The Beaumonts (B) - Round 8

Starring:

Arnaud Beaumont, Adult Romance Sim, LTW Become Celebrity Chef

Steffi Beaumont, Adult Family Sim, LTW Reach Golden Anniversary

Bastien Beaumont, Child Knowledge Sim, LTW Grow Up Well

~*~*~*~*~

Last round at the Beaumont house, Bastien aged from an infant to a toddler and a toddler to a child. Steffi began gardening, and Arnaud finally managed to get a job in the culinary career, with the hopes of achieving his LTW. Let's see what happens.

With all the time Steffi spent in the garden in the springtime, she managed to get her silver gardening badge before the hot summer days began to beat down and scorch her tender plants.



Bastien came home after the first few days of the new school year and already had an A+ report card. All that studying he had done paid off, and this was even more difficult material since he was in the Rosebud Academy now.



Socially, he had no problems either. Not only was he a bit of a middle school heartthrob (blonde hair and blue eyes was a killer combination), he also made good friends with a lot of the boys who were in his grade. Bastien was a regular socialite at Rosebud Academy, and though he didn't recognize it, he was primed to be in the most popular crowd in high school.



The boys he hung out with loved him as much as the girls. He was a man's man and a ladies' man all at the tender age of 10. Steffi and Arnaud couldn't imagine what he would be like when he finally became a teenager. It was too terrifying for a parent to contemplate.




Arnaud, finally in his career path of choice, still continued to write his novels, which had dutifully and mercifully supported him and his family when Arnaud had no other income. The royalties were starting to skyrocket as his name became more recognizable on the bookstore shelves.




In fact, after one particularly well-selling novel check came in, he and Steffi decided to celebrate by spending a romantic evening together while Bastien was at a friend's house.




What they weren't expecting was that Steffi's secret hopes for another baby were to come true after that fateful night. As soon as she began to feel the tell-tale morning sickness, she knew that there was another tiny bun in her oven. Arnaud, family man that he was despite his difficult-to-control impulses, was delighted. They both really hoped for a girl: one of each, then.




After some particularly fruitful networking on Arnaud's part, he was finally, FINALLY promoted to celebrity chef. It felt like he'd wanted this position for his entire life, and now he could honestly say he'd earned it. Through being fired twice and demoted once from positions within the field, he'd finally proved that he had the knowledge and the passion to become a true chef.




Arnaud felt another emotion that surprised him, mingled in with the happiness at finally having achieved his lifetime goal: bitterness. This line of work had chewed him up and spit him out and never really appreciated all of his numerous talents. He'd made it...and now, he was leaving it. "Always leave them wanting..." he told himself as he submitted his resignation. He was going to enjoy his life now that he'd gotten rid of that nagging drive to be the best in the culinary world.



He recognized that he still had to provide an income for their family, so he decided there was something he COULD do, and enjoy, truly, while still remaining tangentially involved in the culinary field. He took his previous experience with novel writing and transferred it to a series of wildly popular restaurant guides. Of course, he still wrote a food-themed mystery (his bread and butter) from time to time still, but the restaurant guides were his new passion. Perhaps he'd even write a cookbook!




Steffi continued to get bigger and bigger, having to bend and twist around her belly to reach the plants in her greenhouse that still needed tending, despite whatever her life circumstances may have been.



And Bastien continued to make friends at school, only ever bringing home the boys because at this point in his life, attention from the girls was more of a hassle than an intrigue.



Late in the summer, it came time for Steffi to give birth. She'd been ponderous with child the whole season, and she shrieked out to Arnaud that it was TIME.




By the end of the night, Steffi had gotten her new baby, she and Arnaud had gotten their wish, and Bastien had gotten a new baby sister: one miss Bijou Beaumont, a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby to add to the Beaumont name.


[[Author Notes: Okay, I have to admit something. I wasn't going to let Arnaud and Steffi have another child, despite Steffi's wants for one. However, the moment I saw how utterly freakin' adorable Bastien is, I knew I had to try for another. I really wanted a girl so there could be a matching pair of blonde beauties in the neighborhood, but I would have been glad of a boy as well. I got my wish, though, and voila, Bijou Beaumont! Yay! I hope she's as gorgeous as her brother.

