#he got a different moodlet

[aurorangen]

It was just a dream

[lilacella]

Throwback to when I wanted to create wolfstar in The Sims 4 and in order to do that I purchased the Werewolf extension pack without really looking into it and then realised too late that the werewolves in this look like this:

So I ended up with a Furry Remus that (accidentally - this was my fault really) turned the love interest of Sirius' roommate into a werewolf and then I had two Furries in my household that would randomly turn into FULLY CLOTHED wolves or run on all fours as HUMANS?!

[nyokacore]

Mhm.

[oshinsimblr]

hey friends! i was unable to post all of my early access content bc i'm sick. but i was able to post this video, which in my honest opinion are the major features in this 'romance' pack.

IS IT WORTH $40?

DEPENDS ON HOW BADLY YOU NEED THESE FEATURES TBH.

this review is brought to you by the ea creator network. all of my opinions are my own. i must disclose this per FTC guidelines #ad.

*i do not cover everything in the pack, only the things that stood out for me lol. i'm sorry i'm not used to doing full reviews up here

the attraction system is helpful and expands dating (which is great, but we've had mods that could do this for some time: pick your poison). the romantic satisfaction is the star here. i love being able to create one sided relationships and actually take care of our romantic relationships with sims. this is a valuable feature for me!

cupid's corner is a nice "hey i don't need this mod" anymore type of feature. prior to this i was using lumpinou's meet & mingle which allowed me to meet with sims (platonic and romantic). i dislike that you can not write custom bio's for your sims. i love the way the app functions, i love saving sims and adding them to our rel. panel - and getting to know them through the phone first. i wish we could've defined our sims favorite music/foods/color etc.

i'll admit it, i'm a sucker for dynamics. family dynamics from the sims 4 growing together are so good (minus the fact that everyone wants to be f*cking jokesters after one joke lol). but i love them! they really do impact my sims relationships. the different romance dynamics are interesting. for example: a strained romance dynamic makes it VERY hard for your sims to communicate. it's like your sims will randomly hug each other, but then 5 secs later they're upset. they want to love each other so badly but they can't lol.

now onto random things that excited me. you can go to cupid's couples counseling. i did not know we'd actually be able to answer questions. these sims had a strained romance dynamic and it was so bad - the therapist suggested we come back. but when i tried to schedule it again, they were booked and i had to wait to schedule another appt. which is great, because in the meantime your sims are going downhill fast and you have to keep the peace until then (if you choose).

there are new pop ups and invites. there's even one for a reality dating show lol. you can turn these off in game settings. (if you're wondering, mr. landgrabb never showed up at the motel he wanted to meet at. he stood my sim up. don't judge me, i thought there was simoleons involved).

new crafted dates are cool. you can choose whatever you want to do on them. there's new social interactions based on the activities you choose. you can also invite other sims to these (double dates woohoo!) you can also create crafted hangouts. i like these, i got this cute picture as a reward after a succesful crafted hangout. if you're familiar with mws weddings, it's the same idea. except this works well and isn't as glitchy lol..

another random feature i never needed, but now i find it useful. you can create your own relationship label that will appear in the rel. panel

it's unfair how gorgeous this world is... because there's nothing to do. this is all set dressing.

you can declare your love here.. at the wall of love.

you can buy flowers or edible sweet treats at this shop in the background.

you can get local food here. there are 3 new dishes and spicy hot chocolate. now, i'm not mexican (the world is inspired by mexico) BUT 3 new foods isn't cutting it for me. technically only 2, because one is a vegan option. no pozole, enchiladas, guacamole, tamales?? i'm a foodie, so i take full offense to that.

you can woohoo or sleep at the motel.

you can travel.

go fishing or enjoy a swim.

sit here and chat.

view this for a moodlet.

travel again.

check in a penthouse.

there's a nightclub, gym and lounge. but you get the idea.. there's nothing culturally unique about this world which makes me sad. no festivals? i'd love seeing a mariachi band play at the lounge. something. otherwise, keep the world and add more features right? i would've loved table proposals (sims 2 anyone?). or frisky couch makeouts. so many missed opportunities here.

there's more i could say but i feel like this post should be a little helpful in deciding wether this is a pack you need right now, or wait for a sale! i personally love having a complete colection, so i've always wanted every expansion. though i recieve the pack for free, i owe you my honesty and i want to start doing blog/written content because it's easier to process my thoughts through the excitment. i will enjoy this pack, i do like it, and only time will tell as i integrate it with my current gameplay. i hope this was helpful!

* if you remember, use my code OSHINSIMS at checkout if you decide to purchase this pack. that way, at least i get a % of your purchase and EA doesn't get all your coins 😉

thank you! just keeping simming, always stay wavy, peace x

[existential-crisis-of-the-mind]

Tim Drake as a low key gamer boyfriend

Playing a slice of life game like Stardew Valley together:

He is all about optimisation over aesthetics. Doesn’t fully comprehend why you’d want to spend a day talking to villagers and looking for collectibles over grinding for ore in the mines.

“But think about it babe, once we get enough iron ores for sprinklers, our crops will automatically be watered and we can use our energy to do other things!”

Sucks at the fishing mini game, even after he got the most expensive finishing rod and special bait. He can get very sulky about it but immediately pipes up when you offer to help.

“Oh my god! Can’t believe you caught the legendary fish! You’re amazing at this” he cheers as he envelopes you in a tight hug “Gonna buy a fish tank and add the lil guy to it to commemorate this moment”

Loves playing the multi-player version with you, will happily forgo his efficiency maximisation driven gameplay to goof around with you. Always eager find you rare items and tries his best to bring out his creative side.

“So I had a go at decorating the house. Naturally I wanted to furniture to be colour coordinated, so I referred to the colour wheel to determine a complimentary colour palette and then- wait I’m rambling about an unnecessarily niche aspect again aren’t I?” He’s taken by surprise when you peck his cheek in response, offering him a bright smile “I love when you ramble about unnecessarily niche topics, please go on". 

He flushes bright red in response, mentally cheering about how lucky he is that his partner is always so encouraging and excited about his random deep dives.

Playing Minecraft together:

Will fiercely protect you from creepers and zombies but also kills you the moment you spawn for a laugh. 

Is very invested in building houses, has watched several tutorials on how to make cool builds (will not admit to this if asked). 

“Babe check out the roof on this build, I’ve used a different style of tiered layering, it an interesting technique you see…” 

Always ensures you’re topped up on resources. Brings back lil flowers when he goes off to scope out a new area. Is always excited for you to try out new things in the game.

“Oh my god! Babe look we've hit jackpot and found a ton of diamond- What? Oh no you should be the one to mine it! You’re gonna make your first diamond pickaxe!”

Playing Sims 4 together:

For whatever reason, his skill with Minecraft house builds simply does not translate into Sims gameplay. He cannot construct a decent roof to save his life.

“What do you mean I’ve half assed the roof? No babe come on, it’s a modern build. I made it flat on purpose. Don’t you see the vision??” You raise an eyebrow in response, he pauses for a beat before relenting “Alright fine it’s pretty shit, roofs are hard okay!” 

Tries really hard to succeed at the Rags to Riches storyline before inevitably giving up and using the 50k motherlode cheat.

“Why does my sim have a bored moodlet after making 3 paintings? He’s gotta stay inspired if we wanna make any money!”

