House of Steel Dynasty - Failed Due to Bugs

[Ricalynn]

Full House Again

Hello again.  I just wanted to do a quick update to tell you guys that I love being a father.  I'm tempted to quit my job because it takes me away from my little boy and wife.  But when I get a new job to go do I remember how much fun it is to do what I do.  Apparently, I'm famous in the afterlife, too.


Of course, nothing compares to playing with my little fella.  I can tell he's going to do big things with his life when I look into his eyes.  I wonder if Dad ever felt that way about  Mint and me.  


Speaking of Dad, he invited over all of Mike's boys for some hangout time.  They all played around on the waterside which I think is Dad's new favorite activity.  Ronald and Quinn have already become Young Adults but it looks like Stefan has the aging disease now.  I think Dad mentioned taking him to the doctors if he doesn't do it soon.  


Mint has been hanging outside the house a bit.  He says he's feeling restless since his birthday.  He even went to go visit distant relatives of ours like Mom used to.  Apparently, Priscilla Welsh has become a vampire.  He told me later that there was something about the way Betty Welsh looked that made him want to move in with her.  There was no romantic interest there.  He just wanted to save her from her life.


Of course, Betty isn't the only new addition to the family.  Great Aunt Bernice sent Thyme a new toy to play with.  We're call him Cosmo until Thyme is old enough to rename him.  I think he looks like such an odd doll.  Yusun says it's a normal toy for a child to have and to not worry so much.


My dearest wife completely supported the introduction of another female into the house.  She also did for Betty what Mom had done for her.  They had a complete girl's day at the spa where they Betty some new clothes and hairstyle.   Grandpa says Betty looks a lot like her Great Grandmother Cornelia now.  Here is some before and after shots. [Betty's genealogy includes Goth, Bunch, Scary Paparazzi]



Betty also managed to complete her lifetime wish by just moving in with us.  After achieving it, she said she realized that money was the important things in life.  I think she could see how life was for all of us.  We're a happy family.  So now her personality is completely different from the girl I knew in high school.  We even fired the cooking-happy butler since Betty seems to want to take over Mom's old job of keeping the house clean.


Speaking of Mom, we all miss her so much.  Some nights I can't help but think she must be watching over us.  I wonder what she would think of her new grandson.  


I hope she's having a wonderful afterlife with Uncle Dill and Mike.


She was a Superstar in our world and I hope they treat her like one wherever she is now.   Of course, I wish the same for Dill and Mike.


Maybe they're all with the watcher, having a dance party at the local club like they used to here.  Dad still won't go out dancing without her.  It kind of breaks my heart to see that, too.  Mom really did love going to the Aquarius with him.


Sunset Valley News Hotspot Detector:  The Aquarius is said to be rocking this weekend with superstar appearances by all local celebrities - alive or dead!

I finally found out why there was no romantic interest between Mint and Betty.  Betty apparently only has eyes for Quinn Steel, one of Mike's boys.  I caught the two of them kissing and making out on the front porch one day.  



So did the laundry gnome.  From the look on his face, I'd say he's a Hopeless Romantic like Grandma Agnes.  


Well that's it for now.  I promise to get more later but Thyme needs a diaper change.

[Juxtaposition]

I love that pose for the laudry gnomes, it's so cute! Wow, Betty seriously looks like Cornelia Goth!

The best place to dance is always the one where even the dead can't stay away LOL Priceless!

[Gogowars329]

Very sweet update. Welcome Thyme and Betty!

[Phyre]

Seeing Coriander with Thyme like that is so heart-warming! The Steel's sure love their boys; it's endearing!

Welcome to the household Betty! Very kind of them all to let her move in with them. I love how she was seeing one of Mike's boys!

You certainly aren't making this Dynasty any easier for yourself Rica; Full House again. Let's hope this time it won't bring a similar "waiting on Grim" impasse.

