The Kindle Random Town Jump

[Trip]

I'm not even over Blaise's death. Top tier ginger for sure.

[Beks]

I'm not even over Blaise's death. Top tier ginger for sure.

Top tier ginger indeed! I love that description of her. I miss her too, but I'm planning to keep her ghost around for a while, so we should be seeing her now and then. Thank you so much for reading, Trip! I'm honored.

[Beks]

Chapter 23 – Boys Will Be Boys Or Something

Because spouse-hunting is apparently my favorite part of playing the Sims, I get Caspian and Nile started early. I try to have them hang out with a variety of girls around town throughout their childhood so they can start building relationships.

They key word here, of course, is try.

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Lindy Ursine: “Caspian, Nile! Come play tag with me!”
Nile: “Not now, Lindy. Doing math.”
Caspian: “You know, we really ought to be studying GIRLS in school. They’re so weird and confusing!”

I still force the boys to socialize, though.

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This is Francine Kimura-Koffi, she of the striking blue eyes.

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And this is Gladys Crumplebottom, who might be my #1 pick purely because of her name.

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Lindy Ursine is here too, and does not approve of Nile talking to other girls.

The boys also spend some time getting to know their cousin, Trinity.

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Trinity: “Ever since my mom aged up, she’s had that stupid, fluffy hairdo. She looks like a grandma! Hahaha!”
Caspian: “Yeah…a pregnant grandma! Hahaha!”

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Ash is working steadily to get Rhone’s toddler skills set. I think he’s ready to be done with the toddler training, though…or at least the potty training. Or maybe he's just being dramatic.

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Rhone looks ready to be done also. Hang in there, bud—just a few more verb conjugations.

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“Psst, Daddy. I run, you run, he runs, she runs, they run, we run—“

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But the big news with Ash is that he finally maxes out his guitar skill, completing his Lifetime Wish. Congrats, Ash! (He also maxes out the painter career at some point, but I don’t even realize when it happens. Possibly weeks ago.)

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With level 10 guitar skill, Ash has the ability to attract a huge crowd and make thousands of dollars in tips when he plays downtown. Or maybe that’s just because he brought his cute toddler along.

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Corrie is rising through the political ranks at City Hall (and getting better work outfits) and finally gets to throw her first campaign fundraiser.

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It’s a hoppin’ party, with a lot of familiar faces from around town (including Seraphina, who still wears her wedding dress to parties, apparently).

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Zelda Mae (who is married to Christopher Steele and had better start having babies, please) makes sure the kids attending the party stay busy and happy.

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Corrie manages to raise a ridiculous amount of money at this party and makes a lot of new friends to boot. She’s not too far from maxing out the charisma skill at this point. She's on track for a fine career as a politician! Especially with that face.

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Justin, meanwhile, spends the party in the hot tub. That's my kind of party activity.

As the twins’ boyhood winds to a close, Nile figures out how to build towers with blocks.

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“Watcher, Watcher! Look at this tower I made with only one arm!”

Uh, yeah, cuz your other arm is EXTRUDING FROM YOUR NECK? That’s not how bodies work, kid! Stop that!

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On their last evening as children, the twins make for their spaceship-treehouse to watch the sun go down and cause some last-minute mischief (or whatever boys do in treehouses). As Nile is approaching the ladder, Aunt Seraphina waddles by sporting a massive pregnant belly. I have no idea why she’s here or how she snuck onto the lot, but it basically scares the bejesus out of me.

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Caspian joins a little while later. This kid really loves the treehouse—he’s voluntarily slept out here multiple times. I think he has an honorary Loves the Outdoors trait.

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“So, Nile…what’s Aunt Seraphina doing down there?”
“I don’t know. She’s been there since I came outside. She's just been…lurking.”
“Spooky.”
“Yeah.”

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The birthdays hit while the boys are up in the treehouse. Nile comes down first, for some reason, even though he’s younger, and leaps into his teenage years whilst his mother ridicules him for some unknowable reason.

