mysimsloveaffair

[mysimsloveaffair]

In case anyone needs to play catch up on Jess's Adolting Gen 3 adventures...

And if you've never started reading this, I'd highly recommend it! You can begin by reading this recap and following from here.

aDOLTing Generation 3 Recap

Hello, gentle readers!

An extra special reader of mine has been absent for a while and is back. Welcome!! I've missed you! I know how much you love this story, but I also know how daunting it will be to go back and read everything. I can't have you lost, so I hope this recap helps! I have no idea where you left off, so I'll do a quick run down of the whole gen for the benefit of all my new recent followers. Welcome, y'all!!

Let's go!

This is Luca! His traits are self-assured, outgoing, and active, and his aspiration is self-care specialist. He's a yoga instructor.

He has a younger sister named Alessia. She is very much the annoying little sister, but he loves her very much.

The only one of her traits I remember is paranoid, and I don't really know what her aspiration is. This story is based on the ISBI challenge, and I'm only allowed to control one sim per generation. The story is told from that sim's perspective. I'm sure you can imagine the shenanigans that can happen with autonomous sims!

These are their parents Alessandro (Ali) and Emerald (Emmy). They divorced right before Luca's child birthday.

The divorce rattles Luca a great deal because he idolized his parents and struggled with learning they weren't the man and woman he thought they were, and if they can find themselves in compromising positions, what hope is there for him? (His mom cheated for literally no reason because she's selfish and immature.) It made him reluctant to date and trust his feelings. The problem with that was he had very attractive female friends, and most of them wanted him.

This is Sophia. They met in Mt. Komorebi on his YA birthday trip and kept in touch via Social Bunny. He's in love with her but is afraid to admit it for fear of making a mistake and ending up like his parents. But deep down he knows she's the one, and if they ever hang out IRL he'd never leave her side, so he keeps their friendship confined to Social Bunny until he figures himself out.

This is Maira. They went to school together and ran into each other at a bar one night. She holds a special place in Luca's heart and is one of his best friends. They each considered becoming more for like two seconds, but it never felt right to escalate matters, and they are fine with a platonic friendship. She, like him, had her own demons and was anti-relationships for a very long time.

This is Yasmine. They smashed. She was the most persistent of all the friends and helped him understand woohoo could be casual without strings. Even though he was very gun-shy about women and relationships, the dude was horny all the time and she was very happy to help him with that lol.

This is Xochitl (Chi Chi). They're neighbors, and he thought she was the most gorgeous woman. She has a daughter, and they both talk a LOT. She tried to get him to go out several times, but he always felt guilty because Sophia was always in the back of his mind while meeting all these women. Chi Chi is social and always looking for a good time and quickly figured out he was never going to ask her out. She really just wanted to be friends anyway, so it was all good. They are still great friends today.

As you'd expect, Luca gets to a place where he can separate his parents' drama from his own life and can no longer deny, no matter how many women he meets, and no matter who he smashes, his mind had only ever been on Sophia, and she had his heart from the beginning. He finally asks her out on a proper date, and the night ends nowhere near how he expected.

She asked him to move in! That scared the cowplant essence out of him and caused all that fear and confusion he finally put away to come rushing back. But Sophia is gentle and has a knack for asking poignant questions in a soft manner. She asked if he trusted her and their relationship. He could either answer honestly, man up, and get over it, or lie and go back to being a scared little boy. Thankfully, he answered honestly and started working toward putting those fears to bed for good.

Sophia has known him his entire young adult life and knew all about that stuff and was patient with him as their relationship blossomed. She met the parents and even ghost grandma. Everyone loved Sophia. Luca eventually got to a place where he could tell her he loved her without throwing up, heh. That was one magical night.

Everything happened so fast, and he was too busy finally enjoying life and kinda forgot to tell everyone else his relationship status had changed.

Luca and Sophia went out one night, and Yasmine was there. Luckily there no drama ensued, but he had some explaining to do. Luca told Sophia about all his friends and their statuses and got everything on the table. Sophia has history of her own and was a bit triggered by the situation. She knew Luca hadn't cheated on her because they weren't together, but she didn't know he was talking to other women. She accepts that his friends are women but doesn't really like it. It will take her a while to get over it.

