The Loveland Random Town Jump

[Beks]

Chapter 130 - The End of the Song

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Welcome back to the Loveland household. Nico has acquired a group of buddies, just some townie guys who are always hanging out at the park when he's performing for tips. The consistency of this group is something I've never seen happen organically in the Sims before. It makes me happy.

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In other news, it's Penelope's birthday!

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Happy birthday, dear. Let's get you a new hairstyle ASAP.

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...or maybe just a hat. Penelope becomes a Brave teenager. Yeah, brave for wearing that hat, probably.

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Guess who else is aging up! It's Harvey Kindle Rory!

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Oh, there is no way you're going around with a buzzed head, young man. It's long, flowing locks for you!

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Much better. Young Rory rolls the Never Nude trait. Some future girlfriends are going to be very disappointed someday.

The second Rory ages up, Ada gets a call from her boss, Aden Van Gould. Should he bring his creepy vampire child over to play?

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"Hurry along, child. There are many fresh necks here to drool over."

That's the only screenshot I have of that little event, so I'm guessing it didn't last very long. (Ada's been trying to become friends with her boss for weeks, but he's always running off before they can have a conversation. I think he's playing hard to get.)

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A couple of days later, Nico is up to his usual antics in the park while his dedicated fans chat nearby.

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It's when he finally decides to stand still for a second that his Lifetime Wish completes and he becomes a Master Acrobat. And all from a single weekly gig and nonstop performing for tips! Kudos, Nico.

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It's a proud moment...followed by a somber one. Josie is on her way to the piano for the 9 millionth time when she feels herself floating.

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"Grandma Josie, NO!"
"It's all right, Quinn. Every song must end eventually. This is the end of mine."

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Josie passes away surrounded by her family wearing weird outfits and her cats yowling in harmony. She lived to be 98 (I think) and was the musical force that kept us all humming through the humdrum days.

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Rest in peace, my goth virtuoso. I loved you dearly and I'll miss you forever.

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Whilst I'm over here trying not to genuinely cry over Josie's death, Penelope seems to have come a bit...unhinged.

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I'm so glad we got Ronny's features in the family. His descendants make the best faces.

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In all honesty, though, I'm so sad about Josie dying that I make Nico go up to her empty bedroom and make the bed one last time. I watch him somberly. And I take screenshots of it. Because this is how I mourn, apparently.

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I think we need some happy news. Here you go! I spot Ophelia and Aubrey out in town one night. Notice anything special about Ophelia? Oh yes, she's expecting a baby. FINALLY. I'm happy to say that these two seem to be more in love than ever, which is reassuring, because Aubrey's behavior was a little problematic back in Monte Vista. He seems to have gotten himself together and become a successful cop and true family man.

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We've now got three Loveland kiddos going to school together. Look at that diversity of hair color! *sobs*

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Penelope (I literally have to stop myself from typing "Nico". That's how much she looks like him.) makes a new friend at school whose name now escapes me because I played this weeks ago. But they hang out a lot after school and play chess.

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Quinn, living in Moonlight Falls, gets lots of real-life inspiration for her scary novels. I think there will be plenty of that in the future.

[butterfly]

RIP Josie.  I hope it's not too quiet in the Loveland household without her music. Penelope is super adorable, I really like her features.

[hazelnut]

Congrats to Nico on maxing his career (and to you for doing it mostly through playing for tips).  And RIP, Josie  .

[Beks]

Chapter 131 - Boots & Smooches

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Penelope goes to prom in her jockey outfit and knitted hat. She doesn't really have any romantic prospects yet, so we'll see if anything happens at the dance.

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Penelope does indeed get a love interest at prom--a babysitter named Louie Schubert. No thanks. She also gets rejected for a dance twice (from other people, I presume) and falls flat on her face on the dance floor. And she wins prom queen! But that doesn't make up for a generally sorta disappointing evening. At least, that's what I interpret from Penny's face on the ride home. (Fun fact: I went to check out that unicorn in the background, and its name is Boogie!)

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Whilst Penny has yet to make much progress romantically, her younger siblings are already making friends all over town in preparation for their teenage years.

