#nikal kosperov

[victorluvsalice]

With the holiday winding down, and new spell learned, there was really only one thing left to do for the adult members of the family -- exchange flowers! Pretty easy with the Flower Bunny dropping them everywhere, and a decent-sized garden out back. Emmett handed over a bluebell to Nikal, who gave him a crocus back -- fortunately both were well-received.

And with that (and Julia chatting briefly with the Flower Bunny, who had fallen victim to the “must make cakes” curse -- I REALLY hope the latest patch has fixed that), that was basically Egg Day! I leave you with a final shot of Adventurer Emmett getting his magic back on against some puddles. XD Next week, it’s FINALLY back to the lab -- this time with Nikal! We’ll see if she gets anything interesting at work. . .

[victorluvsalice]

It’s Day 2 of our trip through Emmett, Nikal, Julia, and Einstein Brown’s Newcrest Adventures! Day 2 was three things in the game -- Sunday, the beginning of Spring, and pop-up holiday New Skill Day! Perfect thing to come up when one of your Sims has a New Year’s resolution to learn some new skills, huh? In fact, Emmett went above and beyond -- having developed an interest in painting, he earned another skill point in that to fulfill his resolution, and later got another point in Fitness while out on a jog with Einstein to fulfill the actual holiday! (Because it only counts skills you haven’t progressed very far in, you see. . .)

In addition to all this skilling, though, there was also the matter of practicing some magic! Both Emmett and Nikal weren’t far away from becoming Adept Spellcasters, so I had Emmett practice some practical spells in the kitchen (puddles and mysterious floating glasses to Scruberoo, a broken dishwasher to Repairio), while Nikal used her recently-obtained ingredients to try her hand at making a Potion of Plentiful Needs! As you can tell from that beautiful dark blue liquid in the cauldron, it came out perfectly -- good enough that Nikal did indeed make Adept! As her thing is potion-making, I had her choose the “Blender Arm” (speeds up crafting) and “Frugal Combination” (chance that not all ingredients will be used on a potion) perks. That should make alchemy that much easier in the future!

So yes, good start to the day. Was the rest of it just as good?

[victorluvsalice]

And giving Julia her first high chair meal! Which the kid promptly threw on the floor. -.- Welp, this is exactly the situation that Scruberoo was intended for, sooo. . .on the other hand, I also can’t blame Nikal for brewing a cup of tea afterwards and then retreating to the bath to drink it. As if she doesn’t have enough going on without toddlers making messes all over the place. . .

Fortunately, Julia came into existence as a proper Sim already a bit tired, so the proud parents soon read her to sleep and went back to waiting for midnight. Nikal and Emmett shared some enthusiasm (and confetti), and made some important resolutions -- Emmett wanted to gain another skill point, while Nikal set her sights on a promotion at work. Both achievable goals, I felt! And when midnight did roll around, they were on hand to watch the festivities and cheer as their TV sneezed confetti. XD Another successful holiday in the can!

Next time -- new season, and another holiday! Two in a row? Game’s keeping us on our toes. . .night all!

[victorluvsalice]

And he did manage to find the “Minionize” tome! Which -- feels rather redundant, given he already has the SimRay for controlling people’s minds, but okay. However, that tome can only be used by an Adept, which meant it was time for more magical practice! With Nic’s help, he learned the spells Floralorial (for gardening) and Necrocall (for summoning ghosts) -- not sure when he’ll use those, but it’s something! Every spell brings him closer to a level up. . .

Also while we were here, I figured Nikal should pick up some potion ingredients (as I’m having her focus on that), so I had her fly off (badly) to the greenhouse island! Which I think is one of the bigger missed opportunities in the world -- why make that beautiful wrecked greenhouse and then make it so we couldn’t GO INSIDE? *grumbles* But she was able to pick up a few of the things she needed, like apples and valerian root and a dirt frog. She and Emmett stopped by the market for the rest, and then it was back home to continue celebrating New Year’s --

And their daughter’s birthday! Yup, wasn’t about to let Julia stay an infant any longer -- time for toddlerification! She came out rather cute in my opinion -- look at that curly hair! XD I made her an Inquisitive toddler, as only seemed right and proper given her parents. XD Nikal promptly snapped right into Good Mom Mode, helping her kiddo learn how to walk. . .

