Em's Random Sim Pics and Projects

Rain and Connor having a "make session" right beside mom reminded me of this in my 'hood. That's Nisa Weasley (mom) with her back to the camera catching her son Fred and Toni Broadswood-Smythe.


Fred and Toni kept in touch through college, got married, and eventually presented their parents with a grandchild: Ginny (the little redheaded toddler in front). (As a teenager and YA, Ginny became quite a pool shark! )


My hope: That Rain and Connor one day give Tempest a cute grandbaby.

At least Fred and Toni had their clothes on and it looks like Nisa walked in on them, instead of them just taking the other half of the couch next to her. I changed by ACR settings at one point to turn off teen woohoo and adult-teen relationships, because my sims are out of hand. They don't understand that they don't need to go from first kiss to woohoo in under 5 minutes. None (or at least very few) of my sims get the concept of taking it slow.

Mac wrote:

My hope: That Rain and Connor one day give Tempest a cute grandbaby.

My gameplay is pretty far ahead of what I shared so far, so (spoilers!) they already have.

After my original couples moved out and started families, I was left with a few odds-and-ends singles in my apartment complex. Among them were Rain's father, Stefan, Ulli's Benjamin and Johannes. Sugah's Anais and a couple of my own sims that I moved in partially as placeholders and partially to quickly add a few more ladies to the dating pool.

I started sending sims on dates, either with sims they already knew and liked or by set-ups from the matchmaker. Sometimes a date will trigger a marriage/engagement want, either for the date or for another sim that is not the date. Here's Stefan and Benjamin's happening bachelor pad while they both were on dates with a couple of random townie ladies.



Stefan and/or Anais did roll up wants to get engaged to each other, but the Sim Goddess overruled that decision. After all of the trouble Anais had getting impregnated by Enrique, not once, but twice, she then tried for baby with Stefan who already had one child with Tempest and another on the way with my sim Jade. I feel kind of bad that I didn't let them be together and have a baby together, but I think she deserved better.

At the same time both Johannes and Benjamin were dating my Johanna and another sim I thought I'd shared here, but hadn't and of course, they ended up pregnant by the same guy. So the Sim Goddess stepped in and decreed that they must choose partners first and try for babies second and started terminating pregnancies so they could sort themselves out first. The only pregnancy that didn't get cancelled was Jade's, because it slipped by before the Sim Goddess's wrath forced her to step in.

So here are some pictures of potential couples. Johanna and Benjamin.



Johannes and his dates. The first one is Bethany, second born child from my Baby Boom Challenge. They had triple bolts and I really thought they would be a couple, but when she called him to get together after she returned home from college, he turned her down for a date. Maybe he decided she was too young for him. The other lady is a random townie.





Eventually Johanna and Johannes ended up together. I do not remember how that came to be now. I kind of thought she and Benjamin looked good together. Maybe the similarity of their names was too much to pass up. I'm not sure, but that's how it ended up, so they moved into another apartment together and started a family. Stefan and Jade also paired up and moved into their own apartment in the same complex and Johanna and Johannes.

Here's Stefan holding infant daughter, Alexandra, as he practices a speech. He's working his way slowly up the dance career.



I was really determined to find a great guy for Anais (preferably one unattached, without other babies and baby's mamas running about.) I moved in a couple of guys for her, Toni's Bruno and Addison, hoping one would catch her eye. Unfortunately they didn't. I really thought she would go well with Addison, but it was very clear to me that they just liked each other as friends. She ended up moving into the same apartment complex as Enrique and his family so she could be close to her oldest children and so that Javier could get to know the twins and his father. She's still single, but has seemed to be content to focus on working up the culinary career and raising Javier.

Addison, however, did not stay single for long. He met Elena (by Jen, but originally I thought she was Sugah's. That's okay though, because I haven't used many of Jen's sims either. And at least I added a blonde to the gene pool!) and he knew she was the one for him.



Addison is super friendly. He's always randomly calling my sims to chat. I pretend that because he was in the education career, he's calling to check up on his students or in with their parents. It seemed to be the perfect job for him, until he got fired. After that he focused on being a stay-at-home dad for awhile as Elena worked.





Pretty early on Elena wanted a florist bench, so I pretend that's her second job, the one that she uses as a cover while she's really working her way up the criminal career path.





They had a beautiful wedding on their tiny back patio.







Benjamin cuts a dashing figure in his uniform. (Why is he still single?)

Remember back in my other thread when I mentioned Ming was dreaming of a family vacation.  Well, after Frances became a teen I decided to have Ming book the trip.  But before they could go, this happened . . .



So, I thought maybe it wasn't a good time to go.  I hated to have her run around on a vacation hungry and tired from pregnancy, so I cancelled the trip.  Then, I thought again.  Maybe it would be easier to go now before the baby was born, because afterwards it might be hard to find the time.  The boys were going to be off to college before they knew it.  So I had Ming reschedule to trip.

There was just one problem.  When they got to their destination, I realized they had forgotten someone.  Peter.



