Tag Archive | sky

6.24 Coda

Sky and Aminali started spending a lot of time together. There was even a spread about them in the gossip magazines.

Wherever they went someone seemed to recognize them and snap a picture.

Sky couldn’t remember when she’d felt so young and carefree.


She still missed Xia every day, but it was so much fun being a couple again.

Even if her moves were a little bit rusty.

Sawyer, meanwhile, had a major breakthrough in his research.

“Eureka!” he shouted to no one in particular. “That’s what I’m obligated to say at this moment, isn’t it?”

Dylan had a different celebration.

He kept his birthday quiet.

But Andria knew, and she made sure he felt appreciated.

Dylan realized as he wandered into middle age that he felt truly content. He was an accomplished photographer with an amazing wife and two beautiful children. What more could he want?

One morning, Sky woke up feeling particularly cheerful and carefree. Today was different, and she knew it.

When Victoria woke up, Sky snatched her out of the crib before she could cry. That gave Andria and Dylan another hour to sleep in before Edmund woke up.

Once Edmund was fed, Sky switched her attention to Edmund.


Andria took some time to play educational games with Victoria. Victoria’s first word was, “Sing.”

When Andria came in to make breakfast, Sky took Victoria too. “I’ll watch the kids,” she said. “You two don’t get to have a peaceful adult breakfast nearly enough.”
Andria didn’t protest. Sky was right.

Sky put Victoria down for a nap. Edmund was restless, so she bundled him up and took him outside to play.

She played music for him. Edmund didn’t laugh. He was always such a solemn child. But he did sway to the music.

Then the moment came. Sky had known it was coming since she woke up. There was no reason to complain. She was completely content.

When the Netherworld called, she was ready to go.

Edmund started to howl at his dirty diaper. Abby came out to get him.

Then she realized what had happened.

She called to Dylan and Sawyer, but it was Andria who was outside first.

When they brought Edmund inside, the phone started ringing.

Hunter had passed. And Leah. All within hours of each other.

Dylan was devastated. He’d lost both his parents in one morning.

They threw a joint wake for brother and sister. The house was overflowing with people.

Sky had been known to so many. Hunter was quieter, more private, but loved just as fiercely by those near him.



Andria was the consummate hostess.

She made sure everyone was fed and kept the conversation moving.

Which was useful, since not everyone in the family even wanted to participate.

Abby picked out a selection of Sky solo and Ghostwriter greatest hits.

It was just the way Sky would want her tribute — loved ones, music, and dancing.

When the guests had left, Dylan and Andria realized they had forgotten something else important about the day.

Edmund had always been a somber toddler, but losing his beloved grandmother on his birthday seemed to turn him even more inward.

Dylan and Andria worried about him.

———-

AAAAUGH. OK, please let all the deaths be done for a while. This is what happens when you have a sim with so many important relationships. Sky maintained the most close relationships outside the family as any sim I’ve ever played. So, of course, they all had to DIE.

I saved right after Sky passed to the Netherworld. On the first play through, Hunter arrived for the wake.

Then immediately passed on.

And my system crashed. 
The second time, I received the death notification right before throwing the party. 

Then this was waiting in the mailbox after the funeral, after both of them had passed:

Seems like a nice tribute that Sky, Hunter, and Leah all passed within hours of each other.
This was the first time I’d ever thrown a Funeral party. I guess sims are pushed to grieve at a recent gravestone. It was very touching.

I did forget Edmund’s birthday. Very unlike me. As a fitting testament to growing up after a funeral, he rolled the trait Brooding to go with Artistic and Proper.

6.23 Early Thaw

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

It was Snowflake Day. Sky was determined to throw the kind of party Xia would have shown.

She invited everyone they knew — friends, family, coworkers, people she met walking down the street. It was quite a turnout.

Xia’s son Stanley Marmalade was the first to arrive. Abby enjoyed catching up with her half-brother.

“Is that Aminali Ibari?” he gasped when Abby’s best friend showed up. “The star of The Back End of the Black Hole? Please introduce us!”

Aminali was a film superstar now.

Andria cooked all morning. The room was filled with the smell of cheery pies.

Mysterious Uncle Forest claimed pressing business overeseas, but he sent his apprentice Asrial Bookabet in his place.

Uncle Hunter.

Sawyer’s sister, Rosie Winter.

Abby’s director, Dragonwife Wu, and Dragonwife’s new fiancé, Tomas Sample-Royale.

Manisha, of course.

Last to arrive was Abby’s costar, Justin Mai. Abby’s heart skipped a beat when she saw that he’d decided to come, but she hid it well.

Everyone was delighted by Andria’s cherry pie.

“Time for packages!” Sky called while Dylan and Andria were clearing the table.

