The Loveland Random Town Jump

[Beks]

Chapter 89 - Sparks & Sprinklers

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Moira and Lydell go on a second date to the bistro that weekend. They still have some getting-to-know-each-other to do. Moira is most likely going to be the heir for this generation, so it's important that she select a proper husband yadda yadda let's get on with it.

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It takes Lydell a while to show up for the date, but once he does, he and Moira sit at a table and happily eat together, chatting about school and comic books and other genius-y things.

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Once they're done, Moira pulls out a book, which is totally cute and relatable but really not a good dating strategy.

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Or maybe it is, for Lydell. After Moira puts the book away, he starts getting his flirt on. Look at that eyebrow arch!

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Moira starts to flirt back as Sherman Bagley and Leonardo Cantina gossip eagerly nearby.

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And as what looks like half the town gathers in the outdoor dining area at the bistro (getting a little too real here, guys), Moira is overcome with crushyness and kisses Lydell out of the blue.

Leonardo: "Ex-CUSE me! I thought I was supposed to be a potential spouse?!"

Sorry, Leo. Your traits are boring, your eyebrows scare me, and you have the pukey green hair color. Thank u, next.

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Moira and Lydell are literally surrounded by dozens of people right now, but they only have, um, mouths for each other. Honestly...it's really cute. Curfew arrives soon after this, but it's a wonderful date and Moira goes home feeling sky-high.

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Early the next morning, father and daughter meet again. This time, Freya is a teen, which means she's old enough to interact with her four-star-celebrity dad, right?

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Wrong. All she can do is show him funny videos on her phone. I don't know why the University Life phone interactions can sneak past the celebrity blockade. If I was a celebrity, watching videos on some fan's phone is the LAST thing I'd feel comfortable doing.

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Moira goes out with Lydell again that day and sparks fly like crazy. These two really have a lot of chemistry. This is in spite of the fact that somehow, in the twelve hours since we last saw him, Lydell has acquired a girlfriend! Lydell, how could you!

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"Lydell, I like you a lot. You're just as smart as me--or, almost--and you're really handsome and you're perfect and I like you. Will you break up with Valencia Newbie to be with me? Please?"

Lydell agrees, because Sims always agree to break up with their partners for a playable Sim. Who wouldn't?

When Moira goes in for a celebratory kiss, though, Lydell is not amused.

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"I just broke up with my girlfriend! Give me a minute!"
"But...I thought you liked me?"
"I just--I need a moment! Literally a moment, okay?"

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He did mean literally. A few "how's your day going"s and enthusing about nerdy things, and Moira butters him right back up again.

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She asks him to go steady and he says yes.

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Well, that was almost painless! Meanwhile, Killian is about to celebrate his teen birthday. Here's a last shot of him enjoying the sprinkler as a child.

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He is such a cute kid. Here's hoping he turns into a cute teen, too.

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Interesting hair choice there, Killian.

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That hair looks much better with some trimming, and also a hat. Killian ages up into a Savvy Sculptor, like his grandmother Anastasia.

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Anastasia left her sculpting station out in the backyard, so Killian gets started on the skill right away. You might want to wear a shirt, kiddo. Just an idea. (He just goes right back to that sprinkler whenever I'm not looking.)

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Freya has one night left before her young adult birthday. I have been a terrible watcher and have forgotten for many nights to check for Cody Remington's haunting, but we have one last chance. Freya goes over to the Jones house and dutifully mourns this teenage boy she's never met, hoping to coax him out.

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Angela stays with her all night long as her adult chaperone, and as a friend. She even distracts Freya from her anxieties with games of rock paper scissors and Trivia Challenge.

Dawn comes...and there's no Cody. The girls wait around till well after the sun is up just in case. But there's no sign of him at all.

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"Don't worry, Freya. You'll find a ghost to be with, I know it. We've barely scratched the surface of all the dead people here in Riverview!"
"Wow, that's comforting."

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So Freya returns home, drifting off through the bushes, leaving her dreams of a teen ghost romance behind.

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Back home, Moira encounters a new gnome during a trip to the bathroom. It's a magician gnome. And never has a gnome made me feel so uncomfortable.

