House of Steel Dynasty - Failed Due to Bugs

[Phyre]

I really like the look of the house. The pointed roof in combination with those windows and the front stairs give it a very 'renaissance-like' feeling. The atrium as centre piece is a really nice concept and is fabulously done! The house layout is very simple, yet very elegant, perfect for a big dynasty household!

My absolute favourite apart from the atrium is the flaunting display of cars in front of the house! It somehow has something grotesque's.

[Ricalynn]

Mike's unexpected surprise

The day after his birthday, Coriander did what any inventor would do.  He bought some explosives and turned it into scrap.  It helped him complete the scrap collecting inventor challenge.  He got around 1200 scrap from that thing.  He seemed to be happy with that.



Recently he's been getting a lot of phone calls from the Science Facility to bring in random stuff.  He says he's helping them to build the ultimate invention.  I've watched the scifi channel and I'm afraid this great invention is going to mean mass destruction.   Dad says if anything is going to destroy our society it's the fact that vampires are stupid.  Louis Goth passed out while he was at work and caused the whole diner to empty out into the parking lot.


My wife decided she didn't want to dye her hair.  She was proud to have lived such a long life so far but I could tell she was worried about how she looked.   That night I pulled her into the hot tub.  We sat in there for hours until we were all pruned up.  All the cuddling was nice but as we tucked ourselves into bed, I couldn't help but think of how little time we could have left.  Grim is mean like that and I still remember Mom's death like it was yesterday.


I'm beginning to think that there is a plague for vampires that makes them stupid.  I bet the science facility put it into effect.  Coriander and I went to the book store for some book signings.  We were in the middle of them when there was a commotion outside.  Not one but three different vampires all passed out on the sidewalk at the same time.   [Missed Nancy being passed out by seconds because instead of taking picture I unpaused!]


An old friend of mine from high school had come to Coriander and Shantel's party.  She was about the same age as Dill and Mike so she was just getting into high school as I was leaving.   Her name was Shanika Jameson.  We all knew her brother, Marcus as a celebrity, but she hadn't done a lot to stay in the spotlight.  She caught up with everyone at the party and a few nights later, she stopped by the house again to catch up a little more with Mike.


Shanika spent the entire afternoon and the night at our house.   The way the two of them acted you'd think they were still teenagers instead of almost elders. 


Dad only works three days a week.  He managed to have a disturbance two out of three days this week.   Right as he was arriving to work for his short shift, Grim came for a visit.   He took long time celebrity Brad Saavedra.   Dad and Mrs. Carlisle were the only two witnesses to his death, but he seemed ready to go.  Dad said that Grim gave him a nod and then left as quickly as he had come. 


The same night as grim's visit, Shanika came to spend some time with Mike again.  They were about to go out to a concert when she said she wasn't feeling so well.


Shanika told Mike that she had been feeling bad all day.  She had gone to the doctor before coming here and she had some news to tell him.  They were going to be parents! 


Mike took Shanika out to dinner instead of the concert.  He said he worried about making their child deaf.  It was actually quite humorous to watch my cousin doting after his girlfriend. 

Ricanote:   Thank you Phyre and lilygirl for your comments on the house.   I always forget the little things so a lot of times my houses don't feel like homes but this one does to me because I play so much in it.   As for the atrium - it's a constantly changing setup now.  I'm thinking of making use of more of the yard and one thing I would move out there is the hot tub.   For anyone who didn't comment, I take suggestions on how to make it more livable too! I appreciate all the readers out there that have brought up my view count to 2500 views.  That really means a lot to me.

[Gogowars329]

Yay on 2500 views and Shanika being pregnant!

[Phyre]

Congratulations to the expecting parents!!

And there should be a law that forbids vampires from passing out 'en masse' in public!

[Ricalynn]

Getting old

While Coriander works on his inventing every day, the rest of us are still out talking to all the local ladies.  I met with Candice Gould and asked her a few questions.  She's a sweet girl like Dill and Mike both had said.  She sports the same hairstyle as my beautiful wife so I kind of lean towards her a little bit in the running.


After I interviewed her, she went over and sat in Dad's chair for a while.  She didn't say anything to anyone and just sat there.  It was a little odd but eventually we got her to come join us for our first game of shuffleboard in the new rec room. 