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Caspian teleports to earth afterwards.

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“All right, earthlings. It's MY turn.”

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Somehow the teleporting thing cancels the “have birthday” interaction for Caspian, so he has his birthday indoors a few minutes later, via MasterController.

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Nile grows into a strapping lad and becomes—oh, lordy—Insane. (Have I mentioned that Nile is quickly becoming my favorite?)

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And Caspian, taking after both his parents, becomes Excitable. You can really tell, with these new traits, that neither of these boys gets enough sleep.

Much drama is ahead. Onward, to teenhood!

[Beks]

Chapter 24 – Everything Is Flammable

I swear to you, we had no fires in this house before Blaise died. Now that our built-in firefighter is gone, we have a fire approximately every five seconds. This family is really living up to its name.

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For example.

I don’t even know how this one breaks out. I mean, it’s always the stove—but I don’t think anybody was cooking anything. Everyone was cheering about cake! What happened, guys?!

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Caspian, with his newfound ability to Do Things, tries to put out the fire but can’t seem to figure out how to work a fire extinguisher. What, you mean your grandmother didn’t teach you this as a toddler? For shame, Granny Blaise!

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Since Caspian can’t figure it out, we have to wait for the actual firefighter to arrive (though he arrives in record time, I must say). The firefighter demonstrates that one must insert one’s fire extinguisher directly into the stove itself in order for successfully quell the blaze. Mmmkay, thanks for that.

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The fire dwindles, and still poor Caspian is left staring down the fire extinguisher tube, trying to figure out how to work it. Not exactly Handy, are ya, kiddo?

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After the fire finally dies, I have to pause the game and take this screenshot. Because I don’t think I ever realized before how utterly identical Ash and Justin look. Am I just an idiot? Have I been blind all these long years? They look like the same person thirty years apart! (If you could see Corrie’s face back there, you’d see that she and Nile also look really alike. So there’s that, too.)

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NPCs really seem to be glitched in Sunset Valley. Our faithful firefighter friend ends up sticking around and hanging out by the stove for a very long time after his work is done. He demonstrates his exhaustion with a dramatic flair that almost puts him on par with Ash.

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By morning, he’s still here, and demonstrating his Clumsy trait by toppling fully into the newly-replaced stove every so often. Such talent! Not all sims are capable of melding with furniture like that.

In spite of the firefighter loitering in their kitchen, Caspian and Nile must head to school and start learning stuff.

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Caspian: “You ready for our first day of high school, bro?”
Nile: “As ready as I'll ever be.”

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That evening, Rhone finally has a birthday, witnessed by most of his immediate family and…the firefighter. (Should we just go ahead and adopt this guy, or what?)

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Rhone ages up into a frankly beautiful child and becomes Clumsy. Evidently he’s absorbed some of the glitchy firefighter’s qualities.

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At long last, a full twenty-four hours after he arrived, our friendly firefighter detaches himself from the kitchen counter and makes his way upstairs to perform the firefighter ritual of Screaming At The Current Mrs. Kindle While She Sleeps. Then, finally, FINALLY, he takes off into the night.

Things settle down at last and the family gets some sleep. They’re going to need it…

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…because the next day is Justin’s last day on earth.

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At 104 days old, Justin Kayes Kindle has lived a long and prosperous life. He has singlehandedly hacked tens of thousands of dollars into the family bank account, raised two children and three grandchildren, cooked dozens of high-quality meals, and spent many glorious hours hot-tubbing. He’s ready to be reunited with Blaise. RIP, Justin.

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“Get ready, Blaise...I’m comin’ for ya!”

Needless to say, the Kindles are heartbroken, and must begin to deal with death in their own individual ways.

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That includes Rhone.

“What are you looking at, kid?”
“Nothing...what are YOU looking at?”

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At first, I wonder if Rhone is up to something suspicious. Then he pulls out a pillow. And he starts whacking the Grim Reaper over the head with it.