Sawyer pulled Manisha aside while everyone else headed to the living room.



Almost everyone was delighted by their gifts.

Those who didn’t tried to keep up a good face.

Except Sawyer.



With the packages unwrapped, the room filled with laughter and good conversation.

Rosie played with Victoria.

Dylan caught up with Uncle Hunter.

Tomas romanced his new fiancée.

Stanley went out to talk to the chickens.

Yes, the chickens.


“Where’s Justin?” Abby asked Dragonwife, hoping she sounded casual.

“Oh, he headed home,” Dragonwife said. “He said he was tired, but I don’t think house parties are really his thing.”

“Oh,” Abby said.

Sawyer nerved himself up and went to talk to his half-sister Rosie. Now that their shared parent was dead, Rosie felt like the last tie to the other half of his life. He wanted to know her better.

She turned out to be surprisingly easy to talk to, even for Sawyer.

They were distracted by a poof sound my the fireplace.

“Did you just see what I just saw?” Sawyer asked.

“I’m just going to assume that never happened,” Rosie said.

Sky got out her vinyl collection, and there was dancing.

Dylan caught Andria under the mistletoe as she cleaned up the kitchen.

The party finally wound down. Sawyer and Manisha slipped away to his science cave for their own private gift exchange.

“Are you ready?” Sawyer asked.

“Absolutely,” Manisha replied, standing up a little taller. She leaned away reflexively when he pushed the button.

“That was it?” she asked when it was done.

“Sure! We got a great DNA sample.”

“That didn’t hurt at all,” Manisha said, sounding surprised.

“Of course it didn’t,” Sawyer said. He gave her his, Don’t be stupid, look. “It’s a noninvasive process.”



“Well sorry,” Manisha said. “I’ve never had my DNA sequenced before.”

After the rest of the guests left, Aminali stayed behind. She insisted on helping the Samples clean up. That’s how she and Sky found themselves alone in the darkened kitchen.

“I hope you don’t think it’s too forward,” Aminali said. “I’m a huge fan, and I wanted to give you a personal gift. Something from me to you.”

“Wow!” Sky said. “What a surprise! Thank you!”

They stood there for a moment, then, staring silently into each other’s eyes.
Then Sky, on impulse, pointed to the mistletoe hanging above them.

Aminali’s face lit up, and she stepped close.

“Wow,” Sky said.

———-

Well, Dragonwife didn’t mourn her late husband very long. She and Tomas Sample-Royale had one of those whirlwind NRaas relationships where they dated, committed, and announced engagement in under one day.

Sky and Aminali really hit it off, and Sky started rolling a lot of wishes for her. It was adorable to see her imagining a life after Xia.

This was probably my most successful party in a long time. Lots of autonomous cuteness. Comparatively few route-fails.

Asrial Bookabet crashed the party. He sure did grow up into a hottie!

6.22 Big Break

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

Abby got the part!

She was now playing Dr. Esmerelda Goodbaum in Dragonwife Wu’s new film, My Doctor Made Me Do It.

Sawyer was incredibly amused that she was playing a doctor. He jeered at the way doctors were portrayed in the movies while also giving her some very useful pointers to hone her character.

Right before filming began in earnest, Dragonwife Wu threw a cast mixer at the Fiddler’s Green pub.

“First round of drinks is on me!” she announced. “After that, you’re on your own tab.”

Dragonwife seemed to be struggling to keep her smile in place. Abby heard a muffled sound and found the director sobbing quietly in a corner.

“This is so embarrassing,” she admitted. “It’s just my husband Jian was such a good man.”

“He was my uncle, remember?” Abby said. “I miss him too. And mum as well.”

“Thanks,” Dragonwife said. “I really needed a chance to let it out.” She did seem more relaxed.


Abby returned to the bar to order another drink. She caught her costar, Justin Mai, looking at her.

“So,” Abby began. “I guess we’re going to fall in love on screen. I’ve never done that before, so I hope you have some advice!”

Justin chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. I saw your audition. You have your character down already.”

“You know just what to say!” Abby cried. “We’re going to have a wonderful working relationship.”

“I think we’re going to have a good time,” Justin agreed.

Then silence fell as he caught her eye. Abby was completely caught off guard by his magnetism.

“Would you like to go get a drink sometime,” Justin asked.

“A-a drink?” Abby stammered, unable to take her eyes away, “Of course!”

“Then it’s a date!

At home, two kids were three times as much work as one. Sky was home most of the time, but Abby had a dawn casting call and often wasn’t home until late. And Xia was gone. 

Everyone pitched in to help in their own way.


Victoria spent a lot of time on her play mat in the den, but she was a sweet-tempered baby who didn’t seem to mind.

Sky returned to painting, a passion she had left behind long ago.