With all of that out of the way, the only thing left to do is...

But before that, he meets a young man from Brindleton Bay named Wade (Dub) Banks. He's from The Banks Dynasty by @mysimsloveaffair. You should check it out if you're not already reading.

He's in town with his lady friend visiting her father. He saw Luca and asked for suggestions on what to do in San Sequoia. They are kindred spirits and become instant friends. He is currently Luca's bestest friend in the world.

Anyway, Luca and Sophia get married, honeymoon in Tartosa, and eventually buy a house in San Sequoia. Instead of living the blissful wedded life, they begin a painful journey.

Their plan was to start a family immediately, but Sophia had a hard time getting pregnant. They tried fertility treatments, but they don't work. She's staring her adult birthday in the face and is afraid she'll never birth her own children. To make matters worse, so many around them are getting pregnant unexpectedly. Dub and his now girlfriend had a reckless night in the hot tub and had a baby girl. Yasmine turns up pregnant with twin girls. Even his sister, Alessia, who he thought would never settle down now has a live-in boyfriend and got pregnant. The cherry on top was learning Luca also had low fertility and they were definitely not having children the traditional way. That was a very dark period that threatened to break them down, but they stayed strong. Eventually they decide to do IVF and announced the pregnancy at Sophia's birthday party. A daughter, Desiree, was born on the eve of Luca's birthday.

Alessia gave birth to triplets (2 boys and a girl) about 12 hours before. Having Desiree brought joy into Luca and Sophia's life, but the painful journey did not end there. His father died shortly after her birth, and his mother died a few days later. As a card-carrying mama's boy, that one hit HARD. He was prepared for Ali dying, but Emmy's death came unexpectedly.

Luca and Alessia struggled through raising their children while grieving their parents. He was especially worried about his sister because she never once desired to have children or lead a domestic life, and now she's raising THREE children on her own. Her boyfriend left during the baby shower and went back to his ex because he was spooked about having triplets. So with Emmy dead, and the boyfriend gone, she's all alone in that big house. Luca gets an idea from Dub and decides to look for a duplex so he and Alessia can stay close and raise their children together and support each other.

Meanwhile, little by little, they pick up the pieces of their lives and adjust to the new normal. Dub and Maia elope and invite Luca and fam to the wedding in El Ciudad Enamorada. They volunteer to babysit while Luca and Sophia go on a much needed date. Their lives had been so heavy and hectic ever since getting married, they hadn't been on a proper date since they found out Sophia was expecting. Having a night to themselves and spending time together as a family for the next day and a half put things in perspective. Luca was in the throws of a midlife crisis and was losing confidence about his purpose in the world. He has loved yoga ever since his mother introduced it to him as a teen, but teaching yoga and opening his own studio was her idea, not his. Without goals of his own, he happily pursued that dream and even tried to adopt it as his own, but it never felt completely right. Dub gave them a money tree for a wedding gift, and it was so timely because Luca was able to be with Sophia the entire time they struggled through infertility. Lately he'd been thinking about getting back to work but wasn't sure if teaching yoga was the right thing. That messed him up for a few days, but he eventually decided his career doesn't define him. He's still a good husband and father even if he doesn't have a job and contribute in society. He will focus on raising Desiree well and shaping her to be the best she can be. That will be his contribution.

Luca finally decides to rent out his father's house to a family with infant twins. He also finds the perfect duplex for him and Less. He lives on one side and she rents out the other. The kids age up, and that is where we are now!

There's lots of subplots I skipped over like the drama with Emmy and her boyfriend Dwayne and shocking developments about Yasmine's children, but this is the basic gist of generation 3. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

[mysimsloveaffair]

Here are the final results of this poll! Although Tambara continues to give me 'only child' vibes, I believe Maia would be open to considering having another child...but in the distant future. This discussion will eventually come up in the story, so we'll see her actual response. As usual, I'll let gameplay lead me!

Thanks to all who voted. If you didn't get a chance to vote, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

What if...?

