Author Topic: Bewitched Berries Epilogue: An Embarrassment of...Berries [Completed 14 Mar '23]  (Read 124113 times)

Offline Rhoxi

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.32c: To High School, Finally! (26 Oct update)
« Reply #225 on: October 27, 2022, 09:24:05 AM »

Love Cerise's hair - and all the fun exploration and drama for the teens! But what is this nonsense about no such thing as "just gaming"? It's okay to just have fun, Ren! :P

Offline PeregrineTook

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.32c: To High School, Finally! (26 Oct update)
« Reply #226 on: October 27, 2022, 11:19:42 AM »
Cerise has a new sweetheart?  You San-go girl!
A sweet and delightful little update all around, though the parental inquisition was probably a fave for me.  Blaze decked out in his mob boss attire to intimidate the young man he thinks might break his little girl's heart was absolutely adorable!
Looking forward to seeing the Cerise and Sango romance develop...and seeing which of them will carry the next generation  ;=)



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Offline oshizu

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.32c: To High School, Finally! (26 Oct update)
« Reply #227 on: October 27, 2022, 02:25:16 PM »
My teens have to skip prom (Entertainer career) currently but the only problem is when they're in a relationship. I try to remember to "agree to skip prom together " to avoid that.
I'm not sure what happens if you agree to go with someone but then stand them up...
Great preppy look for Ren and Cerise is rocking the pink! Glad to have you back from Coral Island, Watcher

I have restarted Coral Island with a new farmer and a new strategy, because I failed to get the Greenhouse reward in the first year. *weeps
Thanks for welcoming me back, Judi!  My new plan is to only allow myself a Coral Island session after a "substantial" simming session, LOL!
There was some setup for Cerise that I'd been dragging my feet over, but it's mostly resolved now. *winks


Love Cerise's hair - and all the fun exploration and drama for the teens! But what is this nonsense about no such thing as "just gaming"? It's okay to just have fun, Ren! :P
Ren had to make that remark about "just gaming," because he has the Geek trait. :D

Cerise has a new sweetheart?  You San-go girl!
A sweet and delightful little update all around, though the parental inquisition was probably a fave for me.  Blaze decked out in his mob boss attire to intimidate the young man he thinks might break his little girl's heart was absolutely adorable!
Looking forward to seeing the Cerise and Sango romance develop...and seeing which of them will carry the next generation  ;=)

I also liked Blaze's inquisition scene.  When the sims arrived at the restaurant, Blaze had coincidentally changed into his mob wear (it's his second Everyday outfit) so I thought, "Wow, perfect!"
Funny you should mention the next generation.  Cerise and Ren have only been teens for 4 days so far, but I'm feeling rather impatient...

Offline oshizu

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.33: Papa, I Want to Adult (28 Oct update)
« Reply #228 on: October 29, 2022, 01:10:00 AM »
7.33: Papa, I Want to Adult


Week 33, Sunday (Y3, 1st week of spring)
Here we are in front of our spacious new domicile in Del Sol Valley.
Ren and I are primed to crush all our high school goals this week!

From L to R: Mama Imane, me (Pink heir) with Sly, Papa Blaze (Orange heir), and brother Ren.


Cerise: I don't want to miss the mail delivery like yesterday, so we're staying home until then.
Papa insists I need to start upping my magical rank, so I get started on that.
Meanwhile, Ren is teaching himself how to paint.
Sure, he can already craft camping mascots, but they can't be our only home décor!


By 4:30 pm, no mailperson has shown up.  That makes two days in a row without mail delivery.
I've asked eight different pen pals for postcards lately, but they're not arriving.
Time to work on my bonus collection!
I bring the whole gang with me to Tartosa to seek messages in bottles.


After my huge disappointment with postcards, the bottled messages greatly boost my morale!
I find 19 bottled messages and 14 of them are unique!



Monday
(Because I'm unflirty and romantically clumsy, it takes hours for our romance to bloom.)

Sango: I've always liked you, Cerise, but I thought you liked Djavan.
Cerise: He was the first teen I ever met besides Ren, so I asked him on a friendly Prom Date.
Sango: I'm sure Ren asked me to the Prom to also avoid going alone.


