strangetomato | I'm online again + some extras

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extras: shwc

I'm online again + some extras

Oh internet! How I have missed you. *rubs it all over body*

We finally managed to get our connection all fixed up today, when they sent someone over to replace the modem. Now it's as good as new. It was frustrating to be cut off from the net at home, and not just for livejournal and sim stuff, but it was also a nice break in a way. I must admit that I was dying to download cc the whole time, though. Am I really such an addict? (Oooh, there are new OMSPs in more subtle height increments. Awesome.)

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on my latest update. I will try my best to reply to your comments, though it might take a while to catch up, since I'll be out of town for the long weekend.

I did a little work on the next update while I was offline, but mostly I've been playing random households in various Maxis neighbourhoods. I've been having lots of fun with Alex O'Mackey (one of my favourite sims in the newer hoods). When I was younger, I created a character named Alex who was a female pirate (she didn't take no crap from nobody), so I guess it makes sense that I'd like her.

I spent quite a bit of time in Belladonna Cove, and I've noticed a couple of trends there. Almost every female toddler and child is wearing makeup, almost every personality is 4/10/6/4/3 (or close to it), there are a lot of really odd facial designs, a large number of Johnny Smith needle-noses, and the character bios are WAY longer than the older ones and a whole lot less interesting. Where are all the little details like clipping coupons and having an "unnatural fondness" for African violets?

I'm liking this Tara DeBateau character.

She's the adopted child of Armand DeBateau, a big-time CEO who lights his ornate fireplaces with $100 simolean bills. He decided to be a single father after he broke up with his girlfriend, Jessica, who was cheating on him. Tara is cute as a button (in that Face One sort of way, but with a more upturned nose), and she's a knowledge sim. She reminds me of one of the friends I grew up with.

Here she is setting Justin Cleveland straight after he tries to put the moves on her. Nice try, Justin, but she's just not that into you.

I'm planning to clone her and send her to university in Veronaville (it suits her wealthy upbringing), and I really hope she hits it off with Tybalt Capp.

Then again, does anyone ever really hit it off with Tybalt?

Only the most persistent. ;)

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Then again, does anyone ever really hit it off with Tybalt?
Jules O`Mackey.

And yep, just started playing her too and Tara`s awesome.

Oh, really? Well then I suppose I'll set Jules aside as a back-up redhead, just in case it doesn't work out with Tara. :P I haven't really played with her much yet (she didn't draw me in like her mother did), but I'm sure I'll get around to it.

Hmmm, which sounds better? Tybalt DeBateau or Tybalt O'Mackey? (Yes, this is the best way to pick your spouse. :P)

Jules has a bitchy side that`s really fun to explore plus there`s the whole trauma of her mom abandoning her. And she hates her father´s girlfriend. And she hates the girl who stole her boyfriend. Seriously, she and Tybalt have loads in common. ;)

I must say Tybalt DeBateau definitely sounds... better, though.

I haven't read her bio yet. Is Alex's leaving really a trauma for her? I've actually imagined them being on good terms, but I'll obviously have to look into it. The fact that she hates her father's girlfriend would support my theory, but I'll check into it.

But yeah, Jules sounds just about as hate-filled as Tybalt. I'll have to bring them both to V'ville and see what happens.

There`s a pic of her as a kid crying as Alexandra leaves to be a pirate - it`s on the family album. They do seem to be more or less in good terms now. Maybe she still wishes her parents were back together. Well, of course she does.

Yeah, they seem to be on good terms now, so I see it as more of a mature and amicable split (Maxis jealousy/romance laws don't exactly allow for that, explaining the hatred between Gabe and Alex, but I'll choose to ignore that, since I don't play by their rules).

Jules would have cried anyway, since she was just a child. I cried when my mother went back to work, so of course you'd cry if she ran off to become a priate.

I thought the same thing when I first started playing Belladonna cove, that none of the sims there really grabbed my attention, except Tara. She's an absolute love.

