ennysimmer

[ennysimmer]

Send this to all your favourite mutuals and keep the pumpkin going around! KEEP THE PUMPKIN TRAIN GOING! 🎃🌿🎃🌿🎃

Thank you, and right back at you!! <3 I'm definitely ready to embrace fall now hehe

[ennysimmer]

Havenridge BACC - Round 15 Wrap Up ✨

I sadly am too forgetful to keep track of business ranks, children born in which season etc. so I cannot present you a cool statistic or anything, so have some of my favorite shots of the round instead!

In this one, we found out our Mayor Jackson Landgraab was having an affair with his son's ex-wife and messing with the town funds. Married Charles Villareal hooked up with his much younger co-worker. (What in the Pleasantview?!).

We also had a marriage of two primary and secondary romance sims: Dante and Tango defied the odds and cling faithfully to the three bolts connecting them, I guess.

The last babies of generation three were born! This makes me a bit emotional, a lot of my generation two darlings are close to being elders. (I should calm down, my adult stage is already 50 days long, how much more attached do I wanna get?)

This round was also me getting used to a bit of storytelling and posting on tumblr at all - it can be tricky at times but it definitely made me love my pixels so much more.

So, onto the next one!

< previous | next >

[ennysimmer]

As a girl, the only daughter of Lord Travica and the youngest Lady of Eastfend, Lyra often wore light dresses, bright and colorful, which reflected her warm nature. She preferred pinks and soft blues, but was sometimes seen wearing lilacs, too. Her hair was always swept in delicate updos, usually adorned with little braids. She most often opted for simple jewelry and forwent rings entirely, safe for her favourite one, an ancestral ring with a large oval lilac gemstone, which had once belonged to her mother and her grandmother before her.

After her arrival at the Royal Palace of Anoria, Lyra's dresses and hairstyles became more refined and elaborate. Her soft pastel colours morphed into cooler tones to represent her maturity, and in an attempt to impress the King and his son, Prince Nerian, she began to frequently wear gold and red, the colours of House Aracelis. Her hair was, still, always swept up into pretty hairdos, following their customs, for her mother wouldn't have it any other way. She took to wearing rich and extravagant necklaces and earrings, with big gemstones or pearls to match her gowns.

Lyra's marriage to Prince Killian Aracelis marked another change in her style and attitude. She returned back to her warm colours, unconsciously abandoning reds entirely and adopting soft yellows instead. She still wore necklaces and earrings, but she also began wearing discreet circlets and headpieces as if to match her husband's royal status. He sometimes referred to her as little princess because of them, a sweet moniker that spread among the palacefolks as well. Her hair, however, was no longer seen in updos, but rather braided and left to fall down her shoulders or back. It was quite scandalous for the time, and it left the King quietly displeased and the Princes affronted. Her husband, Prince Killian, was always greatly delighted by the sight of it.

Following her growing closeness with her husband, Lyra took to wearing blues, preferring soft shades that matched her eyes and, more specifically, her husband's. Her hair cascaded down her back, left loose and free, so that the Prince could play with it and run his fingers through it. She discovered a love for pearls, and started wearing more bracelets and belts with her dresses.

For that same reason, Lyra always wore green at royal events and balls, honouring her husband's late mother and matching his clothes. Her lady Jessamyne did her hair for her, sometimes using hairnets and pearls to masterfully style it, while her lady Mirild' always provided her with lots of elegant and beautiful accessories, mixing them together according to the customs of her kingdom. Her lady Emelie was often the one in charge of choosing her dresses, and was ultimately the one to approve of her friends' work.

[ennysimmer]

Emelie immediately regretted coming here. She never even rang the doorbell. She just gave the house one look and then turned her back to leave again, but Hank's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Emelie? I thought that was you. Uh. How are you?"

"I should leave," she mumbled. "I shouldn't even have come here." "Can we at least talk? You've been avoiding my calls. I just want to know that you're fine." "I'm fine." "You don't seem fine." He then added, more softly. "Please. Just stay for a moment and talk with me."