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This is Quinn's current best friend, Blake Ivy. He's the son of Daydream Ivy and Tristan Van Gould, and he inherited that amazing blond-and-electric-red hair color that seems to appear in Moonlight Falls whenever I play there. (I think it comes from Annalove Ivy, but that's an unconfirmed theory.) He also wears pink boots. And that's enough for me.

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Oh, and he's a vampire. Meeting him satisfies two of Quinn's promised wishes to interact with supernaturals.

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Blake actually ends up becoming best friends with Rory, too, meaning he's over at the house a lot.

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Rory's also getting to know this lovely lady. Cindy Hoppcraft, daughter of Miriam and James, is basically a dark-haired version of her mother, which means she's drop-dead gorgeous and I love her.

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Speaking of drop-dead gorgeous dark-haired gals, it's finally Quinn's birthday! She's smiling in this picture because the full moon is about to rise, and she knows it.

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Yup, there's that ghostly greenish light. It arrives at the same time as the sparkles. Well played, Quinn.

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Lucky Blake Ivy gets to watch his best friend turn into a young woman right before his eyes.

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Quinn continues to stun me with her beauty. She's starting to look more like Nico, which is interesting. She's actually more of a combination of her parents than I first thought. Quinn rolls the Friendly trait, which is honestly adorable. She just wants to be friends with all the supernaturals in town! And then hide in her room for several hours afterwards.

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The family sits down for cake after Quinn's makeover, and I take this lovely shot of the whole family. It's a while before I realize that it's Blake sitting at the table and not Rory. Whoops.

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Now that she's a teenager, I decide to give Quinn her own room. She is a Loner, after all. She shows her appreciation by dancing all by herself next to Ida's old bed. I don't remember why she's wearing her formal wear. She may or may not have a hidden Insane trait.

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It's time for some other Loveland family news! Ophelia has given birth to a baby girl named Kristi. I zoom over to Ophelia's house down the road and find her like this. Just staring at her child, on the ground, in the backyard. I think she's in shock. Let's all remember that Ophelia is a Dog Person and might need some time to adjust to a tiny human in the house, mmkay?

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Quick Nico update: he's maxed out the athletic skill thanks to all his free time (I don't make him perform for tips much anymore since he already maxed the acrobat career). He also completes the Marathon Runner challenge, meaning he'll probably live a nice long life.

Cat update! Suki is slowly approaching the end of her adult life stage, which means time is short if we want to have kittens. Which, um, we do. Off Suki goes to meet the only eligible bachelor in town.

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This is Henry Durwood. Isn't he glorious? I thought I'd seen all the typical fur colors and patterns by now, but clearly I have not. That reddish blackish stripey look is to die for. It's unfortunate that Henry already has a mate (the only other cat in all of Moonlight Falls, Hatbox Grimm) (you'd think that a town full of witches would have more cats in it), but let's just pretend we didn't know that.

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It doesn't take long for Suki to win Henry over and pounce on him with the sassiness inherited from Katara all those generations ago.

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Mai, our elderly lovebug, is doing well too. She and Ada are BFFs and spend lots of time cuddling and playing.

A few days pass like normal in the Loveland household. When the weekend arrives, I realize that Penelope hasn't picked up the charisma skill yet. I send her to City Hall for a quick class. Afterwards, I come back to find Penny chatting with a girl she knows from school.

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This is Maritza Crumplebottom-Grimm, and despite her current last name, she's actually the daughter of Belinda Crumplebottom (as if that isn't obvious) and Pappy Wolf.

The girls chat for a few minutes. Then this happens.

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I swear I didn't plan this. IT JUST HAPPENED. Okay, I may have prompted Penny to ask Maritza if she's single, just out of curiosity. But that's all! Two seconds later, BAM. LIPS.

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"Ooooh, you're really cute."

Um, okay! And just like that, Penelope has found her match. Upon further investigation, I discover that there is absolutely no reason for Maritza to have kissed Penny out of nowhere. She's not Inappropriate; she has pretty normal, bland traits. The girls had not had any prior romantic interaction, to my knowledge. To this day I have no idea how or why this occurred. But I have to say I'm very okay with it.

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Aubrey also approves of this relationship, it seems.

"Quick, get a shot of me with my niece and her new girlfriend!"

