Welcome to Tierra de Legado

My favorite couples

2010-02-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

Some you've seen and some you haven't. Inspired by Laura's awesome post and encouraged by Carla's comments on that post, I figured I would bring you my favorite couples through the past couple of years.

Since I am not nearly as organize as other players, I don't have any stats. All I have is the memory of some awesome sims that were too fun to play.

Couples you've probably never seen (But you know their children and grandchildren)

Precious and Thomas Mellon

How you might know them: They're the parents of the City Mayor Richard Mellon, Jr.. Precious was instrumental to pulling the town together and making it what it would later on become. Always by her side was her husband Thomas, who understood the importance of her job and would take care of duties at home while she was out building up the commercial district of the original neighborhood.

Unfortunately, Precious died from overuse of Rally Forth leaving her family with a great big gaping hole. But not before she had passed everything she knew onto her son, expecting him to become the first city mayor.

Thomas and Cherry Smith

Cherry wooed Thomas after his wife had passed on. She lived as an NPC, perpetually blinking in and out of life, and she was one of the first to realize that she needed more than that. Thomas was already old by the time he finally agreed to marry her, bringing her fully to life. She gave him one child, Jason Smith, an adorable freckle faced boy who is pretty much spoiled rotten.

Thomas passed away when they reached the new hood unfortunately. And The City Mayor Richard wants nothing to do with Cherry, a woman he hadn't approved of in the first place.

Juan and Lydia Stratton

How you'd know them: They're the parents of Sofia and Tristin (leader of the cult) Stratton. (In this picture, Juan in the surprised sim in the back. The man in the front in his brother, Isaac.)

These two were my dramalicious couple. Oh did we have fun. And this was all before ACR. On again and off again, they couldn't stay away from each other and they couldn't just be friends.

The breaking point was Isaac, who wandered in one day uninvited, got down on one knee and serenaded Lydia just as Juan was heading out the door to get the morning newspaper.

Isaac and Angie

How you know them: These two are Ily and Kate's grandparents.

Isaac happened to be a true romance sim. That got derailed by Angie. It was while he was out on a date with a hot college student that he realized he wanted to marry her. Their wedding was one of the worst weddings I have ever had, which you might think was an indicator of their future together. Surprisingly, it wasn't.

Despite the random flirting with people like Lydia, his brother's wife, he remained more than faithful to her. In their old age, he enjoyed following her around, and they very often ended up in her garden by the side of the house just talking for hours. When she finally passed away, he passed away only moments after her.

Couples you know

Richard and Genesis Mellon

These two were childhood friends and first loves. He's never quite sure what she's doing with him, but he's not going to argue. He is the Mayor of course (he requires that I tell you that every time I mention his name) and she is the owner of the local magazine, Legacy Living. Together, these two have three children naturally (Richard the 3rd, Gracie, and David), and have adopted one, Gabriel.

Water Mellon and Demi Love

Of course these two! Game chemistry wise, they've only got one bolt between them. Demi was the cop who picked Water up when he was initiated into the Secret Society. Soon as he saw her, he knew he had to find her. Of course the search involved him calling the police out to his house until they fined him and refused to come out to his house any more. Oops. But it was well worth it.

Gabe Mellon and Alberta Fergueson

You saw them coming. One of my favorites. He's a shy romance sim who manages to pull it off as laid back and mysterious to the ladies and she's a shy, timid girl all around who is slowly stepping up and learning to have more confidence. (Oh is she ever. She'll get there one of these days.) Of course Gabe is due to go off to college in the fall, and he won't come back for a visit for a full year.

Henry And Sofia Stratton

These two are all ACR's doing. I know that if they show up together on a lot, they are going to have a go at it where ever they can. Sofia seems to bring out the worst and darkest parts of Henry because he always looks a little evil when he's with her (or maybe it's all in my head). And if you remember, (which you might not) she is already carrying his love child who is due next season according to my mental records which are notoriously fallible.

Henry and Amberle

An elf who loves life, plants, the color green, and the forest in love with a vampire that needs to suck life to live. No, she still hasn't asked him what he eats, and he's not telling her until she asks. Does he really love her or is he just using her?

The More Unique Couples

Tristin Stratton and Jan Tellerman AND Marylena Hamilton

From the Church for Wayward NPCs. Love in any form is perfectly acceptable even if it happens on one of the pews in the church. Of course, when there are three, there is always the possibility that one might be overlooked more often than the other, especially if one hasn't had a baby yet.

Water Mellon, Samantha Kerr, and Lore Aristaeus

Yeah, you're probably going, "WHAT?" If you aren't, you should be. Even Samantha Bradshaw didn't get this story out of Sam.

Remember that awkward dinner right before Samantha B. left? Yeah, Sam had a few things on her mind. I'll be sure to get to that sooner or later.

Couple that will never be...

...especially if her boyfriend is, like, right behind her. I swear it's not because everyone is in love with Alberta, though she is kinda sweet. But Hobart was totally nervous his first day in high school and she was one of the first people to actually talk to him. Uhm, well one of the only people really. Still, dude, be careful. Gabe is one of my meaner sims!

Spilling Over

2010-01-30T16:11:00.001-08:00

She woke up thinking about her sister, Bella.

Dragging herself to the edge of the bed, she sat up, planted her feet firmly on the ground and then stopped. Rain drops tapped at her window. She peeked out the window at the rest of the small city. The gray sky desaturated everything that had any hint of color.

Perfect.

Samantha finally stood, gathering the clothes that were spilling out of her suitcase which she had somehow managed to never unpack in three months. She took some over to the bed and started folding them, the events of last night heavy on her mind.

Things had started out normally last night. Water had taken a break and sat down at her counter with a smile. It was a different smile, a genuinely happy smile.

"The usual?" Samantha asked returning his smile, happy to see such sincerity on his face.

"Please."

He didn't even get a chance to take a sip. Samantha placed the drink in front of him. Over his head, she could see someone coming up to the counter, but she thought nothing of it. People often came up to Water. He was really the only celebrity in town. And they all wanted a small piece of him. Usually it was ladies who Water would often smile for and offer cooking tips. Samantha imagined that these ladies just wanted to be able to tell the headmaster that their Lobster Thermadore recipie had come from Water Mellon himself.

But this girl stopped right behind him placing a hand on her hip and a cooked smile on her little mouth. "You must have missed me."

Water hopped up, his genuine smile replaced by surprise.

She could see it happening again. The girl was cute. Pretty. Bubbly. Nineteen. Blond. Everything she wasn't. The blond girl, with a smile and a twirl of her hair, was sneaking between the two of them and making her way straight to Water. Samantha could see his defenses going down, his sincere smile of only a second ago being replaced with a special smile just for this girl.

Water left his drink on the counter to hop up and hug her. "It's good to see you. Aren't you visiting with your parents?"

"I was but they went to sleep already. Can you believe it? They should be celebrating my return and instead they tell me good night and they'll see me in the morning."

The smile on her face made it clear to Samantha that for these two people right now, there was no one else in the room.

Samantha picked up the drink Water had left on the counter. She stepped away towards the end of the bar and took a good sip.

"Hey!" A patron she hadn't previously noticed said from her seat at the counter. "You aren't supposed to be drinking. I'm supposed to be drinking."

Samantha handed the woman the drink in her hand. "Here. On the house."

"All right!"

She watched them sitting together the rest of the night, her insides quaking like jello as she moved up and down gathering glasses and ingredients to make drinks.

What did Samantha care? She knew that easily from their first time in the photo booth that he was clearly too well practiced. It was a photo booth with only one stool that she and Samantha had nearly fallen off of to take their stupid little pictures. And he'd directed her easily, pulled her hips to where he needed her to be exactly as if he'd done it enough times before that he knew the trick.

Samantha called Water first. It was 10am. She knew he'd still be asleep. She imagined that he'd be asleep with his arm around the young blond girl from last night. The girl had stayed until closing, sitting in a booth with Water when he wasn't needed in the kitchen. And then Water had driven her home.

The answering machine picked up and she left a message saying that she had a family emergency. Something with her sister. She had to go. Samantha didn't feel too bad. Tonight was her night off for the next two nights, so he had time to find a replacement if he needed it.

But she had the feeling he didn't. The time he spent at the bar chatting with her had probably been the time he'd spent at the bar making drinks and greeting patrons. For whatever reason he'd given the position to her, she knew it wasn't out of necessity.

But she did feel guilty as she looked at the phone. Her suitcase repacked neatly, the photos from Samantha safely tucked away in a front pocket.

"Samantha, what is going on?" Sam pulled her close. "Is everything all right?"

They met at the corner market near the train tracks that lead out of the city. It was 1pm and the sky had finally cleared. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky. Samantha had her bag on the ground by her feet and her train ticket in her jacket pocket.

"Yes. It's fine. Just an emergency at home. I have to leave, but I didn't want to leave without saying good bye first. And... thank you."

Sam smiled at her. "Oh you're not still on about that night with Bonnie, are you? We could have gotten into more trouble if you'd have moved in next door to me like I'd planned."

There wasn't much more to be said. In the middle of the grocery store they hugged like two lovers who were never going to see each other again. It garnered strange looks, but neither of them cared.

Sam turned away at the sound of an approaching train. "That's probably your train, you know."

"I know." Samantha bent down and picked up her suitcase and pulled her ticket from her pocket. "Take care, Sam."

"You too Samantha."

Samantha knew exactly when she went wrong. It was not that night at the club down town. That was certainly a point of no return, but that hadn't been the mistake. It wasn't even really that night after work she actually went home with Water and took the "tour" of his home that she was sure he had given to other girls.

It was the moment that she had mistakenly leaned in for the kiss. It had surprised her and him both. They'd had an unspoken understanding that they were no more than the physical support group for loneliness. So what had possessed her in that one instant to lean forward and kiss him? And why had he kissed her back? Why had he even offered her a job for a position that he didn't even need to be filled in the first place?

Expectations and obligations were suffocating. They pressed on her, cutting off her freedom, dragging her back to that place from months ago. People never acted the way you wanted them to. Things always unexpectedly stepped into the picture, distorting it or changing it completely.

And in that moment, when Samantha had watched that little blond girl with Water, she'd felt it, a wound recently sutured being ripped apart to bleed on her insides.

She had to go. She had no other choice. She'd made a mistake, and she'd have to hope that in the next place she didn't make the same mistake again.

***********************

*sniff* Bye Samantha! Oh the trouble you could have caused with Sam if only you'd been ready to settle. But of course, she's not ready to settle yet.

So I'll just link to the last post to make it easy to find the pictures I made as a gift for poor Samantha. (Gift is at the bottom of the post.) I hope someone uses that, lol. It will probably be the only mention we get is in the background because I imagine that Samantha is going to want to forget this whole thing completely. Because ouch. I know I would if I were her.

As for Ily, for those who don't know her, here is her last entry. She worked for Water in high school as a hostess, and I always imagined that she had a huge crush on him. She keeps in constant contact with him, emailing him and calling him sometimes. And sometimes he actually calls her.

Down that Road

2010-01-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

A reminder: "Sam" refers to my Samantha, "Samantha" will refer to Ms. Bradshaw.

"What are you doing?"

The green spray went wide as Samantha jumped at Sam's voice.

"Uh, spraying the roaches."

"You're kidding! Isn't your landlord supposed to do that?"

Samantha stood up and replaced the can by the front door. The can was always there, so she pretty much assumed that was the landlord's doing. That was his preventative measure.

"No, nevermind, I don't think I want to know. Why are you still living here any way? It's been over two months. Surely there are other apartments in the city."

Samantha couldn't really explain it to someone as put together as Sam. Especially when she couldn't explain it to herself. Every day she glanced at the "For Rent!" ads with the intent to look closely when she got home from work. She always told herself "later." But after seven "later"s, a week had passed. After four weeks, an entire month. Time seemed to go so quickly when you had things you intended to do later.

Sam's face suddenly softened in guilt as if she realized her words sounded harsher than she meant them to. "Ah, sorry. Well, we should head out." She seemed to attempt a smile, but it was a limping half smile that hardly covered whatever she it was she was trying to cover.

Sam's eyes hardly met hers. Samantha knew there was something wrong with her friend. Something had definitely changed. They weren't close enough to swap stories about their periods, but Samantha had thought that they were at least close enough to be honest with each other.

"Swanky place, isn't it?" Samantha looked around at all the sketchy patrons that made their big appearance at night. For once she wished she'd see one of those plant people she'd been noticing at the restaurant. She'd always found them to be weird and a little disconcerting, but she'd take a strange plant person over this crowd any day.

Sam shrugged, "It's really the only place we've got downtown." She glanced around at the crowd too, but she did it with confidence. Samantha felt a little overdressed for this crowd, but Sam looked beautiful and elegant, classy even among the questionable elements present. "The woman who runs this place is a strange one. Haven't seen her in a while, but I'm sure she makes a killing with this place."

There was an awkward silence between the two of them. Samantha wasn't quite sure what to say. In her past experience, she'd learned that calling a girl out on strange behavior usually lead to them playing it off and leaving her looking like a fool.

She looked away out over the crowd gathering to dance as she debated whether she should just flat out ask and risk looking like a fool.

Then Sam looked up at her. "Are you okay?"

That stopped her in mid scoop. Samantha looked up at Sam, her eyebrows lifting involuntarily. She was sure the disbelief was written all over her face and she knew she couldn't keep quiet any more. "Am I okay? Are you serious? You've been out of it all night."

Sam shrugged, her eyes suddenly becoming much too shiny, a hand rising in the air almost helplessly. "I know."

She didn't offer more. There were no explanations, and Samantha wouldn't press. Something had indeed happened, that was definitely clear, but Sam didn't seem fit to talk about it.

Dinner was an awkward and quiet affair. Afterwards, they stood up after paying the bill. Sam looked away from her.

"I think I'm going to head home." The corners of her lips pulled back in a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I'll call you later." Sam turned quickly and walked towards the door leaving Samantha dumb founded. What was going on with her? Sam was her first friend here, and someone she liked despite their obvious differences. At their core they were both the same. Two hurt souls bonding over shared pains and bad luck.

Samantha walked slowly after her hoping they could share a taxi though she wasn't sure if she wanted to. When she got outside, she was completely alone. Sam was no where to be seen. She couldn't have called a taxi that fast, and it made Samantha worry that the woman had walked off into the dark.

Samantha picked up the phone to call a taxi for herself hoping that if Sam had started walking, she'd run across her and offer to pay her fare for the taxi ride back into the city proper.

"Sam, hey. You're out late."

She turned around at the friendly voice calling out to Sam. At first she thought he was talking to the other Sam, but when she turned his smile was on her. Water had taken to calling her "Sam" at work which did not usually confuse her; it was just a very confusing type of night.

"Fancy meeting you here," she said with a smile, the phone still in her hand. "What're you doing here?" She said as she hung the receiver back on its hook.

Water reached over to hug her. "Same thing as you I'd guess. Unwinding after work. Funny that we both come to a restaurant to unwind."

"Not like there's much else out here," Samantha said with a smirk.

Sometimes there's a point of no return.

Water's hand on her waist was that point. She knew it was a bad idea. He was her boss after all. But he was warm, he smelled good, he was friendly, and frankly, she was lonely. Yes, she was still smarting, but she was ready to move forward now, ready to take another chance. Even a ridiculously stupid chance.

So when he offered to buy her drinks to help her unwind, she saw it coming. Not love, she wasn't an idiot. She was heading down that one way road, rolling down hill quickly.

She knew, even after a few drinks, that when he suggested the photo booth, he wasn't exactly interested in taking pictures.

She couldn't blame the booze. They hadn't had nearly enough. Her heart pounded hard against his hand softly cupping her breast through her dress. He slipped her dress up; it didn't have far to go. Her undies only had to be pushed so far, and then right there. She stifled a moan at the excitement of it, the danger of being caught.

She knew him, yet she didn't know him this way. She didn't know his hands, and she hadn't seen his body. No strings attached. If she couldn't have love, at least she could have excitement. She could be one of those girls. At least for this night knowing he wouldn't go home to his family or his young ones because he was also as lonely as she was and just as distrusting of love.

The pictures she and Sam had taken in that same photo booth lay on her plain white desk in the room as she took a late shower before bed. She had the next day off thankfully, so she could sleep in and not have to worry about facing Water until the memories faded. Her skin still tingled, the hot water from her body only heightening the strange sensation. It wasn't him, she wasn't in love with him. And though it had been fun, and nerve wracking, she was sure she couldn't do it again. Hopefully he'd wouldn't bother asking her again.

***********************************

Well well well. This worked out better than I had planned, personally. All of this was pretty autonomous. Samantha B got an invite by Water to go downtown. In the group were Sam K and his young daughter Melanie (who saw some stuff she really shouldn't have seen).

So I just recreated it for this entry. I don't do pose boxes- poopoo on you pose boxes. (Unless I really need them, of course.)

I calculate only one more entry and then she's off to Bbop's Kayton Times. (Why does that feel like a spoiler? I think we all know that she's not sticking around.)

Anyway, last night I got the *brilliant* idea that I would somehow like to create a gift, a memento of this night for Samantha for those who enjoy personal touches and might like a small nod to where she's been.

So I bring you Sam & Sam:

Sam&Sam Serious:

Sam&Sam Goofy:

I extracted the pictures from their photos (semi-easy if you'd like to know how to do it, let me know, I got a link) and then fixed them up and used them to recolor the Inverted Vertigo, Cover art poster which is $60 in the catalog.

Download Sam & Sam Goofy
Download Sam & Sam Serious

Conflict

2010-01-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Warning: One slightly graphic picture cut to make it slightly less graphic though still highly suggestive. Consider yourselves warned in a round-about kind of way.

Water thinks about it constantly. It's almost been a year since it happened, but that doesn't take away the anger or the hurt he felt when Demi left and took their two children with her to that creepy cult that lived far outside town. (Author's note: For the curious:Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

He wasn't ever the sort of man who wanted to settle down and have children. From an early age, he'd pretty much said it wasn't for him. Never mind the fact that between high school and college, he'd had more serious relationship sex than he had meaningless sex.

But now he finds himself childless, technically, and in a new large and spacious apartment. Now when he can lead the life he always said he'd meant to, he finds himself decorating a room all in pink and carrying their toys left from their hasty departure to his new apartment. The hope is that they'll know that he was thinking about them always during their separation.

One room is already prepared for the day he gets his daughters back. But it's almost been a year already and he's no closer now than he was before at getting his daughters back. That's almost a year he's missed in their lives. Who's showing Shannen how to walk? Who's helping Melanie with her homework? The thought makes him queasy with anger.

So he just doesn't think about it. He keeps himself busy with work and the restaurant and meeting new people. It helps him not think.

Except those nights he goes to bed alone. His mind wears a trail looping over thoughts he'd prefer to not think about. His daughters sleeping at that creepy cult place probably being told that he didn't love them and wasn't looking for them. Demi falling for the words of Tristin Stratton who was even less worthy of trust than his sister Sofia.

If he looks like he's enjoying himself, it's just for show. To be polite, really. She called him. He doesn't really want to spread the pain. He doesn't want to talk about it anymore because all the talking he's done has done absolutely nothing to help him. And he doesn't really know what to do anymore.

It doesn't help, it doesn't make things better, but it is something. It stops the thinking letting his hand run along the crevice in her hip, fingering the delicate and rough lace of her underwear before it slides down her thigh. Feeling the strands of her hair brushing against his chest as she climbs on top of him, taking the lead and leading him away from those thoughts that fill his head when he is alone and goes to sleep.

