Chapter 11 -- Changeover
Chloe tried to make the most of her last days as the Torch Holder. She maxed the Programming skill and completed the Computer Whiz aspiration by winning a professional tournament for the R.E.F.U.G.E (which bore a strong resemblance to the Sims Medieval). She finished writing her own computer game, the Sims Victorian, which might enable her to reach the top of the Tech Guru career if she lives long enough.
But she tried to prepare for the day when she wouldn't be under the care of the Watcher any more. She started exercising more, preparing for the day when her weight would increase.
She tried to let the girls cook more, even when they set the stove on fire.
And she had a last bit of fun with Alexander.
Elspeth grew up with a trait at odds with her aspiration. She was a childish goofball, excellent for her aspiration of Joke Star. But she was also a loner, which made socializing difficult. Her first morning as a young adult, she went outside to meet people.
Except for teenager Colt above, most of the people she met were young (maybe) men, whom she might marry. She found two fellow goofballs, Felipe below...
...and Ted Crowell.
Felipe was rather upset when Elspeth decided to become romantically involved with Ted.
Besides finding a spouse, Elspeth had to make progress in her career. She managed to make $100 in tips from her comedy routine, the Pit of Judgment, despite her feeling that she was crashing and burning,
...something she knew about from having done it literally.
Chloe had her birthday and became an elder.
Because of the ghosts, Felicity couldn't find a place to sleep and passed out twice before her birthday.
She ended up a mean and ambitious slob with the aspiration of a Renaissance sim. She took a job in the Criminal career before moving into a cheaper house in Willow Creek.
The house was beginning to seem rather empty, so Elspeth invited Ted over and proposed -- not a moment too soon because he's due to become an elder in four days.
Although the Watcher didn't get a picture, confetti has been thrown.
Score
Pass out -- Felicity, twice -- -10
Milestone - Chloe, Computer Whiz -- 5
Aspiration - Chloe, Computer Whiz -- 10
Milestone - Chloe, Painter -- 5
Randomized Traits -- 10
No Spare Rewards -- 10
Previous Score -- 125
Total -- 155
Chapter 12 -- Tragic Clown
People think that being a comedian is fun, but Elspeth was having a hard time of it. Although her mother laughed at her jokes, she felt that the laughter was forced.
She was pretty sure that Chloe would much rather just sit and read a book.
She thought that she might be able to get a routine out of Ted's reaction when she went into labor.
But then he became an elder, and she felt that she couldn't make fun of him any more.
Especially not when he was so affectionate.
Ted tried to help out with little Gaia, too, but it took him forever to figure out what she needed.
Chloe was quite a bit more adept.
Everyone was relieved when Gaia became a child, even though she did turn out to have the mean trait. Elspeth didn't understand how two goofballs like her and Ted could have produced a mean child, but the Watcher said that was the problem with randomization.
Elspeth soon had another baby (Ted freaked out a second time, although you'd think he would have figured out by now). Gaia was not pleased about having a baby sister, whom they named Heather.
She was complaining to her grandmother one evening...
...when all of a sudden, Chloe said that she didn't feel well.
Grim soon appeared.
He told Elspeth quite unkindly that her attempt to plead with him was one of the funniest things he'd ever seen.
Over the next few days Elspeth wasn't able to get any tips. She felt like she was just going through the motions, and it was hard not to start crying in the middle of her routines. She made herself feel a little better by tidying up her families graves, putting Claus and Liberty, Annabelle and Lamar, and her mother and Alexander together. She planted azaleas in front of each pair. Someday she and Ted would have their headstones together, too -- that thought made her get weepy again.
Finally, one afternoon she looked at the last painting that Chloe had done and realized it was of a cowplant. That was kind of funny, and she smiled a little.
And when she saw Heather and Gaia talking to each other, she felt that she might be able to face the microphone again.
