#sim: evan vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Sunday, Eloise learned to drive and later met up with Emmalline at the diner for some lunch.

Then they went to the library to finish up their respective novels. Eloise has actually maxed the writing skill, thanks to a head start as a toddler; a sci-fi novel published in childhood, Esto es mi roboto; and I think a whole lot of tabcasting when i wasn't paying attention to her, as I am otherwise at a loss to explain it.

At the library, Eloise completed her hit sci-fi followup, The Timeline Tangle, while Emmaline published a flop drama novel, Melodramatic Melancholy. Well, they can't all be winners, but how that must have wounded her Diva soul I can't imagine.

I didn't know what to do with Evan, so I sent him over to the Ivanov's to visit his new niece, Bellatrix. He taught her to walk, because heaven knows her parents aren't going to.

Meanwhile, time to attend to my midlife crisis-havers, David and Ruby! David wanted a tattoo. I got him a small set of flames on his left forearm in tribute to his firefightin' days.

Afterwards, he thanked the tattoist profusely, then displayed the maturity of his advancing years in the way that only he can.

Ruby wanted a makeover.

The stylist's original vision

was to put Ruby in a vivid green and purple coat dress, add 1980s-themed Day-Glo eyeshadow out to her temples, and do nothing about her sad flower-child hairdo. Atrocious. Ruby liked it, but I am the boss here, and I did not like it one bit.

Somehwere in the midst of all this, I sent David back to audition at the coffehouse again.

Success this time! In fact, nailing this audition propelled him to level 4, his max level for the Acrobat career according to the dice roll. So, technically, I shouldn't let him play this first gig of his on Monday. I should have him quit now and begin working in the Journalism career that he rolled for his next track.

But c'mon. Does that sound like any fun to you??! Me neither. The show must go on!

[simstryingtheirbestok]

🎵 a beautiful sight we're happy tonight the kids are off to boarding school at last 🎶

David and Ruby chose to celebrate this milestone by immediately jetting off to Champs Les Sims.

I know, but I can explain!

I mean, yes, it's true that

the Vaneaults are not swimming in cash after paying all the boarding school tuition

David didn't exactly bring home the bacon with that Cheetah McGee nonsense

he's only made it to level 2 of the Journalism career, so that's not raking in the Simoleans, either

this will only drag out achieving his Jack of All Trades LTW, which he should earn once he hits level 4 in Journalism

It's true that there are numerous arguments against sending David and Ruby to Champs Les Sims right now.

On the other hand, this is the fun save.

These two never got a proper honeymoon and they could use some time (and scenic surroundings) to reconnect, what with them both suffering midlife crises.

Because I'm trying to indulge them in those crises, it's perhaps worth noting also that David rolled both a regular wish to visit Champs Les Sims, particularly, and an MLC wish to travel abroad, generally.

Besides, with a little strategic foraging, they could actually make a profit on this expedition, even if right now they're down to their last §800. 😬

And even if, just as in University, David is often easily distracted by some of the scenery.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

While David delivered papers, the kids went off to school. This will be their last day of it--there has been no formal dance announcement, plus Lucky Palms seems to be weirdly short on teenagers, plus they've all learned to drive, plus I'm bored with them. So boarding school it is!

Evan's headed to Fort Starch; Eloise to Peace & Love; and Emmaline to Le Fromage.

Ruby had the day off. She has a midlife crisis wish to become more muscular, so I got them an exercise bench and she got to work pumping iron.

After the kids left for school I heard a bunch of yelling outside the front door. It was the mailman

hollering that he can't get to the pool to go swimming. I had set their back doors and their gate to permit passage by "Only My Household," because swimming and hot-tubbing are all the maid was ever doing, too.

Now the mail carrier wants in?! Nah, bro.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Back in Lucky Palms, we find the Vaneault triplets attending their first day of high school Thursday morning, while David and Ruby both have the day off--Ruby because that's her schedule, and David because there was a thunderstorm raging, and I wasn't about to send Cheetah McGee out in that mess.

Besides, he's been wanting to finish The Story of a Game Developer for ages, and I've never let him because... come on, David, read something good for a change.