(Side note: Any and all dogs you see in the background of these photos are the dogs belonging to Ophelia and Aubrey. They have at least three, possibly more. )

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It's an exciting and happy day for Penelope. Meanwhile, after the sun goes down, Quinn is at the library when she discovers a mysterious stairwell going down under the building. Venturing into the dimness, she finds herself in a stony hallway with numerous closed doors.

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Behind one of them, she finds what she's been looking for since she was a little girl.

[Trip]

The red tips are hidden with Annalove's default hairstyle because the "tips" color goes to the beads in the braids instead (I really can't overstate how backwards that is but ah well, it was 2009) I haven't seen that cat color yet or a cat so gloriously thicc in TS3 at all.

[Beks]

The red tips are hidden with Annalove's default hairstyle because the "tips" color goes to the beads in the braids instead (I really can't overstate how backwards that is but ah well, it was 2009) I haven't seen that cat color yet or a cat so gloriously thicc in TS3 at all.

That was my only guess as to where the red came from, after scrutinizing every member of the Ivy family on the wiki. Super weird. Makes for some fun descendants, though!

[Beks]

Chapter 132 - Spectacular Specimens

Hey guess what! We've got two teenagers in the house. You know what that means?

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It's sleepover time. Spouse-hunting time. Everybody's favorite time. (Or is it just mine?) Penelope and Quinn invite over all the people they know from school. Pictured here are Savannah Goodfellow on the left and Theresa Nix on the right, with Raul Singh bringing up the rear.

Rory's friend Cindy comes, too.

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"Hey, Rory. What's up?"
"Hi, Cindy. Wow, you look different."

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Quinn has her first moment of attraction shortly after changing into her pajamas. She runs into Juan Maldano on the front porch and hearts fly. (Juan is the son of Ayden Van Gould and Marigold Maldano, and he briefly stopped by the house back when Ada was working for Ayden. Evidently he and Quinn never met, though.)

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A couple of the girls get things going with some karaoke. That's Maritza, Penelope's girlfriend, on the left, and on the right is Cindy Hoppcraft. That's the closest we've gotten so far to an actual shot of Cindy's face. She's a little shy about her gorgeousness, I guess.

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When I go to check on the other guests, I find most of them gathered around Josie's grand piano, listening to Hetal Anjali. I have no idea how Hetal got inside--maybe she was a teen a few hours ago and aged up before arriving? In any case, this does NOT count as an acceptable party activity, people. At least not at a teen sleepover.

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I make sure to have Quinn go around and meet all the eligible dudes at this party. She gets along well with Kim MacDuff, one of the first babies born in Moonlight Falls, but he's a little old for her.

Penelope gets to have a nice chill night with her Mom, at least.

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"'Tis nice to be settled into a relationship so early, is it not, Penelope?"
"Yup. This grilled cheese and me, we were meant to be."
"I meant your relationship with Maritza, darling. Are the two of you still--?"
"Oh, her. Yeah, we're meant to be also."

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The party ends at the crack of dawn. We didn't really get anywhere with Quinn, but at least she's broadened her social circle. (Check out Krystal Sumari there on the left. She's the daughter of Haley Sumari and Malcolm Harris, and she inherited Malcolm's awesome blue hair.)

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Meanwhile, our dearest paparazzi is up to no good with Nico. I would scold you for going outside in your skivvies, Nico, but this kind of behavior is inappropriate no matter WHAT a person is wearing.

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And Nico knows it. This doesn't even make a difference to his relationship with Ada. He's like, "What the heck, lady?! I'm married!" and that's the end of it. It's nice to have a couple that's so loyal and trusting.

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I kept an eye on Quinn's moodlets and wishes after the sleepover, but she didn't seem particularly interested in any of her guests beyond friendship. So when Juan Maldano calls her up the next day and asks her out on a date...well, why not?

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Quinn smooths her dress, runs a comb through her hair, and shows up at the date location. Which is...the school. Great pick, Juan.

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It's a nice date...if an awkward one. I leave these two on free will, for the most part, and they vacillate between chatting and silence. There's a lot of silence. No flirting to speak of. No anything to speak of, really.

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Juan is kind enough to indulge Quinn's supernatural interests, though, with a nice demonstration of his vampiric hypnosis.