Gets way to caught up in the ‘create a sim’ mode

“What do you mean I’m taking too long? I’ve gotta have at least 3 everyday outfits sorted for my sim”

Loves pets in the Sims, spends way too much time cooing at puppies and kittens 

“Oh my god look, this cat is named Mayor Whiskers! He’s the Mayor of this town, we’ve gotta make a good impression”

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

transcript + more info

berenice: aha! she'll never find me here watcher: you mean 'here'? "in moonwood mill, my most favouritist of worlds 'here'?" berenice: ahhhh! i mean, i didn't do it? i've been framed. it was the full autonomy, i swear... watcher: did you just sign up for deanna's bachelorette? berenice: maybe... yes? watcher: do you even *like* other women? berenice: i like other women! i have other women... friends?? watcher: *SIGH* watcher: berenice, this kind of stuff just doesn't happen in real life berenice: what kind of stuff? watcher: he will never like you back like that berenice: he? who's he??? watcher: don't be obtuse, i can see your moodlets berenice: well this isn't real life because i'm a pixel! silly you, watcher...

BERENICE "BERNIE" SMALLS

Young Adult • Ciswoman (she/her) • Physics Major (incoming senior)

TRAITS: genius, overachiever, cringe, paranoid, socially awkward, creative (bonuses: mentally gifted, always welcome, morning sim, night sim, storm chaser)

MISC: Valedictorian and championship chess captain at Copperdale. Actually wants to catch lightning in a bottle someday.

(This is a mischief interaction. She's not evil - just a disaster.)

By day she’s a straight A student, freelance programmer and budding Plopsy empire builder - and a shoe-in for valedictorian to the point where most would happily bet their own mother’s mortgage on it (yeah, please don’t actually do that).

By night, however? A cheater cheater pumpkin eater! Well, not quite (the pumpkin eating allegations however are indeed true).

Her secret? She’s a spellcaster. Her other secret? Plentiful needs potions - and lots of ‘em.

Yes, you too could manage the highest GPA in the school plus every extracurricular that didn't throw you out on your rear end (she and that dungeon master still aren’t on speaking terms), tutoring, plus a fulltime job and another part-time job, had you the equivalent of 24 usable hours in every day.

Obviously this isn’t illegal, as the greater pixel world doesn’t know about spellcasters (see: my legacy heir who still freaks out over her spellcaster husband, brother and her three children). And there’s nothing stopping anyone from washing down caffeine pills with red bull that doesn’t actually give you wings (though Berenice could attempt a potion for that). Aaaand it could be argued that werewolves who can recharge extremely quickly with a wolf nap and vampires who don’t need to sleep at all should not occult their way through Foxbury's hallowed halls. 

But there’s a difference between being thought of as just that amazing, and being thought of as significantly less amazing, because any fool believes that they can achieve what Berenice does with all that extra time she has.

Why is she entering this competition? A very good question. Well, it may be called ‘Dating Deanna,’ but this dumb smart girl has a completely different York in mind. Namely Deanna’s brother Joey, who she’s had a massive crush on ever since she met him one summer holiday in Tartosa.

"I've got this!" "I don't got this..."

She therefore signed up on a whim, and while hindsight is currently coming down on her like a tonne of bricks, she’s too obstinate to pull out now. Bernie Smalls, quit a thing? Never!

PERMISSIONS

All in - feel free to message me!

In terms of romance with other contestants, as she's a 'troll' concept have at it. Maybe not woohoo though since she's still trying to determine her sexuality.

She would be very open to flirting - and well, anything else with Joey. Will she get the opportunity? I highly doubt it but this experience can be a moment of growth for her 😆

(iou a sfs zip after dinner and other adulting!)

@changingplumbob's dating deanna bachelorette challenge (i am so sorry deanna)

[theplottdump]

ＳＩＤＥ ＰＬＯＴＴ - Ｇ Ａ Ｍ ＥＰＬＡＹ ＳＰＡ Ｍ - 𝙶𝚎𝚗 𝟼: 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙷𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝙺𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝙿𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚝? -

Yeah I didn't see that one coming either.

Kale needs to grind for satisfaction points to buy a potion of youth (cause I just spent them all on savant right before this like a genius) and they keep rolling the want to make gourmet pet food. Miss Honey is not complaining.

Me: What an iconic quee- GET OUT OF HERE CLEMENT

SHE KNOWS

Kale asked Svetlana to woohoo in the crypt. 🥴 Consider this a test Dave, keep it chill - full autonomy is a bitch. Windy is already sad that Svetlana is flirting with anything with a pulse, this place is a mess.

KEEP IT CHILL DAVE THIS ONE DOESNT END WELL FOR YOU

oh god we might have to kill Dave

Kale: You seem mad. Dave: Really? How could you tell?

Kale: It's a lot to take in- Dave: And all those people? Kale: Cowplant Milk.

Dave: Right. So how does this end?

Kale: Well the house is already maxed with 8 sims, the watcher has the limit at 15 so we could fit you and the baby. We'd just have to be careful going into CAS, but it also might be fun to play you as a ghos-

Dave: Wait- woah, hold on- baby?

Kale: It's not a big deal. Dave: It's a bit of a big deal. This is all a bit of a big deal. Kale: Dave, you're the blandest most unseasoned tray townie I've ever met- I don't even think Milkshake would be interested in eatin- Dave: Yes. Kale: What do you mean?

Dave: 𝙔𝙚𝙨, I'll marry you.

Author's Note: He agreed to adjust his romantic jealousy boundaries, his enamored moodlet overpowered his angry one and also autonomously asked about marriage during this conversation so we're rollin with it baby

After 3 botched attempts cause the gemology skill is ruthless, Cleo made Toni a bracelet to help with her writing skill!

Toni: For me? Really? Cleo: The watcher shoved you into university classes for gameplay, it's the least we can do to help. Toni: That's so nice…

Toni: Wow I really don't know how you lived through that one. Dave: Love? Toni: Nah. Either the watcher's gone soft or she's got different plans for you. Dave: Is that good? Toni: I dunno- you tell me when you find out!

Toni: SO DO YOU THINK ITS GONNA BE TWINS OR OCTUPLETS!? Like evil Cabbagepatch babies or something! Dave: Kale's not evil..? Toni: No they're worse, they're boring. Like you!

Townie Dave, which is just what i think I'll call him now, is happy he gets to live for another day! The Reaper Career had a position open up after the recent death of a clingy vampire obsessed grimtern- so he'll be starting as a Grimbro tomorrow!

Townie Dave had his first day of Active Work as a Grimbro! He did a fantastic job ticking boxes and swinging a scythe and even ordering office supplies!

And it only makes sense that when you've committed to getting married to a serial killer- that you're name is gonna be at the top of Grim's list. Pinned. 📌

But that only makes Townie Dave appreciate the little moments more! What a chill dude.

first | prev | next

[number1yisuchongfan]

Flashback to October, when I was innocently (okay maybe not so innocently because it’s the sims and it’s the Fallout TV characters) playing with the Sims 4 and had finally got a week into just playing about, and I see this horrific notification pop up in my bar.

Thaddeus is pregnant.

HE GOT KNOCKED UP.

Somehow.

So I decided to go through the list of sims in my household, and I already knew that Lucy wasn’t the one who knocked him up, Maximus and Thaddeus hate each other, CX404 is a dog, so it had to be Norm.

Sure enough, it was him.

I wasn’t too surprised. My Norm and Thad Sims are constantly together and (despite having different bedrooms) do sleep in the same bed sometimes. They probably woo-hoo’d without me noticing. No big deal, Lucy and Thad flirt with each other, Norm finds Maximus attractive despite disliking him… it’s normal.

So then I pop open the little action hub, as Norm was very mad that Thaddeus got pregnant and had the jealous moodlet for some reason I remember correctly, and when I go to more options I just see this:

WELP! You heard it from Norm first, folks!!!

Thaddeus is really bad at sex!

[changingplumbob]

New Goth: Chapter 4, Part 5

James meets with the social worker (and I don't understand why the internal lights at 100% illumination refuse to illuminate)

CW: Moderate sim spice Content Warning Guide

To say that Alexander and James are happy to have a room to themselves again would be an understatement. Give these two an inch and they’ll be all over each other.

