#this is exactly why i love pleasantview

[whitelodge]

I was going to make a post musing about how lonely it must be to be Dustin Broke, and then I was thinking more about how lonely it must be to be any of the Pleasantview teens. None of them have strong positive relationship with any of their parents, they don't have any friends their age other than their respective partners, and even then is that really a relationship or two people bonding because there's someone who just barely "gets it"?

NONE of them have all their needs met and are all effectively on their own because of it. There's no "us against the world" like with the Strangetown teens or some of the Veronaville teens.

Angela and Lilith have financial security but constantly live in fear of one another and are neglected by their parents, just to different degrees. Dirk has emotional stability but just the facade of financial security; he is also coping with the loss of one parent and the other parent getting ready to move on. Dustin has ZERO financial security even while having a job because there's just no way his income can feed four people, has ZERO emotional stability (I love Brandi but there's no way in hell she can offer that), and has to accept his fate that it's either screwing over his Mom and leaving when he ages up or staying in a trailer forever, doomed to let the past repeat itself.

There's no winning.

[kevinvoncrastenburg]

The Top 3 Families Of My Uberhood

@sims2forever sent me a question a while ago about who my top 3 Uberhood families are. I had an answer to that question finished in my drafts. However when I tried to edit it, I accidentally deleted the draft and thus also the question. <.< 1. The Jocques from Desiderata Valley

I don't know what it is exactly but I always loved Sophia Jocque. She's living rent free in my head, so much in fact that someday I made a protein shake after my workout and texted my boyfriend saying "feeling very Sophia Jocque today" adding a pic of me with my portein shake. 😂 Especially since they had their second child, Mike, the Jocques are a lot of fun to play and although I made some adjustments here and there I really like their house. They're this typical 2000s suburban family. Maybe they remind me of better times and that's why I enjoy playing them so much.

2. The Langeraks from Pleasantview

Kaylynn and her daughter Wendy. I just love this duo. I love how independent Kaylynn is now. She had a lot of bad luck and made a lot of mistakes but I feel like her life really began and turned around when her daughter Wendy was born. She worked hard and earned everything herself. She gained confidence and is a perfect example for her daughter. They have a very strong bond and it's always a joy to play with them. 🥰

3. The Ottomas' from Riverblossom Hills

In general I prefer bigger households more compared to smaller ones and it's just never boring over at the Ottomas'. In my game Peter Ottomas had an affair with Stella Roth and the family is shattered because of that. It was Sharla Ottomas' birthday party when Peter decided to kiss Stella right in front of everybody. The children were sad, Samantha was devastated and Dora was asleep. Samantha tried so hard to forgive her husband and to save their marriage but he vehemently refuses to show any kind of remorse. Nobody understands what's going on with him. Samantha is very close to Dora, Peter's mother, and made a decision to divorce Peter as soon as Dora passes away. The kids are getting older and David Ottomas recently got engaged to Jules O'Mackey. Etc. etc. etc. They're a challenge but so much fun.

I'll stop here. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner @sims2forever and thanks for the question! 🙏🏼

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Princess Victoriana stared at her phone, hoping for a message from her mother that demanded that she return to the castle at once. However hard she prayed it would happen, it was probably an impossible hope. Her mother and soon to be stepmother were scheduled all day for wedding planning, and there was nothing more that Claudia enjoyed than forcing family bonding time. So while her mother hunted for the perfect dress, Victoriana was stuck with her grandfather all day. Normally she enjoyed her grandparents, but they weren't even doing anything interesting. Grandpa Ewan was talking with his weird friend in dusty old Arkhelios, where absolutely nothing interesting ever happened...outside of the occasional murder it seemed.

Arkhelios was where her sort of friend Theo lived when he wasn't at school in Pleasantview, but he had declined to come home for the weekend to help prepare for a coven interview with his aunt.

It wasn't like she didn't adore her grandparents, as they were the only side of her family that she knew about. Grandma and Grandpa were nice and spoiled Victoriana rotten, and her uncles Oliver and Travis did the same, but Victoriana was bored senseless here. Her mother always told her that it was good practice for when she was bored to tears in meetings as queen, but Victoriana never believed her. Being queen could never be boring: her mother was just wrong.

"Vicki, put down your phone and go play with the other kids," Ewan ordered, gesturing with his hands towards the group of Durant children milling around. "You might make a new friend that you could invite to the castle for sleepovers, who knows? You'll never make friends glued to your phone all day."

Victoriana scoffed, but her grandfather wouldn't budge.

"Either you put down the phone, or it magically disappears from your hand. I can't be responsible if it never comes back from whatever dimension I send it too either. Its just too hard to guarantee."

Ewan gave a playful wink to Jorah as Victoriana scowled at him. Jorah had no doubt that his friend could perfectly control the magic he wielded, which only made Jorah more curious about what exactly Ewan could do.

He'd been hosting almost weekly barbecues with Ewan and his family since the day they had met. Valerian had been thrilled to hear about Jorah's new supernatural friend and insisted on having them over as often as possible. Together, the two couples had bonded over their love of family and tried to get together whenever they could find the time. It was a bit tricky to get Ewan and Anna's children to attend, given that the oldest two were adults and little Travis was in boarding school with Theo most of the time, but Victoriana was often babysat by her grandparents. She was still hesitant to join the younger members of the large Durant family, but it seemed to be Ewan's mission to find his granddaughter some non-regal friends.

"Come on, Vicki, we have a cool video game we can play."

Susanna was the gentle spirit in Jorah's family. Cindra's son and daughter were just as gentle and friendly as Susanna, but they didn't share the same DNA as Susanna's siblings, so it was harder to notice. To his chagrin, Jorah's other children didn't seem to share their sister's compassion. Hamnet was wild and hyper, running loops around the house and inviting wild dogs in the house to play with. There was a chance that he might settle down as he grew older, but his sister Judith seemed hopeless. If Jorah had to guess, all of her genetic inheritance from the Durant family came from either his mother or older sister. Judith didn't play well with her royal cousins, and she didn't tolerate annoyance well. Susanna was more than willing to embrace Victoriana, but Judith only saw a royal snob looking to play with her things.

"It's too nice out for video games," Jorah declared. "Why don't you guys play outside where I can keep an eye on you until dinner's ready?"

"It's a shame that Anna couldn't come today," Jorah commented, watching as the children scattered in the yard, reluctantly kicking a soccer ball around.

Ewan shrugged.

"She sends her regards, but something at work came up. Hopefully she'll be back soon enough tonight to try some leftovers."

Jorah paused, mindlessly flicking the burgers while he thought of how to phrase his thought.

"Is there any way that she can skip work?" he asked quietly. "I mean, her working means that someone's going to die, can't she just...not go to work today?"

Ewan gave his friend a frustrated look, but he understood the concern. It was probably the most frequent question a reaper was asked by a mortal. Interactions with mortals didn't happen often, but when they did, it always came down to this question.

"We talked about this, Jorah," Ewan reminded his friend. "The people are going to die regardless; we're just there to help them pass peacefully. So it would be much worse for everyone involved if Anna didn't go. Those lives can't be saved once they are sent to a team to reap. It's the way of things."

"Yeah, I know," Jorah sighed. He'd been expecting that answer, but still hoped deep down for a different outcome. "I get it. It's just hard to wrap my brain around it. People are dying in Pleasantview possibly at this very moment and your wife is there to help them die. Plus, there's a team just like yours working in Arkhelios who are standing by just in case Valerian or I die. It's weird."

"You did ask to know," Ewan reminded him gently. "Not many other mortals know about us for this reason. You're sure that you're okay with being our friend, right? Anna and I would understand if-"

"Don't even question it," Jorah interrupted quickly. "Sorry, sometimes I just get stuck on a thought and twist myself into knots trying to resolve it. You and Anna have been great to get to know, and we have so much in common. I haven't had this much fun with a friend since I was in college, Valerian too. Please, feel free to tell me if I make you uncomfortable. That's the last thing I want to do. Truthfully, ever since my sister blew up our family, I don't seem to have many friends at all. I was once really close to the Bellamys and now...now we don't talk, really."

"Ah well, I guess I can stick around then," Ewan teased. Jorah tossed him a beer, which the reaper accepted gratefully.

"So if you don't need to eat to sustain yourself, can you get drunk?" Jorah asked, opening his own bottle. He'd ask anything if it meant changing the subject from his own loneliness. "Do you need to stay sober in case you get called into work? I won't be offended if you can't."

Ewan took a sip of his drink, still keeping a careful eye on his brooding granddaughter.

"Trust me, it takes a lot to get a reaper drunk, so no worries," he replied. "We're connected to our once living remains as reapers, so we are able to experience faint echos of the human experience. Our reaper forms are designed to be efficient and powerful though, so I'd need to drink more alcohol than you have in all your house to be unable to perform my job. Besides, barring some kind of emergency, I have the day off. Gee- er, the Grim Reaper that is, is really good about flexible schedules. I have to pick up Travis later on from school today, so I have the time off."

"Oh? How is life with only one teenager left in the house?" Jorah asked. "Things are such a zoo here, I don't think I'll ever have free time until the day I die."

Ewan shrugged.

"It's a lot easier being a grandparent," he said. "I try to teach Vicki what I can and then send her home. It's a lot harder trying to reach a troubled child in full teenage rebellion. You can never do anything right, no matter how hard you try. I love Travis just as much as my other children, but he can't see it. He has too much of his mother in him and I don't know what to do."

"You know who his biological parents are?" Jorah asked, searching his brain for any memory that discussed Ewan's adopted son. Jorah had long thought about adopting more children himself one day, so it was something he had at least asked Ewan about.

"Of course I know," Ewan replied. "He's my biological nephew. My sister's kid. He's the son of two very powerful and dangerous witches, which unfortunately gets him into trouble pretty often. Anna just had a meeting on Monday about his latest incident. If Claudia wasn't the queen, he'd probably be expelled from school by now. He just needs guidance, that's all."

Jorah nodded. He knew all too well what the inside of a principal's office looked like because of Judith. When she wasn't tearing holes into the classroom puppets, she was getting into spats with classmates and pushing people at recess.

"I know what you mean," he sighed. "I try so hard to be supportive and encouraging, but there's still a wall my Judith refuses to lower. You try so hard for your kids and sometimes, all they do is fight you on it. For the life of me, I just don't understand how to reach that girl."

"Right? We've given everything to Travis. He's my son and I love him just as much as Claudia or Oliver. He has questions about his biological parents that I can't answer, and I get it. Really, I do. I have so many questions about why my biological father is the way he is, and what that means for me, so I know. I've tried to educate him on what i know of his parents and he just gets angrier."