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Quinn is appreciative of this, but all in all, she seems a bit unimpressed by Juan. He's a nice boy, but there's not a lot of spark happening here.

Later that day, she gets another call--from her childhood friend Hank Gandillon, one of the first boys she met and befriended. He's a homeless townie, so I assume he's stuck in the child life stage. Still, it'd be nice to see how he's doing, right?

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Oh. Oh my. Hank, you sly dog, you aged up and got beautiful! Our boy has aged up into a spectacular specimen, and I didn't even have to cheat! Usually homeless townie children stay the same age forever, in my experience, so this is a pleasant surprise.

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Quinn is pleasantly surprised, too.

Unfortunately, Hank only stays for a moment before running off to do whatever homeless townies do. But he leaves a strong impression on Quinn...and on me. I hope we'll see him again soon. (Have I mentioned that he's a werewolf?)

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This has been all about the teens thus far, so let's check in on Ada. Here she is dancing alone in an upstairs bedroom. And here's Ophelia popping in to say hello. Speaking of popping...Ophelia's pregnant again! I have no other context for this screenshot, so that's all you get. You're welcome.

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Before we know it, we're due for yet another teenager in the house. I have no idea who the guy with the mustache is but I appreciate his coordinating purple suspenders.

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Now that there are TWO strange people in this screenshot, I remember that this was in fact a birthday party for Rory. Whoops. It's been a few weeks since I took these screenshots, okay?

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WE INTERRUPT THESE FESTIVITIES TO TAKE YOU TO THE SCENE OF ANOTHER FESTIVITY. SUKI JUST GAVE BIRTH TO KITTENS! I REPEAT, SUKI JUST GAVE BIRTH TO KITTENS!

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The kittens happen at the same exact moment that Rory ages up, so I miss his actual transformation. He's mad at me for it, if you can't tell.

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It's at this point that I decide Rory needs glasses, for no other reason than he looks freaking adorable in them. And they match his new Socially Awkward trait. I've never played this trait before and I am SO EXCITED.

Okay, I know you just want to see the kittens. So here they are!

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Suki, via Henry Durwood, gives birth to two beautiful kittens. First up is Ikki, a girl. Ikki is Neat and a Genius and she's the fluffier of the two.

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Our other lil baby is Meelo, who--I'm sorry, Meelo, are we interrupting something...?

Anyway. Meelo is Non-Destructive and Neat and honestly, because of this picture, I think he might be my favorite.

[Trip]

Seeing Meelo's lil kitten foot :')

Homeless minors are very weird...I find they age up once you "summon" them. Hetal Anjali remained a teen in my current Moonlight Falls save until she was summoned to prom by my house's teens attending it (at that point one of my sims was dating her mother so she was easier to track than other homeless teens) Anyways my favorite teens of the bunch right now are Savannah Goodfellow, the Singh boy, Hank, and Krystal Sumari at the very top for her hair/dad.

[Beks]

Seeing Meelo's lil kitten foot :')

Homeless minors are very weird...I find they age up once you "summon" them. Hetal Anjali remained a teen in my current Moonlight Falls save until she was summoned to prom by my house's teens attending it (at that point one of my sims was dating her mother so she was easier to track than other homeless teens) Anyways my favorite teens of the bunch right now are Savannah Goodfellow, the Singh boy, Hank, and Krystal Sumari at the very top for her hair/dad.

I know! The feets! I died.

That's interesting about homeless kiddos aging up that way. I honestly can't remember if I "summoned" Hank to the house or if he called and asked to come over. It was probably the former. I'm wondering now if Hetal was around because of her mother, who is our resident (quite literally) paparazzi at the moment. Although Jin is around pretty much 24/7 and I'd never seen Hetal on the lot before. *shrug*

[Trip]

Homeless kids aren't tied to where their homeless parents are (though some of the kids just don't have actual parental ties, like Hank). Which begs the question of who's raising them! You can meet them at school like any other classmate.

[Beks]

Chapter 133 - Claws

Rory's Social Awkwardness kicks in the moment he ages up to teen, and seemingly never lets up. It has pervaded his entire existence. He's gone from a typical little boy to a shy, nervous, bookish dweeb.