She knows; he's sure she knows though he can't really find the words to say it again. Neither of them have discussed it. They've only carried on as if everything that had come before, their entire past hadn't happened. He's sure that he's being used as much as she's using him. Sometimes it feels ridiculous to find comfort in the silly repetitive ritual between two human adults. Sometimes he almost wants to laugh out loud about it.

But he doesn't. Not in any way that would be unusual. Though she has remarked on his smiling more at times. But she doesn't know, and he doesn't want to tell her. It's the smile of a man who doesn't really have much more to lose, who doesn't want to gain more just to lose it again. She doesn't really know what it's like to believe you're truly in love enough to give up everything only to have the one you were willing to give your heart to give it back and walk out with the two most important girls in his life.

If only there were a nice and neat way to end his story. You know, one of those beautifully poetic insights about life and love and maybe even the transient beauty of it all. But he's a realist, a pragmatist. It's almost been an entire damn year. What else can you really say?

********************************

So the last time I left these two Sam was saying some brave things. The words he can't say? I hope it's clear. He's not ready for a serious relationship. He's still hurting. And I totally get that from game play, lol.

Poor guy. Even though his chemistry with Sam is higher, I do believe that in his pixel soul he really loved Demi and he's really hurt by her leaving.

And, for anyone who might have forgotten, he really has tried everything. He's talked to the Mayor, but of course there isn't a police force to speak of, not that they can do anything with people living on the margins of town. And Water made a personal appearance over at the cult where he was promptly run off.

As for Sam, well, she was the one to call him once and invite him on an outing. Probably I will mention that later on. In the case of this entry, the inspiration came when I left the game running while checking up something or reading someone's post. When I went back, these two were hanging out at his house-- though they didn't actually make it past the lobby. Those darn comfy looking lobby sofas.

Back where we started

2010-01-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

And here we are, right back where we started. She's not a lush. This is her first drink of the day and only her second drink since her arrival. And this time it wasn't even her idea.

It's been a week. Only a week, but it still seems like it's been longer than that. Days go by slowly when you aren't working. It's only been a week, but she hasn't really looked very hard, if she's being honest with herself. Which she usually isn't, honestly.

"So how's the place?" Water asks as he pours himself a drink.

It was just a fluke. They happened to bump into each other while she was walking past to the City Center to check for new job postings. It was only 11am, and Water's restaurant wasn't set to open for another two hours or so.

"Well, I can't complain." She lies. She could. Easily.

Water told her about a little flop house, no questions asked, easy approval to rent a room. They provide you with three meals a day which is probably the best part about her stay. The elimination of her needing to cook or go in search of food.

But it's only a room.

A bare room at that. Her suitcase sits off in the corner. She hasn't even removed her clothes yet. The entire place suggests only a temporary living environment. Mostly because of the fact that bathrooms, showers, and even the damn TV is shared.

"It is certainly different." She smiles even as she puts her hand to her forehead to stave off the headache she can feel just beginning to grow out of her own boredom and exhaustion.

"How's the job search going?" He asks before he moves to step around the bar.

"Ugh." It's almost involuntary. There don't seem to be many jobs in this little town though she had seen a posting for Bonnie's Clothing Shop. Sam had already told her that Bonnie needed a cashier. She'd suggested it with a smirk and a poorly hidden laugh.

Samantha was not nearly desperate enough. "Well, you know, okay I guess. I don't have one yet, so that should tell you something."

Water chuckles. "That bad? Why don't you work here? I could use a bartender for the evening shift."

"Really? I've never tended a bar before though."

He slides into the seat near her. "I'd train you. Besides, a cute girl can't really go wrong."

Now Water was the one who suggested the flop house, so she's not exactly how sure she should be of his judgment. Really. But it did sound different, plus she stood no chance of having Sam suggest she should go work for Bonnie again.

"Wait, I have to do something first though." Samantha hops up, steps around the bar, and picks up three clear and heavy glass tumblers. It was a trick she'd done plenty in college at parties usually using their little espresso cups.

Glass tumblers are definitely heavier than espresso cups, but it works. Clearly it's a sign that she can be a bartender. She smiles because that's pretty awesome to be able to just juggle glass tumblers. (Can you do that with hardly any practice?)

Water isn't nearly so impressed it seems.

"Uh yeah, that's cool, but ah, try not to do that too often, okay?"

It's okay, she still questions his judgment anyway.

They part after shaking hands on it. Water will personally train her starting as soon as tomorrow.

*********************

Y'know, we put warnings when these things are long, should I put a warning when they're short?

I can't believe it!

2010-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

But I remembered.

It's this blog's birthday today! Can you believe it's two years old? Two years! That's two years of playing steadily. Two years of actually writing about my playing steadily. Two years of actually writing steadily.

There's something of a love hate relationship with this blog, to be honest. It's not always been my best writing, and I think somewhere, in the back of my head Ruin was always percolating because it's always been meant to get out (I just needed lots of time away from it), so the story in this blog might have crossed some streams with Ruin. (That's bad. You're not supposed to do that.)

Even if it wasn't always my best, the point has always been to let go and just have fun. No worries or concerns, just writing for myself and learning to then share it

But the best thing to come out of this blog, of course, has been all the people I've been lucky enough to get to know. It's interesting the odd ways you all come up in normal everyday thoughts from time to time.

So my first two posts on this blog two years ago: A text version of the family tree (Don't know how up to date that it, but pretty much I've been playing the same sims for two years, so not a lot has changed. Yikes! And Laura thinks her sims age slow! :P) And the beginning of Amberle's story.

I guess that's enough celebrating. I should get back to "work." And by work, of course, I mean play. Big simming weekend for me. I've declared it. ^____^

Dinner and a show

2010-01-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

With a full and warmed belly, Samantha walked bravely into city hall, swinging the door open wide as she stepped inside trying to look around but without appearing completely lost.

And right away she jumped back, "Sorry!"

A woman stood behind the door, stopped with her hands in front of her as she'd thrown them up to stop the door from hitting her. Samantha expected a woman almost hit by a door to be a bit more upset than a simple apology could sooth, but this woman only smiled at her.

"Well, aren't we in a hurry?"

"Sorry, I'm new here, and someone suggested I should check in here first."

At the word "new," the woman perked up suddenly. "New? We don't get a lot of visitors. Welcome to town. I'm Samantha."

The other Samantha reached out her hand, and Samantha took it. "Really? I'm Samantha also."

For a moment it was like looking in a warped mirror. The other Samantha was nothing like her. She was clearly more of a dressy kind of girl, and her dark hair which was only in a bun still somehow had the appearance of being done in a salon.

Once again, Samantha caught the other Samantha looking down at her shirt. Her boobs were not so amazing that people were prone to staring at them, so she was sure it was the shirt.

"It's the shirt, isn't it?"

"Yeah, what is the deal with that? I know people get gag gifts, but they don't usually wear them."

"It was free."

The other Samantha looked at her with a smile, "Oh you are in need of some serious help. Come on. I know where we can go. It's close."

The other Samantha hadn't even asked if she had a place to live. The first thing she'd done was drag her off to a clothing shop. Hanging around a group of women tossing around their troubles was one thing, but these women clearly had plans for her before she even had plans for herself.

"How about this one?"

Bonnie seriously eyed the shirt as if it were a piece of art not just a shirt she were picking up so she could take off her free shirt that everyone seemed a little too interested in. "Hmm. Okay. But try it on."

As she was in the fitting room, plans were being made already. Before she'd even stepped out of the fitting room, she had agreed to go to dinner after she'd made a stop and gotten herself a place to stay and finally changed her shirt.

The house from the outside was small and plain. There was no perfect lawn and no landscaping, just the old newspaper on the porch which Bonnie kicked aside casually with a smile as she stepped out to greet them.

"Welcome to our house," Bonnie said with a smile.

There was a charm to the place that Samantha couldn't exactly pick out. It was small and within walking distance of Bonnie's clothing shop so that they didn't even seem to have a car.

"Thank you for inviting us, Bonnie," The other Samantha (who had agreed to be called "Sam" to avoid confusion) said politely.

"No problem, I figure that I should probably get on your good side now since I worry we might see a lot of each other next year."

Sam smiled at Bonnie, "I'll pretend that I have no clue what's coming or what you meant by that. I'd like to pretend to enjoy my summer."

They laughed easily, it was slightly infectious. Even if Samantha was disoriented by how quickly things seemed to be moving. Had she really only arrived in town this morning?

A man poked his head out of the door, "Okay, food ordered."

Bonnie, who had been sheepishly ready to tell them something hopped on him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek as he gently patted her head. "Oh god, thank you. I didn't want to have to tell them about the burnt pizza."

A pang attacked Samantha suddenly. Bonnie's move was casual, natural. The two fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces and it made Samantha's heart hurt. She glanced away and caught Sam's expression almost a mirror of her own. She was stone faced, almost stoic in an attempt to not react and she had also turned away to meet Samantha's gaze.

Sam, seeing her expression mirrored on Samantha's face, stepped forward with a smile at Samantha. "Well, while we're waiting for food, how about that haircut?"

Bonnie jumped at that idea too quickly. She was something like those little dogs who pushed their larger owners around, only in her case she was all bite and very little bark. Samantha could already tell she was not the sort of person one could say no to easily. Adorable, boisterous and demanding, normally a combination that probably drew people to her, something about it pushed at Samantha and almost made her wish she hadn't agreed to come over for dinner.

Bonnie dragged her out to the backyard where an old and weather beaten barber shop chair sat exposed to the elements.

"Now, I can tell you're a little nervous. Maybe a little dubious about my talents, so we'll start you off easy. I'll just do a little restyling and if you don't like it, well no harm done."

Sam stood near by, a hand on her chin and a smirk across her face. Even though Samantha was sure she was pretty much the one to blame for this, she found herself drawn to this woman. This evil woman who had her spending money on clothes before she had a place to stay and drew her into some oddly girly adventure.

This was something they'd laugh about later, she was sure. Hopefully over drinks.

"See? Not bad, huh?"

Samantha was pleasantly surprised.

Bonnie's husband, Orlando, stuck his head out the back door (not very far, Samantha noticed- she wondered if it was all the estrogen or if it was only his wife with the cutting shears). "Dinner's here."

Inside they went. Sam threw Samantha one last smirk as if she could read Samantha's mind and did fully intend on laughing about this later. Hopefully over drinks.

************

Bonnie and the pizza:

OMG, she looked so disappointed. And Ama is so not surprised. "We're having people over? And you cooked?"

Just arrived

2010-01-01T15:29:00.001-08:00

"A little early for a drink, inn'it it?"

Samantha stared the woman down and took a large gulp of her drink before she placed her order for a T-bone steak. She was starving, but she didn't exactly have money to burn through. She had to be careful and make it last, and the T-bone steak happened to be the least expensive thing on the menu. If she was going to waste her money, let it be on something helpful, like a good stiff drink to start the day.

She tried to take her time with her meal. Tried to not think about where in the world she was going or what she was doing because then she'd realize she didn't really know where she was going or what exactly she was doing. But it felt right. It was the right thing to do. There was something she was missing, a piece to her puzzle that had somehow managed to go missing over the course of her life when she'd been working on putting things together.

It was after she had finished her steak, sitting with a full stomach and trying to nurse her afternoon drink that she felt someone standing behind her. She did not turn around and she refused to curl up and let the little shiver roll down her back because she knew she was being watched.

"You're new here," he said as she raised her glass to her lips for something to do.

"Mmm hmm." His voice was smooth and gentle and it made her relax a little.

"I'm Water Mellon," he said with a smile as he stepped around to stand behind the bar. He was dressed well, in a suit that fit him perfectly and left both a lot and almost a little to the imagination.

"Water Mellon?"

"Yeah, my mom had a strange sense of humor. My brother's name is Green." His lips gently curved up in a pleasant manner. The way one does when they don't expect anything in return. He was relaxed and calm, and it made her feel relaxed and calm. "I own this restaurant."

"Nice place."

"Thanks. I do try." He glanced down at her shirt, the free shirt they'd given her at the train station when she'd left. (She hadn't even known they had shirts to give away to people leaving Lakeside-- what was that some sort of promotional deal?-- but it'd been free and clean, and it was comfortable.)

At least she hoped he was glancing at her shirt. He didn't say anything for a moment. She cleared her throat and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "I just left from there. And yes, I got this t-shirt."

"It says 'born' though. Does everyone born there get that shirt?"

She glanced down. So it did say "born." She hadn't noticed that before. "Huh. Well, I don't know. I could just be special."

He smiled at her. "Do you have a place to stay yet?"

Hopefully he wasn't going to offer her one. "I was looking for a hotel or something, but there doesn't seem to be any here."

"We're pretty small, and we don't get a lot of visitors. But I know a place you can go."

And he gave her directions to the city center and a special place that was "like" a hotel he said, but it really sounded more like one of those old flop houses for the poor. It was okay though, because technically without a job and on the go she was poor.

********************

So just for reference, because I'm sure we all know, anyone reading this blog has to be reading Lakeside Heights too, but just in case: This is Samantha Bradshaw's first stop on the grand tour of the Samantha Bradshaw project.

This is for the Southern Hemisphere

2009-12-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ama watched her father inhaling deeply the "fresh sea air" with more than a bit of annoyance.

Back home it was snowing. Snowing! Snowmen, snow angels, and well thrown snowballs right at Hobart's head.

But Ama's parents had decided that a trip down south would be a better idea. It would be something different, and a learning experience she could share at school.

A family vacation-- like for real. Trapped with her parents away from friends with nothing to do but play in the sand without snow. She could've played in sand at home. You know, once she scraped the snow out of the way and stuff.

Really, Ama knew what this was about. Her father had lost his job. He'd been one of two policemen (Hobart's father being the other), and he'd lost his job. Luckily Ama's mom ran the only clothing shop in town, so they were doing great, but her father was at a loss for what to do.

He'd gone more than once to see the mayor, but it couldn't have gone well.

He still didn't have his job back.

Ugh. This was going to be a long week!

"Ama, what're you doing?"

"I'm going to hunt for bugs."

"Don't tell me you brought your entire bug collection."

"What? It's not like it's large. And they're all in the case anyway."

Ama's mom rolled her eyes. "Oh Ama. What if the glass breaks? You'll have dried bug parts everywhere."

Not that the case would break. Ama was not a kid. She was almost a high schooler. She knew how to take care of stuff. But that might actually be kinda awesome to see dried bug parts and stuff-- like when she found old flies on the window sills that had been dried to dust by the sun.

Her mother got her working on finding cool shells in the sand to turn into jewelry while she stood around being embarrassing with her father.

Really embarrassing.

Oh my god, so embarrassing!

Her parents acted like two kids who'd never grown up. Seriously. How old were they?

When her parents were being less embarrassing, they were taking in the local sights and eating local food.

Ama was dying; it was so hot! It was like summer.

"So, Mom, Dad, does this mean that for Summer we'll go to the mountains?"

Both her parents laughed. They thought she was kidding!

When they weren't taking in the sights, Ama was being accosted by locals who were intent on showing her how to do this weird little move.

"Uh, yeah, like this?" Ama halfheartedly imitated her.

"No dude, put your heart into it!" The woman's smile widened. "You have to mean it!"

"Uh, okay. Maybe next time."

"I'll keep an eye out for you!"

The plus side was that Ama totally had her own hotel room all to herself. This small taste of freedom was a lot like being a high schooler, she thought. It was kinda a cool and kinda scary. She could feel responsibility hanging around the corner.

Hobart was already in high school. He'd told her all about it. It didn't sound too bad, but Hobart said it was a lot of work and some of the kids were a little scary. Course, he was really the only freshman, so everyone was older than him. And his fathers had seen fit to give him more responsibility on the farm.

It kinda sounded sucky now that she thought about it. Responsibility and work and reading big books. Ama would be perfectly happy painting forever and having ice cream for dinner.

She giggled at the sound of the official sounding knock on the door. The bellhop from downstairs presented her with a large bowl of ice cream sunday and asked if she'd like anything else. She smiled and handed him the money her mother gave her for his tip.

Luckily, Ama's mother laughed when she saw what was for dinner. It was sort of the plus side of having young parents who acted like big kids. They were gnerally game so long as, you know, no one was hurt and she didn't do anything dangerous.

Maybe her parents weren't so weird or embarrassing. Her mom did make some awesome sand castles that had all the kids on the beach envious.

And maybe it was a little gross that the possibility for a little sister or brother was always present. But well, it could be worse. Ama's own cousin Melanie had been taken recently by her own mother. Ama had heard her father telling her mother that one night when she wasn't supposed to be listening. (Okay, maybe she wasn't ever supposed to listen.)

But her parents really seemed to love each other, and they did love her very much.

**************************

Uhm, whoa! I am quite rusty. Or maybe it's just that I am SO not good at writing stuff on the fly. I really need to take my time with it, but what the hell. *throws caution to the wind has it spray back in her face*

I think I am finally ready to END winter! I only have a few more events, so I need to focus and finish so I'll be ready for The Samantha Bradshaw Project!

What he doesn't know

2009-12-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

Still here and still have this story rattling around in my head. I know where I want it to go, but don't know if I have the energy or time to continue this and Ruin. But I still love TS2.

So I played a bit this week as a break from "serious" writing, and as always can't resist sharing some of their stories. Especially some of the college kids. (And Ama, but that's for later.)

Let's see if I can remember approximate ages:

Ily ~ 19
Rich ~ 18

Ethan and Ashley ~ 21

Their very first dinner party together in their own little house. Rich hadn't exactly been for it. He'd tried to talk her out of it, but she'd been determined. And when she had that glint in her eye it was impossible to talk her out of anything.

She'd even tried practice cooking for their very first dinner party.

There's a reason she doesn't usually cook. But if she was that determined, then how could he say no?

Over all it went well. Ily's brother, Ethan, came and brought his girlfriend. Ashley was cute, but a little boring. Rich really had nothing to talk to her about.

Honestly, he tried. Giving Ily and her brother some quiet time to catch up, he followed Ashley to the living room and started chatting with her, but all she wanted was to work on her assignment for class.

Cute, but not the sort of girl he liked. Of that he was sure. Too bookish and shy. It was only a small get together, and she apparently couldn't handle being social for those two hours.

To top off the weird night, Alberta called.

"Ily? She's talking with her brother in the other room. Did you want to leave a message? You need to ask her opinion on something? Maybe I can help. Okay, okay, calm down. I'll tell her you called."

That was another one that mystified him. Gabe and Alberta made no sense to him. He'd told Gabe so more than once. She was young and shy and timid. Who wants to deal with all that? Gabe of course then shot back with his own thoughts on Ily. Definitely drew a stalemate and an agreement to not talk about it.

Ily was having the most fun of the two of them, especially considering the brotherly advice she received from Ethan.

"I'll tell you what you need..."

Ily wondered if Ashley, future librarian, had actually gone along with this plan for excitement. Ily herself hadn't allowed for much more than their messing around in the fitting room.

The furthest they got to doing anything really really naughty in a public place was the couch. And that was after much cajoling on Rich's part. She wasn't going to tell Ethan that though. Not if she wanted him to sit there later.

After having spent a semester with Rich, she still didn't feel it. Whatever it was. She just knew she wasn't feeling it. Rich was cute and had a bright future, and he seemed so into her, stealing glances like they were still sitting near each other in school and hadn't been sleeping together all semester.

It could be the day to day life stuff and how boring it really was. Eat, sleep, do homework, and have sex. Like it was on a list of things to do. She wasn't passive, by all means, though she generally let him make the first move. She went along with it usually hoping she'd get better. That she would love him back.