She turned around and looked at him. "I didn't really come here to talk." "Okay? Uh. So, what did you come here for?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Really? You need me to spell it out for you?" "Look, Em. You know I don't mind what happened between us, and you know I wouldn't mind it happening again..." "But..?" "You just seem a little... I don't know, but after that night at the hospital... I'm just... worried for you, okay? She rolled her eyes at him. "I told you. I'm fine." "You won't fool anyone with that lie," he snorted. "You look like shit, you know that, right? Do you even want this? It sure didn't seem like it at the hospital." "This is not the time to take the moral high ground, Hank." "Come on, Em... I'm just trying to do something good here, for once-" "Well, maybe I don't need good from you," she interrupted. "Maybe I just need you to kiss me like you did last time." She gave him a pleading look and quickly added. "You're right, okay? I'm not fine. So, if you really care, do this for me. Just give me a moment of distraction from everything. Please." Something in his face shifted. There was something in his eyes. Recognition, perhaps. Sometimes, he seemed to understand this part of her better than even she did. "And when that moment passes, what then?" He asked quietly, as he took a step closer. The anticipation of what was to come was already having an effect on her, and it was a welcome feeling. She closed her eyes and let it slowly drown out the rest, as he took another step. "Em? What then?" He urged, but his face was so close now she could feel his breath on her skin. There was no way she would let herself think of anything beyond this moment. "Just kiss me, Hank," she whispered, and just like she expected, he dropped the matter, just like that, and did what she asked.

[ennysimmer]

Emelie seemed to worsen as the days passed. Christopher was starting to feel really worried for her, but the more he pushed, the more she seemed to close herself off to him. So, he treaded carefully.

"How has your day been?" He asked when he returned from work one day. He tried his best to sound casual. "Fine," she replied, with her back still turned to him. "And Victor..?" "He's been fine, too." "Okay... Uh.. That's... Great. I'll uh.. get a shower." "Sure."

She cleared her throat. "I think I'll go for a run later. It's been a while." Finally, she looked at him. It only lasted a second before she looked away again, as if looking at him hurt her, and yet he felt some relief. Her wanting to go for a run was something new, and anything new was good. Hopefully, it would help her get better. "That's... That's great, Em," he said, trying to not sound too excited. I'll be with Victor for as long as you need."

[ennysimmer]

Loki Beaker was stargazing when a movement in the corner of his eye caught his interest. It was dark out, and it took him a while to make out the shape of the sim stumbling onto their property. As the sim got closer, he realized he recognized her. There was no mistaking that red dress and that dark, long hair.

Bella Goth.

Loki had worked for her husband, Mortimer, for years, and had heard him talk about his missing wife enough to recognize her even in this darkness. Suddenly, she fell to the ground. Loki waited for a moment, assuming she would get back on her feet, but she didn't move.

Shit. She would be much less of use to them if she were dead. He hurried inside the house. "Circe," he shouted. "Come with me outside. You will want to see this."

[ennysimmer]

Hello, hello! :D I'm taking a page out of @esotheria-sims's book today, who always adds a pretty "Random Scenery Pic™" to announce the return of her BACC posts. I think I never posted this picture of Boda watching the waves at night, because I couldn't fit it into the *turning-gameplay-into-storytelling* way I construct my posts, even though it is probably my favorite picture of her!

Anyway, what I am here to say is: I finally managed to stop spending my time cc-creating and building/decorating and actually played my game for once and even scheduled some posts! 🎉

The first post will be coming to your dashes tomorrow at the usual time (so... *checks* 19:30 UTC +2)! ⛵

I also plan to space them out a little more this time around so the planned posting times are Thursday/Saturday/Tuesday. But I guess we'll see how well that goes and I might end up changing it again because apparently this is how I roll, so... 🤷🏽‍♀️😂

[ennysimmer]

Victor was released from the hospital a few days later. He was to be on a strict diet until they had figured out exactly what had caused the allergic reaction. In a few days, they had a scheduled meeting with an allergy specialist for further testing and advice on how to proceed. The hospital had also provided them with an epinephrine auto-injector, just in case something like this were to happen again. Emelie prayed she wouldn't have to use it.

