The Whitmore Legacy (2.29)

Hello, all!

We start out with Loario managing to max out the cooking skill! (Yay!) I love it when my Sims get to max out skills, it’s so efficient! However, this is towards the end of the generation, but still, I’m happy.

As some of you might have guessed by the cake, we have YET ANOTHER BIRTHDAY in the house. Yep, Minthe is finally the birthday girl again! I swear, it never ends with this family.

But, make a wish…

And Minthe is now a Young Adult! I guess her colour theme is going to stay pink, and she looks pretty much the same to me, although obviously I gave her a makeover.

She also has a bunch of traits, so I ended up writing them all down so I wouldn’t forget them!

Her traits are:

Child of the Islands, High Maintenance, Good (that’s the new one!), Weak Bloodline, Responsible, Collector, and Mentally Gifted. I was very surprised that she ended up with all of these traits, but I’m also pretty happy with how many she managed to end up with!

However, I wasn’t so happy with the fact that somebody (pretty sure that it was Hephaestus) managed to set the grill on fire.

Of course, everyone rushed out to extinguish the fire, but I’m still VERY suspicious. I hope this won’t happen every time Hephaestus cooks…

Hermes is still brushing up on his painting skills, and it seems to be going pretty well, even with figure paintings.

Hephaestus is back to knitting, and working on raising that skill. As long as it’s not cooking, I’m good with whatever he wants to do.

Daphne’s also working on her painting, and I think she’s actually Level 6 at this point? She’s doing really well and I’m super proud of her – look at her go!

And of course, Noelle decides to have another chat with Minthe, probably about how one of them will end up as the heir and the others will have to move out. Obviously, this time around there will be the added complication of a Bachelor/Bachelorette, but hey!

I also found Ritvik angrily tending to the garden. Given Nia did the exact same thing a little while ago, it’s kind of couple goals.

I decided to have Noelle make a Potion of Curse Cleansing with our magical plants and what not, because what could go wrong…

Oh, wait, that.

She’s not dead, but she did get a curse from making this potion. Ironic. It cleared up after taking a potion, but that did NOT go well.

Well, at least she’s doing well at her job – she’s been promoted, and seems to be doing fine! She’s still getting job offers, too, all at Level 5.

So, all in all, everyone’s doing pretty well! We’re very close to Daphne’s birthday now, and I’m kind of getting antsy because I’m quite attached to all four of the kids…but hey, that’s kind of the thing with the Legacy Challenge. There can be only one, and all that.

Until next time!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.28)

Welcome back, everyone!

As stated before, Hephaestus is now a Spellcaster in practice as well as theory. And practice he must, because this lad doesn’t know a single spell.

Sigh.

Magic isn’t the only thing he’s practicing, though. As always, everyone is working on their skills in this house – it’s the only way, and this is a time where we can actually relax enough to do this – so he’s also working on whatever he can!

From gaming…

…To knitting. (All in his pajamas.)

It’s not just Loario who has to suffer through the trials of being an elder, though. Izzy’s aged up, and while she’s still happy to socialise, these two are having a very peaceful moment together.

Hermes, meanwhile, completed the monumental task of cooking mac and cheese without setting anything on fire. Hurrah!

He’s also slowly working on the Wellness skill, which seems to be doing both him and Minthe the world of good. Deep breaths.

Plus, he’s all about the llama hugs!

Oh, and before I forget, I found this on Plopsy and placed it in Hephaestus’ room. Cute, right? And very spooky season appropriate!

By the way, it seems that not even death will keep this lady from tending to her garden, which, okay, I guess that’s fair. I don’t think there’s a need to skill up in death, though. (I’m kidding, I love it when Nia comes around – she’s my favourite ghost for obvious reasons!)

All in all, the twins are adjusting well to being teenagers, aside from being regularly exhausted when they come home from school, and they’re starting to build up their skills as much as everyone else! (Yay!)

Speaking of other skill building, I’m trying to have both Noelle and Loario max out the Painting skill! Daphne seems to be trying to get some tips on Painting from her dad in this screenshot.

And Minthe is pursuing the arts as well, just in a more musical direction. Honestly, I love how this family is very artistic on the whole!