"Hmmm. Have you tried asking other reapers for their opinion? I would ask Roman, personally if it were my kids. His mom was a nightmare and he seems to have gotten over it. Or at least he seemed like it the last time I saw him face to face. I don't really see him more than once a year when he drops off the desserts for charity. He might have some insight if you ask. I could introduce you if you want."

"Ah, I'll pass," Ewan said politely. "I don't want to step on the Arkhelios reaper team's toes by befriending half the country. We're supposed to try to not stand out, and let's face it, I'm the dead king of Pleasantview and the Queen's father. I have white hair and a dead princess for a wife. If I went too public, a lot more eyes would be drawn to me and the reaper program. We try not to present ourselves in public unless we have to. I'm also not sure that Claudia would appreciate me stopping by her old boyfriend's house to ask about parenting advice."

"Oh yeah, Claudia and Roman used to hook up when we were younger," Jorah recalled. "It drove Abe crazy. That one time it was even on the news and he almost had a full-blown tantrum. I'd nearly forgotten about that."

"Well, she certainly hasn't. I'd never hear the end of it if she heard I was chatting up Roman."

Abe paused, unsure of what to say when he got to the Durant's front door.

"Hi, my husband is going crazy because your bitchy sister won't let him see his kid?" "Could you ask Maura to let her wife's affair partner meet his daughter?"

Nothing sounded convincing enough. If Abe were in Maura’s shoes, he'd probably slam the door in his face too. Georgiana wasn't legally Roman's child and there was little he could do to change that.

It needed to be changed though. Roman was a mess of guilt and self-loathing, convinced that he was about to lose his son to a blood thirsty coven of witches. If Abe could just fix one of the many worries of his husband, surely Roman would improve. There was no way to throw himself at the mercy of the Maricourts, so he'd asked his sister to help. Lucy was currently grilling her godson with possible questions and good legal answers in Pleasantview, which was the best Abe could hope for his son. Lucy would teach Theo to protect himself and return the witches' questions without incriminating himself.

So, unable to continue to watch his husband deteriorate, Abe had walked over to the Durant house to speak with Jorah. If anyone would be sympathetic to Roman, it would be him.

"Abe? How are you?"

Jorah watched as Abe Helios-Bellamy crept nervously into the backyard of the Durant house. It was truly a shock to see him again, and without a clear reason. Nervously, Jorah leaned against Ewan, trying to look nonchalant about his visitor.

"This is my friend, Ewan," Jorah said quickly, interrupting Abe before he could answer Jorah's question. "He's visiting for a barbecue. He's from out of town, you wouldn't know him."

"That's great, Jorah. I'm happy for you."

Abe stood in nervous silence for a moment, while the two other men returned his stare.

"This is awkward, I'm sorry," Abe said quickly. "I don't want to ruin your barbecue or anything, I just wanted to talk to you quickly about something. I can come back if you're busy."

"No, don't worry about it," Jorah replied. "We're just waiting for the burgers to finish and chatting about the kids. Why don't you join us? Here, have a beer while we wait for the food. Come join us."

Abe nervously took a bottle from Jorah, glancing at it briefly before opening it up.

"Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me," he said. "I wasn't sure if you'd see me or not. Things have been strained between our families for a while now."

"Not by my choice," Jorah replied. "I know that Roman regrets the affair; you can see it all over his face. The cakes he brings for Georgiana are all made with a father's love. It's not fair what Maura is doing to him. It's wrong."

"That was exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Abe said. "Roman's not in a good place lately. Theo had another episode and now he has to answer to a Pleasantview coven. I don't know what they can do to him if they don't like his answers. Maybe he might get expelled from school, who knows?"

"So he's taking after Roman then," Jorah laughed. "It's Bellamy family tradition to get expelled from a Pleasantview academy."

Abe shot Jorah a dirty look, one that Ewan mirrored. The last thing he needed was Jorah treating the situation as a joke.

"Sorry, I was just trying to break the ice. Valerian always tells me my nervous jokes aren't funny."

"Yeah, well, we're hoping it won't come to expulsion," Abe continued. "Roman's been freaking out about it, and it was recently Georgiana's birthday and...well, he's not himself. I'm really worried about him."

"So Princess Georgiana is the biological daughter of Roman Bellamy?' Ewan asked, looking concerned all of a sudden.

Jorah assumed Ewan's concern stemmed from this information being scandalous and shocking.

"Yes. Well, no. Sort of," he rambled nervously. "She is, but we're not supposed to talk about it. She's legally Maura’s daughter no one is supposed to know. Don't tell anyone, I don't want it to become part of the Arkhelios rumour mill."

"I'll take it to the grave," Ewan replied cryptically. "And he's never been allowed to see Georgiana? That doesn't sound like Maura. She's always been such a sweet girl and a great friend to Claudia. This doesn't sound like her at all."

"She's not exactly a teenager anymore," Jorah pointed out. "Do you see her often since she became queen? Losing her family changed everything for her. She's incredibly rude at family dinners, if she even comes at all."

Ewan weighed this new information in his mind.

"Does Claudia know about this?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Jorah answered. "She and Ulyssa got into some kind of fight about it the day you and I met. Ulyssa was pretty shaken up after, even when we'd teleported back to Arkhelios."

"I see," Ewan murmured, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his messages. "Abe, let me see what I can do for you. This goes against everything the Siew family stands for and I know my wife won't be happy to hear of this. I'll make some calls. Vicki? Get your things ready to go, we're leaving in a few minutes."

A gleeful princess rushed into the house to grab her things, happy to be going anywhere but Arkhelios. Abe gave Jorah a confused look as Ewan started dialing his phone beside them.

"Who is that guy and why does he think he can help?" Abe whispered. Beside them, Ewan waved and then dissolved into a shower of magical energy along with his granddaughter.

"Some one who may be able to help." Jorah answered, still looking at the magical remnants of his friend blinking in and out of existence. "He knows some people in high places."

"Why would you let some random guy handle the situation?" Abe asked. "You're the leader of the Durant family, and Ulyssa and Georgiana are Durants. Can't you just talk to Ulyssa yourself?"

Jorah frowned at the idea of trying to use any kind of authority on Ulyssa. His sister was stubborn and set in her ways, and definitely wasn't going to listen to her brother about anything, especially Georgiana.

"No, she'd never listen," Jorah said with a resigned sigh. "It's better to see what Ewan can come up with. I have a feeling that Maura might listen to him."

Abe tried to hide his disappointment, but failed.

"Oh, okay then. Uh, thanks I guess."

Abe looked nervously around his surroundings, unsure of what to say next. He'd been hoping that Jorah would take some initiative and help personally, instead of pawning off the task on some random guy who might know Maura. If he asked something of the Helios or Bellamy heirs, they'd get the task done in seconds. Unfortunately, Jorah wasn't that kind of leader. Who even knew if that random guy would help Abe, or if Jorah would follow up with him?

This was a dumb idea. I shouldn't have assumed that Jorah would do anything to help Roman. I have to figure something else out.

"Hey, thanks for the beer, Jorah," Abe said. He looked at his phone for a moment, pretending that an urgent text had just come in. "Sorry, I've got to cut this short. Roman needs help with dinner. See you around though. Good talk."

Jorah stared at Abe's retreating form, feeling oddly disheartened. Abe was disappointed with him as a leader, and Ewan had left to try to deal with the situation himself rather than talk it through with his friend. Was Jorah in the wrong in this situation? If so, how did he change?

The smell of burning hamburger jolted Jorah from his thoughts. Let's finish lunch before I set the yard on fire. There's plenty of time to feel bad about myself after.

[sims-for-semi]

The day Bella killed Michael - a sims story

“Do you want to be with the girl or not, Michael? Just drink the damn nectar,” Bella said wearily. Michael had noticed long ago that Bella was acting differently, but today she was particularly pissed off for no apparent reason.

“Didn’t you say it wasn’t ready yet? That you and Mortimer were feeling older?”

“Not anymore. It’s working. You just have to be in a good mood to receive it.”

“Have you been in a good mood, Bella?”

“Don’t I look younger?”

“Younger, but… gloomier.”

“Well, imagine. My brother is dating a girl who is my daughter's age, how am I supposed to feel?”

Time later, Bella would remember that exact day when her brother began to die. It was a cold morning, particularly foggy at 165 Sim Lane. Although Michael didn’t live in Pleasantview, he visited often, and the last time he had brought not only his new girlfriend, Dina, but also her twin sister, Nina. At first Bella thought it was a joke (“You brought two of Cassie's schoolmates to my house?”), but then she felt quite hushed. Nina was quiet, but fiercely bold in her comments. And Dina was charming. Even Bella couldn't argue with that. She had never felt so threatened in her own home. Everyone was captivated by her presence. Even Mortimer, her Mortimer. 

Michael would later confess his concerns about the relationship. "I love her, Bella. I love her, but come on, I'm not twenty anymore. She says she feels the same way I do but what can I offer her?"). And while Bella wasn't particularly happy about the relationship, she did hate to see her brother troubled. She could barely stand the sight of her grumpy old husband, her solitary teen daughter, and her handful toddler. If Michael wanted to rejuvenate, she could give him exactly what he needed.

“She’s not a girl, Bella.”

“She’s so young. Perfect skin, perfect hair. I never got to be that young.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got married to my childhood friend, had a daughter in my late teens… I stopped being young a long time ago. But you get to be young with your brand-new girl. Enjoy it. Drink the nectar.”

Michael wasn’t sure of it. He didn’t trust the nectar. Heck, these days he couldn’t even trust Mortimer. He couldn’t trust him, nor Bella. What had happened to her? She used to be such a loyal, brave girl. Now all she did was act like she was some sort of tragic heroine, like she could never have any fun. Maybe that’s why they had grown apart the last couple of years.

Bella thought the same about her brother. He was this popular kid in school, a sports enthusiast, the ideal son… all of that changed. Being a bachelor for so long had made some changes in his personality, she believed. Not like she hadn't changed, clearly, but at least she was already married with two children and her husband was loaded. Basically, life was solved. Michael seemed to be pursuing his teenage dreams by falling in love with a young girl. Because she was, indeed, a girl. Bella couldn't get it through her head that Michael was willing to leave everything behind to commit himself to a girl who had barely finished high school.

Perhaps in a way, she was a little jealous. Nothing could scare her more than getting old. There had been a couple of nights in which she woke up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare, and Mortimer was always there to pacify her. All the nights spent at the Science Facility were for him, a little expression of his commitment to making his wife happy.

