2.22 - A Lost Cause Boy

Martha maxed out her logic skill here, way to go babe! Just need to figure out how to use that microscope so I can actually get the collectibles...

Caleb and Lettie completed yet another gold date, 'cause at this point they're just rolling them out. Unfortunately it's hardly putting a dent in my gold medal party count.

Good thing I didn't name it. Goddamn I feel like he died fast. I had Martha feeding him ALL the time too.

And sing it with me everyone: bum. Bum. Bum!
Another one bites the dust.

Another one BITES THE DUST ohhhh and another one done and another done and another one bites the--

In Ghibli household, dust bites you. 
Ye-ouch. Those bills cut the household funds in half. Cue Livvielove panic soon.

Bath time for the stinky toddler!

Ami's all clean and happy about it, too! Just in time to go hunting for an outing... and for... Caleb to... sucker punch Martha in the face! 

I dragged Ami along (and thank GOD the kids didn't get booted from school, it seems Caleb is the only one deeply affected by this fucking work bug). She spent all her time "Watching" either Caleb or Martha, who I had just talking to each other as Lettie did her stuff.
Needless to say, THANK YOU, TERESA. Oh master of TS4. She's nailed yet another easy way to level. Ami went from Thinking 0 to 3 and a half in just a few hours! Holy shit!

When it was Martha's turn, Ami just watched Caleb and Lettie flirt.

Oh, and look who it is?! It's YUMA! From Teresa's 100 Baby Challenge. You know, the whole reason I keep messing up Yuna's name.
Well I didn't have her hair, so I tweaked it a bit, the rest is all Teresa, or rather, Merry. She's gorgeous. 

I quite love her! I'll be happy to see her around town with her siblings!

Caleb sang.
No... no wait.
Caleb attempted to sing.

Yet no matter what I did Martha couldn't complete her job requirements for the day, so after hammering on it for hours we finally backed down and went home. She was Happy the whole time (which is hard as fuck to do, I'll have you know) yet she couldn't "brighten someone's day" ANYWHERE. I tried looking it up but had no luck finding anything. Apparently I'm just fucking unlucky as shit.

It's Monday, so the kids are due to finish up their projects. I set them to work and won't let them get up until they're done. Yup. I'm a horrible bitch.

Despite failing to brighten two people's days in various places, Martha was determined to get her donation requirement!
Shame that no one else was as determined to help her succeed. Took scraping to get even a smidge of the way there.

Happy potty dance with a bowl of food waiting for her, what more can a kid ask from life?

Damn straight, life is gooooooood!

Kao: I'm hungry...
Shira: I have to go to the bathroom...
Yuna: I'm so BORED!
Suck it up, buttercups, and MUSH!

Oh my, it seems to be punch-Martha-in-the-face day. 2 for 2, babe.

So, since our funds got fucking rekt, I put the house to WORK. Cue the theme music:

Publishing a book got Lettie all the way to one-star.

Kao didn't even celebrate, lmao, he just ran right for the bathroom... and since nobody's got time to just shit and stare at the wall, he's already got his nose in his phone.

I swear to the gods he's definitely Lettie's son.

Yuna was so hungry but she was quite content to stare off at the fridge instead of eating.
Do you want to die, Yuna? Cause this is how you die.

Well at least he's got the levels for a promotion... despite all the horrible being booted too early from work. He joins the Cooking branch.

It's snooooooooooowwwwiiinnnnnggggg!

Haru stopped by to check it out.

And Caleb and Martha both stopped what they were doing to rush outside and see their first snow.
Caleb: incredible! The first snow!
Martha: Kinda strange how it just started all of the sudden after an entire lifetime and a half of no snow and a writer swearing up and down that she wouldn't buy this expansion pack.
Caleb: Well at least she hasn't bought the animal one yet.
Me: (whistling)

Back to work you money-makers!

Caleb is allowed to take a break to address his daughter and put her into bed.

Lettie netted a promotion and...

Excuse me WHAT NOW WHO ARE YOU PINK-HAIRED CHILDREN?

Howl had babies?
....
HOWL HAD BABIES!!!!!!!!

Speaking of babies, why isn't Yuna sporting a dead, gross fish over her head?
(Checks clubs)
Oh! She's not IN the Ghibli club! Let's just add her and... what do you MEAN she's not an option to be added?
Legit, Lettie is the head of Ghibli, and Yuna is not an option to be added to the club. I had to open the club up to be anyone can join and have Kao ask her.
The only reason HE asked her was because I was feeling lazy and he was the closest member, lol, and Lettie was thiiiiiis close to finishing her next book.