When he was out at class, she would take time to call one person a day. Her mother and father. Kate. And Water Mellon, her old boss.

It was stupid. Just a crush really. Still, he seemed happy to hear from her and hear about college. Their conversation lasted longer than her phone conversations usually did. In most cases, people just wanted to know she was alive. Water actually wanted to hear how she was doing.

And it made her stomach flip.

There was a very small list of valid candidates as far as Ily was concerned. They had to have a bright future, they had to love her, and they had to be good at taking orders. Rich was all of that. He seemed to generally strive to make her happy.

Did it really matter? Love wasn't something Ily was prone to believe in anyway. It was all about compatibility. And they were compatible. Better than most. Where there was passion, there was a chance for failure. With love came hate.

"Ily, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just admiring the view. How do you cook so well and stay so skinny?"

"Don't overeat? You're weird, Ily."

****************************

I have too much fun with these two. I played through a semester, and Ily only has a crush on him. One bolt of chemistry.

I think these two will cause me trouble when they discover other people.

Late Night Meeting

2009-10-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

Last time we saw the cult-- I mean the Church for Wayward NPCs, Demi Love, partner to Water Mellon and mother of his two daughters, joined.

The last time we saw Joseph (AKA Mr. Big), he was on the run from Sofia Stratton, and so he went to the last place she'd think to look-- her own brother's church. (This update also includes information on the Church as well, for those just starting to read along with me.)

Quiet finally fell over the compound once everyone was in bed at their enforced bedtime.

Joseph couldn't sleep. He never could when they went to bed so damn early. Instead, he lay in bed looking to the ceiling, still half dressed in an undershirt and boxers. Nearby lay a pair of pants he left out and his old overcoat which Tristin had asked him to get rid of.

Joseph was no idiot. He's already gotten rid of his cell phone. Get rid of his clothes and then Tristin would ask him to get rid of his name. Joe was no sad little sim looking to fit in.

Near-by, he heard the girl in the bed next to him softly breathing rhythmically. One of the few plus sides of living out here was that at least Tristin was free with the women. For the most part. It was pretty clear that the one who'd given birth to his child was off limits though he never expressly said that. That only left the two others. And one of those two had a man who was coming around looking for his children.

He's been out just that morning. Tristin had asked Joe to stand near-by as he ran the man off again.

It'd been pretty tense. "Where are my daughters?"

Joe had to give it to Tristin; he could be as cold as Sofia. "They want nothing to do with you. Leave, Water."

Luckily a fight didn't break out because Joe wasn't sure what he'd have done. The man had a right to his kids, and frankly, Joe would prefer it if he took the older whiny one who was constantly yelling or crying over everything and anything.

The man left, though he was clearly not happy about it. Joe almost felt bad enough to help (and desperate enough to get the whiny kid out), but he couldn't risk pissing Tristin off. This was the last place Sofia would look for him with the last person Sofia would expect him to be with.

Anyway, it didn't matter. None of it did unless he couldn't get control of the business from Sofia. Right now, he was powerless and moneyless, and without even a damn cell phone. Joe only had his friends left.

Joe sat up carefully, the springs of his mattress squeaking just barely and still sounding too loud in the quiet of the room. He slipped his pants on and threw the coat on over. He'd only have to be outside for a moment. The tricky part was getting downstairs and outside.

The cold air burned the sensitive skin on his cheeks as soon as he stepped outside. A boy stood on the sidewalk waiting close to the doors of the church. He had to be freezing. All he had on was a long sleeved shirt. No one expected it to be so cold so far inland.

"'ey," Joe said casually. Teen boys didn't normally stand out front of churches in the middle of nowhere to pick up girls.

The boy reached out to shake his hand, slipping the tiny cell phone into his palm in one smooth move. Armando had said something about a new boy-- one no one would expect. Something about a boy of pedigree, the mayor's son or something like that. Said he would be useful or was it helpful?

"Thanks kid."

The kid did look pretty sharp. He didn't stick around long enough to chat, and he hardly seemed impressed with Joe. Just gave a nod and walked off down the road casually with out even a quip about the weather.

**********************

Woo, sorry, it's been a while. I swear I haven't completely defected to TS3. Mostly, I'm using TS3 to illustrate very old stories, so it's rather easy to get sucked into those again.

But I still have plans for this story! So I'm going to shoot for an update every week or so on this blog.

I'd also like to take this time to invite those of you who enjoy writing to Valley Sun Sims forum. I've already mentioned it to a few people who I knew enjoy writing. It's a nice way to meet people, and find new stories. Plenty of us are using TS3 for stories, but plenty of TS2 people have been joining as well.

Smoke and Chairs

2009-10-01T01:32:00.000-07:00

"It's a chair."

Alberta couldn't think of anything clever to say. It was indeed a painting of a chair. "Maybe it has some extra meaning? Something about carrying something until you become an inatimate object."

Gabe examined the painting for a moment before coming to the same conclusion as Kate. "Pretty sure its just a chair, Alberta."

"Now you know its serious. He agrees with me."

The three stood around the painting staring at it quietly as if they were waiting for it to speak and explain itself. Alberta was sure that she was the only one giving the artist the benefit of the doubt. It could have meaning. It was completely possible that even the fact that a painting of a chair got into the museum is itself a statement of something.

"Chairs," a strange woman said while walking over to them, "are a statement of our own classification and subjegation. Chairs do all the work for us, holding us up at dinner and in front of the TV while we get older and our asses get larger. But no one gives thanks to the chair for just doing its job. No one ever really looks at a chair."

Alberta wrapped an arm across her stomach, gripping her other arm tightly. Both Gabe and Kate were oddly silent watching the girl in surprise.

"Uhm, wow." Kate finally managed to say. "How do you get that from..."

"I painted it," The girl smiled at Kate as the Gabe and Alberta suddenly had to glance away. No one had noticed her standing on the floor before. Was it possible she'd heard them talking? How embarrassing!

The girl looked at the painting allowing Kate to glance away. "Yep. Put a lot of work into it too. Hours and hours."

Kate sucked in a breath which Alberta could swear would have (probably should have) been a curse. "You heard us?"

The girl winked at her. "We're the only ones on this floor you know."

"Crap. Sorry. Music's more my thing." Kate waved at Gabe. "He's got no excuse though."

The girl laughed. "It's alright. I'm partially jerking your chain anyway. I mean, c'mon-- it's a friggen chair in a museum. I had to make something up." She turned to them. "I'm Regina. Wanna go outside for a smoke?"

Alberta could see Gabe was ready to politely refuse. Kate was faster though. "Sure."

"Oh god, that's so good. The woman who runs the place wants me to be here to present my paintings. Told me to look nice. I think I look nice. She didn't think boots and a sun dress were appropriately 'nice.' Bitch."

Alberta really couldn't see the problem. "I think you look nice."

"Oh you're sweet. A bit innocent though, aren't you? Hopefully someone's watching out for you. Oh geeze," Regina held out her carton of cigarettes. "Did either of you want one? I'm going to guess that Innocence here doesn't smoke."

"Sure." Kate bravely reached out and took a cigarette from the carton. Alberta hadn't known that Kate smoked. Yet there was Kate, taking a cigarette like she had always known Regina and lighting it without stopping to think about it.

There were so many things she felt she didn't know and hadn't experienced yet; it almost made her feel a little out of place until Kate took her first drag and started coughing as if she would die.

"Kate, are you okay?" Alberta could see Gabe out of the corner of her eye crossing his arms over his chest and laughing.

Kate held up her first finger in response to Alberta's question as she fought the coughs, her eyes a tiny bit teary. She then shoved her lit cigarette at Gabe, "Here tough guy. You take it then."

"Your lips have been on that. I'm not taking it."

Regina held out her carton to Gabe. With a tiny roll of his eyes, he grabbed one cigarette, deftly lit it with Regina's lighter, and took a puff on it.

"Crap. Stop showing what a burn out you are."

"Do you want me to teach you?"

"No." Under her breath, Kate mummbled, "Jerk."

"Are they always like this?" Regina asked.

"Generally. This is them being nice, if you can believe it."

Regina laughed. "I can bet what you put up with."

Alberta didn't want to pepper Regina with a ton of questions, but there was so much she was curious about. Kate appeared interested too. Once she'd decided to just ignore Gabe and his teasing, she turned back to talk with Regina. Kate didn't worry about peppering Regina with questions; she asked the questions in the same way she'd acted as if she could smoke.

"Look, I will tell you this much. I'm eighteen and I have my own house. If you wanna know more, you'll just have to come over some time." Regina winked at Kate. "I better be heading back. See you all later."

Live!

2009-09-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Chapter 1 for the other story is up. Oh nerve wracking!

Sims 2 hiatus?

2009-09-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

I sort of hate to say that, but I didn't play this weekend at all like I had planned.

Lately, I've been writing a lot. About a year or so ago, I ran across my old 3.5 floppy disks (circa 1995-- that's way longer ago than I remember it) which were all neatly organized in an interestingly surreal way that would only make any sense to me. The stories on the disks were boring. Very snooze worthy, but the world and the characters were different. (I think that's a good term for it.)

So I've been doing a lot of work, rethinking old ideas lately. And after a bit of inspiration, I decided that I would give Sims 3 a shot as a story telling vehicle since I wasn't playing it as a game very well. So boom, the two ideas crashed together and I thought I would use Sims 3 to try and tell at least one re-worked story from this world I create so long ago.

This project has totally consumed me. Now I could have tried using Sims 2 to tell the story, but there are certain advantages to using Sims 3. For one, the body shapes. It's horrible that I can't adjust the heights, but I think body shapes are a little more important right now. And two is that the facial expressions are actually very complex at times. They're also very very creepy at times. But over all, they are complex as I can sometimes read multiple emotions in their faces. Their traits affect the ways they express themselves during interactions, so it's actually really fascinating...

Ahem... anyway. Nerdy gets the better of me at times.

This story will have an ending (it's looking like it's going to be about 12 or 13 chapters right now), so once I finish writing the chapters, my boyfriend is going to take me out to get a delicious burger at my place of choosing because I don't finish stories. Ever.

My sims 3 blog which I am using to document the trials and tribulations of working with Sims 3 as a story telling vehicle.

From my test shots:

Edy says, "You're mean!"

Poor Michael can only shrug, "What do you want me to do about it?"

I will give it a journal of it's own and put up a mature warning. Genre? Science Fiction Fantasy Horror. I mean, if you want to label it. XD

Amberle says Hello

2009-09-08T19:12:00.001-07:00

Samantha walked around the classroom, her heels clicking on the linoleum. She scanned the back of heads and peeked over shoulders checking their work.

Sam passed by Gabe. He wasn't very far along. Clearly something was on his mind. Samantha had watched him closely these past few years that he had been her student. These years before a sim became an adult were an amazing period where a child grew into an adult. Each year after summer, she was surprised at the change they had each taken.

When Gabe had been a freshman, he had been so quiet and introverted. By the end of that year he discovered girls. The next year, after summer, he had turned his quiet introvert nature into a mysterious cool that even Glenda Stratton had noticed. She was sure that he'd spent that year quietly not getting caught causing trouble with Rich who was an entire year older than him.

This year, without Rich and with Alberta, his girlfriend (Sam would dare even say his first real love), there seemed to be something off about him. His mysterious cool was gone, but he was no longer a quiet introvert. There was something almost angry about him. When he fell into his own thoughts during the lessons, his eyebrows often knitted together folding the skin between them. It was a remarkable change after only one summer.

Sam was sure that he knew. Water had told her that he'd just found out, and that he knew exactly who was Gabe's mother. Gabe had to know.

It was five minutes until class was over. All of the students were becoming distracted. "All right, turn in your workbooks everyone. I think you all deserve to start the weekend early. Just remember! I want to see you all at the opening of the Museum this weekend. It's an assignment!"

Kate groaned loudly and Aaron laughed at her over-reaction.

As the children piled out of the room, Sam softly called out to Gabe. "Gabe, can I speak with you a moment?"

He glanced at Alberta and even Kate as both girls stood looking at the two curiously. "Oooo," Kate softly murmured.

Alberta poked Kate softly, "We'll be outside."

Gabe stood as tall as she did now. She would never get over the change a sim took in the four years they came to visit her. "Yeah?"

She hadn't fully thought out what she could possibly say to him. She wanted him to know that someone was there for him, but she wasn't sure that he would open up to her. "I saw Amberle over the weekend. I'm supposed to tell you that she says hello."

"Oh, well, uh, tell her I say hi back." Gabe looked at Sam in slight confusion. She was sure that he would let Alberta and Kate know that their teacher was crazy.

"Well, that wasn't all. She said that she hasn't seen you in a while. She'd like you to come visit her one of these days, you know."

"Um, sure. Okay. Bye, Ms. Kerr."

"Bye, Gabe." She was sure he'd think her weird now for sure. As for Amberle, she hadn't exactly said any of that, but she would have if Sam had told her that Gabe seemed a little off and her own thoughts on why. Though Amberle hadn't really heard from Gabe since he was a very young boy, she still at least cared.

Sam would have to be sure to tell Amberle to expect a visit from Gabe. Not that Sam was sure he would even take up the offer, but she did hope.

Thoughtful

2009-09-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

He had seen her in the flesh. She hardly looked older than Gabe. The image that came to him when he heard the word "mother" was not some woman in a slinky dress working in a night club ordering around men who almost seemed to fear her.

His other biological parent was hardly any better. Water Mellon was just as much of a mess as his mother was. The tabloids reported frequently on his activity since he was the biggest name in town. The man seemed to shrug off losing his "love" and his family like it was no big deal. He'd moved into a penthouse apartment on the fancy side of town where "numerous" women were seen entering and exiting. Some hardly older than Gabe.

Gabe rolled his eyes at the thought. Was he doomed to become like his biological parents? It was possible that he was heading down the same path as one of his parents now. Did that mean that at some point he'd do the same to Alberta as Water had done to his wife?

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. It was weird the way he felt about her. He found himself thinking about her at the oddest times wishing she was there with him or wondering what she was doing. Sometimes he found himself worrying about her, but he stopped himself when he noticed himself doing it since it was the last thing she had wanted. If he worried about her and she knew it, then she wouldn't tell him when she had other problems.

The more he knew about himself, the more he felt less worthy of her. Even with her experiences, she wasn't bitter or depressed. If anyone had the right to be, it would be Alberta.

He had just learned of his heritage, and he couldn't help feeling bitter about it. Of course knowing that your own mother hadn't wanted you in the first place (and your father probably wouldn't have wanted you, nor would his family) sort of had that effect.

"All right, turn in your workbooks everyone. I think you all deserve to start the weekend early..." Gabe didn't hear much more than that. He packed his books quickly into his back pack as Kate groaned from the other side of Alberta.

Then Ms. Kerr softly called to him. "Gabe, can I speak with you a moment?"

****************************

As a refresher, I'll throw up this link about the society of my little hood. We know that Water Mellon is his dad, but what may easily be forgotten (because he never thinks about it so it would rarely be mentioned) is that he was in the running for Legacy Heir which I'm holding onto as a tradition of their old life in the old land. Gabe is pretty sure that he would not have been wanted in that family because of the woman who gave birth to him.

And Alberta would be seen closer to a townie by any sim snotty enough to care about such things. Not that Gabe cares, but he's sure that there are sims who have probably mistreated her for it.

And before I forget, let me share another blog I've found that's really awesome and is using Sims 3 to tell a really good story. Marooned on Tuesday She's not too far in yet, and I think some of you might like it.

How I select couples

2009-09-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have just noticed a lot of bloggers noting ACR scores for their couples, and so I started to think about that myself.

I am mostly going to blame Water Mellon (And by proxy Samantha and Demi) for this post because I was sitting and thinking about those three characters in particular. They are the perfect example of how I hook up sims.

Water was in college, being the Big Man on Campus, when he got fake arrested for the Secret Society. The police officer who arrested him was none other than Demi.

As soon as I saw her, I simply wanted her in my game. It was love at first sight-- for me. I didn't really care what Water or Demi felt chemistry wise. (It was a plus when I saw they did have at least one lightening bolt, but that wasn't until a bit later when they actually got to know each other.)

I could see Water being absolutely fascinated by her. They'd shared a car ride and a fake arrest. A girl who'd fake arrest somebody as a side job would have to be interesting, right?

The fun part came when it was time to find her. I really did have him call the police station hoping she'd show up. When they stopped showing, I had to reload the lot and try some more. But no, we didn't find her that way. He actually ran into her again one day and that's how we got her.

Well, after that sort of chase, how could he not fall in love with her and give her some life? (referring to my poor restriction on the NPCs of course-- in game they live forever unless one of the playables "marry" them to bring them to life) Their chemistry wasn't the best, but I imagine that he really did/does love her.

For the most part, this is exactly how I pick out sim couples. It's like a whisper from a sim muse in my ear (or possibly from the sims themselves while I'm playing).

It sort of makes for interesting relationships. Like Water's mother, Ann Mellon, and his father, Alec. They had no bolts (though they didn't have negative bolts either), so I imagine that they were best friends throughout their lives. They just happened to get lucky that they never found the kind of chemistry that Ann's brother Walter has with Lucy.

Anyway, just thought I'd share because I'm thinking about it now and I always find it interesting to see how other people play their games. Ever have couples where you just feel they must belong together in each other's lives despite the chemistry?

Autumn Extra- Haphazard

2009-08-31T21:17:00.001-07:00

"How did I let you talk me into this again?"

Ily let her new adult woman laugh bubble up from her throat softly as she handed him the hanger with the outfit she wanted him to try. "I said it would be fun."

"Right... clothes shopping." Rich looked at the outfit dubiously. "I get to pick out an outfit for you too, right?"

"Of course." She shone her most charming smile at him, making silent promises that swore it would all be worth it later. Maybe.

"Ily, you can't be serious. I look like a teacher."

"Or a future mayor."

"I'll definitely be outlawing outfits like this not wearing them."

When it was Ily's turn, she took her time in the fitting room slowly peeling off her dress. The one he picked out was something she wouldn't be caught dead wearing, but she was sure he didn't really pick it out for her to try on. She'd been working all her charms on him all morning until she was sure she'd driven him mad enough that he'd do anything to get her.

She was right. Rich wasn't horrible, but he wasn't the best lover. Not that she had anyone to compare him to. He was her first after all and her only so far. People could call her anything they wanted, but slut was definitely not one that they could use against her.

It was only their second week of college. So technically, she'd only been not a virgin for about a month. Right before they left for school, Rich had invited her over one last time.

Ily had been the one to make the first move for once. Well, physically anyway. Rich had been the one to call her and he had been the one prepared.

What ever experience he had was all high school girls who were also inexperienced. Ily would honestly have preferred someone older and wiser with more experience than her, but she needed some experience of her own first. She would not play the helpless maiden in bed.

Maybe her charms worked too well. Sometimes she felt like a tool Rich used for his own pleasure. His hands worked so haphazardly running along her curves and her breasts that she sometimes has to stop him to explain what she would like.

But mmm... it is a nice fantasy that older man who's had a few woman who would touch her in ways she can only dream about right now.

*****************

Time line wise, this was of course towards the beginning of Autumn, but I just played them last night. These two are actually WAY more fun to play than the other three students I have who are a year ahead of them.

Right before they were to leave for college, Rich made a booty call. It was a very clear, "Why the hell not?"

