Life in Christophe Harbour

Love you guys! And thanks for the cold shower Jen!

"Mask" - awesome movie Grykon~

Btw, I love Marco's face in the top right hand corner of the montage. Can you say 'passion?!' Phew! Jen, turn on the shower again!

At last!!!!!

They are a perfect match!


This is for Kyle Comon then I show you what a "Hakkapelitta" can do.

Woo hoo! I agree that was a smoking hot chapter and a long time coming. Now Carolyn just needs to get Kyle off the phone. Tell him he'll be alright, that you've moved on and he can too. (Like it's that easy). I like the montage, sultry, yet tastefully done.

Run Kyle! Run! The Swedes are coming! The Swedes are coming!

Well, my dear Em'....let's hope our Carolyn does the right thing. *cough*

You guys totally rock!

Oh, and by the way...Carolyn's brother Marc proposed to his girlfriend Kana, when she graduated. They'll get married once he's finished his medical internship.


And seeing as I've shared photos of my other two favourite big families. I thought I'd also share Marco's family, the D'Angelos. In my first install of TS2, I created them as a test family, to play without cheats and to test new (and in those days, dodgey) mods. they were supposed to be dispensable, but I got attached. lol! Marco and Vinnie were my first set of twins born in game (In later incarnations of my hood, they were CAS created). Joey was a toddler who hadn't learned anything when the twins were born, and their parents were passing out from exhaustion all over the place. By time Teresa came along, I had to use a motive cheat to keep them from dying!

Anywho...meet the D'Angelos...starting with the youngest - 13-year old Salvatore - first.

ilikefishfood wrote:

they were supposed to be dispensable, but I got attached. lol!

Uh-huh, uh-huh - see? I'm not the only one.

My my what a gorgeous family! They are all stunning, but Vinnie is definitely my favorite. I also think Teresa and Sal are quite beautiful, too. And what a pretty montage to show them all off.

By the way, do you have a mod that tells you how old a sim is? I mean, you often refer to them in human age, I just wondered how you figured that out.

[quote="Astral Faery"]

ilikefishfood wrote:

By the way, do you have a mod that tells you how old a sim is? I mean, you often refer to them in human age, I just wondered how you figured that out.

Naw! I write it all down! I rotate aaaaaall my families using each semester as a time marker. I play a semester, then go back to the regular hoods, and play my families for what I figure is about four months. Then have my uni sims do their mid year exams, and play them til the end of he next semester. Back to the hood for another imagined 4 months. Then to uni to sit year-end exams. THEN I play everybody a little bit to create what I think of as 'summer memories.' That's a year! I then go to my trusty notebook, and update all the ages!

I have annual groups for all toddlers children and teens. And I keep the adults in groupings of: 22-25 (post uni), 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49. Then I start using middle-aged wrinkles here and there for 50-54 and 55-60...Then I age them to elders.

OKAY, OKAY! I'm obsessive about these things! I also age my townies and social groups. Haven't figured out what to do with my adult NPCs for whom I've created family connections. Some should be getting ready to age. I'll probably just use some serious aging makeup so they look right, and eventually when I figure it's time for them to die, I'll do the deed, and let the game regenerate some new ones.

WHAT?! YOU asked!!!!

Oh my the D'Angelos are a gorgeous family sweetie :)

Lady A wrote:

Forget the glass of cold water - I think we'll need a cold shower! It may be a short chapter - but I'm sure everyone else will agree with me when I say, "HOORAY! It's about time. But mostly hooray!"
And a nice clinch at the end - great suspense - and beautiful pictures! The montage is lovely, and that last photo is, too. Excellent!!

Lady T wrote:

These two waited so long for the big event, I thought they deserved more than the traditional Maxis-wrestling-under-the-covers...and so did WE!
I just love these two together!

Lady J wrote:

I love,love, love it!!! Oh my goodness I can't believe they finally gave into their passion and it's about flipping time too...
Now if that bozo Kyle messes this up I am gonna be so mad...

Lady E wrote:

I agree that was a smoking hot chapter and a long time coming. Now Carolyn just needs to get Kyle off the phone. Tell him he'll be alright, that you've moved on and he can too.

Awesome, Toni ... A SIMply beautiful, touching & tastefully done presentation of Marco and Carolyn's long awaited consumation of their strong feelings for one another.



The DeMarco and Garcia families are both so gorgeous! Love the Garcia family pic, especially.

Thank you, as always, for sharing your incredibly well written, beautifully photographed Sim tale with us, m'lady.

Thank you all so much for your generous feedback!

Weeeellllll....it's time to see how that whole phone call from Kyle in the wee hours of the morning played out. Ready? Are ya? You sure? Okaaaaaay.......

---
"That's not fair!" She said, her voice trembling. She stood up and slipped into the bathroom with the phone.