Andria still had to focus on keeping the farm going through the winter.

Most of the plants were dormant for the winter, which was a blessing. 


Still, she added a bit of her own talent to make them hardier.

Her most exotic plants were in the greenhouse, producing all winter.

Sawyer had a sudden desire to build an igloo.

When he went off to work, Andria dragged Dylan out to have a bit of fun.

Sawyer ran his first vaccination clinic. He wasn’t the most reassuring doctor to do this job, but he was efficient.

He also had a great chance to humiliate a vaccine skeptic.


And then there was Edmund.

Dylan caught Andria alone one afternoon. “About Edmund,” he said scuffing his shoe agains the floor. “Would his fae half lead him to be able to do anything unusual?”
Andria gave her husband a hard look. “What do you mean by unusual?”


Dylan flinched. “I could have sworn I saw….”

Andria’s eyes widened. “Maybe it was a trick of the light. Maybe not.”

“I’ll keep a better eye on him.”

Then Victoria’s birthday was upon them.


———-

It took me forever to figure out what the red marks were on the last two portraits. They’re the red Christmas lights. They certainly look weird, but the portraits look great, and I tried too many times to get a well-lit portrait with no thought bubbles. It will have to serve.

Victoria has Sky’s skin, Sky/Dylan’s brown eyes, and Andria’s hair. It makes her coloration look a lot like Abby’s. OTOH, she’s an Irresistible Sailor, which sounds interesting!

6.21 I Don’t Know Why You Say Goodbye

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

The call came before breakfast.

Amy Winter, Sawyer’s biological mum who had never shown any interest in him, had passed in the night. She left half of her sizable fortune to her acknowledged daughter, Rosie Winter, and the other half to Sawyer.

Sawyer was shocked into a tirade that lasted hours.

“Leaving a bunch of money to someone just because you share genes with them is completely irrational,” he ranted. “She had no reason to do that.”

“Maybe she felt guilty that she never made you a part of her life,” Abby suggested.

“Waiting until after you’re dead to apologize is idiotic,” Sawyer said.

It was hard to argue with that.

But it was Sky everyone was worried about.

“I miss mum too,” Abby said. “But I’m so worried about Mama. She seems like something broke inside.

Abby tried her hardest to get her mama to engage in anything. She even challenged some of Sky’s favorite music. That ought to get her to show she cared about something.

But Sky only nodded.

Then she wandered out into the snow and played guitar alone for hours.

Edmund, of course, was oblivious.

He took a lot of attention, and that helped lift the dark mood that had fallen on the house.


His first word was, “Alarm.” Nobody really knew what that was supposed to mean.

Connery also helped lighten the mood.

In the middle of this, Abby had her first big breakthrough in her career.

Dragonwife Wu, Xia’s brother Jian’s wife, had recently risen to prominence as a writer/director. Her most recent film, the romantic mystery Don’t Tell Me Why, was a breakout hit.

Dragonwife caught Abby as she left the soundstage after yet another unpromising audition and handed her a script.

Abby was taken by surprise. “What’s this?”
Dragonwife smiled. “It’s the script to my new movie. I’ve been watching your auditions, and I think you might be perfect for one of the parts. Read it, do some research, and see if you can figure out which one.”

Dylan heard Sky crying when she was alone in the dining room.

“Mama,” he told her. “We know you’re strong. You don’t have to prove it. Stop trying to pretend everything is all right. We all miss Xia.”

Sky started to speak, then she broke down into sobs.

“I don’t know what to do without her,” she admitted.

“Mama, everyone loved Xia. I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but you don’t have to do it alone.”

Sky thought.

Then she forced a smile. “All right,” she said.

Sky headed to the local pub and ordered a drink.


Then she called up her friends for a party in Xia’s honor.

She even called Leah. “I know it’s kind of strange, but we’re all golden oldies now. I think Xia would want you here.”

“Thanks for asking me,” Leah said. “Of course I’ll come.”

It was a release for Sky. She hadn’t felt so comfortable with her since she saw Xia lying on the floor by the dishwasher.

Then, in the middle of dancing, Xia’s brother Jian passed away.

Jian seemed at peace. Xia and Jian had been very close for their entire lives. Sky hoped

And that was the end of the party.

In the morning, Sky received another surprise call — Garry Crumplebottom had passed away in the night.

She sat down to breakfast as if she were ten years older. “He’d been seeing a cardiologist,” she said. “I guess it was worse than he told us.”

Right in the middle of the somber breakfast, Andria went into labor.

Little Victoria came home from the hospital.

The new baby got a lot of attention.


Everyone was delight about the new arrival except Edmund.

He celebrated his new sister by throwing his food on the floor and screaming.

It wasn’t really that Edmund was suddenly abandoned, after all. It was just that he had to share all the adult affection with another child.