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This is a picture of Rory being late for school, clutching a book for comfort. This boy has quite the knack for missing the school bus. I keep finding him taking baths or reading or straight-up sleeping in when he's supposed to be in class with his sisters. I chalk it up to his fear of social interaction. Poor kid.

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The new kittens are thriving and being utterly adorable. I can't get over their little black mouth patches.

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Suki is a doting mother...

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...and Mai is a doting grandmother. Basically, this house is a nest of cat cuddles.

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Efforts to find Quinn a love interest continue, helped along by her habit of bringing boys home from school. (Actually, Penelope is the one who invited Blake Ivy over here, but Blake chose to sit with Quinn on the bus.)

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I guess these two haven't seen each other since elementary school. They're all like "Heyyy, you've grown up nice", and Nico's all like, "Yeah, get it, girl!"

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"Good luck, children! Heh heh."

I'm glad Nico is such a supportive dad.

I have to admit, while I'm a big fan of Blake and his neon hair, I'm still so curious about Hank Gandillon, the homeless townie who aged up into a dreamboat. So, like the laissez-faire watcher that I am, I have Quinn invite him over that night. While Blake is still around.

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Oh, yes. He's attractive and he knows it.

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Quinn has this young man grasped in her claws, and she knows it.

Quinn and Hank chat for a while, and I leave them alone to go do other things - like congratulate Ada for getting promoted to Local Representative. (Her progress in the political career has been agonizingly slow, so every promotion feels like Christmas.)

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Congrats, Ada! Good thing literally everything feels like Christmas to Ada.

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Okay, back to the kiddos. Quinn expertly juggles her two male friends that evening - until she gets tired. When I check back in with her and Hank, they're in the rocking chair corner upstairs, and Blake is asleep on the couch nearby. Mmmmkay.

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Blake wakes up before Quinn does, and he finally notices that she has another man over. Is he jealous? Angry? Hurt?

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Nope.

"I'm just really excited to be here, among two such attractive compatriots!"

Maybe he's just a supportive best friend. Awww. (That night ends rather lamely with both boys going home during the wee hours and Quinn getting her full forty winks in the rocking chair.)

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Nico's still doing his duty as the star acrobat of Moonlight Falls. His favorite thing is to show up at the occasional Simfest and wow the spectators. Next to the terrible amateur singers and shabby magicians, his professional act is always a huge hit. (Side note: the red-haired woman in the audience is Rachel Gandillon. Although she and Hank aren't technically related in the game, I'm 100% certain she is supposed to be his mother.)

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While Nico's performing, I catch a glimpse of Frida Goth and her adorable family of fire ghosts. I think she actually has one more kid as well. I mean, come on. How cute is that?!

I keep an eye on Quinn's wishes after her evening spent with Blake and Hank. Less than a day later, she surprises me with a wish to kiss Hank for the first time. (It's only surprising to me because she's best friends with Blake, and has a lower relationship with Hank.) Well, okay, Quinn, since you insist...

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The kids take a field trip to the graveyard the next day (to learn what exactly???). Quinn sticks around afterward and calls to ask Hank to join her there.

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Before Hank shows up, though, Quinn runs into yet another teenage boy with whom she shares an attraction. This is Darian Crumplebottom, and I can't remember which Crumplebottom is his mother - or who his father is. All I know is that his hair is brownish red.

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Anyway, before Darian even gets past his "Wow, it's so nice to meet you, Quinn!", Hank walks up with his glowy werewolf eyes to, quite literally, scare the new kid off.

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As always, the exciting moments of the story must be interrupted by other, simultaneous exciting (or sad) moments. Suki ages up to elder on the front porch and becomes a bit less pouncy.

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Back at the graveyard, Hank and Quinn are on their own. I let them interact autonomously, and it's mere seconds before Hank grabs Quinn's beclawed hands in his.

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Quinn has been holding fiercely to that wish to kiss this boy. Now, she lets her feelings out.

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Hank responds with great enthusiasm, despite Quinn's clouds of green stank wafting away into the night air. I think I like these two together. I think I like them a lot.

[Beks]

Happy New Year, forum! I'm between semesters right now, and I've played quite far ahead, and I have many chapters to catch up on, so hopefully posts will be a bit more frequent for a while. Here's hoping.