[Beks]

Chapter 90 - There Is A Fire That Never Goes Out

Freya is set to age up to a young adult today--and stop aging forever after that, I think, maybe.

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Harley wakes up early and starts baking muffins in preparation for the family's first real party here in Riverview. (He does this autonomously. I've been a bit neglectful of poor Harley, but perhaps he's becoming self-sustaining because of it?)

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The guests consist almost entirely of teens and children. Are we using Freya's birthday party to increase the other kids' social circles? You betcha. It's not like Freya cares. And anyway, it's a great chance to check out some townie offspring! Left to right we have Leonardo Cantina (son of Lorraine Cantina and Melvin Taft--the elder men in this town have been seeing a fair bit of action in this save), Dimitri Ivanov whom we all know, and Kathleen Shelley (daughter of Constance Shelley and, of all people, Kurt Shallow).

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"Hey Moira, mind if I piggyback on this drink making thing? I need an excuse not to talk to any of these people."

Freya is a Loner, so she's clearly not into this party. Less than an hour in, she pops the wish to "spend five hours in bedroom". I feel THAT.

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The teen drama starts picking up right away. This is the first time Moira has met her new enemy, Valencia Newbie, since stealing her boyfriend. These girls do NOT get along. Hilariously, Lydell watches the whole thing go down while dancing with Kathleen Shelley.

Kathleen: "That's your girlfriend, right?"
Lydell: "Yep. Wait, which one?"
"...I thought you were dating Valencia?"
"Nope, we broke up. I'm with Moira now."
"Oh. So...should we do anything to stop their fighting...?"
"I'm content to just keep dancing if you are."

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Kathleen: "You know, actually they're pretty fun to watch."
Lydell: "I'd be lying if I said this whole thing didn't inflate my ego a little bit."

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And where's the birthday girl in all of this hubbub? SHE'S ASLEEP. IN HER BEDROOM. Freya, you sneaky ghost bunny! Get back downstairs!

Just as I send Freya to the cake in the dining room...disaster strikes.

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You know, this stupid megatronicontraption thingy has caused us a lot of grief, breaking (or being sabotaged) every other second and singeing all my Sims. So I'm not even really surprised when it goes up in flames. The surprising part is that there's a person inside of it this time.

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Okay, this fire is low-key terrifying. I've never seen a Sims fire produce so much dark smoke before. Poor Victor Griggs here (he's a pudding-faced townie) is almost totally obscured in the haze.

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Poor guy! I don't even know why he showed up at this total stranger's birthday party, and now he's being spun into oblivion WHILE ON FIRE.

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Moira autonomously runs over and extinguishes the flames, thankfully. (Putting that Lucky trait to good use!) Victor tumbles out in a daze, singed and dizzy but otherwise unhurt.

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Meanwhile, Freya is in the dining room, about to age up per my command. All the guests ran outside to see the fire, so she's all by herself. Freya, if I didn't know better, I'd think you orchestrated this whole thing so you could celebrate your birthday alone!

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And this is where things get crazy. The fire comes back, y'all. Moira extinguishes it, we get our little cha-ching of insurance money, everything's fine. But then, ten seconds later, the fire starts again, right in the same spot.

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Now I'm REALLY starting to suspect Freya. She turns into a young adult all by herself in the peaceful, quiet dining room, whilst everyone else on the lot screams in terror outside.

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Aaaand she ages up into a Diva. Well played, Freya. Well played.

The chaos isn't over. This freaking fire is extinguished again and again, but it keeps coming back, with about a five to ten second pause in between fires. Moira extinguishes it the first few times, before she gets worn down and succumbs to the trauma of it all.

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Moira: "WHY WON'T IT STOP?? I'VE PUT IT OUT SO MANY TIMES!!"
Killian: "This is TOTALLY what I'm doing for my next birthday. Infinite fire! YES!"

Killian's a Daredevil, you may remember. This is probably the peak of his life right here.

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Angela: "I see you've aged up into a young adult without having to listen to a bunch of strangers singing to you. Nice work."
Freya: "Thanks! This is the first birthday I've actually enjoyed."