Grim whacks him back, and that, my friends, is how a ten-year-old boy deals with death.

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Nile: “Mom? Dad? Are you seeing this? I don’t know if this is a healthy activity…”

Nile, come on, you’re Insane! You ought to be joining in!

Death aside, Nile has something more pressing to deal with—young love.

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Nile has developed a bit of a crush on one of his childhood friends. (Or maybe I have. What? Never mind...) Even though it’s late and he’s suffering from that -50 Mourning moodlet, he shows up at the Crumplebottom house to see if the object of his desire is home.

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Gladys Crumplebottom has grown up into a slightly less adorable teen than I’d hoped, but there’s still something oddly cute about her. She kindly answers the door in her hot pink pajama shirt and flirts with Nile until the police come to pick him up. They become Romantic Interests just in the nick of time.

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“Oops, that’s my siren. Gotta go! See you in school, Gladys!”

Yes, Nile gets driven home by the cops since it’s after 11 pm. Ash gives him a proper scolding.

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“You took a taxi across town at midnight in a suit, just to talk to a girl?? Are you out of your MIND?!”

Grounded, Nile goes to bed exhausted and angry. The next morning, he’s forced to stay home from school, because that makes sense, but he tries to make amends by making all the beds in the house and cleaning some bathroom sinks.

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For some reason, this only makes Ash angrier.

“What on EARTH made you think plumping some pillows would get you on my good side? Are you insane?!”

Um, yes, Ash, he is. And I'm starting to think you are, too.

Well, it's been a couple days. Guess it's time for a fire.

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“Dad! Did you leave waffles in the oven when you came upstairs to scold me?!”
“What? Me? No, of course not! It was the butler!”
“Dad, we don’t have a butler! Grandpa fired the last two and the one before that vanished into thin air!”
“Just shut up and put out the fire, Nile!”

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He does. And, oh hey, it’s our firefighter friend again.

“Looks like you have this under control. I’m going to go home now.”

Yes, good boy.

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After the fire is out, Ash suddenly feels compelled to let his son off the hook.

“I guess since you just saved our lives and our espresso machine from certain doom, you can go to school now.”
“Gee, thanks."

I think we’re in for some wildly fun teen years.

[mpart]

The moment Blaise dies the house starts bursting into flames every five seconds. That's.... XD
I'm glad Justin is with Blaise now even if it is bittersweet. 

I'm glad that Ash values the espresso machine enough to let poor Nile off the hook.

[Beks]

The moment Blaise dies the house starts bursting into flames every five seconds. That's.... XD

I know, right? It's actually been kind of annoying, because now I have to actually make my sims put the fires out. Blaise no longer comes sprinting with her fire extinguisher to save the day.

I'm glad that Ash values the espresso machine enough to let poor Nile off the hook.

Agreed. Coffee is more important than everything, even family!

[Beks]

Chapter 25 – What It’s Like To Be Salad

We left off with Nile getting grounded, saving his angry dad (and espresso machine) from a fire, and getting un-grounded. Basically, he’s had a rough couple of days. But I’m happy to say that things are progressing steadily between him and Gladys Crumplebottom. Gladys voluntarily comes over after school and spends a lovely afternoon giggling with Nile and hugging Nile and holding hands with Nile.

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All is going as planned. All machinery is running smoothly. No problems to report.

And what about Caspian, you may ask?

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After Gladys goes home, Nile invites over his best friend and other potential spouse, Francine Kimura-Koffi. I intend this as a “let’s get to know the other option just in case” sort of deal, but apparently Francine has other plans. She makes a beeline for Caspian the moment she steps on the lot.

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Hmmm. Yes, things start heating up between these two right away. They hardly know each other, but Caspian is already popping wishes to give her gifts and ask her to prom. Plus, these two are both Athletic, which gives them something concrete to talk about. Also, side note: Francine turned out mega cute, did she not?

