belsasim

[belsasim]

Distant voice (concerned): "Zinnia? Zinnia, wake up!" Zinnia (eyes still closed): "Huh?"

It took Zinnia a few moments to come back to consciousness. Slowly opening her eyes, the face of Momo appeared. Blurry at first, then clearer and clearer. His hair was wet, a concerned frown turning his already dark brown eyes even darker. She felt his hand gently touching her cheek.

Zinnia (a pounding headache keeping her from opening her eyes all the way): "Mo...mo? Where...? What...?" Momo (his frown turning in a relieved smile): "Man, you scared me there, Zinnia. That was close. These waters can be really dangerous."

Slowly, the previous events came back to Zinnia. The storm, the swimming back to the beach, the current, the darkness, the panic. Zinnia felt her heartbeat race again and, remembering not being able to breathe, she started sucking in the air.

Momo pressed his hand a little harder against her cheek. "Wow, slow down, Zinnia. It's ok, you're safe now. Take slow breaths. In... and out." Momo's voice, repeating "In... and out," his gaze locked with hers and his touch eventually calmed her down.

When she had regained her normal breathing rhythm, Zinnia finally was able to form an actual phrase. "You saved my life," she spoke softly. Momo gave her a big smile. "That's what any decent lifeguard does, right?" Reassured that Zinnia was ok, Momo now rolled on his back, lying next to her. With a sigh, he continued: "You're lucky I was close. That particular lagune can be really fickle."

Zinnia knew she was really lucky, but she also felt stupid. "I'm just another dumb tourist, aren't I," she sighed. "Nah," Momo reacted, "even islanders get surprised there, don't beat yourself up."

They both stared up into the sky, the rain still falling down, albeit not as hard as previously. For a while, they lay there in silence. But the silence didn't feel awkward. Zinnia felt tired, headachy and a little cold. She shivered. As if that was his cue, Momo rose up to his feet. "I'll walk you back to your family, you should get warm and dry now. I'll pick some fruit on the way, cuz you'll need sugar, right?" As he spoke, he touched his left upper arm, indicating the location of Zinnia's glucose sensor. "And you should go see a doctor, very important, ok?"

Zinnia nodded and slowly scrambled up to a seating position. Momo held out his hand and she accepted his help with gratitude. Momo had no trouble pulling her up. It even seemed he pulled a little too hard, making Zinnia get up faster than anticipated and slightly losing her balance. Momo caught her though and they ended up in a hug. Zinnia couldn't tell if it had been deliberate, but she wasn't complaining at all. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'm glad you're ok," he whispered back.

Then, chuckling a little awkwardly, they let each other go again and they walked to the villa together, mostly in silence as Zinnia was just too tired and a little embarassed.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #zinnia dreamer #momo tapadia #experimenting with in game poses #momo saves the day #and probably the love of his life #I mean... #they're so cute together

[belsasim]

Still processing that she had just met and touched a wild dolphin, Zinnia didn't notice the rapidly changing weather. Clouds gathered with extreme speed and a tropical storm was announcing itself. Zinnia was brought back to reality by the first drops of rain. She realised that staying in the open water probably wasn't the best idea and she immediately started to swim back to the beach.

The rain was pouring down right now and in the distance, she heard thunder rolling. This wasn't good. She was still quite far away from the shore. She tried to swim faster, feeling a panic creeping up. To make things worse, she suddenly didn't seem to move forward as if she was swimming against a current.

As if the islands wanted to remind her that they were not only beautiful and mesmerising, but also treacherous and dangerous, she suddenly felt a current tugging at her body. Downward. She struggled to keep herself afloat, but her muscles were tired and after a short while, she couldn't keep herself from being dragged under water by the current. For a few moments, panicking, she yelled into the water. Only to realise too late, that she lost the air in her lungs and water was replacing it. She lost consciousness right after.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #zinnia dreamer #those treacherous under water currents #zinnia nooo

[belsasim]

After a while, Zinnia ended her back floating session and swam around a little, thinking about what to do next. Suddenly a dolphin popped up before her, seemingly out of nowhere. Recovering from her initial surprise, Zinnia smiled and softly started to talk to the animal, that made curious noises and motions. She didn't want to startle the dolphin, so she just talked a little, without trying to get closer or touch it, although she really really wanted to.

Then, the dolphin moved, swimming closer to her, almost nudging her with its snout. It looked like it invited her to touch him, so very slowly, Zinnia reached out. The dolphin stayed in place, even when her fingers touched its skin. She trembled with excitement as she caressed the dolphin as careful as she could. The dolphin's eye closed a little and Zinnia hoped that was a sign that it enjoyed her touch.