All in all, as I said before, skill building is going pretty well! I’m hoping that these skills will serve everyone well in the future, and I’m really sad that in the eventual contest, three of the siblings will move out from the house…but that’s just the way with legacies!

Until next time!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.27)

Welcome back, my dear readers, to another installment of the Whitmore Legacy!

Daphne completed her school project, a cute little robot! Isn’t he sweet?

I then had her call the guy she was hanging out with at the bunny slopes, whose name is Ken Fujii if I’m remembering correctly…

And he came over to hang out! He’s a nice guy, and she doesn’t have that many friends outside of the family, so it was a good opportunity to give her more of a social circle.

As for Noelle, she got offered a job in the painting career, and as her skill’s quite high I had her take it to bring in a good amount of money. I really like this ‘uniform’ and I’m happy to report she can now sell paintings to galleries for more money (sweet!)

And then a certain birthday came around and squashed her mood. Awww, Noelle, honey, I’m sorry, but all good things have to come to an end…

Our birthday boy this time was Loario, in case you’re puzzling over why Noelle is so sad. He’s already an Adult, so it was time…

For him to become an Elder.

I think he looks quite dashing, despite his years, but it’s really weird to know he’s now this old. It doesn’t seem that long ago at all that I was looking at Ritvik as an elder, but now Noelle’s husband is old.

But that’s how legacies go! Besides, Noelle herself is an adult now, which is already weird enough.

The boys invited a classmate over, but for the life of me I can’t remember her first name. I do however know that she’s Adrienne Pancakes’ daughter and Bob and Eliza’s granddaughter!

Speaking of the boys, Loario began whipping up a cake….for their birthday! Yup, we’ve gotten to the point where it’s time for them to age up as well.

I only got a shot of Hermes (and Hephaestus’ hand on the left) blowing out the candles, but hey, happy birthday, kids!

So here’s Hermes, in autumnal colours (seriously, Cottage Living gave us so many good things!) and looking very pleased with himself…

And here’s Hephaestus! He’s now a fully-fledged Spellcaster in his own right, and still rocking the cozy vibe.

Once again, their rooms didn’t take much remodelling – just a fresh wallpaper and a couple of added things for Hephaestus (and yet so different from when this was Rowan’s room!)

As for Hermes, he got a cross stitching kit, an easel, and a little meditation stool. Skill building will happen!

So, we officially have no more kids, just teenagers, and Minthe is actually getting closer to aging up into a young adult! Spooky…

This is probably a good time to mention that once the heir has been decided, I’m going to be running a Bachelor/Bachelorette contest to decide the spouse – which will be open to anyone who wants to join the casting call! I’m very excited to do this, and I’ve seen a lot of people doing the same thing, but I’m going to have to work hard at deciding the rules. It’ll be a lot more narrative-led and a fun time. We’ll start with an heir poll and go on to the casting call after a week.

Until next time!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.26)

Welcome, one and all, back to the Whitmore Legacy! (Yep, we’re still here!)

Minthe has still been honing her excellent cross stitch skills. I guess if you’re tense or grumpy, something like cross stitch is a big help.

Of course, if a little sibling comes in to bug you, not so much.

Noelle’s still been randomly painting around the house (we have three easels) and I decided to keep this one because it’s just so cute. My first legacy was marine-themed, so I guess in a way that was why I wanted to keep this cute pirate around.

Speaking of Noelle, she did something that had me so worried! There were weird lights outside and she went to investigate them, because of course she did. I was hoping it wasn’t what I thought it was…

Alas, of course it was, and she got abducted.

She came back just as Daphne took out the trash, and luckily, is NOT pregnant. That would have been absolutely wild, honestly, especially because she’s got the Fertile trait still. Can you imagine alien twins at this stage?

Our human twins are still playing chess for Hermes’ sake, and getting along perfectly fine, but I think they’re happy being the youngest (well, Hephaestus is the youngest, but still.)

Who’s that ghost?

It’s….Ruby!

Post abduction, everyone seems quite chill just to be hanging out. Minthe really does seem to prefer Daphne over her other family members.

And of course, Daphne is getting better and better at painting!