I wasn't sure what I could do.  So I had the family book a room anyway and then tried calling home to see if they could invite Pete to come and join them, but unfortunately he didn't answer and they got the answering machine.  Now of all three kids, Pete is not the one who should be left at home.  Ryan and Frances (as typical knowledge and wealth sims, respectively) I would trust to stay home on their own.  I'm sure they would keep busy and out of trouble.  But Pete is a romance sim.  He had his first kiss almost as soon as he aged up.  He routinely invites his girlfriend over after school and sneaks in some make-out/ woohoo time before his parents get home from work.  (This actually happened later, but . . .) One time he got brought home in a cop car for sneaking out at night.  He's not the one to leave at home alone.  



So I exited without saving, which was a huge mistake.  I tried to go back and reschedule and made sure I included the whole family this time.  I realized I'd missed Pete, because I had sorted the list by friendship to make it easier to find everyone, but hadn't realized that Ming somehow wasn't actually friends with her first born son.  When I tried to send them back, the lot wouldn't load in live mode for some reason, so I guess I messed it up by not saving.     Pete was probably at school when he didn't answer, so I should have waited and tried again.

They never made it back, unfortunately, since they went on to have Alice and Lynn and Craig and by then the older kids had gone on to college.

Here's adorable Alice, the animal lover.



"We already have a womrat and a dog. We don't need to get a fish too."



Hanging out with her big sis, before Frances joins the boys at college.

For some reason, my drop down menus aren't working properly here. I can't copy for quotes, so I'll have to do this the hard way!

Em, I'd have to agree that none of your Sims seem to know how to take things slowly. For the most part, they don't waste time, do they?

Your potential couples were very nice and, like you, I thought Johanna and Benjamin made a good couple. I guess they think they know better.

I like Stefan holding the baby while practicing. I've never tried having a Sim do that while holding a baby.

Addison and Elena are a very chic couple. From the picture of him with his hands over his ears, it seems he might not be the best music teacher. I also like Elena's cover career as a florist.

Seriously, why is Benjamin still single?!

I've never tried exiting without saving when my Sims were on vacation. Now I know not to do that! I'm sorry it was a bit of a mess for you. I'm sure it was a good call not to leave Peter on his own; he clearly cannot be trusted.

Alice with the womrat is the cutest thing, and I love the dinner conversation. I heard similar things from my parents. I like Alice's hair, too.

Sorry I am behind on catching up in your thread, Em.
I'm a couple of pages behind, so I wanted to wait until I had ample time to look through and read everything I've missed of late.
So, without further adieu...

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I didn't look close enough to see if she (Sugah) was giving them a disapproving stare as she shook Kieran's hand, but maybe that was enough to embarrass them without the lecture...

...I get that Tempest is a permissive parent, but I think this is going a bit too far. Maybe she gets so enthralled in her video games that she doesn't notice what's going on around her or something. I don't even know...

...They don't understand that they don't need to go from first kiss to woohoo in under 5 minutes.  Rolling Eyes None (or at least very few) of my sims get the concept of taking it slow...

...Stefan and/or Anais did roll up wants to get engaged to each other, but the Sim Goddess overruled that decision...

...So the Sim Goddess stepped in and decreed that they must choose partners first and try for babies second and started terminating pregnancies so they could sort themselves out first. The only pregnancy that didn't get cancelled was Jade's, because it slipped by before the Sim Goddess's wrath forced her to step in...

...Benjamin cuts a dashing figure in his uniform. (Why is he still single?)...

 

Cher wrote:

Em, I'd have to agree that none of your Sims seem to know how to take things slowly.  For the most part, they don't waste time, do they? ...
...like you, I thought Johanna and Benjamin made a good couple. I guess they think they know better...
...Addison and Elena are a very chic couple...
...Seriously, why is Benjamin still single?!

 

Em wrote:

So I had Ming reschedule to trip. There was just one problem.  When they got to their destination, I realized they had forgotten someone.  Peter...
He's not the one to leave at home alone.  

Oh, no! Bummer!
An incident straight out of Home Alone, when Kevin was left behind by his family!  

I really like the pic of Alice with the womrat and with her big sis, Frances, just hanging out. Precious!

 

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From the picture of him with his hands over his ears, it seems he might not be the best music teacher.

I really liked that one. I'd never seen a sim do that before while playing with a toddler and it made me laugh.

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Seriously, why is Benjamin still single?!

Just the way the chips fell, I guess. He might also be a bit hung up on Angelica.

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Alice with the womrat is the cutest thing, and I love the dinner conversation.

I love that picture too. Alice seems to be the animal lover in the household. I think they originally got the womrat for the boys. That thing has lived forever.

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An incident straight out of Home Alone, when Kevin was left behind by his family! affraid

At least Kevin wasn't a teenager with a girlfriend.

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I really like the pic of Alice with the womrat and with her big sis, Frances, just hanging out. Precious!

I'm so glad they got to be build up a close relationship before Frances left for college. So many of the older and younger siblings don't know each other at all in my hood, because they were spaced so far apart.

Speaking of college, next up in my pictures folder are pics from my first born offspring as they head off to college. I wanted to send them all together, so they could get to know each other, but space them out a little bit so the older ones were ahead of their younger siblings. Apparently I had forgotten about downloading a mod that shortened the college years, giving them only 48 hours and only one semester per year, so it ended up more accelerated than I really would have liked. I decided to have them move into the small houses on campus rather than into a dorm. Since there are so many kids I set up the girls in one house and the boys in another (which kind of defeated my purpose of bringing them all together, in hindsight. But it worked out fine and I actually liked it better than having them in the dorms.) As I started moving in the first-borns I started to realize how lopsided the gender ratio was for the oldest kids. Rain was the only first born girl, but some of the first born boys had non-SugahPlaceOffspring girlfriends, so I send them to college as well.