[victorluvsalice]

Fortunately, it was around this time that I discovered that, hey, all those satisfaction points he’s earned from fulfilling various aspiration goals? Yeah, those can just buy a Potion of Curse Cleansing. Time to get rid of this damn Overcharge curse so he can repair things magically again without fear! I mean, that main lobby toilet at the lab breaks a fair bit, I’ve noticed. . .

Anyway, with his duel won, Emmett headed off to work, to trade magical mischief for sciencial mischief. Specifically, in addition to the usual prompts to force his coworkers to clean and change clothes (does that have to be a work goal EVERY TIME?), the lab asked Emmett to upgrade his SimRay with a new mind control option -- Eat! Though, in the course of testing it, it worked a bit more like “Drink,” frankly -- Emmett’s coworkers kept getting glasses of water and sodas out of the fridge. As you might imagine, getting to the toilet became kind of a priority for them! Poor Mortimer and Perry and the rest -- I do feel kinda sorry for them. At least Emmett got a bit of karma for tormenting them so -- namely, his attempts to work out after his OWN lunch didn’t go so well. What you get for trying an incline without proper preparation, Emmett!

[victorluvsalice]

We do! Despite quite a bit of chaos, the baby was eventually delivered successfully -- and it’s a girl! Everyone, meet Julia Brown -- I assume you all know why she’s called that. XD Nikal, having been spared the wrath of the machine, bonded with her baby, and then collected the birth certificate and her husband and headed home.

WHERE EMMETT WAS PROMPTLY ABDUCTED BY ALIENS. *facepalm* I mean, I know it’s basically my own dumb fault -- he had the “Contact Aliens” work goal, and like a fool I went ahead and fulfilled it. But I didn’t think he’d be abducted THAT NIGHT! Damn it. . .so far he hasn’t exhibited any of the same signs Victor did after his abduction that would indicate a need for a second bassinet, but I’m gonna be watching him very closely! It WOULD be just like this game to troll me like that. . .

But yeah -- with Julia safely at home, and the new parents giving each other awkward kissy-faces, we wrap up this update! Next time -- well, more baby, essentially. And could be a LOT more baby if Emmett starts experiencing certain moodlets. . .keep your fingers crossed! I only remodeled this house for one!

[victorluvsalice]

Nikal ended her work day in good spirits -- once she finished up her meal, she headed back to the lab for a bit more experimenting, and ended up planting a few new things in the greenhouse! And fixing the toilet her coworkers busted with magic. Now that’s how you get levels in your spellcaster rank!

And then she got home and Emmett had accidentally upstaged her by getting an off-screen promotion. XD Whoops. Ah well, becoming Laboratory Leader is nothing to sneeze at -- and they could use the extra money with a kid on the way. New shower too! Didn’t really fit in their “public” bathroom, so I just stuck it downstairs in the lab for now. Really gonna have to spend some time upgrading their home now that there’s gonna be three people here. . .

Anyway, nothing much special to report after that -- they watched some politics on the TV, Nikal finished her shelf (which was NOT of excellent quality, annoyingly), and Emmett tuned up the mattress firmness on their bed, making it even better. All while it kept snowing away outside, harder and harder.

But that’s okay, because tomorrow’s a holiday and nobody has to go out! Next time -- the gang celebrates Winterfest!

[victorluvsalice]

Well, yes, if you consider Nikal finally getting pregnant to be “of note.” :p Yup, third time was the charm! I had them try shortly after they got home from work (and refreshed their needs; Nikal was literally SECONDS away from wetting herself), then had Nikal take a pregnancy test -- and yup, eating for two! As you can see, her sharing the big news was very cute, as she and Emmett basically managed to include Einstein. You’re gonna be a big brother dog now, Einie! Well, in a few day’s time at least!

In the meantime -- Nikal isn’t quite on maternity leave yet! To keep this fair, why don’t we follow her to work next time?

[victorluvsalice]

With both main goals fulfilled, the two just hung out for a bit longer in the Magic Realm, practicing magic a bit more and making some friends (hi Elizabeth -- I like your flower crown!) before heading home to eat, upgrade the bed, get a little frisky in the garden. . .

And then get a lot frisky inside. XD To be fair, Nikal actually wanted not just to woohoo, but to try for a baby with Emmett, so I decided to indulge her. This particular attempt didn’t end in success, but you know what? I’m going to keep trying. Two of my other three married couples have kids -- maybe it’s about time Emmett and Nikal joined that group. I can always remodel that gym into a kid’s bedroom. And I have enough money for some basement expansion too. . .

But that’s for next time. Next up -- first day of winter! What will I do to fill the time then?