Score
Pass out -- Ted -- -5
Birth -- Gaia -- 5
Birth -- Heather -- 5
2 Milestones -- Elspeth -- 10
Previous Score -- 125
Total -- 140
Chapter 13 -- Funny Girl
The ghosts were driving Elspeth crazy. Every night they came and destroyed the plumbing. "I don't make enough to replace everything every night!" she exclaimed, shaking the wrench at them. "And there are a dozen things it's more important for me to do than to repair the toilets. And sinks. And showers.
"But you really went too far when you wrecked the dollhouse," she added. "Your little granddaughter has been sobbing her eyes out because her dollies don't have a home any more."
"It wasn't us," Annabelle protested. "And besides, she's my great-granddaughter."
"It was the little red-haired one," put in Alexander. "Elspeth or Felicity."
"I'm Elspeth," said Elspeth, "and Felicity isn't little any more. But I'm sorry I accused you unjustly."
Mollified, the ghosts disappeared, but Elspeth didn't think the conversation would have any effect. She'd had a similar chat four nights running, and each night they forgot what had transpired the night before. She didn't have ghosts; she had poltergeists with short-term memory deficiency.
And then came the morning when the girls were at school, and Ted complained of a pain in his side.
"NO!" she protested to the Grim Reaper. "His time can't be up yet; he hasn't even gotten the notice to put his affairs in order."
"Oops, right," said Grim. "I guess I confused him with Ned Crowley. I'll put him back on his feet in no time. Okay?"
While Ted went to work, Elspeth went to the park to work on her aspiration to be a joke star. "Has anyone ever tried to raise a hedgehog?" she began, as part of her newest routine, "High Maintenance Hedgehogs." It was obvious that the routine would require some refining.
Ted came home from work soon after Elspeth returned from her stint in the park. Again, he felt a bit dizzy.
"Ha!" said the Grim Reaper. "No pushy wife to interfere with my reaping this time."
Elspeth was devastated and spent the next two days crying in bed. The only routine she managed to write during this time was "The Goth Family," which was funny only to people who lived in houses haunted by ghosts. One afternoon, Gaia talked her into leaving the house. "I need to meet more people," she said. "And I can't go to the park unless you take me."
Elspeth arranged for Felicity to meet them there. Felicity was not impressed by the Hedgehog routine, but she did seem glad to see Gaia. It figured, thought Elspeth. They both had a mean streak. It didn't seem fair that Heather would have to go live with her aunt instead of Gaia, but that was the way legacies worked.
At least the two girls didn't fight all the time, which was a relief. Sometimes, they actually seemed to like each other.
Finally the day came when Elspeth didn't feel sad all the time. She repaired the rocket ship and took off to learn what jokes might appeal to the aliens.
She actually enjoyed her adult birthday.
And she was relieved when Gaia finally became a teen, although she realized that sharing a house with someone determined to become Public Enemy No. 1 might be difficult.
But so far the most annoying thing that Gaia had done was to insist on wearing black all the time.
She was even good about doing her homework.
Score
1 Milestone -- Elspeth -- 5
Previous Score -- 140
Total -- 145
Chapter 14 -- A Difficult Heir
Elspeth had to admit that there were times she wished Heather could be the heir, if only because she was the first of the Koehler women to look good in pink.
Gaia insisted on sticking to black, although she might accept shades of gray as well.
Elspeth couldn't approve of what Gaia chose for nightwear, but she felt a little afraid of telling her that. Everyone was a little afraid of Gaia: she was mean and a bro and neat, with the aspiration to become a Public Enemy. If she got an A in school it was so that she could leapfrog the first two levels of the Criminal career and become a Ringleader.
Elspeth achieved her aspiration to become a Joke Star and, with the help of her trips into space, managed to put the household income at over $100,000.
The plan was to move to a new house at that point, so Elspeth took a long look at her neighborhood as she took off on her last trip.
And she looked again when she returned.
The next day they moved into their new home. Elspeth "forgot" to pack the headstones for her grandmother and her parents. She wouldn't have minded seeing Ted again, but he seemed to have dissociated from his headstone, perhaps because she'd engraved an epitaph upon it.
She liked the new living room,
...and the new dining room.