He could hear her talking softly. She sounded like she was crying. Marco sat up on the edge of the bed. He was sweating.

Even in the air conditioning, his skin was prickling and he could actually feel his blood rushing through his veins. He leaned over, pulling his clothes from the tangle of garments on the floor.

He was reaching for his shirt when she came out of the bathroom a towel wrapped around her, the phone in her hand, her face streaked with tears.

"Marco...he's very upset..."

"I don't want to hear it." His voice sounded hard.

More tears spilled down her cheeks.

"It's just so complicated!" she cried, her voice shaking as she wiped at her cheeks and runny nose.

He continued to get dressed.

"I...I...He's coming back from France...to...to...to..talk to me...just to ta..."

"Stop," he said harshly, cutting her off. He realized his fists were clenched.

"I don't want to know. I can't go through this with you. You're on your own."

He didn't recognize his own voice. It sounded so hard. He didn't understand this horrible sensation he was feeling.

"Don't look at me like that!" She cried descending into sobs.

Marco glanced at himself in the mirror and was startled. His face was dark and his eyes glowered. It was rage.


For the first time in his 24-years, Marco felt rage, and it shook him to the core.

"I have to get out of here."

"Marco!" She cried as he strode to the bedroom door.

"No. Don't follow me. I don't like who I am right now. You need to figure out what you want. Let me know when you do."

He swung open the bedroom door, darting through the living room...

...He threw open the front door and dashed out slamming it behind him.

He didn't wait for the elevator but ran down the steps just needing to get outside into the fresh air.

The sky was just beginning to get light when he jogged across the parking lot to his new Mercedes Benz.

His hand shook as he fit his keys into the door.

He suddenly turned away bent over, and heaved.

He felt like he was throwing up everything he had ever eaten in his life. When there was nothing left, he leaned back against his car and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He groaned. When he stopped shaking he opened the trunk and finding a big bottle of windshield washer fluid, used it to wash away the mess he had made. He tossed the empty bottle into a dumpster, and slipped behind the wheel.

He looked at his cell phone. She had called and sent a text asking him to call. He turned if off and tossed it into the glove compartment.

He turned on the ignition, slid the car into gear pulled out of the parking lot and drove across the city...

...Heading for the highway

*blink....blink blink*

Well. First of all - your shots are just gorgeous. All the car pix are awesome! And the bedroom scenes are tasteful and pretty.

Marco is quite the gentleman to clean up the mess he made . I have to say that I agree with him. It does appear that Carolyn is conflicted and she needs to figure out what she wants. Although I don't know the circumstances behind her relationship with Kyle, I know that he's hurt her more than once, and I can think of little he can do now to upset her new relationship, unless she was already willing to let him. I think she needs to stand by her resolve, and really mean it when she says it's over. I'm hoping she'll realize that.

Great update!

OMG!!! Seriously?!?! ugh!!

Oh I am so hoping Carolyn will come to her senses about this whole mess.
I know she is torn between wanting to help butt head (oops Kyle) and exploring the possibilities with Marco but dang girl you just CANNOT have your cake and eat it too.....

Your screenshots are absolutely beautiful and gorgeous my dear...

OH the suspense is killing me as much as I would like to kill Kyle.

*flings self at Ari and Jen! I totally love you guys!

You're so emotionally involved in this mixed-up affair.

Ari, Marco really, really is a nice guy. It's those little things...like his being horrified with himself for being angry. I love him! Why, oh why, is he being made to suffer so?!

Because the author of this sordid tale is a fiendish drama queen! :muahaha:

But I totally do love Marco, even if I confess to having a soft spot for bad-boy Kyle. I don't know why! I guess in RL, I've been in situations where I've had to choose between the bad-boy and the nice guy (not to these kind of extremes, but...), and it's quite confusing! But I must say, though Kyle was a bit ahead in my favour going into this story, Marco has completely won my heart! It's a good thing I made a perfect sim match for my sim-self or Ms Garcia would have some competition!

Ari wrote:

Well. First of all - your shots are just gorgeous. All the car pix are awesome! And the bedroom scenes are tasteful and pretty.

You took the words right out of my mouth, Lady A.
I was thinking "that's one pretty bedroom" and "that's one gorgeous, shiny set of wheels" myself!

Carolyn has a serious decision to make.
What I don't understand is, it's obvious what she and Marco feel for one another.

Of course, I don't know what the dealio is with Kyle and why she is so hard-pressed to end it once and for all with him, but...
She's going to lose that darling Marco, if she doesn't figure it out SOON.
I felt so badly for him, that he was so upset he puked his guts out (Then, cleaned it up? ... What a guy! ).
I don't blame him for feeling enraged.
Just when he thought his beloved Carolyn had figured it out...that Marco was the one she loved and wanted...She gets a call from Kyle.
UGH! GRRRR!

