The Beaumonts (B) - Round 10



Starring:


Steffi Beaumont, Adult Family Sim, LTW Reach Golden Anniversary



Arnaud Beaumont, Elder Romance Sim, 2nd LTW




Bastien Beaumont, Teen Knowledge Sim, LTW



Bijou Beaumont, Child Knowledge Sim, LTW Grow Up Well


~*~*~*~*~

Last round at the Beaumont house was birthday party madness! Bastien aged into a teen, Arnaud aged into an elder, and Bijou had two birthdays...from infant to toddler and from toddler to child. Steffi got pretty sick of baking birthday cakes. Steffi earned a gold gardening badge, Arnaud retired and kept writing novels, and Bijou toddled around the house learning stuff. Let's see how the older (and wiser?) family will do in round 10.




Setting: Winter, Beaumont House, Rosebud. Sim: A teenage Bastien. Activity: Building Charisma. Why, you ask? Well because he is a good-looking boy, and though he's not arrogant, he has seen the looks that girls in his high school give him. The only problem is he doesn't know how to talk to them. Thus, his goal to practice his romancing skills until he can earn himself a girlfriend of his very own.




Others in the house pursue their goals as well, but they're a bit simpler. Arnaud was really becoming a fine arts renaissance man. Between his novels and his painting, the house head a steady income supplementing his retirement checks, and they really needed it thanks to the prospect of two children who would eventually need to go to college.



Especially since both of them were very focused on knowledge. Steffi and Arnaud never had to nag either Bastien or Bijou to complete their studies. In fact, Bijou actually requested that Steffi help her with her homework so she could learn how to do it better.




And it didn't stop with schoolwork. Bijou sucked up information like a little blonde sponge, whether it be from her activity table, learning the basics of mechanics with her blocks, from drawing and learning some of the artistic skills she'd seen her father master, or watching the food channel and picking up cooking tips for when she was old enough to be allowed to use the stove.





And speaking of stoves, Arnaud and Steffi decided that it was finally time for them to replace their gross old kitchen with its cheap cabinets and cheap appliances. Steffi had been learning to cook as well, sometimes under the tutelage of Arnaud and sometimes from the cookbooks they had stacked on their shelves. Both decided they wanted something just a little nicer, and voila. It was still small, but the look and quality was vastly improved.




Wanting to use the new kitchen to its best possibility inspired Steffi to renew her learning with a passion. She quickly reached top enthusiasm in all things culinary.


Shortly after came the obvious result that she'd become an expert at cooking. She still bowed to Arnaud and his years of experience, but she now had all the technical know-how she would need to become a truly great cook.





Arnaud kept writing and selling his novels and restaurant guides, every royalty check cushioning their savings.




When he wasn't painting or writing, he was spending time with Bijou, who was definitely a little bit Daddy's Little Princess. She gravitated toward him naturally and vice versa, especially since Arnaud could see in her the same interests that drove him. They frequently talked about cooking and art, in addition to what was going on in her day-to-day school life.




It was out of one of these discussions that Arnaud decided to call the local headmaster and have him come for a visit, to see if he would admit Bijou and Bastien into the Rosebud Academy. Steffi cooked, showing off some of her new skills, and Arnaud wisely let Bijou do most of the talking. Bastien was equally as intelligent, but he wasn't as outgoing, and Bijou simply chattered away, impressing the headmaster both with her confidence and her intelligence.




By the end of the night, the headmaster was shaking Arnaud's hand and gladly accepting the Beaumont children into the local private school.




By the end of the week, both children had gotten their uniforms and had paperwork transferred from the public school to the academy.




By the end of the month, they were coming home with A+ report cards.




Arnaud was never prouder of his children than at the moment when I got to stand up from his novel and cheer for his little superstar.



[[Author's Notes: I'm looking forward to getting back to this house again. Bijou is going to be such a pretty girl, I think, and I have to wonder after looking at the pictures I snapped of this house if I'm guilty of a little favoritism. I know that Bastien was there! He didn't go away to college! Yet it seemed like Bijou just inserted herself as the star of the story. I tell you what, too, that girl is the apple of Arnaud's eye. It's pretty sweet. I think maybe Steffi turns elder in round 11, so we'll see! A few bloopers for you.