But her favorite was the nursery. Now that Gaia had become a young adult, Elspeth could spend as much time playing as she wanted.
Score
1 Milestone -- Elspeth -- 5
Complete Aspiration -- Elspeth -- 20
A in School -- Gaia -- 5
1 Milestone -- Elspeth (Painting) -- 5
100,000 Simoleons -- 20
Previous Score -- 145
Total -- 200
Chapter 15 -- Not Miss Congeniality
Now that Gaia was the Torch Holder, she had to work on getting milestones in her aspiration, getting promotions in her career, and leveling up a skill. She went to the park to insult a few sims.
She trolled on the computer to build up her mischief skills.
Making someone despise her took more energy. Gaia made a rude introduction, and then started yelling at a man.
Finally, she got into a fight with him. Success! She achieved her first milestone.
At home, Gaia needed to take on the task of cooking. Her first attempt at scrambled eggs did not go well. Luckily, Heather picked up the fire extinguisher without being told.
Gaia had to extinguish herself before she could do anything else.
After that, she decided to stick to salad-making for a while.
An ordinary person would be grateful to her younger sister for keeping the house from burning down, but Gaia was not ordinary. When her job required her to pickpocket five sims, Heather was the first one she chose. She got $93. Sweet!
Willow Creek's librarian was less trusting, even though Gaia greeted her in a friendly fashion.
Gaia's final task was to produce an heir. "I'm not getting married," she informed her mother. "I don't want a husband; I'd just have to be nice to him." Elspeth worried that she might not be able to find anyone, but Gaia met Keon Hope at the Nightclub.
She fell asleep afterwards, and Keon was gone by the time she took the pregnancy test.
Elspeth was delighted to hear the news, and Gaia was so surprised that she didn't even take the opportunity to pick her pocket. She was not happy to hear that she would be expected to produce a spare as well, though.
Modesty had never been Gaia's strong suit, and she didn't see why she should change that just because she was pregnant.
Passengers on Willow Creek's steamboat nearly capsized their craft rushing over to the side to get a look.
At long last, the next heir in the Koehler legacy was born -- a little boy named Igor.
Score
NTH Max Career -- Elspeth -- 10
Randomized Traits -- 10
No Spare Rewards -- 10
Birth -- Igor -- 5
Previous Score -- 200
Total -- 235
Chapter 16 -- Willow Creek's Wacky Redhead
Transcript from Willow Creek Wednesdays:
I managed to snag an interview with Willow Creek's favorite comedienne, Elspeth Koehler. This wacky redhead has been wowing crowds with her commentaries on llamas, gnomes, and the art gallery for almost her entire lifetime. I joined her at her home as she celebrated her birthday.
W.C.W.: Elspeth, comedians come and go, but your humor seems to be enduring. What's your secret?
E.K.: I get my inspiration from daily life. I love to use my children's toys to work up a routine. My favorite is the Purple Protector, but I like the triceratops, too.
Then, when I have an idea, I try it out on my family. If I can get a laugh out of my daughter -- who's heard it all -- then I know I'm on to something.
W.C.W.: Something most people don't know is that you're a talented artist, too. Aren't these two of your paintings?
E.K.: Yes, I took up painting shortly before I retired.
W.C.W.: What's keeping you busy these days?
E.K.: Well, you probably know that I'm a grandmother. What you don't know is that my grandson Igor is an alien.
W.C.W.: Ha ha, he's so cute!
E.K.: Actually, he's going to become a concert pianist when he grows up.
W.C.W.: Another entertainer in the family, huh. Well, Elspeth, you've had a full and interesting life. Any regrets?
E.K.: I made too many grilled cheese sandwiches and didn't work out enough, but other than that, it's been great!
W.C.W.: And that's it for our show. Tune in next week, when we'll be investigating the disappearance of Bella Goth.
Igor finished watching the show.
Then he went outside and played on the monkey bars. He wasn't happy.
His mother had brought someone home the other night.
He had a bad feeling about what the outcome might be.
Actually, things turned out even worse than Igor had anticipated. Meet Jeremy, Keith, and Louis Koehler.