Sky received a surprise call. It was Leah. “I know this is even crazier than usual, but I’d like to give the band one more try. I have someone who could play in Garry’s place.”

Plum turned out to be a natural.

Ghostwriter had a fantastic comeback. They played they best they had ever played. And they dedicated their performances to Garry.

The band saw crowds like they’d never seen before.

Including a lot of teenagers and young adults — new fans, not just old ones there for the nostalgia.

“You’re my very best friend,” she whispered in Adam’s ear one night after a concert. “Thank you for staying by me all these years.”

“Who? Me?” Adam asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“Don’t play false modest with me,” Sky replied. “I’m not the easiest gal to live with.”


Adam scuffed his shoe. “With out you, I don’t think I’d ever have gotten Ali back. So we’re even.”
A fan came and asked for an autograph before things got too mushy.

Within the week, Adam had passed on too.

The Samples were becoming afraid to answer the telephone.

Sky soldiered on. She performed a sold-out show at Llama Music Center.

After she’d warmed up the audience with her most popular single, she stopped the music and stood in silence on the stage.

“I want you to know that I love each and every one of you,” she said. “But it’s time for me to retire. This will be my last concert.”

Sky’s family, who had turned out for the concert, was shocked.

Sky pulled out her guitar and sang a simple love song, one of the first she had written for Ghostwriter. It sounded so different performed by one vocalist alone.

“I can’t believe it,” Hunter told Abby. “Sky’s life has been about music since she was a teen. I hope this is really what she wants.”

After the concert, Sky stepped down into the crowd to sign autographs and exchange tearful hugs with her closest fans.

“You want to know why I’m doing this?” she asked Hunter. “Here are my pictures of why. Edmund and Victoria are wonderful children. I don’t want to miss a minute with them.”

“And,” she admitted, “I want to focus on enjoying the days I have left. Music is just too much right now.”

Hunter nodded. He always understood.

“And now, have you met my almost-daughter-in-law?”

That evening, back at home

She had a private retirement party with just the family.

“You did good, my love,” she heard from behind her.


The voice was familiar. She didn’t turn around.

“I know,” she said, and smiled.

———-

This was a really rough portion of the game to play. The Elders in Sky’s life were dropping like flies.

But we did get Gen 7 #2, Victoria

I did think it was interesting that Sawyer got such a large inheritance from Amy Winter. NRaas didn’t know they were estranged, of course, but it allocates inheritance pretty strangely in any circumstance. I think this is the first time an active character has received an inheritance.

6.20 Ground Control

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

Dylan and Andria doted on little Edmund.

But parenthood wasn’t too exhausting for them. Edmund didn’t lack for backup caregivers.


Xia in particular didn’t seem to care that he wasn’t biologically her grandson.

The only Sample who wasn’t standing in line to play with the baby was Sawyer.

He had other things on his mind. Residency at the hospital was exhausting. When he wasn’t on rotation, he was reading medical journals.

He attacked his job with his traditional laser-like focus, tuning out everything around him for hours on end.


All right, he had two things on his mind.

Manisha came to visit for long weekends, during which time they mostly stayed home. Manisha was a homebody, and that suited Sawyer fine.

Aside from watching movies in the tech den of the main house, they spent most of their time in Sawyer’s lab, doing whatever it is geeks do when they’re alone.


Manisha got along surprisingly well with the rest of the Sample. Xia, of all people, took to her the most.


“What?” Xia asked when this was mentioned. “Ground Control is filled with people like her.”
Andria’s farm flourished. She grew things there that none of the Samples had ever seen. And very unusual things seemed to happen there.

Andria treated the plants like her own children. When they were hurt, she felt their pain.

She shared a connection with growing things that was unlike anything a normal mortal could know.


Dylan gave in to his enthusiasm for nectar. He’d taken an introductory class in nectaring on his honeymoon. He imported some equipment and began to experiment.

He also spent time training Connery.


Dylan’s life hadn’t turned out anything like he expected, and yet he loved it.

“Funny how that happens sometimes,” Xia said sagely.

Sky’s solo career showed no signs of slowing down.

Demand for Ghostwriter performances was actually picking up.

Abby’s career, on the other hand, wasn’t finding traction. She was going to a lot of auditions, but nothing had panned out. She took her frustration out on the aging, broken dishwasher.

“I can help you fix it,” Xia suggested. “Electronics are part of my career.”
“Just let me do this,” Abby snarled. 

Dylan just worked with her in companionable silence.

Connery and Sky had a special bond.

He loved her music and would even “sign along” when they played it at home.

There was even a sudden drop in attempted break-ins once he began standing guard.

Andria had always wanted a big family, and biology was on her side. The next Sample was on the way before Edmund was even a toddler.

