#pleasantfiesta

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Cassandra is unimpressed.

#ignore the date bouquet from Dina in the background #sims 2 #pleasantview #pleasantfiesta

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Pleasantfiesta - Round 1 Part 7: Broke

The Broke round really gave me joy. It was so nice and wholesome.

Beau learned how to walk.

(^ Me when I manage to fix anything with simPE without messing up beyond repair.)

Dustin brought Angela home from school and finally introduced her to Brandi.

They had their first kiss while Herb and Brandi were comparing their parenting experiences in the kitchen.

Dustin is very caring with Beau.

He introduced him to Angela as well and the two get along fantastically.

Brandi started showing her baby bump. It’s not easy taking care of two boys alone when your needs are tanking from a pregnancy. Dustin had to do his homework without help for the whole round.

Studying isn’t his strong suit but he’s been able to maintain decent grades so far, even with his part-time job.

He also made a new friend at school, Ricky Cormier.

In fact the whole family is very social and the house is often full of people.

Beau grew up to a child and immediately wanted to make a new friend. He got to chat with Darren Dreamer, who I suspect could become a close friend of the family.

Brandi sure likes him quite a bit. I don’t know how determined Darren is to pursue Cassandra still, but if meeting Brandi has made him think again, these two could definitely end up together.

Now that Beau is older, he can help out his mom around the house, which is admittedly a relief.

First day of school for him.

That evening, Brandi gave birth to another boy (under the slightly worried eyes of Jennifer Burb).

His name is Sky and he’s very cute. Looks like he inherited Skip’s blond hair, like his brothers.

Dustin was immediately obsessed.

After the boys went to bed, Brandi got the chance to do some painting on her brand-new easel. Her conversation with Darren revived her old passion for art.

She likes that painting can be her creative outlet without forcing her to leave the house so soon after Sky’s birth. She’s also hoping to make a few simoleons from selling her art (Dustin might or might not have snuck out one evening to buy himself a handheld console, and that put a dent in the family’s already meagre finances).

Dina came to visit and make sure that Brandi and Sky were doing well.

And maybe also get some advice for her own pregnancy.

Dustin finally met Dirk but they don’t seem to get along too well. Two conversation attempts failed on the first loop, so I didn’t insist.

On the other hand, Beau brought Chloe Gonzaga home from school and they became friends that same day.

And Dustin spent some time hanging out with Gordon King.

Beau’s predestined hobby is music and dance but he’s autonomously wanted to ask Brandi to be read to so many times, both as a toddler and a child, that I consider literature to be his main hobby at the moment.

#sims 2 #pleasantview #pleasantfiesta

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Pleasantfiesta: The Oldies

The Oldies get a remodel of 95 Woodland Drive. And the cutest car my game has to offer, courtesy of domino85 on MTS.

#sims 2 #pleasantview #pleasantfiesta

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Pleasantfiesta: The Burbs

I remodeled 225 Main Street for the Burbs. No car yet; I'm thinking it's a goal Jennifer can work her way towards if she wants one.

#sims 2 #pleasantview #pleasantfiesta

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Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 12: Burb (1/3)

The Burbs are fairly new in the neighborhood. Moving to Pleasantview was a concession from Jennifer to John, who didn’t tolerate the city bustle very well. He’s been much happier since they’ve settled here (he’s especially thrilled that they have a proper yard where he just finished building a greenhouse), and seeing him in his element makes Jennifer happy too.

Jennifer also appreciates that they live closer to her brother now. She doesn’t admit it willingly because she’s too proud but she misses Daniel and she would like to reconnect with him. They used to be close, back when they were young and shared the same ambition to become renowned athletes. Daniel had continued down that path while Jennifer had ultimately decided to pursue another passion of hers: acting. At university, she majored in drama, and she was talented, or so her teachers said, but since graduating she’s had a hard time making a name for herself in show business. Not for lack of putting time and effort into her work, that’s for sure, but the stars haven’t aligned yet.

In all these years, Jennifer hasn’t had time for much beside her job but at least her marriage has been a very happy one.

John is a very sweet and patient husband. He’s known from the beginning of their relationship that Jennifer is a career woman. Being more of a family man himself, he doesn’t mind taking on most of the household chores and being Lucy’s primary caregiver.

The first day of their round was a day off for Jennifer but she took the opportunity to make friends with Dina Goth, a prominent figure in Pleasantview since her marriage to Mortimer.

After school, Lucy quietly went up to her bedroom to read.

The family had dinner with Andrea Hogan, who kindly came to introduce herself as one of their neighbors. 

Jennifer still had Daniel on her mind. She was worried about him. Last time she had seen him (by chance at the community pool), he had told her that he’d been fired from his job, Marie-Sue had broken up with him, and he was now living in slightly precarious conditions with a woman named Kaylynn. He had managed to sound self-deprecating and even humorous about the whole situation, but Jennifer realized that he was probably just trying to act tough. He reminded her of their father.