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I try everything I can think of to get this fire to stop. I call the fire department; the firefighter arrives, sees somebody put the fire out, and takes off with an over-the-shoulder shout of "be more careful next time!". I delete the gyroscopic conductor thingy; the fire springs up from the ground instead. I use cheats to delete the fire (it's technically an object); it comes right back. I lay down some floor tiles; the fire comes back. I reset the lot; the fire comes back. I lose count after seven fires but I'm pretty sure there are at least twenty before I figure out how to stop it.

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It's a pool that does it. I literally have to build a pool over the spot that kept lighting on fire, and finally, FINALLY, the fire is gone for good. (And I had to dig around in various forums to find that solution--I don't think I ever would have thought of it myself. I don't know what I would have done otherwise. It's terrifying to think about. Reset the whole town maybe? Move the family to a different lot?! Quit this game entirely and never play it again?!?!?)

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"Eww, it smells burn-y out here."

Yep, that about sums it up, Harley.

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And where's the birthday girl after the disaster finally ends? Standing in the garden, reading a book. *sigh*

When the party finally ends and I've had a nice day-long break from the game because that disaster just plain wore me out, Freya finally gets her makeover.

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Gosh, it's almost like she and Heather are sisters or something! (They are. Sometimes I forget where Freya falls in the family tree because she was born so late. But they are.) I think the only real difference between the two girls is their eye color, and Freya's a bit skinnier than Heather. Anyway. Because she's a Diva now, I couldn't resist the signature Diva hairstyle. I never thought I'd want to use it, but somehow it works on Freya (and looks quite funny when she's in ghost form). Freya's final set of traits: Loner, Clumsy, Technophobe, Lucky, and Diva. Her new trait seals her new Lifetime Wish in place, too: she's going to be a Vocal Legend.

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That's right, ghost bunny, your secret love for karaoke is now your livelihood. Congrats!

It's been a wild chapter, so to wrap up, here's Nibs meeting his kittens for the first time.

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Nibs and Ni'ele have three kittens together. (You can kindly ignore the gray kitten, after acknowledging its cuteness; it was adopted by Bennie Dean but is not related to Nibs or Ni'ele.) I didn't get to name the kittens since they aren't in the Loveland household; if we adopt one, I'll probably rename it. Anyway! The shorter-haired, rusty brown kitten on the far left is Jubel; the black one in the middle behind Nibs is Nashira; and the reddish stripey one bonking heads with Nibs is Dexter.

I'm disappointed that none of the kittens got Ni'ele's spots, but on a happier note, these kittens are definite evidence that Satine's genetics are still going strong. All three of the kittens have a (faded) white patch on one side of their faces, as well as one white sock. That makes me very happy. I'm not sure if we'll adopt one of these babies or try for a spotted one in another litter, but in any case, they're cute as heck and I love them all.

[Trip]

I love the EXTREMELY FLAT FACED KITTEN the best. Because he may or may not be some weird impossible kitty using real life logic.

Those Showtime professions just keep getting thrown at you. I don't know who's giving the Riverview teens all the green-brown hair but stop it! Kathleen would probably be pretty as a brunette anyways.

I would go mad at that fire and maybe you should have sacrificed the pudding face man to appease the fire gods and/or Freya.

[deedee_828]

Love the kittens and I'm with Trip, that dark haired flat faced one looks super cute!

As far as the Sphere of Nauseousness goes, boy am I glad I didn't buy one for Trevor, I am quite sure I can do without never-ending fire on my home lot.
Though it did seem perfectly planned by your new resident Diva----have fun with that trait!

Hopefully you don't have another one in the house as that sure can cause some dramatic interaction, one Diva does enough, but more than one? Watch out!

I had three living in the main home at one time back in AP, one was an excitable, disciplined Diva, one was a brave, but absent-mined Diva, though he never forgot about accusing everyone in the house of being one!
And the other one was an eco-friendly, loner Diva, who not only accused others of being a Diva, but loved talking about recycling, which either bored others or upset them.
Luckily she was a loner so she kept to herself unless she could corner another sim on their own! lol

Thankfully one was the spouse of a spare, and the other was a spare, so I moved them out after moving to the next town.
Wow, the lack of drama with only one Diva in the house was wonderful!