“I just want you to be happy. I can help you with that,” Bella had told her brother. If Mortimer wasn’t around, at least she could help Michael to be with the girl of his dreams. And whether she liked her or not, she had already accepted that Dina would be part of the family, albeit with much resistance. The foolish fear of ceasing to be the woman of the family and giving way to a younger and more beautiful one. Everything was going to be all right if they both drank the elixir of life. 

“I don’t like this, Bella,” he expressed after pouring a glass.

“Stop being a coward, Mike.”

“No, seriously, I don’t like this…” Michael started to choke. He felt his insides begin to close up, leaving little room for the green liquid to make its way down his throat. The foul liquid felt like a thick grease boiling, calcining his esophagus and finally landing in his stomach. But that wasn't the worst of it. Just when Michael thought the bitter pill was ready, he began to feel his skin thickening, and his gums stiffening. His nose felt nothing but a sulfur smell, and everything began to spin. His brain was throbbing like it was bubbling blood. “Try to think of something nice. Think of Dina,” said a voice, but he wasn’t sure if it was his or Bella’s. 

Finally, after a short blackout, Michael regained his mobility.

“Okay, how do you feel?” said his sister.

“Awful. That’s awful, Bella, how could you possibly drink this? How long have you been doing this?”

“Years. But look at me. I almost look as young as those darn Caliente sisters, don’t you think?”

“Well, I can’t tell if I feel any younger. It may have worked in reverse on me.”

“Yeah, that’s going to happen the first couple of times. You just need to be consistent.”

“Does that mean I have to drink this again?”

“Indeed. Until you make it.” Bella chuckled at Michael’s look of fear. “One day at a time.”

The activity was repeated. Day after day, Michael visited his sister and drank the strange liquid created by his brother-in-law to feel younger. Occasionally, it worked. Sometimes the drink was sweet as ambrosia, and he just wanted to drink more and more of it, only to later visit his beloved Dina. Some other times, the most frequent, the liquid was horrible. Bella told him that it would always be like this, that she was used to it, he would get used to it too.

She even found it amusing. At last, her age and her brother's were approaching the non-existent limbo of being able to put the world on pause and have the youth of their choice, even if they had to pay the consequences later. It wasn't until after the wedding, when Bella and Mortimer's relationship was more strained than ever, that Michael arrived at the Goth Mansion with a somber expression.

"What's going on, Michael?"

“I need the liquid,” he said, devastated.

“What happened?”

“I think Dina is cheating on me,” he said as if at a loss for words.

Bella looked at him in horror, but refrained from saying a thing. Perhaps because, mistakenly, she already knew. She had her suspicions, Mortimer and Dina had been way too close. So much so that he hadn't even noticed that his daughter had started dating a boy and that little Alexander was beginning to stand out at school. "Then take it," she told him, without asking any questions. Take the elixir and drink it, drink all of it. Hadn't she been doing the same thing? Drinking as much of it as she could, to feel younger, less stuck, less of a failure, so that her husband would look at her with desire and not pity as if she were a poor, useless wife in a boring suburb. She wasn't even sure if it was true, but she didn't want to know.

She wouldn’t have been able to bear it. So she watched her brother take the jar, watched him for the last time take home what little was left of Mortimer Goth's worst experiment. Goodbye, Michael Bachelor, goodbye to your divine youth, your friendly smile and your football games. Goodbye to your stupid bride and her stupid sister, both of whom Bella stopped calling immediately after his death. Goodbye to the familiar nature that used to make her feel happy and at home. Without her brother, and with her husband completely thrown into the job, Bella lost what little she had left to keep getting back on her feet day by day. Everyone could notice. Everyone but Don.

Of course, how could he know? How could the wonderful Don know that he had a murderess in front of him? Bella had barely left the house until the night the formidable young man who was dating her daughter kindly invited her to his apartment for a gentle conversation.

“Whenever I look at the stars I think of my parents, I lost them recently. Have you ever felt that way?” the young man asked, getting closer to her.

“I recently lost my brother…” she said, her eyes captivated by the ocean-blue sky.

“Yeah, I heard of it. I’m sorry. He was older than you, wasn’t he?”

“Life is very long when you're lonely,” were the last words she whispered.

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

hello readers! thank you for reading me! I was willing to pull out something for simblreen, so here you go. this is my headcanon of Michael's death, and this short story is part of the same universe as my on-going story Pleasant Valley. Constructive criticism is always accepted 💝

I hope everyone has a fun and spooky halloween! 🎃

[thedudewiththedragontattoos]

Genetically Correct Pleasantview with Scripted Events CC FREE

Hey people! Welcome to my latest project - A genetically correct Pleasantview with scripted events!

When I first found out (a while ago) that the playables we all know and love in Pleasantview aren’t actually genetically related to their ancestors, it totally broke immersion for me. For some reason it really bothered me and that kept me from really getting into a playthrough of the hoods that Eaxis shipped with the game. Then I discovered this crazy cool thing that people did which involved extracting the appearances of the first ancestors from each family, and breeding them in CAS from generation to generation, eventually creating Genetically Correct versions of the sims we all know. This is where I began this exhausting journey - there was a lot of learning but I am really happy with how it turned out!

There have been a ton of various Pleasantview makeovers - all of which are super awesome! However, I was unable to find a Pleasantview that not only already had all the sims genetically correct, but still had their relationships, biographies, personalities, and most importantly, scripted events...because let’s face it - who the hell wants to start a new Pleasantview if they can’t play through the cool ass scripted events in the beginning? I know I don’t. And that’s why I made this hood.

What is this? This is a Pleasantview in which I have made all the playable sims (and their ancestors) genetically correct. It contains no cc and was built on top of a clean template Pleasantview as well. Below are pics of the premades:

More Info, pics, and download below the cut!

My main goal for this was to make the premades genetically correct while still keeping them actually recognizable. I know there are some GC versions that are totally different, and I absolutely respect that, but I still wanted to look at Daniel Pleasant and say “Yep, that’s Daniel”. 

IMPORTANT: After taking the pictures I realized the skin I use (No longer after this), which I will link below drastically whitewashes the sims. Some sims with skin 3 look super light, such as Daniel Pleasant and Jennifer Burb. They still have the correct skin, it just may appear lighter in my images. I didn’t realize this until after I made the sims and took their pictures. Also note that the eyes may look like different colors. People have said the light blue looks grey, so if you see a strange eye color on a sim it doesn’t match with, be aware it’s likely just the defaults I used. 

Notice: I used a mod, equal genetics while creating these sims. I do not claim to be anything but a simpleton when it comes to genetics, and I know that some of these sims’ genetics aren’t realistic - Like a blond and brunette having a blond kid. I don’t claim to know anything about genetics, so before you genetic purists come at me just know - I know this and don’t care.

My general notion was that if one of their ancestors had a gene, then they could too. 

With that being said, all living premades with the exception of Coral Oldie, Herb Oldie, Mortimer Goth, and Bella Goth have the same eye and hair colors as they did originally. Some ancestors or dead spouses (like Michael Bachelor and Skip Broke) have had a few changes as well. More on that at the very end, for those interested.

TLDR - General Information

I ramble, I know. The main idea is that ALL of the sims are the same exact sims as you’re used to. They all have the same personalities, zodiac signs, hobbies, jobs, aspirations, relationships, memories, etc...They just have corrected appearances. Scripted events still work, and Brandi Broke’s baby is also now going to be genetically correct and related to both her and Skip. 

A few things to note:

- I used a default skin and eyes when taking the pictures. The sims will not come with these. I used Pitstop Skinblend and Poppet Clear Eyes

- Yes, I know Michael Bachelor’s eyes aren’t right. That is fixed in the game.

- This is CC FREE!!

- Brandi’s pregnancy may be a couple hours behind

- All sims have just about the same dominant and recessive traits as they do in the original clean templates from meetme. No sim is homozygous unless intended by meetme/eaxis.

- Sims may get some wants or fears of their ancestors or dead relatives becoming zombies or resurrected, this is just because of the way I did this, their deaths are fresh in the playables minds. 

- This hood was build on a clean template Pleasantview, all ancestors and dead sims are safe to resurrect

- This was made with Ultimate Collection, so unfortunately you will need this or all packs for this to work.

- The versions without townies still include Bella Goth, Kaylynn Langerak, and Gordon King.

- When you add the subhood version with townies, you’ll notice that the townie and NPC names get randomized and aren’t their original names. Though annoying, this is normal and you will have to rename them all yourself.

Update:

It seems that some mods can break the scripted events, it was unclear exactly which mods in my folder did it. To circumvent this issue I would recommend that when you initially install and play the scripted events in the hood, take out all of your non essential mods (leave in mods like no unlink on delete, no townie regen, things that are essential) from your mods folder (just mods, cc is fine to stay in) and put it in a safe folder while you just play through the SE - then when they're done, put the mods back in. This seems like a random occurrence - as they only broke 1 out of every 5 times I tested it.

More Pics:

Link to imgur album of individual sims and all (or most) ancestors.

Link to imgur album of individual families

Download Instructions:

This comes in 4 versions:

GC Main Hood Pleasantview with Townies

GC Main Hood Pleasantview without Townies

GC Subhood (Shopping district) Pleasantview with Townies

GC Subhood (Shopping district) Pleasantview without Townies

Download the version you want. 

For Main Hoods, place the folder in the following location:

Ultimate Collection: 

Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Neighborhoods

Disk Version:

Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods

For Subhoods, place the folder in the following location:

Ultimate Collection:

Program Files\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Best of Business\EP3\TSData\Res\NeighborhoodTemplate

Disk Version:

:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Open for Business\TSData\Res\NeighborhoodTemplate

Credits:

meemetotheriver for the clean templates

Carrit for the ancestral sims

Special thanks to:

Sabrina from PleasantSims discord and @isabella-goth​ for their patience and help with my idiocy throughout this project - I couldn’t have figured it out without your help specifically!!

Download:

Genetically Correct Pleasantview with Townies

Genetically Correct Pleasantview without Townies (Still includes Bella, Kaylynn, and Gordon King)

I hope you all enjoy this! As usual, let me know if you run into any issues! Tag me in pics or posts of what you do with the sims if you’d like!

Till’ next time

-Mike

P.S. Changes to premades/dead spouses:

Bella Goth - Hair changed to brown

Mortimer Goth - Hair changed to black

Coral Oldie - Hair changed to blond

Herb Oldie - Eyes changed to dark blue

Skip Broke - Eyes changed to dark blue

Michael Bachelor - Given blond hair, medium skin, and dark blue eyes

That should be the only changes to premades and/or their spouses. Some ancestors have been adjusted too!

[luxtallis]

Interview with Bella Goth

Archived version here.