James: How was your first day at work love

Alexander: Good, I got a promotion

James: On your first day? Seems like a reason to celebrate

Alexander: Mmhm, you are now sleeping with a food critic

James: Oh I’ve been sleeping with a food critic for years *kisses neck*

Alexander: *laughs* I don’t complain that much do I? And if I do it’s only about stuff I cooked

James: True

Alexander: I missed this *kisses* You and me and our bed sweets

James: I know what you mean

Alexander: With Milton on a whole other floor and not directly below us I think we can have a round or two without worrying about noise. So, how about it? Want to share your bed with me Mr Goth

James: Just try to stop me

The pair’s woohoo life is paced to what James can handle. Alexander doesn’t want his husband’s heart giving out so most of the time is kissing and words rather than action but Alexander likes it that way. He’s always been a bookworm and James’ time as a teacher gave him an extensive vocabulary. Of course nothing quiet beats a quiet “I love you” whispered from one man to another around their peak.

When they’re together Alexander forgets his less than moral reasons for pursing James. Whatever his intentions were originally he’s deeply in love now. Part of him wants to keep James to himself for as long as he can but he knows James has always wanted kids. As the pair end and snuggle up to sleep Alexander sends a wish to the universe that he can be a good father. He couldn’t bear to let James down.

The morning leaves room for a different type of love as Hamlet is feeling needy and wants snuggles.

Before Milton leaves for school James makes sure to boost his confidence.

James: Just remember, if you’re comfy in that suit that’s what’s important. Other people’s tense moodlets are not your problem

Milton: Thanks Uncle James

James: You should know I’m seeing the social worker today

Milton: About adoption?

James: Yes. I promise not to bring home Stuart Little

Milton: Who? Oh I better go or I’ll miss the bus

James sighs to himself and tells Gertrude off for hitting the bin again. Of course telling offs don't do much when they're followed by snuggles.

Alexander: Are you sure you’re fine going by yourself? They won’t dock us points or anything

James: You just got promoted, you have an appearance to maintain at work. Don’t worry, I have half a dozen stories of how you’ve helped Milton under my belt if they ask

The social worker has set up a meeting at the local library/café so James does not have far to travel. He gets there early and grabs a small table in the corner while he waits. Right on time the social worker shows up.

Harper: Mr Goth?

James: Yes, that’s me. Mrs Ali I assume

Harper: Yes but really Harper is fine. It’s not a trap I use to screen prospective parents, I promise

James: That’s a relief

Harper: Now I have looked over the paperwork you and your husband submitted

James: And how is it?

Harper: Obviously finances are not a concern for you

James: That's right

Harper: And you’ve retired? So there will likely be a parent at home most of the time

James: Yes, I’ll be there

Harper: Good. And what about your brother in law, Milton?

James: He’s home when he’s not at school

Harper: I mean is he prepared for a new face at home

James: He knows all about it, I think he’s rather excited about having someone closer to his age around. Uh... not that we would make them spend time with Milton if they didn’t want to. We're not trying to adopt a babysitter

Harper: That is the one other thing I would like to check

James: Yes?

Harper: I see you and your husband have indicated you would like an older child, possibly a teen

James: Correct. I would like someone who’s going to remember me

Harper: I see. Adopters are not always interested in the older kids so you've made my day

James: I was a teacher for most of my life. I believe all of them deserve someone in their corner

Harper: A noble thought. Now I’ve looked at the hobbies you and your husband have indicated and there is one in particular who may fit well if you’re up for it. From being a teacher you must have some experience with kids that fall outside the normal

James: Um... up for it?

James: They’re not violent are they? Because I am getting on and I don’t think I could handle-

Harper: Oh no no no, don’t misunderstand me, she’s not violent

James: So what’s the challenge

Harper: I suppose you could say… she is an odd duck

James: But she doesn’t hurt others

Harper: No sign of that Mr Goth. She has been in a series of homes for the past couple of years

James: She has?

Harper: Yes. There were personality clashes with prospective parents. While I don't want to put you off I feel it's best for her to go to a family who knows what to expect. She needs her next home to be a good fit or I fear her confidence will be dashed irreversibly

James: My husband does come from a family known to be odd. What do you think we need to know?

Harper: She can be... competitive for attention

James: What teenager isn't

Harper: *laughs* true. She also tends to try charm her way through situations due to her family history which we'll need to discuss

James: I see. Are her parents still… alive

Harper: We don’t know for certain. She was left with her grandmother at the age of three while her parents went out of town on a business trip. They were workaholics apparently. The grandmother never saw them again, she assumed they had grown bored of their daughter

James: Oh. Does she have anything of theirs? To remember them by?

Harper: I- I’m not sure. You’d have to ask her

James: So did her grandmother pass away? Is that why she's in the system?

Harper: Not exactly. Do you know what an esoteric shop is

James: No

Harper: Think tarot cards, crystals, candles, teas and incense. Stuff like that. Her grandmother was running a very successful one where she helped out a lot. Just before she turned eleven her grandmother was arrested for fraud. The woman is currently incarcerated and as such cannot have custody

James: I see. So she’ll… what? Trick our money from us

Harper: Normally she only charms the gullible and despite that shows high compassion for those she feels affection for. However she can be slow to trust and open up to others. Sometimes testing them. I think with you and your husband being the intelligent sort you’ll not fall for any schemes, and your history as a teacher should have given you the ability to bond with teenagers

James: Right. So when can we meet her

Harper: You… still are interested

James: Yes. I was serious when I said all kids deserve someone in their corner

Harper: *smiles* I can set up a meeting, see if the situation would be good for your family and her

James: Does that mean she'll be interviewing us? She may not want to be adopted by someone so old

Harper: Don't worry Mr Goth. The personalities of the adopters matter a lot more to these kids than how old or mobile they are. I promise you, she does want a place to belong

Previous ... Next

[esotericas-sims]

@thebramblewood tagged me to post my top 24 screenshots from 2024. I only started my blog in March of this year (INSANE btw... how far we've come...) so a few months are going to be getting more than 24. I'm sure many of you have already been tagged, but I'm tagging @crvptydgaming, @j3lly-fish, @grimwoods, and @inlovewithregencyera, I'd love to see your years in review as well!

Long post under the cut. Also it's definitely more than 24 but SHHHH it was hard to choose

March:

back in the days of vintage Spectre Legacy content... I've learned so much since then, but I still really love a few of my old shots. This one I was especially proud of. I felt really proud of the split down the middle, and i think the differing moodlets and the little split did a great job foreshadowing the eventual split in their relationship... i miss my babies :(

April:

this was the month that i discovered my deep and abiding love for landscape photography in the sims.

also something about this shaving shot just absolutely charmed me, george's facial expression plus the candlelight just... i dont know. i still love this one. no notes.

May:

baby lydie.. she was so itty bitty *sobs. i love her little face. not a ton to say about either of these except that i really miss the spectres. someday i will return to them.

June:

it was actually impossible to pick just one or two from this month.. i love loved taking pictures in selvadorada, its one of my personal favorite worlds scenery-wise, and i have sooo many still on my computer from florence's quest there.

July:

july was my first foray into the wonderful world of pose player (never went back) and i think you can see me realizing how many doors it opens for more artistic shots. the scene with julian at the piano is still one of my favorites ive ever made, and although i was really sad to have to pause the spectre family story, i was at least glad to get to end it on a post i was really proud of.

August:

book of manon... :,) another project that i realized was beyond my skillset only partway through making it. i think realistically i should write a book, and not do a sims story about her, but i really wanted to share her with you guys.. i'd like to pick this one back up someday.