As for the last picture, it's been a while since I've seen someone reject the make out interaction. But he's in love with her, she's not in love with him at the moment because they had recently aged up. I thought it was fitting and totally confirmed the voice I heard in my head.

End of Autum 3: Bastard

2009-08-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

The last time we saw Sofia (Quite a while ago!)

"You bastard!" Sofia stood tense before him, ready to spring. She wanted to rip his throat out, to feel his stolen blood gushing out and pouring onto her own body. But something kept her back. Her body refused to move towards him despite her wishes.

He stood calmly before the fire. "That is no way to speak to the one who gave you second life. In fact, you shouldn't be able to speak that way. You are stronger than I gave you credit for."

"I'm pregnant. How the hell am I pregnant?"

He didn't seem shocked. Sofia took another step closer in her desire to rip out his throat. "Are you sure?"

"I know when I'm pregnant, asshole. How the hell am I pregnant?"

Henry barely looked up as if a thought had occurred to him. "Is it mine?"

Sofia growled as she tried to take another step towards him. Her body refused to step forward. Since she had turned, her body had been like a stranger to her. Her reflexes were better, faster, and she could run all night without getting tired. But as she had found out the night she tried to kill him, her body would not let her harm him.

"It has to be yours." Her strange body tensed and her arms became glued to her side with a tightened fist at the end. Were she still able to feel pain, she would have felt her nails cutting into her hands.

She had last seen him at the beginning of summer. They would spend time teaching her how to live her new life and deal with her new body.

Like a fool, she assumed that being a living dead creature meant she could let go of all the precautions she had learned early in her life. She had been an utter fool. It was another mistake she would never make again.

"I'm not keeping it."

Henry laughed at her. "Are you going to go into the doctor with your condition? Do you think a normal doctor can get rid of a full vampire child?"

"I will kill it."

"You will not." Henry gazed into her eyes as he issued the comand which buzzed around in her head. "If you do not want it, there will be alternatives."

"Ah, but you won't be the one taking it, I see." Just like a man. Personal experience had taught her enough to know to never count on anyone else and never believe a word said.

"I have my own part to play."

******************

The plot thickens! lol, I'm seriously making a lot of this up as I go along. It's really a lot of fun. I generally have an idea of where I want to go ahead of time, but until I get to the point I can see I my head, I don't know what's going to happen.

Mostly, what I want to tell you is that this storyline is sort of a ground work for possible upcoming stories. I've tried to hide a few clues, but it's hard to gauge just how effective they are right now. Mostly because I am not well practiced at these sort of things.

At some point, I will point back to some of these entries and go, "See, that's why he--".

As for the how, I am going with the idea that once a sim is turned into a vampire, females still have eggs that get turned as well. Sofia assumed that once she was turned she became barren. But she still has eggs to work through. Once those are gone though, she won't be able to have children.

Dinner

2009-08-22T00:53:00.000-07:00

Alberta watched Gabe order for the both of them.

There was definitely something different about him tonight. Maybe it was the fact that he was only a year away from joining his brother and Ily at college. Or maybe it was that Alberta felt so out of place in a place as fancy as this. Night clubs, even if they had a restaurant attached, were still night clubs.

The air sat heavily with the stream from dance floor. Alberta could feel the air on her nose and cheek bones settling. She resisted the urge to wipe her face since she wasn't sure she'd be able to make it across the dance floor comfortably to the rest room to check her make up.

"Uhm, Gabe, am I even old enough to be here?"

He smiled at her as the server put their plates in front of them. "You are; you just can't drink."

He had a point, and it wasn't like she was going to order a drink any way even if she could. "So, why are we here? This seems a little fancy for us." She was quick to add, "I mean, not that it isn't nice once in a while." There were plenty of girls who would kill to have their loved one take them out to a fancy dinner. She didn't want Gabe to think she didn't appreciate it.

There was a quick movement from the corner of Alberta's eye as someone in a tight dress passed. Gabe watched the woman walk past with little expression on his face.

Alberta glanced over her shoulder quickly. The entire transaction took only a second, and in that second her heart faltered. The woman was beautiful, older, and in a tight dress. She was the sort of woman Gabe would most likely meet when he was in college. She was probably the sort of woman that Gabe should be having dinner with.

Alberta turned back quickly to take a bite of her futo-maki and swallow that horrible feeling bubbling up from her chest.

"I've been thinking," Gabe said as he slid an envelope across the table to her.

She put her sushi down and wiped her hands on the napkin under the table. "What's this?" Carefully, she opened the envelope frightened at what she would find.

She looked at him imploringly. "I can't take this!"

Alberta tried to push the envelope full of simoleans back to Gabe, but he crossed his arms and smiled at her in a way that wasn't entirely joyful. "Think of it as a promise. Some day we will live together, and I'll be able to take care of you properly. But until then, will you let me do this?"

"But where'd you get this from?"

"It doesn't matter. Will you let me do this?"

Alberta wanted to say no, but the look on his face told her that saying no to this would be the same as rejecting him out right. She would agree to it if it would make him happy, but she wouldn't use it. She'd save it instead for when they were together, and if for some reason it didn't work out, and he wanted it back, she would hand him all the money and any interest she had earned on it.

"All right."

*************

Seems I keep having issues posting. XD This time, my number #1 issue was that I noticed just how bad the compression has gotten for some of my pics when I upload them to blogger/picasa. So I did some finagling to get the pics to be small in the way I want not in the arbitrary way that blogger will do automatically.

My other issue was while playing to get pictures. The kittens (who have both grown a good bit in the past month) decided to do some wresling near the power strip and turned the computer off. Oooh! Were they in trouble, LOL. But I hold a grude as well as they do. (Which is not at all. Seriously, for cats they're both very forgiving and forgetful thankfully.)

Wild

2009-08-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Approximate ages: Water- 34, Samantha- 36

"Water, what're you doing here?"

She hadn't seen him since the old days when they lived in the land across the sea. It felt as if she had been so young then, and so much more foolish.

"I didn't want to be alone." His voice and breath came quickly, almost gruffly, in a manner not at all usual for the calm and collected lover she knew.

She could still remember what he said that last day she saw him. "I can't do this anymore to Demi-- or Mel," he had said as he stood on her doorstep. Then he left with not even a last kiss. It had been like losing someone unexpectedly. Since that day, eating food had become a chore like cleaning the house. Food in particular reminded her of him, but she could find his absence in almost anything if she looked hard enough.

"I don't want to talk."

"What then did you come here for?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Demi left me."

"What?" Samantha turned to him, but it was clear he was not going to say more. Did Samantha really need to know any more than that? She sighed and leaned back on her pillow.

"And I just found out I have a son."

"Gabe Mellon?"

"How did you know?"

Only half her mouth could muster the engery for a smile. "I'm his teacher."

"Oh."

Words had never been a barrier between the two of them before. Their attraction had been so basic that words were never needed. He would strut in and carry her to the bed where they would do anything that came to mind without fear or judgment.

Perhaps it had simply been unrealistic. The two had been free to play because their lives at the time were so set in rituals and responsibilities that when they met, it was an unspoken agreement that they would allow each other the freedom they couldn't have in normal life.

Had she loved him or just that feeling of freedom? Had he loved her or had he only wanted that feeling of being a teenager, again, doing something he knew he shouldn't do?

Samantha looked at him and a resolve formed. "I won't do this again, Water. I want something serious. I want someone who will really be there for me, not someone who'll just show up to cart me off to the bedroom when his wife is out of town."

Water looked surprised. "I'm not ready for anything serious, Sam. Not right now."

"Then I'm not ready to get back into this. I think it would be best if you left now."

*************************

One for the bloopers:

In the middle of her hookup, Alberta called. Doesn't Sam look thrilled? (In case you can't tell, she's yawning, LOL.) Alberta is either really lonely or cares about her grades more than I suspected, because she calls Sam a lot. It's kinda cute.

Also-- PHEW. This entry was a long time coming. I had this horrible "DEBUG- Super Duper Hug" thing that I decided I needed to get rid of, so for the past two days, I was going through my hacks to find out the culprit. Finally, after I became suspicious, I took everything out and still had the DEBUG options! Turns out that it might possibly have had something to do with the Control This Sim hack by Dolphin over at MTS. It was making random debug options show and multiply, and even once taken out, the options still showed.

Either way, the way to fix it is to installed the updated version, then visit infected houses and save. The DEBUG options will disappear.

Disgust

2009-08-10T21:52:00.001-07:00

It was kind of disgusting when Gabe thought about it. Childbirth was one of those things that people didn't think about because everyone was born the same way. There was really no other way to be born unless someone came up with some new technology that allowed for Servos to carry sims to term.

To think that he, already old enough to stick his own dick into a girl's vagina, came out of some other woman's vagina. Gabe, as a baby, had passed through the same canal that his father had stuck his own dick into. It really was a disgusting cycle.

Especially considering whose vagina it had been. It all seemed to make some sense now. He had never been an over acheiver. It just wasn't in his blood. But he had tried very hard to be good. It had always felt like he was fighting his own nature trying not to embarrass his upstanding adopted parents.

It also finally made sense why he was dropped off on Amberle's door step. She was a complete stranger. He had always wondered the reasoning behind it. How could his mother leave him with a complete stranger? There had always been a possibility that she had simply had no time. Maybe she had been in trouble and had to act quickly and selected the one sim that seemed the nicest?

Now he knew the truth. The truth was that he hadn't been wanted. Perhaps he should simply be happy to be here at all. She could have simply aborted him and he wouldn't be here to think these thoughts.

Gabe took a large gulp from his glass. The burning ball of liquid pressed against the sides of his esophogus on its way down to his stomach. It was a sensation he could easily focus his thoughts on, and so he took another gulp. Alberta sprang to his mind for a moment before he quickly pushed her out of his thoughts. He couldn't go to her with this information. He needed time, first off, to let it sink in. And second off, he couldn't burden her with his stupid "adopted rich boy" problem when she was trying to deal with actual problems herself.

Water hadn't known of his existence. He was as surprised as anyone. But he had known right away who Gabe's mother was.

"Hey, kid," The bartender hardly turned his head towards the spot Gabe sat. Gabe had noticed the bartender watching him for a while even though the bartender seemed to have done his best not to make it obvious. "You look like you're having a hell of a night."

Gabe glanced up from his drink at the bartender with the dark glasses. He was always at this bar serving drinks. Did he ever take a day off?

"Listen, I got a proposition for you. You seem like a bright kid. I've seen you a couple'a times come through. Maybe you could do me a favor." The bartender glanced over at one of the poker tables. "We're running a game on that Townie there. But we're short one man."

Gabe kept a hard glare on the bartender. "What would I have to do?"

"Just win. We'll give you the chips. Anything you win, we'll give you 10%. Even if you don't win, you'll get something."

***********************

I need the bar to earn some good money. Armando, the bartender, is technically the owner, but being a crime syndicate, there is, of course, someone above him who he has to pay his dues to.

But bars don't make too much money. So, I'm using Squinge's higher stakes poker table. Armando has some "employees" that work for him (actually, they live with him, so he doesn't pay them and he's sure to get their winnings). Two workers can sit down and play to up the chances of the house winning. And that's basically all they do each night. Since they mostly play townies, no one would notice that they're there every night. This is what we call a racket!

Another thing going on the side is that there will be a bookie. The bookie just hangs around waiting for someone to greet him or her. Once greeted, that means that someone is placing a bet. The bookie has to talk to the sim long enough to gift him the special key to the betting room. (Here, I'd have to take control of the sim and direct him into the betting room.) In the room, there is one of Monique's computers. Sims can put up a bet (haven't yet decided how much a bet will be or how to determine how much they're betting). Since this is a racket, no one ever wins, of course. Except for sims they've pre-selected. Every so often, a townie will have to win of course. I think this is where Hook's ROS program would help me. I can set it to have it heavily weighted for certain sims to win. That way there is a small chance a townie might win.

Searching

2009-08-05T21:53:00.001-07:00

"Richard, you know I wouldn't bother you without reason. She has my kids at that creepy cult place. I haven't seen them since she left."

Water was clearly agitated. When it came to Water's daughters-- well there were few things that Water Melon cared about more than his daughters. It would take a calm from deep within Richard to explain to Water the predicament that Richard was currently in. And it would be a miracle if Water didn't reach over Richard's desk and grab him by the collar (or worse, his ribbon that was always so neatly pinned on his suit).

"Water, listen, I understand--"

"Has Genesis run off with your kids?"

Richard sighed. "There is not much that I can do. Tristin lives outside of town. We have no jurisdiction there. Even if we did, the police force is going through some, uh, growing pains at the moment."

Water crossed his arms. "Meaning you won't help me. Your political hands are tied. You know, my mother has gone missing too, and nothing has been done about that either."

Richard cleared his throat, trying to find the words to explain, when there was a soft knock he recognized right away. "Not now," he thought. The timing couldn't be worse. This was not how he had intended to explain things to Water.

"Dad, Mom wanted me to--" Gabriel walked in too quickly. He was halfway to the desk when he realized there was company. The greeting smile quickly dropped at the sight of Water.

Richard cleared his throat nervously. Backed between a rock and a hard place, he could preform. It was what made him a great politician.

Water sat with his jaw partially open in surprise. There was no way to deny it. The two did look alike, even with Gabriel's awful haircut.

"Uh, Water, I would like you to meet Gabriel."

Accused

2009-07-29T21:04:00.001-07:00

Natalie took a deep breath. Captain Hero was in the examining room with a bloody criminal. This had not been a part of her contract.

She clutched her clipboard. There was only one way to attack this problem. An examination needed to be done, and there was only one doctor in the city. Natalie would make it clear that she could take out a criminal with one shot of sedative. She would put up with no bull.

"Hold still and shut up please!" Natalie tried her best to stop herself from shaking. The criminal fidgeted before her, yelling curse words at her as she tried to put disinfectant on the cuts on her face.

"That shit hurts!" The criminal pulled away again. Natalie briefly contemplated giving her a shot of sedative.

Natalie ignored her as she cleaned and examined the cuts. "So," she asked Captain Hero, "You say that you found her like this in the morning when you went to check on her?"

He stood behind the prisoner with a surprisingly serious look on his face. (Yeah, she'd see those pictures in Legacy Living-- cringe worthy!) There was something about seeing him in person that Natalie didn't like but she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. "Yeah. I don't know how this happened. Orlando was watching her last night."

"He fucking beat me; that's what fucking happened." The criminal pulled away again. "OW, fuck!"

Natalie scoffed. "You're saying that Orlando Mellon beat you?" She glanced over at Captain Hero to see his reaction. He stood still which gave Natalie the impression that he might actually be taking this criminal's accusations seriously.

The cuts were pretty bad, and most were centered around her face. Natalie could see no purpose to a beating that only scratched her face and didn't seriously wound her. "Why did he beat you? And how do you know it was him? Didn't you say this happened after lights went out for the night?"

"Who the fuck else could have done this? And I don't know why."

Natalie rolled her eyes and picked up her clipboard again. "Well, you're fine. Only a few cuts, no stitches needed, and no extra brain damage. I'll talk to Richard."

"So it's true?" Richard seemed as surprised as Captain Hero should have been.

"Well, it's true she has scratches on her face. But it wasn't anything very serious. Honestly, I would believe she did it to herself before I'd believe that either of the Orlandos did this to her."

"Still, you must understand that there must be an investigation now." Richard sighed. "I'll have to suspend them until they are cleared."

"What? But what about those three murders?"*

Richard instinctually shushed her as he did everytime she asked him about that case. "We still have Captain Hero. And we can recruit other sims for the police force."

*************************

* For anyone just joining, the first murder occurs here, and the second and third murders are mentioned here. They're all rather suspicious due to lack of blood at the crime scene (and in the bodies), but they have no suspects as of yet.

So, no more bothering with a posting schedule. I don't have any posts ready to go ahead of time right now, so I'll just post when I play.

Otherwise, I am actually going through a phase where I just don't like what I've done. I started this blog with the idea that I would get better as I went along. So the important thing for me now is to push forward while trying new things. If I were just writing, I would probably put this down and just walk away. But since it's wrapped up in a game, it's much easier to return to it and work on it. (Even with the cats, I am still horribly attached to my Sims 2 sims in a way that I can't bond with my Sims 3 sims.)

So off I go, pushing forward against that looming self doubt and self criticisms that pop up. I'm flexing a muscle I probably haven't used in years (since high school or early college). Ow!

Legacy Living-- A Hero's Life

2009-07-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

By Genesis Mellon

Captain Hero serves me a cup of “joe” with a warm smile. “That’s what keeps us going around here,” he tells me in a low husky voice. “Here” is our local little police station which has lately had to deal with larger problems than one would face in such a small community.

“You rely on coffee? You’re a superhero aren’t you?”

“There is no ‘I’ in hero, ma'am. And I couldn't do it without those guys there." He motions towards the front office where Orlando Centowski sits working on the latest paperwork from the latest catch.

Roxanne Prema, a known player in the Boot Trade, was captured with the help of Captain Hero. When asked he is quick to add in that it "couldn't have been done without the Orlandos."

Prema is currently in a holding cell that was made to hold sims for offenses such as kicking over trash cans or littering. But the boot trade has necessitated a change in the way our small police force operates.

"It's becoming a big issue," Captain Hero says. "Right now it seems to only be a few who are using, but all we need is for it to spread to the children. Stuff like that can ruin a whole generation."

The Mayor and the police are scrambling to scrape together a judicial system for the worst offenders. "The most important thing," the mayor said recently at a speech at the City Center, "is that the public knows we are doing our best. The last thing we want is for an innocent sim to be locked up. So it is important that we are transparent so that the public may decide the guilt of the accused."

There is currently no trial date set for Prema. Until the new system is in place, Prema is being held in the standard lock up.

Roxanne Prema

*********

You'll have to humor me on the boot trade. I don't have it up and running yet, though I've been thinking about it. But the major player in the boot trade is still in school and can't own a community lot in the city. (He's supposed to be far away at college. Can't just drive in.) Does anyone know of a hack to own a community lot on Uni property?

So what is the boot trade? Well, you know those boots that sims fish out and can turn into juice? Yup. That's The Boot. Highly addictive since the effects last for such a short while. I'm sure it's easy to loose oneself to it. Much stronger than the bubble blower.

New House

2009-07-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Last time we saw Amberle

"So wait... he bought you a house? Just what exactly did you do on that vacation?"

Amberle gulped as she thought it over carefully. It wasn't what she had done, but what Henry had put her through. "It's certainly not what you think."

Sam smiled wryly. "Well then, at least tell me what happened. What did he do? What'd he say? What'd you do?"

Was there any way to explain the trip so that it wouldn't sound as if Amberle were making the whole thing up? She could imagine Samantha's reaction when she heard that Henry was actually a vampire. Sam would scoff at Amberle's confession and say, "You just don't want to tell me the juicy details."

And of course if Amberle decided to head down that road, she might have to explain about the Elves, this land, and Leander.

"Well, it was kind of a weird trip. We were driving home when he stopped here. It was late, and I wasn't in the best of moods..."

****************************

"Where are we?" Those were the first words Amberle had spoken to him since they had left the mountains. The entire drive down, after he had attempted to speak to her at the beginning, had been a completely silent ride with only the music from the radio to fill the void between them.

Henry had barely glanced at her when he stepped out of the car and walked around it to open her car door for her.

Amberle stepped out onto the dark sidewalk to stand before the lighted house. In the dark, she couldn't tell much about it, but it seemed there were no strangers looking out the large living room window. She was at least glad for that; the last thing she wanted was to be embarrassed too. "So, it's a house. Can we go home now?"