The Pleasants had never been good at open and honest communication. Jennifer had taken the full measure of that fact from her years with John, who on the contrary came from a family where talking about one’s feelings was encouraged. She decided to take a page from the Burbs’ book and call Daniel to have a real conversation with him and make sure he knew that he could count on her if he needed help.

Daniel sounded pleasantly surprised to hear her voice, but he assured her that he was doing fine.

This didn’t really assuage Jennifer’s fears.

At least she found comfort in talking to John about it.

“I didn’t even know that things weren’t good between him and Marie-Sue, I feel like I barely know him anymore.”

“Well it’s never too late to reconnect. It’s good that you reached out to him tonight, now it’s for him to decide what he wants to do with that. Give it a few days, maybe he’ll call back,”

“Right. I just hope he’s okay. And I wonder what this Kaylynn is like, and if they’re in a serious relationship. I’d be curious to meet her.”

“Hopefully we will. Do you know how Angela and Lilith are faring?”

“Not really, he just said that they’re staying with Marie-Sue. Or “Marie-Sue kept them” I believe were his exact words. I don’t know what happened but it was not an amicable divorce.”

“That sucks. I hope things can at least be civil when the dust settles.”

“Yeah I hope so too.”

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview

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Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 13: Terrano (4/4)

After Stella’s slightly tumultuous junior year was over, things started to look up again. Her last year at La Fiesta Tech was probably her most fun one.

She now had a pretty good understanding of literature and other forms of human art (especially painting, which she had a knack for). When time would come to find a job, she knew that she’d want to do something creative.

She spoke with Nancy again, and their first impressions of each other turned out accurate: they definitely get along well. Having an older friend helped Stella picture her post-graduation life, as Nancy gave her precious insights on human adult society.

Stella was both scared and excited to finish her studies and move out of the dorm. 

She kept perfecting her skills and studying hard, but also made sure to enjoy the company of her friends as long as she could.

She passed her second to last exam with a respectable B+.

During her last semester, she felt comfortable enough in her relationships that she took some risks that didn’t always pan out.

Here she autonomously attempted to sweet talk Sunny, but she must have been clumsy because Sunny was not impressed.

Oh well, making mistakes is how you learn. 

She then apologized and was apparently able to clear up her blunder so well that Sunny came around completely.

After a last stretch of studying, Stella went to her last final exam...

and graduated with an A-!

She celebrated by playing video games until late at night.

On the next day, a heat wave struck La Fiesta Tech.

“Earthlings are lucky to be able to handle this kind of weather! Seems like I’m not built the same.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m moving out soon. I’m definitely going to a place with a cooler climate.” She’d heard many good things from Nancy about a town called Pleasantview.

She took a page from Hayden’s book and spent the rest of the day in her underwear to try to cool off.

Which Sunny was very much into.

They even had their first kiss together ^^

The emotion, coupled with the heat, was a bit too much though, and Stella collapsed in the hallway.

Nobody lifted a finger to douse her off so it took a little bit, but she regained consciousness eventually.

And that was the end of Stella’s round! Since she’s become such close friends with Guy Wrightley, next up will be his household, the Oresha-Hoh-Var fraternity.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #la fiesta tech

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Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 13: Terrano (3/4)

After her sophomore finals were done, Stella invited Guy over to hang out. They were so impatient to catch up that they didn’t bother getting inside and talked near the mailbox instead. Guy even autonomously made advances to Stella, that she accepted.

Stella is actually aroace, but she does have a squish on Guy.

This spontaneous surge of affection from him led them to talk about their relationship a bit. Guy knew that Stella was pretty clueless and that her naivete put her in a vulnerable position whenever she would interact with humans. So he decided to be very clear about his burgeoning feelings for her, and asked her if she felt the same. The notion of “having a crush” on someone seemed to be new to her. She didn’t think that she had a crush on him, but she maintained that she still liked him very much. Guy couldn’t help feeling a little sad, but he understood.

They hung out platonically for some more time, and each was left with a lot to think about when they finally said goodbye.

After this brief interlude, life resumed as usual: doing homework...

acquiring skills...

and socializing in this unique, slightly deranged university environment.

Stella finished the semester with an outstanding grade again.

That’s where she might have gotten a tad overconfident. I don’t have many pics of this period -- nothing much really happened, but especially not enough studying.

Stella spent most of her time painting, hanging out with Melanie or Sunny, and talking on the phone with Guy.

Right before her final exam started, she was deep in conversation with Sunny and wasn’t aware of the time.

She nearly arrived late.

She got a D and was put on academic probation.

This first setback felt all the more brutal that everything had been going so smoothly so far. 

Stella certainly did not want to be expelled. She wasn’t ready to be parachuted into the adult world, away from her friends, with no diploma and so little money. She had to hang on.

So she immediately started working on acquiring the skills she was missing.

(Not sure why the literature major requires body skill but it is what it is. I love that Katherine, Sunny and Sullivan all showed up to work out with her, it looks like they’re encouraging her ^^)

At the gym, she did make a notable acquaintance: the good witch Nancy Nott. Nany stood out from the other humans in a way that Stella wasn’t quite able to pinpoint. I think Nancy also felt an affinity with Stella for a similar reason. Either way, they had a pleasantly animated conversation.

