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Post by NotJustaBook on Nov 12, 2013 2:45:27 GMT -5
2.4. MediocreThe first day in France, I sat around, staring at a wall, pondering nothing at all. Maybe I should have tried thinking things through, but at that moment, I didn't want to. I just sat staring. It wasn't until the second day, I went out and tried talking to people. I met Elliott who liked to talk, but when I flew into a rant about Junior and how much of a jerk he was, he gently said that I probably had some issues to look into. I managed to mess that up fairly quickly, for sure. And after that, I didn't even care to try and pretend that France wasn't a stupid idea and not even a good escape. I could have been that mummy that chased me out of the pyramid in Egypt, and I would have been better company. At home was when I realised I couldn't just run away anymore. My problems would stick even if I fled to another part of the world and buried myself in the desert. What I hadn't wanted to face was the fact that I was part of the problem. I'd been a grumpy grump for as long as I could remember. I hadn't been very happy as a baby and probably not as a child either, and the grumpiness had just stuck. It was just part of me, but then... I could just change. I felt like I moved in slow motion when I went to the phone and called a pretty familiar number. “Junior isn't here,” his mother said. “He has work at the Autumn Festival. Maybe you could go see him there?” I smiled. Maybe, yes. I found him by the merchant's stall, wearing the stupidest outfit I've ever seen on anyone. When he saw me, he immediately held out a hand. “Don't say anything!” “I wasn't going to. I mean, you look very... manly... Junior.” He shook his head. “You look like you're going to break down laughing.” “I'm... I'm really sorry, honestly.” “No, I'm... it's okay. I think the whole disastrous date when we were teens was kind of... both of our faults, you know?” “Oh, that, yeah. Way to change the topic but... Yeah, we were both...” “Young and grumpy?” “Yes.” Somehow, that was as far as we got with being sappy. We both apologised, and he agreed to show me around the festival grounds, if I promised I'd stop making fun of the hat. And that was that – things were finally looking up. Author's note: Oh gosh my chapters were so short back then! Look at this! So. Short. I don't think I'd be able to cut down my chapters these days! Have I mentioned that during her existential crisis, Passie's Grumpy trait mysteriously disappeared? I didn't get sick of it and cheat it away of course. Nope, not me, I never cheat. Ever. Not with Junior's Unflirty trait either. NOPE.
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Post by KaseOfHearts on Nov 12, 2013 11:35:18 GMT -5
Hahaha, Louise, why do I not believe you didn't cheat away the traits?
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Post by NotJustaBook on Nov 12, 2013 16:41:25 GMT -5
Hahaha, Louise, why do I not believe you didn't cheat away the traits? I don't know! I'm totally not a cheat or anything and I'm really trustworthy and haven't got anything to hide at all.
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Post by PeregrineTook on Nov 12, 2013 21:41:24 GMT -5
She deserves someone cooler than Junior. Someone with a great sense of style...like a bow tie wearing...TimeLord. Sorry, getting nerd all over the place. But she has this whole "running away from who she really is" thing and that's kind of been the Doctor's m.o. for about 50 years now. Just sayin'. Oh, anyway, lovely update. You have a wonderfully lovely redheaded heir who makes a wonderful muse for your work. Bravo!
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Post by Jane.Eyre.Force on Nov 13, 2013 7:00:13 GMT -5
That last screenshot is absolutely beautiful. Lovely update, I can't wait for more.
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Post by NotJustaBook on Nov 17, 2013 7:42:40 GMT -5
2.5. Junkyard Girl and Funny Hat GuyWhat's that? A pretty dress containing a crying Mum. That could only really mean one thing. Either it was because I'd finally agreed to put up my otherwise impossible hair, or else it was because we were getting married. You know what, it was probably both. Just like Aërope and Zachary, we decided to keep it simple. We were married in front of the house. After that, we set to changing around the bedrooms. Mum insisted that Junior and I have the master bedroom that she had been staying in for so long, and she got my old bedroom. I'm pretty sure her eyes lit up when she talked about bedrooms and doublebeds, and I'm also pretty sure that means she wants us to have children. No matter what her motives, she had our bedroom decorate nicely, in reds and oranges, just the way she knows I like it. And hey, it wasn't like we were completely opposed to the idea of children, Junior and I... but that's private. Avert thine eyes, if you please. With my new-found confidence and an existential crisis that was going away, I went for inventing and quickly registered as an inventor at Town Hall. Junior quit the festival thing and got a proper job with the town's police department, after he'd sheepishly confided to me, that he always wanted to be an International Super spy. Bless. The result? Mediocre? Please, I don't even know the meaning of the word. Author's note: Yay, another update from the amazing, disappearing NotJustaBook! (Okay, maybe not amazing, but I am disappearing!) Anyway, I really did love Passie's wedding outfit, especially her hair... *dreamy sigh*
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Post by PeregrineTook on Nov 17, 2013 11:52:45 GMT -5
Passie's so lovely and wonderful, but I'm just not digging Junior. Not yet, at least. Maybe he'll be more appealing as a daddy than he's seemed as her romantic interest. Of course, it's probably that I like Passie so much that no Sim was going to be good enough for her. I do have that problem with Sims I really like.
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Post by Jane.Eyre.Force on Nov 18, 2013 2:49:26 GMT -5
Lovely chapter, Passie's wedding dress looked gorgeous. I never would have imagined Junior as an International Super spy! He's quite surprising.