"It's yours."

Amberle turned to glare at him. "What?" There were plenty of thoughts rolling around her head. Her house? How? And when did he do this?

He pushed himself off the car and handed her a silver key that shined in the light of the living room window. "Aren't you at least curious?"

"No." But she was, and so she walked into the house.

"There is a fireplace, but please do me a favor and wait until there is someone else here with you when you light it."

She peeked out the window in the upstairs study. There was a small backyard and plenty of forest. She hadn't been so close to the forest in a very long time.

"Your father would never visit you at the apartment. He would never enter a building."

"So you're saying he can stalk me now?"

"You will need to talk, don't you think?"

He followed her when she went to view the bedroom.

****************************

Sam looked around the little living dinning room. "Well, I will say he seems to have pegged your favorite color and obsession with potted plants." She picked up her wine glass and raised it in a mock toast. "So he had to have been doing this while you were with him in the mountains." Sam sighed, "Why does such a good man waste his time with you? Did you at least ‘thank' him properly?”

Amberle shifted uncomfortably in her seat and gently cleared her throat. “Well, I told him that this didn’t get him off the hook for what he did.”

Sam almost dropped her glass. She set it back down on the table. “You didn’t! Amberle Silverring you had better be joking. Tell me that you did forgive him. You must have, right? I mean, not everyone gifts their sweethearts with homes you know. If you had him leave while still angry with him, I won’t be able to forgive you.”

Amberle glanced away, heat suddenly rising to her face and turning the thin tips of her ears red.

Samantha laughed. “Oh my. Well, so long as you did thank him properly, I won’t hold the house against you.”

****************

The house is this one from MTS. No CC, and it's cute and tiny without a lot of the stupid tricks that builders resort to that often make a home buggy. It really is perfect.

Also, kittens! I've been rather distracted lately in the evenings. When Trouble, our timid kitty who hides under the seats, crawls into my lap to kiss me and fall asleep, I don't argue. I'll sit still for as long as he wants.

Home

2009-07-19T01:22:00.001-07:00

Demi had spent as much time avoiding Kaylynn as possible. When Kaylynn was downstairs, Demi was upstairs playing with the girls. If Kaylynn went upstairs, Demi found reasons to go downstairs.

Until that glass of water. Demi had been warm from playing with Melanie (who spent most of the time telling Demi "That's not how Daddy does it"), so she went downstairs for a drink despite knowing that Kaylynn would be downstairs.

"You know you're only holding him back." Kaylynn, with dirty soap suds up to her elbow, barely glanced at Demi and yet her words hit deep to the core of Demi's being.

Demi gasped as she lifted the glass of water to her lips, hoping the cool water would wash away the flavor of the salty tears she could almost taste.

"It's true. He should be living on The Hill. He was the oldest brother."

Kaylynn's shoes scuffed along the linoleum as she stepped closer to Demi like a snake charmer to a snake. Demi could feel her presence; it was suffocating.

"I have to go." Demi placed the glass on the dining room table and turned in one swoop so that she was heading towards the kitchen door.

"I know somewhere you can go," Kaylynn said in a low voice. Demi's legs simply stopped so that she was shoulder to shoulder with Kaylynn. She heard herself whisper, "Where?" As soon as Kaylynn spoke the answer, Demi realized that it had been on the back of her mind for a long time. She had known the answer. It would be the place where she would finally find peace.

The cab pulled to a stop as the driver muttered, "We're here."

Demi paid the driver, then stepped out with her suitcase in hand. She stepped through the door to enter the first building on the left where they had agreed to meet.

His diamond colored eyes took in the entire sight of her and rested upon her large suitcase in her hand. His gentle smile warmed and comforted her twirling emotions. Finally, she felt at home.

*******************

For any new readers and as a refresher, find out more about Tristin and his cult-- I mean church here.

I've always had a soft spot for Kaylynn. She's always been in the background of my game, just doing her job, and once leading that rebellion at the Legacy Household.

In the old 'hood, I noticed she did a lot of standing around and fuming. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but the new Kaylynn also does a lot of standing around fuming. I like to think that perhaps she does have a little life, and the clone remember the indignities of her former life cleaning the toilets of the other sims while not being considered an equal.

In the new 'hood, it's probably impossible for her to get a respectable job with one of the shops. And it doesn't help that she sill wanders around in her maid uniform. (She should really see Bonnie, but she probably doesn't want any pity.)

Post delayed

2009-07-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

I only have one more picture to get, but it's proving a little difficult.

See, on Thursday, we went and picked up two kittens from a vet who wanted to find them good homes. One is a big scaredy cat. The other thinks she's a dog. She loves to sit in laps, and I had to wonder what it would be like to play Sims with her around.

I figured since I'm not a cat person, she wouldn't have any interest in my lap. Well, I was wrong. She's taken a liking to me (most likely because she's mad at my boyfriend because he's been the one reprimanding her all day while I was working).

So I go to play sims. Three problems-- one I am not paying attention to her. And two there is a cursor on the screen that she thinks is a toy.

And three...

...there are frikking humans inside the screen!!!

Seriously, never gets old. XD I've just been letting the game go and watching her stare at the screen. Every so often she stops to bat at the cursor, the icons in the corner that appear when a sim does something, or even the sims them selves.

Now as I write this, she's sprawled in my lap, snoring. Who knew being a kitten was such hard work?

Kaylynn

2009-07-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Water didn't realize what he had done. He wouldn't understand either, Demi was sure of it. It wasn't just the suspected affairs, it was everything.

Demi put her head against the cool glass of the taxi's window as she thought back to last fall.

Water had come home late as usual. His restaurant was only open for the evenings, and he often stayed out until two in the morning or later.

Normally, Demi would be sleeping by the time he came home, but she had recently woken to feed the baby, Shannen, and couldn't go back to sleep. She remembered the sight of Water, bathed half in light from the table lamp.

Water had crossed his arms in that serious way of his that usually reminded Demi of a parent reprimanding their child. "I think we need a maid," he had said.

"A maid?" Demi had been a service NPC. She had not liked the idea at all.

"There is nothing wrong with a sim doing his or her job." Water went into the walk in closet to put on his pjs. As he sat down on the bed, he didn't look at her. "Look, I'm too busy, and so are you. Extra hands would be nice. And it just so happens that Kaylynn Langerak came by today looking for a job, but I didn't have any positions open at the restaurant. How about I ask her?"

Such a terror gripped Demi that she couldn't speak more than, "Oh no, not her." Water was not aware that service NPCs (at least during the time Demi had been one) all knew of Kaylynn Langerak. She had tried to plan an uprising on more than one occasion in the old land. Unfortunately, planning an uprising with a group of sims who basically disappear once they are no longer needed proved to be a difficult feat though Kaylynn came close at least once. Most of the Family was unaware of this fact, and Demi was not going to tell Water this because she, like many other past service NPCs, feared Kaylynn.

"Sure, why not?" Water dipped under the covers completely unaware of Demi's thoughts or worries. "Listen, I'm tired. Let's discuss it in the morning."

But Demi knew that meant he had already decided and nothing she could say would change his mind.

*********

Kaylynn's infamous uprising, which petered out when most of the elderly repair men and women could find nothing to fix."

Actually, that was my very first legacy house. It was with only the base game installed, and I had the classic Stuck NPC bug. Since that was before sims had inventories, I had to move the family out and leave everything behind. All of their paintings, and a crystal glass from the wedding of the second heir (the original Richard Mellon) that I had managed to somehow grab completely by luck after a guest set it down.

Goodbye

2009-07-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Water Melon (approximately 34), Demi Love (unknown age- previously a Service NPC policewoman)

One of the last times we heard or saw anything about Water Mellon, it was revealed that he's actually Gabe's biological father. With Gabe being approximately 17 in human years, that means Water was approximately 17 when Gabe was born. Water most likely has no clue that Gabe exists.

Time: Right before the Summer Festival

"Demi." Water stood in the door way before her with his arms crossed stubbornly as if he would not let her pass. She hadn't expected him to be home during the middle of the day. For the past few weeks, he had been skipping lunch at home. His excuse had been that he was working late at the studio, and then heading into the restaurant right after.

Demi dropped the suitcase on floor with a thud. She was thankful that the children were already gone at a safe place even though she had never known Water to be violent. If anything, his crimes were simply loving too much.

"What're you doing?" Water's voice was tense and high in his throat.

Demi could hear the words in her head as clear as if she had spoke them. "I'm leaving you," she wanted to say with a lift of her head and a false bravado that she knew would break in the taxi on her way out of town.

Instead, Demi brought her hand to her face and pressed her fingers to her lips. Her eyes remained dry as if she hadn't really begun to believe she was doing it. As if she were simply taking a vacation with the girls and would be right back.

Water smoothly glided to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Demi Demi," he whispered in her ear. "You can't do this. Don't you remember all the trouble I had finding you the first time?"

If Demi could laugh, she could cry. She stiffly allowed him to hug her.

"I had to call the police station until you showed up at my door. Do you know how much money I spent on fines? Even today, you know they won't come if I call..."

Demi stepped back while slipping her ring off her finger. It wasn't a real wedding band. They had never had a real wedding. Water hadn't even loved her enough to marry her. She put it into his hands and closed his fist around it.

With suitcase in hand, Demi walked around him as best she could. She almost didn't make it; she was ready to give in, but she reached a second wind that helped her push past Water and step out onto the lawn in front of the house.

Water followed her out to the front lawn, but he did not try to grab her again. "Demi, what about the girls? Where are they? Demi?"

Demi's voice hardly sounded like her own. It rang clear and true in the clear afternoon. "I'll call you." She stepped into the waiting taxi refusing to look back.

********

I'm a little late posting this. I was sort of waffling about this or writing something on the spot, but since this is basically a prelude to Fall, I figured I should stick this in here. This is just part one. Two more parts to go.

A Simmer's Survey

2009-07-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Just because I find this stuff fascinating! I'll be starting next week with the actual storyline for Fall (I think I've been in summer now for something like two months), but in the meantime, I'd like to get to hear more from other players about how they play either Sims 2 or 3.

How closely do you pay attention to the personality points in TS2?

What is your favorite way to play? (Curled up with a laptop on a weekend day? Sitting at a desk in the evening while watching TV?)

Do you like to keep records? (And my follow up would be what you keep track of.)

Do you still play "the game" or do you use it in other ways (like story telling or playing through stories rather than playing to ensure your sims get their LTW)?

How often do you play and for how long?

Do you read a lot of simming blogs?

Do you have anything you're curious about?

Fine

2009-07-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Alberta didn't bother to invite Gabe into her house and Gabe didn't bother to ask. She simply held his hand as she ascended the stairs and opened her door with her free hand. They sat down on the couch together in front of the TV they also didn't bother to turn on.

Gabe wrapped an arm around her. "Thank you. Sometimes Kate goes too far."

His lanky hand gently squeezed her arm, drawing her close to his side. She couldn't help smiling widely though the blood under his hand rushed into her ears. They were alone, and he was so close. The urge to run her hand up his shirt and feel his chest was as impossible to ignore as it was to actually do. Frozen with indecision, she didn't stop him when he pulled her into his lap.

"How are you doing here, Alberta? Really. I worry that you wouldn't tell me if there was something wrong."

"I'm fine. Really." She tried her best to smile sweetly even as a part of her brain shouted, "I told you so!" The last thing she had wanted was for either of her friends to worry. It had been a secret worth keeping. She was in no trouble financial or otherwise.

But Gabe's words from the festival came back to her. "I can't keep secrets from you two," he had said with a glance in Alberta's direction. She could still remember his brown eyes glinting with concern as he said it as if he were trying to pass along a hint.

Gabe sighed even as he smiled at her. "But you promise you'll tell me if anything is wrong?" He pulled her close to hug her, one hand running down her side to press gently on her lower back.

Alberta burried her face in his shoulder and closed her eyes. His soft musky scent mixed with the salty smell of the sea that lingered on both their clothes. Under her fingers, she felt the smooth muscles of his back tightening as he gave her a small squeeze.

Her days were generally about silence, especially now when school was out of session. Alberta found that she often had to leave the house just to find some company. Gabe and Kate were generally both busy-- Gabe watching his little sister and Kate helping her father at the spa on the hill. Now that he was here, Alberta wanted to ask him to stay. She didn't care about the "game" that Ily had explained to her-- she would give him anything he wanted to have him stay the night with her so she wouldn't have to be alone.

Words seemed to sit on her tongue filling her mouth until she felt she couldn't breathe. She didn't know the words to say. The silence between them was already too long. Her hand gently ran over his chest. "I'm fine," she said softly watching her hand work its way towards the bottom of his shirt.

Gabe's hand on her waist gave her a soft squeeze as if to hold her at a distance. As her fingers lightly dipped under his shirt, his stomach muscles became tense. She wasn't sure what came over her then. Alberta leaned foreward despite his hand on her waist holding her back to delicately explore his lips with her own. He melted then, drawing her close and responding to her gentle exploration with ferrcious experience.

It seemed a while before either of them pulled away, and even then it was Gabe who pulled back first. He sat still for a moment as Alberta wondered what she had done wrong. Did she not compare to the other girls?

When he did speak, it seemed he was as much at a loss for words as her. "Alberta, I don't want you-- I mean we don't have to--" His hand tensed on her waist again; this time he was definitely holding her back. "Just promise you'll tell me if something is wrong."

She nodded, holding it together long enough to softly promise. "I will."

There wasn't much more to say. Gabe pressed his lips to hers, gently hugging her bottom lip with his soft lips. His kiss broke into little ones that ended with a last kiss on her forehead and made them both laugh. "But I do have to go," he said slightly apologetically.

"I know." Alberta stood up.

Gabe stood before her with one last glance before he reached out to run the back of his hand down her cheek. "Remember you've promised."

At his gentle touch, she almost didn't succeed holding back as well as she had moments before. She could only nod this time, and hope it would be enough.

It seemed to work, he smiled at her, then went to the door with a playfully protective, "Make sure you lock the door."

******************

I had one of those moments that I most recently remember Carla mentioning where my sims totally surprised me. I had Gabe selectable in the house, and I pretty much just let them do what they wanted for a while. They stripped down to their undies and cuddled on the couch for a second. Then with no help on my part, both changed back, stood up, and he reached over to caress her cheek.

These last two entries were actually from one play session that was supposed to be all about Alberta. I do think she's lonely; she shows up all the time on community lots and I usually see her getting talked to by Tristin Stratton. (Stay away from the cult, Alberta!) But it seems to be all in her head. She has two great friends who would do anything for her if she would only open up and be honest with them.

Fireworks

2009-07-06T10:34:00.001-07:00

Gabe and Kate had been playing a harsh game of Red Hands when Alberta got them a table. The set up for the Summer festival was much simpler this year. Just some good simple meals cooked by an actual chef, and fireworks along the beach. Alberta sighed quietly as Kate and Gabe continued to poke each other with verbal barbs casually tossed out like normal conversation topics.

Alberta didn't dare tell Gabe or Kate that she felt out of place. Although she had to admit that sitting at the table with the two of them bickering felt right. If she closed her eyes, she could almost believe she was one of them and deserving to come to their celebration.

Gabe casually glanced around. "Wow, they sure kept it low key this year." He glanced back at the make shift stove behind them and froze.

Even Kate looked concerned when he turned back around and tried to bury his face into his menu. "Uh, what's wrong?"

Gabe looked at Alberta while biting on his lip. "All right," he said much too quickly. "But only because I can't keep secrets from you two. Don't look, but the guy who's cooking-- he's my actual dad."

Alberta glanced over Gabe's shoulder at the man quickly cooking the food at his station. She couldn't see much of him at all besides his black hair and his pinstripe suit.

Kate turned around in her seat to look. "Water Mellon? Isn't he the guy on TV? Seriously?"

Both Gabe and Alberta hissed her name. She turned back to the two of them with a shrug, "What's the big deal? Does he know? You should say hi. Or send me and Alberta in, and we'll say hi."

"I don't really feel like meeting him right now."

"You'll never feel like meeting him." Kate waved a hand in the air as she turned to Alberta. "He's actually very shy despite being a natural jerk."

"Kate..."

It was time for Alberta to step in again. From time to time the bickering between Kate and Gabe became serious enough that Alberta would step between them. It required a loud voice, a heavy hand, and some quick thinking to have a suggestion ready to distract the two of them when they became serious like this. "HEY, the sun's about to set. We should head down to the beach. The fireworks are going to start soon."

It seemed to be enough to call a silent truce between the two. The three stood and walked down to the beach without glancing back at Water Mellon.

**********

Our Independence day just passed, and I didn't get to go see any fireworks. Usually, one of the local cities puts on a firework display, and since I live in a bay, you just go to the beach and you can see the show they're putting on across the way. But the one city that does the fireworks show couldn't afford it this year (a sign of the times).

So I had to do a summer festival. I really had Water buy the lot and place the fireworks before I realized that I was going to take Alberta and Gabe down to the beach. Woo for attention to details, but some good simple cooking sounded like fun.

Be a little bad

2009-07-03T08:54:00.001-07:00

Ily and Kate's older brother came to visit. He dropped by early in the morning after a call saying he was bringing a friend.

Everyone had hoped he was bringing his girlfriend, Ashley Stratton.

No such luck. In a cruel prank on his little sisters, he brought home the creepy mascot guy.

"Awww..." He said, his voice muffled by the huge llama mask. "You have some zits; you must really be stressed about goin' to college. Here, a hug will help. We're just one big family there."

"No, really, that's okay." Ily stepped back, but he continued after her until she shoved him away. Was he really the mascott of her college? Really? So now in addition to all the other challenges college students face, she will have to worry about this bozo too?

Ethan and his friend stick around for a while, louging around the house until after dinner when they head off to their hotel. And once Ily and Kate's parents go to sleep, Ily turns to Kate with a mischevious glint in her eye.

"Let's sneak out! These are my last days to be a kid."

"Are you serious? What if we get caught?"

"Hey, every teen deserves to be a little bad. Once you hit college, it's all about responsibilities. You're practically an adult!"

For a moment, Ily worries that Kate won't agree which would leave Ily all alone. Sneaking out on her own seems a boring proposition. She has no where she could go alone. And what if some creepy dude, like the Llama mascot, steals her or something?

Then Kate smiles, and the plan is made.

They start out their night at the little cafe in the slummy area of town. There's aren't too many sims visiting the cafe; most likely they're all at the bar down the street.

Still, there is a stage. "You should go up and sing." Ily shoves Kate towards the mic.

"No way. Right now? With no music?"

Ily sighs in faux exasperation. "Fine. If I get up and do something, will you go and sing?"

Kate laughs. "You're going to do what? Make up poetry on the spot?"

Ily does not back down from a challenge. And it's all for the good of her little sister who needs to take more chances in life. Ily doesn't like the way Kate silently sighs over her lost love. She's only 15, going on 16. She should go out and have some fun.

The poem is horrible. Running through Ily's head when she starts are the words, "There was a little butterfly..." and so she runs with it. Kate sits in a seat cringing and trying not to laugh.

But Kate does stand up before the mic and sings a song of her own creation. Her voice carries throughout the room drawing the attention of the few people who are sitting down with their expressos. A few even clap as Kate takes a bow.

Ily's will always be her sister's biggest fan. Even when there's a cute guy over at the cafe stand serving the coffees.

Eventually, Ily suggests they head over to the park. Ily never played on a play ground before. When she was little, they didn't have things like this. Not until they came to this new land.

