1.10 - The End of the Reign of Monsters

Howl is asking the real questions here.

Martha gets her read on with momma Haru for her childhood aspiration.

Sophie gets some journal-writing time, because I'm starting to try and hone in on the fantastically difficult 5 parenthood skills. Teresa would later give me a tip to ignore advice but I hadn't yet heard it by this point in my pictures.

Howl only ever seems to work on homework in the shots I have of him... *shrugs* He's a studious boy, what can I say?

Erick takes his dinner in to keep his daughter company while she cranks out some pictures.

I really dig that I could change the mailbox without complication.
Oh yeah, and this is all the kids going to gain some Empathy lessons with dad Erick on a volunteer mission.

And I took pictures only because I snorted and then wanted kindly to remind everyone that I'm going for hard to hit goals... so EATING DIRT IS FUN, KIDDO. Now don't let your goddamn volunteer experience go to waste.

Oh look, here Howl graces us with his guitar... and also... a phase?!
Good lord a mean-streak.
Yay.
You can see how enthused I am.

Good things are happening to our twins, Lettie and Martha; mostly Martha in this picture, who finally got read to enough to move to the next stage in her childhood aspiration.
Can I say just how truly unfair some of these aspirations are? Is this on a person-to-person basis? Like do some people find the Whiz Kid easy? Look the Creative Aspiration is CLEARLY the easiest one in my opinion, as it requires 0 outside intervention, and after I figured out exactly what it meant to "play with 3 toys" I could basically toss Lettie on autopilot. I've not yet done the Motor one, but I think that's similar. Reading and playing chess though? Finding someone to do that? Good luck. I've also struggled to get the reading to count. 
Also, don't get me started on the Social aspiration. Ho-ly shit. Normally not too bad, but I remember switching Lettie and Martha to it later (my pride and joy children of "oh I finally got the hang of this parenting thing") and there wasn't a single child left in the neighborhood to befriend.
*frustrated noises* So yes, unbalanced childhood aspirations could use a looking-at in my humble opinion.

Speak o' the devils this was before I knew about nightlights. The first time it was cute that it woke both girls up.
The first time.
Ahem, but yes, Martha began freaking out right away and Lettie's first idea was to talk to it.
Loving the personality of these girls fitting their namesakes so well!

Lettie: I'm going to reason with it.

Martha: This seems like a very bad idea! Ahhh!

Monster: ....pay your taxes on time... 

Martha: MONSTER!
Lettie: OK IT CAN'T BE REASONED WITH.
Of course talking to it failed... so...
Which yes, I looked up. You can successfully talk a monster into staying and being your friend. it requires the child to talk to it multiple times in a row. Kind of cute, but honestly sounds like a waste of sleeping time for a child in my opinion.

Haru gets home and forms a club for the Ghibli members to skill in. Hello Club Ghibli!

I just wanted to rack up points, so I picked really easy things they'd do all the time to help earn points... I had no idea this would become their fucking driving force however so...
Eating, listening to music, writing, yoga, sleeping.
It would take me 2 days and constantly screaming in frustration (while googling for a solution) about Erick and Haru CONSTANTLY going to the fridge even when they were full before I realized the connection and would remove eating. I left sleeping on for a while because it's easy to cancel out a nap interaction, but eventually, that too, would go.

OH RIGHT, at this point I granted Haru and Erick a young again potion as per the allotted 1 per sim rule. I mostly wanted to give time for Haru to complete her career and by this point I was kind of hoping to put Erick in a career too. Not out of the question, but still not one of my top priorities.

Ahhhh, what a nice TV. I'm glad for the upgrade. Also, HI SIMS 3!

The Kids Club was on as usual, and Sophie was rocking it.

Haru: *punches self in face while trying to eat*
Hahahahahahahahahahah!

Obligatory shot to show Howl is still alive.

Yup, Haru, that's about my reaction to doing yoga too.

This boy was sad, so Lettie chased him down to cheer him up. It "failed" but she gained conflict resolution (or was it empathy?) anyways, so all a win here.

Good-God finally! With that one down I flipped Erick into the painting aspiration.

Party in the twins' room, cause they're awesome like that. Also the house did have enough room for the twins to have their own beds and rooms, but I didn't want to waste money on decorating two separate rooms when this one was clearly big enough for both.

Hey look who finally wised up and bought nightlights?
This gal.

Something something Howl and the lighting... isn't this fun everyone? 
Howl: Do you mind?
Yes. Yes I do mind.

Childhood aspiration progress ensues!
Then it was off to school for the kiddos. Tonight is Sophie's birthday, and it's Monday, so that means...

School project time! I... for some reason wanted Sophie to get credit upon going to school the next day for her completed project, but also thought it might (potentially) be age-locked. So I had the sense to push her REALLY hard to finish hers before her birthday. It worked, and she got credit for it the next day.

Mostly because I had Erick run up to help her, but look at her nifty space-mobile!

With that done, it was time to move her downstairs for her CAKE!

With that, Sophie aged up and gained the Bookworm trait... or... Book lover? I can't remember? Ugh let me find my notes.
Yup Bookworm! Cool!

... and she rolled straight into teendom with the most style I've seen yet from this game.

I... really, REALLY like her. A LOT.