Chapter 134 - Rory's Turn

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Rory has been a teenager for a whole few days now, and he's made zero progress in the romance department. He's got plenty of time, but he's not helping things by playing hooky all the time. On this particular occasion, I find him standing in the yard behind the school, looking somehow both lost and defiant at once. I don't know how he managed to sneak out of class after taking the bus and everything.

It'll be your turn very soon, Rory. But first, we need to nail down things for Quinn.

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Hank makes things easier by coming home with the girls after school the next day.

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Brief pause to acknowledge that Ada got another promotion. Her work outfits are slowly approaching her desired level of properness. Congrats, Ada!

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Quinn and Hank end up on the couch together in the upstairs lounge, and Quinn starts getting cozy right away.

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Really cozy.

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Dear Paparazzi Lady, There is some major teenage romantic drama happening three feet behind you. Maybe turn around? Sincerely, Me. P.S., how the flying heck did you get inside??

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Quinn then pulls Hank to his feet and gives him that glaring, witchy look that she does so well.

"So Hank, I was wondering...do you want to be my boyfriend?"
*in scarily deep voice* "Yes. Yes I do."

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Immediately after this, Quinn rolls a wish to give Hank a gift. How sweet! She gives him a gnome, because it's the only thing that pops up in the family inventory that isn't, like, a dresser or something. And Hank is like, "This means so much to me. You don't even understand. Thank you. I'm sorry I'm crying. I can't help it. This gnome is everything I've ever hoped for in life. Thank you. I can't thank you enough. Thank you."

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Hank apparently likes Quinn so much, he voluntarily attempts to spend the night by curling up for a nap on Josie and Ronny's old bed. And because Penelope inexplicably chose this night to sleep in Quinn's bed instead of her own, Quinn is forced to move to the empty bedroom, which is now occupied by her boyfriend. Understandably, she's like "Help!"

Anyway, Quinn and Hank are official and now we can turn our attention to Rory!

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Ada is very close with her son, and she's also become a very impassioned (read: Excitable) politician, so she takes it upon herself to give Rory a nice little motivational speech before he begins his romantic explorations.

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I just love Rory's face here. He's like, "Yes, Mom...mmhmm...that's very nice, Mom."

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Rory happens to have a best friend at school. Her name is Layla Ivy (little sister of neon-haired Blake Ivy), and I haven't even seen her in-game yet, so when she comes over after school, I'm hyped.

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She's definitely a cutie, and she and Rory have a rather adorable friendship. They start dancing together while Ada practices guitar, and Layla has some SERIOUS moves.

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Romantic moves, too. She does this all of her own accord. Look at that little grin!

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Rory accepts the flowers and immediately pops a wish to sing karaoke. Um, okay. Sing your heart out, my little dweeb!

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I take about 1,000 screenshots of Rory and Layla singing together. Everyone looks awkward singing karaoke, but nobody looks more awkward than these two.

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Layla does this thing while singing karaoke that I can't wrap my head around. Every few seconds, she does this weird little fist pump type movement down by her right hip. It is not cute, and it happens often enough that I have to wonder if it's a glitch or something.

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Whatever the case, Rory and Layla have a nice time together, and Rory does roll a wish to kiss her by the end of the evening. She goes home and he takes to the bathtub, his sanctuary, to think things over.

The next step of the spouse-hunting process is an important one. I've been wanting to have Rory meet Krystal Sumari, the blue-haired chick. Unfortunately, when he drops in at her residence, it's a full moon and she has temporarily become a zombie.

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Rory: "...I think I'll come back another time."

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Things are complicated further when, the next day at school, Rory meets Layla's sister Taryn and shares an attraction with her. Then, Taryn comes over after school. I don't have any further screenshots than this, because no flirtation happened and Taryn had to leave soon after she arrived. But Rory did pop a wish to kiss her. I think the boy's feeling a little indecisive.

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Thus far, our Rory is struggling to get a grip on his love life.

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But just like this chin-up bar, love is a goal he's determined to reach. That angry determination will serve you well, Rory my dear! I hope so, anyway.