[Ricalynn]

With all the technical problems I've been having with the Grims file, the Steels have unfortunately been overlooked for now.  I promise to all their fans that soon there will be another update!  I just need to get some play time in with them to make sure they're not messed up.  The travel bug hit with one family it could do it with another.  Here's to hoping for the best!

[Ricalynn]

Toddler Thyme

Hello World, It's Coriander again.   Sorry that I left in such a rush last time.  My little boy comes before anything else.   That doesn't mean I'm ignoring my responsibilities though.   After unsuccessfully trying to upgrade the graveyard, I finally went ahead and bought Aquarius.  It was Mom's favorite dance place so I spruced it up in her name.  Of course, there is such limited amount of space available in those big buildings that I had to take a Man's approach towards the job.


The infant days of my little one are slowly coming to an end.  Soon, Yusun and I will be chasing after a squirming toddler.  I think Grandpa is looking forward to it.  The house has been kind of down since we lost everybody.  Having the baby has certainly helped keep things interesting.


I also finally reached the maximum level of Logic.  I was waiting for the boss to give me my jobs for the night and decided to crack open a book.   When he finally did call, he told me how pleased he was at my progress and gave me two of the easiest jobs in town.


While I'm at work, Yusun says that Betty has been sick.  She's been trying to stay away from the baby and has been really good about keeping things disinfected.   Eventually, my dear wife manhandled our roommate into visiting the doctor's office.   According to him, we have another little Steel about to enter the world.   We all promised Betty to help her with the baby.  Sage let it be known that Betty and her child were one of us and that we took care of our own.  Anything she wanted we would be taken care of.  Betty gave him a giant hug, crying. 


The next day was the day I had been dreading and waiting on.  Yusun called up friends and family to come to our little man's birthday.   My robo-son kept taking everyone's attention away from the main event though.  Randall is my greatest invention but you'd think the town would be used to seeing him by now. Yusun didn't let that stop the festivities.  She took our son to the cake and blew out his first candle.


It's hard to describe the feelings I felt watching as the birthday magic did it's thing.  I guess I can finally understand the faces I always saw on my parents when we were growing up.  I think everyone was a little upset over the blond hair.  It's not even the same shade as mine so I believe it's genetics playing tricks on us.   He has my eyes though.   Grandpa says they're the same shade as his Aggie's. 



As soon as the cake was put away, Yusun had Thyme in the bathroom for potty training.  She's worried that she only gets another day before she has to go back to work.  Not that the rest of the house minded.  We'd all like a day or two without diapers.


Yusun wasn't the only one chomping at the bit.   Mint had Thyme downstairs in the art room to start working on his museum pieces.  We gave him his new doll to play with in between the moments he was needed.  He really seems to have taken to the creepy thing.   According to a source, Yusun says that the dolls are popping up everywhere as a latest trend. 


But my son's first night as a toddler wasn't spent entirely with the doll.   Dad came down and swooped up his grandson for some playtime in the playground. 


Of course, when he started crying because it was bedtime.  Dad said it was my duty to put him to bed.   I had just gotten back from doing a job at the old Landgraab house so it worked out for everyone else who were ready for bed, too.   I took a few moments to snuggle with my little boy before tucking him in. 


Having a toddler in the house seemed to regulate everyone's sleep cycles to one of almost normality.   At least until Betty went into labor at about 4 AM.  She managed to not wake anyone up as she waddled out to the curb.  She had called a taxi to come pick her up and for Quinn to meet her in between pains. 


She was home by 8 with Quinn in tow carrying her little bundle of joy.   The whole house seemed to come alive at the fact that there was a baby girl in our midst.   Betty and Quinn named her Jessica Welsh.   Grandpa and Dad gave each other looks and then when I glanced their way to see what they were thinking, they shrugged in unison.   Steel men don't know what to do with babies in pink blankets but I think we're all up to the challenge.