I really wanted to like Gabriel and Chastity too, but I think I'll have to play them a bit more before they grow on me. Luckily, the ACR gender preference randomizer helped me avoid having them pair off (I just wasn't feeling that angle). Chastity ended up gay and Gabriel ended up bi, which works just fine for me. I really love using that randomizer lately. I love having all the townies set, and the variety is a good thing.

Oh, and I like the witches. They're fun, and I already have some use in mind for them at some point.

I think Gabriel and Chastity hooking up might be one of those pre-arranged situations that Maxis likes to set up (like the Cordial sisters being primed for witching, or the Curious abductions) because I was playing htem just to test out that everything was in order just after I'd installed and all my hacks were still pulled and the very first thing that happened when I opened up their lot was that Chastity busted out a flirt, without ACR even being involved.

Yeah, they're probably supposed to showcase the new romantic socials, but it's not suggested that they're going to hook up in their bios, and everything else in Belladonna Cove was really spelled out for you, so I don't feel like I'm really breaking any sort of Maxis canon with them. All Maxis said is that they're childhood friends and they balance out each other's opposing personalities.

I also think that chidlhood friends would have probably hooked up as teens if they had any chemistry. Unless one of them had a boyfriend/girlfriend and the other was pining away... there's always that.

It's strange, but I have a totally different opinion. I liked a lot of characters from Belladonna cove, like the two sisters-aspiring-to-be-witches, the guy with the long hair and green eyes that lives with that punk-chic girl and many more. (If I could only remember the names...) Honestly, I've always had trouble understanding Strangetown. I guess only this story makes me like it. :) Oh, and maybe I'm just all messes up! LOL

I guess we all look for different things. I really like all the little interconnections and family relations in Strangetown, and how there aren't too many people to manage as a whole. Belladonna Cove seemed really crowded to me in comparison.

D'aww, Tara. That hair looks really nice on her. The DeBateaus were the very first Maxis household I ever played so I'm kind of ~attached~. :P

I tried to keep the same style on her, but also gave it my own spin. She still has a blunt-cut bob and dark eyeliner. I really liked her whole style.

That's awesome. ^_^ I feel the same about Kaylynn Langerak in Pleasantview. She was one of the first sims I ever played with, and I'll always be quite fond of her.

I love Kaylynn too :) And Dina. For some reason I just am so attached to that gold digging wench :D

It makes me sort of sad to know I'll probably never get to know any other Maxis sims as well as I do the ones in Strangetown. :( There's just too many of them, lol!

But I'll definitely enjoy reading how you write them. :D

I'm sure I'll never get so deeply involved in their stories either, but I'm not really too torn up about it. There are things to like about the three newer hoods, but they don't have as many details and connections between all the characters as the basegame hoods do. I'm trying my best to warm up to them.

You'll only get to see bits and pieces of what's going on in these hoods. I'm mostly playing around so I'll have an idea about all the other characters so I can use them for cameos, where needed.

ST! YOU HAVE RETURNED. *tacklehugs*

I've missed you. :D

I like Tara a lot too. I have her stashed away, I've been planning to use her for something forever now. Isn't she precious though? She reminds me of one of the twins from Skins.

LOL! Tybalt getting some is amusing. You won't believe who he was hooking up with in my game though. O_O

*hugs back*

Sorry I sort of vanished again promptly after posting this. I've missed "hanging out" with you too.

She is super cute. She has that adorable little badass thing going on (just like my friend).

Oooh, that's an interesting match. Seems like a good one to me. ^_^

No worries. I was "away" from the internet for a while too, so it's alright.

I don't like it, to be honest. Ty's to bitchy for the fierceness that is Bottom. I have my heart set on Vid/Bottom.

And, LOL, did you see the Bottom/Phi secret? I giggled like crazy. People are crazy.