Three hours after our first kiss, I still can't ask Sango to be my girlfriend.
Oddly, though, I can ask her to mess around.
Maybe if we mess around enough, I can eventually ask her to be my girlfriend?
Is that how love works? I wish I were more of a smooth talker, but I'm not…


Ren: Nice! We both max our careers this morning.
All that's left to do as teens is to become Team Captains and attend Career Day.
Cerise: I'm thinking of moving out after we become High Fliers.  You interested in coming with?
Ren: Definitely, but only if Djavan can move in with us. It'll be such an adventure, sis!


Blaze: Yay, our mail's been delivered!
Postman: Hello?  You're welcome for your mail.
Blaze: Where were you the last two days? We thought our mailbox was broken.
I replaced it with a new one, then made sure we didn't leave our lot until you arrived.
Postman: I don't know about your mailbox, but I took the weekend off to celebrate the new year.


Cerise: Hallelujah! My requested postcards have arrived, all nine of them at once!
I need to prioritize my pre-move goals this week! Postcards can wait until later, perhaps.
Ren: Hey, it's time to leave for our club meetings. You coming?



Tuesday
Djavan: I swear on my honor, Don Blaze, this is NOT what it looks like!
Blaze: Do you mind explaining what I'm seeing here?
Djavan: I came to the bar to grab a drink and your wife moved in between me and the drink.
Anyway, why would I mess with your wife when your younger, prettier son is my boyfriend?


Blaze: Djavan, I want to officially welcome you to the famiglia, son.
Djavan: Thank you, Don Blaze. I wasn't sure how you'd feel about Ren and me.
Blaze: My son is crazy about you. As long as you treat him right, I will treat you like my very own son.
But break his heart and I'll tear you from limb to limb.
Djavan (gulps): Uh, I appreciate you dressing casually for this conversation. It feels slightly less intimidating.



Wednesday
Cerise: Mama, Ren and I took the day off today from school.
I plan to spend most of the day learning magic but spend the evening writing novels.
What about a friendly duel?
Imane: Oof! So this is why nobody ever encouraged me to learn magic!


Cerise: I get the most embarrassing phone call in my life today.
Grandpa Tuki phones me--the unflirty teen of the family--to ask about trying for baby.
I don't even know what he's talking about.
Like, shouldn't Grandpa Tuki be contacting a stork instead of me?


Cerise: Great-Grandpa Morgyn, Papa says this Potion of Rejuvenation is for you!
Morgyn: Why thank you, young lady! My great-granddaughter is already a teen, just imagine!

I'm about to ask Great-Grandpa Morgyn to take a selfie with me to show you the family resemblance.
But he surprises me by asking for a selfie first. We don't look much alike, do we?



Thursday
Today's surely our last day of high school.
Lately, I've been thinking I'd like to write mystery novels for a living.
At first I wanted to write romance novels, but who am I kidding? An unflirty romance novelist?.
Do you think I should write under a pseudonym?  What about Louise Nickel?


Ren would like you to know that he changed his hairstyle yesterday.
His sleek new coif nicely complements his facial features while not making his head look enormous.


Ren and I become Highfliers as soon as we step foot into the Career Day venue.
We spend the rest of the event hogging the two computers in the auditorium.

I'd been worrying about my postcards because I'd left the lot for Career Day.
When I check the mailbox, though, there are my last three postcards!

 
Blaze (sigh): I'm finally able to provide a wonderful home for my family and the kids are leaving!
I don't blame them for wanting to move out tomorrow morning.
Right after my teen birthday, I left home with my siblings and moved to Evergreen Harbor.
My fathers were divorced then, so Papa Tuki came, too. It all seems like such a long time ago!

You're surprised by how I eat?  Did you forget that I'm a glutton?



Friday
Cerise: I'm so impatient to move to Tartosa that Ren and I leave home at 5 am.
Sango and Djavan, whose fathers both recently remarried, are excited to move in with us.

While Sango and Djavan start readying the garden, I paint and Ren crafts mascots.
At 10 am, we're surprised by a Welcome Wagon. Sheesh, give us some time to settle in!


