elijahfangirl1984

[teltoadstool]

And... we’re back to these dorks. Caiden and Wolf were fighting over what, I don’t know, but if I had to guess, one of them insulted the other. That got interrupted though by Wolf getting a phone call. I’m not sure where he was stalking off to, but he left Caiden with Lewis.. which didn’t go well. Apparently whatever Lewis said was boring, but considering that Caiden is a snob, that could have been anything.

[travelingtheusa]

GEORGIA

14 Jan 2017 (Sat) – It was a pretty busy day today.  First, we drove to the Pin Point Heritage Museum.  This was a colony founded by freed slaves who worked for a processing plant.  Life was hard – they had no running water, no electric, and no roads.  The occupants developed their own language called Gulah/Geechee which was made up of English and various African languages.  It was an isolated community where everyone worked for the A.S. Varn & Son Oyster & Crab Factory.  Today, the factory buildings have been converted to an education center for visitors.  They processed crabs in the summer and oysters in the winter.  The center described the process they went through with bringing in the catch, shucking and cleaning the oysters, boiling the crabs, picking the meat, and canning the product.  It was a pretty rough existence.  Clarence Thomas was raised in Pin Point before growing up to become a Supreme Court Justice.  Quite a humble beginning for a great man.

    After the heritage center, we drove a couple of miles over to Bonaventure Cemetery.  It was a huge graveyard with roads winding throughout the place.  There were loads of trees with dripping moss.  Add that to the old gravestones and rusted fencing throughout the cemetery and you have one very spooky place.  

    Next, we drove toward Tybee Island to see the lighthouse.  Happening upon a sign directing visitors to Fort Pulaski, we took a detour and stopped there.  In all the years we have been traveling and visiting forts, this is among the few we have come across that actually saw battle.  The federal government built the fort to protect against an invasion from Florida by the Spanish.  Construction began in 1829 and continued for 18 years.  Two weeks after South Carolina seceded from the union in 1861, state militia seized the fort and then transferred ownership to the Confederate States of America.  Union forces staged on Tybee Island in 1862, across from Fort Pulaski, and commenced to bombard it with 11 artillery batteries.  After 30 hours, the Confederate commander surrendered the fort.  After the union forces established possession of the fort, they used it to house prisoners during the Civil War and later for political prisoners.  The fort was abandoned in 1880 and sat until it was declared a national monument in 1924.

    The fort has a moat that was full of water.  Hurricane Matthew struck the southern states last year in October.  The hurricane left over a foot of water inside the fort and you could see where there was damage.  The bridge over the moat had to be replaced and other key areas of the fort were repaired.  As we walked around the two story fortress, we could see many areas where canons had struck the perimeter walls.  Parts of the fort were rebuilt after the battle and we could see the difference in the color of the bricks, denoting old and new parts.

      After the fort, we drove into Tybee for lunch.  Trip Advisor listed Sundae Café as #1 of 35 restaurants on the island.  The signs outside were worn and the café sat in a small strip mall with only two parking spaces.  It didn’t look like much.  Inside was a pleasant surprise.  The walls and furniture were decorated in shades of gray and cream.  There was an engraved glass wall sitting in the middle of the room and a dark wood bar was nestled in one corner of the room.  The place was small but elegant.  The food was pretty good.

    Following lunch, we drove by the Tybee Island Light Station.  It was a plain lighthouse with several small buildings behind a neat picket fence. Next to it was a battery that has been converted to stores and a public beach area.  Now that’s repurposing!!

      We left Tybee Island and drove to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.  It was a very large museum with outstanding displays about World War II and the 8th Air Force.  There were three videos that gave you an interactive feel for being in a B-29 Flying Fortress during battle.  It was quite interesting.  They were getting ready to host a wedding at the museum so we couldn’t look into the chapel. It seems like a weird place to have a wedding and reception but the docent said they have 70 weddings a year.

13 Jan 2017 (Fri) – We took showers this morning then headed into the historic district of Savannah, Georgia.  We learned that the historic district is one mile by one mile square and is the largest historic district in the United States.  Old Georgia is beautiful.  The houses are mostly antebellum or colonial style and the huge live oaks are dripping with Spanish moss.  Many of the buildings have wrought iron railings that lend an air of southern charm. The town of Savannah was a planned community.  All the streets were laid out in checker board fashion and there were about 20 parks with monuments and plaques.  Everywhere we went, the people were very friendly and they all asked us where we were from.  Savannah is a very tourist friendly city.

    We arrived at the visitor’s center and bought tickets for the Town Trolley Tour.  The bus drove around the district for an hour and a half, stopping at 15 points along the route.  Our first stop was at number four where we walked through Madison Square, the largest (30 acres) and oldest park in the city.  There was a large wrought iron fountain with lots of fish and swans decorated on it.  The park was full of live oaks – beautiful trees with sprawling branches.  It was lovely.  