My girls' house started out the first semester with Rain (majoring in Literature) and Peter's girlfriend, Paige (Psychology). I also moved in Ramon's girlfriend, Emma (Drama), but since she was part of my Baby Boom Challenge she moved into the campus house where her older siblings were already living.

The boy's house started with Peter (Art), Ryan (Math), Ramon (Philosophy), and Dante (Math).

Second semester/year, I added Portia (Economics) and Frances (Economics) to the girl's house and Kieran (Psychology), Connor (Math), and Gabriel (Political Science) to the boy's house. Third year, Francesca (Drama) moved into the girls' house. (This is approximate. I may be a semester off for Dante and Gabriel).

I didn't take a lot of pictures since the college years seemed to go by so fast. Most of my pictures are probably make-out pictures as I was trying to keep track of who was hooking up with who. Knowing my sims, I might need a spread sheet.

Franco and Raymie say goodbye to their oldest as he calls for the college cab to come pick him up.



Some of my college kids are severely fashion challenged. I thought Kieran's outfit was bad, until I rotated the camera around and saw Connor's hairy belly sticking out. I think I was too lazy to change Kieran's outfit, but I did change Connor's.



Frances and Portia moved into the house at the same time and immediately took a strong dislike to each other.





Since they were both wealth sims and wanted to major in Econ and had the exact same class schedule, I had to really babysit them for awhile to make sure they learned to get along. I didn't want it to escalate into constant fighting.



It didn't help that they were both interested in the same guys. (Or Dante at least.)





Somehow, despite all this, the two girls did end up becoming good friends by the time they reached graduation.

Since the boys and girls were in separate houses, I made a point to have my sims invite the other household over regularly, so they could interact. Sometimes though, they just wanted to study. These are the boys visiting the girls' place. I'm so impressed with how studious they are. (It doesn't last though, so I had to take this picture to prove they did spend some time on academics. )



Some of my sims are more devoted than others. Connor and Rain kept up their high school romance and remained faithful to each other.



Ramon and Emma were also still an item.



I don't know why Rain is so embarrassed by Ramon and Emma's kissing or flirting or whatever they were up to in the bathroom just before I captured this shot. I'm pretty sure she and Connor were up to something very similar just a moment before as he is just out of view.



And that's most of what I captured of their college years before the first round of sims started graduating. Here's Rain moving back to the main hood after graduation. As you can see, she still loves pink!



And here's a couple of random shots of Franco and Raymie's kids as Ramon graduates and moves back home. (Just to show off how pretty they all are.)

Em wrote:

Knowing my sims, I might need a spread sheet. laughin

I know what you mean-I have to keep track on index cards!

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Some of my sims are more devoted than others. Connor and Rain kept up their high school romance and remained faithful to each other.

That's so sweet!! Love that picture!

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I thought Kieran's outfit was bad, until I rotated the camera around and saw Connor's hairy belly sticking out.

I think some of the outfits EA gives them when they trnasition quite hilarious!!

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Just to show off how pretty they all are.)

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So many of the older and younger siblings don't know each other at all in my hood, because they were spaced so far apart

I used to invite the older siblings over for dinner just to make sure they got to know their younger siblings.

I don't even have any teens yet, and here you are with college students! I need to get busy ...

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Knowing my sims, I might need a spread sheet.

You probably will, if they take after their parents. Sandy, I'm using index cards right now, too.

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Frances and Portia moved into the house at the same time and immediately took a strong dislike to each other.

Drama already! I'm glad they got things worked out by the time they graduated.

All those students studying away -- I love it! Great picture.

Maybe Rain just has a thing about public displays of affection. Behind closed doors is a very different thing, apparently. I think it's sweet than Connor and Rain and Ramon and Emma have maintained their relationships.  

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Just to show off how pretty they all are.

They sure are!

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I know what you mean-I have to keep track on index cards!

Sometimes I scroll back through their memories and find romances that I'd forgotten about.

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I used to invite the older siblings over for dinner just to make sure they got to know their younger siblings.

I've been trying to do that as a regular thing, but still some of them don't seem to know each other very well.

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I don't even have any teens yet, and here you are with college students! I need to get busy ...

I'm actually ahead in my playing (or behind in my sharing) I was playing a lot for awhile. These sims have already graduated and have started families of their own. Their youngest siblings have finished university too.

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You probably will, if they take after their parents.

The boy Frances and Portia were both going after was one of Enrique's sons after all.

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Maybe Rain just has a thing about public displays of affection. Behind closed doors is a very different thing, apparently.

Probably, but I'm not sure how public it was since they were all crammed into one little bathroom. Maybe she was embarrassed by them all having the same idea.

I was going to share more, but the bus is here and my kid is home. Got to go!

I'm backtracking a bit to some pictures I skipped the last time since they were kind of a side story. I've been trying to have my original sims invite their grown children home for visits when they have a day or two off, usually one weekends. When Francesca was still a teen (and Marina even younger), Ramon and Portia came home for a visit.



Francesca is excited to hear all about college and she can't wait to go herself. She's already learned the college cheer.