September:

i didn't post a lot in september, but i still really love octavia and margarita's wedding, especially this shot. she looks so shocked like??? god forbid your wife kisses you at your wedding??!!?! it was also the beginning of the cash legacy, which is a project i've had so much fun with (and will hopefully continue to have fun with in the new year)

October:

had to do a double feature for october because this is when i started posting a LOT, like daily on both blogs. most of these are just examples of good framing that i liked. u can see my screenshots becoming more and more minimalist i think

the one of victor and rhythm is um. uh... ummm m m mm. *tucks hair behind ear

i just think he's neat

November:

bon riddle my beloved.... idk thats all ive got to say about these. i still find that photo of him in the lake so charming. and my sogue shoot is an honorable mention... i'm also quite pleased with the winterfest party scene, and especially this shot. the separation between angelina/aphrodite and allie/kareem hits me, and the evil little smile on angelina's face.. delicious

December:

the real star of december was absolutely the epilogue montage i did for chapter one of cash legacy. i had soso much fun planning out each shot and playing dress up. as all my friends can tell you, the prom photos were some of my particular favorites. i had a truly impossible time choosing which one to use, and i still have all the others (literally like six of them) saved on my computer.

also obviously the christmas card shoot was super fun, and i've been enjoying getting to show off adult valentine a bit more. he's so special to me.

anyways my skills have clearly grown a ton this year, as has my ability to like.. shoot with intention and artistic vision. i'm still working on my writing and pacing, and i'm sure in a year or so i'll look back on these images and go "gross" but for now, i'm really happy with how far i've come.

[mortemoppetere]

TIMING: sometime while teddy was in canada PARTIES: @mayihaveyournameplease & @mortemoppetere LOCATION: a seedy bar SUMMARY: emilio and beau meet in a crowded bar. it is not love at first sight. CONTENT WARNINGS: unsanitary tw

The bar wasn’t crowded, but it wasn’t empty. People mingled, the smell of alcohol wafted with perfume and B.O. Beau made eyes at anyone who would look at him. Which wasn’t a lot of people. Most of their eyes seem to glance right over him. Why people didn’t look down was unbelievable. He wasn’t even that short. And short kings were in! Didn’t they know that? Beau nursed his drink, a little sullenly, a lot seductively to anyone who dared look at him. No one approached. He was going to have to make his own move. That’s when Beau saw him. Mr. Right. Fluffy hair, leather jacket, moody scowl. He drank like he didn’t care if he lived or died tomorrow. Beau liked that in a person, it screamed depression. Depression screamed vulnerability. 

Beau siddled on up to the beautiful stranger, bottom lip bit, hands in his pocket, eyes on seductive mode. “Hey handsome, come here often.” It was the first thing Beau thought to say because he wished someone would say that to him. Wouldn’t that be novel? He was very handsome after all, it would be a compliment to get called handsome. “Why don’t you buy me a drink and we talk for a bit.” He winked, sliding into the chair next to medium height, dark and handsome. “I’m Beau, can I have your name?”

—

He got stir crazy, sometimes. Usually when he was stressed out, when the walls of whatever room he was in started shifting into ones he’d left behind years ago with blood on the paint and bodies on the floor. He felt uneasy in his own skin, like someone was watching him even when he was home alone. On those days, he’d found it was easier to be out and about and around people. 

And alcohol. He always needed alcohol.

It made a bar the perfect setting, especially on a night like tonight. It wasn’t crowded enough to be stifling, but wasn’t empty enough to be uncomfortable. Emilio sat in front of the bartender, drinking his whiskey in silence. The poor guy had tried making conversation at first, but Emilio had tipped him a little extra and waved him away, making it clear that he wasn’t in the mood. The bartender got the memo.

Apparently, the bar’s patrons didn’t. 

Emilio tensed as someone slid up next to him, nostrils flaring in quiet irritation as the man spoke. Months ago, if he were feeling the way he was feeling now, he probably would have interrupted the come on to ask the man to fuck in the bathroom just to give himself an outlet, but things were different now. There was Teddy, and while they hadn’t quite talked about exclusivity, Emilio didn’t want anyone else. “No,” he replied flatly, not looking up from his drink. 

After a moment, he held up his left hand and tapped his wedding ring. He wasn’t technically married anymore – he didn’t think it counted when the person who’d put the ring on your finger had been dead two years – but the ring got him out of conversations like this one. People were a lot more willing to accept that than they were an explanation that you were dating someone. “Try someone else.”

—

“Haha,” Rejection used to send a ripple of rage down Beau. It used to drive anger to the surface, a boiling pot overflowing and burning the stovetop. “You’re not very nice, are you? Haha. That’s okay, I’m also known for being mid-height, mysterious and brooding.” Now rejection didn’t bring anger, because Beau was always angry. It was always bristling under the surface, a full moodlet that couldn’t possibly fill more. It’s just, the people of this town didn’t respect him enough. They were all so self obsessed. They didn’t care about people other than themselves, like say, the extremely handsome brunette with the big fuck me eyes that just wanted everyone to fall over themselves for the chance to talk to that loveable stranger. 

But see, there was a fundamental problem with Beau (if you didn’t include everything about him) he just couldn’t take no for an answer! His legs swung off the bar stool as he smiled up at the stranger. The smile burned his cheeks as it fought the rage, but he was good at smiling. Everyone thought his smile was charming because he practiced it constantly. He really worked hard to be the most likable guy in town, if only people would get out of their asses long enough to notice. “Haha,” He added, for good measure, because the rage inside him wanted an outlet. Like punching a wall, but nice guys didn’t punch walls. They smiled and said haha.

“Try someone else?” Beau took a sip of his drink, it was fruity and sweet. He hated the taste of alcohol, and how bitter it was. “Can’t two extremely hot men have a friendly conversation without such hostility? Haha, whatever happened to kindness? Don’t people ever want to make friends anymore? We could be friends.” Beau batted his extremely long and beautiful eyelashes, that to anyone else might look like he had something in his eye. “Say, you’d look better if you smiled. Come on. Let's see a smile.”

—

“No, I’m not,” Emilio agreed. Nice, he thought, was too often a mask that people wore. Most people were shit. They were bundles of rage and selfishness held together by blood and bone. Kindness existed, of course — kindness was in Wynne’s tendency to leave food on the counter for him, or Teddy’s insistence of pausing the movie they were watching any time Emilio needed to get up and walk around — but nice was different than kind. Nice was less honest. Emilio didn’t think he was particularly kind, but he knew he wasn’t nice. He disliked lying too much to be that. 

Irritation was a distant thing in his chest as the man continued speaking, because he’d really hoped he’d walk away. He wasn’t in the mood to speak to anyone, and he especially didn’t think he was in the mood to speak to this person. He no longer enjoyed people who approached him in bars only to hit on him. It felt boring to him now, like something unable to hold his interest for long. “I am not being mysterious or brooding.” He was only mostly sure what those words meant. “I am drinking. I want to keep drinking. I don’t want to talk.” 

But the man just kept going. He told Emilio to smile, and the irritation moved closer to the surface. “I have enough friends, I think. I’m sure you can find one somewhere else. Over there, maybe. Or in another bar. Maybe another city. I think this would be fun for you.” As long as you get away from me, he thought. 

—

At least this guy knew he was an asshole. Beau swung his legs (being too short for his feet to touch the ground) his feet thudding against the bar. “You could be, if you tried. I’m nice. See? This is me being so nice to you. Isn’t that nice? It’s really nice. So maybe you should take a turn and be nice too. Then we can be nice to each other. Isn’t that how friends are made? Whatever happened to community? Do people not care about community anymore? I care about community and you’re in my community so I’m being nice to you. And that’s nice, don’t you think? Isn’t it lovely being nice?” Beau was good at talking. A lot better than this guy. He wasn’t even trying to have a conversation. It was like he wanted to be rude. On purpose. God, Beau could not stand people sometimes. 

