Stories and Such

Book I.1

Homer and his parents Helen and Dardanus moved into a starter house called Shotgun Style, which included a nursery. It was a two bedroom, 1 bathroom, furnished house without a foundation and a green and pink colour theme with light wood in the open living areas, bathroom and kitchen. The large yard extended to the side.

By the time he started his second degree though, Science, he’d gained enough skills for a scholarship, sold items from his university house as well as garden and fishing produce and did a shift or two at the military base.

Helen joined him to do her Fine Arts degree for her Culinary career, and she had scored a scholarship as well.

The game provided a babysitter on their way out and of course time froze while they were away.

It was night when they arrived at university, the same time it had ended after Dardanus’ first degree and it had frozen in time while he was back at home.

My limited laptop had trouble coping with the bottleneck of students rushing to get in the Connor’s Building lecture and the library. A mod for allowing access to the other doors was used, which fixed that, but it removed the cosmetic outer stone and shape of the buildings, and so it looked odd like it does below. Uncomfortable.

Possibly as a side-effect, Dardanus was able to fish the ocean from the doorway of the library. He had clicked on the ocean from where he was reading his text book and instead of traveling there to fish, he stayed at the doorway.

Here are Dardanus and Helen lining up for their graduation.

Again Dardanus graduated by nightfall, a result of the action time taking up longer sim time than normal because of the limited framerate. While Dardanus had picked Genius as his bonus graduation trait on his first degree to help with his second degree of Science, he changed it to Workaholic on the second graduation to help with his earnings at home and tolerance for working hard, and studying hard on his final degree which was to be Physical Education and he already has an Athletic trait for its skill set.

Helen chose Family-Oriented as her bonus trait.

The babysitter was dismissed as they arrived home, where everything including Homer were where they had left it. They had taken all the other furniture with them in their family inventory to use at their university house seeings as Homer and the babysitter would be frozen in time and not in any need of anything. They didn’t take the toilet because they had already gained the Steel Bladder happiness reward and didn’t need it.

Dardanus filled out his new scholarship application for his third and final degree, while Helen uploaded her resume for the Culinary career and got a job at the diner starting at level 4. The next chef in the family will try to make it at the bistro.

They didn’t bother installing their family inventory items because Dardanus was leaving again straight away and Helen and Homer wouldn’t be needing them. And anyway, whatever needs they seemed to be getting low on at that time, would be a different random set when Dardanus returned.

Dardanus graduated from his third and final degree Physical Education. He achieved his Life Time Wish of Major Master and seemed to cheer for himself extra-enthusiastically. But it was the same. But the celebratory music made it feel greater. He gained 40 thousand happiness points, as well as some very high scoring pathway wishes along the way such as Complete a Degree, Complete Two Degrees, Complete Three Degrees and Get on the Dean’s List, Pass Final Exams … and others.

Gifts from friends and admirers were cashed in, plus text books and skill objects sold, garden produce and fish, and there were leftover funds from the scholarships. A couple of high-end items they had bought while at university to help sail through the full study days, and so all up they had enough to improve everything when Dardanus, and Helen, finally returned.

The next morning Dardanus changed into his level 4 Science career uniform ready to start working at the Landgraab Industries Science Facility.

“It looks like our work hours will be opposite.” Dardanus sighed.

“We’ll both be home at night, and we have a few days off the same.” Helen pointed out.

Homer had completed all of his toddler lessons and books, in good time because the next phase would mean there would be no need for a babysitter. Helen called all of their work colleagues and invited them to a party. Birthday.

There were Jack and Judy Bunch, Gobias Koffi and Stiles McGraw, Tori Kimura and Candy Ashleydale. Emma Hatch and Molly French turned up with grouped-up icons for no reason. Perhaps they were in the carpool from the Diner with Helen.

After gathering everyone to dance, Helen started Homer’s birthday on the birthday cake. They all ignored it except for Candy the babysitter. She blew a horn for him.

Homer turned around in the sparkles …

He grew up into a child and got given an Into the Future outfit as his child-formal.