Maybe Portia and Dante were just a fling. When it comes to bringing someone home with her, she brings Kieran. He's still her main squeeze.



Another family meal with Franco, Marina, Francesca and Francesca's teenage boyfriend, Isaac (Child #9 in my Baby Boom Challenge and Emma's little brother.)



Isaac and Francesca made a cute couple. I even played his family to age him up and send him to college when Francesca went, but she totally forgot about him in college and they drifted apart.



In college she got involved with one of Enrique's boys. (I'm about 90% sure this is Gabriel, but he and Dante look so much alike.)



Gabriel had also dated a Baby Boomer as a teen. I think this is Kara (#11), but it could be Jules (#10). He also forgot about her once college started.



Francesca also had a fling with Kieran, her sister's boyfriend. This may have been after Portia graduated and moved back home, but still . . .

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but she totally forgot about him in college and they drifted apart

It happens. I'm not sure trading him in for anyone with Enrique's genes is a smart idea, though.

Francesca! How can anyone look so cute while doing something so wrong?!

I love the family pictures; thanks for the update.

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It happens. I'm not sure trading him in for anyone with Enrique's genes is a smart idea, though. laughin

  Well . . . it depends on what you want.  If you want your babies to have his gorgeous genes, then it's a good trade.  If you want fidelity, maybe not.  In my game Enrique has settled down a bit.  I actually caught him kindly turning down the advances of a few ladies.  I haven't shared all of Angelica's story and I have to say she's no better than Enrique.  So Gabriel (potentially) gets it from both sides.  

I'm not sure who to talk about next.  The next pictures in my folder are of these kids moving out on their own and pairing up to start families.  I can't decide if I should start with the happy couples or the ones with drama.  

In the meantime, I'll update you on Enrique's businesses.  He wants to have 5 top ranked businesses,  (Yeah, right.   ) but he owns 3 mediocre businesses instead and he'll have to be content with that.   Running a business in this game is so time consuming.  It's ridiculous.  

His first business was a nightclub, Enrique's.  It's still a very popular hangout spot.  



I send my sims there when they want to go out on a date or visit a community lot.  It's fun seeing out SP simselves dropping by occasionally.  





Sometimes he brings Angelica with him.  I caught a picture of them in an intimate moment on the couch in the upstairs loft that overlooks the club one time, but I think it might be too much to share.     This time Dante showed up too and father and son played a few tunes together.



His second business was a music store.  Dante and Connor showed up as possible sims to hire, even though they were college students at the time.  (I didn't think that's supposed to happen.  One of the few minor, suspicious glitchy things I've seen happen in my game lately.)  I had him hire them both, but it caused some issues when I played them at college.  The carpool would come at the same time as their finals.  Connor and Dante were about half a semester off, so every other day one would go to work and the other would go to their finals.  Usually it would work out okay, because going to the final would take precedence over their job  and they would head to class instead of the carpool and they still made it to work often enough to not get fired.  Unfortunately at the end of Connor's senior year, he got in the carpool instead of going to his final before I could stop him.  He'd had a really good GPA and a high performance meter, but he ended up on academic probation and had to repeat his senior year.  



Connor is a terrible salesman, by the way.  The manager kept directing to do sales even though the customers did not like him.  I had to have Enrique keep him restocking or on the register.

Mac showed up for the grand opening!



Enrique's third business is a music studio.  I'm still not how to run this as an operable OFB business, but here it is.





My simself stopped by to use the karaoke machine.  No, sorry, Enrique, I can't sing.  I guess I won't be giving up my day job.    (Note to self:  I need to change her hairstyle.  I tried this one out on her a long time ago and left it.  The style is okay, but it's way too blonde.)



Since I mentioned what a bad girl Angelica has been, I guess I should go ahead and share the proof of that.  I feel like the impression I've given so far might have been more favorable to her and less so to Enrique.  Remember that guy she gave a makeover too, Serdar?  Well, she didn't.



I was very disappointed in her.  At least Enrique never had an affair in their own home.  He doesn't look to concerned about what's going on.



It gets worse . . .

I was playing Franco and Raymie's lot when Marina was about to go out in the courtyard and see if she could get her first kiss with Javier, but apparently he had different ideas.      No!  Come on!  That is your (unofficial) step-mother / step-son!  Ugh!  



Marina gets her first kiss with Javier anyway.  



Then Andre thinks, "What a good idea!"     No!  That's your virtual step-mother who raised you from the time you were a toddler!     Angelica, why do you not know better and why didn't you shut this down?     I immediately made then selectable and friendzoned them all.  Shortly after this I turned off the teen-adult actions too, at least temporarily.  Because, no.



There is way too much action in this courtyard.  (I forget what this neighbor's name is.)



It looks like none of these sims can make up their mind.  



Franco and Raymie live in this complex too and I am so glad neither of them decided to participate in all of this drama.  

SimEm wrote:

Mac showed up for the grand opening!

Humph! No Mozart! No Haydn! Call this a music store???

(And I bet whatever music they have is Pirated! Arrrrrr!)

Em wrote:

Franco and Raymie live in this complex too and I am so glad neither of them decided to participate in all of this drama.

Me too!! Adorable picture of them!! Wow! So much drama in your Sims lives! Thanks for sharing the update!