After finishing my bucket list, I wait for Maia in the bedroom. The sooner I approach her about having another child... the better. When she finally enters the room, I take her hands into mine and give them a gentle squeeze.

Wade: I was thinking and wondering... what do you think about us having another baby?

Maia: What? Another-

Maia pauses as if she can't bring herself to finish the sentence. I finish it for her, hoping to ease the idea into her mind.

Wade: Baby.... a brother or sister for Tambara.

Maia drops my hands and stares at me. I can understand her hesitation. We didn't exactly plan Tambara, but maybe it would be nice to experience what it's like to try for a baby.... on purpose this time.

After about thirty seconds, Maia finally responds:

Note: This scene is not an actual part of the story, but something I wanted to put together to show off a few outfits from the Sweet Slumber Party creator kit. In the last official Banks Dynasty scene (links to a Tumblr post), Wade (aka Dub) adds, 'I'd like to have another child' to his bucket list. But Maia is struggling with the balance of caring for their daughter Tambara and her aging father while trying to find time to open a food stand.  

I'm not ready to add this extra stress to her life, but if Dub brought up having another child, what do you think she would say?

[mysimsloveaffair]

I'm not sure if anyone is interested in the MySims Cozy Bundle, but I was excited when I saw it because it was initially released in 2007...the same year my daughter was born. I remember sitting her on my lap at the computer when she was old enough and exploring the game with her...although we didn't get very far 😁. Revisiting it again after all these years is nostalgic because she grew up so fast and will leave us for college in another year. 😭 Mind you, I've been homeschooling her since birth, so I've witnessed her growth and have been responsible for her education her entire life. She's incredibly bright and equally as creative and talented. I'm sure many younger simmers remember playing this as a child and have just as many memories.

Anyway, I think it's cool that the game has been re-released for the Nintendo Switch because those old PC versions probably won't even load up on our newer/faster computers.

I've attached videos of me exploring the create-a-sim and creating my character for the original game (above) and the kingdom version (below) in case anyone wants to see what it looks like. As a POC, I'm always looking for options to create a character that looks like me and my daughter and, as usual, with games like this, there are very few of them. Although I was able to create a couple of adorable characters, I'd be remiss to not mention that I think EA missed an opportunity to add a few more options (i.e., skin tones and hairstyles) with this re-release.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Once I do my part to help put the final touches on Mase’s party, Zoe walks away, and Ma takes her place.

Melisa: *To Tami* Your Pop-Pop and I have a birthday surprise for you!

Tambara: You do? What is it?

Melisa: A little birdie told me how much you love castles.

Tambara: Really? The birds in my backyard don’t talk. Are you sure you’re not losing it like my other grandpa? I think you might be the same amount of old.

My heart sinks as my past parenting mistakes slap me in the face. My child has just insulted Ma. Unlike all the people she’s done this to in the past, Ma has done nothing to deserve it. I couldn’t be more embarrassed. Again, Ma looks right at me.

Wade: I’m sorry, Ma.

Her eyes are silently questioning my parental skills. I have to play it off to save face.

Wade: *to Tami* Remember what I told you about saying things like that? It’s not nice.

Tambara: You never said that before.

She’s right, but I don’t need her saying that in front of Ma, making me feel and look worse. We’re going to have to discuss the snitching ASAP.

Wade: Well, I’m saying it now. Apologize to your Gran or you won’t get a birthday surprise.

Tambara: I’m sorry, Gran.

 Ma takes a minute or two to compose herself before telling Tami about the birthday plans that she and Dad made. 

[mysimsloveaffair]

Tami runs around the farm, greeting the mini sheep, goats, and Cocoa Puffs, the now elderly cow. Eventually, she finds me, Dad, and Mason’s fiancé, Zoe, standing near the chicken coop. Tami hurries to greet all the chickens while Zoe calls me over.

Zoe: *to Wade* Can I talk to you for a minute?

Wade: Sure

Zoe: Drake and some of your cousins wanted to surprise Mase with a bachelor party tonight, but they need some help to plan it.

Wade: I’m sure I can help with that. What do they need me to do?