Coriander has made four separate trips to the science facility now.  Each time taking something new.  After the last trip, he ran back into the house saying something about the master invention.   When I checked on him in his room, he was working on his workbench.   I asked what all the fuss was about and he said that I would see soon enough.  Some days, that boy is just like his mother.


Mike has had Shanika over at our house where he can make sure she gets everything she needs for her pregnancy.  Every time she mentions that her back is sore, he is quick to give her a massage.


I know Mike has always wanted a family but he knew that we couldn't have anyone else in the house.  You can tell he's the kind of guy that pays attention to little things.  That's probably why his sculptures are worth so much too.  When Shanika would let him, Mike listened to her belly and talked to the child.


With everyone paying attention to Shanika more than anything else, we all managed to forget that it was Dill and Mike's birthday.   They were both in the art room.  Dill was sculpting Mike and Mike was about to sculpt Shanika when they suddenly both just stopped.   When the sparkles started, Mike looked a little worried.


Then the birthday magic took over him and ruined his hair.  At least I'm not the only one that happened to.  I also noticed that his legs get skinnier with each birthday. 


After Mike was done seeing what old age had done to him, it was Dill's time to age up.  He looked just as worried as Mike.  He probably knew that there was a very good chance he was going to look just like Dad.


He didn't look like Dad but his hair was a bit of a wreck and his new clothes were just awful.


Once all the fuss was over, we all went to bed and the two new old men went to get new wardrobes picked out for their twilight years.



Next morning, Shanika was back over at the house and she let Mike know that his being older didn't change a thing between them.

[mrsbclark]

Great update! Although I have to admit...I was hoping for a new nooboo to see. =)

[Juxtaposition]

Wow, that took days for me to get all the way through, that was a lot of content you put into each post!

I like your Dynasty house, and am not enough of a builder to give you any pointers.

I like your china house, but it seems to me like it could have used a few bright jade or turquoise type accents to really make it pop.  The architecture though was far beyond anything I could do, so great job there!  Don't sell yourself short, your buildings are far more advanced than mine, and I'm still pretty fond of the ones I make, so you're doing awesome!

I love the four conjoined fountains in the graveyard, that was a cool idea, and the effect it produces is totally spiffy.

*Waiting with handfuls of confetti for nooboo to arrive*

Congrats on two immortals down already, I can't wait to see what shenanigans Coriander gets into as an adult *crazy laughter*

[Ricalynn]

Nooboos come and Nooboos go

With the pending arrival of Mike's child, Shantel and I reflected a bit on our own children.   How they've come so far.   Mint was having a party the next day for his birthday.   My littlest booboo is going to be a man.   I fear he may not be ready.  He's still setting his robe on fire when he works on metal sculptures. 


Coriander has spent the last two days working on the Master invention.   I'm still not certain he knows what it is.  I think he's starting to wear down a bit after spending that much time on his workbench.  We made him come eat dinner last night.  And his mother took away his hammer and wrench until he took a shower and went to bed.  He was right back at it this morning.


It wasn't too much later that we all heard him scream out something that reminded me of a movie we caught on the Scifi channel.  I ran to his room and it was there that my firstborn introduced me to my "grandson" Randall Steel.


Coriander "released him into the wild" and Randall waved to everyone as they stopped everything they were doing to look at him.  Coriander tracked him as he left and apparently, the Simbot established himself in Chris' old house.  Shanika was visiting at the time and Shantel worried about her and the baby so she checked in on the little one.


It wasn't too much later that Shanika decided to go into labor.   Dad freaked out.  Shantel decided it was time to play video games and wait for Mike to find out.


Then Mike came running and the freaking out started all over again.  I think Shantel enjoyed herself too much watching it all.


Mike grabbed the keys to his car and drove Shanika to the hospital.  Just before 11 PM, Mike Steel became the father of triplets - Ronald, Stefan and Quinn.  They had their mother's last name but if I know Mike he'll get that all sorted out.   As soon as they arrived at Shanika's home, Marcus Jameson, her brother, kicked Mike out of the house and then they moved.  I guess to accommodate the larger family size.  Mike said he followed them to their new house but no one would let him in so he could meet his sons.  He came home and decided to get some sleep before trying again the next day. [This is all true so no pictures of the brand new nooboos but wait.. there's more!]