I decided to complete the first part of her aspiration, so I sent her to Mt. Komorebi to check out everything. First, checking the information board…

Necessary selfie with Yamachan…

Then sledding down the bunny slopes! She did pretty well, to be honest, unlike some of my past Sims. Guess she’s a natural!

She also met this guy, who’s also a Teen, and had a completely random interaction with him which I caught when I checked back in with her. So, that’s a meet-cute!

So, we had a near miss with aliens, a meet-cute, and Minthe’s continued grumpiness this episode. I can only imagine what the next chapter will bring!

Until next time!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.25)

Welcome back, my dear readers!

So, Social Butterfly is officially my least favorite aspiration out of all the child aspirations. It’s very hard to sort out, and while Hermes is working hard on his second aspiration (see below) Hephaestus is still struggling with his.

In brighter news, Daisy has been hanging around again! Daisy, do you know how much I adore you? So much?

Noelle has been trying to get closer to Minthe, and has been talking to her, but Minthe really is just constantly grumpy. Oh, Minthe…

She’s also taken up cross-stitching, which is…going slowly.

Everyone brought home projects again, and the boys set up theirs in the portrait room, watched over by the pictures. Can you believe that it was only that long ago that Rowan and Luca were in the house?

Noelle and Loario came to help them, one parent per project. I love how the boys are just looking at each other…it’s almost like they knew what would happen at the end.

Even Nia came to watch what was going on. Nia, you know better! You should have stopped this! Possess the project itself if you have to!

But sadly, with the hindrance of parents, this is how the projects turned out. One…castle?

And what is absolutely a volcano.

Meanwhile, the girls were upstairs doing their homework together in Daphne’s room, no parents allowed. See, this right here is smarts.

And this right here is ANOTHER GHOST CAKE. Every time.

Also, I spotted Rowan wandering around the lot again. He looks so much older these days…

The moral of the chapter is that I probably shouldn’t let Noelle and Loario help with projects anymore. But it is incredibly funny, so I probably will continue.

Until next time!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.24)

With two children and two teenagers, I decided everyone should go have some fun at the Festival of Lights (although it was dark when we arrived.)

Some NPC family sims were out and about – this is Dulce Caliente…

Adrienne Pancakes…

The girls went off to write wishes together, which was a pretty cute moment given how little Minthe interacts with anyone but her sister – seriously, she’s gotten so grumpy since she became a teen!

The vendor is Troy Lothario! Weirdly, we also see him again later in this chapter.

Daphne got a Strawberry Taiyaki, one of my favourite things to order at this festival, and she enjoyed it, too!

Noelle and Hermes sat down for a nice chat on the bench as the lights came on, and it really seems as though everyone had a great time.

Back home, both girls carried on building their skills – Daphne painting, Minthe gaming. Seriously, the skills are going so well this generation it’s almost spooky.

Meanwhile, one of the younger spellcasters challenged Noelle to a duel. Well, someone’s getting their ass kicked…

The Sim in question is Minerva Charm, named after her grandmother, and she keeps trying to duel Noelle.

Unfortunately, she got the ass kicking I mentioned earlier.

However, seeing as we were in the Realm anyway, I sent Noelle shopping. As she’s ranked up, I had her get some extra ingredients and tomes – the Realm really is one of my favourite locations in the game, purely because it really is so magical. And here’s Troy Lothario again!

So, in conclusion, Noelle has become very hard to beat at duels and seems to take a bit too much joy in the other person’s defeat every time. However, she’ll be able to teach Hephaestus magic once he becomes a teenager, so I’m very much looking forward to that!

Until next time, dear readers!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.23)

Hello again, all!

Just after Winterfest, it was Daphne’s birthday (hurrah!)

In true Whitmore tradition, we cannot get the ghosts to stop making White Cakes so the birthday cake was very easily taken care of. (Again.)

So, here’s Daphne, post CAS makeover! She has the Adventurous trait now, and weirdly enough also ended up with the Extreme Sports Enthusiast aspiration by chance. So that worked out well!

Her bedroom also didn’t change that much – I added a few hobbies and placed a lot of her old things in storage, but it’s mostly stayed the same.

Of course, now she’s a teenager, I immediately started her on getting skilled up. Painting’s definitely something you have to start with as soon as possible in this house, and once again, the terrible figure painting rears its….head? Possibly head?