Zoe fills me in on what she knows, which is strange because I didn’t think the bride was even supposed to know about the groom’s bachelor party.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Once the hugging has stopped and everyone has confirmed that everyone else is doing well, Dad leads Tami outside to give her a tour of the farm, starting with the duck pond.

Tambara: Are there frogs in there? My mommy loves frogs.

Kai: Oh yeah, I’ve spotted a frog or two from time to time.

Tami looks up at the treehouse and makes a beeline for it.

Tambara: Can I go up there?

Kai: That’s what it’s here for. The treehouse has been lonely since your dad and uncles grew up.

Tami climbs the ladder and looks around the tiny house that’s just the right size for her and her big imagination. But she doesn’t stay up long because there’s so much more to see on the farm. 

[mysimsloveaffair]

The greetings and hugs can go on for thirty minutes whenever I arrive at my parents' house. That's how long it typically takes for everyone to enter the room, pull you into their arms, and tell you how much they've missed you. It's the best feeling in the world, and I never know how much I've missed it until I return after being away for a long time.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Melisa: It’s terrific that you know that, but you should say ‘thank you’ because good manners make you even prettier.

Tambara: Prettier?!

Melisa: Yes

Tambara: Thank you!

Melisa: That’s much better.

Now that that’s taken care of, I excuse myself and walk over to Mase, where it’s safer.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Part 1 will continue to post here on Tumblr tomorrow. Or you can read the rest on my website by clicking the link above.

Read From Beginning / Read Most Recent Posts

[mysimsloveaffair]

She stands and opens her arms for a third hug, but looks around and sees that the potential object of her affection is missing.

Melisa: Where's Maia?

Wade: I'm so sorry, Ma. She couldn't make it. But she sends her love and regards. She'll be here tomorrow for Mase's wedding.

Melisa: What happened? Is everything okay?

Wade: It's her father. We had to move him in next door because he's been having issues with his memory lately. She was afraid to leave him alone for too long.

Melisa: I can understand. Getting old is not for the faint of heart. We just lost my brother Jalin to a heart attack.

Ma's eyes darken and fill with tears.

Wade: I'm so sorry, Ma.

Ma brushes the grief away like an annoying spiderweb as she looks down at Tami.

Melisa: But Gran is glad to see her sweet baby! You've gotten so big, and you're just as pretty as you can be.

Tambara: I know.**

Time stops as Ma waits for the words that typically follow a compliment. Ma looks directly at me when they don't come, as if I'm the offender. I open my mouth to defend myself, but Ma's shocked expression freezes the words in my mouth.

**I blame @storiesbyjes2g for this - evidence 🤣

[mysimsloveaffair]

I’m back home in Henford-on-Bagley several hours later with my baby girl. Tami oohs and ahs at the expansive house and land, just like Maia did the first time she visited.

As usual, Ma’s is the first face we see as soon as we enter.

Melisa: Dubbie! You made it.

I guess I’ll never outgrow that nickname. Ma pulls me into her warm embrace and doesn’t miss a beat before kneeling to do the same with Tami.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Maia is putting the finishing touches on her eggs when I enter the kitchen with Clyde.

Clyde: All these damn stairs! I would have stayed in my old place if I knew you all were trying to kill me.

Maia expertly dismisses Clyde’s complaints.

Maia: Good morning, Father. Breakfast will be ready in a minute—have a seat.

I want to give Maia the heads up on Clyde’s forgotten shoes, but he’s following right behind me, and I don’t want to shame him. I’ll whisper it in her ear before Tami and I leave.

Clyde sits down at the table with Tami, and Maia serves him a plate of piping hot eggs, bacon, and toast.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Not even an hour later, I can see why Maia needs to stay here with Clyde. I go outside to pick our money fruit just as Clyde strolls into our backyard with no shoes on. Did he forget to put them on, or has he lost all his marbles? I walk over and try to bring it up without putting him on the defensive.

Wade: Hey there, Clyde! Everything okay with you this morning?

He comes over and shakes my hand.

Clyde: Yeah, I’m doing okay.

Wade: It’s a little wet out here. Aren’t your feet cold?