Kao: Hey sis, wanna join our club and get double XP.
Yuna: Seems legit, I could use a mana boost.

Shira: I was in the middle of that game why did we stop?
Kao: Writer said I had to ask Yuna to join the club. Apparently I can't multitask while I do that.

Yuna: Can we start up the game again?

Well we're a day away from the um... Christmas holiday, so I decorated the outside accordingly and then bought one of those decorate-yourself trees.

The whole family got to work!

Caleb kept trying to flirt with Lettie from around the tree.

It was right about here that Martha bailed because apparently I'm a heathen who likes mismatching decorations.
I just thought all red and gold would be boring as fuck so...

Sue me, why don't you?
Lettie: *blows a kiss and winks at Caleb from around the tree*
You two are ridiculous.

Lettie and Caleb put on the finishing touches, and they finally couldn't stand the distance anymore and snapped right over to each other.

Outside, one brave girl goes where no one has ever dared to before... for the past day.

Yet before she can slide down, the dimension fades away and all that's left is the City because FML I have to go chase around another set of career wishes for Lettie and Martha.
Finishing these careers and never doing them again cannot come too soon.

Lettie has to get 20 people to vote for her. She's really close to the top of her career. Hilariously I let her do whatever she will around the art gallery. I noticed there was a celebrity (some Alto in the gray hat above) but didn't interact with her, instead, she beelined for Lettie.
She was B-lister, and Lettie only has 1 star, so I found this amusing.

Lettie fixed up her emotions and wowed her all the same. Unseen in these shots is Caleb just staring hopelessly as Lettie does wonderful things in the world.

After she convinced the entire crowd to vote for her, she only needed 1 or 2 more, so we went home to meet the kids home from school.

The game also wanted to remind me that Kao will be getting older. 
Yes, that's right, we're on chapter 22 of generation 2, and the first child of 10 is just now becoming a teen.
I will take any and all shade at my slowness. I've accepted it. I am a snail with the heart of a turtle that has a broken leg and I'm proud.

Ami is so cute.
I'm also a little (re: a lot) pissed that the kids always wear their winter clothes indoors. I'm paying up the fucking ASS on heating and they're not even ENJOYING it. Fucking ungrateful brats.

Yuna had Caleb read to her for 2 hours to fulfill the Whiz Kid's first tier of requirements.

Kao and Shira are dancing to get themselves a badge! Martha is attempting to dance, but I wouldn't call that dancing either.

Yay! Potty training level 3!

That's the happy potty dance I like to see, thank you very much.

I remembered that Caleb never agreed to vote for Lettie - the first time she asked he straight up said NO, lol! Back before he proposed and moved in... boy seems to be a goner now.

I checked with Martha and she hadn't either. So another one checked! I remembered Lettie being at 19 now, so I had her call up Caiden to invite him over and ask him to vote for her, thinking he could then hang out and maybe flirt a bit more with Martha. It was at this point I still had hope for something cute to happen... and then...

Caiden: Gods, Lettie, you look so hot. You're so accomplished and I wish we would've pursued things further... maybe we still can...

Lettie: *immediately develops this quirk*
Lettie: *immediately throws an angry reaction*

Lettie: First of all - ew. Second of all, I'm married. THIRD of all, if you don't get your act together I'll sic my husband on you and then take your remains and bury them so deep that the heat from the earth's core will roast your sorry ass.
Caiden: .....
Caiden: so's that a no?

Lettie: *yelling* IT'S VERY MUCH A NO.

One awkward subject change and -

Caleb: My husband senses are tingling.
Yea well they should be.

Lol, I'd like to point out here how Martha walked from upstairs to downstairs when I summoned her to come talk to Caiden, and of which during that time allowed him to flirt with Lettie.
The girl has bat teleportation and she's dragging her feet...

I was wallowing over what to do - do I pursue further with Caiden or do I just toss him as a lost cause? Martha continued chatting with him.

Caleb didn't really like Caiden much, I don't think, or perhaps he just knew how to remind this boy of his place and he pulled a usual Caleb move.

.........................

................yup this boy might be a lost cause. Martha couldn't get out of there fast enough.
*Le sigh*
Back to the drawing boards, I guess. At this point I might just make a Sim for her.
Oh right, I suck at that.
Well I did place a few new families down. Maybe she'll find someone good?
Please.

Chapter 2.23 >