Cerise: This is the original starter home, which came without wallpaper or floor coverings.
After moving in, We added them, a trash can, and a fourth dining chair.
Ren: Our parents sent us off with $22,000, which was enough to buy this cottage.
Sango and Djavan's fathers gave $7,500 each toward our moving expenses.
Sango & Djavan (in unison): Those cheapskates!

Ren: Sis and I had saved everything we crafted, found, or received since grade school, so we could sell them after moving out.


Jamal DuBois: How long do you intend to keep ignoring me, Sango?
Sango: How ironic that you and your wife would be part of the Welcome Wagon!
You never even told me what you were planning, suddenly announcing that you remarried.
And she certainly never made me feel welcome at home.
Please don't ever come here again, Papa. I don't need you to pretend to care about me.


Cerise: I invite Grandpa Damson to join us at the Spice Festival.
My parents didn't show up but we run into Uncle Sunny and Auntie Cara there, too.
I would love to get to know my extended family better.

My brother Ren surprises us all by winning tonight's Spice Championship!



Saturday
Sango and Djavan are C students. I can understand why they'd like to improve their school performance before aging up.
They've joined scouts, too.
The four of us plan to remain teens until next week sometime.
I'm happy with that. I'm still figuring out what I'll do for a living as a grown-up.


Sango and Ren only need their Keep Fit badge now, so it's time for a break.
We decide to visit Mt. Komorebi since it's a new place for all of us.

Can you see Auntie Cara in the background?
Tonight's the third time we've run into her since Friday morning.
Do you think she might be stalking us?






Tartosa starter home: I built Cerise's home as a regular residence several weeks ago.
The mostly unfurnished house is uploaded in MyLibrary for later.
Their current home is a more affordable version that's been downsized to 64 tiles.

Progress: End of Week 33
Spoiler (click to show/hide)



Notes
*No mail delivery: I was forced to send the kids to high school alone on Monday.
  The "no mail" glitch was solved as Blaze explained above. Thankfully, that worked.
 
*Talking to plants: What is with the constant talking to plants?
  My household sims talk to plants when they could be talking to each other.
  If I lock them out of the garden, they'll just talk to the plants over the fence, lol.

*Teens: I'm no doubt bending the NSB rules by moving out my heirs as teens.
  Moving in their teen partners before marriage is probably also a no-go.
  But I do love playing teens; they can do much of what young adults can.
  And they can support themselves without (their Watcher) having to deal with children and careers yet.

Offline Granny Lawlor

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.33: Papa, I Want to Adult (28 Oct update)
« Reply #229 on: October 29, 2022, 09:23:55 AM »
It must be confusing starting a new garden after your Coral Island gaming. Sanjo and Djavan seem up for the challenge though. I also don't get why Sims are always wanting to talk to the plants. It's a shame it doesn't build Charisma!
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Offline PeregrineTook

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.33: Papa, I Want to Adult (28 Oct update)
« Reply #230 on: October 29, 2022, 10:22:23 AM »
Cara worked so hard to be in this update and I'm so proud of her!
Oh, and Cerise is also doing amazingly well and I'm proud of her too.  My Simself may or may not have placed all those messages in bottles for her.  Spoiler alert, it was probably the "not" option   ;=)
The conversation with the casual-but-still-threatening Don was pretty fantastic.
Poor Sango!  You don't need your gross dad and stepmom, you have Cerise and her Aunt Cara and that's way better!
Another fantastic update all around!

Offline Rhoxi

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.33: Papa, I Want to Adult (28 Oct update)
« Reply #231 on: October 29, 2022, 01:52:16 PM »

Wow, loved the rather, mm, compromising shot of Djavan and Imane! And poor Cerise - being saddled with that awkward phone call! Like, I dunno Gramps, what gives?? Very fun update. :D



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Offline oshizu

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.33: Papa, I Want to Adult (28 Oct update)
« Reply #232 on: October 29, 2022, 06:33:14 PM »
It must be confusing starting a new garden after your Coral Island gaming. Sanjo and Djavan seem up for the challenge though. I also don't get why Sims are always wanting to talk to the plants. It's a shame it doesn't build Charisma!
Haha, my Coral Island toon is running a farm!  And all by herself, too.
In comparison, a garden started by four sims is a piece of cake! I guess Cerise should do most of the gardening later, but planting and watering everything at first is time-consuming. :D
Between Sango (Loves the Outdoors, Loyal) and Djavan (Romantic, Self-Absorbed), Djavan was oddly the one who declared that he loved gardening, haha.
At this point, he's a strong contender for the founder of whatever challenge I start next. ;p
I'm presently torn between Rhoxi's Occult IDC and the Postcard Legacy. Look at me counting chickens when I've just started Gen7!