But Stella couldn’t let herself get distracted for too long, she still had a lot of studying to do.

Only when she was on the verge of entertainment desperation did she allow herself to put down her books and relax.

Luckily, she completed the semester successfully. Only one year left!

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #la fiesta tech

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Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 13: Terrano (2/4)

Stella and Melanie hung out together again on the next day at the gym, in coordinated yoga pants. Turns out Melanie is very athletic, but Stella gave her best as well.

(That day I witnessed a weird case of Kay Oates appearing twice in the same place, both as her regular dormie self and as a Secret Society member, and realized that I forgot to take nossrespawn out of my downloads.)

(Hopefully that didn’t break anything...)

Back to her bedroom, Stella had a power nap while Asia was doing her assignment on the floor next to her, as was now the custom.

She later went to her final exam and finished her freshman year successfully.

Her second year went very much like the first, between studying, socializing, honing her skills and getting used to the more curious aspects of life on Earth.

Her hard work paid off and she finished her third semester on the dean’s list.

She also grew quite close to Melanie (above) and Sunny (below).

Before her final exam, she was so confident that she allowed herself to go out and buy some new outerwear instead of cramming.

She finished her sophomore year with an A+ and a happy smile 😊

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #la fiesta tech

[letomills]

Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 12: Burb (3/3)

The last day of the Burb round started like the others, except everyone was a bit merrier than usual because it was Lucy’s birthday. She still had to go to school, but after that it would be time to celebrate.

Instead of going to Woodland Park as he usually did, John decided to walk all the way to Peerless Park. He’d heard it was a great spot to meet people who shared his enthusiasm for outdoor activities and he hoped to glean some fishing tips.

There he met hobby instructor Nerissa Curtin, who was kind enough to share some of her knowledge with him.

Despite the rain, he was so focused on what he was doing that he forgot time and didn’t get home before Lucy came back from class.

Lucy didn’t mind that he was late though. She brought another classmate home, Chandler Platz, who didn’t seem particularly thrilled to be there. She offered him to stay for her birthday party, and I don’t think he cared much but he did stay 😅

Lucy also invited Chloe and Orlando of course.

She made an attempt to integrate Chandler to their group but wasn’t very successful. 

Once John and then Jennifer got back home, they all gathered around the birthday cake and Lucy got ready to enter the next stage of her life (I love how Chandler tried to care but then completely gave up.)

Going off the wants she’d been rolling and her habit of bringing friends home from school, I gave her the popularity aspiration. I also made her gay (I may or may not be influenced by Bigmouth’s Lucy).

I grew up Chloe and Orlando as well and rolled for their aspirations: Chloe got popularity and Orlando got knowledge. I made Chloe bi and Orlando gay. I think all three of them grew up in cool outfits so I didn’t gussy them up at all.

Lucy immediately got a call from Daniel, who wanted to wish her a happy birthday no doubt.

Then it was already getting a bit late so Chloe, Orlando and Chandler left and the Burbs got to keep the whole cake for themselves.

And that’s how their round ended, in absolute wholesomeness 😌

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview

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Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 12: Burb (2/3)

On the next day, Jennifer got into her commercial actress costume and went back to work, determined as ever to show the world her true star power. 

Routine kicked in for John as well. While Lucy was at school, he went fishing at the park. 

There he was joined by Herb Oldie, and that gave him a chance to learn more about Daniel and Marie-Sue’s divorce. Herb let him know that Lilith had been particularly impacted by her dad leaving and that she was staying at the Oldies for the foreseeable future.

“Sounds like a good idea,” John said.

“Yeah. Poor kid.”

The tensions between Lilith and Marie-Sue were no secret.

They talked for a little longer, until John had to go back home before Lucy's return from school.

For the first time ever, Lucy brought a friend home from school: Chloe Gonzaga.

Lucy had always been the quiet kid who likes to be on her own. Even back at their former home in the city, she didn’t really have friends to hang out with outside of school, and she would usually retreat in her bedroom with a good book when her more sociable mother had guests over. So when they moved to Pleasantview and she had to change schools, John and even more so Jennifer worried that she might get overwhelmed by all those new faces and close herself off even more.

But there she was, already making a new friend!

John let them chat in front of the TV while he cooked the fish he had reeled in. Lucy and Chloe had eaten at school but he was starving, so he enjoyed an early dinner by himself.

When John came back from the park on the next day, Lucy welcomed him with an A+ report card.

He was very proud of her.

In the evening, Daniel called to chat with Jennifer, which she was really happy about. They’re opening up to each other, one conversation at a time.

Another day, another friend for Lucy! This time she invited Orlando Bertino over.

They’re so cute 😄

That evening the Burbs had a visit from Kaylynn, who came to introduce herself after Daniel told her about them.

She and Jennifer got along well and she ended up staying until quite late.

Dina was there too and after John went to bed the three of them had a fun time hanging out and watching sports together.