[victorluvsalice]

It’s Day 7 of Emmett and Nikal’s (still captionless) Newcrest Adventures, and we’re wrapping things up on their end with another holiday -- Harvestfest! Yes, it may only be the beginning of November around here, but in my game, seasons are only one week, so they’ve already come up on Sim!Thanksgiving. Which means food (like freshly-brewed tea), fun (like washing dishes next to your pooping husband) --

AND GNOMES. We all remember the trouble I’ve had with these little buggers, don’t we? Fortunately, they weren’t quite such a problem this time. Emmett looked like he was keeping the “upset the gnomes and suffer for it all holiday long” streak alive when he angered the ghostly gnome with pie, but -- well, turns out the ghostly gnome is a bit more chill (ha) than some of his brethren. One quick pleading, and Emmett was forgiven for his trespasses. Which is good, as I didn’t feel like fixing everything on the lot, even if Nikal DOES have Repairio!

To be fair, though, maybe the gnome looked at Einstein and thought they had enough to deal with at the moment -- yeah, our dog woke up sick again. Bad case of swamp mouth, poor thing. Fortunately, I’d previously stocked up on wellness treats, so it didn’t take long to cure him. Just in time for the gnomes to invade the bathroom when Nikal wanted a shower! -.- Will an offering of a toy police car get them to go away?

[victorluvsalice]

It’s Day 6 of our trip through the Brown-Kosperov portion of Newcrest, aaand photoset captions still don’t work. *grumbles* I’ve sent off a support ticket to tumblr -- we’ll see if anything comes of it.

Anyway, to start off the actual update -- it’s the Lottery! Yes, this is actually a holiday in The Sims 4, if I haven’t mentioned it before -- one of those pop-up ones. The only tradition is to buy a ticket, then wait with bated breath for the drawing the next day! Emmett and Nikal both made the $100 investment, because they can afford it, and -- well, it would be super cool if they won, wouldn’t it? Certainly give me enough money to give their house a proper TECHNO-SPELLCASTER makeover (or perhaps just replace it with something semi-appropriate from the gallery, like I ended up doing with their old residence when they swapped lots with the Van Dorts). Einstein doesn’t seem to approve of such financial daydreaming, though. XD Really, Einstein? Like, right then?

Anyway, I had a hankering to do more with magic, so Nikal and Emmett zapped themselves to the Magical Realm to chat with the Sages, search for more tomes, and generally experiment! Emmett picked up the Inferniate spell from Morgyn, allowing him to set things (and people, non-fatally) on fire -- I’m not sure when this skill will come in handy, but you never know! XD Nikal, meanwhile, found a Tome of Good Fortune during her search of the bookshelves -- annoying me, as that’s a potion recipe she ALREADY KNOWS. On the other hand, Emmett doesn’t know it, so I threw it in his inventory to study later. Honestly, the main reason I came here was to pick up the free “Orb of the Dragon Familiar” that sits in L. Faba’s study for Nikal -- I’ve decided that, since she’s part of the “fire” section of the map in her home game, Spellfall, and the second area of that section has a dragon boss, she should have a dragon familiar. And I had the perfect name too -- Vale! After DragonVale, another game by Backflip. Isn’t he the absolute cutest thing? :D Seriously, if the Sims team decided to make plushies of the familiars, I’d snap up the dragon (and the leafbat) in a HEARTBEAT.

Anyway, after that, it was just time to practice magic and experiment with the cauldron until it was time for work! And since we followed Nikal last time, I decided we’d be joining Emmett on his scientific adventures this time! What strange and exciting things awaited him at the lab?

[victorluvsalice]

And ascend to SPELLCASTERS! EMMETT BROWN, TECHNO-WITCH IS REBORN! :D Aaand promptly spent his first hour as said techno-witch scouring the bookshelves for good tomes along with his wife. Came up with a familiar orb of the Skull (two, in fact -- they both got one), but no books, meh. So I figured I’d send him to Caster Alley instead to get some wands and stuff!

. . .Wand stall closed shortly after he got there. *grumbles* At least I was able to get him a broom. Namely because the astral projection of Caleb Vatore never sleeps. Because, you know, vampire. XD And I got another look at the cool scenery in this world -- seriously, those torn-apart houses are the best. Really add to the feel that this world was saved JUST from the brink of destruction. Lovely. :)

And after that, I just had them practice magic and experiment with the cauldron until they had to head home to grab some sleep. Of the two, Nikal’s the only one with a spell right now -- Repairio! Instantly repairs broken objects and upgrades the quality of crafted ones. . .unless it fails, in which case it will set things on fire. We’ll, uh, see what Nikal manages in the next episode. ^^; Maybe we shouldn’t muck around with that spell until we know Chillio. . .