Good you got your connection back. :) It can be so frustrating, specially for personal things. I'm so used to check bills, bank stuff, mail, etc all the time I feel useless without internet. lol

I like Belladona Cove. Haven't played much there yet, but overall I like the families and love the fact they included so many relatives around and even a divorced couple with all the drama included (with the teen hating the father's girlfriend and all that).

The Cordial sister are pretty cool, and good prospect for any Curious imo lol

Agree Tara is great too, and have you check the Cleveland Family (Justin's)? I've been meaning to double check on an original BC, because my current game is the HP uberhood, but Justin's father seems to have really interesting gender prefs (again I say, I have to double check on that, tho).

Also the Newson (all the orphan kids on the bin) are awesome and think the Cho/Rileys families relation is adorable. <3

In general I think the hood has lots of potential. :)

Justin's father seems to have really interesting gender prefs
*just checked* Oh yeah, he`s gay. In my game he has the hots for Gilbert Jacquet. ;P

First case of a pre-made married gay sim, though Circe starts as bi. I`m impressed with how much Maxis hints at more complex and adult situations within the game.

Oh wow, that's cool. Thanks for confirming that. That's the sort of actual conflict that's lacking in that hood.

And yeah, Circe being bi and married is nothing noteworthy. Almost any bisexual has to "take a side" if they're going to settle down (unless their partner is somewhere in between genders, maybe). Also, Circe being bisexual just seems so right to me.

I agree. There are some great things in there if you look for them.

Yeah, I feel so cut off from the world without an internet connection. It's funny how much we all rely on it.

Are there many relatives in Belladonna Cove? I only noticed that one rich playboy with the roomate who is relate to the other rich family (and his roomate to another family). I must have missed the divorced family, unless you're talking about Riverblossom Hills instead, and it sounds a little like that (I often mix up the three latter hoods too).

Yeah, the Cordial sisters seem fun. I like playing witches because they're really easy once they have those thrones. They don't need to sleep at all. (Most of my sims never sleep if they can help it. That's just how I play.)

I'll have to check into Mr. Cleveland. That's an interesting little twist. It should be in the official story, in my opinion. It would give them some actual story to play out. Drama is always good (and Belladonna Cove lacks conflict as a whole).

I never think of the Newsons as Belladonna Cove residents, since they're bin sims. I believe mine are in Sim City instead.

Yeah, the Cho/Riley families have a classic romantic comedy set up. It doesn't leave much to the imagination, but it's cute.

That the problem with the hood as a whole for me, actually. All the story setups are too linear, with only one suggested outcome, where the earlier hoods are much more open or had two conflicting options (Pleasantview most noteably). You can still switch it up, but I like when these alternate stories are suggested and built in, and there are all these hidden, buried details, like in Strangetown.

Good to see you back!

Tara is very cute! She's the "Kairi" (from Kingdom Hearts) in my game posters, although she bitched at her companions (that Justin guy and another from DV) the whole time. I didn't see her stats, though.

Are you serious about the toddler makeup? That's gross, EAxis!

I haven't played with the Belladonna Cove characters as much as I wanted, even if my legacy is supposedly taking place there at the moment. I tried out the Gabriel and Chastity (?) household and they had absolutely no chemistry despite their hinted backstory (and Gabriel is gay, BTW, or at least that's how ACR set him up).

I also played a bit with the Cordial Sisters (and made them good and evil witches as expected, although now I want to try and turn them to their opposite ends of the magical line :P). And those Newson kids are the most interesting bunch story wise.

At least BC is more interesting than Desiderata Valley, which I've barely played with. I need to explore this new hoods more.

(LOL! Helena is so competing against Ripp for the Megahood's biggest woohooer! :D)

The Newsons do rock, specially Ginger - she will fuck you up if you mess with her siblings.

Are you serious about the toddler makeup? That's gross, EAxis!
I was pretty surprised when the youngest girl of the Newson family grew up with really noticeable lipstick, blush and eyeshadow. Did they created her as an adult and then aged her down? 0o

Glad to see your back. :)

It doesn't quite stack up to the original Maxis 'hoods, but I do find BC fun to play. There's plenty of drama to be had if you slightly bend the storyline that the neighborhood came with. And you're right about the bios- there's more quantity than quality to them. Plus the toddlers with makeup are fug. But thankfully they don't have to stay that way.