A new copy of SV Inventing weekly arrived at our doorstep that next morning.  Coriander's achievement had been published in an article by one of the researchers at the Science Facility.  Cori also read about a family in Twinbrook that was using the miner to create their own version of a subway.  It was said to possibly be quicker so he went straight to the corner of the yard and put a big hole there as a start to his new plan.


Mike went to visit the mother of his children but she wasn't home and Marcus wouldn't let him in to see the kids.  So he called her up and invited her over.   She apologized for her family and told him of course he can come visit his kids.   Mike then surprised her and all of us watching inside by dropping to one knee.   He said that even though they could never live in the same house, he wanted her to know that if she accepted him, he would marry her with his soul.  Naturally, she accepted him.  He's a Steel.


That night, he went to visit his family.   He found Quinn out in the yard.


Once inside, He couldn't help but notice that his heart's wife and his oldest son, Ronald had both had a birthday.   Ronald has his mother's skin and eyes but definitely got Jaime's hair.


Mike was so excited to play with his children that he taught Ronald how to talk.


Back home, we were celebrating Mint's birthday.  We invited as many people as we could think of, including Shanika, who actually came instead of staying with Mike and the kids.


I looked on with my father beside me as my baby became a man.  I was an immortal and this was my mortal child that was growing older.   There were people still trying to get thru the front gate when the sparkles came.


Then with a little birthday magic and mischief, Mint became another family fashion victim.   Where he got his chicken legs, I can only point fingers at Shantel's family. 

[after:]


Back at the Jameson household, Mike's middle child aged up to a toddler as well.  Stefan is definitely a Steel with blue eyes and thin lips and no hair.


And of course, as some people know, there reaches a time in all our lives where the Grim Reaper always seems present.   My partner from work, Shauna Burkhart, had just lost her husband when she agreed to come to Mint's birthday party.  It was in Mike's bedroom as she mourned for her husband over the vampire fish that she followed him into the afterlife.  Dad tried to catch Grim for a quick word but before they could even greet each other, the Reaper was already gone.




Ricanote:  So.. triplets! AHHH!  Mike has the fertility LTR and I guess I never expected it to work like that outside the family home.   The aging up thing is very odd.  Ronald was a toddler before the it's triplets moodlet had gone away. Stefan happened right in the middle of Mint's party.  Quinn is getting left behind and very hard to keep happy.   

Wow, that took days for me to get all the way through, that was a lot of content you put into each post!
I like your Dynasty house, and am not enough of a builder to give you any pointers.
I like your china house, but it seems to me like it could have used a few bright jade or turquoise type accents to really make it pop.  The architecture though was far beyond anything I could do, so great job there!  Don't sell yourself short, your buildings are far more advanced than mine, and I'm still pretty fond of the ones I make, so you're doing awesome!
I love the four conjoined fountains in the graveyard, that was a cool idea, and the effect it produces is totally spiffy.
*Waiting with handfuls of confetti for nooboo to arrive*
Congrats on two immortals down already, I can't wait to see what shenanigans Coriander gets into as an adult *crazy laughter*

Yeah my approach with the two dynasties has been very different.  I've been trying to keep to the story style for the Steels whereas the Grims are my comic relief.  I guess I never thought of it as putting too much into each update and I could probably tone it down for the Steels.   Thanks for the color suggestions and I'll see what I can do next time I'm out there.

Thank everyone for reading and don't be shy if I screw something up. 

[Juxtaposition]

It's not "screwed up" at all, but you asked for suggestions, so I try to offer what I can, and the only thing I feel confident to offer pointers on is coloring LOL

I love this story, I don't think you need to change it's tone at all, it's definitely not as roll on the floor funny as Artie's Dynasty, but not everything that's worth reading is funny   Keep up the good work.

*Confetti* *Confetti* *Confetti*, one batch for each of the triplets.  Hopefully the odd aging doesn't cause any problems for you in the long run.

Why is it always so funny to watch Sims run around on fire? *Mwah-hahah*

Welcome to the world Randall Steel!