Anyway! Tomorrow, back to wo -- oh, wait, no! Tomorrow’s Spookfest! I made that a holiday! Okay, yeah, next week -- early Halloween for my two freshly witchified Sims! This should be fun. :)

[victorluvsalice]

With a frankly annoying amount of chill. If I may rant for just a moment -- Sims in Sims 4 don’t react to stuff the way they should. Adults will take time out multiple times a day to go “oh, toddlers are so cute” -- but no one at this party bats an eye at Emmett being abducted! Them being in the middle of a water balloon fight completely cancels that out! There should be screaming, confusion, fear -- oh wait THAT’S NOT AN EMOTION WE HAVE WITHOUT MODS. Seriously, Gurus, what is this? Give me Sims that actually RESPOND to events, please! (Or at least take aliens with the same seriousness that they take vampires chomping on people.)

Anyway, the party just sort of wound down after that, with me letting the Sims do what they would until Emmett returned. So far, he doesn’t seem to be changed in any significant way -- and by that I mean, I haven’t seen any telltale lights around his belly. Or spotted him thinking about rattles. But I will keep an EAGLE EYE OUT over the next few days. If I am stuck with another alien kid, I want to be prepared.

Next time -- well, none of you were around during my Sims 2 days, so this is likely to make little to no sense. But here it comes anyway -- it’s time for the return of EMMETT BROWN, TECHNO-WIZARD! And his wife. :p See you next week!

[victorluvsalice]

GUESS. WHO. COULDN’T. USE. THE. FIRE. TO. ROAST. WEENIES.

I have NO CLUE why, either. Both Emmett and Nikal acted like they couldn’t reach the fire whenever I told them to get roasting! I moved it around a few times, but nothing doing! They could interact with the fire in other ways -- warming themselves, telling stories -- but using it for its intended purpose during this shindig? Nothing doing. *grumble*

So, I decided our party-goers would do something else to see out summer -- a nice water balloon fight! Everyone likes those, right? Certainly Emmett and Nikal do. And that went well for a while -- lots of splashing, and taunting, and. . .weird bright lights?

YES LOOK WHO’S BACK. Just like that, Emmett was getting yanked into the sky by another one of those damn UFOs! Looking back at it with the benefit of a few week’s hindsight, I realize that this is probably because both he and Nikal are scientists and have contacted aliens with their satellite dishes, but still! My only thought at the time was “NO NO NO I HAVE NO ROOM FOR AN ALIEN BABY IN THIS HOUSE!” *facepalm* Oh game, why do you do this to me. . .

So, uh, how did everyone take one of the hosts being plucked from the party by extraterrestrials right in the middle of their party?

[victorluvsalice]

Well, what better way to end off Love Day than Emmett fighting some random other spellcaster over in the Magic Realm and beating her very solidly in a duel? XD To be fair, I believe this is the same Sim who called him in the last episode to challenge him, and whom I turned down because I was invested in setting up a family dinner. Emmett’s just making up for the lost opportunity. I think his opponent -- Fetia -- would have preferred he hadn’t. XD But he did, and he got the spell Furio out of it -- not really my style, but it’s another page in the old spellbook!

And with that, we leave behind the Brown-Kosperovs! Time to move onto our final family, the McTest Redacted-Notamorons! Damn, that’s a mouthful. . . Anyway, see you then!

[victorluvsalice]

And then I remembered I had Flutterberries (from their Tree of Emotion) in Nikal’s inventory. So they chowed down and promptly started engaging in all the PDA. XD Which hilariously coincided with the NPC hanging out there finally heading out, so I was able to get my pretty pictures in the gazebo after all. :D I really like some of the background buildings in this world -- they’re very cool-looking!

Anyway, the date ended at Gold, as most of my dates in this game do -- Emmett took the opportunity to practice his “Florolorial” spell on the local chocoberries, then he and Nikal had a nice relaxing swim in the river Bagley. I was going to just send them home after that. . .

But then I figured -- “You know what? Let’s do a little more magic stuff before we end this week. They deserve it.” So it was off to the Magical Realm to see what was what there! Nikal spent her time with Simeon, who kindly taught her the spell Copypasto! And Emmett?