Ricanote: I just realized today how long it's been since I updated.  In fact, most of the screenshots you're seeing now were taken over a month ago.   I started playing the dynasty a couple of days ago and most of the bugs have been fixed through the patch and stuff pack.  I got rid of everyone's opportunities and now photography works again.  Plus the pictures that had been taken before have all shown back up!  Inventories are no longer stuck for anyone.  Other than that everything seems to be going ok, except yesterday the game wouldn't let me make it through Thyme's teen birthday.  [Going to have to try that again later!]

Oh and one small thing --  I FINALLY GOT ONE!


My first paparazzi death (I think.. it's been so long) and he was a vampire to boot.  Well until next time which hopefully will be sooner rather than later!

[Gogowars329]

Woo! R.I.P Paparazzi! Welcome Jessica and Happy Birthday Thyme! Love Thyme's face on the potty chair!

[Ricalynn]

Coriander's Last Birthday

It may have taken longer than most people would have done it but I told Yusun I wanted to teach our son to talk.  She said it was fine because she was back to work anyway.   This is the first time we've had a toddler need a sculpture in the new house so I decided to teach him to talk in the art room while Mint worked on getting a sculpture he was proud of for Thyme's museum.



Dad told Mint that he was in charge of all the museum pieces so that he can spend all his free time on the water slide.  Every now and then he slips or jumps wrong and limps inside with red marks from forehead to waist.  We all wait for him to get into his room before laughing though.


Betty is enjoying motherhood.  She's been taking care of little Jessica's every need.  I think the newness hasn't worn off and I can't say I blame her.  Although, we have a birthday party coming up really soon for the little one.  Yusun and I have a bet going about who she's going to look like.  We both hope she looks more Quinn then Betty though.


Even though I've asked for the rest of the week off, I still get calls for people wanting spirits for random things like heists and haunted houses.  After he learned to talk, I took the xylophone down to the art room for Thyme to play with while Mint worked on his sculptures.   Mint said it took a while but eventually he mastered the xylophone and magically the mallet survived, too. 



City Hall gave me another two rewards this week, as well.  I got a new ribbon for capturing 150 spirits and a little mini model of a graveyard for collecting 25 of them at the Paranormal Expert level.  Yusun let me hang the ribbon but she said the model freaked her out so she made me store it away in one of the treasure chests.


It took another day for Mint to finally be satisfied with a sculpture of Thyme.  By the end, I think that new doll was the little guy's best friend.  Cosmo has now been renamed into Patches and he seems to always be nearby when Thyme isn't being cuddled by one of us adults.


The day of Jessica's birthday all of the adults were getting ready for us to have guests at the house.  This is Betty's first hosted party and the snob in her had us all working a little hectically to make sure everything turned out ok.   For being such a good sport about the time spent in the art room, I used whatever excuse I could come up with to take a stroll with Thyme around the neighborhood. 


By the time we got home, the sky was starting to darken and the party guests were beginning to arrive.   There seemed to be a bit of a hang up by the front gate as I slipped through to cheer for the little one.  Betty tried to not let it bother her but you could tell she was worried her party was a failure.  How could any party at our house be a failure?  With a few encouraging words from Grandpa, Betty took Jessica to the cake to blow out her first candle.  A spray of sparkles later, Yusun won our bet.   Jessica seems to have Quinn's blue eyes, nose and thin lips.  But I suspect that's Betty's chin.




The next day it was my turn to blow out some candles.   I can't believe my elder birthday has already come along.  It seems odd since my son is still a toddler that I'm turning old.   When Dad became an elder, I was in my teen years and almost out of high school.  We invited a bunch of people from the night before's party and of course some extra extended family.  When I woke up that morning, I was ready to take on the next stage of life.  I had already completed most of my requirements for the family so it was just my museum pieces and two friends left to go.  But when I felt the sparkles start to work their magic, I got worried.  I just knew my hair was going to be ruined and my new wardrobe would be hideous.  I guess the cake magic finally took pity on old guy and didn't do too bad of a job if I say so myself. I did change my hair color back though and of course, I put on a new set of clothes in my signature color.




Time to finish up my last two requirements and then it's up to the next generation to carry on our dynasty.  But for now, I think it's ok to let them have their fun.