Bloopers:
I saw something in this round I'd never seen before. The trash can option "Salvage." // Steffi digs around. // And apparently finds some...clothes? // Also, why does every sim choose to spy on his neighbors when I fail to command their every move!? ]]

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The Tanakas (C) - Round 8

Author's Note: Apparently, life was SO uneventful in this round that I only took three pictures in the whole round. I recall that Kimi and Takeru spent most of their time skilling, and therefore, you get this slim entry. My apologies.




Starring:

Kimi Tanaka, Adult Romance Sim, 2nd LTW Become Celebrity Chef

Takeru Tanaka, Teen Fortune Sim, LTW Become The Law

~*~*~*~*~

Last round at the Tanaka house, Take and Kimi both had birthdays, Kimi becoming an elder and Takeru becoming a teen. Take had a desire to become friends with his father and subsequently achieved that goal, and Kimi got a gold flower arranging badge. Kimi retired from her position in the culinary field to become a happy and doting elder mother.

One thing Takeru appreciated most about his mom's newest interest and talent at flower arranging was the presence of bouquets that seemed to energize him spread around the house. It made preparing for school seem a lot easier, as the scent of the blossoms kept him alert and sharp.




He was sad about the idea of his impending travels to university, knowing that it would be hard for his mom to be without him. After all, they'd been together, just the two of them, since he'd been born, and he did his best to drag out the time between graduating high school and going to college, even getting a job and claiming he needed some more experience with work before he could be accepted to Sim State. Kimi knew better, but she was happy to have him home, and with quiet selfishness, she excused herself from pushing her only son to get his degree until he was ready.



And so, they spent a great amount of time together: Kimi making loads of bouquets to sell to supplement their income now that she was retired, and Take learning new skills that would aid him at university. Theirs was a mostly unspoken bond that suited their heritage, but one that nonetheless tied them together so tightly that to be apart would be torture for both of them. When Take's time to go to university finally came, it would be incredibly hard, though Kimi looked forward to cheering her son on with his successes and his transition into an adult life.

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The Tanakas (B) - Round 8

Mariko Tanaka, Adult Popularity Sim, 2nd LTW Become The Law

Stella Terrano, Adult Knowledge Sim, 2nd LTW Become Mad Scientist

Cosmo Terrano, Child Popularity Sim, LTW Grow Up Well

~*~*~*~*~

Last time at the Tanaka house, Stella purchased a community lot and started her own business: Stella's Servos and Stuff, getting it up to rank 7 by the end of the round. Mariko got into the law field in the hopes of fulfilling her 2nd LTW of Becoming The Law. Cosmo made loads of friends and got into private school, and at the very end of the round, Stella made an impulsive decision to learn the ways of the light. Let's see how they're getting on this round.



Mariko was NOT pleased when Stella came home in her new garb, setting up a big pot in their bedroom. "Is that a...a cauldron?!?" Mariko asked incredulously. "Seriously, Stella, I really don't like this. It's not you, and you've already got the business, and I don't think Cosmo should be around it. Magic can be really dangerous." And so, Stella, not being too married to the idea herself and agreeing with Mariko, conceeded and called up the matchmaker.



She guzzled down the horrible tasting stuff, and after a few moments of writhing discomfort that felt like worms crawling around in her belly, she felt different.



Sure enough, she was back to being plain old Stella: normal clothes, no sparkles, and best of all, no angry spouse. It was entertaining to ride a broom home from work anyway.




And Mariko came home with a double reason to be happy: she finally achieved her lifetime want of becoming The Law. That, paired with her wife's un-witchified appearance gave the Mari a lot to celebrate that night.



Mariko was so pleased at achieving her goal (who really got to have two totally different careers and reach the top of both, after all), that she decided it was finally time to focus on something more important: romancing her girl.



Cosmo wasn't too happy about the extra smooches going on in the house, but at least he could escape into the bathroom whenever they got too mushy.