Not long before, however, Edmund’s birthday was upon them.

Here’s Edmund!

Xia proudly sat him at the table with the rest of the family.

He didn’t get to eat the cake,

but he was pretty happy with his celebratory bottle.

After the festivities, it was Edmund’s bedtime.

Dylan and Andria stole some time together after Edmund was finally asleep.

“Head to bed without me,” Xia said to Sky. “I have something to do. I’ll be right up.”

With Abby safely out of the way, Xia intended to finally fix that dishwasher.

The sound of the explosion woke up the household and brought them running.

But it was too late for Xia.

It all happened so fast. Sky never said a word. She just watched the love of her life disappear in stunned silence.

Grim’s job was done, and he turned out to be a fan of Ghostwriter music.

While the Samples grieved, he got his groove on.

Sawyer descended on him. “While you’re here, I want you to explain some secrets of life.”

“What? Oh, I’m late for my next appointment,” Grim said and was gone.

———-

And so comes the surprise end of Xia. She fixed the dishwasher autonomously, was zapped and nearly killed. I didn’t even know that sims could repair things autonomously. I admit that I sent her back for the second time. It was part curiosity about the legendary dishwasher deathtraps, and partly because I felt like Xia had told me how she wanted to leave the game. She becomes the second Sample to become a colored ghost. Well, she and Veronica always like attracting attention.

Putting in the Grim antics seemed in sort of bad taste, but come on — Grim antics.

Edmund got the best coloration of all Dylan and Andria’s kids IMHO. I mean, come on! He got Leah’s hair! Also Andria’s eyes. We’ll see how his face turns out.

Also, Andria can bring plants back to life! That’s apparently what happens when you max out your Gardening skill. Or maybe that combined with Green Thumb? At any rate, I’d never seen it before. Seems like the perfect power for a plant fae.

Dylan has topped out the Photographer career, so I’m going to see what he can do with nectar making.

6.19 Harvest

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

Spooky Day was coming.

Xia found Dylan sitting outside at dusk. “Do we really need three jack-o-lanterns?” asked.

Dylan grimaced. “I got carried away,” he admitted.
Xia chuckled. “Move over. Let me show you how it’s really done.”

The Sample house was the best-decorated house on the street.

They got so carried away with the candles that Dylan ended up cleaning up after a little… accident in the den. Nobody was hurt. They had to replace the sofa.

The morning brought the Spooky Day Festival at the park.

Abby asked the mirror to tell her fortune. It told her the future was murky.





“Um, Abby? Did you have to stand right in front of us?”
“It was a crowded picture! Where was I supposed to stand?”
“OK, let’s try it again.”

“OK, that’s better.”

When they got home in the afternoon, Andria immediately started baking.

Xia, ever the Party Animal, invited everyone she knew to a feast.



And afterward, they put a Ghostwriter vinyl on the turntable, and there was dancing.

As Dylan, Sky, and Xia said goodbye to the last guests, Andria went to take a bath. Then the pains came.

“Don’t worry,” Sawyer said. “This is my line of work.”

He escorted Andria an incoherently frantic Dylan to Ygraine Memorial Hospital.

Where they welcomed Edmund Sample into the world.

———-

Welcome Generation 7!

Edmund was born with both his traits locked in. Neither was new, which disappointed me. One of them was Proper, which I felt like I’d done to death with Dylan. I have some ideas for it now that, combined with his later traits, should be a lot of fun. The question is Proper *what* :).

Those are the best pictures I could get of the usual clusterf*k of a large group of sims trying to eat together. Icarus_Allsorts has a mod for that now: Set the Table and Call to Meal. I’m going to give it a try. I LIKE my big parties, but this so annoying.

So, I’ve always enhanced the fireplaces to be fireproof for obvious reasons. I wanted to try out some of the OTHER enhancements you could add with Xia’s maxxed-out Handiness skill. I find it annoying that you can’t stack enhancements, even at level 10. If someone knows a mod for that, let me know.

I thought, “I know fireplaces can catch rooms on fire, but how often does that really happen?” It’d be nice to have the occasional dangerous event.

That was the third fire you see up in the picture in one week. I bought Fireproof Homestead.

6.18 In the Oven

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3


Andria had big news to greet Abby and Sawyer on their return from school. They were soon to be an aunt and uncle.

Dylan only recently learned the big news himself.

He was beside himself with joy.

When he wasn’t on photography shoots, you could find Dylan at the library, reading up on what to expect when your wife is expecting.

He did get to be a pretty good hand at massage.

There were more surprises too. While Sawyer and Abby were at school, Andria oversaw the redecoration of the Sample Estate.

Her requirements were simple: No modern technology in the living areas. Nothing more electronic than a table lamp.