Of course, she still gets along well with her favorite brother (sorry, Hermes) and the two of them talk all the time even though Daphne’s now a teenager. Minthe, not so much. I guess naming her after a grumpy character wasn’t exactly a pro gamer move. But hey, these two get along fine!

I’ve also created a second indoor garden because Noelle’s inventory was just chock full of plants and we also need magical plants now! Trust me, it looks way more impressive with the plants.

By the way, the reason that we need said magical plants is that Noelle has finally become an Adept, mostly through uses of Scruberoo. So now she at least knows more spells!

She also levelled up in a different way…Yep, her birthday also rolled around! Well, I guess this was coming, but it’s weird to see her becoming an adult. She had to make her own cake, though.

However, she made an excellent cake – a Winter cake! Isn’t it cute?

One, two, three…

Of course, in true Whitmore fashion, she got a makeover that was a bit more cozy than before, and a new hairstyle…And she’s really embracing the ‘cottage chic’ !

Honestly, I thought Daphne looked a lot like her dad as a kid, but she looks more like Noelle as a teenager, so she’s right back to being her mom’s mini me, and I love it.

Until next time!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.22)

Welcome to Winterfest! Boy, did winter ever come to our little plot of land – poor Izzy doesn’t look like she has enough wool to keep warm. Luckily, Loario is there to hug her and make sure she’s well looked after, and I discovered that I can actually Scruberoo the stables.

Meanwhile, Noelle and the kids have been getting very cozy indoors – Noelle painted this beautiful piece and I just had to put it in Hephaestus’ room. Isn’t it sweet?

Noelle herself still seems to get a kick out of helping the kids with their homework, which is cute. She keeps talking to them while they’re busy.

Anyhow, Winterfest rolled around and the decoration happened before the kids went to school. Minthe went right back to sleep instead of helping, but all the other kids were psyched!

She did eventually come down to join everyone.

Plus, when everyone else was gone, she opened a present from the pile and got something cool!

We did have a grand meal, but getting six Sims in the same place doesn’t happen, so instead everyone ate when they were ready to and just chilled out or went to school otherwise.

Finally, in the evening, Father Winter showed up! (We’re at the stage where the game selects someone to be Father Winter on a whim.)

The kids were delighted to see him and were happy to get their presents. Hermes and Daphne were the first to get presents…

Then, of course, Hephaestus, who was still chilling out in the kitchen.

And even Minthe dropped her grumpy attitude for Father Winter. Spoiler, high maintenance as a trait is terrible to deal with. She’s constantly tense and angry.

Finally, Loario gave Father Winter a hand-crafted candle as a present, which was so well received that he got a present of Brick Red Dye!

All in all, Winterfest was an excellent time for the family, and everyone had a wonderful time enjoying the holiday! We even made friends with Father Winter.

Until next time!

The Whitmore Legacy (2.21)

Welcome back, everyone! Today, we’re studying with the kids!

Minthe was up in her room sorting out her homework, because she needed to do that before getting started on her project, but EVERYONE came home with projects. That’s a bit difficult when you’re a house with four kids, but I think we can manage, right?

Well, anyway, we can manage with the help of both parents. Seriously, Noelle and Loario were in action as soon as they could be. First, Noelle and Daphne worked on her project, which actually gave Noelle a boost to the Rocket Science skill (sweet!) and sped up the project time.

Once finished, it was truly a thing of glory and science.

Next, Hephaestus needed help with his project. I think Noelle was tired by this point, because this one didn’t go as swimmingly, but it was still a passing grade. Sorry, little dude.

For anyone who wants proof, here’s the comparison. Yikes.

Loario, meanwhile, pulled off a triumph with Hermes and the Medieval Castle Diorama, making a truly splendid one (I think I actually ended up putting this one upstairs?) and really helping Hermes out.

And Minthe ended up…well, completing hers on her own. It wasn’t too bad, but I guess they turn out better when a parent helps.

Also, Loario has taken up the violin to help out with his job (he’s still at his, Noelle quit hers) and apparently playing the violin makes you a great comedian. Not sure about that, but hey, he’s doing amazingly.