Bloopers:
Mess-ery loves company? // Linda seems slightly taken aback at the fact that Arnaud is rudely bathing while she wants to yell at him for spying. // It doesn't last long. She just lectures him in the tub. // "If things go well, I'll be showing her my 'oh' face. Oooh, oooh, oooh." ]]

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The Tanakas (C) - Round 10


Starring:



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


~*~*~*~*~


Last round in the Tanaka house, after some serious procrastination, during which he managed to get a real job and rack up some hefty promotions and even a potential girlfriend, Takeru finally moved away to Sim State, leaving his beloved mum all by her lonesome in the big house. Kimi wasn't exactly spending her hours sipping tea and watching stories on the television, though; she managed to rack up both a silver and a gold pottery badge during the winter. Let's see how she'll manage without her son this round.




The first thing Kimi decided was that she wasn't too old to date. She'd slacked off on her dating habits since Takeru had been born, but now that he was out of the house again, she figured she could do whatever she wanted. She still didn't want to marry Donte, her lifelong lover and babydaddy, but that wasn't a problem.





He didn't want to marry her either. So they continued in their comfortable, lifelong pattern: dating, enjoying one another's company, and being naughty when the mood struck them. They were too old to care what people thought of them, so they simply enjoyed themselves.




They enjoyed themselves a lot, in fact. Wherever and whenever they felt like it, regardless of who was around.




This caused some consternation in some, like Guillermo Chan, who was annoyed beyond all reason at his old college fling getting cozy with a fellow elder.




But the worst reaction of all was from former sometime-lover Arnaud Beaumont, who quite literally threw a fit and made a scene in front of the diner where Kimi and Donte were on their date.




Donte stood by calmly while Kimi took a shot to the face from Arnaud, understanding Kimi's past and the tendency for women like her to around anger. Besides, she could more than handle herself. The date went on without a hitch after Arnaud stalked off in a rage.




Back at home, Kimi continued to work on her pottery hobby, bringing in a little cash to supplement her retirement money.



She also tried to smooth things over with the unreasonable Arnaud, telling him that he really should learn some anger management techniques. This did not go over well with Arnaud, who made a visit to her house later that night, kicking over her trash in a fit of fury.




Kimi was having none of that, and she immediately took action to prevent it from happening again. A trip to Stella's Servos and Stuff secured her with a brand new Sentry Bot. Not only would it be good to keep Arnaud away, but Kimi figured it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra security around the house since she was an older woman living alone.





As she installed the sleek, humming piece of machinery in her front yard, she felt a calm satisfaction and reassurance wash over her. Now she'd see who had the nerve to kick over her trash and steal her newspapers.





That very night, an unsuspecting and still furious Arnaud came by for his usual routine of trash can kicking.



He stopped, surprised, when he heard the beeping sound behind him. He turned and cocked his head in puzzlement at the strange flying contraption.



He didn't remember much after that besides an electric pain. When it finally ended, he ran away down the block.




Arnaud continued to make the same mistake over again...





...and again...




...and again. Kimi found it annoying to still have to pick up her trash in the mornings, but she figured at least now she had some evening entertainment, as she sat up on her balcony with a bag of popcorn and watched Arnaud get toasted by the SentryBot all season long. She just hoped he would learn a little quicker so she could stop worrying about roaches.