    We got back on the bus, then explored the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at stop number six.  It was a beautiful cathedral.  Across the street from the cathedral was the home of Juliette Gordon Low, the woman who established Girl Scouts.  Behind the home was a small building with a one-room museum and tiny gift shop.  I had to go look at it because I was a Girl Scout leader for many years.  

    Next stop was at City Market.  It was couple of blocks with a pedestrian mall that went past shops and restaurants.  It was like so many other towns we have been in.  We walked a half mile across town and had dinner at the Olde Pink House.  It was a beautiful old colonial style home (over 100 years old) with thick walls and shuttered windows.  The building used to be a bank and is now a historic building with an outrageous restaurant.  The food was excellent.

     We finished out the tour and returned to the visitor’s center at 4:30 p.m.  It was too late to go to another attraction (they all close at 5:00 p.m.) so we went back to the lodge.  At 6:30 p.m. we went into the lodge and had a drink, then joined them for a buffet dinner at 7:00 p.m.

12 Jan 2017 (Thu) – We left Sumter, SC at 9:45 a.m., drove over four hours (with a lunch stop at Cracker Barrel), and arrived at Orange Park Elks Lodge 183 in Savannah, GA, at 3:30 p.m.  The place was closed and looks like it has seen better days.  There is a pool in back that’s been filled in and a pool house that has been boarded up.  We couldn’t find the two RV parking spots that are listed on the website for this place, so we called a couple of campgrounds in the area looking for a campsite. They were all booked for the weekend. We forgot it is a holiday weekend. So, we got out of the truck and walked the grounds again.  We did find two electric outlets on the outer wall of the closed up pool house.  Paul tested the outlet to verify it was hot. It was.  So we filled the onboard tank with fresh water and hooked up to the electric power.  We’ll stay for a few days.

    At 6 p.m. we drove down the busy roadway to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  After we got back, we skyped with Miranda and Caiden.  He was wearing his Sully Monster costume (from Monsters, Inc.).  He is so cute.  Miranda and Kenny have been having conflicts with their work schedules and care for Caiden. Ken got demoted from Assistant Manager because he has been late several times.  They are afraid he will be terminated.  I hope they can work would their sitter problems soon.

[teltoadstool]

Some time later Bats went to bed and Wolf surprisingly cleaned up the puddle he left when he thawed. I like the screen of Bats, because it shows off his fur, which we have @ashuriphoenix to thank for. I use her furs with all of my fuzzier sims. Caiden went to bed later, but I wanted to point out that Caiden and Bats shared a room. They really need a bigger house, but right now they’re in uni so I’ll just leave it for now. 

Then Sean Vidal, who I just spent quite some time finding out who he was on the wiki, decided that the pier that their houseboat is tied to would be a great place to play for tips. Poor thing isn’t going to get any tips. I have a mod that keeps sims from watching other sims play. I’m thinking about taking it out and finding out if I can retune how much fun it is to watch another sim play. He probably wouldn’t have got anything anyway, considering that it was nighttime when he started.

[teltoadstool]

The last few screens of them at home, and the last screen of Oscar. I sent Caiden for a swim to up his water need and to see his merman tail. Oscar evidently got hot, but I’m sure he’s in a great mood since he gets to have the houseboat to himself. Also as you can see the computer is still pranked. Then when everyone was leaving, Caiden decided to break the laws of physics and swim through the pier.

[teltoadstool]

Last screens of these guys for quite some time. Bats made the mistake of eating a candy bar he got. I’m pretty sure the poor baby had to throw up before he left. At least Wolf noticed while he was getting swarmed. Corey’s water need was so low he tried raising it by brushing his teeth, which didn’t help much. I left them like that, with the thought that everyone was going back to the dorm when I played them again. The next household is my avatar Aster’s family. It’s going to take a while to write their introductions, so I won’t be posting gameplay screens. I will be on tumblr everyday though.

[teltoadstool]

Corey took over from Caiden playing ping pong with the mascot. I don’t know why that was so fun. I took Caiden over to get his soda, since he missed getting one when they arrived. Bats started playing the arcade games. I mostly just took this screen in appreciation of how clearly I could see the game he was playing. My sims hadn’t been near an arcade, since I upped my graphics. Poor Wolf was stuck talking with Lewis. I don’t know why, but I’ve always disliked Lewis. I can’t think of anything against him, but I don’t like him. *shrugs*

[teltoadstool]

They all rolled the wish to drink a soda when got to the hall. Poor Corey, his soda erupted in his face. Plant sims like liquid, but I’m pretty sure they don’t want sticky stuff like soda all over them. Caiden was too busy playing ping pong with the mascot to drink his. I don’t know who started the painting, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t one of my sims.