And then, as sudden as it had appeared, the dolphin dove down and disappeared. Zinnia stared at the water, mesmerised by the whole experience. She smiled and she knew: she had been connecting with the islands just now.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #zinnia dreamer #hello dolphin

[belsasim]

The next day, instead of going for a jog with Kit, Zinnia decided to have a swim. Since her father had told her and Kit about the islands energy and having a connection with it, Zinnia felt like some things she had already experienced on the islands made more sense. Now she wanted to know if she could connect to the water or something. She didn't really know what she wanted to know, but she could only discover something if she'd get out there in the water.

She swam over to the buoy in the middle of the lagune and decided a good way to feel the energy would be to just 'be'. She spent a while floating around in the water, listening to the sounds, feeling the gentle sloshing of the water against her body and the warmth of the sun on her exposed skin. She wasn't entirely sure if she was connecting to the island, but it sure felt nice and relaxing.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #zinnia dreamer #just floating in the water

[belsasim]

Fed up with sand castles and a little hungry, Zinnia left her brothers (who didn't even notice her walk away, they were completely enthralled by their own sand sculpturing prowess) to check out a nearby food stall. Looking at the menu and listening to the vendor praise his wares, Zinnia felt that presence again. Before she could turn around to see if it was indeed Momo again, she heard his voice: "Hello there and no I'm not sneaking up on you, I promise!"

Zinnia turned around, leaving the food stall vendor hanging in his explanation of what made kalua pork so delicious, and walked over towards Momo.

Zinnia (smiling more confidently than she felt): "Aha, good to see you're changing your ways!" Momo (chuckling): "When a cute girl calls me out, I have to listen, right?" Zinnia (flustered, an explosion of butterflies in her stomach, did he really call her cute??): "I... ehm... Well, yeah, you should! Listen, I mean. Sure! Ehm... And also! Also, you shouldn't invite people and not show up yourself, you know!" Momo (nodding, raising his arms a little apologetically): "Yeah, I'm sorry. I realised too late I had life guard duties. Man, you wouldn't believe how dumb some tourists can get when swimming in the ocean. I mean, it's not because you're on holiday, that you don't need some common sense, right?" (quickly adding) "Not you of course, I'm sure you've got common sense, heaps..."

With a giggle, Zinnia agreed. She had heaps of common sense, of course! Just like the day before, the two teens continued to chat, losing all sense of time. Suddenly she heard Halo yell from a distance: "Zin! We're going back! Stop flirting!" Zinnia, feeling her cheeks get warm and red instantly, quickly yelled back: "In a minute!" and then, shaking her head, said to Momo: "I'm not! You know... Ehm... We're leaving soon and, well, you're busy and stuff and... Do you want to take a selfie together? Maybe?"

Momo accepted with a big smile. As they moved closer to fit on the screen together, Zinnia could feel the warmth of his sun-touched skin. Without thinking, she moved her arm around his neck, as she used to do when taking selfies with her brothers or her friends. Her heart was racing when she realised she only knew Momo for about a day and she expected him to move away from her. But to her surprise (and delight), Momo placed his hand on her arm, securing this 'selfie-hug'. When the pictures were taken, Zinnia promised him to send them through Social Bunny, they said their goodbyes and Zinnia rushed over to her family. The butterflies in her stomach stayed there all evening.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #ohan'ali beach #zinnia dreamer #momo tapadia #aaaaargh they are so cute together!

[belsasim]

In the afternoon, the Dreamers relaxed again at Ohan'ali Beach. Sarah and Rayne had a yoga session together. While Rayne could completely loose himself in the poses, he did notice Sarah giving him a look and suddenly remembered that time, so long ago now, when they had a yoga session together on this beach. He remembered how he fallen for her then already and how scared he had been to hurt her ever. So much had happened since then and he'll be grateful to the end of time for her understanding, her support and her love. Between to poses, he winked at her, making her blush and giggle.

The children meanwhile, were involved in a fierce sand castle building contest. Well, the boys were competing fiercely anyway. With gusto, they'd empty bucket after bucket onto their own little heap and sculpt the sand into little masterpieces. Zinnia didn't have her heart in it though. Her thoughts kept floating off towards the boy she had met the day before and how sad she had felt when he wasn't at the restaurant. Just like the evening before, she kept looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But he wasn't there.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #ohan'ali beach #rayne dreamer #sarah marmalee #kit dreamer #zinnia dreamer #aspen dreamer #halo dreamer #thinking of old romance #wishing for new romance

[belsasim]

On their way back from the volcano, Rayne fell a little behind when he saw trash heaps dotted around the beach. He sighed. This would never change, would it? All the times he had helped his mother and/or Kanaloa clear trash on the island. All the times Jade had confronted tourists about their littering. And still, the beaches were being littered. A sadness came over him.