[Beks]

Chapter 135 - Red, Blue, & Science

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Penelope's birthday arrives. She invites her girlfriend Maritza over for one last teenaged kiss before the big event.

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Maritza then goes straight for the karaoke machine that I am never taking away because it causes so much hilarity, and proceeds to sing about the fact that her girlfriend is growing up and she has to wait four days to kiss her again. So tragic.

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Penny wears sunglasses to her birthday party because...the candles are bright.

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As are the sparkles.

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Penny, you do not need to be proud of that Agnes hairstyle. Mirror time NOW.

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I almost go for the teddy bear hat again, but this one actually suits Penelope really well and looks more grown-up, so here we are. Penelope rolls Computer Whiz as her final trait, joining her Insane, Brave, Clumsy, and Light Sleeper traits. She selects Creature-Robot Cross Breeder as her Lifetime Wish.

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Since it's the weekend, Rory finally has time to pay a visit to blue-haired girl. He shows up at her house, where he finds her watching TV like the Couch Potato she is.

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Ooooh baby. Of course the red-haired boy is attracted to the blue-haired girl. It's science!

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Isn't she something to look at? Krystal is also really sweet, and unlike some other interactions Rory's had, there are no awkward pauses here. They chat away happily about school and TV shows and how their days are going.

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And when Krystal starts flirting...I have no complaints.

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Rory starts rolling wishes for Krystal right away - more than he's rolled for any other girl. He wants to kiss her, watch the stars with her, hang out with her, go on a date with her...well, one of those we can make happen right now!

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Their first kiss is blocked by a generously-bosomed Alice Fitzgerald on her way to work.

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There we go. A better angle. Kudos to Rory for being brave enough to kiss a girl surrounded by her housemates!

Rory has to run home to avoid breaking curfew, but his continuous wishes related to Krystal prove to me that she's his favorite. Even though he still has two locked-in wishes to kiss Layla and Taryn. I think I might just quietly delete those.

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In other news, Penelope graduates from high school as Valedictorian and is voted Most Likely to Save the World. I'm not convinced she has plans to do any such thing.

As she's celebrating, Rory blocks the screenshot to make a very important phone call.

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"Krystal, it's Rory. Can you meet me at the park across from City Hall? Like right now?"

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As soon as he sees her, Rory runs to Krystal and plants one on her lips. (Haha, plants. Because there are plants in the background. Why did I laugh out loud at that?)

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Once that wave of passion has subsided, Rory gently, hesitantly takes Krystal's hand.

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Then he gives her the sweetest, dopiest look of longing I've ever seen on a sim.

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"Krystal, will you--"
"Go out with you? Of course I will, dummy."

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A quick aside whilst we're out and about around town. As Rory is declaring his love to Krystal, I spot this kid selling brownies nearby. Is that a helmet, you say? Some weirdly spray-painted helmet?

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You'd think so, wouldn't you? Nope, it's his hair. I pop the kid into CAS and change his hairstyle to see the full effect. And it's amazing. I have no idea how this color combo could have happened, but the kid IS the son of Tristan Van Gould and Daydream Ivy (meaning his siblings are Blake, Layla, and Taryn), which means his grandmother is the original neon-haired Annalove Ivy. Maybe her weird color somehow shifted into this weird color on her grandson? I have no further theories.

Anyway! It's time for one last exciting event, and that's the kittens' birthdays!

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Ikki goes first, a sparkly ball of fluff.

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Meelo goes second. I'm really going to miss his tinyness.

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Thankfully, both kittens transform into very beautiful adult cats. (Ikki refuses to open her eyes for the camera...but she's still beautiful.)

[hazelnut]

Rory is adorable (I've always had a soft spot for nerdy Sims - and for redheads, come to that).  He and Krystal would be a great pair for continuing the line, but then, so would Quinn and Hank.

That little boy's hair is astonishing!

[Beks]

Rory is adorable (I've always had a soft spot for nerdy Sims - and for redheads, come to that).  He and Krystal would be a great pair for continuing the line, but then, so would Quinn and Hank.

That little boy's hair is astonishing!

Isn't he the cutest? Usually Sims get less cute as they age, but with Rory it's the opposite. Choosing an heir for this generation is so far proving to be impossible.