And besides that, David is taking the day off because it's his birthday today!

After completing their school/television/dinner/homework routine, the triplets went to the Summer Festival to pelt each other with water balloons. It was Eloise and nephew Adrian

versus Emmaline and Evan

Eloise and Adrian won, 100-90.

Ruby, meanwhile, got good enough at skating to do spins.

Where was David, you ask? What about the birthday boy, you wonder? Will his celebration take place at the festival?

Yes. Well. David was home upgrading one of the bathtubs, you see.

...because I completely forgot about his birthday. 😞

I am truly awful.

"You sure are! Not even a cake for poor Cheetah?"

You... you do kind of need to keep fit in this career--

"Just for that, I'm going to age into a midlife crisis!"

Sigh.

Ruby came home and, with the help of her her winning combination of Good and Hopeless Romantic traits, tried to cheer up David.

And mostly, I think, it worked.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

"Dad? What do you think about Perfect Mind, Perfect Body as an aspiration for me?"

"Maybe, son. Maybe, but I think you should decide later on what to aspire to. Besides, I'm not sure that one jibes with your love of grilled cheese sandwiches."

"That's easy, Dad! Working out so much will mean I must eat more grilled cheese sandwiches just to keep up my strength!"

"That's pretty smart of you, Evan. But take your time, okay? It's a big decision."

[simstryingtheirbestok]

I resisted making another tired Squares Are Not Triangles joke for this set, where's my medal.

The formula when both David and Ruby had days off was, keep the triplets fed, changed, and learning some sort of skill, with occasional breaks to play with the dollhouse or something purely fun for them. I'm not a monster!

But of course, eventually David and Ruby had to return to work. I've been lucky enough to have one of them home each day so far; their days off are nicely staggered. Plus, after one more promotion for David, he'll have to quit his job in the Art Appraiser career, and that will be an enormous relief.

(I forgot to mention it, but the wedding gifts they received added another 20,000 Simoleans to their funds. That, plus her previous lottery winnings, made Ruby realize her LTW of Living in the Lap of Luxury and I didn't think she would ever actually achieve that by marrying David, of all Sims! Anyway, they don't lack for cash.)

Once the triplets could all walk/talk/potty (well, mostly--Evan lagged behind the others on talking, but he's caught up now), I started sending whichever parent was home, with the one triplet they could carry, to the library. Those toddler books that take forever to finish at home, especially with a Sim who isn't family-oriented, absolutely fly by in a library. Any skill-building goes faster there, obviously.

That meant leaving the other two triplets at home with a sitter, but here I got incredibly lucky: They have an excellent babysitter. No, I don't know how!

Probably helps that David and Ruby don't own beekeeping boxes? 🤔

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Monday marked David's first day as a firefighter!

It was great seeing him change into the uniform. No more art appraisals, whew! No more scanning, no more murals, no more protests. Okay, the protests were kind of fun once I got the hang of them, but there's no way he has that kind of time on his hands anymore.

Once at the station, I put him to work maintaining the fire alarm and the fire engine.

In the middle of that, some old bat called to ask for a date. It never ends in Riverview. When they're ghosts they'll still be like, "So you're saying there's a chance." (There is not.)

While David was out pumping iron in the yard, the alarm rang! We have our first emergency, David!

It turned out to be a small fire in the garage of Hal Breckenridge's place. A big nothing, but David got an "A" for putting it out quickly.

Before long, he was home for the day in time to have dinner with the kids.

I had been most worried about keeping the children out of trouble while David was at work, but as it happened, they were all at their afterschool activities until 5:00 p.m., which just so happens to be David's quitting time. Perfect!

Ruby came home later that night having earned a promotion to Pastry Chef.

Pretty good Monday for the Vaneaults, all in all.

Of course, David still has to work Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday... I don't even have the luxury of trying to rush him through this, because after the Firefighter career comes the Acrobat one.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Not gonna lie, getting through the weekend with three children was tough.

Evan went to visit Adrian--he spawns a good number of wishes to talk to or hang out with him, and I was curious how the Ivanovs were doing.