[mrsbclark]

YAY! Steels and Artie's are back in business. I really missed your writing Rica and I am glad to be reading it again.

Toddler Thyme

Hello World, It's Coriander again.   Sorry that I left in such a rush last time.  My little boy comes before anything else.   That doesn't mean I'm ignoring my responsibilities though.   After unsuccessfully trying to upgrade the graveyard, I finally went ahead and bought Aquarius.  It was Mom's favorite dance place so I spruced it up in her name.  Of course, there is such limited amount of space available in those big buildings that I had to take a Man's approach towards the job.

Very hilarious!

[Juxtaposition]

Jessica is a cute little toddler!

SimBots really can be a hassle, one would think after the first dozen "Oh my, a SimBot!" thoughts a Sims has, they'd eventually get used to the sight of them *sigh* oh well.

[Ricalynn]

Tastes Like JellO

I love my stubborn wife.  I told her I would teach Thyme to walk if she wanted but she told me that she was going to do it.  She's also feeling her age as she nears her elder birthday.   She is two promotions from achieving Star News Anchor down at the station but she took time off anyway to spend time with our son. 


Betty has started teaching Jessica her life skills as well.   She has been pushing to get them all done early so Jessica can spend the rest of her toddlerhood just playing.   Like Thyme, Jessica also got one of those dolls so there is a lot of time spent with Fluffs.




On Thyme's birthday, Mint walked around the backyard and finished some of the last photos he needed for a collection or two.  In the process, he managed to max it out, realizing his lifetime wish.


As the rest of us stood around the cake in the kitchen, Thyme made his mother wait while he went potty.   Then the birthday magic happened without him even getting a chance to see the cake.   I guess he was just too excited to be getting a chance to sleep in his big boy bed.


(Ricanote: His favorite color is sea foam[yuck] but i'm pretending it's not for his childhood years lol.  Oh and Hulk Smash!)

That night I read him a bedtime story in Grandpa Sage's bed.   I could tell he was really excited to be going to school the next day.  He asked me if it was scary but I let him know that everything would be just fine.  After he was asleep, I picked him up and carried him into his own room.


He went to school and came back excited at all his new experiences.  He asked for help with his homework from Yusun and afterwards, I spent a little time tutoring him.   It has been a really long time since I had to deal with simple math so it took a moment to get the old gears going.


After spending the previous night with Thyme, I realized that it was time for me to retire.  My work hours start about the time that he comes home from school which  means as long as I'm a Ghost Hunter I'll only see him on weekends and early mornings.  I had an opportunity to turn in some caught spirits to the Science Lab and the moment I stepped out front, I called my boss and officially retired.


It was Yusun's birthday before she was ready for it to be.  I threw a party for her to help me get the last requirement I needed for my first taste of ambrosia.  Actually, it was for her but getting the chance to become best friends with my cousin Kasey again was a bonus.  My beautiful bride aged up with grace that only she could.  She doesn't look that much older than the day we got married. 




By the end of the party, I let Grandpa Sage and Dad know that we should skip the cake and go for something a little more exotic.  They had been waiting to have their weekly plates until I was ready.  That night I finally was. 



3rd Generation: [ Immortalized on day 79 ]
Coriander Steel : Friendly, Eccentric, Excitable, Daredevil, Genius
Supermax: Inventing
Other maxed skills: Logic
Career:  Ghost Hunter
LTW:  Paranormal Profiteer
Building:  Grocery Store
Property:  Aquarius
3 LTRs:  Efficient Inventor,  Moodlet Manager, Inheritance
6 Best Friends:  Pepper Steel, Mint Steel,  Yusun Steel, Randall Steel, Quinn Steel, Kasey Woods
6 BlackOps: Master Invention(inventing) , Teching up the Spa(inventing), Exposition on Explosions (inventing), Hygeniation Hijinks (inventing), Technical Arguments (inventing), Best. Haunted. House. Ever. (career)
Museum Pieces:
   Portraits: toddler, child, teen, YA, adult, elder
   Photos: toddler, child, teen, YA, adult, elder
   Ice Sculptures: toddler, child, teen, YA, adult, elder

[TheChronicR]

Congratulations on your third Immortal Rica! Now that's quite an accomplishment, well done.