He went to the stylist later, because another child, Sandi French, turned up wearing it as well. They ended up best friends at school.

Here he is all styled over, as he strutted to his first day of school.

He would be growing up with the elite inner circle of Sunset Valley children and teens –

Including teens Ethan Bunch on the left, his little sister Darlene down the stairs on his right, Parker Langerak on our right, his little sister Kaylynn to our left of Ethan.

Other child sims –

Mortimer Goth on our left, blonde Michael Landgraab next him, Sandi French in front of him, and Bella Bachelor to our right.

Trailing behind Darlene is her and Ethan’s littlest brother Arlo.

One afternoon Helen took Homer to the library with her, and his friend Sandi was also there with her mum Molly. River McIrish was there too, although not working on her homework.

Molly started going into labour, in the bookcase. Everyone panicked.

“Call the hospital” River urged them.

“I can’t, I don’t drive!” Homer despaired.

And Helen had to go to work.

Besides, she didn’t have the car, Dardanus did. He tried calling the hospital for her, from where he was … at home. The game however organised a taxi for them both which they met up and got into and then went to the hospital together. The baby waited until they were in the hospital to be born. A girl named Dar. Randomly generated by the game, or was it? Seems like she was half named after Dardanus.

Turned out the father was Xander Clavell, who was seen running in after them before they came out.

While they waited for news and until it was time to go home for dinner, Sandi and Homer did their homework in the library together, for double-extra grade-boosting power – being in the library and the option of “do homework with …” .

Later that week, while the snow set in, Homer and his mum Helen were eating Ratatouille dinner. But someone was late getting home.

“Where is your father?” asked Helen, “He didn’t mention anything about after work”

“He went collecting scrap at the junkyard, for building his inventions. I think I’d like to be an engineer when I grow up,” said Homer.

“Why is he focussed on Inventing while he doesn’t need it at work?” asked Helen.

“He wants to make harvesters, so we don’t gain Gardening so quickly during the egg to omni plant challenges.” Homer replied.

Over at Grady’s Junkyard … Dardanus had detonated a large pile of scrap, successfully, but got singed and then took too long to get around in the snow to collect it all …

Who should come by and save him? Sandi French happened to be in the office cabin, with a hair dryer.

“Thank you Sandi, you saved my life” croaked Dardanus between his chattering teeth.

“Can I have some extra rocks and seeds when the school comes to the Science Facility?” she asked.

After warming up some more in front of the small pot-belly fire in the office …

He hopped on his hoverboard and hurried on home. He was trying to build that skill so he can get around faster if they go on a World Adventure. He passed the Bachelor household on his way, and wondered if any of them would end up with his family, even though their name suggests a lack of commitment. Jocasta and Simis have stayed together.

He arrived home, to where it had been raised onto foundations, rather completely rebuilt on foundations but in the same configuration of rooms, size and materials, and been given a small verandah. One of the gifts from their friends either at university or of their secret admirers in the mail, a fancy Shrub of Tranquility was displayed on the front.

You may notice the recycle bin is recoloured to blend in …

After buying and using a great bath from The Store – the Rinse ‘n Roar with stats of:

Environment: 5
Stress Relief: 9
Hygiene: 8

… he realised Homer was fast asleep in his cute bedroom. The selfie of himself and his wife Helen hung in the kitchen, and someone, probably Homer had gotten a portion of dinner out for him.

He continued working on his Inventing skill at home in the comfort of his carport, close to the bathroom and a new fireplace, which although it looked nice did not have the warm up interaction. It seems the higher-end one’s do. Only this picture of it from after winter was caught.

The Haute Hacienda Dining Room-Artful Adobe Fireplace which was soon replaced by the Jubillee because when they got around to needing the ‘Warm Self’ interaction, that option was missing. I figured from that that ‘Warm Self’ possibly came with higher-end fireplaces but an internet search didn’t seem to confirm that. Buying and then interacting with the Jubillee did bring up ‘Warm Self’ and they could afford it, so that’s what they ended up with. Although it took up more room.