He set out to clean up the heaps of trash he encountered, not wanting to leave his family for too long. When he had cleared the trash, he took another moment to look at the clean and peaceful beach. He was sure that these actions, as tiny as they were, helped to improve the island and, as a bonus, helped him to connect to it again.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #mua pel'am #rayne dreamer #every little bit helps

[belsasim]

It was a short night for Rayne, Kit and Zinnia, as the next morning the Dreamers had to get up early. They had planned to visit the volcano on Mua Pel'am and it's quite the long hike.

But once they had arrived at their destination, they all agreed it had been worth it. The volcano was magnificent and awe inspiring. Even Rayne, who grew up on the island, still fell silent at the sight of the bubbling hot lava pit and the sulphuric smell of the air.

With a smile, he saw his oldest twins slow down and consciously take in their environment. It seemed that they remembered what he had told them that night and they were trying to feel that connection with the island's energy. It filled his Sulani heart with pride.

The next time he looked over at them, they were making selfies together to share with their friends. He chuckled. Teens being teens.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #mua pel'am #rayne dreamer #sarah marmalee #kit dreamer #zinnia dreamer #aspen dreamer #halo dreamer #hello volcano

[belsasim]

Zinnia and Kit appeared from behind the bushes. Earlier, Zinnia had woken up her brother and begged him to sneak out with her as she had felt something strange. The two teens had snuck up the hill and found their father standing there talking. Curious, they had spied on him from behind those bushes.

Rayne was still gazing into the distance when they reached him. He had a faint smile on his face, but didn't say anything. Zinnia was the one to break the silence: "So ehm, who was that lady?" Kit looked at his sister with surprise. "What lady," he thought. All he had seen was his father talking to himself at night on a hill. It had made him wonder if his father might have lost his mind or something. What had Zinnia seen?

Rayne gave his daughter an inquiring look, then a smile. It hadn't occurred to him his daughter could be a Child of the Islands like him, as none of his children had been born in Sulani.

Turning to both his children, he started to explain as good as he could. He told them about the energy of the islands, how it connected all living beings, the water, the soil, the air. About how some people could feel a stronger connection with this energy and how that could manifest in the appearance of Elementals. He gave them a conspiring look when he told them these were Sulani secrets they should keep to themselves. His children, listening with undivided attention to these revelations, nodded. They wouldn't talk about it, they promised.

Eventually, Rayne had told them everything he could tell them without revealing too many Sulani secrets. "And now, we all really need to get some sleep. I'm tired as heck, you know." The twins had no objections and the three of them started to walk towards the villa.

Walking alongside his children, Rayne felt some of his anxiousness had subsided.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #villa lombok #rayne dreamer #kit dreamer #zinnia dreamer #bonding #child of the islands

[belsasim]

That night, when his family was asleep, Rayne quietly made his way to a small hill near the villa, overlooking the sea and some smaller islands. After taking in the nightly view, Rayne concentrated on the island's energy. "Please, tell me what to do," he thought. It didn't take long for an elemental to appear before him.

Elemental: "Hello Rayne, it has been a long time since your energy was felt on these islands." Rayne (nodding, speaking softly): "I have been away for a very long time. And I... I think I messed up things badly. I humbly request your guidance." Elemental: "We can feel you are anxious and perturbed. Your energy is unsteady and weakened. You're losing your connection with the islands, Rayne. This is not good." Rayne (caught off guard by the severity of his internal crisis): "I... What... How can I fix this?" Elemental (giving him a smile): "At least you're asking the right question. Some others ask for, even demand, our aid. But you want to know how you can make things better yourself. Connection requires effort, Rayne. And time. To receive, you have to give." (shaking her head) "You are not lost yet, Rayne."

Without a warning, the elemental disappeared. Rayne took a few slow, deep breaths. Effort and time. Giving. Not lost yet. Ok. He could work with that, right?

Still staring in the distance before him, he spoke: "You can come out now, you two."

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #villa lombok #rayne dreamer #kit dreamer #zinnia dreamer #communing with the island spirits #they weren't pleased #oops

[belsasim]

Drop this sunflower🌻into the inboxes of the blogs that make you happy! lets spread a little sunshine ☀️

Aww, how super nice of you! Thank you so much!

Let's spread some more positivity and sunshine!

#simblr #non sims #ask #these make me so happy!