Clyde looks down, and I can see his expression change to confusion toward his bare feet. Like any prideful man, he tries to play it off.

Clyde: Cold, smold! What better way to toughen up the feet than a little barefoot walking? 

Is he trying to convince himself or me? I go along with it to avoid embarrassing him further.

Wade: Oh, right! Yeah, I do a lot of bare feet running on my treadmill. We’re just about to eat breakfast. Care to join us?

[mysimsloveaffair]

Maia has some news for me as soon as we wake up the following day.

Maia: I’m not going to Henford with you and Tami today. But I’ll still try to make it to Mase’s wedding tomorrow.

Wade: What do you mean? Why not? Everyone is looking forward to seeing you.

Maia: And I’d love to see them too, but I can’t leave my father alone in an unfamiliar house for two days.

She has a point, but today is her birthday, and I was looking forward to taking her somewhere fun to celebrate back home in Henford.

Wade: I was hoping we could do something special today.

Maia: I’ll celebrate here with my father. It’ll still be a special.

I briefly consider bringing Clyde with us, but he’d probably complain the entire time and ruin the trip.

Wade: Okay. You’re right; staying here with him will probably be for the best. But Ma will be very disappointed. I’m sure she was looking forward to spoiling her new daughter. 

Maia: Please send her my regrets and love.

(Full post available to read on my website)

[mysimsloveaffair]

There will be no posts today because a lot is happening in my upcoming updates (with a lot of prep work). I hope to have something ready for tomorrow. But in the meantime, I'd love to see more responses to this poll! Thanks!!

What if...?

After finishing my bucket list, I wait for Maia in the bedroom. The sooner I approach her about having another child... the better. When she finally enters the room, I take her hands into mine and give them a gentle squeeze.

Wade: I was thinking and wondering... what do you think about us having another baby?

Maia: What? Another-

Maia pauses as if she can't bring herself to finish the sentence. I finish it for her, hoping to ease the idea into her mind.

Wade: Baby.... a brother or sister for Tambara.

Maia drops my hands and stares at me. I can understand her hesitation. We didn't exactly plan Tambara, but maybe it would be nice to experience what it's like to try for a baby.... on purpose this time.

After about thirty seconds, Maia finally responds:

Note: This scene is not an actual part of the story, but something I wanted to put together to show off a few outfits from the Sweet Slumber Party creator kit. In the last official Banks Dynasty scene (links to a Tumblr post), Wade (aka Dub) adds, 'I'd like to have another child' to his bucket list. But Maia is struggling with the balance of caring for their daughter Tambara and her aging father while trying to find time to open a food stand.  

I'm not ready to add this extra stress to her life, but if Dub brought up having another child, what do you think she would say?

[mysimsloveaffair]

🦖 RAWR!! means 'i love you' in dinosaur 💚 keep this dino on his journey and send him to all the blogs you love 💚 RAWR!!

Thanks! Love you right back!!

[mysimsloveaffair]

What if...?

After finishing my bucket list, I wait for Maia in the bedroom. The sooner I approach her about having another child... the better. When she finally enters the room, I take her hands into mine and give them a gentle squeeze.

Wade: I was thinking and wondering... what do you think about us having another baby?

Maia: What? Another-

Maia pauses as if she can't bring herself to finish the sentence. I finish it for her, hoping to ease the idea into her mind.

Wade: Baby.... a brother or sister for Tambara.

Maia drops my hands and stares at me. I can understand her hesitation. We didn't exactly plan Tambara, but maybe it would be nice to experience what it's like to try for a baby.... on purpose this time.

After about thirty seconds, Maia finally responds:

Note: This scene is not an actual part of the story, but something I wanted to put together to show off a few outfits from the Sweet Slumber Party creator kit. In the last official Banks Dynasty scene (links to a Tumblr post), Wade (aka Dub) adds, 'I'd like to have another child' to his bucket list. But Maia is struggling with the balance of caring for their daughter Tambara and her aging father while trying to find time to open a food stand.  

I'm not ready to add this extra stress to her life, but if Dub brought up having another child, what do you think she would say?