[Beks]

I love the EXTREMELY FLAT FACED KITTEN the best. Because he may or may not be some weird impossible kitty using real life logic.

Those Showtime professions just keep getting thrown at you. I don't know who's giving the Riverview teens all the green-brown hair but stop it! Kathleen would probably be pretty as a brunette anyways.

I would go mad at that fire and maybe you should have sacrificed the pudding face man to appease the fire gods and/or Freya.

I don't think I appreciate the squashy flat face enough. It is pretty cute (and very hilarious from the side). Dexter actually has the flat face too, although you can't see it very well in that photo. (More photos are coming shortly!)

I am getting a lot of Showtime stuff, but since it's a new EP for me, I don't mind. I was really hoping for an acrobat one of these days...but I think after two Showtime careers in a row I might need a break. And there is SO much green-brown hair in this town right now! I don't get it! Townies like Lorraine Cantina and Constance Shelley have such beautiful shades of brown hair, and it seems like nobody is getting anything but the green.

The poor pudding faced man was the only one to experience any damage from the fires, amazingly. I half expected a bunch of guests to catch on fire and die.

Love the kittens and I'm with Trip, that dark haired flat faced one looks super cute!

As far as the Sphere of Nauseousness goes, boy am I glad I didn't buy one for Trevor, I am quite sure I can do without never-ending fire on my home lot.
Though it did seem perfectly planned by your new resident Diva----have fun with that trait!

Hopefully you don't have another one in the house as that sure can cause some dramatic interaction, one Diva does enough, but more than one? Watch out!

I had three living in the main home at one time back in AP, one was an excitable, disciplined Diva, one was a brave, but absent-mined Diva, though he never forgot about accusing everyone in the house of being one!
And the other one was an eco-friendly, loner Diva, who not only accused others of being a Diva, but loved talking about recycling, which either bored others or upset them.
Luckily she was a loner so she kept to herself unless she could corner another sim on their own! lol

Thankfully one was the spouse of a spare, and the other was a spare, so I moved them out after moving to the next town.
Wow, the lack of drama with only one Diva in the house was wonderful!

I've already selected a kitten for the Lovelands to adopt, and I think you guys will be satisfied with my choice based on your love of the flat face. I hope.

I wonder if anyone else has experienced the never-ending fire with the spinny thing. The fact that the fire persisted after I deleted the object made me wonder if it was something else that was causing it--some glitch with the lot itself, or something.

I think it's funny that Diva can combine with so many seemingly-conflicting traits, like Loner and Absent-Minded. Freya is a Loner too, which means she spends a lot of time complimenting herself but not a lot of time being obnoxious with other people. Yay, I guess? So far she's the only Diva in my game, but we'll see what happens.

[Beks]

Bonus Kitten Post!

I ran out of screenshots in the last chapter, but here are a few more shots of the kittens so you can see them up close (or as close as I can get, anyway; they're so tiny, it's hard to get the camera down close enough).

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Nashira, the only girl, is aggressive and non-destructive. She's got one white foot and a small white patch on her face.

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Jubel most resembles Nibs--he's so patchworky! This little guy is Hyper and Independent.

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Finally, Dexter, who gives me runt-of-the-litter vibes for some reason. He alone inherited his mama's long tail (Nibs has a nub). He's Aggressive and Non-Destructive like his sister.

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Here's Ni'ele play-wrestling with Nashira. Look at those matching white socks!

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And here's Dexter playing with his adoptive brother Pepper in the MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING STREET.

Also, an update: Ni'ele is now pregnant again. I'm hoping for a spotted kitten this time around.

[deedee_828]

Kittens have that same adorable factor as toddlers, just too cute, no matter what they are doing.

Fingers crossed for a spotted kitten this time, as Ni'ele needs to pass on her genetics too!