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By the end of the night, Caspian has asked Francine to prom (her response: “Sure, can you just make sure I show up?” #relatable) and kissed her for the first time. Hooray! Spouse hunting is proving to be pretty darn easy in this town. Thank goodness. After last generation, I personally am in need of a break from romantic drama.

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Oh hey, look who stops by for a visit! I come across Justin admiring his ghostly feet in the hot tub that night and can’t help but smile to myself.

He also makes a point of saying hello to his daughter-in-law.

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“Hello there, Corrie.”

“Hi, Dad.”

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He then proceeds to haunt…um…Corrie’s salad. I am not kidding. He hovers next to her for a moment, then takes a flying leap and dives into the autumn salad Corrie is literally about to put into her mouth. Needless to say, Corrie puts her fork the fork down and backs away warily.

“Dad, EW! Get out of my food!”

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Justin: “Ha ha, I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be salad!”
Corrie: “You’re disgusting, Dad.”

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In spite of being scarred for life by haunted lettuce the night before, Corrie gets promoted to Mayor the next day and gets a snazzy new work uniform. (She looks excited not because of her promotion, but because she's about to take her clothes off and jump in the hot tub. Go figure.)

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That evening is prom. Caspian looks dapper in his bright seafoam tuxedo; of course Nile foregoes his paisley suitjacket for this vintage athletic jacket and some fingerless gloves.

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The boys hop in the limo with Francine, who is officially going as Caspian’s date. It’s my hope that both boys will leave prom in steady relationships, but we’ll have to see how things go.

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In reality, prom goes very well for Caspian and not very well for Nile. After seeing Caspian’s smooth dance moves, Francine asks him to go steady. Nile, meanwhile, falls flat on his face on the dance floor. Caspian is voted prom king; Nile gets into a fight over someone wearing the same outfit as him. (Why does that always happen to my Insane sims, who don’t even wear the right clothes to prom?) There is no mention of Gladys in Nile’s prom notifications.

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The night’s excitement isn’t over. Soon after the boys go to bed, an unwelcome visitor appears on the lot. It’s our first burglar!

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Both of our Light Sleepers awaken right on cue, and the rest of the family hurries downstairs to apprehend the criminal.

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Before anyone can make a move, there’s a cop there, and she has the robber in a headlock. Impressive!

The cop takes care of the robber in record time. Corrie, apparently, has never seen anything so incredible in her entire life.

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“Oh my GAWD, that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever SEEN!”

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The burglar walks out in handcuffs…followed closely by Rhone. For a second, I wonder if Rhone has another one of his pillow-fight-with-evil-being things planned. Turns out he’s just heading out to play on the playground at 3 am.

With his prom night a bit of a failure, Nile is eager to make things right with Gladys. He calls her up and asks her to meet him at the beach. (This time, he remembers to wear his formalwear.)

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“There you are, Gladys! Can you come over here so we can talk?”

“Sorry, what?!”

“No, wait, it’s fine—I’ll wade out and meet you!”

“What?!?”

After several attempts at reaching Gladys physically or communicatively, it turns out Nile can’t interact with her while she’s swimming in the ocean. So after a little bit of resetsim (after which I assume she is sent back home), he calls her on the phone to ask her out again.

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“Oh, hey, Gladys! I just called you! I was hoping we could meet at the other beach—”

“You got it! I’ll meet you there!”

Well, that was rather pointless. In any case, the two young’uns eventually make it to Sunnyside Strand, where Nile grabs Gladys’s hand before she can run into the water again like the apparent mermaid she is.

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“Gladys, wait! I didn’t get a chance to talk to you at prom…I wanted to tell you—that, um—that I—“

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Nile decides that his actions will speak louder than words. And Gladys hears him loud and clear.

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Awwww. Look how sheepish and happy he looks!

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“Be my mermaid? I mean, my girlfriend?”

“Of course!”

And that’s both our twins set to go! Ahhh, it’s a relief to have that over with. *wipes palms* Congrats to the two happy couples. Now, what are we going to do for the next week and a half of teenhood?