She tried her best to return to some sense of normality. But it was hard when she knew it was a lie. She was so tired of pretending.

And it didn't help that she couldn't stop herself from thinking back on the moment when she had found Victor on the floor. She wondered if there had been any signs she had missed earlier that day. She had been so busy with Vera's room, then with Hank, and then with her own self-pity. She had barely given her baby boy a thought until it was time for his birthday celebration, and then...

He is okay, she reminded herself.

But he almost wasn't, and that was the thought that stuck with her.

He promised... Why hasn't he called yet?

[ennysimmer]

The rest of the night was a blur for Emelie. The only thing she remembered from what the doctor said was the most important thing. Victor will be fine.

She still didn't trust the doctor's words, though. She stayed up and watched over her sleeping son the entire night, and barely noticed when Hank said goodbye and left.

Suddenly, Chris was by her side, holding her. "How is he?" She almost flinched at the sound of his voice, and the feel of his touch burned. This has to wait, she scolded herself. I need to focus on Victor. "He's stable. The doctor said he will be fine." "I heard they think it was an allergic reaction to something." She nodded. Some of the doctor's explanation slowly came back to her. "They're not sure what it was yet. They're still running tests." "I'm sorry I wasn't there." "You couldn't have known this would happen. I-it's not your fault." It's mine. "I'm still sorry, but I'm glad Hank was here with you." Emelie swallowed. "Where is he now?" She asked, avoiding his eyes. "He went back to Vera so the babysitter could go home." She nodded again. "Good."

He kissed her gently. "How are you feeling?" Her lips started trembling. "I... I don't know. It's all... This night..." She shook her head. "It's just been a lot." "You can go back home, I can-" "No. No, I won't leave him." "Okay. Then we'll stay here together."

A few hours later, Victor finally woke up.

"Hi, sweetheart. Don't worry. Mummy's here, okay? Everything is going to be alright. I'm here." She tried her best to keep her voice steady, to not cry. She didn't want to worry him. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," she then whispered to him, over and over, as if it would make any difference.

If you're interested, there is some background to all of this under the cut.

Some of you might remember my post from a few months ago... When Victor grew up, his head looked like this, and I had no idea what was causing it. Eventually, I had to leave for work, and while I was working, I started writing his death in my head. That's how sure I was that I wouldn't be able to figure it out, hah.

But then @kevinvoncrastenburg suggested it might be because of custom sliders, and he was right, and Victor finally got his head back.

However, I had already written his death scene in my head, and how it would affect Emelie going forward... and I just couldn't drop it. It didn't feel right to kill him, though.

Then I remembered this really traumatic experience one of my family members had with their child, many, many years ago. Their child had an allergic reaction to dairy and had to be rushed to the hospital (don't worry. She was fine, too!), and I decided that it could work for this scene.

[ennysimmer]

"Hey, look at me," Hank said softly. "It will be alright, okay?" "You don't know that." "We... We have to believe it will."

"This is a punishment," Emelie mumbled to herself. "What...?" She shook her head. "Nothing..." Hank frowned. "You shouldn't blame yourself for this. These things happen, Em. It sucks, but there doesn't have to be a reason. It just happens, okay? W-we'll get through it."

[ennysimmer]

[ennysimmer]

It happened so suddenly.

One moment, Victor was playing with his toy; the next, he lay unconscious on the floor. Emelie had just tucked Vera in bed and was about to say goodbye to Hank when she noticed him lying there. It took her a moment to process what she saw. "Victor...?" She crouched down and touched his arm. No response. She lightly shook him, but he did not wake up. "V-Victor?!" Please, no. She lifted him up. He was barely breathing, but he was breathing.