Meanwhile, Gaia's not happy either. "No publicity, I told you! No publicity!"
Score
Bladder Fail - Gaia -- -5
Triplets -- 15
Previous Score -- 235
Total -- 245
Chapter 17 -- Igor's Memoirs - First Draft
Thanks to that interview with my grandmother, I became nearly as famous as she was. "You're Igor Koehler?" People say to me, "
that Igor Koehler?" Like how many can there be? The good thing was that I was shown only in my Halloween costume, so as long as people don't hear my name, they don't react to me. And I guess it's another good thing that I'll have name recognition once I become a concert pianist, but when I was a kid it was mostly a pain.
The really big pain, though, was getting three baby brothers all at once. You can't imagine what it was like being in the same room with them when they were waiting for our mother to come and feed them.
Once they grew up, it wasn't too bad. We played on the monkey bars together and watched TV together. Occasionally I told them stories while we were eating breakfast together. Gram worked at night doing her comedy act, and Mom worked at night, too, but I can't say what her job was because that would make her mad.
The triplets (Jeremy, Keith, and Louis) and I soon learned all the things that made Mom mad. She hated doing repairs and always blamed us for breaking the toilet.
I guess the good thing was that we could impress the other kids at school by repeating all the words she used when fixing things. The trick was not to let a teacher overhear you.
Mom didn't like cooking much, and so we learned to avoid her when she was fixing a meal, especially if it was one that required knives.
But we knew to make tracks whenever she had her angry lion hat on.
That meant she was getting ready to fight someone.
Louis has just reminded me that Mom could be nice sometimes. If you were up late at night, she'd read to you.
Gram was the funny one. She loved to play with our toys. She said they helped her think of comic routines, but I think she just liked playing.
The other thing she liked was painting. This is one of my favorites -- I think it expresses her personality perfectly.
Childhood came to an end for me when I became a teenager. I now had the aspiration to become a musical genius, and I became a bro as well as an art lover.
Childhood ended in another way, too, with Gram's death. She was 87, but it still seemed too soon.
Keith and I were on hand to say good-bye to her. Mom was still at work, and Jeremy and Louis were downstairs getting ready for school.
Keith is self-assured, so he stuck around chatting with Grim. I was really upset, though. I guess the good thing is that we have plenty of her paintings around the house, and her ghost will probably show up soon, but I really miss her.
Score
Milestone - Gaia -- 5
Previous Score -- 245
Total -- 250
Chapter 18 -- Igor's Memoirs Continued
My adolescence passed in a blur. It began with grief over Gram's death.
Thereafter, it seemed like I spent all my time doing homework (although I only managed to attain a B).
My brothers became teenagers a few days after I did. That's Jeremy in the orange check pajamas, Louis in yellow, and Keith in blue.
We hung out and watched TV a lot. We couldn't go anywhere unless Mom took us, and she was usually sleeping when we got home from school or busy hacking the Lothario Trust Fund.
Jeremy soon figured out how to use the grill so we could have hamburgers. My preference is for veggie burgers and tofu dogs, though -- less cholesterol.
One evening Mom had the night off and I was up late, so we had a chance to talk. She told me about all the stuff I'd have to do once I became the torch holder for our dynasty.
The important thing, she said, was to work on my aspiration. She probably wasn't going to finish hers, not because she minded fighting, but because it was so hard for her to go into a fight angry. "It's better if you don't feel any emotion at all," she told me. "When I'm angry, I tend to lose, and then I get dazed. But according to my aspiration, I have to be angry at the time, so that's the way it is."
Her favorite
target sparring partner was Aunt Heather.
Gram eventually started showing up at night.
She really startled Mom once.
I like having her around. Sometimes she leaves us paintings (the one on the left, but she also did the one on the right).
This one is a pop art masterpiece.
Finally, I had my young adult birthday. I'm a genius now. I've become an entertainer and started learning how to play the piano. Once my brothers move out, I'll probably get married and start a new family.
Score
Milestone - Gaia -- 5
Previous Score --250
Total -- 255