Cara worked so hard to be in this update and I'm so proud of her!
Oh, and Cerise is also doing amazingly well and I'm proud of her too.  My Simself may or may not have placed all those messages in bottles for her.  Spoiler alert, it was probably the "not" option   ;=)
The conversation with the casual-but-still-threatening Don was pretty fantastic.
Poor Sango!  You don't need your gross dad and stepmom, you have Cerise and her Aunt Cara and that's way better!
Another fantastic update all around!
i agree about Auntie Cara! She showed up three times in 24 hours: Spice Festival on Friday night, the Porto Luminoso fishing spot Sat. afternoon, then the Mt. Komorebi bar on Saturday night.
Prefilling bottles with messages and burying them in the sand for Cerise--that's the kind of thoughtful thing you would do, Pippin!
I will miss playing Blaze. He didn't tell anyone but he secretly earned his high school diploma online. 
Some of the NSB generations are definitely more fun than others in terms of their requirements...

Wow, loved the rather, mm, compromising shot of Djavan and Imane! And poor Cerise - being saddled with that awkward phone call! Like, I dunno Gramps, what gives?? Very fun update. :D
Djavan and Sango were in the family club, so I was just looking around to see what they got up to on their own.
At first, I didn't understand what Djavan was doing, until I checked the bar and saw that he was reaching for a drink. 
Imane was obsessed with mixing drinks at the bar, even though it was a banned club activity.  (Sadly, we can only ban five activities, LOL!)

Offline oshizu

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Bewitched Berries 7.34a: Decisions, Decisions (30 Oct update)
« Reply #233 on: October 30, 2022, 02:51:01 AM »
7.34a: Decisions, Decisions


Sango: I'm really nervous, Cerise. I've never met a Watcher before!
Cerise: Our Watcher's pretty cool and you'll love the Honorary Watcher.
Sango: Didn't you visit them in Ohan'ali Town that first time?
Cerise: Yes, but I bribed Grandpa D with a Rejuv Potion at the Spice Festival Friday.
In return, he coughed up our Watchers' latest address here in Mua Pel'am.


Cerise: The new place is quite a change from our Watcher's previous premade house.
Grandpa D says she built this house from scratch, based on another house she built.
Sango: Wow, it has…crops?!


Sango: You never told me your Watchers were farmers.
Cerise: oshizu's more a gamer than a fictional farmer. Her buddy farms in solidarity.
I'd guess he actually prefers Wild West cowboys and medieval Nordic warriors.


Cerise: Hey, why do you have a barn but no cows?
oshizu: On Coral Island, I couldn't reach Town Rank C by Fall 15 and failed to earn the Greenhouse.
So I restarted because, otherwise, the Greenhouse would've taken another year.

Cerise: I see. Let me guess: your new farm currently has a barn but no cows?
Pippin: Precisely!
Sango: Get outta here. Is that who I think it is?


Sango: You're Pippin! I've read all your stories! May I have your autograph? Please?
Pippin: My pleasure, dear. What shall I write?
Sango: Um, please put: "To Sango, my favorite fan.  All my love, Pippin."
Cerise: Hey, Pippin's favorite fan happens to be ME!


oshizu: Girls, girls, girls! Please calm down.
Pippin: Horley, um, I mean, Cerise, please show our guest to the house and…
Cerise: Stop! Pippin, did you just quote Jessica LeClerk from Red Dead Online?
Pippin: Cerise, you and I must have been twins in another life! You're the best!
Cerise:  See, Sango? Who's his favorite now? 


Cerise (clears throat): Sango and I will marry next week after our birthday.
Pippin: Congratulations, young ladies. Thanks for stopping by to share the big news!
oshizu: You didn't come all this way to tell us news we already know. Spill it, girls!