SimMac did seem to go right for the most classical looking item in the shop.  I thought he looked like he was trying to decide if he had room for the piano or not.     I'll have to check his inventory sometime to see if he bought something on his visit there or not.

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Adorable picture of them!!

Which ones?  I had a cute one of Franco and Raymie in the courtyard too, but I can't find it right now.  Found it!



As I was posting the last update and it turned out to be more drama filled than I had originally planned, I decided then who I would post about next, one of my sweet and steady couples.  We need a break from the drama.  

As my sim offspring started graduating from college, I started moving them all into my notorious apartment building until the younger ones graduated and everyone paired off.  Rain and Connor were still and item. Since she was a bit older than him and he took an extra semester to finish, she waited for him to graduate and then they moved into a small pre-built house together.  She started on a career in architecture and was raising through the ranks pretty quickly.  I believe he's working as a scientist and wants to be a mad scientist, like his dad (if I'm remembering correctly.)



She still loves pink, as you will notice.  I don't think I changed any of her outfits except for everyday (after these first few pictures) and her formal outfit. I think she's rubbing off on Connor in his everyday wear. (Those red pants and shoes need to go though.  I would like to dress him in something a lot nicer, but he really seems partial to sleeveless tops.   )

I decided my new couples need to get to know their in-laws.  Rain and Connor visit Tempest.  They may be showing off a little bit extra, since Tempest had her doubts about them staying together forever.  Tempest is still engaged to Jayden and is currently expecting another baby.



Later they have dinner with Connor's parents and aunt and uncle.



I wonder if his baby brother, Erik, is a little spoiled having dinner served to him by his own personal butler.  



Time with family is nice, but I think they much rather enjoy a quiet evening at home, just the two of them.



That's when Connor decides to pop the question.  And of course, she accepts.



But why is he having second thoughts?  (I thought he was a knowledge sim)  



They have a wedding at home with their closest friends and family.





Ciara misses the ceremony, because she's inside munching on chips instead.  





And because my sims can't just let everything be nice, fights break out.  How many years has it been since Stefan and Tovia seen each other?  Apparently it wasn't long enough.   *sigh*  Way to behave at your baby girl's wedding, Stefan.  



Then Ciara and Jayden go at it too.



He's even offered her money, appealing to her wealth sim sensibilities, to try to make peace, but so far nothing has worked. (When I saw there was a "pay off" option for them, I couldn't resist trying it.   )



The party even carries on long after the bride has turned in for the evening.



Here's their house.  Since Rain is an architect, I think I ought to build them something more impressive once they've built up some savings.  Since it is Rain, I had to put in some pink, but for Connor's sake I tried not to go overboard.  The office with Rain's drafting table, didn't get to stay that way for long, as they soon needed the second bedroom for a nursery.

Enjoyed the wedding, great pictures!

Em wrote:

But why is he having second thoughts? (I thought he was a knowledge sim)

Isn't that maddening when they get that red memory of an engagement? I mean, why EA? lol I don't like their reasoning sometimes

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I mean, why EA? lol I don't like their reasoning sometimes

I always thought it was just romance (and maybe pleasure sims) that got a red memory for marriage and engagement, but lately I've had other sims get it too for some reason. I don't know if it's a feature or a bug or part of a hack or what. It always makes me take pause though.

Connor's a knowledge sim and he's never had any other romantic interest besides Rain (she had at least kissed another sim before she fell in love with Connor), so maybe he's worried that he should have explored other options to make sure he was making the best decision before making a permanent commitment or something. His marriage memory was positive though and they seem very happy together so far.

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I actually caught him kindly turning down the advances of a few ladies.

Are you sure he's OK? Did you send him to a doctor? Has he been kidnapped by aliens recently?

Enrique's business goals are pretty ambitious. I've only had a Sim with a business once -- a bakery. I kind of enjoyed it, but didn't know what I was doing. I now have the OFB Prima Guide, so I'll probably try it again. Not three at a time, though!

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Unfortunately at the end of Connor's senior year, he got in the carpool instead of going to his final before I could stop him. He'd had a really good GPA and a high performance meter, but he ended up on academic probation and had to repeat his senior year.

That was a rather costly day at work, wasn't it?

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I guess I won't be giving up my day job.

Sounds like you and I have the same singing abilities -- none!

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That is your (unofficial) step-mother / step-son!

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That's your virtual step-mother who raised you from the time you were a toddler!

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Franco and Raymie live in this complex too and I am so glad neither of them decided to participate in all of this drama.

So am I. They have such a wonderful family, and they're so in love.

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I decided my new couples need to get to know their in-laws.

I like doing that, too.

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I wonder if his baby brother, Erik, is a little spoiled having dinner served to him by his own personal butler.

That's an awesome picture!

I don't know why Connor had second thoughts after getting engaged, but he looks happy at the wedding, so maybe he's over his doubts.

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Ciara misses the ceremony, because she's inside munching on chips instead.

As long as she has her priorities in order ...

Oh Stefan. He couldn't just grow up and keep it classy this one time? And then others had to follow suit?

I've never seen the pay off option! Cool. Too bad it didn't work.

I like Rain's décor. Sure, there's a bit of pink, but could have been a lot girlier than it is. When she designs a home for them, maybe she'll add some more masculine areas for Connor.

Em wrote:

...I was trying to keep track of who was hooking up with who. Knowing my sims, I might need a spread sheet.