[teltoadstool]

Welcome to University, Corey! I can already tell how much you’re gonna like it here. At least Bats looks happy. Wolf got complained to by Miles Forthright who’s thumb has some serious issues. Then Corey happened... I really wish I knew what was going on here. I mean Corey looks happy enough from this point of view, but I think Corey’s insulting Wolf in some way. I think the problem is that Corey just really doesn’t like being around people.  Ah, the cons of posting things you played a few months ago. You just can’t remember everything.

[teltoadstool]

When Wolf howled, I heard a response (and a thud), so I went to check it out. I’m pretty sure she was scarier before she rendered completely. After she rendered, she was just ugg. Caiden meanwhile was downstairs lecturing about something... to an empty room. At least he looks happy.

[teltoadstool]

Meeting their new roommates. I’m guessing the furniture was taking far too long to load properly, lol. Wolf is playing tag with Jake Sammon, who is apparently one of the homeless sims in this neighborhood. He’s has the childish trait, hence the tag. What I’m wondering is, why was he even there? 

[teltoadstool]

A little bit random here. The first one Bats was looking dramatic and Caiden was just being himself. The rest probably see that expression on Caiden a lot. 

The second one I wish I could remember what happened, but it was at least a couple months ago, so that’s not happening. Just from looking at it, I think that someone scared Bats from far away. Normally when that happens I take a overhead pic showing the distance, but I didn’t this time and I don’t know why. Also the university mascot came by. This time I actually didn’t mind as much, since I was sending these sims to university.

The third one was the first time anyone fixed any food. I think they were drinking to stave off any hunger. At least Caiden decided on something cold, since I don’t think I upped their cooking skills. 

The fourth one is Bats reading Oscar’s mind. The vampire mod I have lets them do that on their own. I don’t think he learned anything from it.

[teltoadstool]

I don’t know what Wolf did to get on Oscar’s bad side, but it must have been pretty bad, in Oscar’s opinion anyway. This was the first time I’ve had this freeze someone solid, so I really wasn’t expecting it. Poor thing was frozen solid for a couple hours. I just love how nobody seems to care. Bats was even smiling for pete’s sake. 

[teltoadstool]

I’m back to posting for now, mostly because I’m too hungry to have the patience to do anything else. My fault entirely. I skipped a meal. Anyway, back to the sims.

 I think the sequence of interactions was, accuse of being a vampire (Caiden to Bats), confess to being a vampire (Bats to Caiden), and ???. I mean, it looks like the confess went well, so I don’t know what Caiden was rejecting. At least one good thing came out of this, which is that Bats got to look adorable.

[teltoadstool]

Sorry for not posting for so long. There was no real reason, other than the fact that I just didn’t feel like it. This household is made up of four supernatural friends and their government handler, (who happens to know how to use magic, but that’s got nothing to do with not being human, right?). They live in Isla Paradiso in one of the EA houseboats. I’m actually looking for a better house, but I haven’t had any luck. Mostly because it has to be on the water somehow. They’re going to university. Well, not their handler. He already has an degree. This is incredibly long, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya! :P I think before I place a ‘read more’, I’m going to state their species. Going clockwise from the top right corner we have a plantsim, a merman, a werewolf, and a vampire. 

The order this time is for their descriptions to make the most sense, so we’re starting with the werewolf in the lower left corner. His name is Elliot Lane. He hates the name, so he usually only answers to Wolf. Although he has always been werewolf, the rich family he ran away from weren’t. Their handler, Oscar, who had to investigate his charges’ origins, will only say that his origins were scandalous. Wolf doesn’t really care. He is only thankful for his wolf form, after all it was incredibly helpful when he ran away at fifteen. Wolf is very possessive of everything he has, which weirdly includes his friends. They aren’t allowed to have friends that he hasn’t chosen to be his friend.They put up with this, because Wolf protects them. Despite this, everyone wants to be his friend or girlfriend. He tends to take advantage of his new ‘friends’, but he really doesn’t want to have anything to do with romance. He knows how to make people do what he wants, and is very good at knowing just how to talk to someone. He is studying physical education at university, but that’s mostly because his friends were going and he didn’t want to be left with Oscar. His traits are: Mean-Spirited, Charismatic, Athletic, Rebellious, Brave, Irresistible, and Hot Headed.