She quickly turned to Hank, who was standing frozen in the hallway. "We need to go to the hospital. Now."

"O-of course. But... What about Vera?" "We don't have time," Emelie cried. "I'll call the babysitter on the way." "We can't just leave her... If she wakes up-" "Hank. My son might be dying. We don't have time to argue about this. Tell me you brought your car?" "I did..." "Let's go. Now."

[ennysimmer]

[ennysimmer]

A few hours later, Christopher dropped Vera off at home before he drove to work. On their way home, he had hinted at the surprise, so she immediately ran to her room and threw open the door. She gasped at the sight of the change.

"This is... I love it," she sniffled.

"Thank you so much. Mum. Dad. You're the best."

Emelie smiled at her daughter, but inside, she felt like she was dying. This was supposed to be a happy moment, but now it was all ruined. Hank glanced at her. Pull yourself together, his eyes told her. She forced another smile.

"Dad, will you stay for Victor's birthday celebration?" Emelie's breathing hitched. "I don't know, honey... It's late and..." Hank frowned at her. "Em, if she wants me here.. Surely, it's not a problem, right...? It's been a while since we hung out, after all." Emelie swallowed. "I... guess it's alright." "Yay," Vera cheered. "Dad. Come over here. Look at all the wildflowers I collected. Aren't they pretty? They look sooo..."

Emelie didn't hear the rest. As soon as her daughter had looked away, she had quickly left the room. How would she ever be able to face Chris when she couldn't even face her daughter? He would take one look at her and be able to tell what she had done. She imagined the horror on his face when he realized how she had already betrayed him, and it hurt her. He would surely leave her. She would be all alone again.

Maybe this is for the best, she thought, but the realization still left her weak.

[ennysimmer]

Reid knew Gia adored Luigi, but everything he'd learned about the man terrified him. Her father was already in prison when Reid met Gia as a child, and Luigi hadn't been released until they were in college.

"He was only sentenced for fraud," Gia was quick to remind him, but Reid knew Luigi's reputation surpassed his judicial convictions. Reid would never have considered approaching the man to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage, until she brought it up.

"I thought that was, like, medieval shit," he said.

"I know it's silly," she laughed, "but he'd really appreciate it. It would show he's still... y'know, man of the family, even though he was gone for so long."

Reid groaned. "All right. Whatever it takes, babe."

And so they arranged to host Luigi and Carmela for dinner in their cramped, post-college apartment. Gia dropped hints ahead of time so both her parents generally understood why they were there. Carmela was certainly looking forward to it more than Luigi.

"Look, there's Reid!" Carmela said, pointing towards the figure kneeling in the garden.

"Why is the boy in the flowers?"

"Well, Gia did say he has a green thumb. Now, be nice."

Reid jumped to his feet as he saw the pair approaching. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. P! Uh, I mean... Sir. Ma'am." He brushed his palms off on the back of pants before moving to shake their hands.

Carmela pulled him into a hug immediately. "Reid, I swear you've grown a foot every time I see you."

He returned the gesture until he noticed Luigi glowering. "Thanks, Mrs. P," he mumbled, then stepped away and cleared his throat. "Gia's inside, come on in."

After their initial hellos, Lugi set to interrogating Reid about everything from his family history to his future intentions. He didn't let up even when they all sat down to eat.

"Gia tells me you majored in... literature, was it? How do you plan to support yourself?"

"Well, Enzo offered me a job helping out at the, uh... agricultural project..."

"I see. And do you have any ambitions beyond helping my son grow pot?" Luigi asked acidly.

"Well, I like gardening a lot," Reid mumbled. "I've dreamed about having my own orchard, supplying organic markets and that kind of thing..." Reid noticed Luigi's knuckles turning white around his fork and trailed off.

After an excruciating dinner, Reid excused himself to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and bring out drinks. The Pagliaccis sat in the living room in uncomfortable silence until Gia looked at Luigi and said, "Well? Say what you're thinking."