[Ricalynn]

The best part about Mint's butt being on fire is the fact that he's running to the shower but he thinks the incense he just passed is just so lovely.

[Lilygirl]

Welcome nooboos! Happy Birthday Mint! Hello and good bye to Randall.

*Must work faster on tunnel system before the Steel's steel Wunn and Tu's idea!*

[MissMaths]

yes, very good lilygirl. I'm going to split my sides from laughter. Not a great pun, sorry but it's the truth.
In the nicest way possible.
Great story Ricalynn, hi nooboos*waves* happy birthday two of said nooboos, bye Shauna.
*confetti**confetti**confetti**confetti**confetti**sadness*
3 confetti for three nooboos, two for birthdays of said nooboos, sadness for death.
Yes I'm weird.
And I guess I gotta admit to reading-without-posting. I'm loving it so far!

The best part about Mint's butt being on fire is the fact that he's running to the shower but he thinks the incense he just passed is just so lovely.

Hehe, I just noticed! Lol, hehe.

[Ricalynn]

Second Honeymoon for Shantel

When I met Shantel back in high school, all she could talk about was photography and how she wanted to photograph the world.   When she grew up into a Young Adult, she was still very interested in photography but once she moved in with us and became my family, she said her lifetime dreams changed.  As I stood watching our youngest child becoming a man, I realized that the promise I had made to her back in high school was one I still wanted to keep.  Whether it was her lifetime wish or not, I am making sure my wife sees all the places she wanted to see.  So the next morning, I grabbed her by the hand and whisked her away to Champs Les Sims.  My five star celebrity wife was the center of attention as soon as we landed.   I grabbed a note from the adventure board and sought out the vendor involved while she got her picture taken by paparazzi and fans alike.


As soon as my business was done, I took her on a tour of the sights.  Being 5-star celebrities, we traveled around the countryside in style.


A big boulder in the middle of a field?  No problem for a man like me.  My wife rolled her eyes every time.  At least, I made her laugh. Oh look, a hole to put my hand into.


While we were exploring our first French tomb, a paparazzi followed us down to take pictures in the first room.   Eventually, he stopped Shantel to get her autograph. 


We actually made pretty quick work of the tomb with the help of the moodlet manager.   We were almost done the Celtic Ruins tomb.  I just finished moving a statue out of the way for Shantel when it hit me just how much I love her.


Second day in France and I was already at a level 1 Visa.  [I missed the shot again ]  I asked Shantel if she wanted to slow down.  We only had 9 days in France and I didn't want to just do tomb-raiding if she wanted to do other stuff.  My wife the trooper told me that if I really loved her I would use the 9 days to buy her a vacation home.  So back to adventuring we went.


We found a note on the board that said something about a Chateau du Landgraab.  Interested in seeing if this had anything to do with our eternal neighbors, we accepted it and went to visit the lady who had posted it.  She didn't seem to mind that it was late but Shantel and I really wish that the French would bring some of the lights from Paris to Champs Les Sims for better night time picture taking.


We didn't find anything that connected the Landgraab that made this house to the ones back in Sunset Valley, yet.  However, we did find some papers that indicated that the person who owned this house wasn't exactly a nice guy.  Time to go turn these in and see how what else she has to give me.


Fourth day in France was spent traipsing about under Lea Dutiel's house looking for a way into a secret garden.   Why she couldn't do it herself is beyond me.  Shantel looked around the house as if trying to figure out what styles to use in the one I'm going to buy her.  Wait.. she doesn't want me to build one does she?


Day Five was spent at the Nectary.   I was working with the merchant there which involved me doing some nectar-making.  I don't think I'm meant for this kind of work.  Give me a treadmill, easel or a chessboard and I'm fine.  Stomping grapes and getting seeds in-between my toes is for the birds.


However, after making several bottles and harvesting all the produce we could find nearby.  Shantel was very proud to see me acquire my stamp of approval for Visa Level 2. 


With three days left in France, the board has nothing to give me so Shantel goes exploring.  She heard that there is an island in the river with rare grapes and insects to be found.  So she meditates for a while and then zeneports out there like the black belt she is.  That is where she found the glowy fly.  She caught not one but two that night in the countryside.  She also managed to harvest every type of grape in france to bring home to Dad.