I'm actually a fan of Jessica (Tara's dad's old gf). When I first skimmed through her story I thought that she had left him because he'd adopted Tara without asking and I thought she'd been unfairly villainized. So even thought that's not what the developers intended, that's what got stuck in my head. But the Newson kids are my favs, even if I do get all of their G___ names confused.

I hope you'll share with us what ends up happening with Tybalt. His little frowny face is just too cute... he's GOT to give you some frowny red-headed babies eventually.

Ugh YOU'RE back. Sorry.

I was on a really long car ride today, so, since I wasn't driving, I was planning out things for all the Maxismade Sims—specifically who ends up with who, eventually, in this story I'm sort of planning.

Pleasantview, Strangetown, Veronaville, BW Village, RB Hills and DD Valley all fit together nicely. I tried not to be too much of a copycat when I got to pairing off Sims in Strangetown (and for now I only paired them together within the hoods).

And then when I got to Belladonna Cove—I was bored out of my mind with them. I knew as much of a basic background for the Sims there as anywhere else, but I felt that there was NOTHING I could do with them. I think I did a few of the "suggested" pairings in BDC (as well as most of the others—these were really only preliminary notes) but it really is the gappiest of the seven premade neighborhoods to me. There are too many possibilities (since there are noticeably more families there than the other hoods) and not too many implications on where to go with things.

I stuck Tara with Justin Cleveland. I guess I really shouldn't have yet, though. I randomized my entire Megahood and I haven't had a chance to check preferences for anyone. And then there's college and ACR to be factored in.

Hooray for return of internet! (I have also had a lack of it, so I haven't read any of the last 500(!) of my friend updates).

I love Tara too, although I also like Jessica. BellaDonna Cove to me seemed like a new PV, with soap-opera drama possibilities. Some of the other premade hoods just seem like filler, but everyone else seems to think differently.

Yay!

I read everything and am now up to date and a completely besotted fan of R/O/J.

In my BC Chastity and Gabriel married and had a baby. That's cause I changed their turn-ons and whatnot. Tara Debateau...is in college? Yeah, I think. I added the Tricous to my BC, and Armaund Debateau was with Nylissit for a while, before her ex husband Kvornan came and stole her back (while she was prego with Debateau spawn). Now Armaund is with a townie, Kaylynn Spritzig. They just had a baby. Jessica Peterson married Carlos Contender and they had 4 kids. Carlos died and then Jess married townie Hun Ebadi and they had two more kids. Now Jess and Hun are elders and live with their two kids and the other two she had with Carlos. Her other three kids from Carlos graduated and married various people in BC. The Newsons..ahhh, yes. My favorites. Ginger and Gavin worked and missed their chance at college, because they were too busy providing for Gabriella, Gallagher, Garret and Georgia. Eventually, Gavin and Ginger fell in love (before you can all go INCEST INCEST..remember, they're adopted, with no parents. I just figured since they spent so much time together, and so little time socializing, they must've fallen in love) and got married, after they aged up to adults and sent all their siblings to college. Tragically, right after Ginger gave birth to their baby girl, she was struck dead by lightning :(..but Gavin was heartbroken for a couple of days(simyears) and then remarried a character I made named Annette Oleander and now Gavin, Annette (who is prego), and his child with Ginger (I forgot her name >.<) all live peacefully in Veronaville, and Gavin made a pretty little cemetary for poor Ginger. It really is lovely.

In my megahood the only really notable thing is that Rick Contrary is gay. It made a lot of sense to me- I mean, that much angst? It may also be noted that he ended up with Tybalt, mainly because he was a date drop and they actually kinda got along. Their relationship is mainly as friends, except for the makeouts.
Also, my DeBateaus moved to Pleasantview and I'm planning to hook Armand up with Dina Caliente. I thought they'd get along.

p.s. first time poster; everything you write is awesome.