Also fortunately for Cosmo, his moms had different schedules, which meant that a lot of the time, he got to hang with one or the other. Sometimes when the two of them were in a room together, it was impossible to get their full attention because they were still focused on each other. And on the up side for the parents, the two of them managed to bring home some pretty hefty and useful bonuses as well.





One thing Cosmo and Mariko particularly enjoyed doing was watching the stars. Cosmo liked to pontificate on what it must be like where his other mom's family came from.




Soon other concerns distracted him, though...like his birthday party. Stella called off sick just to be home for it. Her little boy was growing up so fast!



Cosmo stood and contemplated the candles on his cake while his moms cheered in the background. "I wish for a million friends!" he exclaimed inside his own head and blew the candles out.



He grew up looking every bit as handsome as Mari and Stella knew he would be, though it didn't stop them from getting a little misty-eyed about him.



Cosmo knew he wanted to be super-popular, just like his mom Mariko, and he'd work hard to be so.



As Cosmo headed out to get some new clothes and a new look for his new teenaged body, he rolled his eyes at his parents. "Can't you guys cut that out long enough to at least get through my birthday party?" he asked, heading out the front door. Mari and Stella laughed. "He's a teenager now for sure."



When he came back, he'd gotten himself a brand new outfit, a hat, and he decided to try to grow a beard. Of course, he still had too much of a baby face to get much more than peach fuzz, but Cosmo thought that made him look cool and much older.




His room got a makeover as well, and now he had an actual desk of his own where he could do homework. The bad thing about getting older was that the homework kept getting harder!



He was taking a political science class in school and decided he wanted to be the most popular man in town: the mayor of Rosebud. Stella and Mariko assured him he could be whatever he wanted so long as he put his mind to it.





So, he continued to study hard and make friends even harder. Despite his different appearance, other kids seemed to accept him just the way he was, for his personality was too pleasant not to.



Stella spent the end of the summer working hard on her business, getting it all the way up to rank 8. It was incredibly hard work, but she found the more time she spent at the store, the more she loved it.



She was getting good reviews in the paper and everything. Her only worry was that she simply couldn't seem to find someone skilled enough at making mechanical things to really be an aid in the production of goods to sell in the store.



Stella enjoyed being involved in all aspects of the business, from sales to the cash register to restocking and creating new products. It was a lot easier now that she was getting the hang of all those new tasks!




Everything wasn't sunshine and roses for the Tanaka house, though. One day, Mariko made a decision that was highly unpopular with the public, and they're so unhappy that the city had no choice but to fire her!




In all her life, she'd never been fired from anything. She was positively crushed when she got home from work that day.



With Cosmo set to head off to college in the not-too-distant future, Mariko had to take another job, so she simply took the one that paid the most, knowing that she would be retirement age before long anyway.



Indeed, in a few weeks it was time for both Mariko and Stella's birthdays. Gathering with the family in the kitchen, Mariko went first.



She aged into a very classy-looking elder, her black hair gone white and a little stoop finding her shoulders.



There wasn't much time to inspect the difference, as it was Stella's turn at the cake.



She too seemed to grow a little thicker about the hips, her face softening into elderhood and everything sliding a little closer to the floor. Mariko didn't care. She was as beautiful as ever.



They both got a new makeover, and they looked like a million bucks. It was strange for Cosmo to think of his parents getting older (and hard to imagine what life would be like without them), but he had to admit, they looked happy to have achieved so much in their lives.




Mariko decided that after lives filled with hard work, she and Stella were due for at least one big reward. For their anniversary, she purchased a brand new vacation house in Takemizu Village and presented it to Stella. In their lives, they had truly lived the Simerican dream.



[[Author's Notes: Man, Cosmo is soooooo cute as a teen, I love it! He's got a real baby face. Also really dig the way Mari looks after aging, though Stella's face has a bit of the melted ice cream look going on. It's okay, they still have three very strong bolts. :) Nothing else too interesting happened this round, and I'm looking forward to getting the store up to rank 10 (if I can) and sending them on vacation next round! Stay tuned for Kimi and Takeru...

Bloopers:
This animation always cracks me up. // Um, how 'bout no? ]]

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