Dina and Kaylynn are quite different and I’m not sure they’ll ever become good friends (Kaylynn tried to admire Dina and she rejected her), but at least Jennifer was happy to meet her brother’s partner.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview

[letomills]

I’m almost done with the script of next video, which is going to be on gender preference. For some reason this one has been incredibly difficult to write so I’m very relieved to have reached this stage lol

The Oldies are down to celebrate.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #salsa station is best station

[letomills]

Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 11: Langerak (2/2)

Kaylynn and Daniel had their first woohoo that night. Kaylynn had wanted to wait until marriage, which is why she had abstained so far, including with Don. But at this point, it was only a matter of time before Daniel would make his official proposal, so she decided that there was no point waiting any longer.

She had a terrific night and went to work full of energy and optimism.

Daniel wasn’t quite feeling like getting a job yet. He had a slow start of the day, then walked to the community pool.

There he met his sister and took the opportunity to let her know about the divorce and his new situation.

(Literally the first thing he wanted to tell her is that he had an affair and she seemed to find it pretty funny.)

He also met Brandi Broke.

And Nina, who definitely caught his eye.

They got along really well and I’m sure they’ll want to see each other again.

In the meantime, Kaylynn got back home from work.

She’d given her best and was completely drained. When Daniel came back from the pool, she was still napping.

Kaylynn had the next day off. Right out of bed, she gave Don a call while Daniel was still asleep.

She knew that Don had the day off as well, so she told him to meet her on the parking lot of the mall in half an hour. She left a note for Daniel saying that she was gone grocery shopping, and she walked to her rendezvous.

Don was right on time. She cut straight to the chase and told him that she wanted to put an end to their romantic relationship. She explained that the man who lived with her was Daniel Pleasant, who had just divorced his wife and was about to marry her.

“Wait, aren’t you the Pleasants’ maid?”

“I was the Pleasants’ maid, now I’m an aerobics instructor.”

“Oh okay.”

“It’s very common for people to meet their future spouse on the workplace, you know.”

“Uh yeah, although usually people fall in love with a colleague, not with their boss. But I mean it’s your life, do whatever feels right. If you want to be exclusive with him I can respect that.”

“Thanks Don, I appreciate it.”

Once that was taken care of, Kaylynn bought some veggies and went back home.

When she entered the apartment, Daniel was reading the newspaper in ignorant bliss and she felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders.

“Good morning Daniel!”

“Good morning darling. You look happy.”

“Because I am! It’s so wonderful to find you here when I come home.”

They were really broke but I still got them a cheap stereo so they would have music to slow dance to. Kaylynn’s aspiration was low (wedding, when?!) and fulfilling that want helped out a bit.

They had a lovely romantic evening, and a great night after that.

I've had a lot of fun with the Pleasants’ storylines so far and I’m already hyped for their second round! Hopefully I’ll be able to flesh out Angela more then. I have a solid idea of her personality but it hasn’t really come out in writing yet.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview

[letomills]

Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Part 11: Langerak (1/2)

Kaylynn’s day was not starting well. Daniel’s radio silence and the stress of being out of a job were taking up all the space in her head. Focusing on anything was incredibly difficult.

She did what she could to distract herself while she waited for Daniel to contact her. She made lunch, ate a few bites of it, then picked up the newspaper to check the job offers, but her brain refused to process what she was reading.

Still no sign from Daniel.

Since her brain wasn’t good for anything, she put on her tracksuit and had a quick workout on the balcony.

And while she was freshening up in the bathroom, a certain someone arrived on the lot.

Daniel wasn’t looking his best. He had spent the two previous nights in a cheap motel just outside of Pleasantview. Marie-Sue had blocked his access to their common bank account and he was now running out of cash.

He had considered going to his sister Jennifer for help, but the two of them weren’t very close and he was afraid of how she would respond. If he explained to her what had happened, he suspected that she would take Marie-Sue’s side and get mad at him. Jennifer didn’t have a very high opinion of her brother. From her perspective, he had been overly coddled by their parents, especially their mother, and had grown to have a weak sense of responsibility as a result. In addition, his people-pleasing nature and aversion to conflict made it difficult for him to make hard decisions when it mattered most. The situation he was finding himself in was just the natural outcome of his weakness. That’s what Jennifer would say, no doubt.

His only other option was to go to Kaylynn. That perspective was scary to him because as far as he knew, Kaylynn was most likely aware that Marie-Sue had kicked him out. If Kaylynn had gone to work the previous day, Marie-Sue had probably given her her version of the story. So there was no point making up a lie about how he was the one who broke up with her to honor his promise to Kaylynn. Either way, there was no way Kaylynn would believe that he decided to let Marie-Sue have the house, their daughters, and full control over their bank account. Better come forward with the truth. 

But what would Kaylynn think of him then? For months, he had been incapable of going through with his promise to ask for a divorce, and now he was the one being broken up with and getting the short end of the stick as a result. How much of a loser would he have to be to go to Kaylynn with his tail between his leg, no house, no job and no money, to ask her to take him in after he kept her waiting all this time?