[Beks]

Chapter 91 - Cemetery Songs

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Heather is now a level 9 magician and can do this rather terrifying trick where she escapes from a box full of water. So far, she's succeeded every time--partly because the box of mystery glitches out soon after this and I haven't been able to place it or select it ever since. Maybe Heather sabotaged it out of fear of dying. (Trevor, as you can see, is just as concerned a husband as ever...)

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She can also levitate herself now. It's pretty snazzy. Although for this photo, I picked the one angle in which you can't really tell that she's levitating. Good job, self.

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Archie is doing well, although his life remains pretty unexciting. His most recent passion is playing catch with any family member who happens to have a moment of free time and forcing them to play with him for hours. As a result, the whole family is slowly becoming more athletic, and Archie is, like, a level 6 jock or something ridiculous.

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Nibs is also doing well. After trying for kittens with Ni'ele a second time, he attempts to run home but instead finds his way into one of the neighboring backyards and conks out on a lounge chair. I find him here at about 2 in the morning, poor thing. Must have been an exhausting "try for kittens" session.

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Moira's about midway through her teen years. Since she's got Lydell locked in as her future spouse, she's free to spend her time doing homework, learning skills, and hanging out with her mom--her best friend aside from Killian.

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Killian goes home with a girl on one of his first days of high school. Recognize her? It's Valencia Newbie, former girlfriend of our very own Lydell.

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Killian spends about five seconds in Valencia's presence before he starts flirting with her, encouraged by the warmth of the fireplace nearby. Within an hour he's rolled a wish to kiss her for the first time. Alrighty then! Our boy knows what he wants. (Also I'm guessing that Valencia doesn't know she's flirting with her enemy's little brother.)

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I go check on other family members, and when I come back, this is happening. This train is leaving the station and there's nothing I can do to stop it!

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Freya goes to the Performance Park across town to inquire about working as a singer. It's night time because I forgot to have her do this earlier in the day, and the proprietor is unfamiliar because apparently nobody wants to run this park and the game keeps swapping out proprietors. (I think this one lasts about a day before he's replaced.)

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Freya succeeds in convincing the proprietor to let her perform. (Perhaps he sees the shock value of a singing fire ghost. Smart man.) Freya starts singing for tips right there by the empty picnic tables under her new stage name of Ghost Bunny.

And now that she's a young adult AND an employed singer, Freya can finally spend her nights in the cemetery like she's always wanted. It's time for her to find love, darn it!

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The ghosts love her performances and tip her plenty of obsolete, grimy coinage.

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Many of them also express their attraction for her. I like the idea of Freya getting with a fire ghost, but this particular one happens to be a miserable old man with bad traits, so no thank you.

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Seriously, a LOT of ghosts want a piece of this undead pie, if you know what I mean.

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It's not until the third or fourth night--well, crack-of-dawn, really--that Freya meets someone she really jives with. Mimi the electrocution ghost is one of the only ghosts Freya's age who isn't a total jerk--at least among those we've met so far. The two of them autonomously talk all the way until Mimi has to disappear back into her headstone.

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When she's not performing in the cemetery or driving around in the Motive Mobile, Freya performs sing-a-grams, mostly for the abundant teens of Riverview who are trying to woo each other and ask each other to prom.

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And speaking of teens...Harley's about to be one!

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He picks the same exact hairstyle as Killian did upon aging up. Sorry, Harley, it doesn't look good on you either.

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Harley gets the Workaholic trait for his birthday. I think we might have to get this boy a job. And I never do part-time jobs.

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We've got three teenagers in the house now. And yet it's one of the least dramatic bunches of teens I've ever played. They're all best friends with each other and happily go about their lives without bothering one another. All their mood swings happen in private. It's amazing.

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A couple of days go by, and soon enough, Ni'ele gives birth to a second litter of kittens--or rather, another kitten. Cuz it's just one this time. Even so, when Archie goes down to the Lin-Dean house to check on the kittens, poor Ni'ele is just surrounded by her offspring and looking a little overwhelmed.

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Ni'ele: "What have I done."

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Well, the good news is that Ni'ele had a spotted kitten! And cat genetics are officially one of my favorite things in this entire game. Look at the variety of patterns in this little guy's fur! It's crazy!