WHY? WHY???

Toni wrote:

Because the author of this sordid tale is a fiendish drama queen!

You got that right, chica!

Stunning screenshots & settings, as always, Lady T and another awesome update.

Now I´m on my way (I just have to figure out how to use this helmet....)

Kyle go to a very hot place will you!!!!

Marco you ROCK!!!


Toni You ROCK!!!

Thanks!!

Ohhhhhh noooooooo.

Quote :

I think she needs to stand by her resolve, and really mean it when she says it's over. I'm hoping she'll realize that.

Quote :

Oh I am so hoping Carolyn will come to her senses about this whole mess.
I know she is torn between wanting to help butt head (oops Kyle) and exploring the possibilities with Marco but dang girl you just CANNOT have your cake and eat it too.....

AMEN to that! I just hope she doesn't let Marco's reaction weaken her resolve to stay separated from Kyle. I'm afraid it might.

Quote :

I felt so badly for him, that he was so upset he puked his guts out (Then, cleaned it up? ... What a guy! ).

When you said he went for the Windex. I was not expecting him to use it on the puke. I was scared he was going to do something desperate. Hopefully he doesn't do something desperate and further damaging to what he could have going on with Carolyn as he takes off down the highway.

Ullwera wrote:

Now I´m on my way (I just have to figure out how to use this helmet....)

Ullwera wrote:

Kyle go to a very hot place will you!!!!

Ullwera wrote:

Marco you ROCK!!!

He sure does! And he's cute too!

Ullwera wrote:

Toni You ROCK!!!

SimEm wrote:

Ohhhhhh noooooooo.

I just hope she doesn't let Marco's reaction weaken her resolve to stay separated from Kyle. I'm afraid it might....Hopefully he doesn't do something desperate and further damaging to what he could have going on with Carolyn as he takes off down the highway.

You THINK?! Oh geez...I hope not!

You guys are killing me!

OMG Warwick Avenue is the ulitmate heartbreak song....
I believe you and I are musical sisters ...lol

Poor Marco I could just see him playing that on his Ipod shuffle

Dang girl, you are killing all of us but you have us hook, line and sinker......You're an awesome storyteller

Here are a couple more heartbreak songs he could listen to..

Well I just love Adele! Didn't know much by Jeff Buckley! What an awesome voice, and what an incredible song! "She's a tear that hangs inside my soul forever..." Well, I"m just a mess! Poooooooor Marco!


But there are some happy things going on in my game. Marco's sister Teresa just graduated from university and before she and her boyfriend Patrick Benoit (Cassie and Maxine's brother) headed home to Christophe Harbour, he proposed!

These two are going to make some pretty babies!


Beau Brookes (Broke), Brandi's son graduated and also proposed to his girlfriend Audrey (a fromer NPC paper girl) before they moved back home. Yes, he had a little plastic surgery. Come ooooon, for such a pretty woman, Brandi's first two boys are...well...

While on the subject of Maxis families. Alexander Goth (also heavily plastic-surgeried. What was Maxis thinking?!) graduated with a degree in Astronomy, and is heading straight from the Academie to Pleasantview where he's taking up an internship at the Observatory there. With a last name like Goth...well, it's inevitable that he be a 'goth' right?

And Mortimer and Dina Goth's first daughter Rachel grew into a pretty girl. Here she is with her brother Jacob. No tweaking required!


...And their 'nephews' the Lothario twins (Cassandra and Don's kids).

What a bunch of gorgeous kidlets! I can't wait to see them all grown up. And Teresa and Patrick are sooo pretty together. Bring on the spawn! Can you tell I just love breeding sims in my game, LOL!

Yes - I totally agree with you. I don't get Dustin and Beau - Skip Broke wasn't that bad, and Brandi is drop dead gorgeous, what's up with these two? And the Goth kids - seriously, - Morty is a pretty dang nice looking guy and Bella is pretty hot...why are their kids so...not? I had to plastic surgery mine, as well.

ilikefishfood wrote:

Naw! I write it all down! I rotate aaaaaall my families using each semester as a time marker. I play a semester, then go back to the regular hoods, and play my families for what I figure is about four months. Then have my uni sims do their mid year exams, and play them til the end of he next semester. Back to the hood for another imagined 4 months. Then to uni to sit year-end exams. THEN I play everybody a little bit to create what I think of as 'summer memories.' That's a year! I then go to my trusty notebook, and update all the ages!

I was laughing myself silly over this whole post of yours, but I forgot to comment on it. So you are a teensy bit obsessive about aging, and I'm having the darndest time figuring out how long to play uni vs. how long to do a hood rotation. In my royal kingdom, I usually play each household for an entire season, then when the kids went off to uni I just played them straight through. It worked, but probably isn't the best way to approach the neighborhood if you want chronological aging. Especially since I want different levels of teens and uni students. So...what do you imagine 4 months to be (and a summer) when you return to your hood? Given your experience in the matter, I figure you're the best person to ask.