All the electronics had been moved to the den. When she thought no one was listening, she referred to it as the “Devil’s Cave.”

Abby and Sawyer took Dylan aside to ask him what the problem was. He only shrugged and said, “Technology makes her uncomfortable.”

Dylan seemed pretty comfortable with limited access to electronics, but then he had never been one to spend too much time with technology.

Everyone was braced for Sawyer to throw an enormous tantrum, but he merely looked around the new living room and said, “I wanted more privacy anyway.”

He moved out of his bedroom and into the unused barn.

Or, better said, *beneath* the barn.

There he built a new lab.

The next day, he started work as a resident at Ygraine Memorial Hospital. Sawyer wasn’t the type to go into private practice. His goal was to get to place where he could focus on the body and not be bothered by the patients.

He immediately got off on the wrong foot with his coworkers.

Fortunately, it didn’t bother him as much as it did when he was younger. Sawyer already had authorship on major groundbreaking research. They could play pranks on him, then go home and weep at how much smarter he was than they were.

Also, these bullies didn’t use their fists.

Abby prepared for some general auditions and puttered nervously around the house. Rebuilding her acting career would take time. She hoped her fresh skills showed.

This gave allowed her to spend time with her mum, who was also hanging around the house, waiting for the launch date of her next space mission.

Sky wasn’t home much. She was more in demand that ever, and she was making a lot of personal appearances.

She saw Leah and her family a lot these days. Plum was even more eccentric these days, and she liked to send Leah Sing-O-Grams in the strangest places.

Leah and Plum even invited Sky, along with Dylan, to their daughter Devon’s birthday party.

Sky and Leah had built a strange relationship, but it worked.

Ghostwriter had made a comeback. Garry was managing their gigs, and their schedule was filled up far in advance.

They might be old, but they hadn’t faded yet.



Then Sky got an amazing phone call from her agent. She was going to be inducted into the Avalon musical hall of fame!

She ran out to the garden, where Xia was playing in the sprinkler.

“I knew you had that kind of talent,” Xia said. “Even when we were kids.”

“But you know this just means more burglars will try to break into our house to get your underwear?”

Meanwhile, Andria and Dylan were having some serious conversations about their child-to-be.

“You know this child will be fae, right?” Andria said.

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Dylan admitted, “but I shouldn’t be surprised. Does that mean he’ll be like you? Able to transform?”

“She might be like me,” Andria said. “Or maybe something else. We have to wait and see. I’m going to use some old tricks my father taught me to ensure this is a good child.”

Dylan gulped. “Old tricks? You mean magic? What do you mean ‘ensure this is a good child’?”

Andria gave him a wry smile. “Trust me. We don’t want a bad fae child.”

She spent a lot of time at the Alchemical Academy after that.


Dylan was in for another surprise.

———-

Finally Gen 7 on its way! Can you believe it? I can because this kid is already a teenager in my game.

These posts aren’t my finest work, but what can you say? We’re moving the story along.

If you notice that Adam isn’t the drummer in that club gig of Ghostwriter, worry not. Adam’s still around. He just didn’t show up, so they invited some other guy to jam with them.

6.15 Fresh Start

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

Summer was drawing to a close. Some of the trees were already turning their leaves.

There were also thank-you notes to write for their wedding gifts.

“Wait? Fabian Sample? Is he a distant relative or something?”
“I don’t know. The only person I know of by that name is dead.”
Andria worked tirelessly to get a small first harvest out of her fledgeling farm.

Dylan wasn’t enthusiastic about the dirtiest work, but he enjoyed the labor.

Andria made a deal with the local farmer’s market to sell some of her produce. There wasn’t much this year, but hopefully next year she would have a lot to sell.

And then there were the chickens.

And the bees.


Abby’s phone rang. The display read NEMO HODGINS. It was now or never.

“Hello?”

“Hey, baby! You didn’t return my calls! I hope everything’s all right.”

“Yeah,” Abby said. “I just needed to think.”

“I want to see you. Meet me at Performance Park tonight?”

“Of course.”

She hung up, took a deep breath, and headed out to meet her challenge.

There he was. “My rising star! I’ve missed you!”

He reached out to put his arm around her, and she scuttled out of his reach.

He didn’t immediately catch the hint. “Sorry,” he said. “I know it’s public, but you’re just so luscious I can’t keep my hands to myself. Look, I have a great opportunity! I want you to be my personal assistant. We can go great places, you and I.”

“Your assistant?” Abby said. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Hey hey! Lots of actresses get their start in administration. Wait, you’re really not all right, are you?”

“I’ve been talking with all the other actresses you helped with their careers,” Abby said. “You’ve been hoping we’d never talk to each other, haven’t you? We’re all filing complaints right now. And giving interviews to the press. If you’re not scared of what you’ve done, you better be.”