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So this is Boba, everyone. (I'm going back to the Star Wars naming theme for now, because I'm basically out of Peter Pan names and I don't want to name an adorable, innocent kitten Hook.) He's officially joining the Loveland family. I would've adopted all four if I could.

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Nibs is overjoyed to meet his newest child and welcome him to the home. By the way, Boba is Adventurous and Hyper, and he acquires the Neat trait all by himself within his first three days of life. What a good kitty!

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Because I don't know where the heck else to put this photo, here's a final outtake unrelated to the story. This is Don Lothario working as the Riverview stylist, giving a makeover to Laurel Grisby. I just found it strangely hilarious and I hope you do too.

[Trip]

Do the ghosts come out for singing or is it just a coincidence? Extremely interesting but Freya maybe getting a ghost girlfriend is [clenches fists] too pure.

I absolutely love Boba and he's thankfully the color of those tapioca pearls too. There are a lot of brown/black foods and spices to choose from though fewer that fit the character naming theme.

And I thought Harley would have more Shaw in him but he's just another one of the post-Twinbrook Lovelands.

[Beks]

Do the ghosts come out for singing or is it just a coincidence? Extremely interesting but Freya maybe getting a ghost girlfriend is [clenches fists] too pure.

I absolutely love Boba and he's thankfully the color of those tapioca pearls too. There are a lot of brown/black foods and spices to choose from though fewer that fit the character naming theme.

And I thought Harley would have more Shaw in him but he's just another one of the post-Twinbrook Lovelands.

I think it's just a coincidence--the ghosts were haunting of their own accord and just sort of congregated around Freya when she started singing, like regular townies would.

Freya didn't get along super well with most of the town ghosts, but she seemed to like Mimi from the start--and she just would not stop following her around trying to scare her. It was like the other ghosts didn't exist. I interpreted that as "HEY I LIKE YOU PAY ATTENTION TO ME" in Freya-speak.

I love Boba too. So, so much. And I didn't even think about the tapioca pearls but now his name is even cuter. *pats self on back*

Yeah, Harley is basically just Heather but with Trevor's hair and eye colors.

[Beks]

Chapter 92 - Ghosts & Video Games

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Angela's elder birthday arrives long before I'm ready. How is she already an old lady?!

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She gets a pretty new dress to wear, at least. She also achieves her Lifetime Wish the next day when she asks Aiden Jones for a promotion to level 9 of the science career. She's a Creature-Robot Cross-Breeder!

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One of Harley's first wishes as a teen is to get a part-time job. He applies for a position at the grocery store and starts bringing in a few extra dollars for us. Not that we've needed money since about generation three...

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Harley really seems happiest when he's working. When he's at home, he mostly just paddles around in the awkwardly small pool that I placed over top of the never-ending fire. (I would delete it, but I'm scared to unleash the wrath of hell again.) And he's always got this uneasy look on his face as he swims. Don't worry, Harley, you'll get to be a full-time workaholic before you know it!

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Freya's quest to find ghostly love continues. She bonded well with Mimi previously, but the hauntings are so inconsistent from night to night that it's hard to know if they'll even meet again. I decide to follow Trip's advice (thanks Trip!) and try out the firework trick in an attempt to coax her out (and maybe some other ghosts for Freya to meet.

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Freya puts on quite a show over the course of a few nights.

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The fireworks do bring out some new faces, most of whom are very curious about the hot (heh) new ghost. They also give her money. For some reason. Like a "thanks for setting off fireworks in our peaceful cemetery, here's 20 bucks" type of thing.

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But in the quiet moments between fireworks, Freya always stops and gazes longingly towards a certain headstone. Mimi hasn't come back since the first night she and Freya met. Where is she? Doesn't she like fireworks?

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Of course she does. It takes a while, but Mimi does return eventually.

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Freya's first autonomous action is to scare Mimi from behind, because she's a ghost, and she's Freya. Actually Freya would do this all night if I didn't stop her. But it's notable that she ALWAYS goes for Mimi. Perhaps this is Freya's love language?