When he was honest with himself, Daniel knew that he never really had the intention to divorce Marie-Sue and officialize his relationship with Kaylynn. He was too much of a coward for that. As dysfunctional as the Pleasant household really was, disrupting the status quo didn’t feel like it was worth the discomfort. Daniel had a beautiful, hard-working wife that took care of most of the bothersome parts of adult life for him, two beautiful daughters who both (yes, both) had a lot of potential, a beautiful home with a large garden and a fancy pool, and a beautiful mistress who happily came to his beautiful house every day of the week. Their affair wasn’t even hard to hide from Marie-Sue because of how focused she was on other things (her career, mostly, and also running the household singlehandedly because a certain someone couldn’t be bothered to do his part). Why would he want to lose all of that just to settle with Kaylynn and watch the spark of their relationship die out as it inevitably does when two people get married? That didn’t sound like a good deal at all.

And so Daniel had chosen to keep things as they were. He had promised Kaylynn a better life so she would stay close to him, only never to actually do what he said he would. He had enjoyed feeling that Kaylynn was looking up to him, depending on him even. And now that the tables were turned and he was the one in need of her, he was forced to reckon with what he had put her through and how that would impact her willingness to help him out. He was scared to knock on her door, but at this point he didn’t have a choice.

Kaylynn opened the door and was overwhelmed with both relief to see Daniel and anxiety to find out what happened at the Pleasants’.

“Oh my god Daniel, finally! I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday! Marie-Sue fired me, what’s going on?”

“She fired you?”

“Well Angela did, technically. Does Marie-Sue know about us?”

“No. Or I don’t think she does. She... She kicked me out.”

“You mean definitively? She asked for a divorce?”

“Yes.”

“Oh wow. So you’re homeless?”

“Yes. I got a room in a motel but Marie-Sue blocked my credit card and I don’t have enough cash to paid for another night there.”

“...”

“Kaylynn I’m so sorry that I didn’t talk to you as soon as it happened but it all went so fast, Marie-Sue was so angry, she just wanted me gone, and I forgot to take my cellphone with me when I left, and the motel had no internet or computer...”

“Doesn’t that motel have a landline? Couldn’t you call me with their phone?”

“Yes, but I was scared...”

“Scared of what?”

“Of what you would think of me. Asking for your help after I left you hanging in such a precarious position for all this time... I realize now how selfish I was and how uncomfortable it must have been for you, and I’m so sorry... But I do love you Kaylynn...”

“Do you love me or do you need a place to stay?”

“Well, both I guess...”

“Daniel, you are... quite something. I have no idea how you pull it off, but whatever you say or do, I always end up loving you more for it.”

“So you’re not mad?”

“I guess I have reasons to be, but somehow I’m not. You have no idea how worried I was. I spent the night imagining all kinds of scenarios, maybe something horrible had happened to you, maybe you’d decided to move out to another town on your own and leave me behind... I’m just so relieved that you’re here, safe and sound, and you’re saying you love me!”

“Kaylynn I do, I really do.”

“I love you too Daniel. And it might be weird to say but I’m glad this happened. I’m glad you’re getting a divorce. We don’t have to hide anymore. Now stay here as long as you want.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Stay with me. This is your home now.”

“Thank you so much Kaylynn, you’re a saint. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“So why did she break up with you if she doesn’t know about us?”

“I... erm, I threw water in Dustin Broke’s face.”

“What?”

“I mean it wasn’t just that, you know that our relationship had been getting worse and worse for years, but I got fired from my job, and then Dustin Broke had dinner with us and I messed up... I think she just had enough of me.”

“You got fired?”

“... Yes. I’m sorry.”

“So we don’t have an income source right now.”

“We don’t.”

“Well. It’ll be fine. We have each other at least. Let’s see this as a fresh start, for both of us. We’re both gonna find a new job and everything will work out.”

Kaylynn went to bed early that night. She needed sleep badly after all that emotion.

Before joining her, Daniel took some time to angrily scribble in his diary.

In the morning, Kaylynn woke up determined to get her life back on track and to find a new job.

None of the job offers she found in the newspaper felt like a great fit but she couldn’t afford to be picky. She settled for a position as an aerobics instructor at the fitness center of a nearby town, starting the next day.

Daniel wasn’t very motivated to find a new job yet. The delicious salad that Kaylynn had made the previous day had given him the inspiration to study cooking, so that’s what he did. 

Kaylynn was okay with him taking some time to breathe so she made no comment. She decided that there was no point putting pressure on him, especially after he generously accepted to give her an aerobics lesson so she would be prepared for her first day at the fitness center.

And she was glad that he was doing the bare minimum willing to do some of the cooking for the two of them.

Late into the evening, they received a call. Daniel, already feeling at home, picked it up. A man answered: Daniel didn’t recognize him but it was Don Lothario. Don was a little surprised to hear this unknown voice that was decidedly not Kaylynn’s, but he didn’t think too much of it. Don and Kaylynn had a very laid back relationship. She knew and accepted that he was seeing other women, he knew and accepted that she had a social life outside of him. There was never any pretense of romantic exclusivity between them, so Don simply asked if Kaylynn was available, and Daniel passed her the phone.