But even then, Ily doesn't play so much as sit and think while Kate swings on the swingset.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ily watches the silent green house across the street. She feels slightly stalkerish sitting this close to his house, watching for movement from the windows.

It's already past 2:00am and the restaurant would be closed by now. He'd have already come home, kissed his daughters good night, and laid down in bed next to his girlfriend.

Ily knows she is still young, but there are other things she does know.

Like the way Water Mellon talks mostly of his daughters and never of his girlfriend. The way she watches him flirting with the ladies who visit the restaurant. And the way other ladies look at him when he's pretending not to notice.

It's just a crush, she reminds herself. She's worked for him for the past year as a hostess at the restaurant. But then who could really blame her?

Ily glances over at Kate. "Ready to go?" Kate relaxes on one of the swings, probably day dreaming to herself.

"Yeah, let's go."

There are things that Ily knows but without knowing. Like she can't be sure that Gabe Mellon really is Water Mellon's son. It could be a strange coincidence that he looks just like him. And does it really matter? It's not any of Ily's business if Water Mellon started his relations early and had a kid before he even made it to college. It's none of her business whether Gabe or Water know.

This is one situation that Ily would best stay away from.

******************

This was written on the fly and wraps up a few story ideas I had with Ily that I never could turn into an actual story.

After dinner at Gabe and Rich's house, Ily was following Gabe around. She even followed him into the bathroom at some point, and I was wondering what she was doing. She wasn't flirting with him, just following him to talk while Rich and Alberta were blissfully unaware in the game room.

I sort of forgot until just now while writing this that Ily works for Water, so I mentally made a note (a bad idea all around) that she's noticed that Gabe looks suspiciously a lot like Water. And Ily has a big ol' imaginary crush on Water. (Who wouldn't? He probably talks about "his girls" all the time while flirting the night away.)

There are other sims, one specifically that I can think of, who would also probably notice that Gabe looks familiar, even if they can't place why.

Now that's a party!

2009-07-02T22:08:00.001-07:00

The whole Mellon clan came over to the house for Hobart's birthday. And by "whole" I mean just those who are on the outskirts living off the land. Aden Mellon of course couldn't make it. (His excuse was something lame about Elizabeth needing rest after the wedding.)

Hobart is actually pretty handsome for having the natural in game genetics. Big noses don't bother me. (And I've actually seen larger on the Stratton males.)

I thought this was cute. Somehow I've never had a boy sit down to play with the doll house and not thrash it. He sat down and was doing the voices for the characters while next to him, Nectarine, his niece (or possibly nephew, I can't remember), chews on a dolly.

Tax Season 2

2009-07-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Kauker was last featured in the Uncertainty storyline. She had been a townie who haphazardly fell for Aden Mellon (son of Lucy Hanby, someone Elizabeth figured would understand her predicament). Townies don't age unless one of my playables make them real, and Aden seemed to want to help.

Along came Green Mellon, the legacy heir, smelling of coffee from all nighters spent working on writing his romance novels and swept her off her feet. He and Aden left on break to visit their families, and when Green returned, he was a different man altogether. Their relationship was over (on his end only apparently) and Elizabeth has no idea what happened. (But we do.)

This family's last post

Elizabeth felt as if Aden's eyes were fully noticing her for the first time since they had left college.

"You look beautiful," he said simply.

"Thank you." The words fell out awkwardly. They meant nothing, hers and his. Maybe it was just her nervousness; maybe she was just thinking too much.

"They're waiting. Shall we go?"

Elizabeth and Aden stood under the rented arch in their backyard. Aden's family had not come. No, they were not invited. Aden made excuses, explaining that the wedding was being put together too fast to make the arangements to get all his family out and together. As a compromise, he told his mother they would come out to visit as soon as they could.

But Elizabeth had a feeling that Aden was deliberately leaving his family out of the ceremony. She had no proof, just a gut feeling that he was getting more into his politics career than he was into supporting his family and his formly a service NPC mother.

Glancing through the loose strands of her hair, Elizabeth glanced over at Green and Amanda Mellon. Green had married her right away after he left the college. Elizabeth tried not to think on it. Aden had invited Green with the excuse that they were old college buddies; it couldn't have anything to do with Green's status.

The other couple invited were Aden's boss, Richard Mellon, and his wife, Genesis.

Elizabeth tried not to notice that he almost fell asleep during the ceremony. Thankfully, Genesis poked him in the ribs with her elbow when she noticed.

They leaned in for their kiss as the sun slipped behind the mountain. Elizabeth closed her eyes just as the applause started first from the far corner where Genesis sat and then over to the side nearest Elizabeth where Green and Amanda sat.

The party then moved indoors. Though Elizabeth hardly made it past the kitchen.

*******************

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking. And reading this site.

Aden and Elizabeth don't have to pay taxes. Those working for the city don't pay, so Aden was always exempt. And since Elizabeth is now married to Aden, she doesn't have to pay either.

Tax season!

2009-06-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

It's tax season in my game. I do try to run my neighborhood like an integrated 'hood, I just focus on the story aspect of it because I'm not too great with details.

Tax season is a great time for me to catch up on all the other families in my game. I really do enjoy playing them all, but rotation playing is not for me. Mostly because I don't play on any sort of schedule. I pretty much play once a week, sometimes less. (And even while playing Sims 3, I get hankerings to play my hand crafted neighborhood.)

Since I've been visiting all the families, I figured I'd share the stories of some of those sims who are not part of the main story, but who I love all the same. I sort of hesitated to throw out characters that I might not write about regularly, but why not? These characters often appear in background shots, or they might become a part of the story. The war idea is brewing, and I'm thinking about how to build up an army of playables. *rubs hands evilly together*

Let me start with Ariana Mellon (17)...

Ariana is the daughter of Lucy Hanby, and the niece of Ann Mellon (my crazy witch who's now in hiding).

She lives on the Mellon farm in the outskirts of town. A large chunk of her day is spent trying to get her lazy twin brother Adam (also 17) to help her take care of the animals and the small crops. The rest of her day is usually spent at their little shop with her mother selling pies and fresh produce to the town. The last part of her day is spent preparing pies for sale the next day.

You must see the problem already, can't you? She has NO life. From time to time, she'll get out of the house on a weekend and go hang out with the normal kids in town, but even then she feels out of place. Everyone knows her story, even if they don't know her. Mention her name and the automatic association is "Lucy Hanby, service NPC" which then leads to the rumor "they got kicked out of the Legacy House."

Ariana is the third girl in line snickering at the fallout from a Kate fart.

Sims have asked her before about it. It annoys her to no end. For the record-- they did NOT get kicked out. Her father, Walter Mellon, moved out to the country with Lucy. And then they had like seven kids (six living currently). Walter moved the family to the farm because he enjoys the life and the time they spend together.

Ariana's parents-- aren't all couples in love just like this?

Though it has to be tough for Ariana. Since the day she became a teen, she wanted to fall in love. Growing up with lovely dovey parents like Walter and Lucy has to have some sort of effect on her view of romance. Perhaps she thinks that people literally (and I really do mean literally not figuratively literally) just fall into love. They stumble across it like they find a good TV program. He'll just be there, and she'll be interested, and after having a wonderful conversation over some coffee they'll just know. After a few babies, they'll grow old together and make out on the front porch just like her mom and dad.

******

I thought I had more pictures of her, but I was surprised to find out that I really don't. Ariana is one I'm always watching. Nothing much has happened in her in her young life (no first kisses or boyfriends), but there's something about her... I suppose it's that I see her as a slightly sad sim waiting for the type of impossible sim love her parents have.

Fit

2009-06-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

She fit in his arms perfectly.

Hot water bubbled in the spaces between their bodies so that there was no space; the water connected their bodies as if they were already pressed against each other and Rich dared himself to pull Ily close and squeeze the water from the spaces between them.

Ily didn't fight him. She didn't suddenly rise claiming that she had to head home as he expected she would do. Gently, she lifted an arm to wrap around him as she softly caressed his back with her thumb. Her lips kissed along his scruffy jaw to his ear lobe which she gently and playfully nipped-- catching his lobe between her soft lips and grazing them with her teeth.

Rich closed his eyes and pressed his face into her silky, peach-scented hair as her kisses began working their way down his neck to his shoulder oh so slowly. His arms squeezed her tightly. The always in control Ily was in his arms and nipping at his ear. If rumors were true, there weren't many men who could say Ily Stratton had nipped at their ears.

Richard was very aware that just next door was his room. In the large house it was like being alone. No one would expect him up for breakfast. His parents would leave early for work.

There had only been one other girl in his bed. But at the time he had been so young and inexperienced that any noise he heard broke his concentration. Not much had happened that night. Now he was close to being an adult. He would be leaving to college soon. So would Ily.

Ily's sigh tickled his ear. "I have to go," she whispered.

"Why?"

She smiled as if she knew exactly what he had been thinking only moments before. "Because it's almost 2am."

As Ily put her clothes on over her swim suit, Rich wished he could be the sort of man who could grab her and plant an unforgettable kiss on her before casually dismissing her with a "See ya."

Rich repressed a sigh. Ily was a trap that he had fallen for and now he was wrapped around her little finger.

************************

I am so falling in love with these two. I left them alone for a minute and found them in the hot tub together.

Alberta's home

2009-06-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

The front of Alberta's apartment complex was much too dark for Gabe's liking. He and she stood under the street lamp in front of the car to say good night when the door to her apartment building opened and a shady guy walked past with a wave and a greeting of, "'ey, Alberta."

Gabe glanced down at the top of Alberta's head as she waved back swiftly. He had to resist the urge to grab her and pull her close. Her surroundings did not match her at all. What had happened in her life that would leave her in a place like this?

Then Alberta surprised him by turning around and asking, "Would you like to come up?"

*************

"So who was that?" Gabe asked when Alberta had shut the door. He didn't want to sound like a complete douche, but he needed to know.

Alberta stood before him with her head slightly down. She brought a finger to her lips as Gabe glanced around the room. The door to the bedroom was open and Gabe could see two twin beds. Both were empty, as was the living room and kitchen.

"Alberta, where's your grandmother?"

It seemed to him that she purposely answered the question he was begining to care the least about. "That was just one of the neighbors. He usually leaves late to head out to the bar."

"Alberta, what about your grandmother? Where is she?"

She stood quietly for a moment, hesitantly poking her soft bottom lip before she answered him. "She passed away a few months ago."

"What? Alberta, why didn't you tell us?"

"Please don't tell Kate!" Alberta looked him in the eyes pitifully as she pleaded. "I don't want her to worry too. But, I just couldn't keep it from you anymore. You kept asking-- more than Kate ever does, and and..."

"Oh, Alberta," Gabe wanted to scoop her into his arms and squeeze her tightly, but he knew enough to know she wouldn't let him. She wouldn't sit still for it. He could never tell if it was simply because he made her nervous or it was just because it was him. (He still wondered what Kate had told Alberta before the dance.)

Alberta glanced at him shyly from the corner of her eye. "Would you stay and watch some TV with me? Just for a little?"

Gabe could only nod, and they both sat on the old couch together. A house with no adult was generally meant to be a good thing to people their age, and Gabe and friends had often taken advantage of such situations. But Alberta... There was always that sadness to her eyes, even when she smiled or scruntched her face in confusion. It was a part of her he wished he could reach so that he could somehow extract it from her and finally allow her to be a normal girl with normal worries.

Gabe's hand found Alberta's and wrapped itself around hers. He was so removed from her living on the hill in that big cold house. But he promised to himself that he would do whatever he could to help her.

After Dinner

2009-06-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

"I'll put the dishes away, man." Gabe put a hand on Rich's arm to stop him from grabbing the plate in front of him. "It's only fair since you cooked."

Ily looked at Gabe quickly. "I'll help."

Alberta glanced at Rich in her own surprise to see his reaction. Rich only glanced from Gabe to Ily before he suggested, "Fine. Alberta and I'll be in the game room then."

The darts weighed heavily in Alberta's hands. She'd played the game before with Gabe, but playing with Rich was different. Rich had never spoken much to her at school, as if the years difference between them were a massive chasim that couldn't be bridged.

Now the older boy stood watching her with a smile as she tried her best to aim.

Rich cringed at the dart in the wall. "Uh, Alberta, maybe we shouldn't have you throwing sharp objects at the wall," Rich gently removed the darts from her hands.

Alberta stood back to watch to watch Rich expertly toss the darts. Rich would be heading off to college soon. The next time she saw him, he'd be a proper adult. It was amazing what just a few years between them could do.

Gabe would be leaving for college next year. He'd become an adult and she wouldn't see him until he came back on his break.* She had never dared think about it before, and at the thought her chest painfully pressed against her heart. Gabe would be gone next year, and she would be completely alone.

Well except for Kate. But it wasn't the same with Kate. Kate wouldn't gently pat Alberta's hand if she happened to notice Alberta was uncomfortable. Kate's skinny arms wrapped around her in a hug weren't nearly as comforting as Gabe's muscular forearms wrapping around her shoulders and drawing her near enough to smell the warmth from his chest.

Gabe returned from washing the dishes with Ily following close behind him. His eyes fell on Alberta with a small smile as he put a hand on her hip. "It's getting late. I should take you home so your Grandmother will let you out again."

*****************************

*A sim goes to college for only two years (I play through two college years in one neighborhood year). The deal is that they can't return home and family can't visit them. Only once in those two years do they get a break where they can come home. It's okay to call and write emails and letters, but the college sims are meant to experience life on their own with no support.

I call the college Vision Quest after the Native American passage into adulthood. It sounded like a good idea for stories. I already have some ideas going on for when Gabe leaves. A two year leave-- will his relationship with Alberta last?

The dinner

2009-06-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

"Alberta, it's nice to see you here."

Alberta nodded and thanked Mayor Mellon politely. She sat in front of a very apetizing looking salmon which seemed to only make her even more nauseous. If anyone knew of her situation, Mayor Mellon would. After her grandmother passed away, Alberta had to register the cemetary as hers. She had made no contact with Mayor Mellon himself, but she was sure he had to know.

Fortunately, he didn't say anything.

His wife sat down at the table close behind Gabe and turned a warm smile on Alberta that almost cured her stomach enough to take a bite of her salmon. "I'm glad you could come. Please feel free to come visit us any time."

Did she know? If Mayor Mellon knew, then it could be possibly that he had told Gabe's mother as well. "Th--thank you."

Gabe gently patted her hand which sat on her thigh. Alberta glanced around the table to be sure no one had noticed his pat, but everyone was already paying attention to Ily who also hadn't realized that Rich was such a good cook. "I want to have one of the biggest parties on campus when I graduate. Like maybe fifty sims. You could be the chef for it!"

Rich looked shocked at her audacity. Alberta could see Gabe's mother trying not to laugh. "First off, fifty sims? Are there even that many students? And second off, I wouldn't be invited?"

Ily's smile dropped suddenly, and for a moment, Alberta wondered if Ily was being serious. "What? Of course you'd be invited!"

"To cook, right?"

Alberta was thankful to both of them for providing the entertainment for the rest of the dinner. It took any attention away from her. Gabe's parents didn't ask her any awkward questions.

At some point during the dinner, everyone became quiet and focused closely on their food. Alberta took her time with her bites, chewing slowly and letting the flavors bloom in her mouth. Something in the air had changed it seemed, but it was hard to tell what it was with her face in her plate.

Gabe's mother was the first to stand. "Well, girls, it had been a pleasure having some ladies around the house for a change. I hope we can do this again before you leave Ily."

Mayor Mellon also stood with a nod. "Please excuse us."

Gabe and Rich began snickering once their parents were out of sight, and even Ily had to cover her mouth.

"They do this pretty much every night," Gabe explained.

"Best thing to do is stay downstairs," Rich said with another snigger.

Alberta's cheeks burned when her thoughts caught up with their snickers.

****************

Oh ACR. Genesis and Richard are as bad as Lucy and Walter. But they actually get things done. (Like little Doug here-- who I couldn't work into the story.)

Richard is, of course, the mayor, and I'm pretty sure he is aware of Alberta's situation. But there isn't anything he can do unless she asks for help, and she hasn't asked.

Genesis owns the local magazine Legacy Living which I explain in detail here. I actually haven't visited it in a while because I've mostly been caught up in the boys' stories. But it's a pretty good business venture. It can make about 2,000 to 3,000 every time she visits.

Gracie

2009-06-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

"I'm going to marry Gabe!" Gracie proudly proclaimed as she shoved more food into her mouth with her spoon. Gabe rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand as his eyebrows lifted helplessly.

Ily laughed, "Sweety, you can't marry your brother. You marry someone you love."

"But I DO love Gabe. And I'm going to marry him."

"Gracie..." Gabe started, but Ily's laugh cut him off.

"Poor Alberta. You have competition!" Ily laughed again.

Alberta raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Gabe who shrugged with a small smile.

"Gracie, are you done?" Gabe stood to pick her up. "It's almost time for the grown ups to have dinner."

"All done!" She raised her hands in the air in a practiced move so that Gabe could put his hands under her arms and lift her out. Once Gabe had her partly up with both his hands, Gracie reached out and grabbed his nose. "Got your nose!"

Ily moved from the head chair to a chair across from Alberta. The flash of movement and Ily's small smile caught Alberta's attention before she glanced away again pretending to peek over at the kitchen.

She could hear Rich, in the kitchen, grabbing dinner plates which clacked against each other. Another surprise for Alberta was to find that Rich could also cook.

Gabe's parents would be home soon. They would sit at this table soon. They'd see Alberta sitting at their table soon.

Alberta closed her eyes and gathered her strength.

*********************

Sorry about there not being a lot of pics of Gracie. When I took the pictures, Gracie was not my focus-- the older kids were. But when I wrote it, it sort of came out this way. (I wondered why Alberta and Gabe looked so uncomfortable.) I imagine that Gracie is about 4 years old. She's almost ready to go to school, and I'm contemplating sending her off to school in the fall.

The whole "going to marry my brother" thing is a tribute to my niece, who once insisted that she was going to marry her older brother. For like a month. Even after we explained to her how it works.

But in this case, even though to Gabe she's a little sister, they aren't actually related. Poor Gabe. I thought it would be too cruel (and unrealistic) for Gracie to understand that he was adopted and what that means. She just really loves him because he dotes on her more than Rich.

It's still kind of a cruel reminder though, if you think about it.

By the poolside

2009-06-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ages: Alberta - 15 Gabe - 17 Rich - 18 Ily - 19

Alberta sat back in the chair letting the sun hit her pale legs and arms. Normally, she wouldn't feel comfortable sitting so exposed, even in a one piece, but she was determined to relax and have fun-- and bond with Ily if she could. The older girl, Kate's sister, had pulled Alberta over in one of those girl moves that Alberta was only familiar with from watching other girls. She had suggested that they sit in the sun and relax while "the boys" played. Although Alberta really wanted to play, she felt it was a good opportunity to thank Ily for helping her get ready for the dance which had brought Gabe and her together.

Ily sat quietly taking in the sun each time Alberta glanced at her, trying to find something to say. Ily looked more comfortable in her two piece than Alberta did wearing clothes. The confidence simply oozed off of her in a way that made Alberta completely understand what annoyed Kate the most about Ily.

"She's freaking Ms. Perfect!" Kate had confided. "She knows it too. She is so annoying."

Rich climbed out of the pool, and Alberta watched as Ily turned her head in his direction. Rich noticed too, and with a wicked smile flicked water at her. "You should get in the pool. We can play a game of Marco Polo."

"Are you serious? That's a kid's game." Ily sounded serious. Alberta worried that she really wouldn't play a game as childish as Marco Polo. Was it childish that Alberta wanted to play?

