PeregrineTook]

Still going to keep her though.  Hilarious!!
Another delightful update.

[MarianT]

Chapter 88 -- Jocasta -- The Grand Steward of the Arts

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That's who Diego is now. He got his final promotion just before the week ended.

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We celebrated by replacing the bathtub with a hot tub, and we gave it a test drive after the boys left for school.

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I celebrated by adding a beret to one of my ensembles.

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Diego celebrated by binge-watching his favorite show -- the Linda Llama Hour. Now that he's Grand Steward, he plans to write an article pointing out its deeper messages. He says that people think it's just a kids' show but they're wrong.
I say it's just a kids' show.

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Speaking of the children, Mort called a club meeting on their first free day so that he and Mick could work on gaining friends for their Social Butterfly requirements. Ashleigh showed up too.

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Britta came home with Mort and joined me and Papa in a lively game of cards.

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Later, Mort made a couple of calls to some adults he met at the playground. He says he likes using the phone -- "working the phone," was the expression he used.

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After finishing Social Butterfly, he turned to Artistic Prodigy. I tried to help him by suffering through mentoring his piano playing, but he wanted to pretend he was riding in a space carriage instead.

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Mick changed to Rambunctious Scamp when he was finished with Social Butterfly. Watching the Linda Llama Hour with his dad helped him get in the right mood for playing space explorer.

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He yelled at me the other morning when I was painting over the fish mural that had started to fade. I asked him if he was going through a phase, and he started crying. It turned out he'd been embarrassed at school when he thought one of his friends had had a birthday party without inviting him. I gave him a hug and we were friends again.

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Diego warned me when I moved in that we might get an occasional earthquake. I forgot about it until the other morning when we had a pretty good shake. The pictures and books all stayed in place, but both the jukebox and refrigerator were jostled and had to be repaired.

I still haven't received my final promotion, but we've been doing well financially. Thanks to the books Diego and I have written, we're making about 5000 simoleons a day. I've taken a break from writing for the public to writing a book of life for Mort, Mick, and Diego.

[oshizu]

Congrats to Diego on his final promotion in the Art Critic career!
Jocasta and hubby earn so much income with their writing--I'm sure the boys want for nothing!

Speaking of the children, Mort called a club meeting on their first free day so that he and Mick could work on gaining friends for their Social Butterfly requirements. Ashleigh showed up too.

Due to the club that includes all the cousins, Mort and Mick will have an easy time making friends their own age for Social Butterfly. It's their privilege since they came up with the idea, but the other cousins won't be able to take advantage of the same mechanic, I guess (since some of them will already be friends with Mort/Mick). Smart thinking, Mort and Mick!

Mort and Mick are cute, but I'm already missing Arianna...with her clingy trait, it's a good thing that she's Daddy's Girl.

[PeregrineTook]

Jocasta was rocking that beret!! 
Mort and Mick had better hurry and grow up.  It looks like Jocasta is flying through her requirements!

[FrancescaFiori]

Wow! Nice going, Diego! And nice for the whole family that the beret has been unlocked. Jocasta wears it very well.

Loved Mort "working the phone." Such a professional!

I'm going to have to watch the Linda Llama hour more closely next time it comes on. I'm very intrigued by these "deeper messages."