[belsasim]

Well, I just wanted to do another attempt for @aliengirl's Choice Sim Challenge 😉

My results this time:

Skin: light & warm

Body features: birth marks & tattoos

Face features: round face shape

Eye colour: blue eyes

Hair: short & straight

Hair colour: red

Aesthetic: soft pastel

Accessories: piercings

This is Tess Haywood and she is definitely going to live in every save I play from now on 😍

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 cas challenge #choice sim challenge #oc: tess haywood

[belsasim]

After the delicious meal, Rayne asked the waiter to bring him the bill. "Oh, sir, the meal and drinks for your family are on the house, sir," the waiter shook his head. Rayne, not liking to take advantage of his modest celebrity status, in his turn, shook his head. "No please, that's not necessary, we are happy to pay for this delicious food." But the waiter smiled. "My boss insisted, sir. She will arrive shortly to meet you. Please, can I bring you some desert?"

Not wanting to make a scene and a little curious about this generous restaurant owner, Rayne nodded and looked around the table. "Still a little room for desert, everyone," he inquired.

In the background, a Sulani woman calmly approached. When she spotted the Dreamers, a smile appeared on her face. She cleared her throat and from a little distance, she said: "It's been a while, Rayne Dreamer." Rayne stood up from his seat and walked over to the mysterious woman. Her voice was familiar and although it took him a moment to recognise her, he exclaimed with enthusiasm: "Piper!"

Piper (smiling): "I knew you wouldn't forget an old friend, Mister Soccer Legend turned Secret Agent Hero." Rayne (blushing): "It's just me, Piper, nothing special. So, you own this restaurant now? I love what you've done to the place. (making a gesture at their table) We enjoyed our meal very much." Piper (waving at Rayne's family): "Thanks. And wow, you have a beautiful family there, Rayne. 4 children, my my. (winking at him) I wouldn't have taken you for a family man back in the day." Rayne (feigning being shot in the chest): "Auwch Piper! But yeah, fair enough... I wasn't." (looking back at his family) "Did some growing though." (putting 2 and 2 together) "So, Momo is your son?" Piper (a loving gaze in her eyes): "He's my firstborn indeed. He's fierce and strong, like his father. I have a little girl too. Neneh is the sweetest thing."

Rayne invited Piper to join their table for a while and Piper had a waiter bring her a chair. When the kids learned that Piper and their father were a little more than friends when they were teens, they bombarded her with questions about how their dad was as a teen.

Zinnia, a little quieter than her siblings, eventually mustered the courage to ask Piper the only question that had been on her mind the entire evening. "Mrs. Piper, ehm, I was, ehm, wondering... Where is Momo? I thought he would be here, as he invited us, you see." Piper exchanged a quick look with Rayne, then smiled at Zinnia. "He wanted to be here, dear, but he had forgotten that he was supposed to work." As Zinnia and the others gave her a confused look (work at the restaurant, no?), she clarified: "He's one of the best lifeguards on these islands, you see, and some tourist group had hired him specifically for an activity on one of the private beaches some islands away."

Zinnia nodded and plastered a smile on her face. "Oh, I see." She was a little impressed that he was so sought after though.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #frl gen4 #sulani #ohan'ali town #pearl of the ocean #rayne dreamer #sarah marmalee #zinnia dreamer #kit dreamer #aspen dreamer #halo dreamer #piper galea #seeing old friends

[belsasim]

That evening, the Dreamers headed over to Ohan'ali Town to the 'Pearl of the Ocean' restaurant. Rayne had noticed the renovated restaurant when they were in Ohan'ali Town earlier. It had been a little dilapidated in his youth, but the new owners seemed to have done a great job revamping it.

The hostess smiled when Rayne gave her his name to check for their reservation. "Of course, Mr. Dreamer, we have your reservation. We hope you will enjoy the views and your experience at our restaurant. Please follow me." The hostess lead them to a table in the far back corner and they all ooh'd and aah'd at the sight. The table was standing on a thick glass platform on the water. They had a view over the lagune as well as the little fish swimming directly under them.

Zinnia's gaze didn't linger on the beautiful lagune though, as she expectantly looked around the restaurant to get a glimpse of Momo. But he didn't seem to be around. A little disappointed, she focused on her family again as they discussed what yummy things they were going to order. The food did absolutely not disappoint. The cook clearly loved to take Sulani cuisine to another level and the plates were beautifully dressed. Kit was so impressed by the volcano on his plate, that he couldn't resist to take a picture.