[hazelnut]

Enjoying this so far.  Justin is one of my favourite Twinbrook townies.  I don't think I've played with Blaise, although I remember the hair (of course .  Their descendants are turning out to be an interesting bunch.

[Beks]

Enjoying this so far.  Justin is one of my favourite Twinbrook townies.  I don't think I've played with Blaise, although I remember the hair (of course .  Their descendants are turning out to be an interesting bunch.

Thanks hazelnut! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. And I'm happy to know that Justin has fans. He really is a treasure.

[Beks]

Chapter 26 – Exciting Things Happen When You Wear a Bikini


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Nile and Gladys have an…interesting relationship. As soon as he convinces Gladys to be his girlfriend, Nile immediately launches into a full-on display of his insanity. He talks about conspiracies, asks about Gladys’s supposed fishing habits, and makes weird faces—the whole bit.

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At first, Gladys humors him. Like, “Wow, Nile, that is truly fascinating."

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But she also doesn’t really buy all of his strange ideas and theories.

Nile: “…so it only makes sense that you’re a mermaid! Ha ha! I figured you out!"
Gladys: “Nile, stop it. You found me swimming ONE TIME, and besides, we don’t even have Island Paradise!”

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Hopefully it’ll be good for Nile to have someone around to keep him rational when necessary. These two are very sweet together.

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The rest of the family is thriving, as usual. Ash is drawing such crowds with his guitar playing that his audience members can’t untangle themselves in order to tip him. (Even with the traffic jam, he still manages to make like 3,000 simoleons from several hours of playing.)

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Rhone is a very happy kid, especially now that he has his big brothers’ spaceship treehouse all to himself. All he ever wants to do is play in it.

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Well, that and have pillow fights.

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I don’t think I’ve ever seen such miserable-looking kids doing homework together. Except Rhone, who just likes watching his older brothers squirm.

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Blaise makes an appearance to lick the crumbs off an empty plate now and then.

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Corrie is moving rapidly upwards in the political world. Tori Kimura-Koffi is generous enough to promote her to Vice President whilst Corrie is wearing her bikini. I have to wonder how much of an effect the bikini had on this interaction, but hey, they ARE best friends.

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Exciting things happen when you wear a bikini, I guess. Corrie is still wearing hers when she gets electrocuted for the first time. (Note to self: don’t ask sims with handiness level 2 to repair a broken hot tub.) At least the experience is made more bearable by her husband’s soothing background music.

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Oh, goody, another fire! I have actually lost count at this point. I also wasn't aware that water itself can catch on fire. Who knew? (Probably Blaise.)

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Now we know where Caspian gets his inability to work a fire extinguisher. Ash, you’re the son of Blaise Kindle! How are you so incompetent?!

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As usual, it’s an NPC that saves the day.

“Oh, hi Ms. Maid, thank you, nothing to see here, wasn’t my fault, thank you, bye!”

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Rhone’s elementary school days fly by and before we know it, he’s becoming a teenager. His birthday coincides with one of Corrie’s campaign fundraisers, so he gets a nice audience.

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Rhone becomes a Bookworm and decides to throw on a pair of snazzy lime-green spectacles.

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I was going to take my time in finding a spouse for Rhone, I swear. As it happens, when he goes with Corrie to a party up at the Landgraabs, he wanders across the street to the park and meets the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. This is Karie Mae-Steele, the daughter of Zelda Mae and Christopher Steele.

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It’s rare that a romance happens so organically (and quickly) in my game, but this one blossoms without so much as a drop of rain or a beam of sun. As soon as these two meet, Karie starts flirting with Rhone. Rhone starts popping wishes for Karie as soon as she opens her mouth. And with the beautiful park in the background and the stars above, this love story seems about perfect, doesn’t it?

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Just before curfew, in the glow of moonlit forget-me-nots, Rhone and Karie share their first kiss. I think I’m okay with this. I think I’m VERY okay with this.