Afterwards, he spent some time fishing and picnicking, as the weather was good.

Emmaline and Eloise each expressed the desire to learn the writing skill, so off to a class they went. I somehow neglected to take any pictures of them working on their novels--oh yes, start the little munchkins earning early, I always say--but here they are venting the barely suppressed rage that always seems to accompany the sugar & spice & everything nice.

Speaking of barely suppressed rage, someone, maybe someone with the Diva trait like, say, Emmaline, also tried to preside over the royal court.

But I put a stop to that right away. Sorry! but Taslin over in the other save made me good and sick of that action. It's cute occasionally, but you know EA: no chill and no understanding of the concept of "occasional."

While the girls were at the library writing and Evan was over at the Ivanovs, David and Ruby got reacquainted.

Why do I buy these things? I always forget to direct the children to use them, and they don't ever seem interested in playing in the treehouses of their own volition.

The adults, on the other hand, are unable to resist it.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

The way this little guy loves hugs! 🫠

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Despite David and Ruby's good fortune, he still rides a bicycle everywhere. So does Ruby, in fact. I didn't build them a garage, I dislike sprawl and car culture, and I think David's rebel friends would frown on him buying anything fancier than the Sloppy Jalopy he gave Diphda.

Besides, he's friends with his bike. 😄

The rebel influence, however, is no longer a factor, as David has quit the Art Appraiser career.

Yes! I was so tired of having to maintain that level-10 Rebel status, and don't even start me on how much the game complained that he wasn't scanning enough art. 😡 The dice roll said David was allowed five promotions in that track, so once he reached level 6, he worked one day at that level, then quit so he wouldn't be promoted to the next one.

So what's next for David?

Well, I did give him one day off after he quit. He spent it being astonished by everything he watched on television, which you must admit is completely on-brand for him.

And he finally got to finish reading Zombies? Zombies!, which he has been trying to do for literal weeks. The big obstacle to his finishing it has been... me. I have almost always had something else in mind for him to do besides read trash, and that was especially true while the triplets were still toddlers. But every time I looked away for even a second, David would choose Read Book on Multitab-->Zombies? Zombies!

So at last I relented. Who am I to judge, anyway?! Didn't I read all those Diana Gabaldon books about the dumb horny Scotsman???

It is, after all, much better than that couple of Sims weeks during which he became bizarrely fixated on rereading The Adventures of Raymundo, until I snapped and sold it out from under his dumb ass.

I've rolled for his next three career tracks, and they are:

Firefighter: Allowed 3 promotions, to level 4.

Acrobat: Allowed 3 promotions, to level 4.

Journalism: Allowed 5 promotions, to level 6.

Two of those, you may note, are active careers. Traditionally, I have avoided these, so I've literally never played an acrobat. This could be interesting!

[simstryingtheirbestok]

I did manage to send off the kids for their first day of school before the crashing started (l to r: Eloise, Emmaline, and Evan). Poor Evan had to swing by the hospital for an allergy shot after school because, as previously mentioned and despite the rash of trick-or-treaters in the streets, it's spring.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Highlights (well... marginally notable moments) from David and Ruby's Snowflake Day Gift-Giving Party:

Trigger Broke, Buck Broke, and Odin Crosby developing an unhealthy fixation on Eloise, Ruby and David's middle child, booing and heckling her whenever she appeared in their field of vision. It was hate at first sight for these freaks and the why of it remains a mystery.

Evan and his, er, nephew, Adrian Ivanov, befriending each other immediately and being inseparable throughout the party

Emmaline being such a PITA with respect to routing/being in everyone's way that I sent her out to rake leaves in the backyard (and I'd do it again, too), then, uh, sort of forgot about her? until she stormed back in to use the facilities. Once she was through, I sent her back out to the yard to dispose of all the leaf piles. On a positive note, the backyard looks so much better now. We're all ready for Spring!

David having to Ask Everyone to Leave in order to end the party at 1:30 in the morning because Snowflake Day occurred on a Wednesday/a school night; more importantly, because none of those assclowns would LEAVE without that kind of, ah, encouragement.