In conclusion, everyone’s grades are high and maintaining that is much easier with the results of the projects, and Loario is inching closer to becoming a comedian! Hurrah! Sorry this is pretty short, but I wanted to have all my Winterfest shots in one big update, so look forward to that next time!

Until next time!

Daughters of Hesperia – My Choice (1.19)

Meda had known for a while that she would need to choose a man. If she had been back with her previous tribe, the same expectations would have fallen on her, albeit with a longer time frame. The difference was that her previous tribe was bigger and more established, and could afford to give her more time.

She had received a longer reprieve than expected anyway, something that had endeared the queen to her. It was not something she had to fear, but instead, something inevitable.

But somehow, inevitable had become now, and it felt all sorts of different. She felt a deep sorrow as she sat within her hut, waiting for Perseus to come see her as she had asked. She wanted to talk to him face to face about this before declaring it, because at least he deserved that much.

He came in while she was thinking it over, and she felt a little startled.

“Gatherer Meda…” He smiled at her. “How can I help you?”

He still had his personality about him, even if it was somewhat contained these days thanks to their previous talk. However, for the first time, Meda could not take any comfort or amusement from him, instead feeling as though the weight on her shoulders was a little too much.

She knew that while love with a man was both forbidden and unlikely, one could grow used to them, and they could even be good companions. She had grown too used to his presence, his jokes, and his charm. She appreciated how he was not as reserved as Lukos, and she let him know that. Perhaps in doing so, she had failed them both, for now what was necessary would be harder for them.

“Perseus…” She started to say more, but failed, and so, she tried again, willing that the Goddess would give her the strength she needed to carry on. Willing that, despite the hard task ahead of her, she would be equal to it.

To his credit, Perseus waited for her to speak again, taking a seat on the stool, though a look of concern flashed across his face. It made this much harder, but she knew that it was not as though she could return to the queen and refuse. She could not face her queen and say she had been too much of a coward to follow her instructions.

“Perseus, the queen has decided that it is time I bore a child.”

“You…did not jest, then.” Perseus smiled warmly. “When you spoke to me of the ways of women.”

“No, I would not jest.” She looked at him. “And so, she has given me leave to choose who I favor to be the father, but she has also made it clear that I must…” She bowed her head. “I know that this must seem sudden.”

“Gatherer Meda, if I may speak plainly, you seem troubled by this.”

“It seems unfair to you. You did not grow up in this culture…” Meda hesitated, and, breaking convention, Perseus did speak now.

“I grew up in a culture where I saw my mother treated harshly by a man who had promised her the world. I grew up despised, without freedom, and even now, I am treated better than I was by my family. I know it is hard for you to grasp, because you have not experienced my life, but even if I were to die today, it would be a happier death than one I might have faced at the hands of someone else. I do not doubt that had my father done what was always within his power and declared me as much his rightful son as my brother, his wife would have contrived to poison me, had me exiled, or simply had me killed.”

Meda listened, feeling oddly comforted as he spoke.

“To know that I can give you a child, and that I will be mourned here…it is much better than what I knew before. It is a happier end, truly, even though I should like to watch a child of mine grow old. But that was never an option for me, even back then. So do not feel that you are doing me a disservice. You have already made your choice.”

He was right, and Meda could feel the relief washing through her like a cool wave kissing the beach. He did seem truly at peace, and she let out a deep sigh.

“I…thank you for you honesty, Perseus.”

“Besides, you are by far the most beautiful of the women here, in my opinion,” he added, with a chuckle.

“Now, you cannot say something like that and you know it,” she warned him, even though the compliment made her hold back a smile.

“Then I shall simply say you are a woman who knows her own path, as beautiful as she is decisive, and that I am glad to have been chosen by you.” His eyes had a certain spark to them. “In fact, I wish you had done so earlier. Think of the fun we could have had!”

Meda raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Well…we can always make up for lost time, if you think it appropriate, Gatherer Meda.” His mischievous look danced in his eyes once more, as though he had never spoken those honest words.

She rolled her eyes. “You have chores to do, Perseus, and I must tend to the bees. But if you are interested in making up for lost time, you will enter my quarters tonight.”

“As you wish, Gatherer Meda.” He left, a smile on his face, and she felt one cross her own face. He really was far too bold for a man.