I'm rarely commenting, but I am a devoted reader, you know. The updates have all been fantastic, keep up the good work!

[Juxtaposition]

Yeah, seafoam, not exactly an inspiring shade for making cool fashions is it? I used it as "sea-like colors" for Aeluna, when she rolled the same preferance, and that worked for me, but it's much the same as ignoring it and doing what you want LOL

*Confetti* for Corriander, for maxing and retiring his profession, and for earning his ambrosia, woo!

[Ricalynn]

Unexpected Twist

The day after her birthday Yusun spent all day on the computer to reach her final level of writing.  She was one promotion away from achieving her lifetime goal and now all that stood in her way was charisma and not having the day off.


With Thyme in school now, we were all trying to help take care of the last remaining toddler we would see for quite some time.  Betty didn't seem to like the fact but she gave in considering she lives with us rent free.  She argues that she does the cleaning but I alway counter with the fact that we could hire a maid or a butler whereas she was stuck with us no matter what.


On the day of Jessica's birthday, Betty got herself some new clothes for the party.  She had been acting a little strange lately.  Dad thinks she overheard us talking about the family.   She started acting strange after the night I had my first ambrosia.  She may have listened in but we're not certain.  If she had, I can understand why she's in a bad mood.  We forced ourselves to talk about the next generation and the deaths of our household members.  The part that would have put her up in arms might have been where we talked about grooming Jessica to paint Thyme's portraits and sculpt his ice sculptures once Mint has passed on.


That night we all celebrated Jess's birthday in our usual style.  No Simbots this time though.  We only invited over Mike's three boys and Betty's sister Patricia.  Yusun and I didn't bet on her looks this time but we still were curious to see how she would turn out.  We're not even sure Betty understands that little Jessica is with us forever.





I don't know why my wife was so worried.  Jessica is adorable.  She has the same favorite color as Mint so he helped her pick out her outfits.  Afterwards, she ran to the playground and enjoyed all the gadgets and gizmos that she hadn't been able to touch before.



The next day Jessica didn't go to school with Thyme.  None of us questioned it and just assumed that Betty was allowing it so they could spend time together.  Betty has been overly protective of Jessica since birth so I didn't think anything strange in the notion.  That night Thyme had a ceremony for scouts so well all packed up in our cars to watch him get his badge.  As we were leaving, Thyme told Jessica that she could join scouts or ballet and she would have a ceremony just like this.  That's when Jessica let the cat out of the bag.  Jessica was leaving for the LeFromage Art School in the morning.  She didn't think she could take ballet there.   I had to convince everyone not to get mad at Betty.  It was her child.  Jessica was not a Steel of our bloodline and we did not control her life.  At least it was the Art School and not the military academy.


Mint seemed to be a bit sad at the news of the boarding school.  Jessica had become a good friend to him and Thyme since her birth.  Instead of sleeping in, Jessica got up early and hung out in the art room with Mint.  They talked about art and sculpting.  Mint decided to do her portrait and while she waited, she hosted a tea party with Fluffs. 


Mint told her to go take a nap so she would be rested for the plane ride.  The face she gave him nearly broke his heart but she knew he was telling the truth.   Just as the bus was arriving for Thyme, she called out to my son to wait a moment.   Then she did what any normal girl would do when she wanted a boy to know she would miss him.   She nailed him in the head with a pillow.


As I watched the taxi come and take away Jessica, I realized that Betty was just trying to protect her daughter.  Maybe it was time that we had a serious heart to heart with our roommate and came clean on everything.   If she proves to be dangerous to the family line, I can always lock her away in one of the sarcophagi.

[AnnBeiFong]

I love it! I can't wait for more. By the way, how exactly are Jessica and Thyme related? I haven't really been tracing the family tree all that well.