The conversation was a little awkward. Kaylynn was quite flustered but she tried her best to sound natural so that Daniel wouldn’t get suspicious. After she gave a couple strange answers that didn’t match his questions, Don understood that she wasn’t able to talk freely while the mysterious man was within earshot, and he told her that she could call him back at a better time if she wanted. Kaylynn hung up the phone and responded to Daniel’s curiosity by saying that it was “just a friend”, which he seemed to take as a satisfactory answer.

Kaylynn had completely forgotten about Don. She resolved to end her romantic relationship with him as soon as she could without alerting Daniel. Then everything would be straightened out and her couple would be perfect, with no cloud left on the horizon beside some petty financial difficulties.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview

[letomills]

Pleasantfiesta Round 1 Pre-Part 11: Langerak Presentation

Time to introduce Kaylynn into the Pleasantfiesta storyline. Well, we’ve already seen her during the Lothario and Pleasant rounds, but now is her time to take center stage.

Coming from a humble background, Kaylynn wasn’t able to pursue higher education after she graduated high school. She has worked as a baby-sitter and then as a maid since she was old enough to be employable. Her perfectionism, excellent work ethics and outstanding cooking and cleaning skills consistently awarded her generous tips from her employers, and over the years she managed to save up enough money to move out of her parents’ home in Sunset Valley and settle in a modest apartment in Pleasantview.

Here, she became the maid of the Pleasants, and fell in love with Daniel, who seemed to return her affection (his marriage was already in bad shape at the time). 

Kaylynn felt awful to be “the other woman”, and she considered quitting the service of the Pleasants and even moving out of Pleasantview if that’s what she had to do to get Daniel out of her head, but he begged her not to leave, and assured her that he would break up with Marie-Sue and marry her instead. Kaylynn wanted nothing more than a family, and the perspective of having Daniel as her loving husband and father of her future children was too enticing to pass. So she stayed and waited for Daniel to divorce his wife. And waited. And waited.

As weeks and months passed and Daniel kept putting off the day he would break up with Marie-Sue, Kaylynn became more and more disillusioned. Not to the point of putting an end to their relationship, but enough to have an affair with Don Lothario.

Kaylynn had often been called uptight and cold, so her and Don might have seemed like an unlikely pairing, but it’s precisely Don’s carefree approach to life that attracted her to him. She enjoyed how simple and natural things felt when she was with him. She wasn’t too sure what he liked her for, and in all honesty she was a little apprehensive to find out, but she was flattered that he seemed to enjoy the time they spent together.

Right now though, Kaylynn’s life had just taken an unexpected turn. The previous day, she had gone to work at the Pleasants as usual, but she didn’t see Daniel all day. At the end of her shift, Angela came to talk to her. She told her that due to a sudden change in the household’s situation, they had to let her go. Just like that, they were laying her off without much of an explanation and without a word from Daniel. Kaylynn’s immediate thought was that Marie-Sue had found out about the affair, which would explain why it was Angela who was sent to fire her. Maybe Marie-Sue was too furious to even look at her anymore. Kaylynn couldn’t know for sure though, so she smiled politely and shook Angela’s hand as calmly as she could before going back to her apartment.

There, she desperately tried to contact Daniel to ask him what was going on, but he was unreachable. She had a restless night, turning and turning in her bed until dawn. She woke up late into the morning after only a few hours of sleep, still unable to join Daniel.

This is where her round will start.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview

[letomills]

Pleasantfiest Round 1 Part 10: Oldie

All things considered, Lilith was pretty happy to be living with her grandparents. On the morning they took her in, she had to miss the school bus, but Coral took care to write a note for her teacher, explaining the situation so that Lilith wouldn’t be scolded for being late.

While she was off to school, Coral wanted to kiss Herb so I prompted her to, but since they didn’t have a crush, Herb rejected her and they fell out of love. She wasn’t affected much but Herb went into aspiration failure.

Romantic standards is ruthless.

After the therapist paid a visit, Herb picked himself up and decided that the best way to lift his own spirits would be to put on some music and smustle.

By the way, the cat’s name is Hina. The Oldies found her on the street last winter. She looked cold and hungry so naturally, they took her in.

She’s lazy, independent and finicky.

(I think she’s judging him.)

When Lilith came back from school, Herb was still smustling his heart out, now with his new acquaintance Marylena Hamilton. Lilith invited Ricky Cormier and Ivy Copur over, and Ricky went straight into the living room to join the smustle.

Lilith wanted to invited Dirk too, but he was still at work.

Meanwhile, Coral, the only adult on the lot, prepared dinner for everyone.

Herb and Coral didn’t mind having random people in the house at all, which Lilith was thankful for. The relaxed atmosphere at the Oldies was a breath of fresh air.