Cerise: Ever since Grandpa Tuki's phone call, I've been researching the baby thing.
Today, we've come to seek advice that we don't dare ask our parents
As you know, we live with my brother Ren and his boyfriend Djavan.
We plan to either hold a double wedding or, at least, marry on the same day.


Cerise: As the Pink heir, I'm responsible for bringing in the next heir.
My question: Would it be wrong to ask my brother-in-law Djavan to father my children?
oshizu: Well, I think Djavan would be a fantastic choice. He's young and healthy.
He's also intelligent and attractive with a good personality (despite his traits).
Pippin: Have you discussed this idea with Ren and Djavan yet? Has Djavan agreed?


Cerise: Well, no. I've only talked with Sango about having children.
We wanted to hear your thoughts before speaking with the boys.
If Sango and I both ask Djavan to father our children, they would be half-siblings.

Pippin: I don't know, girls. If I were Ren, I'd feel completely left out.
Here's what your family tree would look like if Djavan fathered both your children.


Pippin: Instead of Djavan, couldn't Sango ask Ren to father her child?
Ren's feelings surely matter more than whether the kids are half-siblings or cousins?

oshizu: Pippin has a great point! I made a chart, too!
Sango's child with Djavan wouldn't be a Berry, but Ren's child would!

Sango: I actually love Pippin's idea!
Cerise: Yes, Sango asking Ren would bring our whole household closer together.


oshizu: Your family situation's pretty complicated, but we're sure you can handle it!
Pippin: Just be sure to discuss everything thoroughly among the four of you.
Cerise: That makes a lot of sense. We're so glad we came to you both for advice!
Sango; Yes, thank you very much!
oshizu: Well, that’s that.  Wanna see what my new farm looks like?
Cerise: Okay, but we don't have time to watch you play. *gives Sango "the look"
oshizu: The barn's still under construction and I ran out of lumber for fencing.


oshizu: And here's my farmlands.
Pippin: Ouch, you only have one 3x3 sprinkler so far!
oshizu: I'm working on it. It's only the 22nd day of Spring.
This time, I'm skipping the 3x3 sprinklers to go straight for the 5x5 sprinklers.


oshizu: This has turned out to be a very serious episode. How can we lighten it up?
Sango: Um, we could dress up as bears and go around making other sims tense?
Cerise: We could dress as trash pandas and steal other sims' food at a restaurant?
Pippin: You girls are devious!  I was going to suggest bowling.
Cerise & Sango (together): Not bowling!

Sango (green): Do you think we'll be turned away?
oshizu (brown): Well, I picked this place for its Everyday dress code.
Pippin (black): Cerise, please go request a table for four.
Cerise (pink, natch): I'm on it!


oshizu (brown): Good call asking Cerise to speak with the hostess.
Pippin (black): It's fine for the girls since they aren't from around here.
But you and I are locals. I'd rather nobody in Sulani recognize our voices.
oshizu: Wow, Pippin. Have you ever worked in espionage? Like, undercover?


Sango (green): Tell me what to order, Watchers!
Pippin (black): You're both underage, but please order the Espuma Agria.
It's today's special and it's a yummy Selvadoradian cocktail!
oshizu (brown): Where are the dang bamboo rolls? Pandas love bamboo leaves!
Guess we'll have to settle for the Honeyed World Fruit Charcuterie because…honey.

Cerise (looks around): What a bummer! We're the only diners!
Pippin: *feels secretly relieved


oshizu (brown): Our meal looks so incredibly scrumptious!
Pippin (black): *tries to figure out the ingredients
Cerise & Sango: *squeeing with delight


Cerise (pink): This cocktail is delish!  Waiter, another Espuma Agria, please!
oshizu (brown): Congratulations, Dr. Pippin Frankenstein. You've created a monster, lol.
Pippin (black): Luckily for me, she can't tell her father about meeting us today.


Sango: We told the boys we were buying groceries so we'd better head home.
Cerise: We have lots to discuss, but let's wait until after our birthday.
Sango: Yeah, let's not have that convo with the boys any sooner than we need to.

oshizu: Pippin and I would love to send you off with a cheer. How about joining us?
Cerise: I don't think so…
Sango: Let's do it, Cerise! It's the least we can do to thank them!


oshizu (to herself): Pippin's obviously been practicing on his own.