Nemo froze. The friendly smile dropped from his face.

“You have got to be kidding!” he shouted. “Do you have any idea the favors I did for your talentless freaks? You wouldn’t have a career without me! Take me down, and you’ll never work again!”


For a minute Abby was afraid he was going to hit her. She took another step backward.
“It’s already starting,” she said. “Goodbye!”

She turned and walked away. Behind her, she heard Nemo shout, “Your career is over! You never had one, and now it’s done! I hope it’s worth it!”

When she got home, she stood in front of the mirror for the first time since Dion confronted her on Love Day. Did it hurt? Was she still ashamed of herself?

Maybe a little, but much less than before. If she could help any other actresses from making the same bad decision, then all of this would be worth it.

But Nemo was also right. She had acted only a few roles, and ever one of them was something he had handed her. Without him, she was back to square one. Worse, since she would get more publicity for trying to run a casting agent out of business than she’d ever gotten for her acting.



Was
 this the end of her career? Was it worth it?

Dylan found her there. “Did you meet him?” he asked.

Abby nodded. “Now I just have to brace myself for a lot of paparazzi and a bunch of horrible stories about me in celebrity journals.”

Dylan chucked her on the shoulders. “Think of it as research for your future starring role!”

Abby couldn’t help but giggle.

“Thanks for supporting me, big brother,” Abby said.

“Ahem,” Sawyer said.

Abby looked up in surprise. “What’s up Sawyer?”

“I was accepted to Sims University with a full scholarship,” Sawyer said. “I start this fall.”

Abby beamed. “That’s great! I never doubted it, though. I bet all the schools wanted you. I’ll miss you while you’re off growing your mind.”

“That’s just the point,” Sawyer said, scowling.
“What point?” Abby asked.
“You should come with me.”

“What? Me go to college?”

“It’s better than hanging around here while they make fun of you.”

“I — I never thought about. I haven’t applied to any schools. I didn’t take any standardized tests.”

“You’re not stupid,” Sawyer said. “They’ll let you in.”

Abby was touched. From Sawyer, that was the highest of compliments. “OK. I guess I’ll apply.”

The questions on the entrance exam were challenging, to be sure. But she came up with something.

And apparently, it was a good something. Her acceptance letter arrived quickly. She was surprised, but Sawyer just shrugged. “I told you. You can rent the truck. I have to pack up my research supplies.”



And that was how Abby found herself saying goodbye to her family

And heading off in a rental truck to Sims U to study Fine Arts.

———-

Woo. Stuff. I’m kind of burning out, but I’m still trying to plug at getting caught up.

I’m sure I could do myself a favor if I condensed. I’ll see if I can do University in one post.

6.14 Wonders of the World

#sims3challenge   #sims3legacy   #sims3story   #thesims3 

The next morning, the happy couple was on their honeymoon. Dylan had always wanted to see Champs les Sims, and Andria was hardly going to argue against a legendary lovers’ destination.

Dylan was determined to record all the most beautiful moments of their trip.

Dylan had a big adjustment to the idea of being married. Andria would catch him staring at his ring when he thought she wasn’t looking. If she made even the slightest suggestive remark, he would blush furiously and drop out of the conversation.

The honeymoon was just the right thing. With daily life far away, they had nothing to focus on but each other.

With patient coaxing, Dylan gradually relaxed when they were alone. Woohoo was the opposite of everything he had built his life around; the whole point was to be sensual, primal, and out-of-control. At first, he need reassurance that every intimate touch was appropriate and not crude or disrespectful.

By the time they returned home, though, it was hard to imagine ever sleeping alone again.

They didn’t spend their entire time at the hotel, though. There was too much of the French countryside to see.

Andria searched out a cafe off the tourist path so that they could sample some authentic French cuisine.

Then she puzzled out the recipe so that she could try to make it herself.

Dylan, on the other hand, plotted a photo shoot of one of the wonders of the simworld.

The Simfel Tower.

They went out nectar tasting.

And Andria was finally able to understand what Dylan liked so much about it.

One afternoon, when they’d tried maybe a few too many different nectars, Andria said in a low, husky voice, “Do you know what I’d really like to do at the Simfel Tower?”

Dylan, in spite of himself, leaned closer. “What might that be?”

She set down her glass and grabbed him. “Come with me and find out!”



And that would be how Champs les Sims chased the newlywed Samples out of the tower in nothing but their skivvies.

“This never happened,” Dylan said. “If you ask me, I will deny it.”

Andria couldn’t stop giggling. “What happens in France stays in France, right?” At the look on her face, she continued, “Oh, come on. Tell me those guys don’t chase a new couple out of the tower every night. They’ve seen it all.”