[[Author's Notes: LOL. This round was totally hilarious for Kimi. I thought she'd be another boring single elder house, but ohhhh no. I should have known Kimi would be different. Arnaud must be the slowest-learning sim in the universe. Four shocks in four nights. Wow. Figure it out, Arnaud, and while you're at it, get a grip! You're married with two children! And old! Your heart can't take it, you grumpy old man! Anyway. Yes. I was highly entertained this round. Can't wait to play her again and see what happens. Take rejoins her in Round 11. :)

Blooper:
Way to play-test your binned houses, EAxis. *headshake*]]

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The Tanakas (B) - Round 10



Starring:


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




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




Cosmo Terrano, Teen Popularity Sim, LTW Become The Mayor


~*~*~*~*~


Last round, the Tanakas had a very busy and exciting round! Mariko took a job in the show business career after achieving her goal of becoming the law, and once she reached the top of her career, she retired with a hefty pension. The family visited their vacation home in Takemizu Village, and shockingly, Mariko was killed by a falling satellite. Luckily, Stella was fast enough to race out and beg for death to spare her, winning back her lover's life. They finally got married, right on the lawn of their vacation home, to celebrate. Once back in Rosebud, Stella achieved her 2nd LTW of becoming a mad scientist and then managed to get her business to a level ten ranking. Cosmo struck up a potential romance with the lovely Sadie Chin. Will this family be as insane this round, or will things get more quiet? We'll see.




Much to the heartbreak of his mothers, Cosmo was at the age where he finally had to go away to college. He was looking forward to it, but both Mariko and Stella were sick at heart to see him leave home for Sim State University. Being an only child meant that Cosmo had the full love of both of his parents, and while he understood why it was so hard for them to see him go, he promised that he would be back after the "short" four years at university. After he left, Mariko and Stella fell into a bit of a funk... all they did was read or listlessly engage in their hobbies. It would definitely take a long time before they got used to the new silence in the house, without Cosmo.




The only thing productive the couple managed to do in the weeks after Cosmo's departure was run the store, maintaining its level 10 ranking. It had lost some of its luster, though, without Cosmo's handsome green face to ask them how it went when they got home. Both Mariko and Stella couldn't wait to see their baby boy return from college, well-educated and ready to take over the house and business when he got home.


[[Author's Notes: Sometimes, I don't realize how many pictures I'm snapping when I play a round. Apparently, VERY LITTLE of interest happened this round, as I only took something like five pictures, and three of them were of Cooper Bigfoot playing with one of Stella's store customers... O.o Yeah, apparently that was the highlight of the round. There will be one more round before Cosmo rejoins his two moms, and I'm looking forward to it. Stella and Mari are two of my favorite sims, but the house is definitely pretty quiet with two elders and no one else in it. Stick around for more of the same when we visit poor, abandoned Kimi Tanaka, a single elder in a house with her only child away at uni. :p Only one blooper for you!

Blooper:
Twin shoppers. ]]

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The Tanakas (A) - Round 10



Starring:


Linda Tanaka, Adult Pleasure Sim, 2nd LTW Become Professional Party Guest



Jiro Tanaka, Adult Romance Sim, 2nd LTW Have 20 Simultaneous Lovers



Homer Tanaka, Teen Family Sim, LTW Raise 20 Puppies or Kittens

~*~*~*~*~


Last round at the Tanaka house, we had lots of birthdays! Jiro and Linda both aged into elders, Homer aged into a teen, and Sebastian (a tiny pup Homer adopted) aged into an adult dog. Linda retired and spent the majority of her time sewing, keeping up the tradition Yuuna started so many years ago. Lets see how the fam + pets does this round!






The only birthday left in the house was the one that came next. Belle aged into a beautiful adult dog with a fluffy, curly little tail. Homer was two pups closer to his lifetime goal.




To celebrate the successful growing-up of his two puppies, Homer built the dogs a doghouse. It wasn't the most beautiful thing in the world, but he'd made it with his own two hands, and that made him proud. Belle and Sebastian seemed to like it.





In fact, they seemed to enjoy it quite a bit! Homer kept his fingers crossed that maybe their enjoyment would lead to some more puppies for the house. Of course, he didn't tell his parents about the latest activity of their little doggies, but he knew that once they saw the sweet little wriggling pups, they wouldn't be able to say no.




Jiro kept plugging away at his career. He was getting more tired (though he hated to admit it to himself), but he really wanted to get as high as he could go before he retired. Quitting now just seemed like a waste of all the effort he'd put into his career. His body definitely wasn't liking this sustained activity stretching on into his golden years. He got sick more often, and once even got a flu so bad it knocked him off his feet for a week.