Beau started laughing. “You know what you remind me of? A caveman? You’re like all grrr scowl scowl. Not the guy who invented fire or the wheel. Those cavemen were probably nice, and probably didn’t spend all their time sitting by themselves. Fire guy probably wanted to keep all his friends warm, while they were drinking together. Because you know you can drink and talk, right? Maybe they didn’t have that in your cave, but people have been doing it for centuries now.” Beau took a big sip of his drink, just to give the man an example. It really seemed like he needed it; “And the guy who invented the wheel probably wanted to help people. He was probably talking to the people in his community and realized he could provide a service that no one else could! A wheel! Isn’t that fun? That’s so fun. Maybe you should think about that, while you’re sitting alone in your cave.” 

“It’s okay to admit you have no friends. I would believe you. I really would.” Beau could take a hint. The thing was, he chose not to. “Say, how about I be your first? On the house. Because you don’t know what it’s like, and I? Well I have lots of people who I call friend.” There was a distinction between having a lot of friends and having people you call friend. After all, Beau was comfortable calling anyone a friend. “Let's kick it off. Why don’t you give me your name?”

—

“It would be nice,” Emilio said slowly, “if you talked less.” Christ, he could hardly keep up with what this guy was saying. The repetition of the same words over and over again made his head spin a little, his uneasy grasp on the English language struggling to keep up with the barrage of verbal bullshit being flung in his direction. Some people, Emilio had learned, just liked to hear themselves speak. They’d say just about anything so long as it meant their mouths got to keep moving. Sometimes, it could be almost charming — Jade liked to talk, and he didn’t mind her — but other times? It was beyond annoying. This man fell firmly into the latter category.

The man who was still. Fucking. Talking. He was droning on about cavemen now, and Emilio tried to tune him out. He took a swig of his whiskey, sighing as the stranger went on and on and on. What was with this guy? Did he know how to shut up? Emilio’s fingers twitched. He’d be lying if he said there was no part of him that wanted to rear back and take a swing at the man just for irritating him. He’d been up to his ears in problems lately, and his temper was shorter than usual as a result. But you couldn’t punch strangers just for being annoying unless you wanted to be kicked out of bars, and there were only a few left in Wicked’s Rest that would still grant him entry. 

Finally, the guy seemed to tire of his own voice enough to ask Emilio a question. The brief pause that followed was almost a relief. “Sure, I’ll give you my name,” he said. “It’s ‘Fuck Off.’ You want me to spell it out for you? F… U… C…” He trailed off, downing the rest of his drink and waving to the bartender for another. “Look, cabrón, there are plenty of other people in this bar. Go bother one of them. I’m not in the mood for it.”

—

“Oh, you don’t know how to spell fuck do you. There is a k at the end.” Beau was laughing. It was radiating off him in the same air that kept Cherynobl too hostile to reinhabit. “You really are a caveman. That’s okay. I find it endearing.” Beau was fluent in Spanish, which should be noted about him, or he might have said that cabrón wasn’t a word. Alas, this wasn’t the first time he’d been called cabrón and it probably wasn’t going to be the last. The word slid right off him, like water sliding off a little baby duck’s back. He figured it was because of the horns, goats had horns, and the literal translation was a male goat. Thus, he’d never figured out that it was used as a curse. 

Beau knew this anger. Because the truth is, he was angry once. (If you ignored the fact that he was angry every day, every day the way people treated him was wrong, every day people didn’t respect him the way he deserved, every day they didn’t love him when he was the most loveable person anyone had ever met.) That had been when he was lonely and didn’t have friends. Now he had so many friends and no reason to be angry and sad! He could help here! Some people just needed a little crack in that silly little eggshell. And then he’d probably be so grateful and fall madly deeply in love with Beau and worship Beau for the rest of his life. And that would be nice because his hair was fluffy and cute. 

“If I leave now, we’ll never become friends. Hahaha, and don’t you know that it’s up to the extrovert to pick up the introvert? Lucky you! This is introvert adoption day and I’m choosing you to bring home with me.” Beau threw in a wink. He was good at winking because he practiced them in the mirror. Anything to make sure people realize how cute and handsome he is. Beau reached forward and tapped a cute little boop against the man’s nose, sealing the deal. Adoption complete. 

—

Emilio wondered, absently, how many times this man had been punched throughout the course of his life. He imagined the number was a high one, figured it was something that happened often. Mentally, he began going down the list of people he’d call to bail him out of a holding cell when this interaction, inevitably, ended the way he imagined so many of this guy’s must have. There was no way in hell he’d bother Nora or Wynne for it, Teddy was still in Canada, Xóchitl had more than enough going on, things with Jade were tense… Would Kavanagh bail him out if he called her? He was pretty sure Kaden would leave him in the cell and take photos. Javi might pick him up, but he’d probably demand Emilio pay his bar tab in exchange, and that didn’t sound particularly fun. 

The action of mentally scrolling through the list of people he’d likely owe a favor to by the end of the night served to calm him a little, if only because it distracted him from the irritating babble spewing from the man beside him. Emilio poured a little more whiskey down his throat, swallowing the burn and letting it settle in his chest. The man was still going. His fingers twitched, yearning to clench themselves into a tight fist and make contact with a nose that didn’t look nearly broken enough to reflect the current level of irritation the stranger was responsible for. 

Maybe Teddy would come back from Canada just to bail him out if he knew the situation.

“I don’t want,” Emilio said slowly, “to be your friend. I have said this already. How many times should I repeat before you realize? Do I need to say it another way? No quiero ser tu amigo. I am not going home with you.” A hand reached out, finger tapping his nose, and it took all the self control Emilio had not to start swinging. “If you touch me again,” he said lowly, “I am going to punch you very hard in your face.”

—

“Haha, woah! Who said anything about coming home with me. You’re so full of yourself. Haha. It takes a lot more than one drink to come home with someone of my caliber.” The only reason this didn’t qualify as a lie was because no one had ever come home with Beau after one drink. Fae magic really was full of loopholes, as long as you knew how to work your intentions right. “I’m more of a take me to dinner, and seduce me, kind of guy, haha. Don’t you know the type? Haha. The type is me.” Beau lived in the blissful place where rejection meant nothing. There was no anxiety riddling his chest with thoughts that reminded him actions had consequences. Sure, he’d been met with many consequences for his actions through the year, but every time Beau decided that was the exception to the rule. The rule being, he was perfect and nothing else bad could possibly ever happen to him.

“Haha, I’m just being friendly. You’re being really rude, you know that right?” Beau batted his beautiful eyelashes. “Do you always try to bring home friends you make? Haha. You must be really into board games or something.” He was being purposefully obtuse. That was another thing about rejection. As long as you twisted your words, and pretended your intention was different, then they were the ones being weird to reject. They were the people being the problem. They were making assumptions when Beau? He was just being a nice little guy. He was being friendly. He was always friendly. That’s why his cheeks always hurt from smiling and why he was always ignoring the inferno burning inside of him.

“You know, anger looks ugly on you, haha. My mom used to tell me that anger makes a person ugly. It ruins their face and it scars their soul, haha, you don’t want to have a scarred soul because you were mean to a stranger who just wanted to be your friend, do you?” He put on the pouting face, the kind you would see from a child on television series, that always worked to get them their way. He wouldn’t call it a puppy dog face, because all puppies he had met were brats that piddled everywhere. Beau was better than any puppy. He never piddled anywhere he wasn’t supposed to.

—

An argument bubbled up in Emilio’s chest. He had mentioned taking Emilio home with him, had talked of adoption, and Emilio realized belatedly that it was some kind of metaphor too complicated to squeeze through the ever-present language barrier that sat between him and an English conversation. But arguing with this man meant carrying on speaking to him, and Emilio had little desire to do that. All he wanted was to sit and to drink and to pretend that nothing in his life was falling to pieces. “I do not like dinners,” he said instead of arguing, “so you should go find someone who does.” 