Bella Goth disappeared in the summer of 2004, a team of highly trained SimCity investigators traveled far and wide and managed to track her down and asked her a few questions. This is their published interview.

Rckljohnson: Where are you now?

Bella: Apparently I'm in a place called Strangetown and indeed it's an appropriate name. I'm not positive what happened or how I got here but I've begun seeing a therapist and my hypno-therapy sessions have been very productive! I've also been reading my diary, I always keep it close.

Bbygrl814916: How come you don't have any memories of Mortimer, Cassandra and Alex?

Bella: I couldn't remember anything for months after the abduction, just a flash and then nothing, but with the help of my diary and my therapist the memories are slowly starting to come back. It's hard to remember things that happened longer ago like Cassandra being born or even my wedding but I remember my family and how much I love them. I even remember some of the work Mortimer was doing before I was taken. He was getting very close to creating a permanent life extending elixir. I was worried he was spending too much time on it. He'd already been successful with a temporary version and it had become wildly popular throughout the town. I guess everybody wants to live forever!

simgelf: What happened the night you were abducted? Did the saucer crash?

Bella: I'm not sure about all the details but I've had dreams of being in some kind of ship, I don't think there was a crash or I wouldn't have woken up. I remember green men with big black eyes, it didn't make much sense then and certainly doesn't now. It seemed like only moments and I was somewhere entirely different.

Simology022: What exactly were you DOING on Don Lothario's roof the night you disappeared? How do you feel about your daughter's romantic relationship with Don?

Bella: I think Don Lothario is a misunderstood man. He moved into town and seemed so lonely. He was so different and "urban" that the neighbors wouldn't accept him. He needed a friend and we welcomed him into our lives. I think Cassandra had a crush on him from the very start and unfortunately I think he had a bit of a crush on me. I don't really think Don is right for Cassandra, but she should follow her heart - don't tell Mortimer I said that. The night I left Pleasantview I was over at Don's house talking to him about life, love, and how he was feeling being the new guy. It was a nice, warm starry evening so we were outside on the roof looking at the stars. All I remember is the flash of light and waking up in a strange place.

Chair492: Did you cheat on poor old Morty?

Bella: Of course not! I love my husband and I love my family, they are everything to me. I've never loved anyone like I love Mortimer Goth. He's just so silly, so cute, a side of him most people don't see. Most of our neighbors thought he was "too smart" or boring and that he couldn't possibly be "fun".

poochdog25: I'd like to know if Dina Caliente was in on this. I've noticed she is related to some aliens, and she came on the eve of your disappearance, and now she is after your husband. So where is Dina in the plot?

Bella: I didn't know that about Dina, but it makes sense. I'll probably never know for sure but here's what I think. When Dina and Nina moved into town they were certainly very forward with my husband. In fact, it was almost insulting how openly they were trying to win him over, as if I didn't notice! I think someone sent Dina to town specifically to pull Mortimer away from me. I know he's a genius and his work is important to a lot of people. I couldn't have possibly imagined that trying to create a life elixir that could help everyone would ever push somebody to ruin our marriage! And why take me away from him? Perhaps they thought I was a distraction and believed that taking me away from the love of my life would make him stop his work.

simslover210: What is up with all the rumors of you having a double?

Bella: I've heard these rumors and as far as I know they're untrue. I've never seen my double and I haven't heard any stories about seeing me with my double so who's to say it's a double at all? Though I bet my double isn't as cute.

PprFlwrs4: Why are you still young when your husband is old..and....really...eh..old?

Bella: I can't really explain it, maybe his work has backfired on him and instead of lengthening his life, it's aged him. Or perhaps the people that wanted to separate us somehow used his research and tested it on me, keeping me young.

WadeSimMiser: What happened to you when you decided to pay Pollination Technician #9 a visit? How would you explain this to your husband Mortimer?

Bella: I've met PT9, he's very nice! And his family is so sweet. They've been so kind to me as I get my bearings. I only wish Mortimer could have had the chance to meet him.

abonnell2000: If you had the option to go back to Mortimer, Cassie, and Alex, would you? Why or why not?

Bella: I've been trying to return to my family but so far, it hasn't worked. As I said, there's something strange about this town. It's almost as if every time I try to leave, I end up back here.

Dixiedawn30: Have you ever thought about changing your hair style? What is up with the red dress?

Bella: It works for me, why change?

[fellowstrangetownappreciator]

Playing Favorites (part 2)

Here we go again! Another 4 TS2 premades that really strange my town! (I’ll see myself out.) Anyway, I have to preface this with saying that so far I’ve only played the 3 base game hoods and although I really enjoy PV and VV, I added them to Strangetown just recently, so I’m still getting acquainted with their casts. That’s why my Playing Favorites posts are so dominated with desert-dwellers - but I definitely plan on including more non-ST Sims once I got to play with them more!

And I also low-key love everybody in Strangetown.

TOP 15 TS2 Premades (according to my personal tastes somewhere in May 2021) (not in any particular order) (and I can’t guarantee I stop at 15 either)

Tank Grunt (Strangetown)

Yes, I am one of them. I am a Tank Grunt apologist. Brace yourself!

Similarly to the Pleasant twins, I view Tank as a victim of his father (Buzz Grunt, the esteemed Strangetown's Worst Parent Award nominee). Of course, that's not to say he's innocent. He is absolutely guilty of bullying Ripp and Johnny and equally guilty of being a bigot. And, most importantly, totally guilty of casually wearing camo face-paint. (that he canonically gets tatooed on his face down the line, which is... its own kind of tragic.)

But that is exactly why I like him so much!

Let me elaborate.

Tank is a very multilayered character, albeit a bit cliché. He is very artistic a eager to always do his best, whether that is in school or home where he competes for his father's affection and approval. Buzz provides both of that but it always feels conditioned – if Tank was to stop getting A+, stop parroting his opinions, stop working out, stop following in his footsteps, would that go away? Even though the answer depends on your interpretation of Buzz and his levels of horrible, Tank definitely thinks so. Just take a look on how his father treats Ripp!

I read Tank as somebody who believes firmly in order and good but has a very twisted understanding of both given his militaristic and hyper-masculine upbringing. He has an enormous potential for character growth. Can he gain (psychological) independence of his father? Can he follow his dreams and become a dancer? Can he free himself of his father’s biases now that he’s out on his own? Can he mend his relationship with Ripp and Buck? (...or maybe even Johnny?) It makes him so fun to play.

Also, I think that it was indeed very cowardly of the developers not to set his gender preference as gay.

Conclusion: Tank is fun! (Although he would probably resent me for saying that.)

Dina Caliente (Str- wait, Pleasantview)

Finally someone who doesn't live in the desert! Both Nina and Dina are such interesting characters, with their connection to Bella’s disappearance, their alien bloodline and their opposing personalities and ambitions.

I feel like the sisters are often getting unjustly demonized. (or mixed up together, I’m looking at you, TS3 and TS4) They’re young, very attractive and in unconventional relationships, thus often labeled as predatory. They’re not.

Dina is a very nice Sim, with Nice points above the average and many Playful points and she tends to roll wants to start a family by the start of the game, although she is not a Family Sim. She’s actually a Fortune Sim, smart and business-oriented. She’s a widow who wants to remarry and has her sights set on the husband of her missing former sister-in-law.

I know that doesn’t make her sound that nice but there is nuance. First of all, the man in question is Mortimer Goth, well in his twilight years, a father of two, simply an adult. He is not a hapless trophy, the decision to start an affair with Dina not long after his first wife got pronounced missing, is his own. He knows he won’t be here for long and doesn’t want to die alone, he wants someone who can make him feel young again and loved once more. Dina, on the other hand, pursues a shotgun wedding to take an advantage of the Goth fortune that will kickstart her business ventures but she is ready to provide what Mortimer needs. She canonically loves him. (proven by the love flag in her relationship panel)

In my personal gameplay, I had Don take Dina on a date before their marriages to their respective Goths, and Dina kept rolling wants to flirt with Mortimer instead. Later down the line she also helped out the Brokes financially, and after her close friend Brandi died young in childbirth, she took in her youngest children, so that her oldest son Dustin could go to college and not worry what’s gonna become of his younger siblings in his custody while he’s gone. I figured it made sense because of Dina’s Nice points, her relationship with Brandi and her now being partially in charge of so much money it isn’t even funny.

In conclusion: I support and condone Dina! Even if it’s somehow implied that she and her sister might’ve just staged her rival’s alien abduction.

Circe Beaker (Strangetown)

Circe is yet another... unwholesome character on my list. She canonically tortures people, namely Nervous Subject, and her bio eludes to there being more in the past or the future. She's cunning, ambitious and very mean.

But she is also very fun to play! Her aspiration being Fortune (not Knowledge) puts an interesting spin on the whole evil scientist routine. She doesn't do it for the love of discovery like the Curiouses and she doesn't care about credit as her husband does. She's out for power and she may as well get it.

Her rather extreme personality would lead one to think she has to be rather disliked around the town but her default relationship panel says otherwise. She doesn't have any close friendships except her husband, though. That makes me think she is superficially charming and tends to act diplomatic to obtain people's loyalty without necessarily caring about any of them. It makes playing her unique from most other Sims.

She is also canonically bisexual! I personally have a deep appreciation for each and every Sim that Maxis sneakily preset to be LGBTQ+. I may not seem like a big deal now but it is.

Conclusion: "She could gaslight, gatekeep and girlboss me any day.” - half of Strangetown’s population

Lazlo Curious (Strangetown)

Lazlo is a ray of sunshine in the Curious household! A very sloppy ray that makes messes wherever it goes, true, but sunshine nonetheless.

I’m very fond of Lazlo because he’s the type of person that looks like he can barely count to five with his easy-going and messy nature but is in fact very clever and, by some measures, the most competent Curious brother, since he is the youngest and it seems like he’s fresh out of college, yet holds a higher career position than his older brothers. “A smart person that doesn’t necessarily seem smart on the first glance” is a trope I have a big soft spot for. (...and it shows)

In my current gameplay, Lazlo wanted to resurrect Vidcund (who died in childbirth), so he switched from Science to Paranormal to swipe a Resurrect-O-Nomitron and, like the madlad he is, succeeded before their round was over (in a span of few days). It was a combination of dumb luck and him having a compatible degree that gave him a hefty bonus but it still made me realize Lazlo could achieve whatever he sets his sights on.

Luckily, his sights are generally set on pizza and video games.

(relatable)

Anyway, I find Lazlo somehow cute, most probably for his constant and very unfruitful attempts to make Vidcund laugh, and in general, how friendly and easy to get along with he is. While he doesn’t have that many Nice points (5, which is a pretty average number), combined with his playfulness he usually tends to act very amicable.