To calm himself down, Dylan took a nectar-making class.

Andria perfected her Bouillabaisse recipe.

Dylan had to admit that by the time she was satisfied, it was better than the original.

And then, all too soon, they found themselves on their last day of vacation.

“I wonder if your family missed us while we were gone,” Andria mused as they sat under the stars.

Dylan chuckled. “I wonder if they noticed we were gone.”

Meanwhile, Sawyer had grown up and graduated from high school.

There was no party. That was the way he liked it.

He asked to be excused from giving a speech as class valedictorian, but the administration insisted. He ended up reading someone else’s speech about the importance of intellect to overcome adversity.

He immediately began applying for college scholarships.

Xia and Sky caught yet another break-in.

It was becoming clear that these burglaries had nothing to do with organized crime in Avalon. That was why Forest couldn’t do anything to stop them.

Sky found a secret webpage hosted by one of her fan sites. Hardcore fans were trying to buy and sell her clothes! She contacted the police department to try and get it shut down. They’d just have to try to tighten their security even more.

Xia nudged Sky in the ribs as the police carted off the latest offender. “There’s an icky side of celebrity if I ever saw one,” she said.

Sky shuddered. “At least he only wanted to take the clean underwear…”

Abby was training for her next role and trying to prepare herself to take the next step against Nemo Hodgins.

Eventually, she told her parents the story. They were shocked, but supportive. As a show of solidarity, Abby and Sky took a revitalizing day at the salon and invited the press.

“I guess if my fans want to buy my old clothes, it won’t hurt to show them a little skin,” Sky mused.


They even both got tattoos.


Sky continued to do a few, very select, personal appearances. One of them was Forest’s boyfriend’s husband’s birthday.

It made her head hurt. But at least everyone behaved well.

———-

This isn’t the greatest stopping place, but I realized that I had laid out another ENORMOUS post. So a second one should come shortly.

The Sing-A-Gram popups never cease to crack me up.

I was using the Eiffel Tower replacement from MTS and the accompanying Woohooer extension, but for some reason it never seemed to work completely. There were supposed to be heart petals showering from the tower, and they didn’t happen. Ah, well. That would have been awesome. Though seeing Dylan kicked out of the tower naked was pretty awesome too. 😉

6.13 Do

Dylan and Andria Sword Sample were married at First Church of Avalon.




As evening fell, Dylan and his new wife… wife… found themselves back home. They left for Champs le Sims on their honeymoon tomorrow, but they would spend tonight in the room that had belonged to just Dylan this morning. Now it belonged to both of them.



He tried to keep his hand from shaking as he lit a romantic fire in the fireplace.

“So I guess this is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” Andria teased as she sat down on the bed.

“Right,” Dylan said weakly. He cleared his throat. “I, uh, know that a first woohoo can be uncomfortable for women. I want to be sure not to–“

“Hush, my love.” Andria pulled him close and silenced him properly.

“But I don’t know what to do now,” Dylan said.

Andria took him her arms. “You know,” she said, “you’ve set the terms of our relationship from the first time we dated. I’ve had to trust you that it would turn out all right.”

“I’ve always tried to do what’s best–“

Andria shook her head. “Hush.” She leaned gently against him, helping him slide down against the pillow.

“Now,” she said, “I think it’s time me to take charge. Do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you.”

“Then you know it will be all right.”

#sims3challenge   #sims3legacy   #sims3story   #thesims3  

———-

I present to you Andria Sword Sample

In addition to being an Imaginary Friend, she is:

Ambitious
Pefectionist
Technophobe
Green Thumb
Nurturing

And something else I’ll have to look up :). Bizarrely, her favorite color is hot pink. I decided that anyone who loves hot pink is a bit of a closet fashion diva, and I’ve tried to express that in her clothes.

The Nurturing trait means that you need not worry about producing a Generation 7. In fact, if the household weren’t stuffed full from legacy play, they’d probably have had more children.

Her LTW was Perfect Garden, but the first thing I spent her LTH points on was a new LTW. It is now Alchemy Artisan. Since she’s fae, story-wise, this seemed like a good time to introduce more stuff from the Supernatural expansion. Also, since I’ve already taken the point for Perfect Garden, the next most logical use for the Green Thumb trait is growing Alchemy ingredients.

I figured they’d have a pretty traditional wedding :). I had a lot of fun with the church. I have no idea why everyone sat on one side of the aisle though. Also, the game is really annoying about having random sims drop actions from their queue. Sky, I think, dropped the wedding action, and I had to just make her sit down every time she stood up until the ceremony was over.

One thing that entertained me greatly was the digital photo frame on the wall by the bed in the wedding night scene. It showed a new picture of Dylan’s almost every screenshot. Sadly, most of these didn’t make it into the final cut.