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And with that, all three Kindle boys have girlfriends well before the move to the next town. Huzzah! And all three seem to be very happy in their relationships. To prove this, here’s a particularly steamy shot of Caspian and Francine making out in the hot tub. They climb in the hot tub together of their own accord and only need a little encouragement to start getting physical. Yowza.

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Corrie is becoming increasingly bored in her free time. All she ever does is (a) sit in the hot tub, or (b) make inappropriate posts on forums. She needs a hobby. So she picks up bass, mostly for my own entertainment.

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Don’t be fooled by that happy-go-lucky, oh-my-gosh-we’re-in-Disneyland smile in the first picture. Most of the time when she’s playing, Corrie looks like she's picking maggots out of the trash can or something.

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Ash continues to play guitar almost nonstop, even though he maxed the skill long ago. There is nothing he loves more than a good strum and an enthusiastic audience.

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It’s only fitting, then, that he celebrate his elder birthday before a flock of adoring fans.

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The first child born in the Kindle town jump is now an old man. Congrats, Ash! I mean, sorry Ash.

[deedee_828]

Love your Kindles Amaranthin! And your writing is so funny----the line where you say "Corrie looks as happy playing bass as if she were plucking maggots out of the trash can"---that had me laughing out loud. And I love insane sims too. The way they never pick the proper clothes or say or do anything you expect. In an upcoming chapter of my town jump game, an Insane GF hits on the most inappropriate person in her BF's family! Insane sims, gotta luv 'em!

[Trip]

Nah we love old grandpa Ash! (Well not a grandpa yet but you know it's coming)

[Beks]

Love your Kindles Amaranthin! And your writing is so funny----the line where you say "Corrie looks as happy playing bass as if she were plucking maggots out of the trash can"---that had me laughing out loud. And I love insane sims too. The way they never pick the proper clothes or say or do anything you expect. In an upcoming chapter of my town jump game, an Insane GF hits on the most inappropriate person in her BF's family! Insane sims, gotta luv 'em!

Thank you so very much, deedee! Your comment put a big smile on my face. I'm honored that something I wrote made you laugh!

Nah we love old grandpa Ash! (Well not a grandpa yet but you know it's coming)

Oh, it's coming all right. Grandboos are not far away!

[Beks]

Chapter 27 – Boys Become Men

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Ash and Corrie continue to be as cute and in love as ever. By the way, did I ever mention that these two share a love for the color spiceberry? I don’t know if I’ve ever had a couple with the same favorite color. Yet another reason these guys are one of my favorite couples of all time.

Corrie throws campaign fundraiser parties pretty regularly. Usually they’re on the tame side—unless Corrie’s inappropriate trait decides to make an appearance. Which, at this particular party, it does.

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Can you spot what is wrong with this picture?

Yes, that was Corrie planting a kiss on Christopher Steel, and Christopher Steel reciprocating. Mind you, both these sims are happily married, and Corrie is currently the Vice President of Sunset Valley. And she’s doing this at her own campaign fundraiser. Those are just the first couple of reasons why this is so very disturbing. I could go on to mention that Christopher Steel’s daughter is currently dating Corrie’s son. But let’s get on with things before we hurt ourselves.

Ash is oblivious at first to his wife’s antics. But when a second kiss happens shortly after, he finally stirs from his reverie and confronts His Majesty Christopher, Founder Of Immortal Dynasties.

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Ash: “How could you do this, Mr. Steel? My wife’s a renowned politician! She can’t afford to be seen locking lips with every slick-haired bozo she meets!”
Christopher: “I swear, I didn’t—I didn’t mean to—she kissed me!”
Corrie (plucking and singing): “Everything’s fine, everything’s fine…”

Once Mr. Steel is put in his place and Corrie apologizes to Ash for her momentary unfaithfulness, the real event of the evening occurs. Surprise, this is actually the twins’ birthday party!

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Caspian, the oldest, goes first.

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“Whoa. I get a physique now?"

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Nile is up to bat immediatey after. His forceful interruption of the mass descent upon Caspian’s birthday cake causes almost every person in the room to do the “help, I’m stuck” wave at the exact same time.