Sandy wrote:

I know what you mean-I have to keep track on index cards!

I honestly don't know how you keep track of all your Sims without one, Em.
Like Sandy, I'd be lost without my index cards on all the key players in Tres Lagos.

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Some of my college kids are severely fashion challenged...
...I'm so impressed with how studious they are.  I love you laughin (It doesn't last though, so I had to take this picture to prove they did spend some time on academics...
...He wants to have 5 top ranked businesses,  (Yeah, right.   ) but he owns 3 mediocre businesses instead and he'll have to be content with that...
...I caught a picture of them in an intimate moment on the couch in the upstairs loft that overlooks the club one time, but I think it might be too much to share...
...No, sorry, Enrique, I can't sing.  I guess I won't be giving up my day job...
...I wonder if his baby brother, Erik, is a little spoiled having dinner served to him by his own personal butler...
...Ciara misses the ceremony, because she's inside munching on chips instead...
... How many years has it been since Stefan and Tovia seen each other?  Apparently it wasn't long enough.   *sigh*  Way to behave at your baby girl's wedding, Stefan...

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I haven't shared all of Angelica's story and I have to say she's no better than Enrique.  So Gabriel (potentially) gets it from both sides.

Oy vey!

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It's fun seeing out SP simselves dropping by occasionally.

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No!  Come on!  That is your (unofficial) step-mother / step-son!  Ugh!

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Angelica, why do you not know better and why didn't you shut this down?     I immediately made then selectable and friendzoned them all.  Shortly after this I turned off the teen-adult actions too, at least temporarily.  Because, no.

Rain & Connor are a lovely couple.
You'd think the wedding guests could behave themselves just long enough to honor the newlyweds.
Sheesh!
Nice job on their humble abode, btw, Em.

Em wrote:

Ciara misses the ceremony, because she's inside munching on chips instead.

Cher wrote:

As long as she has her priorities in order ...

Too funny, Cher!

That was great fun, Em. Such drama! Such intrigue!

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Are you sure he's OK? Did you send him to a doctor? Has he been kidnapped by aliens recently?

No, that you mention it, no, I'm not.  No, I didn't.  And no, he hasn't.  

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I don't know why Connor had second thoughts after getting engaged, but he looks happy at the wedding, so maybe he's over his doubts.

Let's hope so.   They seem to be doing well together, so I'm going to say his doubts were that he was worried that they were too young and not well enough established first.

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Oh Stefan. He couldn't just grow up and keep it classy this one time? And then others had to follow suit? No

Stefan doesn't do classy well.  I think he's one of those types that refuses to ever fully grow up.

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When she designs a home for them, maybe she'll add some more masculine areas for Connor. laughin

I tried to keep Connor in mind also when I was decorating for them and made sure I didn't go too overboard.

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Like Sandy, I'd be lost without my index cards on all the key players in Tres Lagos.

I keep track of what happened with pictures and rely on SimPE or in game memories for the rest.  I'll admit though, I'm starting to lose track of names with this next generation that is being born.

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That was great fun, Em. Such drama! Such intrigue!

Um, let's see, who's next?  I'm trying to go roughly chronological, but I also want to focus on a small group of sims at a time.

How about Ryan, one of Ming and Drake's oldest boys?  Ryan had a little bit of a meltdown after graduation following a kitchen fire in their new apartment.  Maybe he was having doubts about his ability to handle adulthood and had succumbed to the pressures of an intense career in the medical field.  After a chat with the therapist he was all right and managed to pull himself together.



With all of the drama and woohoo going on in college.  I hadn't realized that Ryan was an adult and still hadn't had his first kiss.  (How opposite, he and his twin brother, Peter, are!)  For a moment in college, I thought he might be gay when I caught him unsuccessfully trying to give Connor a kiss, but then I quickly realized it was a family kiss and remembered that he and Connor are actually first cousins.  (Duh!   )  Not kissing cousins, as Connor is quickly to clarify.



Maybe being a studious type at a young age, he didn't prioritize dating. Maybe being a serious sort, he wasn't interested in girls his own age.  As an adult though, he quickly hit it off with Tovia.  Tovia was one of the first sims I'd added in for the project, but she had a lot of problems getting along with others, so I put her aside for awhile.  Now, maybe she'll get another chance.





I guess with his firsts out of the way, Ryan decided he was on a roll.  He ended up kissing this random apartment townie (or maybe she kissed him.) Her name escapes me at the moment.  I'd noticed her around before and noticed she had a funny walk for some reason, but it wasn't until after she and Ryan kissed that I took a close look at her and realized she's actually an elder.     And I find Ryan kissing an old lady much funnier than I probably should.  



As all of his peers started to pair off and move out on their own, Ryan moved into his own little house.  I've been sending him on dates, pushing him to try to roll a marriage or engagement want, but he's not having it.  I used the crystal ball to find his best matches.  Since Ari and I were among them, I couldn't resist summoning both of us over to meet him.  His other top matches were Tovia, the elderly lady he kissed, and a random cheerleader.  