And that's extremely influenced by how well she wears Gothic Victorian clothing, no but really here's her makeover:

Her coloring is gorgeous. Her face. Her style. Her everything. Imsogoorightnow. Just look at her!
A while ago I referenced why this is a hard choice for me with heirship, as well, I wanted this to be a genetic legacy, but at the start of this I also didn't know how much of my founder I wanted to be passed down. If we're being fair, Sophie has two traits of Haru and so does Lettie. Sophie has the skin and the hair, Lettie has the eyes and the hair.
So I'm leaving things up for myself and not locking down who might be the heir.
Heck there might be a twist ending where I pick Martha... or Howl.
Point is, I'm here to have fun, and I'm doing that. So... win!

All the kids finished up their projects painstakingly, then sat down for dinner around the TV, then all crowded around to do homework on one bed - in the same fashion that poor Haru's bed was mauled by strangers way back when.

Ode to mass homework sessions on one little bed.
Also, I'm proud to point out that I'm starting to decorate more!

Sophie gets a start on her Comedy skill for later. "Joke Star" is something I kind of fear because of the emotional death that comes with it... but with Sophie I'm being extra cautious.

Ding ding ding! Howl won the award for worst day of school for the Ghibli kids. Congratulations baby!
Also... shit do I feel bad when he cries.

Sophie came out to comfort, then Howl went to run to calm down.

Meanwhile, throughout the day at school I was spamming dates for Haru and Erick for Haru's Soulmates Aspiration. Hence why the date is going on up in the corner.

Date commands a woohoo so they settle into the nearest closet for a little rough and tumble...

Howl and this person seem to get along well. I don't know why I took this anymore, lol, but clearly something happened that was funny by nature.

Erick's knife-skills are on point here. He's level 10 in cooking (or darn near close to it) yet whenever you give him a gourmet dish he suddenly forgets all his knife skills. Like they just don't transfer. Gourmet Cooking is at like... level 3 for the record, despite me only having him cook those dishes practically exclusively.

*squints* ahhh no fire hazards here, I see.

Enjoy this nice view of Lettie's bum. She practices the same art Howl does of performing for the wall.

Batta-boom! Aspiration completo! This is probably when I flipped her into the Social one and then popped over to Kids Club to see the only other child in there was MARTHA.
I figured, ah, they must have aged up, I'll add some more kids from the neighborhood... but nope. No kids there either. It prompted me to go into Edit down and look over EVERY house and surely enough all the households had at LEAST one toddler, but none had children. Grr! This is before I figured out the MCCC! Now I must reap what I sow.

Haru and Erick work on their dates for the second day in a row, stopping to get the kids settled.

Then they shift to only doing cutesy interactions after all the dates are finished, which thankfully can be multi-tasked!

They ate dinner than bam! Aspiration for Haru complete! She's now even with Erick in the number of completed aspirations! I flip her into one of the parenting ones. I think the one that came with parenthood? Either way she had a requirement to scold a child or teen x amount of times and well...
Kids, it's time to take one for the team.

Howl: Oh huh, I suddenly feel like - FUCK SHIT DAMMIT CURSING LOUDLY!

Haru: Howl! Don't do that!

Howl: *loud burping*
Haru: Howl!
Fear not, a family that completes aspirations together, stays together.

Sophie: *let's one rip*
Haru: Good gods, Sophie, why?!

Sophie: *belching* Can't let boys get away with all the fun!
Haru: Haha good job dear! Oops, I mean, DON'T DO THAT!

Haru: We behave as well-mannered citizens in this house. *looks around* *winks* Thanks for helping me out here.

Lettie: I don't even need to stand up to do this! *burps*
Haru: NO more burping in this house! *completes that portion of her aspiration* and thank you for being great kids.

Speaking of great kids, look who all had such WONDERFUL days at school!
*sighs*
Jog it off, kiddos. Jog it off.

Also see that homework on the ground there? Howl put it down and now no one can interact with it. I had him put it down when I rebuilt the house, thinking he would do what Sims did in TS3 and walk inside and set it down on a table or something... NOPE he dropped it RIGHT where it's inaccessable. I can't interact with it at all.
In TS3 when this would happen I would use Master Controller/Debug Enabler to radius purge it, but I don't even see something remotely like that with MCCC and all of it's components.
For all I know this will be the homework that will live. It will remain here for the rest of my legacy, knowing my luck.
My Brain: lol knowing your luck you'll have to move saves by generation 3 due to bloating from all the CC and crap you use.
Shhhhh, you nay-sayer you.

Martha completes her aspiration as well and this was when I switched them both to Social. I remember now because I initially put Lettie on Whiz Kid for a while before I realized that both of their future Teen aspirations will benefit more from a boost to their social skills (Serial Romantic and the... party aspiration).
Well, we all know how that one works out for me.

Haru looks badass in her work uniform.

Sophie pulls hilarious teenage faces.

Then all of my family plops down in front of a movie. Apparently this is getting to be routine.

Hey look, a car! Who knew? Shame they don't have those in TS4, but why would they? There's nowhere to go! Leaving the lot is a scary and dangerous event, ok? Not one I'm going to be taking lightly, lol.

We'll end this on the girls practicing their Social skill.
And I'm officially caught up to my gameplay! Hooray! Thanks for bearing with me!

Chapter 1.11 >