Rich flicked more water at her. "I don't joke about games. And you're going to play later." He winked at Alberta as if he knew that she wanted to play right before he jumped back into the pool. Alberta seriously hoped that he wasn't insisting on playing the game because Alberta was so young. At the thought, she cringed.

"Boys," Ily said to Alberta with a smile that betrayed her snide tone. "They're like children. Always."

Alberta tried her best to not seem like the child she was, but she didn't really know how to make herself seem older. Gabe's playful side was what she loved most about him, and she could match him for immaturity. Most surprising was to see the usually studious Rich, future mayor, flicking water playfully at Ily, then cannonballing into the pool.

"So Gabe really likes you."

Alberta didn't know what to say with Gabe only feet away wrestling to give his brother a noogie in the pool.

"I knew it! You like him too." Ily leaned in, "Here's my tip to you though. Don't let him have his way-- it's all part of the game."

"Game?"

"Oh my god, you're so cute and naive. No wonder Gabe's so smitten. You know, guys really want one thing from us girls, and it's our mission to make them want it more, but make them wait while not being a total tease. That's the game."

Alberta made sure to blink while trying to take in Ily's advice. She could see right away this was not a game for her. Maybe it was an older person's game? Ily did have quite a few years on her as did Rich. But then Gabe was closer to Rich and Ily's age. He had never said so or done more than kissing her, but what if he did want more? How could she ever satisfy him?

At Alberta's silence, and possible look of confusion, Ily pried farther. "Oh, c'mon. Surely he's tried something-- a hand down your blouse? Undoing your bra? I mean, it's Gabe."

Alberta shook her head. She wondered what Ily would know about it. What did she mean by "it's Gabe." Had he ever made a move on her? Or maybe he made a move on someone she knew, and that was how Ily would know how Gabe should behave around a girl.

"Oh, Alberta! You're so cute... and weird. Somehow that works for you."

Rich called from the pool, "C'mon, let's play before it gets too late.

************************

Rich was it.

Alberta thought she was SO sneaky. But she slipped and fell into the pool with a big splash. (Actually she did a cannon ball-- which is a silly thing to do after trying to be so sneaky so I'll pretend she slipped.)

Rich was on to her. Ily pretty much stayed back and out of the way, and Gabe clearly had other things on his mind so only Rich and Alberta seemed to take the game seriously.

For all her sneakiness, she still ended up being it next.

Alberta was the last person I expected to cheat.

Gabe's House

2009-06-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Alberta took one look at the house as she walked towards Gabe. "This is your house?"

Gabe shrugged. "Well, Dad's idea. Being the mayor and all, he figures he should have a house that shows it."

He ran a hand through his hair, shoving it back from his face before changing the subject suddenly. "So you brought your suit this time?"

Alberta's hand flew to her cheeks. "Umm, yes."

"Darn." A different smile spread across Gabe's face; it was wider than his normal friendly smile and made Alberta think he was thinking dirty things. "Well, let's go."

**************

Alberta let her eyes wander around Gabe's room. To match the house, it was also needlessly huge. Alberta was sure that Gabe's room alone was the size of her apartment in the slums. The thought hit her and immediately she felt out of place. What was she doing here? And with him? She had no right to any of it.

She let her eyes wander around the room, examining it for some sort of clue into Gabe's inner mind. Something about the room stuck her as odd, but she was unable to put her finger on it. Was it the matching furniture set? It didn't seem the sort of style Gabe would pick out for his own room. The black sheets did, but that was about it.

One wall was covered in various music posters. That also struck Aberta as odd. When Kate talked music with Gabe and Alberta, Gabe had always been rather indifferent. Yet there was an entire wall covered in music posters.

Gabe entered the bedroom wearing his swimsuit just as Alberta stepped to examine one piece of very distinctive art. Alberta made her best serious pose. "Hmmm... I like the use of the dark colors in this one, surrounded by bright colors. Surely a comment on life if I've ever seen one."

Gabe laughed. "I'll let Gracie know. If you compliment her art, she'll be your friend for life. She's taking her nap right now, but you'll get to meet her before dinner."

"Oh, the baby sister!" Alberta stepped around Gabe to the eisle near the foot of the large bed she tried to ignore. "And what about this one? Is this yours?"

His hand ran through his hair again, "Ah, well yeah. But it's nothing. Gracie just likes it when she has someone to paint with, and you know, Rich has a lot of extracurricular activities. So I usually have to paint with her." Gabe shrugged, throwing a hand in the air. "Well, let's go to the pool." He took he hand and lead her away.

*************************

So I have a to do list for Sims 2 that is at least half a page long. They're moving from Summer into Fall, and I have some plans for next season that have to be built up now.

I played last night for a couple of hours trying to get one of the farms ready for fall. So good news (maybe)-- it is possible to play both Sims 3 and Sims 2 at the same time. XD

I do have to show you this picture. My most lovey dovey couple ever. They usually like to hang out on the porch at night dancing and kissing the night away.

(Meanwhile their poor children do all the work in the garden!) This is Lucy Hanby, now Mellon who married the grandson of her lover (which is mentioned in this post.

I just love those two and the way they lose all sense of time when in each other's arms. Making them the outcasts for their love has worked out rather well for them! (Though not necessarily well for their children.)

Intermission

2009-06-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

"He wants you to meet his parents? That's good, isn't it?"

"I guess. But, Kate, what do I do?"

There was clearly some snark in Kate's voice when she told Alberta, "Say 'Hello?'"

"No, I mean, I'm sure they know where I live and who I am and stuff. What if they don't approve?"

"Then I'll beat them up if Gabe doesn't." Kate grumbled into the phone. Alberta began to worry that she was being a bother.

"Kate..."

"I'm SO not kidding. Besides, I don't think Gabe would take you to his house if he didn't think you'd be accepted. He knows better. And..." Kate hesitated before she said the words slowly, "Alberta he really cares for you. I doubt he'd do anything that would lead to your being hurt. Most likely, his mother is the one who wants to meet you."

Alberta gulped as quietly as she could. Meeting the mayor was bad enough; Alberta hadn't thought about meeting Gabe's mother!

But Kate was right. Alberta knew she would have to learn to trust Gabe. He did like her, for reasons she couldn't see. And he would not let someone, even his family, hurt her.

"Thanks, Kate." Alberta's tone clearly carried along her silent apology for being a bother.

"Hey, I'm just glad you're actually using the phone. I was starting to think you didn't know how after a while."

"Well, my grades were good, so my grandmother loosed up the rules." Alberta could only hope that she was lying successfully for once.

In the Dark

2009-06-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Amberle sat alone (at least she hoped) in the forest far enough away from the clearing and the campfire that she was only bathed in moonlight. The only sound in her ears was the gentle whisper of the trees overhead as a breeze reached down to caress Amberle's cheek as if to comfort her.

Her father's people were out here. Possibly keeping an eye on her. She hadn't had time or energy to turn her fury on him and begin to ask him about her mother. Was her mother actually still alive? Had she ran off to be with him and left Amberle behind?

There was a slight rustle of the leaves behind her as if someone who normally walked quietly through the forest were trying to make noise so as not to startle her.

"Leave me alone!" She called out in greeting.

Amberle saw Leander's green eyes before he even stepped out from the trees. Even in the pale moonlight, his large bright eyes shone.

"Would you please talk to me?"

"No."

Leander didn't listen. He sat down on the grass near her. "We call your father's people 'the nameless ones.' They are a group of elves that live in the forest." Leander sat quietly for a moment biting on his lip as he seemed to turn over thoughts. She was almost ready to tell him to spit it out when he started talking again. "The problem is that there is bad blood between our people. They've killed elves, Amberle. Our kind of elves. The kind of elf your mother was."

Leander paused again, and this time Amberle let him sit until he was ready to speak. "That's why we told everyone who didn't know that you were half sim. The stigma would still be bad, but it could have been worse." He turned his head so that he was looking her in the eyes. "The council wanted to train you to be a soldier due to your 'heritage'. They foresaw that there could be a war on our hands and they hoped to use you as one of the foot soldiers that rushes in first.

"But I couldn't let them do that. So I convinced them you were bad luck and would bring our ruin if they taught you magic and put you on the battlefield."

His words brought to mind the day Leander, acting on the council's decision, sent her away. That day he had been so strongly insistent that she leave; it was as if he had sliced her chest open with a silver sword. The wound had festered at the thought that her one friend-- the one person who seemed at all on her side-- had wanted her to leave to badly.

Amberle brought her hand to her chest and pressed her cotton shirt against her skin. "You told me in town that the council feared for the elves' safety with me around."

"That's not what I said exactly. I only said that the council feared for our safety. They knew a war was coming. You were sent away in case one of the enemies got their hands on you." Leander glanced over at her. She was sure he was thinking of Henry. "Actually, there is something else I have to talk to you about. To explain." Leander's green eyes flashed in concern, though Amberle wondered if there wasn't also a little bit of guilt. "You know that some elves have special abilities that make them stronger in one area than in others? Like the way some elves can talk to animals? Well, you have that ability too. But you... ah... 'talk' to fire."

Amberle had nothing to say. There were no words. Fire was NOT her friend. If anything, she had spent more time on fire than any other elf. She wouldn't consider that a power.

"Amberle? I can't completely explain it, and it wasn't something we could be sure of until you became older. And by the time we were sure, you were sent away." Leander quietly watched her for a moment. "Will you say something?"

"NO. WAY."

"Was that you saying you're not going to say something?"

"That was me denying everything in two words. NO. WAY."

"Listen, would you be serious? It is a very rare gift among the elves. It is another reason why no one could teach you. There simply was no one else who could. But it doesn't make you immune to fire. You can still die, so it's a very danger--"

"NO."

"Amberle..."

"WAY." Amberle stood up. "That's it. I'm ready to head back now. Good bye. I'll see you around."

**************************************

For the longest time, I have had a story in my head about a girl who could control the wind but was afraid of flying.

Well, sparked by a certain event ("sparked" ahaha-- see what I did there?), I combined the older story with this story.

And Leander is so darn cute! He's always either scowling or looking concerned in game.

Also, sorry for two night time/photoshopped posts in a row. I suppose it's fitting in a way to have the two styles of these last two posts be similar. But with the extra shopping, the dark pictures are so much easier to see!

The tutorial is by Mao and can be found here.

7. Fight

2009-06-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

"Anna..."

I stand before him ready to die to buy the others time to get to the top of the mountain. He must not get to them or he will ruin everything. Lord Henry has followed us from one kingdom to another all because of me.

"No." The sword pulls on my arm as I lift it into a defensive position the way Joan taught me. How long do I have? How long can I hold him off?

He takes a step towards me and I tighten my grip on the sword handle. "Anna," my name falls softly from his lips. His deep voice brings back the memories of sitting on his lap and curling up in his arms. I am ashamed that I was ever so naive. My grip tightens on the sword so that the leather squeaks in protest.

Although he hesitates, he does not stop. Another step towards me, and I shout, "Stop!" There is a warmth that floods me. My own magical defenses, natural and innate, warm my muscles, traveling down my limbs. When he is within the swing of my sword, I follow through.

The weight of the sword disappears once it has begun its swing. I put my body behind it so that I feel the aftershock of my attack in my shoulders. I open my eyes to see that I have managed to hit him in the shoulder. The wound is deep; the blood flows down his tunic, but he will heal in minutes.

He stands still long enough for me to see the damage I have caused before he swoops in, wrapping his arms around me and pressing the sword, still clutched in my hands, against my body. "No!" It is a guttural sound that comes from deep within me. The denial is so strong, it almost feels as if I can break away. But my mind knows better despite my thrashing.

I can feel his breath upon my neck, and I know the end must be near. The only thing to do is to stop fighting and hope that I have given the others enough time.

"Anna," his voice is soft in my ear. His arms are still wrapped tightly around me in an embrace that is impossible to break.

I still live, and though I do not fight him physically any longer, I still hear myself saying, "Come sun rise, the vampires turn to dust and the werewolves will become human. It's over. You can kill me now if you wish."

Softly, he kisses my forehead as he hasn't done since I was a little girl. He moves away from me, and the sword drops to the ground, my muscles are too drained to lift it again. The cold night air rushes in, chilling all the parts of me that had been pressed to his warm body. He is gone and I am alone in the moonlight.

**********************

Since this is the last post for the past part of the story line, feel free to ask me anything you want. Basically, if it isn't clear, Anna is buying time for Joan and "others" to get to a spot where they can cast a curse. The curse will make it so that the supernaturals can only come out at night. (But oddly, it does not affect the mermaids. I have some reasoning for that, but I am reserving it for possible future storylines.)

Uh oh!

2009-06-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

First off: A new Living Sims is out. I love this magazine. Usually takes me a while to read through it because after reading a few pages, I want to redecorate homes.

Secondly: I visited my mother, and she got me Sims 3! I expected she would. So I get $10 for the store. I'm thinking I'll pick up some new sims clothes and hair styles. Definitely going to try out the new 'hood.

I'll post up my Sims 3 stuff over here to keep it separate from my Sims 2 stuff. I will not quit playing Sims 2. (Since I cheated and got a sneak peek I can tell you that for sure.)

Plus, I still have quite a few updates planned as I played over the weekend. But I am thinking I will have to slow down my posting pace. I think three times a week is just too much for a casual reader. (If you miss a week or two, that's a lot of catching up to do.) So I might go down to only once or twice a week.

Heart of the Matter

2009-06-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Where we left off
Time: Present day

"What're you doing? Leander asked angrily. "He can't speak. He probably can't even understand you!"

The hulking creature turned only his head towards Leander as he growed a retort. "I can speak. Best for you if you don't right now."

Amberle still sat on the ground in utter confusion of the scene before her. The creature tried to take a step towards her, but Henry stepped between them again. "You are going to frighten her. She didn't know. They never told her."

Amberle stood up slowly, brushing the dirt that stuck to her pants.

"Then why am I not here if not for her?" He glowered at Henry. Amberle only had to catch a glimpse of his red eyes to see how they burned like embers of a dying campfire.

Henry stood his ground. "I have come to ask for your help-- for her as well as those who have accepted and adopted her."

"Those sims are in trouble?" Amberle couldn't help noting the tone in his voice. She could almost think he sounded concerned, but she knew nothing of the man and decided she must be reading too much into it.

"A war is brewing. Just as I have woken up, so have others. They want the world of old when we ruled the world."

"'We?' Who's 'we?'" Amberle looked at Henry.

It was Leander who answered her. "The supernaturals-- like him." Amberle could sense that Leander crossing his arms and scowling unattractively. "The civilized elves already have their eye on it. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Wait a minute," Amberle thought back to their last meeting as she turned to face him. "You said you were here to check out the sim settlement for the council."

Leander dropped his scowl when he glanced at her with his large green eyes. "I just figured war with supernatural creatures would be worse than simply getting kicked out again."

Amberle felt she could hit him. "And you!" She said as she turned on Henry. "Why didn't you mention this to me before instead of carting me around and plopping me down in the forest? How can we even trust you? You're a vampire; why would you want to even stop something like that from happening?"

He looked at her steadily, but there was a flicker of sadness that only she would catch. "I have my reasons."

*******************

I've been cleaning through my downloads folder recently. The other day, I spent time downloading new and old hacks for my game. SO I think that is what prompted my Henry and Amberle dream.

It was very odd, but it matched my color scheme of these darker pictures. And all I can remember thinking at the end was, "Aw! Don't be a bad guy, Henry!" He must've done something very bad. O_O

Wednesday, another piece to the puzzle.

6. Flight

2009-05-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Norma, my maid, runs a brush gently through my hair. "I heard it was quite a show last night. Chef says that you impressed our guest very much."

I sit still as she begins braiding my hair. "Mermaids don't even use magic; of course he was impressed." At the thought of his red eyes on me, a chill runs down my spine, and I feel indecent in my night gown.

"No dear," Norma's voice is hardly above a whisper. She leans in as she continues braiding. "There was another guest. One of our guests."

I turn my head quickly to look her in the eyes. Could it be? A true human rebel here in the castle? Norma has told me stories of the human resistance through out the kingdoms fighting for the freedom of all humans. But I could never fully imagine someone who would do such a thing. What kind of person would be so brave as to risk their lives for the impossible?

"Come. She will help you escape." Norma takes me by the hands and has me stand up and she takes off my night gown and replaces it with a course dress that smells of the scullery. "You must leave. You are powerful." She smooths my hair with one hand. "This dress will confuse his sense of smell long enough for you to get away."

There is a knock on the door. On the other side is the one who must be the "guest." She holds a tray of food which she quickly puts down. Her eyes have a glint in them that a normal maid would never have. She glances at me, taking in the sight of me in my course maid's dress with an unreadable expression.

There isn't much time. Norma packs the food the guest brought in for lunch and ushers us to a secret passage way with brisk instructions which she aims at The Guest who I assume will know enough about the outside to know where we are going.

My chest constricts as we run from everything I have known my entire life into a world I have only seen through windows.

5. The Show of Your Life

2009-05-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

The chef enters the large dining hall and gives me an encouraging smile. Earlier, he had said, "Just make sure to stay put, my dear." I was to be his "assistant." "You will see the most amazing show you have ever seen in your life. If only your father could have seen..."

The chef bows to the lord of the manner and the two guests nearest him. The face of the ruler of this land remains hard edged and stoic. I get the feeling he simply wants the show to start already and could do without the formality.

The chef sits down at the piano and begins to play a soft melody as the candle lights go out and we are left bathed in the partial moonlight filtering in through the large windows. My heart thumps as I stand in the dark, a strange crawling feeling rolls up my back. I do my best to stay as still as possible. Being trapped in the dark with a bunch of vampires and a mermaid requires a special ability to remain as un-prey-like as possible.

The music swirls around the large room as it begins to crescendo. As if on cue, a blue light beings to gently glow.

I suck in a breath when I notice the girl standing in the middle of the room. A small ball of blue light floats at her fingertips as if it were an animal she were gently coaxing back to the stable after the freedom of a pasture field.

The ball moves with her as she dances, twirling around her torso then her arms as she stretches out her perfect limbs in time with the music. She raises her hand into the air and the ball twirls up her arm and to her fingertips where it shatters shatters into small sparkles which appear to fall from her graceful fingertips to the ground.

Ever so delicately, her bare feet daintily prance across the floor as her arms gracefully arc away from her body. There is a light that comes down from the ceiling and falls down upon her and around her.

As she stretches out her arm, the light turns blue and envelopes her. It surrounds her as the music reaches its finale and, as suddenly as she appeared, she is gone. The room is in the dark once again, and my life suddenly feels dark as well. I have just seen the sun for the first time and I realize now that I have only been living in a dark cave this entire time with nothing but a campfire for light.

***********************

So I fixed up some of the storyline side bars. I'm horrible with names, but I like to keep things organized. So this current storyline is called "Connections." All the past Amberle and Henry stories are now all filed under "Embarrassing Amberle."

Oh and new background images. ^_^

Amberle's Outsting

2009-05-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Just an FYI: There is a player at the bottom of this entry that will start playing music automatically.

The last time we saw Amberle

Time: About 20 years ago...

Amberle had waited all afternoon for word from the elven council. She wore the first fine dress she had ever worn in her life. The soft fabric gently rubbed against her skin as if to calm her.

The two sisters sat on a wooden bench cackling as they whispered softly. Leander’s mother looked up. “Have a seat dear. He’ll be here soon.”