But the guy just kept fucking talking. No amount of rudeness was making him leave, despite the fact that he was happy to point out aforementioned rudeness. “Yes. I am being rude. Which means you can go. There are other people in this bar you could bother. Most of them probably won’t punch you.” The unspoken addition to the statement being that Emilio would, if the guy didn’t fuck off soon. He wasn’t particularly good at swallowing his anger or his irritation; there’d never been enough room in his chest to house it all without it spilling over.

“I don’t care about my soul.” He was pretty sure he’d lost it a long time ago, anyway. “I’m angry. You being here is making me more angry.” What the fuck was he doing with his face? The guy looked like he was trying to take a shit. Emilio gripped his glass a little tighter, loosening his hold only when he heard the beginnings of it creaking. Shattering the glass wouldn’t end any better than punching this man would. It would actually be less satisfying.

—

“Everyone likes dinner.” Beau informed this man and that was kind of him. It was kind of him to correct this man who clearly knew nothing, not even about himself. How did Beau keep finding himself in these situations? Across from hopeless people who needed a calm guiding hand. Really he should open a charity for how many helpless and clueless people he ended up helping. Maybe that would be tax deductible. Oh, he’d like that a lot. Beau’s eyes flitted up and down his newest tax deduction, wondering just how much he could save. “Everyone eats. It’s part of being alive. Haha. Everyone likes dinner. Especially with me.” That was a bold statement, but he had nothing to back it up. Because no one ever wanted to eat dinner with him. He was tired of eating alone, if he was being honest. 

“Acceptance is the first step to change, haha.” This conversation could be going better if this man would stop trying to send him away every five minutes. At least he knew he was being rude. “Today is the perfect day for change, haha. No one is going to punch me. Look at me.” Beau planted his chin on the palm of his hand, smiling up at the stranger. “I’m too cute to punch. You wouldn’t punch a little guy, right? I’m just a little friend. No one wants to punch me. That wouldn’t be fun. Oh, is that what you’re into? Bar fights? I’ll help you start one. I’m not a fighter, but I’ll watch. Everyone has their hobbies, haha.”

“Angry is good. You’ll need that in the bar fight.” Beau turned around, leaning his back against the bar as he scanned the crowd. Who looked the most punchable. Beau eyed the crowd slowly. Who looked good, who looked good… Him. Beau spotted the beefiest man in the crowd. That man looked like he could punch. “Be right back, amigo.” Beau slid off the bar and marched his way across the room. If Emilio was curious enough to watch, he would see Beau march up to the strange man, make him bend down to whisper something in his ear and point at Emilio across the bar. The man got angry fast, skin turning a deep red as he shouted. It was just like a scene from a movie. The music stopped, the crowd parted. The man marched over to Emilio and swung a punch. Beau scrambled behind, grabbing his drink and moving the side to watch with delight. 

—

This man was sitting across from him and telling him that he was wrong, not about something objective but about himself. It grated on Emilio in a way few other things could manage, made his jaw tighten and his body feel hot. He was familiar with the kind of rage that was washing over him now, knew it better than he’d ever known anything else. Throughout his life, few things had been as constant as his anger. His short temper was something his mother had often tried to hone, to weaponize. Few emotions were though useful for hunters, but rage could be sharpened into a knife with relative ease. He was itching to use that blade now, holding back by reminding himself over and over and over again that he was in public, that this idiot was probably human, that you really couldn’t kill people just for being annoying. 

“I am going to punch you,” Emilio said. “I do want to punch you. I don’t care if you are a little guy. You’re very annoying.” Maybe threatening him would make him go, or maybe Emilio would have to actually take a swing. He almost hoped for the latter; with the irritation building in his chest, he thought punching this man might be good for him. The man was still prattling on, talking about barfights and hobbies and Emilio wanted nothing more than for him to shut up. He tuned him out, trying to focus on the drink in his hand.

After a moment, the man left. Relief felt like a flood washing over Emilio; he wasn’t attentive enough to recognize that the stranger planned to return, or to pick up on what his plan was. He leaned over the bar, ready to ask the bartender to pour him another drink, when someone walked over and took a swing at him. It was through a lifetime of training that Emilio dodged the attack despite the lack of attention he had paid to its arrival, ducking beneath the fist and sliding out of the barstool to stand. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He dodged another fist. This one slammed into the person who’d been seated on Emilio’s other side, who took enough offense to the assault to get to his feet as well. A chain reaction started around the bar as drunk patrons began to join the fray.

—

Beau didn’t like fighting. It was brutish. People who needed to fight weren’t intune with their emotions. They weren't smart enough to have eloquent conversations that positioned them into getting what they wanted. They were dumb. Probably from taking too many punches to the head. However, if his little introvert wanted to fight, then his introvert would fight! That was how kind Beau was. If he’d said it once, he’d said it a hundred times. He was Beaunevolant. The big man came over swinging. His little introvert dodged, and that was cute. Go little buddy! Beau was sure to cheer silently in his head, as not to draw attention to himself. He vehemently did not want to get dragged into this fight. 

A full out scene was beginning to establish in the bar. One person turned into five turned into twenty. It really felt like everyone was fighting. Beau giggled as he watched. How simple humans were, always falling for the tricks of fae. He tracked down his introvert, a true and pleased smile on his features. “Are you having fun yet?” He asked, ducking under a table and looking up as he asked. He had to be extra careful no one punched him. His face was the money maker after all. And what if they broke one of his horns? That would be a damn shame. “A fight for you to punch people! Just like you wanted!”

—

To Emilio, a fight made more sense than a conversation. Words were difficult to understand, especially in English. Most of the time, people spoke too quickly for him to keep up. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around what they were saying, couldn’t translate it into something understandable before they’d moved on into talking about something else entirely. Throwing a punch was the same in every country. Violence transcended the language barrier in a way nothing else ever really could, made complicated things simple. Emilio didn’t know how to talk to people nearly as well as he knew how to hurt them. He hadn’t been looking for a fight tonight — and that was a rare thing on its own — but here he was in the midst of one all the same. 

He probably liked it a little more than he should have.

It was only when the insufferable little man returned that Emilio realized how the fight had started. This, of course, took a little bit of the fun out of the whole ordeal. The last thing he wanted was to give the stranger anything he might enjoy. “I wanted,” he grunted, catching a fist that was thrown his way and shoving it backwards into the face of the very man who’d thrown it, “to punch you. I still want to punch you.” Maybe a little more now, all things considered. 

—

“Haha! There you go being rude again.” Beau let his laughter roll over the noise of a fighting crowd. This was far from this first observed bar fight, but he did find it to be a dull past time. What did fists get done that words couldn’t? Beau kept himself safely under the table, making sure no violence would breach his bubble. “Don’t punch me! I’m not very punchable, honestly. Besides, I’m too hot. Hot people don’t get punched. That might ruin their hotness, and then who will you stare at and think “Wow he’s so hot?” Beau let a fresh wave of laughter out. “Just kidding, just kidding. How long do you think this fight is going to take you?” 

—

God the man was annoying. The more he spoke, the more he grated on Emilio’s nerves. And maybe that would have been fine, if not for the fact that he just kept talking. It was like he had no idea how to shut up. Each word was another nail scraping the proverbial chalkboard of Emilio’s mind until, finally, he lost his patience for it. Turning towards the man, Emilio reared back his fist and swung, the resounding crack one that seemed to reverberate through the bar even over the chaos. The man went down, and the talking finally seemed to cease. Emilio sighed, relief washing over him in spite of the chaos.

Leaning down to the now unconscious stranger, Emilio dug around in his pocket until he found a wallet. He pulled out a few bills and set them on the counter amidst the chaos, placing his empty glass on top of them to keep them from being blown away. Making eye contact with the bartender, who looked exhausted, he added a couple extra to the pile. Then, dropping the wallet on the irritating man’s chest, Emilio stepped over the guy and made his way towards the door.

If this was what socializing got him, he’d much rather just drink at home.