He's reached the top of his career already and became Chief of Staff in record time and now he's working on maximizing all of his skill points.  Once in awhile I'll have him invite Tovia over for a date or his family for a visit.  I'm really tempted to just move Tovia in and push them together since they get along and are well matched, but neither has the want for it and Ryan seems really content living alone.  On one hand, I like having different types of sims and sim families, so why shouldn't a sim be single and / or childless if they seem content?  But on the other hand, I really want my sims to have children and carry on to the next generation.  The Sim Goddess is really fighting with herself to let him be. (I feel like an overbearing mother )

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After a chat with the therapist he was all right and managed to pull himself together.

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after she and Ryan kissed that I took a close look at her and realized she's actually an elder

Ewwww !

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But on the other hand, I really want my sims to have children and carry on to the next generation. The Sim Goddess is really fighting with herself to let him be.

I have this all of the time since I decided to play only Knowledge sims for a while!

Thanks for the great update on your Sims!

Em wrote:

I keep track of what happened with pictures and rely on SimPE or in game memories for the rest.

I have note cards for basic, and then after I'm done with a family's rotation, I do a little write-up about it. I have a text file for each family, but I have a feeling that's going to get crazy once the offspring start going their own ways. I've also gotten kind of lazy about the write-ups and getting my threads updated in a timely manner.

Poor Ryan; I can understand being a bit overwhelmed by "real life." I'm glad he got the help he needs and is now doing well. He's also apparently secure enough in his manhood not to be embarrassed about kissing another man.

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And I find Ryan kissing an old lady much funnier than I probably should.

Ryan seems to be one of those guys who doesn't need a relationship to be happy. He probably enjoys dating, but doesn't have a need to take things any farther. He probably thinks he has plenty of time to settle down and have a family. I know what you mean about enjoying different kinds of Sim families; that's my plan for Isle of Demeter. I've been sidetracked with the Offspring Project, though, so I'm interfering much more than I plan to in my other game.

Sandy, I used to play almost exclusively knowledge Sims. They're the easiest in many ways, and when I was a super-controlling Sim Goddess, I arranged all their relationships for them and they just had to like it. I'm making myself play all kinds of Sims now; it's a challenge!

If I were a sim my aspiration would probably be knowledge, yet I'm more family oriented in how I play my sims lives.  I feel bad if any of my sims grow old or pass away without leaving any offspring behind.  Maybe it's more the mad scientist in me wanting to make them pass on their genes.  

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Ryan seems to be one of those guys who doesn't need a relationship to be happy. He probably enjoys dating, but doesn't have a need to take things any farther. He probably thinks he has plenty of time to settle down and have a family.

I think that's true.  He seems really content living on his own so far, so I'm trying to let him be.

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I have note cards for basic, and then after I'm done with a family's rotation, I do a little write-up about it. I have a text file for each family, but I have a feeling that's going to get crazy once the offspring start going their own ways. I've also gotten kind of lazy about the write-ups and getting my threads updated in a timely manner.

That's very organized of you.  Even if you do fall behind sometimes I'm still impressed with your method.  I got really behind in updating this thread, because at the beginning I was just focusing on my offspring thread and aging everyone up to share there.  I'm caught up there, so I'm now playing catch up here.  

I mentioned that twins Peter and Ryan were very much opposites. Ryan didn't get his first kiss until he was an adult.  Peter had his first kiss and first woohoo almost immediately after becoming a teen.  But despite being a romance sim whose LTW is to woohoo 20 sims and his teenage girlfriend, Paige, having the same aspiration and LTW, they were faithful to each other throughout their teen years and college.  Why mess with a good thing? (I don't even recognize him anymore with this haircut.   And that's Ryan at the table behind them studying while his brother flirts.  Very typical.   )



After graduation that all changed.  I think he woke up one day after graduation, realized he had let the dating opportunities in college pass him by and he didn't want to let his 20s pass him by too.  So he ended up sleeping with Emma (who happens to be Ramon's steady high school/ college sweetheart.)  I believe this happened at Emma's apartment.  So maybe she was the one who initiated things, I'm not sure.  Maybe she was the one who was worried about only ever dating one sim and was getting panicked about being tied down.  (I believe she's a popularity sim.) Maybe Peter just happened to be convenient and willing



Paige, who also happens to be Emma's roommate, caught them and she was not too happy about it.  She didn't stay mad about it for long though and she and Pete managed to continue on as if nothing had ever happened



Emma couldn't go back to the way things were though which was not a good thing for Ramon.

Seeing so many of their friends and siblings pair off and start their lives together, made Ramon want to settle down too.  He asked Emma to go steady with him and she turned him down.     I can't decide if Ramon is oblivious to what happened between Emma and Peter or if he knew, but decided he wanted to be with her anyway and this was a gesture of recommitting himself to their relationship.  I could see it going either way with him.  She looks so troubled and torn here.  I know she has some major choices to make.  I also like to think that Francesca and Paige are standing by to support Ramon after he was rejected.



Portia and Kieran are still a couple (despite what happened with him and her sister.     I'm sure Portia does not know.)  She has dinner with him and his parents.  Adam greets them in front of the apartment.  He's eager for dinner.



Despite the fights he's gotten into with other sims (like Tovia and Jayden) I think Adam is generally an easy-going guy.  Unless someone rubs him the wrong way, he seems like he would be easy to get along with.  So I don't worry about him and Portia getting along.  I do worry about her and Ciara though.  She seems like she would be a tough one to win over, especially when it comes to her only son.  I think she and Portia are actually pretty similar, both strong, determined, business minded types.  I think it could go either way with them, either they will butt heads or they will come to respect each other.  It's still up in the air, but so far they seem to get along okay.  (Ciara has been known to take an instant dislike to certain sims and I didn't see that with her and Portia, so I'll take that as a good sign.)