Next is the vampire in the lower right corner. His name is Thaddeus Bradley, although he usually goes by Bat. He was born an odd kind of mutant human. Oscar investigated and found that Bat’s mother was a scientist that was working with vampire bat dna. Needless to say, an accident happened while she was pregnant. His mother died when he was ten, leaving him alone since his father had abandoned his mother and him when Bat was born, because he blamed Bat’s mother for Bat’s mutation. The government had no idea Bat existed, since his mother kept him a secret, so Bat was left to fend for himself. Unfortunately distant relatives inherited the house he was living in, so he ended up on the streets. Bat lived on the streets for awhile, but didn’t have the strength to feed off of random passersby. He would have starved, but Wolf found him and decided that Bat was going to be his friend, so assisted in getting blood for him. Bat met Wolf when Wolf was sixteen, and is Wolf’s first and closest friend. He loves messing around with machines, so he is studying for a Technology degree. He’s very good at guessing what kind of person a person is, so the others always ask him what his opinion of people is. Random fact: Despite the fact that his mutation is comes from bats, most people think he’s some kind of wolf-man at first sight.  His traits are: Over-Emotional, Handy, Perceptive, Eccentric, and Friendly. 

Corey North is the plantsim in the upper left corner. Wolf saved Corey after the forest where he was living was sprayed with some kind of poison, which left Corey unconscious. The next day immediately after Corey came to, he ran to find a dirt mound and buried himself in it. He didn’t emerge for a couple weeks, which left Wolf and Bat worried about his well being, so Bat went over to him and just started rambling. Eventually Corey emerged to tell him to shut up. Having nowhere to go, Corey stayed with the strange duo, and started his long search for art supplies. He hates being around people, and tends to get angry if anyone talks to him. Most of the time he’s outside painting or drawing, which he hates to be interrupted when doing either. Corey’s going to get a fine arts degree.  His traits are: Brave, Loner, Loves the Outdoors, Artistic, and Hot-Headed. 

Caiden Moss, the merman in the upper right corner, was part of a very rich and influential family under the ocean. He’s now on land against his will. Oscar has questioned Caiden many times about this, but can never get a straight answer. In Oscar’s opinion, Caiden was either exiled or cursed, but most likely exiled, since Caiden still has his merman tail. Caiden washed ashore unconscious and hurt. The others rescued him from the beach and nursed him back to health, because Wolf, who was the one that found Caiden, had taken a shine to Caiden. Caiden at first really doesn’t like living with these ‘street urchins’, but they saved him, and to tell the truth he couldn’t live on his own. Caiden was the last to join the, besides Oscar, so he isn’t as close to the others as the others are to each other. Caiden hates being alone and is constantly looking for someone to talk to. Unfortunately that usually backfires tremendously, due to Caiden’s uppity attitude. It doesn’t help that Caiden’s a genus, and uses his knowledge against them. They get back at him by making fun of his clumsiness. Technically he’s only clumsy on land, but he can’t seem to get this argument to stop the teasing. He’s going to university for a science and medicine degree. His traits are: Social Butterfly, Clumsy, Genus, Proper, and Snob. 

Oscar Briggs is the one in the bottom picture. He works for a government organisation trying to understand the recently revealed supernatural population. He was assigned to this group of supernatural creatures as their caretaker. Oscar has the same level of authority over them that a parent has over their children. He doesn’t like kids much, which as everyone knows includes young adults, and he’s usually in a bad mood, but he warms up to his charges... eventually. Oscar isn’t scared of any supernatural being. He’s usually just annoyed at any show of power. At first the kids didn’t know about his magical abilities, but they found out after he used them to protect Caiden from Monster Hunters. His charges knowing allows him to use his powers to discipline them, but it also means they have some dirt on him, which they can tell the Organisation, which really wouldn’t be a good thing for Oscar. Oscar definitely isn’t stupid in any way. He’s very good at reading his charges and figuring out their secret terms. He also had no trouble collecting the information about their pasts, which he did without the parties involved knowing.  His traits are: Dislikes Children, Grumpy, Perceptive, Brave, and Genus. 

[teltoadstool]

We come to the beautiful world of Isla Paradiso, where there’s a little tin hut at the start of a pier. And inside the hut?

These people. Who they are and why they are all gathered in this little hut? No one knows, but they’re there.

[teltoadstool]

They spent almost the whole first day just talking to each other, which is impressive. Normally I let the sims loose and they just find some object to play with for the entire day. 

So, Oscar apparently upset poor Caiden. Most of the time if Oscar says something that upsets them, he’s pointing out some flaw of their character for them ‘to work on’, or sometimes he’s trying to discipline them. Something like ‘you left your dirty plate on the table’ type of thing. Weirdly this is the second time a mean interaction was followed by gossiping, which in some cases probably could be considered a mean interaction as well. 

I imagine it would a bit hard to sneak up on someone when your phone is ringing...