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A friendship elixir supersedes all the scaring and brings their relationship well into the green. Also, there just isn't time to work Mimi all the way up to a friend the old-fashioned way. Magic is needed!

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After that, the two girls just talk and giggle for the rest of the night. They talk until something goes wrong with Mimi and I'm unable to select her for further social interactions.

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Since I can't access the regular social menu, Freya has to improvise. Luckily, she can select a Sim to do a romantic sing-a-gram for using her own "singer" interactions. This way, she can finally tell Mimi how she feels, kind of.

Mimi goes back into her headstone before more can happen. This is when I remember that Sims can pick up graves in the public cemetery and take them home. Aha! Perfect!

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So Freya takes Mimi's grave back to the house and sets it up in the backyard, near her beloved karaoke machine. I don't know if mourning a Sim has any effect on their haunting frequency, but Freya does it just in case.

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Love is happening for Killian, too. Valencia actually asks him out on a date one afternoon, and the two start autonomously flirting right off the bat. (They're at the junkyard, but instead of talking amongst the interesting sparkly piles of things, they choose to talk in the parking lot by the dumpsters. Ah, young love.)

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Of course, Killian has the audacity to use a mean nerdy interaction that ends the date and sends Valencia home in a huff. Dangit, Killian! You need to stop playing video games so much!

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He goes home and contemplates his options while playing in the family fireplace. Fire is very inspiring to this boy.

He realizes that there's only one thing to do, really.

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And that's invite Valencia over and show her once and for all how serious he is about this relationship.

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"Wait, you really like me?? But you berated my ignorance for never having played...that video game you're always talking about!"

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"Forgive me, Valencia--and be my girlfriend? I can teach you how to play The Sims 2 and we can play anytime we want!"
"Well, okay."

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Actually, Valencia seems like a good choice for Killian. And she even has the approval of the rest of the family! (Well, Heather.) Valencia shows up at Heather's magic show later on that night and Heather starts rolling all these wishes for her--to give her gifts, mainly. How sweet! She welcomes Valencia to the family with a nice painting that's been floating around everyone's inventories for a hundred years.

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We can't end this chapter without checking in on Boba. He's settling in nicely and learning from his father how to be a good cat. He is also very much adored by everyone in the family.

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Archie is rapidly climbing the ranks of the jock social group. He's moved on from practicing the school cheer to taking selfies with his family members.

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I have no idea what's happening here.

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I just...I don't even know.

[hazelnut]

That never-ending fire was weird.  Wonder whether it would reappear if you deleted the pool?  Maybe you should try just before the Lovelands move out...

Boba is cute!  (I was rooting for Dexter from the first litter but Boba's colouring is far more interesting.)

[Beks]

That never-ending fire was weird.  Wonder whether it would reappear if you deleted the pool?  Maybe you should try just before the Lovelands move out...

Boba is cute!  (I was rooting for Dexter from the first litter but Boba's colouring is far more interesting.)

Maybe I should! I've already moved the Lovelands to the next town but I could go back into the old save and try it out. Will report back if I do.

Dexter was my favorite of the first bunch, too I'm glad Boba kinda resembles him, but with more exciting fur. And better traits!

[Beks]

Chapter 93 - Fire Free

Freya is thriving in the singer career--more than I ever expected her to. Yes, she's a Loner and she gets the "too many people" moodlet a lot, but she also seems to really enjoy performing. And the more she performs, the more friends she makes, which means she's more at ease in front of a crowd.

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The biggest crowd she gets, by far, gathers near the hospital, of all places. Is there, like, a pandemic or something?

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Freya's voice is so pervasive, babies are born under its melodious influence.

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Moira's birthday arrives and the family gathers to celebrate. (Note Angela's new granny panties. )

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Moira becomes a beautiful young adult and decides to lose the barette for a more sophisticated hairstyle. And she rolls one of my favorite traits in the game that I never seem to roll randomly: Family Oriented. Score! Moira's other traits are Genius, Slob, Perfectionist, and Lucky. For her Lifetime Wish, she decides to become a Scientific Specialist. I've actually never done that one before, but I think it's perfect for our new heir.