In conclusion: I simp for Knowledge Sims and it shows.

Ok, I’ll be back with another 4 when my horrible procrastinating gruel of a brain feels like it. See ya!

[rurpleplayssims]

I have a couple of character asks for you - Roselyn and Zoey!

Thank you for the character asks @pixeldolly ! You chose Roselyn Young and Zoey Cooper so here are their responses!

Let's start with Roselyn!

Sexuality Headcanon: Bisexual - she's been with both men and women in the past but has only had 'serious' relationships with males.

Gender Headcanon: She is Cisgender (female).

A ship I have with said character: I'm shipping the Roselyn/Zoey ship!

A BROTP I have with said character: She gets on with quite a few people, having always been a confident individual who isn't intimidated easily. Feisty is another word that comes to mind to describe Roselyn. She is best friends with her elder sister Emily and is happy to support her whenever she can, hence why she's helping out with the restaurant. She gets on well with her ex-boyfriend Jasper Morgan who is her closest male friend in town. She also gets on extremely well with their founder Althea.

A NOTP I have with said character: Her relationship with Jasper is well and truly over but thankfully they had a very amicable breakup, especially given they are in a very small town where everyone knows and talks to each other! I know various people liked the idea of Roselyn getting pregnant from Jasper before their breakup but Roselyn is very serious about her birth control. It also doesn't fit Jasper's character to have children outside a dedicated relationship. Roselyn is not fussed about having children herself, she has no desire to help populate a town like her sister does!

A random headcanon: I LOVE the map that @potentialfate-sims made up for her series and I believe the various maxis and fan-made sims are all in the same world as the folk in Campbell Quay. So, for example, Pleasantview exists in the 'world' my sims live in. Sounds really obvious to say it as it's the same game. They just don't interact as I like having my own ideas and creativity flow. This would also help the immersion in my head about Ellen Ripley moving in from a neighbourhood/university that actually isn't in my game. I'm not exactly sure whereabouts CQ will be on that map however, anywhere next to a big river! 🤣 I would also love it if @moocha-muses 's Owl Creek and @pixeldolly 's Walden was canon as well!

General Opinion over said character: Roselyn has a past and I've barely scratched the surface so far. Half of it I'm not 100% sure of yet but I let my characters speak for themselves. What I love about Roselyn, other than being a walking model of Bella Goth, (red outfits/black hair) is that you can already see how far she has come. She was very confident, physically and as a person when she first moved to CQ. Now, through her past experiences and her love for Zoey, you see a gentler but insecure side of her. Hands down one of my favourite characters to write. Random fun fact, I pronounce her name Ros-Lyn. (silent E)

Now let's do Zoey's answers!

Sexuality Headcanon: Zoey is bisexual and she has had a couple serious relationships in the past, each with a male and female respectively.

Gender Headcanon: She is Cisgender (female).

A ship I have with said character: As stated above, I ship Zoey with Roselyn. In many ways, they compliment each other and they both have quite feisty tempers.

A BROTP I have with said character: Besides Roselyn, Zoey has had very few females friends that didn't become lovers or distant before she moved to CQ. She gets on well with everyone in town and is actually *spoiler* becoming good friends with the newer females in town.

A NOTP I have with said character: Her engagement with Tyler. If you're up to speed with the series, you know why. Tyler fundamentally is quite childish and not in the way that is acceptable, especially for an expectant-father. Zoey is at the exasperated stage or anger where she is fast losing the faith that he will be there to support her at all. I think we're all feeling the same to be honest.

A random headcanon: Also I am not sure what date/year to mark each of the events other than the seasons/years. I think that breaks too much immersion in my eyes, and I don't think I'm the only one who thinks that.

General Opinion over said character: Zoey is sweet, kind and very caring. Great characteristics in a person who still dreams of becoming a fully qualified doctor. She is also a massive fan of pets and is considering getting a cat. Ever since she was a child (and both her parents are in the medical profession) she wanted to be a vet. But when she realised some of the depressing facts of being a vet, she reconsidered and decided on healing people instead.

[heysimhey]

Play The Sims 2 in The Sims 4!

I've been simming since 2000 beginning with The Sims 1. Of all the versions of the game, The Sims 2 version has always been my favorite mainly due to the character stories. Even when The Sims 3 came out, I still was tied to the characters and stories of version 2 and it never quite felt right. Then The Sims 4 came out and I was excited to see the Goths, but the story line was "wrong". My beloved characters were missing. I played for a few years and then went back to 2. I loved the stories of 2, but the game play and graphics of 4. What's a girl to do?

Create the Sims 2 character and stories in the Sims 4? Yeah, that actually works for me....and was a lot of work as well.

I didn't bring over the characters from every world in TS2. The reason being, I never really cared for any of the other characters from the neighborhoods like Belladonna Cove, Riverblossom Hills or Desiderata Valley. In fact, I can honestly say, I never even bothered playing Desiderata Valley. I had enough drama with the main three (Pleasantview, Strangetown and Veronaville....and Bluewater Village).

But wasn't it crazy that with every neighborhood, you got a separate and exactly the same Bluewater Village from scratch? So a different Malcom Landgraab everytime. The Malcom Landgraab from Strangetown didn't know the Pleasantview folks and vice versa. I always found that wacky, so I picked the ML from Pleasantview to play with and abandoned the other dopplegangers.

And why couldn't the Goths know the Smiths? Why couldn't the Pleasants have a barbecue with the Monty's? Why couldn't sims from one neighborhood have friendships/rivalries and romances with sims from another neighborhood? Well, now they can! Pleasantview, Strangetown (Strangerville), Veronaville and Bluewater Village are all open and connected in The Sims 4! I even threw in some goodies like the Newbies and Mashugas from The Sims 1 and that mean ole Mrs. Crumplebottom!

I tried my best to find original renditions of their homes from TS2. As you know, aspirations have changed a little bit, but I tried my darndest to stay true to their aspirations from TS2 with the help of other personality traits along the side. I have already played the neighborhoods to the point of where TS2 begins, with the proper relationships established, ghosts deceased (check out Olive Specter's lil' grim garden *shudder*) and everyone in their proper lots.

Original sims who came with TS4 are still around somewhere in the neighborhood bin. I evicted most of them to make room for my characters. Below are details for each neighborhood that I put together.

Huge shout-out to Midnite Tech for creating the package file that allows us to edit our World names.

The packs I have installed currently are: Get to Work, Get Together, City Living, Get Famous, Discover University, Strangerville, Dine Out, Movie Hangout Stuff, Vintage Glamour Stuff, Tiny Living Stuff and Holiday Celebration.

I wish I could say this is Base Game compatible, but unfortunately, you will need these packs in order to have the full experience. I will be purchasing the other packs as I choose in the future, but for right now, I'm good.

About Pleasantview (Willow Creek)

The Goths, Pleasants, Calientes, Dreamers and Brokes are here and are cued as best as possible to their TS2 initial situations. I also included Bob and Betty Newbie from TS1, whom we later found out were Brandi's parents. Their relationship is also reflected in this file. The notorious maid, Kaylynn Langerak is also residing in Pleasantview and is bound to cause some ruckus.

About Strangerville (Strangetown)

The Smiths, Grunts, Curiouses, Beakers and Specters are in full play with the appropriate ghosts haunting Olive's lot. Bella was definitely abducted by aliens (although we can't view all of their memories anymore) and dropped in Strangeville just the same as Strangetown's TS2. She has a story of her own. Thankfully, you can easily decide to reunite her with her family, or let her start a new life. Caution, the neighborhoods are connected, so she is bound to run into one of her relatives.

*For WHATEVER reason, the file would NOT let me change the name of Strangerville to Strangetown.  It may have something to do with the whole Strangerville story line.  But I have seen others edit this.  Ah well.*

About Veronaville (Windenburg)

The Capp, Monty and Summerdream families are here with the Monty/Capp feud still going strong. Romeo and Juliette are still in love. Awwwww. I almost never played this neighborhood, but it just wouldn't feel right if I didn't include them.

About Bluewater Village (Newcrest)

The Landgraab, Tinker, Ramirez, Jacquet and Delarosa characters came on over with their aspirations. J'Adore Bakery is owned by the Jacquets, but I didn't create the other businesses.

About Downtown (San Myshuno)

This is where you will find the notorious Mrs. Crumplebottom. She is content in her little house right smack dab where it is and you better stay off her lawn. I heard Malcom Landgraab III offered her a ton of money to move so he could build a new skyrise. She refused to sell and clobbered him with her purse. So he built around her. Malcom Landgraab IV is terrified of her due to the fact that he remembers the huge knot his father had to nurse all those years ago, so he continues his father's legacy of building around her. She ain't budging.

About Twikkii Springs (Oasis Springs)(Twikkii Island)

I named this Twikkii Springs instead of Twikkii Island because Oasis Springs isn't really an island, so it didn't make much sense. So I modified it to be Twikkii Springs. I used Zerbu's World Type Changes mod to make Oasis Springs a destination world. The Mashuga's currently run things here in their token pink octogon house. At least, in my head they do. You can play this however you want. You can get the mod here or don't use the mod and play it as is.

Honorable Mentions

Del Sol Valley

I left these named the same as we didn't really have a fame expansion for TS2. I was tempted to name it Studio Town like in TS1, but that just sounded too "Toon-Town"ish, so nah, pass. I like Del Sol Valley.

Magnolia Promenade

I totally tried to rename this to Uptown Bluewater, but the game said nope. So Magnolia Promenade it is. Maybe one day the powers that bEA will be nice and allow us to freely rename our worlds....or is that wishful thinking?

*************

Majority of the lots that you see here in these worlds, I downloaded from the gallery. I won't feel bad at all if you wanna change things up.

The custom maps that I used for my worlds, you will have to install them separately in order for your neighborhoods to look like my pictures above.  You can get the maps here.

*************

DID I MISS SOMETHING?? I tried my best to make this as close to the original TS2 version as possible, but the human in me probably forgot a detail or two. Let me know!

{HOW TO INSTALL}

1. Download my save file here. (SFS not working? Get it here instead.)

2. Then copy the file from your downloads folder into this path: my documents/electronic arts/the sims 4/saves | NOT your mods, tray folder or any other folder.

3. When you open the game, you should see the file The Sims 2 Reprise. :)

{TERMS OF USE}

Feel free to use this save file and have fun with your sims. If you make a video, please let me know. I totally would love to see how others play with this world. I would appreciate a shout out too!

I'm @HeySimHey on Twitter and Instagram and HeySimHey on Youtube. I'll be glad to hear from you!