[pixeldistractions]

The past couple months have been full of ups and downs for Jordan, but he finally feels like things are on the upswing. In gameplay, he’s very often doing this adorable happy dance. Like, he loves this life! Right now, he does. He had to cause a lot of trouble to get here, but it’s paying off for him now. He is finally figuring out his shit, he got his woman, and he’s so hopeful for their future. And there are more worries still, but they’re buried so far underneath the bliss that he can easily forget they’re still there.

(Dude doesn’t know that he’s the main character in a story that’s not even half over, but we’ll let him enjoy this for a bit…) 😈

But anyway, my game suggests cheerful?

Like I said when Maria popped up one of these, I almost never accept these things, but I actually like this one for Jordan.

I don’t know if I ever would have noticed this about him before he left Colette, because she was such a drag on his life, but doesn’t he just want to be happy? He is such a TS2 pleasure sim. He doesn’t desire wealth or power or fame. He just wants to live his life as he wants, to be unbothered, to love and be loved, to work little and play hard, to dream big and chase after those dreams. He wants everyone in his life to be happy, even though it’s impossible to please everyone all at once.

And his spirit feels pure. (If it’s not too weird to say, I always know how my characters’ spirits feel. Like, the aura of the place where their thoughts and feelings come from. And they’re all very different.) There’s a kind of innocence about Jordan—he doesn’t lie, he isn’t cruel, he won’t even call his ex a bitch when she’s being one. He feels carefree and pure. And that’s also the way a lot of other cheerful sims in my game feel. So cheerful? I clicked yes!

I ditched his noncommittal trait a little while back, too, by the way. Because he’s actually very much the opposite. He’s overcommittal, if that’s a thing. This is a pattern I’ve noticed emerging with Jordan, he promises everything to everyone. (Whew, didn’t he just make some more big promises to Maria???)

And maybe that’s why he feels like everyone is always disappointed in him, because he promises more than he can realistically deliver. Considering that, I wonder what he promised to Colette and failed to deliver that made her so mad? (I know what it is, actually.) It might not be anything he promised explicitly, but maybe it was implied, or that she implied it upon him and he didn’t refute.

Which is not to say he will disappoint Maria, too. Maybe he won’t. But who will he disappoint instead to keep his promises to Maria? Or who would he disappoint if he keeps his promises to his boys instead? That’s without even making promises to himself, which he has finally started doing. And whatever it is Colette thinks he promised her, pretty safe to say, that’s at the bottom of his list.

So if he has proven himself to be fickle and indecisive, I think that’s also a consequence of being overcommitted and his optimism (cheerful trait) that he thinks he can actually follow through with all these promises.

I have a lot of custom traits, but I don’t think I have one to approximate that. I doubt that kind of characterization could even be put into a game. He does still have the irresponsible trait, but that one is pretty useless in gameplay.

But, in gameplay, Jordan is actually really high maintenance to play! Which inspired this bit ^ where she wanted to chill and cuddle and he wanted to go do something.

His fun bar drops super fast and he gets irritable moodlets when he’s bored. He also gets bored moodlets from being inside for too long (unless he’s getting some action, but to be quite honest, he’d rather do that outdoors, too, if privacy wasn’t a concern!)

So time will tell whether Maria can keep up with him. She doesn’t have any inherently lazy traits, but he tends to go go go until he drops of sheer exhaustion, and she’s a little more chill than that. But she does love to dance, so I wouldn’t say she’s completely inactive, either.

Let’s wish them luck, lol!

If nothing else, now he has Johanna to run him into the ground, too. Oh, and she will!

[micrathene-w]

Checklist Challenge 7

I feel like I should subtitle this one "The Hunt for Don!"

Since Mr Lothario didn't show up at any of the gyms (or anywhere else Alexa had visited), we had to venture to the Caliente household and hope for the best. Luckily -and unluckily - everyone was home. So she finally got the meet the infamous Don... but they couldn't just speed-run through to doing the deed, as Alexa wasn't about to incur the wrath of all three Caliente women.

For the moment, she settled for an introduction, then added him on Social Bunny and sent a couple of flirty messages there. After a little more fishing and Practicing Speech to get that Charisma up, she headed back to the Rattlesnake Juice Bar and called Don to see if he'd join her.

He agreed, showed up on the lot, walked up to the door - then immediately turned around and dipped out. 😒

Saturday, Alexa hit her goal for the Side Hustle simoleons.

Since maxed Handiness comes into play later, these funds went to buying a woodworking table. Once she builds up a stock of little statues, a sales table can be the next purchase so she can sell those, her excess honey from the bee box, and collectibles.

(This is also about the point where her "Outdoorsy" Lifestyle started working against us. Even though the woodworking table is outside in the yard, apparently anything on her home lot counts as indoors; she kept getting Bored moodlets from "being stuck inside" even when there was rain falling on her little blonde pixel head.)

Saturday morning followed the usual routine: tend garden, eat grilled cheese, pop over to The Realm to see what tomes, crystals & ingredients are on offer for the day, then switch out between several different skills so she doesn't get too bored of any one.

In the evening just because The Watcher was feeling grudgy, she tried to spend time with Don again, this time heading to the bar in Evergreen Harbor. (Hey, Dumpster Woohoo is on the list too, and Don was being trash anyway, so...)

This time he at least walked inside the building - and even had a couple of interactions with Alexa. Then he walked back outside, coughed dramatically, and vanished again.

[I vented to @whyhellosims about this, then wondered if maybe Neighborhood Stories or MCCC had shoe-horned him into an evening job, and that's why he kept leaving. She suggested the "invite to hang out at current lot" might be buggy at the moment, and to try Travel With instead.]

SO to try to dodge both possible issues, Alexa skipped her first chance at the Flea Market, and at around lunchtime on Sunday invited Don to Travel With her to the Salty Paws Saloon after a quick switch of their regular garbage can for a dumpster.

Lo and behold, the bartender knew how to make Cupid Juice - a nice little boost to the mood I had not expected but certainly wouldn't complain about! And with that help, finally...

The two-fer was accomplished! ...and now Alexa can dip out on Don, never to be seen again lol.

[justkeeponsimming]

Hex tilts her head to the side, debating whether Weatherly is really in a fit state to go out on a date with her. She’s always dreamed of her best friend finally falling in love with her, so she doesn’t want their first date to be under a cloud of juice. 

Hex: “How about tomorrow? The juice went straight to your head.”

Weatherly sighs, losing the jovial smile on his face. Hex’s expression falls in time with his. They were playfully joking around and having fun. Sometimes, juice really drops a sim’s mood fast. Is that what’s happened?

Weatherly: “Y-you’re right. I got carried away.”

Hex: “Ley, is something up? We’re fine, but I’ve not seen juice affect you like this, even after drinking a lot.”

Weatherly sinks into Hex’s arms. It’s like all of his energy left him in a rush. She clings onto him, rubbing his back to soothe him. He’s acting so differently. Juiced up Weatherly normally won’t stop giggling and chatting, but he’s almost upset right now.

Weatherly: “K-kinda. I’ll tell you…I promise. I just…need to think some things over.”

Hex swallows hard, trying to push down the moodlets from her paranoid trait. If he was having doubts about their romantic relationship, he’d say so. This must be something else. University worries? Family concerns? Weatherly is the only sim she totally respects, so it takes a lot of restraint to not scan his mind to find out what’s wrong.

[rstarsims3]

Pfffft!!!! My teen got put in time out because of fighting in public. But that's not the only thing that cracks me up. Both of them -father and son- are in a dance club. On a hotspot night.

They met there, each of them coming from different places in the city. As soon as Cruz (the dad) laid eyes on his son, he proceeded to scolding and putting the latter in time out. In the club. With all those people around, lol.

-----------------------

*Plying evil sims for the first time.