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Apparently, this also throws off Nile’s depth perception.

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His hair gets suddenly slickified, too.

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Our boys become men, and boy, what nice men they become. Caspian decides to make use of his new ability to grow facial hair. His final set of traits: Athletic, Light Sleeper, Kleptomaniac, Excitable, and…Evil. Muahaha! Unsurprisingly, Caspian aspires to become a Master Thief.

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Nile follows with a less aggressive amount of facial hair and decides to go back to his old shaggy-but-at-least-it's-combed hairstyle. His final traits are Good, Couch Potato, Light Sleeper, Insane, and Lucky. His Lifetime Wish is to be a Professional Author.

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Caspian tries out his shiny new Evil trait right away by scaring the bejesus out of his baby brother.

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But oddly enough, his Evil tendencies come with a side of Neat tendencies. Suddenly he spends a lot of his free time cleaning the counters and taking care of dirty plates. Maybe he’s secretly struggling with guilt? (He’s literally only done two bad things in his life: he stole a pillar from someone’s yard back in high school, and just now he scared his brother. That’s it.)

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My last screenshot from the party is this one of Seraphina and Marcelo. They stay later than all the other guests, dance with more skill than all the other guests, and donate more money to Corrie’s campaign than all the other guests. Thanks, guys! You're the best (and the cutest).

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Caspian might be dealing with some guilt issues underneath his Evil persona, but his Evil persona still has no problem coming out on top. That very night, Caspian goes downtown to steal his first car.

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The next day is a bittersweet day—it’s Corrie’s elder birthday. She spends the morning rocking out in the kitchen with her husband, pretending that she’s not about to get old.

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The birthday hits her while she’s playing video games, because nobody in this family does anything else unless I tell them to.

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The sparkles fade, and we’re left with an old but adorable Corrie, who’s still as Excitable as ever.

Corrie: “Yay, I’m old!”
Rhone: “Oh, no, my mom is old!”

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Now that the twins are grown up, it’s time for them to take things further with their respective partners. Caspian heads downtown and runs into Francine in front of the movie theater. Francine has, conveniently, had a birthday as well.

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Francine happily agrees to move in with the Kindles and gets a mini makeover. Really I just give her some lipstick and better eyebrows. She’s already drop-dead gorgeous as she is. Francine is a Grumpy, Athletic, Artistic, Unflirty Perfectionist, and she wants to be a Master of the Arts. Her favorite things are Egyptian music, Tri-Tip Steak, and the color Grey (which she’s already dressed herself in, hooray!).

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Immediately upon moving in, Francine wishes to learn guitar. I eagerly buy her one and plop it into her inventory. She starts strumming away with some of the most beautifully derpy facial expressions I’ve ever seen on a sim.

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Of course, her confidence goes out the window when a certain level 10 guitarist strolls through the room.

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Why, poor Francine looks positively depressed as she plucks her way up through the first couple levels of guitar.

Ash: “Yikes. That girl needs some lessons real bad.”

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Eventually, Ash does what any good future-father-in-law would do. He pulls out his own guitar and starts showing Francine how it’s done. By eveningtime, the master and the amateur are going at it hard and having a grand old time. And Francine makes it up to level 3 or 4 in just a few hours!

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We’ll end this chapter with a huge success for Corrie. The day after her elder birthday, she finally gets promoted for the last time and becomes Leader of the Free World. Congrats, Corrie! It’s an honor well-deserved.

[Beks]

Chapter 28 – The Prettiest Crumplebottom

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Last chapter, we saw Francine, Caspian’s girlfriend, move into the household. Now Nile is eager to make his relationship with Gladys more…domestic? Permanent? Something like that.

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Gladys is a newly minted adult as well, but evidently she and Nile are still in the process of figuring out how to kiss. Nile must have heard somewhere that forehead kisses are a tender alternative to full-on mouth-to-mouth action. Awww?