Jen wrote:

Poor Marco I could just see him playing that on his Ipod shuffle.

No kidding!
I had never heard any of those songs before, ladies.

Toni wrote:

These two are going to make some pretty babies!

That's a serious understatement, m'lady.
They are an absolutely STUNNING couple. I love their screenshots.

Honey, Alexander Goth has never looked so cool.
Look at that ensemble he's wearing!
Who'da thunk old Al would turn out lookin' so handsome & stylin'?
Is Astonomy a Uni thing? Or did you download that career?

Ari wrote:

What a bunch of gorgeous kidlets! I can't wait to see them all grown up.

Thank you for sharing, as always, Toni.
I am so grateful for all of our passionate, devoted Sims 2 players, who continue to share their game antics with us so often.

Ari and Sugah!

Sugah I have an astronomy custom career. I particularly like it, because the first couple of levels are graduate school, which I think is most realistic.

Now Ms Ari...about my imagined four months of time. I use a semester of uni as roughly four: Sept - Dec and the next (2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th) Jan - May. Most unis break around May.

Now, I suppose for the summer months I should say something sensible like 'play your simmies for 4 sim days' but....Toni doesn't play that way. Do you want to get a coffee? This might take a while

Well see, I like to read my simmies' stories in their memory panels, which is why I'm so obsessive about chronology. 'Met x,' 'saw first snow,' 'learned to cook whatever'....you get the picture? So....for my imagined summer, I play all simmies (note wording here. I play ALL simmies. I'll get back to that in a moment) long enough to create at least two or three memories in their panels, even if it's just meeting a few new simmies...to suggest a passage of time.

If a uni simmie gets a new boyfriend or girlfriend during the school year, I'll have them meet the parents and siblings 'in the summer.' Uni simmies will meet new partners of family members back home, or new babies (though if they're immediate family, I usually teleport them to the home lot soon after the birth to meet the new baby right away. Wouldn't you go home from uni for the weekend, to meet a new brother or sister or niece or nephew?

I also usually have my simmies marry 'in the summer'...it's also quite realistic and it immediately creates a nice 'summer' memory for the whole family whether they attend or not.

Now, back to my note about creating summer memories for ALL simmies: *ahem*

1. This does not necessarily involve playing every lot (we all have boring households)...I will usually just teleport in simmies to a lot I'm playing make the visitor selectable and make sure they get a memory or two.

2. As you know I've used SimPe and TwoJeffs' simBlender to create family ties and make some NPCs and townies related to each other and even playable simmies. Soooo........well, I teleport them into lots I'm playing too, and give them a 'summer memory' or two. This is not always necessary, as things like marriages, and a-pluses, dean's lists, deaths, break-ups etc, are automatically created as memories for all family members.

3. With households I don't enjoy playing and just want to race through and get on to a fun family...I use a new mod (a small, stable, conflicts-with-nothing new and improved version of inSIM) called the Sim Manipulator which with a click, allows a simmie to make the acquaintance of any simmie on the lot, make best friends, enemies or even BFFs...and it creates the memory. You can set an A+, get a kid into private school, teach toddler skills, learn FT skills (fire safety, parenting etc) even vacation skills (hula dancing, local gesture etc) all with the click on the mod...no queuing required (you can do it while they're sleeping even!) and they GET the memory and the want fulfilled! And family members will get the appropriate memory for stuff like A-pluses, private school etc.

So there you have it! 'Summer' = making sure that most simmies get a coupla memories in their memory panels to suggest some sort of passage of time.

And that my dear, is how obsessive simmers sim!

Wow...you're quite...detailed. Thank you so much for your in depth description of how you play your 'hood. I appreciate the time you took to type that all out. But for me, that is way too much work because I'm lazy, lol. Townies in the hood that I'm not interested in, I'd rather kill than make a life for, ha ha. And that was my original plan when I started making over Pleasantview. But I'm satisfied enough for now to just give them makeovers. And I created a new batch so I could have some decent looking folks for marrying and such.

As far as time rotations for me go, I guess I'll just have to find what works for me best.

indeed! :-)

It's really interesting to hear about how you play, Toni. I never even pay attention to my sims' memories. I do try to keep track of their ages though and keep everyone the same and have experimented with different ways of doing that. But like, Ari, I'm kind of lazy about it. I think it's neat that you're so detailed and organized with it.

By the way, cute kids. And Teresa and Patrick make a very pretty couple.

WOAH! I can not believe how "detailed" (as Ari so aptly put it) your Simming technique is, Toni. Holy Rigatoni!
Like Em, I never even pay much attention to my Sims' memories.

Your game is so well organized. My gameplay is quite dull in comparison!