Mags Newbie refusing to die even though she's 1000 years old, but insisting on smelling the place up with her poor hygiene until I snapped and resetSim'd her tf out of there

Pics below.

Gross, guys! Leave her alone!

(Fortunately, Dimitri is in the backyard. Nonetheless, I had Ruby convince Diphda to go flirt with Dimitri, then had Ruby engage Odin in conversation. Crisis averted.)

Seriously, Odin, ENOUGH. She's a child!

Mags Newbie, shown at left in her heinous ITF "formalwear," is complaining that someone is in her way because she wants to go upstairs to leave a plate of shitty onion rings on one of the desks there, the available kitchen counters by now being covered in everyone else's shitty party foods that I really wish they would just not bring.

I didn't get a picture of it, but poor Evan wound up having to sleep in the treehouse in the backyard, because the other obsession Odin Crosby developed was with the music box in Evan's room, and Odin dragged his best buddy Trigger Broke into that room with him, in order to better block the door to Evan's room. 😠😡😠

Incidentally, this has been my Supernatural playstyle progression over the years:

Initially: All occults enabled

After every original townie dipshit in Sunset Valley was, through the dark magic of werewolfery and vampiredom, still alive while I was starting the fourth generation of my legacy family: "Fuck werewolves, fuck vampires, let's only have witches and fairies from now on."

After being constantly annoyed by the music obsession of the fairies, that is, currently: "Witches only, bitches."

Anyway, I have got to remember to lock everyone's bedroom doors before inviting these monsters over again... if I ever invite them over again.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Below are the triplets. Half of Riverview is related to Ruby and the way David's going, the other half will be related to him. 🙄

I installed the mod that lets them learn to walk on their own--LIFESAVER when there are this many. Two out of three are potty-trained--don't ask me which ones lol--and one of them was taught to talk by an exhausted Ruby. I think one of them has a point on the peg box, too, but don't quote me on that.

I don't know where Evan's blue-green eye color comes from (Eloise's are blue, like David's, and Emmaline's are that olive/cat's eye green, like Ruby's). Originally, the game also tried to assign him Carlos' light-brown hair color. I changed it to Ruby's hair color because c'mon.

Edit: I hate so much that I cannot decide on a capitalization scheme for these things. Oh, well, it's the least of my problems, so naturally it is going to eat away at my soul until I am dead inside.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Two days early, the day before Snowflake Day, I uh, David decided to celebrate the triplets' birthdays.

First, Emmaline, the eldest.

Next, Eloise, the middle child.

And finally, Evan, the baby.

THANK HEAVENS that's over with.

Emmaline is Brave, Excitable, and (added) a Diva. Watching her stride confidently over to David to announce her birthday was 😂. I imagine David's thoughts were something along the lines of "No shit, kid."

Eloise is a Couch Potato, a Heavy Sleeper, and (added) has a Good Sense of Humor.

Evan is a Friendly Genius who added Bot Fan to his traits.

They won't attend school tomorrow because tomorrow is Snowflake Day.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Evan still needs to learn to talk, too, but David wanted to put him on the spring rider first, and I can never resist that.

Anything that keeps their stress levels down is fine by me.

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Wednesday after supper, the Vaneault triplets all grew up to become teenagers.

Left to right: Emmaline, Eloise, and Evan.

It's between Emmaline and Evan for the heir, because I feel that Eloise has suffered enough indignity from being heckled as a child. She deserves a break, right?

Traits aren't as important in this challenge given that the career paths are selected at random, but for what it's worth:

Emmaline is a Brave, Charismatic, Excitable Diva

Evan is a Friendly, Genius, Handy Bot Fan.

Eloise is a Bookworm and a Couch Potato; she has a Good Sense of Humor and is a Heavy Sleeper.

They'll stay at home at least through the weekend because Ruby wants to teach them all to drive, and I'd like to see if the formal dance triggers. But if nothing's shaking by Sunday or Monday, it's off to boarding school for 'em.

--speaking of boarding school, didn't I send all of Undine's kids there? Tch, I'm overdue to check in with the Estradas.