Luigi ground his teeth. "He seems like a perfectly nice boy, Gia, but that doesn't count for a lot. I don't want you to rush into things just because he was some stray who followed you home from school--"

"Luigi! Reid is not a stray," Carmela said, appalled. Then she added, "But, Gia, you are very young."

Gia drummed her fingernails on the arm of the couch and squinted at Luigi. He was the one she had to convince. Carmela would support whatever her father decided.

"I won't marry him if you don't give us your blessing, Dad," she said. "But I do plan to spend my life with him. So I can't promise we won't start popping out babies, married or not."

"Gia!" Carmela exclaimed, doubly appalled.

But Gia and her father had locked eyes, a silent exchange taking place between them. Luigi blinked first. "All right. If you like the kid, you like him," he sighed, defeated.

After their drinks, Luigi invited Reid to go on a walk with him. As they breathed in the crisp night air, Luigi sighed appreciatively. "You learn not to take that for granted after prison," he observed, somewhat ominously. "Enjoy it, kid."

"Right..." Reid scuffed his foot on the pavement. Then, he took a deep breath and said in a rush, "Listen, Mr. Pagliacci, I know you love Gia. And I do, too. So I just wanted to promise you-- I mean, I'd like to ask--"

Luigi held up a hand. "I should explain to you that I'll break your kneecaps if you hurt her. But I don't think I need to say any of that out loud, because you already know."

Reid swallowed. "Uh, yes, sir."

"Anyway, from what I've seen of you, she's more likely to eat you alive than the other way around. And I know my daughter well enough not to stand in the way of something she wants." He extended his hand for Reid to shake. "Let me be the first to welcome you to the family."

Reid returned his grip firmly, then, overcome by emotion, he said, "Aw, bring it in, Mr. P," and wrapped Luigi into a very uncomfortable hug.

[ennysimmer]

People I’d like to get to know better

Thanks for tagging me @toadsim and @lostinpleasantview <3

last song: Arctic Monkeys - Mardy Bum

favorite color: purple

currently watching: Season 4 of The Bear. Or... well. I just finished watching it, actually. I didn't love it, but they still delivered some of the best-written scenes on television right now, and it's definitely influencing my own writing, and I guess I love it for that.

last movie: Hmmm. I rarely watch movies anymore. Mickey 17 is probably the last one. It seemed kinda promising from the trailer, but it didn't live up to it imo x.x I love seeing Robert Pattinson doing weirder roles, though.

sweet, savory, or sour: sweet

currently reading: almost exclusively sims stuff lately. I have Emily Henry's latest novel in my wardrobe (to protect it from my cats...). I kinda stole it from work, thinking I would read it during the summer. But it didn't happen, and I should probably return it now, hah

current obsession: The Sims 3, probably. Also, Mapocolops on Youtube. Aaand Bitlife, hah, but that's starting to wear off now, as all mobile games eventually do for me.

last google: movie 17, because I couldn't remember the name of the last movie I watched, haha

currently working on: my sims 3 lepacy/story. Also, we're still trying to sell our house. It's a slow and tedious process *sigh*

I'm tagging: @persimmonsimmer, @blodreinyra, @cocodotgreen, @nessysims, @tia-amorosa and @sim-novels

As always, no pressure <3

[ennysimmer]

It had only been five minutes when Emelie realized she had made a big mistake in letting Hank stay. Everything had been fine while they were busy painting and decorating the room, but now she could sense the weird tension from before coming back. She continued to move around the room, pretending to fix the placement of things, just to keep her hands and mind busy, but Hank's voice forced her back to reality.

"So... When will they be back exactly?" "Chris was planning on taking Vera out for lunch, too. He'll drive her home before he starts work, so it'll probably be two more hours." He cleared his throat. "Okay. Uhm... If that's the case... Can we take this moment to talk? There's something I should have told you ages ago." "Okay...?"