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Once that awkwardness is over, Nile tells Gladys how much he loves her, and then asks her to be his wife.

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Gladys practically takes off into flight, so great is her excitement.

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She says yes, of course, and in her happiness she smooshes her face into Nile’s shoulder. A very loving gesture.

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Gladys joins the Kindle household, and let me tell you, I have been waiting for this moment for a LONG time. I’ve been dying to give Gladys a makeover ever since she was a young teen. I’ve had a hunch that she just needed some tweaking to be truly beautiful, and oh, my. Are you ready for this before and after?

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Ta-da! Look at this beautiful lady! All she needed was a fresh set of eyebrows and some eyelashes (her eyelash slider was set all the way at zero, the poor thing). And just like that, she’s one of the most gorgeous townie sims I’ve ever seen. Gladys’s traits are Good, Grumpy, Loser, Over-Emotional, and Lucky. (She shares two of those traits—Good and Lucky—with Nile.) Her LTW is to be the CEO of a Mega-Corporation, and her favorite things are French music (my favorite), Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches, and the color white.

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Gladys immerses herself (heh heh) in Kindle life with wholehearted enthusiasm. She and Nile certainly have no qualms about displaying their affection for one another.

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And Caspian has no qualms about stealing his soon-to-be sister-in-law’s clothes. What a welcome gift.

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Ash: “Why hello there, Gladys! When did you move in? Would you...would you like to have a look through Corrie’s wardrobe...?”
Caspian: “…”

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We nearly have a full household now, and three of our family members are musicians. Everybody’s popping wishes to jam together and start a band. Rhone decides to give the drums a try, and just like that, we have a family band, kind of! They call themselves the Flammable Pajammers. Whose idea was that? I couldn’t tell you.

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Nile wishes to throw a bachelor party. I always forget to send the fiance or fiancee away for these parties. Naturally, Gladys ends up being one of the most enthusiastic nectar-sprayers at the party.

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The rest of the family blows the whole party playing video games, though. Typical.

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The party dancers arrive as endless night descends upon the valley. Oh, wait, that’s just one of the Keaton boys telling a ghost story.

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Nobody seems to really pay attention when the party dancers start doin’ their thang. Gladys is particularly oblivious and dives into her sandwich instead. I’m just loving this girl more every second.

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It is at this party that I discover how many romantic interests BOTH young ladies have. They have at least two apiece. I don’t remember seeing any notifications about these through Story Progression, but oh well. Time to break it off with all of them. (Sorry, Richard Landgraab.)

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Seeing Francine cut all her prior commitments loose inspires Caspian to do something he’s been meaning to do for a while.

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Yes, for some reason this hasn’t happened yet. Ah well, it’s happening now!

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Francine says yes and admires her sparkly, probably-stolen ring amid a flock of oblivious party guests. (I’ve always wished that proposals prompted reactions from surrounding sims, like deaths and birthdays do. Wouldn’t it be cute if everybody started ooing and ahhing and crying and clapping? *sigh*)

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This turn of events leaves Richard Landgraab feeling rather bereft, but don’t worry—Gladys is on it.

“Sorry about your breakup, Richard! Here, have some nectar!”

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The handsome bachelor, Nile, is having problems of his own. This party dancer expressed attraction for him as soon as she walked in, and she spends much of the night following Nile around the party trying to flirt with him. At least Nile has the decency to not appreciate her advances (and look terrified when she’s lurking behind him).

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Hey, no, wait! Ash, it is NOT okay to flirt with the party dancers! What is wrong with you?!

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Caspian tries to distract everyone from his family’s foibles by telling a ghost story. Do you think ghost stories told by Evil sims are extra terrifying?

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Kindhearted Gladys continues to go around the party trying to make everyone feel better, including this Keaton boy whose heart she had to break earlier.

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She’s even kind enough to flash me a smile as she’s dancing with her future brother-in-law. 

And just like that, we’re out of pictures. More parties (and party-like events) to come in the next chapter!