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Since she doesn't know the science skill yet, Moira spends her first day as a young adult reading science books in the library.

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Oh hey, look who's also aged up! I spot Lydell walking out of the police station just as I receive the notification saying he's gotten a new job in law enforcement.

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I think it's time we get this boy in the family, don't you?

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Moira proposes in one of the most scenic spots in Riverview, and one of the most difficult spots for taking screenshots thanks to that crazy roof. Note to self.

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After Lydell says yes, the couple celebrates with a nice game of chess. Typical Geniuses.

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Back home, Harley has a girl over. Lourdes Broke came over after school and stuck around till long after a standard teenage bedtime. She and Harley don't really interact the whole evening (mostly because I'm distracted elsewhere) until Harley comes down for a late-night snack and discovers that Lourdes is kinda cute.

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About five seconds later he rolls a wish to kiss her. Um, okay! Harley's rolled so few wishes in his life--it's nice to see him finally going after something. And having a tiny bit of a personality.

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Boba has taken to sleeping on the kitchen floor, serene and pancake-like. He's doing well and is almost an adult cat.

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After reaching level 3 of the science skill from books, Moira switches over to working on her mother's science machine. She'll need to make a lot more progress on it than Angela ever did.

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The following day, Moira graduates with highest honors (I'm shocked she didn't win Valedictorian) and is voted Most Likely to Take Over the World. Not what I was expecting. She's going to be a doctor. I would hope she plans to use her knowledge for good instead of power.

Moira wants to throw a bachelorette party, and since we've been pretty antisocial here in Riverview (aside from all the performing)...let's do it!

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Moira spins into her bachelorette outfit and then spins right out of it again, so I have to design her a makeshift one. It's a shame--she actually has short hair and would've looked super cute in that little hat. She doesn't seem to mind, at least. She's the first one in the house to start dancing as the guests arrive.

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Harley greets his father for the first time since he was quite a lot younger. They only have a few seconds to chat, though...

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...because it's prom night! Harley and Killian get to skip the adult party and head off to their very own party at school. Yay? Harley ends up winning prom king and starts going steady with Lourdes; Killian joins a dance battle and gets into a fight as a result. Because of course he does.

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Anyway, party! Freya does her usual stunt of merging with whoever is making drinks. As long as she doesn't start any deadly fires this time, I don't care what she does.

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Heather makes a toast for the bride-to-be.

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And promptly douses her in nectar. Trevor stares blankly as always. Being a non-playable just doesn't suit Trevor very well, does it?

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Heather and Moira really are the life of this party. They spend half the time practicing the school cheer, which could almost pass as very energetic dancing. I love how much is going on in this picture: Valencia getting stuck in an open space while wearing her eggs-and-bacon T-shirt (dear EA, whose idea was that?), an elderly Roxie Lin looking lost, Angela wistfully remembering the days when SHE could fly through the air without breaking a hip, Travis McDermott wondering what kind of crazy family his brother is marrying into, Archie looking like an absolute snazz monster in his red snakeskin suit (did the game give him that?! I don't remember making that)...it's just chaos. Beautiful chaos. Oh, and there's Nibs!

The party dancers are there, too. Unfortunately, they're in the upstairs bathroom.

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"Aren't the guests supposed to watch us? Why isn't anyone up here?"
"They'll turn up eventually. Just keep dancing."

At any rate, I appreciate that they dressed up as firefighters. Lord knows we tend to need those around here.

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Freya actually behaves like a fairly normal party guest for once. I even find her up in the attic playing foosball with the McDermott boys. She's voluntarily bonding with her future nephews-in-law!

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Overall, the party is a hit and the guests drink, dance, and get stuck in corners long into the night. Lex Dance here sings karaoke until the wee hours of the morning, so I think his lack of an audience earlier didn't faze him. He's just a born performer, even when nobody's watching.

[deedee_828]

The game provides dress to impress outfits for all the guests at bachelor/bachelorette parties, including family----some of them are hilarious! But the ones that took the cake for me were the fellows that ended up wandering around the club we rented in their underwear! I know the fizzy nectar was flying, but what was the mixologist putting in those drinks! LOL