Dardanus’ Inventing often caused fires, setting off the alarm which he installed for Homer’s chemistry set, also in the carport which also sometimes catches fire. The neighbours would come running.

And a firefighter would turn up.

When the weather warmed up, he started detonating things again, scaling that back to salvaged and unwanted items in his own yard. And he would practice running around to collect all the scrap quickly. It too would set off the alarm, and bring the neighbours panicking, who were nowhere in sight seconds before. Usually Erin Kennedy from next door to the Alvi’s, and an Alvi or two who live opposite our house.

The worst or best detonation, depending how one views it, was when he detonated the big scrap pile at the junkyard, causing the biggest explosion nobody never did see.

This is what it looked like after the dust settled.

There was a lot to collect. It was a big job collecting the scrap, and the salvageable items, which was almost everything. Helen and Homer came to help.

The salvageable items included all of the dumpsters, the lamp posts, the office’s furniture and the cars parked in the carpark. Dardanus tried hiding it all in his yard.

Although it was a well-earned score, it seemed wrong. We felt guilty. We didn’t sell the items, but chose something else, we can’t remember, but it caused them to evaporate in this strange way.

Even though the Junkyard still worked and the junk-piles regenerated and grew, Dardanus promised one day he or his family would buy it and restore it.

***

Gunther Goth got old. He always seems to do so quickly in my game.

Dardanus had been shopping for recipe and skill books while there was a sale, and he has the Happiness Lifetime Reward of Bookshop Bargainer as well as Haggler. Late at night because he currently worked in the day. He also passed some Sunset Valley regulars who’d also been progressing.

Holly Alto had grown from a Teen into a Young Adult. Apparently she is only 4 days away from it in a new game. The game had dressed her in a Movie Stuff pack top and some skimpy shorts with what may be Into-The-Future boots …

Xander Clavell was also there, and seemed to want to talk to Holly. Dardanus thought it improper while he has Molly and Dar around in the world. Then Ayesha Ansari turned up, pregnant, in front of him.

At the high school some of the children had grown into teens. Bella Bachelor, who seemed to often be around Lisa Bunch. They live opposite each other.

Kaylynn Langerak. She grew up into a Teen with a University hairstyle. Later when she grew up into a Young Adult, she still ended up with the awful shaggy short hairstyle.

And Michael Landgraab, who got an Into the Future hairstyle, and a large physique which he didn’t have as a child. Neither of his parents have that either. Perhaps it is the shirt, although his face is also fuller.

Mortimer Goth. In a previous game of mine, probably because he has Virtuoso as one of his traits, he was assigned the career path of Music, and had the aspiration of ‘Become a Hit Movie Composer’. He seemed to be dressed in a plausible style for that here. Random though. Maybe he’ll go into that career again.

A couple of toddlers grew up into children – a Wan-Goddard baby, and the Ursine baby. My game named them Griselda Wan and Janna Ursine.

They began at Elementary School in good time because …

Dardanus built a time machine because with all of the Inventing he rolled a wish to do so, and to travel either into the future or past. I thought it would be harmless like the Miner, but this little child sim appeared, genetically Dardanus’ but not Helen’s.

A pop-up said Dardanus witnessed a couple arguing and that he went to give advice to them to try to help. There was no cheater reputation or angry relationship panel from Helen. It is a mystery who the mother was. The game has never said, and neither has Dardanus.

Her name is Hilda already. With an Athletic trait like Dardanus, she went straight over to the soccer game that Homer won with his festival tickets.

Such a natural that she played well, in flip-flops.

This called for a new second bathroom and a girl’s bedroom. The house was extended out back-ways to allow a hallway access. A good place to put a chess set.

Her bedroom has the same dimensions and furniture as Homer’s, except girly. Her favourite colour is purple like Dardanus. Homer’s is actually hot pink but it was confused for purple, and Dardanus’ was originally confused for hot pink, why the parents’ bed is hot pink. The two confused colours have been continued. They haven’t seemed to care.

The round chess set is from Barnacle Bay.

Hilda’s arrival prompted a push to move forward into the next phase for Homer …

***