already in progress, chapter 51

Hi! Welcome back to Already in Progress! It’s been a while, no?

Do you see how Phoebe has made a lovely holiday roast? Admire it, because it will never bee seen again. Between last chapter and this -- partway through the rotation, in fact -- my computer died. Twice.

Now I have a lovely new computer and all is well, except that my Happy Holiday Stuff disk refuses to install. I don’t think it will make much of a difference to the story, although possibly a few hairstyles and decorative items may be different/missing. If the picture quality changes a little, the new computer would be the reason for that, too.

Today’s episode of Goldberg & Silent Lady is brought to you by the UpShift and the DownShift by Fat D. Need to move something up by the height of a stage foundation? How about down by the same amount? Then you need the UpShift and the DownShift. Remember: UpShift for Up and DownShift for Down!

(in one of those rapid undertones used for the “small print” in all the best commercials) The UpShift and DownShift will only work on one-tiled items. Available from Mod The Sims. Basegame compatible. Fat D is in no way aware of this endorsement.

And now, let’s rejoin our story: Already in Progress…

As I’m sure you all know, I don’t do recaps. As you all probably also know, I sometimes have crossover chapters with one of my other stories. Now, what I usually do is 1) write as if people read them and 2) not put anything in them that’s more important than how-we-got-engaged.

However, one of the last crossovers had actual Plot Points, so I’ll recap here.

If you do read the crossovers, or if you read Ruth’s(un)Offically Wacky Boolprop Challenge as well, you can skip the next four slides.

Previously, I mentioned Chant’s cousin Phoebe being impressed by his sales technique. Well, that wasn’t the only thing she was impressed by.

One thing led to another, and they became engaged.

Phoebe’s father had something to say about that.

OLD ADAM: I’m very sorry to disparage a humble hard-working farmer, but when you decide to marry a clone of your uncle -- ! Well, damme, I cannot condone that!

(Saigon and Fantine exchange glances -- the situation has ceased to be amusing)

CHANT’S MOTHER, IN GREEN: I’m Fantine Couderc, Oliver’s daughter. You can tell by the pointy elf ears.

CHANT’S AUNTIE, IN YELLOW: I’m Saigon Shankel, Oakapple’s daughter. You can tell by the slanted Vulcan eyebrows.

CHANT’S MOTHER, FANTINE: Aunt Sally got our colors backwards when we were little, but we’ve been consistent since then.

CHANT’S AUNTIE, SAIGON: So you can remember us that way too: “Fantine” rhymes with “green.”

OLD ADAM: Then I am to understand that Saigon is Fantine and Fantine is Saigon?

(Saigon and Fantine look at each other blankly)

FANTINE: Sure, if that helps. Chant’s my son and he’s no relation to Phoebe.

OLD ADAM: Then what objection can I possibly have? I wish you very happy, my daughter! (glares at Chant) If you hurt her in any way, sir, your body will never be found.

CHANT: I figured.

Now that you are all caught up, let’s see what the family has been up to.

Obviously it involves formalwear.

And SURPRISE! It’s a wedding!

Okay, you weren’t surprised. I suppose there’s no reason you should have been. But it was the biggest wedding I’ve thrown to date, with all the bride’s immediate family, all the groom’s extended family, and all the bride’s friends plus their significant others. Most people even sat down and watched!

The bride’s father went all out on paying for this one, with fancy cakes, centerpieces, real chairs for everyone (instead of those folding plastic jobbies), champagne that nobody bothered to drink, real music…

…and a display of fireworks in the evening. The wedding didn’t lag my computer too much, and the party was a Roof-Raiser.

Even if I had to put in emergency potties to make that happen.

After the wedding, Phoebe bought some appropriate clothing and started helping out at the family business, where she is settling in nicely. And that is all that happened worth mentioning, with one small exception.

Do you see the Sim with the employee bobble over her head? She has been hired so that when playable Sims go to the farm stand to buy produce, the game thinks there’s someone to take the money. (Apparently, when a playable is assigned to any job, they have to be officially unassigned to go home, so when a playable shows up, there’s nobody in charge of useful functions like taking money.) Hopefully, that is now fixed for this lot.

GOLDBERGBut how am I going to get anywhere near Mr. McGuffin?

SILENT LADY hand him a newspaper, folded open to the “Society” section.

GOLDBERGWell, of course he’ll be there. But that’s

invitation-only.

GOLDBERGThis is going to hurt.

Don and Sam have blended homes with Charlie and Louise, and it’s not quite going as expected.