[tricous]

ohh. ohhhhh ok HERE I GO. this is gonna be long. welcome to the dina caliente apologism zone

im going to focus on ts2 dina because, lbr, ts3&ts4 dinas dont have anything outside their given personality traits, no fiction behind them, no substance, + they’re whitewashed anyway so

as a fictional character, dina has at least two fundamental “sides” to her: how she was intended to be by her author (eaxis), and how she is being interpreted by fans (me in particular, since those are my opinions!). i could ignore what eaxis intended her to be (as i usually do in my gameplays at least), but i think its important to understand where eaxis fucked her up. there is also a specific side to her as a playable sim, who behaves accordingly to their personality and aspirations. so im gonna talk about the 3 dina calientes: eaxis lore dina, “gameplay” dina, and my own headcanon dina!

eaxis werent exactly slick when they coded dina as one of pleasantview’s villains (or at least a red herring?). the way they wrote her in ts2: a young pretty (sexy, have you seen that cleavage??) fortune aspiration lady, who may or may not be involved in legendary icon bella’s disappearance, because look at her wanting to bone poor old “widowed” (or is he?) mr money bag mortimer goth. caliente family bio says it: “is their interest in Mortimer physical... or fiscal?”, and by the way it is phrased, and by the way caliente family picture (the one where dina is thinking about marriage and, obviously, money) is, we know we are supposed to think she IS involved in bella’s disappearance, because she always wanted those old dollars. upon further inspection we learn not only that calientes are related to an alien (which is an obvious red flag in context of bella’s story), but that dina also was married to ANOTHER old guy in the past, and that guy was no other but bella’s deceased brother! total gold digger-slash-possible-bella-murderer alert (not to mention that the pop up message in caliente’s house literally says “dina is digging for gold”)! so this is pretty much how eaxis wrote her. since they weren’t writing a complete story, but creating a setting for a gameplay without a plot, only they know exactly what they intended to say, but i interpret it this way, and i feel like a lot of players would agree with me. and thats why when i was 10 to 14 yo i really disliked dina! she’s a golddigging bitch who’s responsible for bella’s disappearance, and wants to fuck a mustache grandpa because cash money! oh no! just like eaxis intended. btw eaxis’ obsession with giving ts2 women fortune aspiration and making them villains/bad mothers (whereas Good Women(tm) have family aspiration most of the time lol) is..... yeah. basically what I’m saying is: dina is either supposed to be an (almost) innocent red herring, which is unlikely, or just a lazily-written pleasantview villain, and eaxis are cowards for yet again perpetuating their beloved trope of evil fortune asp lady.

but here, when dealing with dina, we have another thing about her: her personality points. since ts2 doesn’t have a plot, and can only use limited resources to tell a story (bios, memories, family pictures), almost every detail counts, and then why is dina, the bad guy, so playful and nice? some may argue that she just pretends to be nice to fuck rich guys, but is it that deep tho.... this detail adds complexity to dina’s character to many players i think. if we look at dina as a sim and not a character, she’s much more pleasant than her sister, than bella (kinda), than cassandra... yeah, she’s a fortune sim, but (just as every fortune sim) she rolls wants to get a job and probably has job-related ltw. she’s lazy and sloppy, but it only adds to her charm as a lady who looks like she would poison you, but is actually goofy and fun (playful+nice). and THATS my interpretation of her when i play the caliente household (because i usually dont come up with a plot to play with)! she is in love with mortimer (because she canonically is), wants to get a job, is nice to everybody (UNLIKE NINA), is friends (good acquaintances) with poor single mom brandi, and is a pretty good person.

next up im gonna tell you what i personally like to imagine and what my big headcanon is, so this is going under the cut

SO when i was coming up with my current personal dina headcanons (my previous dina hcs were all heavily inspired by «fortune and romance», which has one of my favorite interpretations of dina!), i didn’t ignore eaxis’ intentions completely, because i think it adds volumes and depths etc. so. my thots on dina: she was only a little younger than bella and was rivals with her in high school (you know when you are a wlw and have a crush on a girl and dont know if you wanna be her or be WITH her? yeah. that type of rivalry). she always wanted everything bella had (including mortimer i guess?), maybe tried copying her like teenagers do sometimes, and started dating her brother just to get back at her (and eventually fell in love with him to the point where they got married!). meanwhile bella and mortimer had a shotgun wedding, mortimer turned out to be not the greatest husband and father, all that (i talked about my bella gone girl hc here) while mortimer was inventing elixir of life. i like to imagine that inconsistencies with mortimer, bella, michael, and dina’s ages all come from the elixir gone wrong (or right): maybe michael and dina were broke and really needed money, so michael volunteered to be mortimer’s guinea pig for the elixir, but smth terrible happened and michael began rapidly growing older until he just fucking died? dina was obviously heartbroken bc she lost her husband, but she also was very broke, so she went to her in-laws for help. there she started hanging out with both bella and mortimer, helping them with their newborn (is mortimer alexander’s biological father tho.....) and liking bella&mortimer more and more. bella got even more depressed after michael’s death obviously, mortimer proved to be even more useless, and bella snapped, staged her abduction, and fled to strangetown, gone girl style (i described it in that other post i mentioned earlier). there dina and mortimer probably bonded over their shared trauma even more annnnnd dina needs money, so hey, why not just get married to this guy ig?? yeah, so thats the backstory i have, i dont like thinking that dina is an entirely innocent pure baby, she’s just a little cunning woman in a tough situation in my book. 

[didilysims]

Posting ‘em all together because, a) less spam for your dash, and, b) I thought it was funny how everyone wanted U. :) 

I: Your Bella Goth Theories!

I just have a few abstract ideas, but I think Bella was in league with the aliens somehow. Maybe she is an alien and was sent as a spy, or maybe she made some deal with them to get out of Pleasantview, or maybe she’s an alien clone experiment, explaining why she’s EVERYWHERE in the game. 

K: Your S3 Traits or what is your Aspiration?

I’m probably a Pop Sim. Solid friendships are important to me and I just want everyone to like me. :) 

The traits I’d pick are Bookworm, Clumsy, Neat, Friendly, and Adventurous. 

O: Do You Prefer Your Sims to Have Skills or Popularity?

Popularity! Not much of a surprise with my previous answer. ;) I really like having an interconnected neighbourhood and so working on friendships definitely takes priority over skilling. There are some careers that I’m not even sure I’ve ever topped before because I don’t prioritize skilling. Although of course there are exceptions. It’s fun to have a neighbourhood recluse sometimes, and I do get those career-driven Fortune or Knowledge Sims. But I definitely think relationships are more rewarding, particularly between playables. 

V: How Did You Start Playing the Sims?

As with many of my favourite games, I was introduced to it by my brother, as he was the one who owned the computer way back then. It was TS1 and I was hooked...until one day he showed me TS2, and I was totally hooked. :) 

Aside: I’ve mentioned this before, but I didn’t start playing TS2 until Double Deluxe, which came out in 2008, which is kind of bizarre to me, because that year had some important milestones marking time for me very clearly there, and I swear my memories of TS2 go back to pre-2008. But apparently not. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Funny thing, memory. 

Z: Favourite Game Aspect

Aging...or I guess the generational aspect, if you want to word it more eloquently. That was an issue for me in TS1, that babies would turn into kids and then just...be kids forever. And I was disappointed that the kids couldn’t do as much as the adults. In any neighbourhood I play I always get attached to the second generation because I’m seeing them grow up from babies, and having their own families and it’s just so great. I get kind of sad about seeing them die, but then the next generation gets a turn to take over, and I’m attached all over again. The circle of life, man. :) 

And the highly anticipated “U” question is......!

U: Best Sims Experience

I suspect this question is asking for a specific experience, or memory, of playing the Sims. However, I can’t really think of one moment that would be The Best. I think it’s just those times when you’re completely invested in the game (and probably way more time has actually passed that it feels like) and you’re just having a blast enjoying it. 

I’m thinking of times when I was working on a build and everything was turning out even better than I’d thought, and I’m scrolling through Buy Mode to find something to fit a certain space and come across an object I hardly notice normally, but this time it’s perfect! 

Or when I’m not really sure what to do with a certain Sim and all of a sudden he or she rolls a certain want, or does something totally autonomously, or even grows up into a particular outfit that reveals to me, yes...this is exactly where your life was heading and it all makes perfect sense now! And then I’m excited to keep on playing that Sim.

Or just enjoying the goofiness of the game. I remember the first time I saw a Sloppy Sim “complain” about his stink cloud by sniffing his armpit fumes and approving of them--it was hilarious! That was a big moment for me in paying more attention to the little personality details that make this game so endearing, but also made me laugh out loud. I love the exaggerated quirky surprises this game has to offer, and the fact that there’s always something new to discover is amazing...and why we’re all still playing it, or course! 

Thank you @lauratje86 @katatty and Anonymous for the asks! :) 

[coriel-muroz]

The Bachelorette: #10. Getting to know Kaylynn Langerak

Angela: Welcome to the Bachelorette! Let’s get to know the delightful star of our show. Not only is she star-material and absolutely gorgeous, she’s also kind, smart and an excellent cook.

Angela: Kaylynn, why don’t you tell us about your family?

Kaylynn: Well my mother, who incidentally was also named Kaylynn, used to live in Pleasantview. She worked in housekeeping. Unfortunately, she always made the worse choices when it came to men. My father, whom I have never met, skipped town before Mom could tell him about me. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than the divorce she caused by sleeping with a married man!

Angela: Hmmm. Couldn’t say. While I am delighted to have been happily married for many years - something we’re going to make sure happens for you too - my parents got divorced after something exactly like that happened. It was the best thing. Mom realized she was gay, and ended up married to a wonderful woman. Let me just give a shout-out to my step-mum, Gretchen. I know she’s watching.

Kaylynn: I really hope that this experience does help me find true love.

Angela: And I hope the ratings get me a lot of money.

Kaylynn: Sorry, what was that?

Angela: Well you have 7 excellent fellows to choose from. Unless, wait, you actually like men, right?

Kaylynn: Yes, I’ve never experienced a lightning bolt for a woman.

Angela: Oh good. Cause we could definitely do that show too, but I would have to completely recast. Hahaha.

[sixamese-simblr]

For The Sims 2 questions: 1, 4, 7, 12, 20 💚

1. Pleasantview vs Strangetown?

To the surprise of exactly nobody, Strangetown.

4. Favourite family from Pleasantview and why?

That’s a tough one; the charm of Pleasantview to me is in how the families all hang together. I like the Calientes, Goths and Brokes, but the Pleasants have something to them that I really enjoy. There’s the drama between Mary-Sue and Daniel, and I have a soft spot for the very 2000s prep vs. goth thing going on between Angela and Lilith.