That's funny! I did a similar thing, as my Dina married Malcolm Landgraab IV after Mortimer married Betty Goldstien (RH). Their first child is a girl, Lillian, and I had to quit the game three times before Malcolm V was born a boy. I've played huge families in the past (yes, even Jenny Smith had all 10 babies) & gotten kinda tired of it, so my limit is three per couple these days. Plus I'm trying to play the whole megahood along mostly the same timeline, so it has made the game a whole new experience. Still trying to figure out who to marry Armand to (golden anniversary LTW); want to get him married and have a son soon for the inevitable conflict over male/natural heir or Tara. I think he'll go with Tara anyway, as she's smart & they have such an awesome relationship. Still toying with giving his ex, Jessica, a second chance.

I really like the idea of Tybalt being gay--all the living Capp men except him actually took their wife's name (even Consort), so there's a kind of logic to him taking a different name eventually. And my Rick Contrary is gay too; it does make total sense for his angst. He's dating David Ottomas (the boy teen), with whom he bonded after his little brother Todd was born. And Tara DeBateau just had her first kiss with David's little brother Tommy (I moved David in with the Contraries so I could activate a Dora Servo before she kicked the bucket and, I like to think Rick's parents still haven't figured out why Rick spends so much time in his room with David).

Welcome back! Sorry for the late comment, but it's been a little hectic. :)

Remember I mentioned making houses for J/O/R? Well . . it's sorta exploded into three different designs. ^^; Should I plan for a certain level of budget? How do you feel about hilly terrain? One of the designs ended up a nice layout, but DANG is that porch high up.

Thanks. :)

Wow. You've been busy. I really like the sound of hilly terrain and a superhigh porch. Interesting is always better than practical in my books (as long as all the sims fit in, and I'm pretty good at finding a way). The budget isn't a problem because Ophelia has a lot of money in her trust fund. She could afford a pretty pricey house.

I'd love to see what you have so far, if you feel like sharing.

My pleasure! ^_^

The trio are inspiring in multiple ways - and it's fun trying to think of what would appeal to each. I'm thinking anything styled like his father's house would rather put Ripp off, for instance. Not very many happy memories there.

And woo! Okay, that makes it easier. I've picked three lot sizes and worked to each. I'll try to take snaps and post them today. :)

I'm so excited to see these now. It'll be slightly ridiculous to have a house all ready to go, when the story won't move nearly as fast, but I'll enjoy having it all planned out. I like playing ahead.

Yeah, that's true, huh? Ripp would want pretty much the opposite of a base house. I can imagine him and Phi being drawn to odd old houses, while Johnny would be concerned about structural flaws. They also have lots of hobbies to build a house around. I've had fun making the Specter place more homey, based on how Ophelia would help to landscape and decorate it.

I look forward to it. ^_^

I've been lurking for a couple months, after I took a weekend to read through chapter 28 or 29, and, to put it simply, I really like what you've done. I've also recently reread Gaiman's Sandman (originally read it in high school, 2002 or so), so it's fun to see Nula and Cerulean pop up in your work (I thought Bottom & Puck seemed to be acting in a familiar fashion before you even acknowledged the Gaiman influence, so bravo). Thank you for your stories, most of the time I feel like I ought to be paying you for the entertainment!

Thanks to Mansion & Garden Stuff, I took the opportunity to wipe my game in January and installed a megahood. I was playing the Tinkers when Tybalt began sneaking on the lot to steal their newspaper. Melody was watering the flowerbeds & I had her greet him. They totally hit it off. So now I'm wondering what Consort will think of the boy having a black girlfriend? I always wondered if part of the Monty/Capp rivalry wasn't about race...

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I'm online again + some extras

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Thanks from a SHWC Fan & a Tybalt pairing