In the morning, there was still nothing new on the boards so we made ourselves busy just enjoying each others company. 


While I was running around, Shantel had learned the local songs so she taught them to me.  One of the local and more persistent paparazzi thought I did a great job.


Then around lunch with no luck from the board, my black belt wife asked me to spar with her.  I'm surprised with all the giggling she did that she won at all.  I still have no idea what made her laugh so much.


During our third round, a call came on my cell.  It was the relic vendor and he wanted some security for the museum.   After I congratulated my wife on her three wins properly, we headed over for more details.


It took the rest of our vacation to finish the chain of things that was asked of us by the Relic Vendor but with one hour to spare.   I finally got my level 3 Visa.    Shantel was very proud of me once I made the call to buy a house.  She chose the lot that housed the abandoned nectary.   As we hopped on the plane to go back home, she said something about coming back soon to putting a woman's touch on it.  I foresee a building invoice coming across the accountant's desk.


Ricanote:  I have never done so much in France before!  Of course the same problem I had in China, I ended up having in France where around level 2 the board just doesn't want to let you read it anymore.  I don't get the notification that says come back, I just get nothing.  But thanks to the moodlet manager and having two very athletic sims, I managed to get that so close to the end.  Pepper barely managed to turn in and buy the house before the loading screen popped up to take them home.    After the party for Mint, Pepper and Sage both had their weekly ambrosia and it made me realize just how close Shantel is to the top so we're taking her to the places of the world even though I changed her LTW somewhere around the time that Mint was born. 

It's not "screwed up" at all, but you asked for suggestions, so I try to offer what I can, and the only thing I feel confident to offer pointers on is coloring LOL
I love this story, I don't think you need to change it's tone at all, it's definitely not as roll on the floor funny as Artie's Dynasty, but not everything that's worth reading is funny   Keep up the good work.
*Confetti* *Confetti* *Confetti*, one batch for each of the triplets.  Hopefully the odd aging doesn't cause any problems for you in the long run.
Why is it always so funny to watch Sims run around on fire? *Mwah-hahah*
Welcome to the world Randall Steel!

Yay lots of confetti!  And yes watching them run is hilarious!  Whether it's my dynasty or yours or someone else's

Welcome nooboos! Happy Birthday Mint! Hello and good bye to Randall.
*Must work faster on tunnel system before the Steel's steel Wunn and Tu's idea!*

Hey Coriander has no qualms calling it the Twinbrook Sunburst Subway method.   Steels are just enjoying the Sunbursts innovativeness 

yes, very good lilygirl. I'm going to split my sides from laughter. Not a great pun, sorry but it's the truth.
In the nicest way possible.
Great story Ricalynn, hi nooboos*waves* happy birthday two of said nooboos, bye Shauna.
*confetti**confetti**confetti**confetti**confetti**sadness*
3 confetti for three nooboos, two for birthdays of said nooboos, sadness for death.
Yes I'm weird.
And I guess I gotta admit to reading-without-posting. I'm loving it so far!Hehe, I just noticed! Lol, hehe.

Thanks!   Yeah Shauna is gone but at least she died after Pepper became immortal so she didn't lose her usefulness LOL

Another thing.. With Mint as an adult, I keep looking around at the girl's available for Coriander.   We are currently sitting at 7 Sims in the house but some of the ones from high school still need to age up and of course they wouldn't be able to have a child until Shantel, Dill or Mike passed.  I hate to say it but it's like Dill is the one that I would be ready to lose whenever he's ready.  Of course, he could prove to be another Jaime and hold on forever until someone else is ready to go too.  I'm just not sure what to do with Cori other than his inventing and of course, he's about to get a job for the first time.  But more on that later! 

[Gogowars329]

Shantel and Pepper must have loved going to France on their Honeymoon. (again) That reminds me, my Sims need to go on a honeymoon...
Great updates!

[Phyre]

I can't believe I completely overlooked this update! Shame on me for almost missing the anecdotes of two lovebirds in France!

That adventure board problem is a common one, I have it every time as well. I just try to click it a lot, and if it still doesn't give me a quest I'll wait/sleep a few hours and by then something usually shows up. Although it may take 15 attempts