Pippin (to himself): If only we had two more sims!
I could stand at the top of a pyramid formation…


Sango: What a blast spending all day with the Watchers! .
Cerise: Yeah, except for the lame cheerleading, they're pretty chill.
And I'm really grateful for their input about the baby-making situation.
Sango: Can we visit again? We can pretend to have a question about Coral Island!
Cerise: Oooh, that's brilliant!

Sango: I'll just text Ren to tell him we're on our way home.
Cerise: Don't bother. Time stands still while visiting the Watchers.



Notes
*The exterior of the house resembles the house I built for my SimTech Dynasty challenge, except much smaller.
  As a result, the floor plan is quite different.
*Sorry for the trash pandas. I put together this update to pull some of the narrative heavy-lifting out of the next "real" update.
  But then, the episode seemed overly heavy. It seems I got carried away with the trash pandas, lol.
  I hope you find them as silly as I do.

Offline PeregrineTook

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.34a: Decisions, Decisions (30 Oct update)
« Reply #234 on: October 30, 2022, 09:16:50 AM »
Oh my gosh!  What a delightful update!  And Sango trying to steal Cerise's spot as the head of my fan club  ;=)  Those Sims are really good for my self-esteem!
Your little Sims re-creation of a Coral Island-esque farm is quite impressive!  I has so much rural charm  :=)
And yes, guilty as charged.  put in several hours on Red Dead yesterday and binge-played some Skyrim the day before.  You know me so well  ;=)  But don't fret, I absolutely got in some Sims time too!
Wow, the twist with the fathering of children was...not what I expected!  I thought Cerise would just be made able to father Sango's children and that would be that, but this...is deviously brilliant!
Another lovely and trash panda filled update and I was delighted to be included in it  :=)
Go Team Cerise!!

Offline oshizu

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.34a: Decisions, Decisions (30 Oct update)
« Reply #235 on: October 30, 2022, 01:02:09 PM »
Oh my gosh!  What a delightful update!  And Sango trying to steal Cerise's spot as the head of my fan club  ;=)  Those Sims are really good for my self-esteem!
Your little Sims re-creation of a Coral Island-esque farm is quite impressive!  I has so much rural charm  :=)
And yes, guilty as charged.  put in several hours on Red Dead yesterday and binge-played some Skyrim the day before.  You know me so well  ;=)  But don't fret, I absolutely got in some Sims time too!
Wow, the twist with the fathering of children was...not what I expected!  I thought Cerise would just be made able to father Sango's children and that would be that, but this...is deviously brilliant!
Another lovely and trash panda filled update and I was delighted to be included in it  :=)
Go Team Cerise!!

Thanks for your kind words!
The house is in the Hawai'ian plantation style and doesn't look at all like the Coral Island farmhouse, but I already built a farmhouse like that for my Cottage Living mini-challenge.
Wow, you were busy yesterday but I'm glad to know you're moving toward another BDD update. :D
And we shall see how I do with the plot twists.  Btw, I hope the trash pandas made you laugh out loud.

Offline Granny Lawlor

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.34a: Decisions, Decisions (30 Oct update)
« Reply #236 on: October 30, 2022, 03:21:10 PM »
I'll be interested to see how the inter-relationships get on with your planned menage-a-quatre. Are you going to vote in a Free Love NAP?
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Offline Rhoxi

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.34a: Decisions, Decisions (30 Oct update)
« Reply #237 on: October 31, 2022, 01:54:05 PM »

The trash pandas were a DELIGHT. Looking forward to Sango and Ren's kids - they should make a good combo! Even if it is a rather awkward situation.

Offline oshizu

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Re: Bewitched Berries 7.34a: Decisions, Decisions (30 Oct update)
« Reply #238 on: October 31, 2022, 03:48:30 PM »
I'll be interested to see how the inter-relationships get on with your planned menage-a-quatre. Are you going to vote in a Free Love NAP?
It will not be weird, I promise!

The trash pandas were a DELIGHT. Looking forward to Sango and Ren's kids - they should make a good combo! Even if it is a rather awkward situation.

I'm so happy that you enjoyed the trash pandas because they, um, might make a comeback. LOL
Hopefully, we can make the situation less awkward.  We shall see.