Amberle sat down impatiently though she tried to keep a smile so as not to ruin the good mood of the ladies before her. It was unlike them to invite Amberle to have a seat. Her entire childhood was filled with memories of their horribly sweet voices ordering her to clean or behave. They had remained as distant from her as possible so that they wouldn't waste any energy or life force on Amberle-- "the little beast" as they often called her.

She had an early memory of the particularly difficult time she had adjusting after Anthea (the elf who took her in) passed away. Amberle had often cried, and one day Honeydew Hazelbone looked at her and said in a voice that simply dripped like honey, "Amberle, civilized elves do not behave in this way. Which would you rather be? A civilized elf or a little beast?" Amberle had shouted, "BEAST!" then kicked her in front of her sister and her son, Leander.

Amberle had paid for it, but she had to admit now that she was older that it was the only response really.

The sound of Leander’s boots sounded securely on the stone steps of the hallway.

Leander stepped into the room, his bright white and traditional garment drawing all eyes to him. But his large green eyes fell only on Amberle.

********************

Amberle felt disheartened upon the sight of the little boat she was supposed to use to travel across the sea. “I’m supposed to go away in THAT?”

Leander used his calming voice on her. She hated that voice. “You'll be fine. I’ll cast a spell that will put you to sleep and protect you until you reach land.”

Amberle’s voice was hardly a whisper. “You won’t know… I could drown out there.”

“You will not drown.” Leander’s voice was suddenly strong and urgent. He wanted nothing more than for her to get in the boat. He wanted to be rid of her the same as all the other elves.

The anger welled up in her chest and spilled over so that the words that fell out of her mouth hardly sounded like her own. “You’re just SO glad to get rid of me, aren’t you?” She wanted to kick the boat, and she would have but for Leander’s suddenly stern voice sounding strongly over her thoughts.

“Amberle Silverring there happens to be plenty you don’t know. Quit feeling sorry for yourself and just get in the boat.”

He had never yelled at her before. Amberle hesitated. His yelling almost hurt worse than the abandonment. She thought back to the time he had snuck her out so she could play in the forest in the rain. After that, although they didn't sneak out again, she had felt closer to him than the other elves.

“Amberle,” his voice was low, “Get in the boat.”

She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to leave her home or the forest she had grown up in and loved since she was a little girl. But she couldn’t say so after he had yelled and then followed up with a low warning growl. So she climbed into the boat while trying to hold back her tears as Leander started to cast the spells.

Amberle's eyelids became heavy as the spells infused her consciousness with dreams of the forest. She lay on a bed of lady's mantle; the yellow flowers surrounded her, comforting her as the first few drops of a warm rain gently splashed her face, running down her temple.

The wind gently touched her face carrying soft words to her elfen ears. “… a new start…” Leander’s voice was but a whisper in her ear. “Good luck, Amber…” It seemed he said something else, one last phrase which drifted away with her conscious as she slipped completely into the dream state...

********************

What a weekend! I went to a local anime festival (Fanime) with my boyfriend and best friend. We had no internet though, so I'm still catching up on all the entries I missed.

Plus, I didn't get a chance to play before I left, so I just took these pictures. Phew!

I also had a little bit of trouble getting the words out for this entry. I've had it written, but it didn't sound right. I hope I managed to do it justice.

Here is the music I listened to while I tried to re-write and edit. The first is actually from my favorite game Final Fantasy 4 (on the Super Nintendo). The second is from the anime series Record of Lodoss war which also deals with magic and elves. *shoves glasses up nose*

4. The Garden

2009-05-22T05:59:00.001-07:00

Same morning as this entry

The sun shines brightly in the courtyard lighting up the dark stone of the castle walls. I remember when I was very little, coming out to the courtyard after my lessons was a treat. Lord Henry would bring me to let me play in the sun shine on the hot dark stones of the courtyard. Then one day he surprised me by having a small garden planted. They were the only plants inside the courtyard. The only other plants I had seen before then were the forest plants that I could see from my room widow on the third floor.

I bend down to closer inspect the flowers. They bloom so brightly that bugs from all over are attracted to them and seek refuge in their petals. I have often wondered what kind of life the bugs see outside. How do the other humans live who are not under the watchful eye of their vampire lords? What do they do when he must feast? Do they give up loved ones? Do they give up the poor? Maybe they simply give him the people they don't like.

Today, he wants to speak. There is space for me to sit on the bench beside him, and so I do. I can feel the stolen warmth of his forearm near mine. When I was a little girl, I never knew. There would be times he would be warmer than others, and in my ignorance I would crawl into his lap like a cat seeking the warmth of a sunbeam. I know now that those times would be just after he had fed, when the hot blood of his victim ran through his veins renewing his own life and strengthening his body.

I try to smile, but I can see he is still scowling over the merman.

"Barbaric!" He speaks in a low voice, but the word spits from his mouth. "A cart full of young maidens. Does he think he is dealing with the werewolves?"

I try to sit quietly, staring ahead of me as if I were looking at my flowers. He is one to talk. Is he more refined simply because he uses young women like my mother and my grandmother, breeding them for his own amusement and fame? I suppose he's more refined because he has raised me and, instead of killing me, parades me me around when other vampire lords visit?

"Are the werewolves bad?" I ask as I try to channel the young girl I used to be. Though Lord Henry has said enough to make me understand that he does not approve of the werewolves, he has never said specifically what is bad about them. We share a border with one of the werewolf kingdoms, yet we have never had a visit from any of the werewolves.

He turns to me in a rare form. His teeth are plainly visible as he angrily tells me, "Very. I want you no where near a werewolf, do you understand? Even your magic would not be enough of a defense against them."

"Are they immune too? Like the vampires?"

"No, but they will not give you time to cast a spell once they have caught your scent." He looks away from me towards the flowers, deep in his own thoughts.

***************************

Why yes, that is a vampire hanging out in the day. (Just so you know you're not imagining things.) XD

3. Found

2009-05-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Last time we saw Joan

Just my luck.

We hadn't been sure where the gift was going, but our intelligence suggested it would most likely be an offering to a near by lord. Of course, that would mean that I could be facing a werewolf as well, and I don't want that either; it's just that none of us had been expecting that the gift would be carted to one of the higher vampire lords as well. I recognized his name when I heard it spoken by one of the guards.

Lord Henry's name had been carried to our little resistance group by a person who had managed to make it out of the Vampire Empire. Apparently, he is known to be rather eccentric (even for a vampire). He enjoys collecting art and throwing parties where the humans aren't the meal but the entertainment.

I saw the vampire lord with my own eyes in the courtyard. There was an angry scowl on his face as he commanded the gaurds to drop us into the cells. "Be sure to check their eyes," he added. A young girl stood behind him with her hands neatly folded behind her back. She looked young-- about 18 or so-- and yet she stood securely near him as if she knew that she was in no danger. Her exposed neck showed no wounds, and none of the guards so much as glanced at her.

It seemed clear to me that she was a kept human. Protected and cared for while the rest of us suffered. If I did manage to find a way to escape, I would be sure to steer clear of her. She would be the first person to turn in a human rebel-- of that I am sure.

I could hear boots scuffling on the stone steps. It was more than one pair, but I couldn't tell how many more. My heart raced. Were they already here to pick out one of us to go upstairs?

Two men stand before the cages looking us over. I do my best to huddle down and appear as unplesant as possible, but I can't help looking around at the young girls in various states of distress. I know they wouldn't do the same for me. If I were in trouble, they would not help me. They'd all just be glad it wasn't them.

I stand up and stare at the two men catching the eye of the one with the hat. He nods and points at me. Crap. What the hell was I thinking? I want to sit back down, but they're already unlocking the cage door and motioning for me to come out.

We end up in the kitchen. The guard takes his leave.

The cook smiles at me and says in a low voice, "Don't worry. You're safe. I knew your father."

I'm not sure what to say or do. Luck? Chance? Or was this planned?

"Come, I'll show you how to chop vegetables." He sets me up with a cutting board and sets me to work, explaining how to cut the veggies. Inbetween instructions, he explains more in a lower yet clear voice.

"Someone followed to be sure you arrived, and when it was noticed that you were coming here, they sent word to me to save you."

We work to make stew and gruel for the guards and the prisoners. All the while, he softly explains the vampire kingdom to me.

***********************

So I was looking over last week's entries, and I feel like I wasn't clear enough. Part of my problem is that when I write, I just start writing, usually from the middle of a story. So sometimes, there are details that I might not mention because it's something that's clear to me. (I do this a lot IRL too.)

Basically what's going on here is that Supernatural creatures once ruled this land. To my sims (excluding Amberle), this is a new land. They came over from the old land, so they know none of the history. (Heck, how much Amberle and the other elves actually know is questionable too.)

Battle

2009-05-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Present day-- Last time we saw Amberle

Leander didn't even bother to ask Amberle if she was in distress before he tossed a magic spell at Henry. Amberle heard herself beginning to growl an insult just as the spell dissipated against Henry’s chest. The words sat unspoken on her tongue when she saw Henry's glare and a flash of teeth.

Henry leaped, using his larger body to knock Leander to the ground.

"You should know something about your enemy before you try to attack," Henry had a hand to Leander's throat. "Vampires are immune to magic."

Amberle could only think to do one thing. She pounced on Henry, knocking him off Leander and onto the ground.

As far as Amberle could tell, Henry was surprised. He did not fight; he only put one hand gently on her arm and gazed into her eyes.

“Whoa Amberle…” Leander’s voice came shakily from behind. "It's okay. I can handle him." Amberle recognized that tone of voice right away. It had been the tone he would use when she was a little girl and she had become angry at one of the other elves who had mistreated her.

“What? Don't use that tone with me! I just rescued you in case you didn’t notice.”

Henry rolled his eyes, though Amberle wasn't clear at who. “You haven’t told her, have you? You haven’t told her why they and you fear her for something she didn’t do and has no control over.” Henry growled so his fangs showed purposely. “Tell her.”

Amberle looked over her shoulder to Leander even as she still straddled Henry, “Yeah, tell me.”

Leander opened his mouth to sigh and, hopefully, begin to explain when he gasped at a shadow that stepped out from the tree line.

Amberle was too surprised to fight Henry when he gently moved her off of him so he could gracefully stand up between her and the hulking form. Amberle fell back on her behind as she watched Henry make a graceful bow to the large creature with the wild hair.

Henry sounded exasperated. “Ah, now you appear. I’ve been waiting.” Henry stepped to the side just enough to reveal Amberle and still stay close enough to step in front of her in case the creature attacked. “I suppose it’s Amberle you really wish to see. Amberle,” Henry hardly turned towards her. “Meet your father.”

2. Anna

2009-05-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Also a long long time ago (around the same time as last entry):

I stand at my place behind my lord's large wooden chair. The maid said we were having a special visitor this morning and that our lord needed me today-- not only to show me off, but also as protection. She picked out one of my rarely used gowns, a deep purple one which exposes too much of my neck. "It brings out the color of your eyes," she had said. But all I can think of it is that my neck is too exposed.

Boots loudly scuffle on the stone just outside the door. My stomach churns anxiously at the sound of his arrival.

Lord Henry sits down in the seat before me as I try my best to smile the way I used to when I was a naive little girl. The look on his face is stern. Once he is in the seat before me, he says, "A mermaid visit today, Anna. If he should attack, use fire."

I simply nod and pray that the merman doesn't attack.

My lord leans back so that the wood from the back of the chair creaks from holding his weight. I can feel his agitation. Mermaids are not the friends of the Vampires.

A messenger announces the arrival of Lord Pollonios shortly before he walks in through the door. He wears no clothes. My eyes dart away quickly. From my first glance, I can tell that he is much smaller than my lord, shorter and slimmer. His skin appears to be blue like the ocean he comes from, and he looks very much like a human, but for his flat nose and large red eyes.

From the corner of my eyes, I can see him moving to a seat motioned to by my lord.

"Good day, my lord. I have come bearing gifts." The merman's voice is deep and low but carries far. There is a vibration to his voice; it rumbles as if deep within his chest he brought the water from the sea.

"You are quite a way away from home, are you not? Don't tell me you came all this way to bring me young maidens."

The merman gurgles. I can only guess that he is laughing. "I am sorry, my lord, but my land, unfortunately, does not have much else to offer to one of your calibur. Unless, perhaps, you were needing strong workers."

My lord's voice becomes deep and menacing. "What is it you are hoping to get in return?" I can imagine his dark eyes glowering.

The merman maintains his calm. Quickly, my eyes scan for his face and I catch him glancing at me before I look away again. He is curious about me, but because my lord hasn't brought the subject up, it would be rude for the merman to ask about me. "Nothing at all, my lord. Simply, your goodwill. The previous lord met an untimely demise, and I have stepped in to take care of his lands. I thought it might be a good idea to meet my closest neighbors."

My lord sits quietly for a moment. Both the mermaid and I hold our breaths as we wait for a response. I can't help glancing up again, and I see the merman's eyes on me. It becomes clear to me that he knows the blow will come from my hands, not the guard who stands near by.

"Quite daring of you to appear before me as a new lord." My lord's voice suddenly changes into something more like the purr of a cat. I wonder if he is smiling and flashing his fangs as I have seen him do sometimes. "In a few days, some of the other Vampire lords will be visiting to partake in a show quite unlike any thing I dare say you've seen. I would like you to come."

The merman has no choice. "Thank you. The art of this kingdom is known far and wide. It would be an honor to be a witness."

The merman bows his head, then rises to take his leave. My lord stands, blocking my view of the merman. I peek one eye around my lord's large arm to watch the merman bowing deeply. When he pulls himself up, he glances at me again, clearly still curious. But my lord says nothing.

************************

I haven't said it at all so far, but Henry is actually William Carfax by Atomic Space Kitty. He is simply awesome. The second I saw him, I thought he would make a good bad guy.

Also, although I keep thinking it, I refuse to ask if I've gone too weird. XD If there are people out there going, "Whaaaat?" Then I can only point over to my "About me" section and stress that I really love the X-Men, comic books, science fiction and other odd things. (In particular, I love the late 70 and early 80's when Chric Claremont did the whole Space Opera thing which began the Dark Phoenix storyline.)

1. Joan

2009-05-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

A long long time ago...

The other members of our small secret group watch me expectantly. The second in command (now the leader) has just read my father's last testament.

"Well, will you, Joan? It won't be easy, and we will do our best to prepare you for your journey."

I don't see that I have a choice. It would be impossible for me to say, "No. The human race can rot, I'll take my chances living with the mermaids."

So I nod like an idiot.

I had seen magic. My father preformed it for us and had us practicing in the basement under his pub after hours. We had to be sneaky. If other humans saw us, there was always the possibility that we could be turned in and severely punished.

We live in the Kingdom of the Mermaids. For the most part, the mermaids are very hands off. They could be as cruel lords and masters as the Vampires and Werewolves, but often they don't care to be so. It is only when they want something that we are called to do something for our masters.

To the mermaids, we are nothing more than a commodity. They use us as they please. More than once, whole cities of humans have been lost to attacks from the neighboring kingdoms. The Mermaids simply forget to check on their humans.

Our own mermaid lord recently died. We are only aware of this because the new lord (we assume it is the son of our old lord) has been seen wandering the land, checking production. The last sighting was the small community next to us. One of the merchants traveling back and forth trading goods heard this and passed on the news to us. It is now or never.

We are all certain he will want a place to stay. During the night, he is fine thanks to the cold moisture in the air and the water he carries with him. But after sunrise, it will be too warm for him to continue his tour. He will want to stay at the inn above my father's pub. The one I now run since his passing away.

The new lord has been seen gathering a small group of women who go with his human guards when they were picked. A gathering of women means most likely one thing. He is planning a gift for one of the neighboring kingdoms' lords. We are guessing that it is most likely for the Werewolf King who could properly appreciate the maidens.

The new lord would be here tomorrow night. Somehow, I am to get myself included in his gift. My mission: gather magic users to help fight for the freedom that we are rightfully due.

***************************

So, here's where I get weird. This storyline is something that came out of a playful free write.

I don't want it to be confusing, so I am trying to make sure everything you need to know will somehow be mentioned in the posts. (Because you really won't need to know everything yet.) Feel free to ask what you want, but I reserve the right to not answer. ;) At some point, I will put up a detailed post that explains what I've got worked out so far, but for now, to hopefully cut out the confusion, I will let the story carry what info you absolutely need.

Campfire

2009-05-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Amberle stared at the fire as it jumped and sputtered throwing sparks into the air before her. She sat in the middle of the woods alone with a blood-drinking vampire and in front of a fire no less. She didn't like any of it one bit, even though it was to such a point of absurdity, she was almost ready to laugh out loud at her own luck.

"I would explain if I thought you would listen," Henry said softly. So far, he had kept his distance from her, but she could feel his eyes on her as if he were waiting for her to make a get-a-way.

"Why wait? Can't you just 'suggest' that I listen?" She cringed inwardly at the childishness she heard in her own voice.

"There are some it will not work on."

She dared to glance at him to see if he were watching her, but his eyes remained fixed on the fire before them.

Did he mean that she couldn't be dazzled? It made her curious, but as her own voice refused to co-operate with her stubborn tough elf image, she refused to ask anything about it. Instead, she tried to remain angry. Henry left her to her angry silence; this time he didn't bother to try to small talk her as he had on the ride up.

The silence helped her anger stew. It wasn't long before she finally blurted, "What is it you want from me anyway? Why am I here? That's the only reason why you even started bothering with me, isn't it?"

He glanced guiltily at her. "In the beginning, I did try to suggest to you. I had hoped to avoid stretching things out. But you are surprisingly-- refreshing."

For a moment, she worried he might be referring to her scent. She tried to keep the horror off her face.

"I think you are quite unique and for more than just your eyes."

The direction of the conversation was making her uncomfortable, so she jumped on the new conversation topic despite it being the weakest thread. "What's that about my eyes?"

He looked at her in surprise. "You haven't noticed how unique your eye color is, even among the elves?"

Amberle shrugged. "Not really."

Henry sighed. "How often have you seen lilac colored eyes besides when you look in the mirror?"

Amberle scowled. "I don't know! Who cares? What is this all supposed to mean anyway?"

"It has to do with the most sought after commodity that very few are aware of-- magic."

Amberle was thoroughly confused. She had no magic. Her teacher and every adult had told her so and had refused to train her. When ever she used magic, it often backfired on her and anyone near by her until she feared to use any innate powers she did have. "What are you talking about? I have no real magic, and any magic I do have is cursed."

Henry raised an eyebrow. "None at all? I have heard that you created a home out of dust and dirt when you first arrived across the sea. And that when you needed it, you created an entire nursery set for your special guest."

Amberle threw her hands up in the air. "That wasn't me. That was a magical place. It had a wishing well."

It was clear that Henry did not believe her despite her protests. "Who gave you the idea that you have no magic? Was it the adult elves? The ones who should have taught you?"

Amberle looked into the fire, but she said nothing.

"Amberle," Henry's voice became low even as his eyes sparkled with surprise. "Have they never told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Who your father is?"

There was a golden glow that errupted behind Henry, almost blinding Amberle with the sudden brightness cutting through the dim light from the campfire.

"Let her go." Leander stood with magic crackling at his fingertips. "Now."

****************

I have to admit I'm kind of excited about this storyline. It was really fun to take the pictures, and the sims (in general) were pretty co-operative. It was the game that was not always working with me.

I hope these pictures aren't too dark. If they are, let me know so I can fix them because the next four Mondays will all be part of this one night.

I also thought this random picture was cute, but didn't fit in anywhere. Doesn't Leander look thrilled?