She couldn’t stand dinner time at the Pleasants. Everything had to be very proper, as if it were a performance. “Don’t slouch Lilith, you’re going to hurt your spine!” “Don’t eat too much, you’re going to gain weight!” “And get that grim expression off your face, will you?” What she hated the most about dinner with her parents and her sister was that little ritual where everyone would speak in turn to list their accomplishments of the day. Marie-Sue would tell them about how much her colleagues relied on her, Angela would flaunt her good grades and detail her next amazing school project, even Daniel always had a story about how he met a famous player that day, or impressed a respected coach with his deep knowledge of soccer or whatever. Lilith never knew what to say when her turn came up.

There was no such pressure with Coral and Herb. Everyone talked about whatever they wanted, no-one cared about anyone’s bad posture, and stealing a bite of someone else’s food for fun wasn’t frowned upon.

While they were still eating, the phone rang: it was Marie-Sue. She wanted to talk to Lilith, ask her how things were going. The conversation was short. Marie-Sue asked a few questions, Lilith gave monosyllabic answers, and that was it.

Lilith certainly didn’t want to go back home or have any contact with her mother and sister. As for Daniel, she felt like he had abandoned her. She blocked him out of her thoughts.

She decided that she was fine sleeping on the floor of her grandparents’ living room forever, or at least as long as they tolerated her.

The next morning, Coral helped Lilith finish up her homework right as the school bus arrived.

And that evening, Dirk showed up to spend some time with her and see how things were going in her new home.

(Dina and Noon passed by and I thought it was cute.)

Since they couldn’t see each other at school anymore, Lilith hadn’t had a chance to tell Dirk about the recent events in much detail. All he knew was that she was staying at her grandparents for a while. She told him that Marie-Sue had kicked Daniel out while she was sleeping, that Daniel had left without waking her up to say goodbye, and that she had tried to run off. Dirk was very sympathetic and tried his best to comfort her.

Lilith had been scared that Dirk becoming such an overachiever would dig a ridge between them, but in that moment, her anxiety dissipated completely.

Alexander passed by and Herb let him in. He’s Dirk’s classmate now after all, so I thought maybe he’d like to be introduced to Dirk’s circle.

Lilith, ever the social one, tried to have a conversation with him, but he wasn’t into it, so I left it at that.

Once the guests had left and Coral and Herb were in bed, Lilith got the urge to get out. so she went for an evening walk.

She went to the community pool and had some fun there.

Marie-Sue happened to be there too, and she tried to approach her daughter.

But Lilith made clear that she didn’t want to talk to her, so she didn’t insist.

And Lilith went back to her fun.

That’s some strong waterproof makeup.

She went back home to her grandparents, slept soundly until the next morning, and that was the end of the Oldie round. It was a short one for Coral and Herb but keeping Lilith and Angela’s ages in sync matters to me more.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview

[letomills]

Pleasantfiesta - Round 1 Part 9: Pleasant (2/2)

Marie-Sue and Daniel didn’t notice Lilith’s sneaking out whatsoever. Honestly they might not even have noticed her when she came home from the mall. They got up before dawn for some good ol’ arguing over trifles, then it was Marie-Sue’s turn to enjoy a day off while Daniel and the girls were off.

Daniel’s day at work was not good at all. In short, the owner of his team asked him to arrange for a piano to be moved, Daniel asked his rookies to do it instead of paying professionals, the piano was dropped down a staircase, people were hurt, the piano was destroyed.

Daniel was fired.

Marie-Sue immediately came to berate him and they fell out of love, which caused him to go into aspiration failure.

Marie-Sue didn’t have a single comforting word for her husband.

After Daniel recovered his spirits, he dragged himself to the couch to take a break and watch some TV after his rough day. This made Marie-Sue furious.

“You just got yourself fired and now you’re just gonna sit on your ass and do nothing?”

“What am I supposed to do exactly, go to my boss’s house, fall on my knees and plead for my job?”

“Sure, that would be something at least! Or if you had any self-respect maybe it would occur to you to pick up the phone and reach out to get hired somewhere else!”

“Will you let me catch a breath? I can do that tomorrow, all my job prospects are not gonna disappear over night.”

“How can you be so flippant about this! If I were you I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I fixed this or found a position somewhere. What are you even gonna tell the girls?”

“That I was fired. What else should I tell them?”

“And that’s it? You don’t care about the stress you’re putting your family under?”

“Marie-Sue, I just need to regroup right now, it doesn’t mean that I don’t care.”

“Whatever. I don’t know what I was expecting.”

“What do you mean by that exactly?”

“Nothing. Just do what you think is best. This is your problem after all.”

Marie-Sue went to the kitchen to cook dinner and that was the end of the discussion.

Lilith and Angela came back from school with some friends, blissfully unaware of their father’s dismissal.

Angela asked if Dustin could stay for dinner and Marie-Sue said yes. Lilith never had dinner with them anymore, so he could take her place. Needless to say, Daniel was pretty pissed that he wasn’t consulted on this.

Marie-Sue’s cold stares weren’t enough to enjoin him to chill, and he did not contain his hatred towards his daughter’s boyfriend.

When he threw his drink onto Dustin’s face, Marie-Sue had enough.

“Daniel what the hell is wrong with you?! Will you stop behaving like a child?”