Homer, being the conscientious and sweet family sim he was, decided to make his father some of Yuuna's special chicken soup, guaranteed to cure all illness. He'd never made it before, but he carefully followed the recipe and brought his father a fresh, steaming bowl of it.



Jiro remembered the soup from his childhood and hadn't tasted it since long before Yuuna died. It surprised him, but the soup really DID make him feel healthier...whether it was from the nostalgia or the supposed healing qualities of the dish, he wasn't sure.



With Homer in school all day, the pups definitely got into some mischief around the house, whether it be piddling on the kitchen floor or chewing at the trash can.



Though it had been agreed upon their adoption that the dogs were Homer's responsibility, Jiro found he really enjoyed training the pups and teaching them better habits. They were surprisingly bright, and their excited, shining eyes and wiggling tails won his heart over.




Other people tried to win his heart over...especially one woman he worked with. She frequently came home with Jiro and attempted to get romantic with him. While Jiro definitely enjoyed the attention, he hated to admit that his age really dampened his desire for all that running around nonsense.




He flirted back with the various girls, but at the end of the night, he found he really appreciated having Linda, his best friend, to come home to. And to have a good time with. Fortunately, he hadn't gotten THAT old.





He kept racking up promotions, and he felt he'd made the right choice not retiring right away. He thought it would feel really good when he'd reach the top and really felt READY to retire and enjoy the quiet life.



The day he finally came home with his final promotion, he called almost instantly to retire. It was a very good feeling. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with himself in his retirement, but he was glad not to be a slave to the alarm clock and work schedule anymore.




Homer, in the meantime, was busy making lots of friends in the neighborhood. He was so sweet and quietly thoughtful that a lot of his classmates really took to him. Willow Vinci was one of them. Homer had to admit she was gorgeous, but at the same time, he knew they would never work. She was boy crazy, and he wanted a family. Oh well.




The guys liked Homer too. Bastien Beaumont frequently came home with Homer, and they spent hours playing with either the dogs, the karaoke machine, or the pinball machine. Bastian thought Homer had the coolest house ever. All they had was a piano and some dogs.




One night, to the surprise of everyone in the house, Yuuna decided to come visit. She looked over the dinner bowls of her comfort soup and smiled, obviously pleased that at least Homer was taking up her familial habits and tendencies.




Linda saw her, and though seeing a ghost terrified her, she couldn't help but be pleased to see her old friend, in some form or another, and smiled to know that Yuuna seemed to be resting peacefully. Linda could only hope for the same when it was finally time for she and Jiro to go.


[[Author's Notes: This house has gotten pretty sweet. I'm curious to see how the installation of ACR (done prior to playing university in Round 9, FYI) will affect Linda and Jiro's domestic bliss. At least both of them should have really low jealousy levels since they are Pleasure and Romance, consecutively. I'm shooting for having Homer raise as many puppies as possible before he goes away to uni, so I'm hoping that Belle will have a litter that grows into adults before he leaves (I think this round). We'll see. Also, I've decided on a naming scheme for the puppies that Homer raises...we'll see if you guys can figure out what it is when the new litter is born. :) I'm also installing Seltzisims' Defuglified Maxis Face Templates this round and Katu's Default Multpile Polination Technician Hack (no CC) this round. I also have installed Pooklet's lovely Kids In Technicolor geneticized and townified skin tones and Jesstheex's "And I'm Running Away" geneticized and townified eye set. Yes. I'm hoping my game doesn't blow up, but so far, so good! Blame Liz of the Silvervale Prosperity for making me CC obsessed. -.- (Just kidding; ilu, Lizzykins! Oh. Yeah. And I also downloaded twojeff's Cow Mascot Trophy Head. Stupid cows. You're going down.)

Bloopers:
Sebastian is a really sound sleeper. // I have no idea what caused this face, but it made me lol. ]]

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