7. Favourite family from Bluewater Village and why?

Malcolm Landgraab, I’ve played him some as the start of a little Landgraab legacy. I retroactively started to like the Ramirez’s more, entirely based on the little time travel easter egg from Movie Hangout Stuff.

12. Favourite male premade sim?

I really like Johnny and Tank, it’s really a tossup between them (That is, the specific interpretation of soft boy Tank). Pascal, Puck, Beau and Kevin Beare are runner-ups. There’s just some I latched onto as a gay boy.

20. Your favourite ’premade’ household lot from the entire game?

I really like the Beaker house, I like the whole “Mad Scientist” thing. I’m not big on remodelling, but I also love to break it up into 3 or so apartments and have a “tenants living in a mysterious mansion where Things Happened” storyline.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Okay, don't admit to anything. Don't say anything and for the love of god, no magic. We don't want this to be any worse than it has to be."

Roman stood, watching the door with anxiety. Once the drama surrounding Theo's magical collapse had dissipated, word had come from Pleasantview that a magical review would be taking place. The magical academy that educated Theo was sending a representative to satisfy the Maricourt family. Apparently, Theo and Adam's experiment with blood magic had caused alarm to both the Darktides and Maricourts in Pleasantview and the school needed to investigate the situation to placate their fears.

Roman wasn't sure what the consequences could be, but there was no way that he was letting Theo get expelled from school because he made Adam's parents uncomfortable. He had fed and driven and tolerated his son's boyfriend, and if Adam's parents were going to judge Theo, Roman would put an end to all of that. The Maricourts may be rich and powerful, but he was still the Bellamy heir, and the son of a powerful demon lineage. He had his own thoughts about the situation and wouldn't hesitate to share them with the Maricourt family.

Abe felt similarly. They weren't as rich as the Maricourts, but he was still Elaine's son, and Lucy's brother. Both women would burn down Pleasantview before Theo could be hurt. Just let the Maricourts try their luck with the Helios family, the Helioses could hold their own.

"I hope Adrian is getting through to them," Roman murmured. "I mean, he's related to the Maricourt bloodline somehow, which has to count for something. And you're sure that Adam's mother lives in Twikkii Island? I've seen the gossip magazines place her in Strangetown, and more specifically with the Strangetown royal family. Do we have any way of dealing with the Strangetown royals? Did Lucy find any dirt on them?"

"Adam's mom isn't going to come after us," Theo grumbled. "Adam loves me, and I helped him produce the Maricourt Staff. They should be thanking me."

"Theo, you're too young and idealistic to understand the complexities of rich families," Roman snapped. "Given the school you attend, I don't know why that is, but you're being naive. You performed binding magic on the son of Pleasantview's magical leader! I don't even know what his mother does because no one seems to think that I have the clearance to know! These people are dangerous, Theo. My grandfather was a master manipulator, and just keeping me in their fancy school was too much for him. Everyone is playing their own game, and their plans may cost you your life."

Theo scowled, still unconvinced about his father's view of Adam's family.

"His mom works for the government. One of the governments anyway. She does a lot of paperwork."

"Mmm. That's not exactly reassuring."

A shower of sparkles glimmered in the front yard, revealing three figures.

"Adam!"

"Theo!"

"Evren? Where's the academy's representative?"

Adrian beamed proudly.

"I managed to get Evren nominated for the role," he boasted. "He's a more neutral candidate, given that he's from an alternate world in the past, and practices alternate approaches to magical energy."

"He's also Theo's stepfather more or less," Abe pointed out. "They were okay with that?"

"Of course," Adrian scoffed, looking offended. "I'm a master negotiator. Some of us actually graduated boarding school, you know." He smiled teasingly at Roman. "You know how persuasive I can be."

"Gross." Theo wrinkled his nose in disgust. Adam looked like he was doing the same, which only made Theo love him more. They were always so in sync with each other.

"What did the academy say? Are they involving the council? The Strangetown monarchy?" Abe demanded, ignoring his son's revulsion with parental flirting. "Do I need to call my sister?"

Evren and Adrian shared a tired look.

"Let's go inside."

"So, no one thinks that the spell was cast maliciously," Evren began.

He tried to continue his sentence, but Roman was incensed. Evren had expected this reaction eventually, but he'd hoped he would have more time before Roman exploded with raw parental concern.

"Maliciously? Why? Why would anyone assume that my son would have sinister intentions for the kid he's been obsessed with for years? Is it because he's a demon? Is this bigotry the official stance of the school that the leader of all demons supports? Do I need to call Lucy?"

Abe placed a steadying hand on his husband's shoulder.

"Ro, why don't you let Evren talk? I'm sure we can sort this all out without involving lawyers and the Sovereign. Plus, I'm pretty sure that the kids can hear you in the other room. It's probably best that we keep this adults only for now. You know how Theo tends to get riled up whenever we even mention Adam. He's a lot like his father."

"No, seriously. Why do they think Theo's ruined their precious family?" Roman demanded. "If anything, Adam's tempted away the Bellamy heir from his future duties and role. All Theo talks about now is magic and the Maricourts and how he's going to grow up to be anywhere other than Arkhelios. I think they should apologize to us."

"Roman, I was apprenticed under Roegus Maricourt for years," Evren interrupted, giving Adrian a pointed look. "He may have been the Roegus of an alternate time and universe, but there is truth to the Maricourt family's power. They command magic no one else can and can bend the laws of magic to their will. You don't want to piss them off, trust me. The Strangetown coven has links to demigods and rulers of time and the Pleasantview coven...it's best not to speculate on their abilities."

"Rien and I can read cards just fine," Roman pouted, causing Abe to sigh beside him. "We have advantages too, you know. Theo's no Maricourt and look what he can do."

"It's not a contest," Abe groaned. "And that's just what they're afraid of. It sounds like they're afraid of Theo tapping into their power and toppling their balance of power over the world."

"Hmph."

While Roman sulked, Abe focused his gaze on Evren.

"They should be afraid of him," Abe said with confidence. "They've been ruling this world for centuries and one little demon hybrid is making them worry. Our son is exceptional and they know it."

Adam stood frozen in place, afraid to move lest Theo's little sisters pounce on him. They were as ruthless as attack dogs, sensing vulnerability in their big brother's relationship with his boyfriend. Theo was in trouble at school and with Adam's family and suddenly here was his boyfriend standing in their living room, looking suspicious and holding something behind him. Something was about to happen and both Rien and Fiolett weren't about to miss the drama.

"I think he's going to propose," Rien said excitedly. "Their love is forbidden and they're going to run away together, just like in the stories."

"Nothing is forbidden," Adam stammered, trying his best to ignore the giggling girls behind him. "It's just a misunderstanding. No one is running away."

"They're pregnant then," Fiolett concluded. "That's why our parents are all talking together. They're trying to decide what to do about it. Probably planning a wedding."

Adam's face flushed with embarrassment, while Theo cringed beside him.

"Would you two go away?" he shouted, flailing his arms for emphasis. "You don't know what you're talking about! My life isn't like one of your stupid gossip magazines. Leave us alone!"

Theo's anger only made the girls snicker harder. Clearly, he couldn't have a private moment with his boyfriend as long as they were following him around. He smirked, thinking about the different methods he could use to get some privacy. Rien was older than Fiolett and gifted with some intuitive understanding of magic. Fiolett had a magical father and likely some abilities of her own, but she lacked the foundation to use those abilities.

With a quick snap of his fingers, Theo opened a portal beneath his sisters and watched as they fell helplessly through it. They'd fall safely onto their beds upstairs where the door was now locked, giving their brother a brief moment alone with Adam.

"Thank god they're gone," Theo laughed, imagining the frustrated looks on his sisters' faces. "Now we can talk alone...or at least until my parents make their decisions. You don't really think that they'll make us break up, do you? I mean, I won't let them break us up, but they can make me change schools or something like that. I don't want to change schools."

"We're not breaking up," Adam promised, gripping the small box in his hand tightly. "My parents could never make that happen. Besides, they have Remy to worry about and a royal wedding to plan for Miruna and Elowen's bad grades. I'm the well-behaved kid, so I get less parental interference."

"It must be nice," Theo grumbled to himself. "I have a million siblings, but my parents are determined to plan out my life for me."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Adam replied, flushing a little while planning out his next words. "I...I got you something that might help remind you of that fact."

Theo's eyes locked onto the mysterious box in Adam's hand, suddenly obsessed with unlocking its secrets. He took the box from his boyfriend gingerly, not wanting to ruin the moment by dropping it.

It was light, and it didn't rattle around when he shook the box slightly. It was thrilling to guess what it could be. Theo wanted this moment to last forever.

Theo gasped when the lid lifted and revealed his gift. A small, clear crystal was mounted on a ring, shining in the sun.

"A ring? You're giving me a ring? I can't believe it!"

"It's not expensive," Adam quickly pointed out. "I didn't have a lot of money to work with, but I grew the crystal myself. The Crystal Cove witches helped me with it. You know the necklace you were always wearing when we met? The one that would help you focus your abilities that you mastered in an afternoon?"

Theo nodded eagerly. That necklace had been made to block his powers as a child and force him to train his powers responsibly. As Adam said, it hadn't taken Theo long to break through its binding at all. He still had it in his drawer at home, though he hardly ever wore it. He hadn't needed training wheels for his abilities in years.

He closed his eyes for an instant, trying to mentally poke the object before him. For an instant, Theo had a frightening thought that Adam was reacting to the incident between them by trying to squash his abilities. He didn't think that Adam was like that, as he had always encouraged Theo to be himself in all the years that they'd known each other, but it was still a worry that felt like it had some merit. Nothing seemed to be amiss with the crystal before him though, so Theo tried to push the thought from his mind.

"This should help you better than that necklace did," Adam explained, worried about Theo's hesitation. "It doesn't block out your abilities at all, but it filters things a bit. The light inside of it is supposed to protect you from shadows and spirits and curses. I talked with Master Toyonaga, and he said it should help you with what's left of your curse. It can't get rid of it completely, but it's supposed to help keep it from interfering with your magic. Maybe."

"You made this? You made this for me?"

Theo was suddenly immensely relieved that his nosey sisters were nowhere near him. He wasn't sure, but he thought his heart might be dangerously swelling in his chest to the point of exploding. Adam had made him a crystal to help him, to show him how much he cared about him.

"I love it!" Theo exclaimed, grabbing Adam's hand excitedly and engulfing him in a kiss. "It's amazing! How long did it take you to make this?"

Adam shrugged modestly, leaning into Theo's embrace.