"I... Uh. I wanted to apologize to you for what I did. I know it's a little late for this, but... I've realized I shouldn't have left you with Vera like that. You were right. That was fucked up. I knew you were scared, too, but I still ran away. And I guess I still am, in a way. Not just from Vera, by the way, but from Marques, too, and I... uh.. I'm sorry." He paused, looking at her, waiting for her reply, but she had no idea what to say.

So, instead, he continued. "I think I'm scared of them." He laughed a little. "Isn't that stupid? Well. Not of them, specifically, I guess. I just... I see myself in there sometimes, and it scares the hell out of me every time. I don't want them to end up like me, you know? So seeing how you can have that influence over them... It's scary."

Emelie cleared her throat, her lips trembling slightly as she spoke the words she'd never allowed herself to say aloud before. "I get it, Hank. Had I been in your place, I would probably have run away, too." He stared intently at her. "I don't think you would have..." "No. I would." She nodded, as if to convince herself. "I'm not good at this. These past months... I've just left most of it to Chris, and... He's so good with them, Hank, and I... I'm happy, of course, but it also makes me feel even more useless. It seems so... easy when he does it. So... why can't I?" Hank nodded. "I know the feeling." He then laughed and shook his head. "We're fucking hopeless, aren't we?" She laughed, too, though she didn't find any of it funny.

"Sorry. A bad joke. I don't believe you're half as bad as you think, actually," he said quietly. "I saw you with Vera for years, and all I ever saw was good. The way you're talking about Chris now, that's how I felt around you back then. I was constantly asking myself what I was even doing there." "Yeah... I get that now." She said, and then shook her head. "It was easier when she was younger... When I didn't..." She trailed off, thinking of what he had said earlier. "You see yourself in her, too, don't you?" "Yeah... More and more as she gets older," she sighed. "She's even skipping school now. Just like I did when I was her age... and when I think of why I did it...." She swallowed. "I think I'm making her miserable, Hank."

She then started crying, and it felt good to get her worries out of her. She could never tell Chris those horrible thoughts she was having. What would he think of her if he knew any of this? "Hey," Hank said gently, pulling her into a hug and giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. "You and Chris will fix everything, I'm sure of it. Vera will be fine." "Maybe Chris will..." "You, too, Em. Vera loves you. I know she does." She scoffed, but didn't bother to tell him he was wrong. His hands were still resting on her shoulders. His touch was warm and comforting, and she enjoyed the familiar feeling of it. She let herself meet his eyes. "Thank you," she mumbled. He furrowed his brow. "For what?" She shrugged. "For... understanding. For not judging, and for saying the right things... I guess." "Words I never thought I'd hear anyone use when describing me..." He chuckled. "You're a good person." He laughed hard at that. "No. I'm not." She laughed, too. "No. I guess you're not, and neither am I, remember?" "Which is why we were perfect for each other." "Yeah... Maybe we were." "And I still managed to fuck it up."

Emelie could sense what was about to happen as Hank pulled her closer to him again. Her breathing quickened at the anticipation of it, and she could tell he noticed, and how he took her reaction as an invitation to continue.

She knew it was wrong, of course, she did, but that was also the point. For six months, she had tried her best to pretend to be good and right for Chris, to be something she wasn't, and maybe she had fooled him, but she could never fool herself. This was who she was.

As Hank's lips found hers, she let herself get lost in the sensation of it. The tiny voice in her head that told her to stop, to take a step back, to push him off of her, was slowly drowned out, until all that was left was this moment, and for the first time in a while, she felt at peace with herself. She knew the feeling wouldn't last, so she desperately clung to it, tightened her grip on him, and deepened the kiss. Doing all she could to make it last just a little while longer.

He must have felt the change in her because suddenly, he pulled away and studied her carefully. "Are you okay?" She nodded shortly and pulled him to her again, and thankfully, he let her without any further questions. She wanted this, and she needed this, and she knew she couldn't stop.

Whatever pain this would cause her, or anyone else, was not on her mind right now. The peace drowned it all out.