Offline oshizu

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Bewitched Berries 7.34b: Married with Children
« Reply #239 on: November 02, 2022, 01:45:30 AM »
7.34b: Married with Children


Week 34, Sunday (2nd week of spring, Y3)
Cerise: The four of us  moved to Tartosa Friday morning for a fresh start!
Here we are in front of our teeny-tiny starter cottage.
Maybe we should've waited until our birthday to ask Sango and Djavan to move in.
But we couldn't wait to start our new adventure together right away. 

From L to R:
My girlfriend Sango, me (the Pink heir), my brother Ren, and his boyfriend Djavan.


I need to "have a well-maintained garden," but what does that mean?
Do I tend the garden myself while letting the others do the harvesting?
When I'm busy with childcare and work, may I hire a gardener to tend the garden?
Do you think I'm trying to shirk my responsibilities? (I am…)


Djavan: Why do we we have to do, not one, but two school projects by Monday morning?
Ren: You're both done scouting. An extra school project could mean you earn A's by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Sango: Sounds good to me! In that case, I'll do two school projects tomorrow, too!
Oh and thank you both for sleeping outside in that tent.
Ren: Yeah, I'm sure Cerise and you are happy to have the only bedroom to yourselves.



Monday
Cerise: If I become a Painter Extraordinaire, I could write romance novels whenever I want.
Not sure why I'm so fixated on the idea of becoming a romance novelist.
My favorite genres are mysteries and historical fiction. I don't even enjoy romance novels.
What do famous authors say? "Write the book that you want to read."



Tuesday
Cerise: Sango and Djavan come home today with A grades and choose to graduate early.
After the four of us age up, Sango thoughtfully spares me the awkwardness by proposing.
I say yes, of course.  Around the same time, Djavan accepts Ren's proposal, too!


Cerise: Sango, are you still down with asking Djavan and Ren to you-know-what?
If you're not comfortable asking Ren, you could always…
Ren: No, I'm ready to go talk with Ren.
We're engaged, they're engaged, and we're all getting married tomorrow.  The timing's right.


Cerise: Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk to you about fathering my children.
Djavan: Uh, me?
Cerise: You're healthy, handsome, and bright. You have great genes!
Djavan: Does Ren know we're having this convo?
Cerise: Yes. In fact, Sango's asking Ren a similar question.

Djavan: I'm happy to help you and Sango out, Cerise. Um, so do you and I…
Cerise: Haha, no, that won't be necessary. Here's the address of our fertility clinic. Please go and register there as my donor.
Djavan: *exhales a huge sigh of relief



Wednesday
Cerise: We originally plan to marry in the morning, but we keep getting distracted..
We want private, quiet weddings, since Sango and Djavan have issues with their parents.

It's evening when Ren and Djavan tie the knot at the Von Haunt Estate in Windenburg.
Sango and I get married at the Calico Club in Brindleton Bay.
When we return to Tartosa, the sun's still out!


I'm the first to choose my donor before heading for the clinic.
I have no intention of letting the lab choose a random townie for me.
There's Djavan at the very end. I won't tell Sango that her dad Jamal's listed, too.

Sango: I wait awhile after Cerise leaves before I phone the clinic.
Ren and Djavan are listed at the very end.
I won't tell Cerise that her Grandpa Damson and Papa Blaze are listed, too.


We'd heard IVF has only a 50% success rate, so we pulled out all the stops in advance.
Not only did we all get the Fertile trait, but we also chose a lot that's On the Ley Line.
Happily, Sango and I get positive results from our pregnancy tests on our first attempt.
(Have you ever tried to take a screenshot in a 1x2-tile room? It's not easy!)



Thursday
I did a ton of grafting the other day to downsize our garden.
But I cave this morning and hire a gardener for the weekdays.
Every spare minute I have will go toward our family and my writing.
Papa suggested I use vertical planters that can be upgraded for auto-watering and -weeding. 


It's been over a week since I last searched for bottled messages.
I see 30+ dig sites on the two beaches and have high hopes of completing my collection today.


Indeed, I do!
I'll wait until the collection plaque arrives before displaying my collections at the museum!