"A couple days. Not that long, really. It took a few hours for it to set, and then Master Toyonaga double-checked it for me. It really does glow sometimes; I had one made when I was a kid and was afraid of monsters. Miruna taught me how."

"It's incredible, I'm never going to take it off," Theo promised. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "You have a million crystals and now you've grown this one for me. Do...do you think that you want to switch covens when we're older? You seem to really like the Crystal Cove coven."

Adam flinched just thinking of his parents' reaction to that idea.

"I don't think that's possible," he replied carefully. "My choice is between Dad's Pleasantview coven and Mom's Strangetown coven and that's about it. The Crystal Cove coven is an international joke and my mom has bad blood with several of the leaders. I'm too important to throw my life away, apparently. I don't feel all that important, but it's out of my hands. It's just like you and the Demon Sovereign. Do you think that she's going to let you choose your path in life after everything she's invested in your education?"

Theo was quiet for a moment. It was hard not to agree with Adam, especially now that their parents were speaking to council representatives over the spell they had chosen to cast together. What did it matter if Adam wanted to choose a coven that was "below his rank"? Why should Theo be asking the Maricourts for permission to do magic with their son? The whole thing wasn't fair.

"Theo! Evren needs to talk to you. Come in here and bring Adam."

Theo grabbed his boyfriend's hand, while still admiring the new ring on his finger.

"Come on, let's go hear what they have to say," he groaned. "I bet that I'm at least grounded at this point, possibly suspended at school. You'll probably do okay though. I'm just a bad influence on you."

Adam smiled.

"Trust me, I'd much rather report to your parents instead of mine. Being grounded is nothing compared to mandatory coven responsibilities."

"Theo! We don't have all day here!"

Theo rolled his eyes and squeezed Adam's hand.

"We're coming, geez. Don't have a fit."

[markoplayssims]

Road to Nowhere: Prelude - The New Guy In Town

Although it was a dream career for him since childhood, Ajay Loner’s job as an SCIA investigator hasn’t been easy. But considering his most recent assignment and subsequent relocation to Strangetown of all places, it’s about to get much, much harder.

He wouldn’t have gone for the job if he expected it to be an easy one, he enjoys a challenge and likes to solve mysteries - especially hard ones - but Strangetown was... different.

His colleagues warned him about the rumors and the mysteries surrounding the town, telling him to stay away if he valued his sanity. Usually, Ajay would’ve listened... but something about this case, perhaps the town itself, it called to him, and Ajay was determined to answer.

Before he knew it, he found himself driving down the infamous Road to Nowhere to greet his employer for his newest assignment.

His mission? Figure out what happened to Lyla Grunt.

Ajay wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting when he first drove down the main road into the desert, but he found himself surprised with what he got. For a place located in the middle of nowhere, it was far from a ghost town.

And for a desert, it was actually quite lovely.

Well, it was, until he stepped out of the car. Leaving a nicely air conditioned vehicle and remembering the sensation of scorching summer heat was nauseating, but this is what he signed up for when he took on the case, so he wasn’t allowed to complain.

A part of him wished he got to investigate the Bella Goth case instead, he’d get the chance to spend more time in the much milder climate of Pleasantview before having to come here. But that was out of the SCIA’s hands now...

As Ajay approached the Grunt family house, he saw none other than General Buzz himself walk out, his gait stiff and disciplined. In fact, ‘stiff and disciplined’ could describe everything about him. It was kind of eerie just how much he exemplified his military role.

The General had a perpetual neutral half-scowl on his face - even when he turned to greet his visitor with a wave - and he spoke in a formal and terse manner. “Greetings. You must be Agent Loner.”

“That’s me.” Ajay replied with a (somewhat forced) smile, walking up to the other man and offering a hand to shake. “Agent Loner at your service, sir.”

Rather than accept the offering, the General lowered his waving hand and clasped them both behind his back. “I don’t have much time before I have to go to work, so let’s cut straight to the chase.”

Ajay couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about the General’s demeanor and tone of voice told him that the man seemed... embarrassed to have to rely on the SCIA to ‘fix’ his problems.

“As I’m sure you already know, my wife -” He quickly catches himself mid-sentence, “- ex wife - has gone missing, and she has been gone for over a month. I need you to find her.”

Naturally, Ajay took note of - and subsequently honed in on - the apparent sore spot that the General exposed, whether he meant to or not. “Are you sure she didn’t just leave town? You know, considering...”

“Of course I am.” He half-spoke, half-spat in reply. It was clear that this question struck a nerve. “She grew up here, had plenty of friends, and we had three sons together, the lives of whom she wanted to remain a part of after we divorced. I can tell you with full confidence that it's not in her nature to willfully disappear.”

“Noted.” Ajay said, doing exactly that by jotting everything down in a little notebook before looking back up to find that the General’s scowl had grown much wider. There was anger in his eyes, and it didn’t take much for Ajay to figure out why. “I didn’t mean to assume anything, sir. I’m just trying to cover all of the bases. Speaking of, what about the local law enforcement? The SCIA isn’t exactly someone’s first choice when it comes to these situations.”

“Do you think I’d trust our boneheaded sheriff to do anything right by the people in this town? When I realized something was wrong, I told him that Lyla had gone missing, and you know what he said?”

Ajay opened his mouth to reply, but Buzz didn’t wait for an answer before mockingly mimicking the town sheriff, paired with surprisingly exaggerated gestures. It was probably the most emotion Ajay had seen out of him so far. “‘Just wait a little bit, she’ll be back by morning,’ talking as if she had been abducted. Whether she was or not, his indifference and inaction is infuriating. I have no idea how he still has a job.”

Unsure of how to reply to that spiel, Ajay continued his questioning. “So, do you think it was aliens? I’ve heard abductions are pretty common around here.”

“Indeed they are. I don’t doubt the possibility that she was abducted, but I know the enemy very well. They don’t typically abduct women for over twenty four hours, give or take the rare cases where they have.” Buzz stated, his tone returning straight back to ‘serious’ in record time. “For that reason, if they did take her, I suspect that this was a targeted attack against me.”

During the General’s speech, Ajay had been taking plenty of notes. Once he was finished, he asked, “And that’s where the SCIA comes in, I take it?”

“Yes, though it’s not the only possibility on the table. There could’ve been foul play.” The General glowered as he spoke of such a dark possibility. “If that’s the case, I already have a few suspects in mind.”

“And that would be who, exactly?” Ajay asked, hiding his dread with a veneer of intrigue. Unfortunately, his voice was quickly drowned out by the whirring of helicopter blades as the General’s ‘carpool’ had finally arrived.

“That’s my cue to leave. We’ll talk more about this later.” The General spoke just loud enough to be heard as he marched off. “For now, I think you should start investigating the Smiths. I’m almost certain they’re a family of alien spies. Their house is up the road from here, at 101 Road to Nowhere. Best of luck to you.”

As the helicopter took off, Ajay jotted down the family’s name and the address, quickly realizing that he’s going to be living right next door to the suspects. That would make his investigation significantly easier.

Once the General had well and truly departed for work, Ajay got back into his car and drove off, passing by his new neighbors on the way to his own place, a little rental house at 91 Road to Nowhere.

It was a quaint little house, with some basic decoration and furniture. Ajay wasn’t about to complain, he never had an eye for interior decoration. He was just happy to be out of the sun.

More importantly, he was looking to get started on his investigation, the first suspects of which are, of course, his next-door neighbors, the Smith family.

[thesimminghen-blog]

Introduction:

I started to play the Sims when I was seven years old, on my fiend’s sister’s computer. I played The Sims 2 with only the University Expansion Pack for ages! And that’s why it will always have a special place in my heart. 

Nowadays, I don’t really play it anymore, mainly because it is dated. And I know there are ways to still make it work on newer computers, but honestly, I don’t want to deal with the First Born Syndrome, and Corruption.. Although I might change my mind when I’m bored with The Sims 4 and I want to explore some of the fan-made Neighborhoods.

I am a huge fan of the premade Maxis Sims in The Sims 2, though. They have so much character, and so much life! I love exploring their personnalities and developping their stories. And honestly, the Sims Team has given up on that, I feel, and it is so sad. The premade Households in the Sims 4 are just boring, plane, and shallow. That’s why I remade them. 

I have already played some of the Pleasantview story, and I was beginning to be sick of it, so I’ve decided to play with Stragetown. I mainly used the families that Maxis created on their Gallery: Specter, Grunt, Curious, Smith, Beaker. But Kristen Loste and Ajay Loner I had to download from other Simmers’ Gelleries. I have also introduced the Sims from StrangerVille to my rotation, so that I have a little bit more variety. Rotation? What’s that, you ask. My gameplay style is in rounds. That means that I play with each family for four Sims days, which equals exactly four years in the lifespan that I edited with MCCC; also, in the settings, I put Only Active Household Aging on. I play that way, so that I don’t get bored with just one storyline, but I also like to pair Sims up and have control over every family’s future. 

Well.. That’s false. Or at least not entirely true. See? I loved the Aspiration system in The Sims 2. It gave a clear purpose to the Sim’s life, and it directed the kinds of Wants and Fears they would roll. And I loved fullfilling them, and making them guide my gameplay. In the Sims, I want to make my Sims happy by steering them into doing what they want to. If a Sim has the Romance aspiration and they want to cheat on their spouse, I’m going to let them. But it’s important to have some flexibility still. That’s why The Sims 2 was so Perfect. And don’t even get me started on Aspiration Failure. It is pure perfection! Whereas, in The Sims 4, all of the Sims are the same. The Aspirations don’t really do much, they’re like a quest. The traits aren’t as impactful on the gameplay. And there aren’t any negative aspects (although that is changing now a little bit with the Repoman, the Character Values etc.). 

Nonetheless, I like The Sims 4. Obvously The Sims 2 is better, but I still enjoy playing The Sims 4. I really do. And I want it to get better so bad. The biggest thing for me is the Wants and Fears. I want them to make a comeback and be really developped, because, honestly, the Whims are just a joke, and they are so repetitive. Even The Sims 3 had a better system. And the Aspirations need retouching as well, because they aren’t good. They don’t provide much reward. Like, in The Sims 3 when a Sim completed their Lifetime Wish, they would have a special grave to indicate that they had a good life. Genius!

Anyways. I don’t even know why I explained all of that, but I just wanted to give some insight into my mindset to the few people that are going to read this. In a nutshell, I am playing Strangetown in The Sims 4, with some additionnal households.

My Households: Curious, Specter, Beaker, Smith, Grunt, Loner, Singles, Cahill, Eclectic Arts, Roswell, Sigworth.

The Simming Hen.