---

Sulani Beach Restaurant by vanessa_dal on the Gallery (original by Simlaure)

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #ohan'ali town #pearl of the ocean #rayne dreamer #sarah marmalee #kit dreamer #zinnia dreamer #aspen dreamer #halo dreamer #great restaurant with the family

[belsasim]

Time flew by as Zinnia was chatting with Momo and it was lunch time before she knew it. As she hadn't returned to the villa yet and hadn't taken her phone with her, Rayne and Kit set out in different directions to look for her.

They both arrived at the beach about the same time and walked over to Zinnia talking to a strange boy.

Rayne: "Zinnia, everything ok?" Zinnia (a little annoyed for being interrupted): "Yeah, dad, all fine. Why?" Kit (eyeing the boy talking to his twin sister): "It's lunch time, sis, we wondered where you were. Who's this?" Zinnia (eyes widening): "Lunch time already? Really? Oh, shi... Sorry!" (looking at Momo) "This is Momo, he lives nearby and came to say hello." Momo (nodding respectfully at Rayne): "Well met, sir. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep Zinnia away from lunch." (looking at Rayne's markings with surprise) "You're a Sulani native? Spirit touched?" Rayne (smiling, looking at Momo's markings): "I am. I grew up on Mua Pel'am. You're young to have earned your markings already." (In Toki Sulani, giving him an intense look) "And they're telling an interesting story. They remind me of Kanaloa."

Momo seemed to inhale just a little sharper, his eyes faintly squinting for a moment as he returned Rayne's look with the same intensity. Whatever insight they were silently exchanging, it was lost to Kit and Zinnia. Then Momo's eyes widened in recognition. "You're Rayne Dreamer! Kana told me about you!" He exclaimed. "So cool to meet you!"

Rayne smiled, it was nice to be recognised for being a local instead of for his soccer or, more recently, special agent celebrity status. "Please, you and your family must come dine at my family's restaurant tonight!" Momo gave them all a broad smile. Zinnia looked at her father, pleading with her eyes, nodding enthusiastically. "Sure, we didn't have anything fixed yet for tonight. Will you take care of our reservation then?" Momo nodded. "Ok, then, but now, kids, I made lunch so get to the villa asap. It was nice to meet you, Momo."

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #villa lombok #rayne dreamer #zinnia dreamer #kit dreamer #momo tapadia #sulani buddies #instant bonding

[belsasim]

Although they'd start together with their morning jog, Kit and Zinnia always got split up shortly after, as Kit ran faster and longer. Zinnia would make a shorter round, ending at the beach near the vacation villa. She loved to spend a while just looking out at the water.

One morning, taking in the beautiful sights, she felt a presence behind her. Curious, she turned around. She wasn't quite prepared for the new beautiful sight to see... A Sulani teen, who clearly had been jogging too, was standing a few meters away from her. The boy smiled at her. "Hey," he said.

Zinnia walked over to him, hoping she looked cool and collected.

Zinnia (lifting her arms a little, raising an eyebrow): "So, is it a local custom to sneak up on unsuspecting girls?" Boy (shaking his head apologetically): "What? Oh no, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sneak. I... I live nearby and I've seen you jog before and... I just wanted to say hello?" Zinnia (hoping he couldn't see her blushing): "Oh... Well... Hello then." (nodding at him) "What's your name?" Boy: "I'm Momo. What's your name? Where are you from? You staying in that big villa, right? First time in Sulani?" Zinnia (giggling): "A lot of questions, slow down a little. I'm Zinnia." Momo (giving her an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of his head): "Oh sorry, got carried away a little. Nice to meet you Zinnia."

The two teens continued to chat and get to know each other better. Momo was a lifeguard on one of the beaches in his free time (but unlike the Dreamer kids right now, he had school to attend during the day. He had only been able to jog and meet Zinnia today as it was a Saturday). His mother ran a restaurant in Ohan'ali Town. "You haven't been there yet? Seriously? You totally should!" Momo showed her some pictures on his phone and added her on Social Bunny to send her more info. Yeah Momo, smooth... Really smooth 😉

Zinnia completely lost track of time in the presence of this cute and friendly local boy.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #villa lombok #zinnia dreamer #momo tapadia #zinnia is totally crushing on momo #can you blame her?

[belsasim]

Wanting to keep in shape for football, Kit had a habit of jogging in the morning. Zinnia never was a very sporty or active sim, but hearing her brother talk about how beautiful the islands were in the early morning, she got curious. The next morning, she tagged along and Kit had not exaggerated: it was a great experience to jog in the fresh morning air in this sandy and lush green environment. She got out of breath quickly though, forcing her to do a shorter round than Kit. But she did continue to go on morning jogs with him from then on.

#simblr #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy challenge #forgotten realms legacy #frl gen4 #sulani #kit dreamer #zinnia dreamer #building a new habit? #fresh morning jogs