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Post by KaseOfHearts on Nov 18, 2013 11:50:44 GMT -5
Passie's so lovely and wonderful, but I'm just not digging Junior. Not yet, at least. Maybe he'll be more appealing as a daddy than he's seemed as her romantic interest. Of course, it's probably that I like Passie so much that no Sim was going to be good enough for her. I do have that problem with Sims I really like. You seriously do, Pip. It's almost pathological!
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Post by NotJustaBook on Nov 23, 2013 7:34:13 GMT -5
2.6. The Ithaca Legacy Lives On
It wasn't too long after I found out about my pregnancy that Aërope called to tell me her news – she was pregnant, too. Ha, I finally one-upped her. I got there first. I'm kidding. It made me really happy, but not more than Mum. She was already ecstatic that I was pregnant, and I think she played more than ever with Achilles just to let out some of that pent-up energy of hers. When I told her about the pregnancy, she shook me so hard and excitedly that I had to remind her that I was pregnant and that shaking pregnant people might be a bad idea. After quite some time feeling like a beached whale, I finally went into labour – with all the grace of a beached whale, too. If Junior hadn't been busy screaming like a girl, I think he might have made fun of my crossed eyes. And so, a little boy was born. In the evening Junior and I sat down with him and considered names. “How about Hector?” he said. “Your mother has that theme – might as well stick to it, right?” “That's a nice name, I said. Sounds lovely. Only... I was thinking we could name him after his daddy.” “...” “Junior Jr.” The look on his face was the exact same look Mum had on her face that one time I asked if maybe her and dad had a good box of nectar when they came up with my name. No laughs. So it was Hector Ithaca, the first Ithaca boy to be born into our family. Mum had her birthday not long after, and when she'd done waking up the neighbours and boring the mail man with pictures of Hector, she went to see Aërope. She told me that she, as a medical professional, had determined that Aëy was having a boy too. I told her that's not how it works, but she was adamant, and I agreed to agree if she would believe I once met a mummy in Egypt. Then she muttered something about a 'margin for error' and ran off to play chess. It was hard not to be drawn into the kind of sappiness that I'd always either feared or disliked, and both Junior and I dissolved into baby talk and giggles at the sight of the little guy. Only adding to our sappiness was the kitten that we soon welcomed into our home. Junior is huge on cats, so we thought we might as well get some company for Achilles for when we didn't have time to play with him. And so, we welcomed a little, grey kitty and named him Patroclus. Admittedly, we were nervous – I mean, everybody knows about the famous rivalry between cat and dog, but Achilles just sniffed the little guy, Patroclus sniffed him back, and then they were off to play. And it was just in time for Hector to have his birthday and age into a gorgeous, ginger toddler, too, quite like his dad (except for the ginger part). Oh yes, things were getting interesting. [Author's note: Fun with names yay – let's start with Achilles, because I forgot earlier: Achilles: One of the greatest hero of ancient Greek mythology – if not the greatest. Known for being practically invincible – with the exception of the unfortunate heel. At the battle of Troy, he pulled out of fighting after Agamemnon took the girl he'd gotten during a plunder. He then cried to his mother and sat sulking in a tent for a while. Hector: The biggest hero of the city of Troy and quite possibly the only decent guy in all of Greek mythology (no, really). Married to Andromache and very devoted to her and his son, Astyanax, until he was killed by Achilles (don't worry, I'll keep the dog at a safe distance from the boy). Patroclus: In mythology, Achilles' best friend. After he died, killed by Hector (don't worry, I'll keep the boy at a safe distance from the cat), Achilles returned to the battle of Troy after having sulked in that tent for a while. … it's possible I didn't think it through when I name these three.]
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Post by PeregrineTook on Nov 23, 2013 11:53:43 GMT -5
Loved the naming overlap of boy, dog, and cat. Also, Hector is a rather handsome young lad. Definitely got the good looks from mom. Still not a Junior fan. I for one thought Junior Jr. was rather witty, so if he doesn't appreciate it, he's not worry of Passie. Okay, climbing carefully off the soapbox now...
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Post by NotJustaBook on Nov 24, 2013 5:32:24 GMT -5
... Jeepers. This is like a reverse shipping thing. It's like you're mad because your ship didn't get together but there aren't really anyone else for Passie so it's like... I don't know where I'm going with this carry on XD
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Post by PeregrineTook on Nov 24, 2013 12:24:03 GMT -5
Well, the flip side of that could be that if I'd seen that so many other suitors were inadequate, maybe I'd like Junior more. No worries, though, because I like Passie enough for the both of them ;=)
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Post by NotJustaBook on Nov 24, 2013 16:52:49 GMT -5
The danger of having to find townies for spouses is that I don't care much for them myself, and no, Junior never did do much for me either (and thus it's probably reflected in my writing - he's a boring character). Later on I started cheating even more and that means the spouses (in my opinion at least) became more interesting. I'm really glad you like Passie, though. She's such a fun sim - especially to write!
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Post by PeregrineTook on Nov 24, 2013 16:59:50 GMT -5
So we're both anti-shipping Junior now. That's fairly awesome. Yes, Passie is glorious and I'll be sad when we move beyond her time and the subsequent generations take over.
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