After Kieran left for college, both Ciara and Adam rolled the want to find a roommate.  Can't have that extra bedroom sitting empty when they could be making a few extra bucks by renting it out!  This sim, I believe her name is Lucy, showed up as an option.  Since she and Adam were already friends (she had come home from work with him for some reason.) I thought she would be a good choice.   I was worried she and Adam might get along too well, but I never thought to worry that she might flirt with Kieran.  At least he had the decency to turn her down as she hit on him repeatedly.



Next was dinner at Franco and Raymie's.  Kieran was too chicken to show up (or maybe he just had to work).  Francesca came (I think alone.  I'm not sure I had paired her with anyone at that point) and Ramon brought Emma, despite the uncertainty of where they stand.  I like this shot of him gazing at her so sadly.  Oh, Ramon.



Portia has big news.  She and Kieran are expecting a baby!  I think she looks nervous to tell them, but she looks very determined too.  "It's sooner than we'd planned, but I know we can do this."



Her parents don't seemed disappointed by the news at all.  Considering how long (and after how many children) they waited to get married, they can't really complain that she didn't get married first.  Though, I wouldn't blame them if they had concerns about how committed Kieran is to their daughter.  But they seem happy, even though Raymie seems more preoccupied with Francesca dancing in the background.  Francesca must be really excited to be an aunt.



After dinner, Portia goes upstairs and sees Emma getting sick in the bathroom.  Maybe she's not the only one who's expecting . . .

When Portia told Kieran that she was pregnant, I'm not sure he knew what to think.  He looks pretty panic-stricken here to me.  "What?  A baby?  Are you sure?  What are we going to do?"

It strikes me as funny that I caught this after the dinner where she told her parents she was expecting, like she told them before she told Kieran.  Or maybe she just got back from the doctor and had even bigger news.

"What?  Twins?  Are you sure?  What are we going to do?"



Considering the tiny little house they live in, I can't say I blame him for having some reservations.  After my sims paired up I moved the couples into their own lots to avoid some of the apartment drama.  Most of them were too poor to even afford even the cheapest houses in my lots bin, so I've been moving them onto small lots and building little starter houses.  Their parents are all rich and I could have them help out, but where's the fun in that?



As to what they're going to do, don't worry Kieran, Portia has a detailed plan.  She knows exactly what she wants to do.  She really wants to get married before the babies are born.  Preferably before she's too big to fit into her dream wedding dress.



Despite being a romance sim, Kieran is game.  He wants to do what will make Portia happy and I think he genuinely wants to be helpful and supportive.  I also think he might be relieved that Portia is going to be in charge and take care of things, so he doesn't have to.



They plan a wedding for the next day.  Their tiny house is way too small even when the guest list is limited to immediate family, their significant others, and very close family friends.  Luckily the weather is nice and they can hold the ceremony outside where there's more room to spread out.



I took a ton of pictures of the ceremony.   I love her dress.  I didn't realize how detailed it was until after she put it on.







Too bad Raymie and Marina weren't playing attention to the ceremony.  Raymie!  This is your oldest daughter, the first of your children to get married!  



Marina tries congratulate her big sister afterwards, but the bride is too busy at the moment.  Don't interrupt the pregnant lady while she's eating.



These two do make a really cute couple (and a cute family.) Despite some of Kieran's questionable actions early on, I like them a lot. Portia's quickly working her way up the law career (I'm sure she has it all planned out.) and Kieran (if I recall correctly) is working as a dancer while hoping for a big break as an actor to come his way.

(I feel bad for so much multiple posting, but I also have a big backlog of pictures to share.   )

These photos might be kind of random, I think I did a lot of jumping around between households at this point, trying to catch everyone up.  After some waffling back and forth, Frances and Dante ended up together and got engaged.  Aren't they cute?  She's working her way up the dancing career and he's still working at his dad's music store.  His LTW is to max all skills, so I think not being so ambitious in his career might give him more time to do that.





And Francesca ended up with Gabriel.  I wasn't sure how these four would end up (as in who would settle with whom.)  Then I had trouble remembering who the pairs were because the boys look nearly identical and the girls' names are too similar.  I finally figured out the shorter two, syllable names were together and the longer, 3 syllable names were together.  



I can't remember if I mentioned before that Anais moved into the same building as Enrique so that she could be close to the twins and so that Javier could be close to his father and siblings.



She dated quite a bit, but never seemed to eager to settle down.





(She and Russ did have a nice date, despite his scowl.  Maybe he was mad that the matchmaker made him drop from the sky.  He later invited her to hang out with Sugah and the gang.  I usually say no to outing invites because my sims are busy.  But since it was Sugah who called, how could I have her say no.)







In the end, she decided it would better to focus on raising Javier and achieving her dream of becoming a celebrity chef.

Adam achieved his LTW of reaching the top of the art career, then got a new LTW of opening 5 top businesses.  Five is too much to ask for, but I decided to start him off with one.  A little art shop.  I like having businesses, just because it's fun to see what my sims have bought when I check out their inventories later.



It is kind of boring to play though.