“Why is this thug even in my house, worse, at my table? You know how much of a bad influence he is on Angela, so why are you encouraging their relationship?”

“You know about the Brokes’ situation, you should be ashamed of yourself for looking down on Dustin. He’s doing what he can to support his family, unlike some people who would rather do nothing all day and let their family support them!”

“Oh come on!”

“Angela, do you know what happened to your father today? He got fired! And if that was not pathetic enough, his response was to sit in front of the TV and wallow in self-pity.”

“Oh wow Marie-Sue. I don’t know if you agreed to Dustin having dinner with us specially so you could humiliate me in front of him, but that’s a really low blow.”

“You brought it on yourself! I don’t need to do anything for you to look pitiful Daniel, you’re doing a great job of that on your own. You know what, I’m done with you. I’m leaving you. I don’t want to see you again, just pack your bags and leave this house. I don’t care where you go, just leave. E-mail me an address so I can send you the divorce papers. Other than that, I don’t want anything to do with you anymore.”

Daniel and Angela were devastated. Marie-Sue asked Dustin to leave and went to the bathroom to cry privately.

Daniel left that same evening. He didn’t say goodbye to Lilith, who was sleeping in her bedroom. She woke up later and learned what had happened from the short explanation her mother deigned to give her right before she went to get ready for bed.

Lilith was heartbroken. Not only because her parents were getting a divorce but mainly because her dad didn’t even knock on her door to say goodbye to her before he left.

“I thought he at least cared about me a little bit. I guess not.”

She didn’t even take the time to put shoes on, she just ran off without thinking. All she wanted was to get away from this house where she wasn’t welcome. “There’s nothing for me here anyway.”

Marie-Sue was still very much awake. She heard Lilith crying and the door banging shut. She rushed outside but it was too late.

She immediately called the police to report her daughter missing.

Luckily, Lilith couldn’t run very far and the police were able to find her and bring her back home in a couple hours.

On the next day, Marie-Sue called her parents to inform them of the recent events.

It was decided that Lilith would go live with them for the foreseeable future. “At least until the divorce is settled and everyone is less on edge,” said Marie-Sue. Coral and Herb were sympathetic and agreed that taking Lilith for a bit would be a good idea.

Lilith herself wasn’t really given a choice, but she certainly didn’t mind getting away from her mother and her sister.

From there, the atmosphere at the “Pleasant” house (though Marie-Sue now called herself “Oldie” again) became much less tense. Marie-Sue and Angela had always had very compatible characters and living alongside each other was pretty much effortless.

Angela was naturally driven to make her parents and teachers proud, and she genuinely felt that following her mother’s strict guidance was the surest way to success. Marie-Sue was confident that she knew what was best for her daughters and she was pleased to find such a faithful disciple in Angela. Neither of them could understand why Lilith refused to adopt the views on life that they both held as common sense.

Marie-Sue let Angela know that their financial situation wasn’t looking very good now that they couldn’t rely on Daniel’s income. They had to make a few changes.

The first thing they did was to let Kaylynn go. Less people in the house meant less mess to clean up anyway.

Then Angela found a part-time job at the local primary school.

Marie-Sue’s determination to get that next promotion was stronger than ever, but she also took up pottery as a hobby and side hustle. She was able to buy a pottery wheel after selling Daniel’s workout machine, which she didn’t want in her home anyway.

She had learned the art of pottery-making in her youth, before she met Daniel, and reconnecting with her artistic side brought her a lot of joy. Being able to sell her creations for some extra income was the icing on top.

On the weekend, mother and daughter took a little break from their busy week by going out to the mall together. 

Marie-Sue was proud of Angela’s exemplary behavior in this difficult time and wanted to reward her by allowing her to get the MP3 player she’d been wanting.

Marie-Sue ran into her colleague Komei and they struck up a conversation.

She definitely had a bit of a crush on Komei. She had never considered acting on it while she was married, but now that she was free, her perspective was changing. She had told Komei about the divorce at work already, and she could have sworn that there had been a change in his attitude towards her since then. He seemed even more warm and friendly with her than usual, which was all the more striking that he was more on the grouchy side with everyone else.

(I swear to god, Don is always hanging out on this lot when I’m not playing him.)

Romance was in the air on that day.

Angela noticed that her Marie-Sue and Komei seemed particularly close and she was a little shocked.

She suddenly realized that her mom might find a partner after Daniel, Komei or someone else. She was a bit apprehensive about it but didn’t dare broach the topic with Marie-Sue after they went back home.

And that’s where Marie-Sue and Angela’s round ended.

Marie-Sue tends to do well in times of crisis, which is also when her quick thinking and decisiveness shine the most. But when the adrenaline wears off, she might have to reckon with her part of responsibility in the failure of her marriage and the unhappiness of her more rebellious daughter. And only time will tell what long-term effects the family’s disintegration will have on Angela.

Anyway, here’s Daniel. 

Don’t worry dear, I’m not gonna let you rot in the family bin much longer. We’ll get back to you soon.

#sims 2 #pleasantfiesta #pleasantview