I'm a Master spellcaster now, so I visit the Magic HQ for further guidance from the sages.
What a surprise to meet this teen spellcaster named Garrison Berry.
(I was actually low-key spouse hunting for our future children…)
Garrison's the grandson of the Gen3 heir, Weaver, and the cousin of Grandpa Damson.
Which makes him my…I'm not sure exactly but it's always nice to meet family!


Speaking of family, I want to ask Great-Grandpa Morgyn to feel his great-great-grandchild.
I can't ask him, though. Is it because I'm still in my first trimester?
On the other hand, I do get the option to ask about becoming Woohoo Partners. *shudders
You think this is creepy, too, right?



Friday
Brother Ren joining the Tech Guru career yesterday was unexpected!
Apparently, he only wants one promotion for his Computer Whiz aspiration then he'll quit.
If he can earn that promotion by next Monday, he'll be free before we arrive in Toddler City.


Sango: How was your first day of work in the Business career, love?
Cerise: You mean how was my first day as a corporate sellout?
As much as I'd love to be a full-time writer, it won't provide a steady income.
Sango: You should keep writing, though, especially while Ren and Djavan live with us.

Cerise: Well, the good news is that Ren and I both got promoted today, so Ren quit his job.
The bad news is my Level 4 business suit was pink, but my new Level 5 suit is brown.


Folks, may I run my ideas by you for Gen8 peach-themed names?
Sango, Djavan, do you know the Japanese tale of Momotaro (Peach Boy)?
Born from a peach, Momotaro grows up to defeat an isle of demons with his three companions: a monkey, dog, and pheasant.
I want to name our child Momo for a girl, or Taro for a boy. What do you think?
.
Note: This is an 1890 reproduction of "A Scene from the Folk Tale Momotaro" by Harunobu Suzuki.
Harunobu (1724-1770) pioneered the creation of full-color woodblock prints in 1765.



Saturday
Djavan: This house is way too small and cramped. How long must we live like this?
Cerise: Only until our toddlers are close to maxing all their skills, I promise!
Ren: Until then, we at least need a covered patio.
Sango: Great idea! We can dine outdoors so there's more room indoors for the bassinets and toddler playthings.
Cerise: Don't get too carried away. Next weekend, we'll be living in a 4-bedroom house!


Ren: To help with household funds, Djavan and I have been crafting camping mascots today.
We listen to New Age music while crafting, killing two birds with one stone.
Cerise: I'm so jealous that you two have almost achieved Inner Peace!
For now, I need to stay Inspired so no New Age music for me.


I'm the first to go into labor, giving birth to boy/girl twins.
Good thing I thought of two names!
We name our spellcaster son "Taro," and our human daughter "Momo."


Sango goes into labor an hour later, also giving birth to boy/girl twins. They're both spellcasters.
Ren and Sango don't feel the need to choose peach-themed names for their twins.
They choose two lovely names: Santos and Selena.


Wow, we have a full house!
Looks like we have our work cut out for us as parents.
Two days of bassinet burritos followed by toddler chaos.  We can do this!





Progress: End of Week 34
Spoiler (click to show/hide)


Notes
*Promise to skip Prom together: This feature doesn't work for me.
  Last week, Cerise/Sango and Ren/Djavan promised to skip prom together.
  But they still got the festering bitterness sentiment. So annoying.
  Again, I wish we could toggle Prom Night off on our calendar.
  It especially shouldn't affect a teen couple who are no longer in high school.

*Relationship & Pregnancy Overhaul mod by Lumpinou: aka Woohoo Wellness mod.
  This mod consists of multiple modules that offer various features to enrich the game.
  For this generation, I've used the Alternate Pregnancies module.
  A big thank you to Auranaris who answered my many questions about this mod last month.
  They even took the time to play-test their game to respond to one of my questions.
  So very much appreciated, Auranaris!

*IVF Donors: Lumpinou's amazing mod allows us to choose from a wide variety of sims.
  We don't need to ask a sim to register as a donor in advance.
  But I had Cerise ask Djavan to register at the clinic as part of my story.

*Family leave: Drats, Cerise's family leave is poorly timed.
  She doesn't really need family leave to look after bassinet burritos. But for toddlers, YES!
  Ah well, she can take some vacation days when the kids become toddlers.