** The one Oscar fought is the guy with the leather choker in the 3rd pic. He's also Cruz's co-worker in the criminal career and the one to beat up Oscar first (at a party where Oscar went in his dad's place because Cruz was in jail at that time).

*** And now he also has the "enemy" moodlet...

[markantonys]

it’s been a few months since my last sims binge, which means it’s time for another sims binge which means it’s time for WOT polycule babies!

but first: i was having a wedding for different sims and they invited the WOT sims as guests. everyone sat down nicely in chairs in the ceremony area...................except for rand, lan, and perrin, who decide to sit crosslegged on the ground, in their fancy clothes, on the other side of a hedge too tall to see over.

why does this look like an album cover

but honestly, this checks out. if any 3 WOT characters were to be like “i’ve had enough of this fancy party, just gonna go sit over here behind this hedge with my bros” it WOULD be them. introvert gang!

and now, polycule babies!

it will only be elayne’s twins, because aviendha’s quadruplets a) are an absurd decision on rj’s part and not something i accept as canon and b) wouldn’t fit in the household anyway since the max is 8 sims and the twins bring the fam up to 6.

i determined that rand would be the (biological) babydaddy because i tested out in create-a-sim to see whether he or mat would have better-looking kids with elayne. eugenics.

and then, rand knocked elayne up with TRIPLETS on the FIRST TRY DJKFJGHKJHJKSHFKGH hjkhdjhlkjsfg jkdjfl jlskjfg jhLJKHDFLJGHLJH HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA

oh my god i’m crying i can’t BELIEVE how accurate that is to canon wherein he knocks elayne up with twins after 1 time having sex and aviendha with quadruplets after 2 times. i have rarely if ever gotten triplets in the sims naturally, without using cheats. instead i had to use a cheat to LOWER the number of babies down to twins. what the fuck, sim rand!

it’s been days (in real world time) and i’m still losing my shit over this. i was fully expecting to have to cheat to get twins, but i Foolishly assumed that it would be cheating up from one baby rather than down from three. i cannot emphasize enough how hard i laughed when i used my cheat to see how many babies were in there and saw that there were 3. christ on a cracker. sim rand is just as much of a baby-making machine as canon rand!

when a pregnant sim shares the news with their partner, the partner gets a happy moodlet about learning about a new member of the family. i wasn’t sure whether only the babydaddy rand would get that moodlet, but mat and aviendha got it too awwwwwww!!! they are all excited to be parents!

elayne already has a big first trimester baby bump by sims standards (often a sim won’t show at all on the first day, or only a tiny bit - it actually does vary sim to sim which is neat). pray for her.

mat carved a dragon sculpture for the babies 😭😭 why am i crying as if i didn’t specifically command him to do so

second day aka second trimester!

pause in the fluff to show this glorious screenshot i snagged of mat scaring gawyn as a prank jkjfg gawyn got mad and then went and hugged egwene to calm down. then later the whole polycule was talking together and having a Pleasant Conversation and as soon as gawyn came over to join the convo it became an Awkward Encounter. i love you king.

sims lets you live out your wildest fantasies, such as making rand and elayne take a nap:

why does rand have the option to ask mat if he’s single. rand that’s your husband. i clicked it and:

i think my poly mods are confusing the game jdkjfg file this under “things that made me laugh way harder than they should’ve.” i can just picture a scenario of drunk rand crying when he learns that mat is married to another man named rand.

while they are all marked as each other’s spouses (except mat and avi who are instead BFFs) in some areas of the game, overall in terms of actual game mechanics it only fully recognizes rand/mat and elayne/avi as married. so when elayne hit third trimester, she got the option to take family leave at work, and rand got the option as her babydaddy and aviendha got the option as her wife, but mat didn’t get the option! workplace discrimination!

NYNAEVE!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!! [squirts with water bottle]

sim mat is too powerful! everyone wants him! we’ve unlocked the secret reason why nynaeve was acting so Weird about him in ACOS.

i chose “let’s just be friends......” and she said “oh. sure, no worries. let’s just pretend this never happened, okay?” gladly djkfg

elayne just had a wish to try for a baby with mat. girl you are already nine months pregnant.

and she is huge! pictured here with 3 dragons (including the one mat carved <3)

one last date night before the babies are born. now i’m thinking of that passage in TOM when mat reunites with elayne and waxes poetic about how beautiful she looks with her baby bump and red dress, glowing in the firelight 😭

elayne fucked rand and then went into labor immediately after they were done. but it still counted as “spectacular woohoo” for both of them, god bless.

another installment in my quest to see who will get registered for what parental things by the game: rand, avi, and mat all got the Pre-Parental Panic moodlet when they saw elayne go into labor, awwww!

the problem with rand having 3 partners and the family-oriented trait is that he is CONSTANTLY having a wish to have a baby with somebody. a few sim days ago he was wishing to have a baby with mat, now elayne is in labor and he’s wishing to have a baby with aviendha. why don’t you focus on the 2 that are about to pop out of your other wife. (i lied, this isn’t a problem, it’s adorable and in character. give rand all the babies he wants 2k23!)

and they have been born! elayne, rand, and avi all got the new baby happy moodlet but mat didn’t!!!! 😭😭 and elayne and rand are automatically friends with the babies, but mat and avi are only acquaintances! this is heartbreaking! also, sims 4 doesn’t register step relationships anywhere but the family tree, so in the family tree mat and avi are marked as their stepparents, but everywhere else in the game they are not considered to be the twins’ parents in any way 😭😭

thankfully, i think i will be able to make mat and avi their parents with a mod, but i won’t be able to do it until the twins are toddlers because in terms of game mechanics babies are more like objects than people lmao

(in retrospect, the above bullet point now reads like “pictures taken seconds before disaster” oh boy, just you wait)

breaking news i’m soft my heart was found full of love!!

yes mat is wearing eggplant emoji underwear don’t worry about it. as soon as i laid eyes on those i was like “i would never have any sim wear those, except for mat cauthon, whom they were made for.”

the twins became toddlers and i used the mod to make mat and avi their parents. HUGE mistake. it confused the game too much and now all the household relationships are fucked up beyond repair. it made mat their dad and avi their mom, but in exchange, rand became nothing to them and elayne became their aunt??? elayne and aviendha are still wives, yet the game is acting like they’re sisters because every time i set one of them as a kid’s mom, the other automatically becomes the kid’s aunt and it gets locked like that so that if one is the mom the other HAS to be the aunt, rather than one being the mom and the other nothing, as it was originally before i tried to cheat the system. even when i deleted the kids and made brand new ones in create-a-sim, it still forces whoever isn’t the mom to be the aunt. what kind of sister-wife shit 😭 (this did not happen with rand and mat, they’re still normal husbands not brother-husbands.)

and tragically, i had saved the game immediately before i realized the relationships had gotten fucked up, so i couldn’t quit without saving and thereby undo my foolhardy act of hubris. elayne and aviendha are stuck as sister-wives Forever.

i solved it by deleting aviendha and replacing her with the blank slate fresh-out-of-CAS version of her i had saved, then cheating all her relationships and skills back up to where they were before. i set her and elayne as wives in CAS but my multiple marriages mod doesn’t let you set multiple spouses in CAS, it only lets you have multiple wedding ceremonies in-game, so rand and new!aviendha quickly had their first kiss, became bf/gf, got engaged, and eloped all in the bathroom in the span of 1 sim hour. as god intended the game to be played!

current state of things: elayne and rand are the twins’ official parents and mat and avi are nothing to them in CAS, however, in the family tree they are the twins’ stepparents, and in the relationship panel they are their caregivers <3 having a sim add a child as their care dependent is something you can do in the game with no cheats or mods, and i should have just settled for that in the first place rather than trying too hard to play god and ultimately having to replace aviendha with a clone. lesson learned!

to close, look at the lil babies! the fox pajamas!!!! 😭😭