SAMANTHA: Really, Don? We’re moving here?

DANTE: Sure, why not?

SAMANTHA: It looks… It’s… It’s a great big ugly box, Don. And it’s all gray.

DANTE: When I met you, your grandparents were sleeping in the second floor hall and it routinely rained all over the third floor. Besides, fixing the place up will be fun.

I’m not sure Samantha bought that, but she was significantly happier once her apartment was properly decorated.

That would be most of what I did with this family this rotation: construct and decorate the building. So we may as well have a look at it, no?

The ground floor houses a used bookstore on the left. I don’t plan on running it as a home business, but every town should have at least one of these. Although you can’t tell from the top-down shot, the books on the tables by the window are facing the street. Window displays are what keep the customers coming in, right?

On the right, there’s a hair salon. This one I may run as a home business, since there are so many townies and dormies in desperate need of makeovers -- especially dormies, what with the doppelganger issue I’ve got and all. It will be more effective if I can get someone to the level of having the Head For Numbers perk and therefore able to invite specific people over.

As far as I can tell, you can’t sell clothing at a home business, so this won’t be QND II. (sigh)

Above the salon is Louise and Charlie’s apartment, which is largely decorated like their old place. Well, I did pop all their furniture and stuff into their inventories, so it’s not too surprising.

The puddle on the floor is (I think) from Mr. Fuzzypants the cat letting me know that I forgot to provide him with a litter box. He has one now.

Although it’s in Sam and Don’s apartment, since he’s their cat. Or they’re his people, rather. The look of this place is vastly different, as the old place was largely decorated to Kitty’s taste. (Kitty was Sam’s grandmother -- does anyone besides me remember her?) The baby grand wouldn’t fit, but there’s still a piano, and Sam still spends a good chunk of her waking hours on it.

Finally, on the top floor, we have Catherynne’s apartment, which is laid out almost like my real apartment, although my real deck is a bit larger and my bathroom is not yellow and purple.

It’s pink and orange.

Anyway, this is where Catherynne lives. The apartment across the way is unfinished, as you can see, because I haven’t got anybody to design it for yet.

And here we have a brief look at Cathrynne’s new look as she demonstrates how someone without Apartment Life can still have an apartment building: the Myne doors from University can be locked to allow only one person to use them, and they display a picture, just like the real Apartment Life doors!

No, I don’t get out much. Why do you ask?

Anyway, that’s what’s been going on with the Dante-and-Charlotte newly-blended household. I’m sorry it wasn’t as fun for you to read as it was for me to play.

EMMA (on phone)But of course, darling! You’ll be bringing a lady,

naturally.

GOLDBERGNo, just me.

EMMA (on phone)Aaron, you are not going to unbalance my tables.

You’ll be bringing a lady.

GOLDBERGYeah. I can bring a lady.

Jo and Phoenix’s daughter Penelope has become a cute Toddler. I think she’s inherited her mother’s eyes, but it’s a little too early to tell whose mouth she has yet. Right now, it looks like Phoenix’s, but Jo’s mouth looked very close to that until she hit Child.

And speaking of Jo and Phoenix, they behave more like a three-bolt couple than a two-bolt one with an aspiration mismatch. Every morning when they wake up, they reliably roll the Want to Kiss Each Other, and if their other Wants vary throughout the day, at least two if not three are for each other, and are generally pretty compatible. Here, we see that Phoenix has rolled the Want to Give Jo A Backrub, while Jo has rolled the Want to Have Phoenix Give Me A Backrub.

Like I said, very compatible.

Penny is a great favorite with the whole family. Granda (otherwise known as Albert) taught her to talk, but Phoenix has called dibs on teaching her to use the potty.

Somehow, nobody else seems inclined to dispute that.

Penny even gets along well with her aunt. Sure, Skye does her fair share of teasing…

…but she also reads to Penny on a semi-regular basis.

Since she doesn’t know all the big words, she either makes up new ones or skips them entirely. It makes for some interesting story times.

And this is as common as not.

Penny loves that toy garage. I don’t think I’ve had any other kids like it as much as she does. I wonder if that’s a sign for what she’ll do when she grows up?

GOLDBERG

Wow. Uh. You look. You look... Is that a tatau?

SILENT LADY looks at her arm, then back up at GOLDBERG, and shrugs.

GOLDBERG

I don’t pay you enough.

Checking in with Eddie and his Heavenly Bride, we see that Celeste has put on a few extra pounds. She’s taken up jogging in the early morning to get rid of them, but when I loaded up the lot for the first time, she refused -- the action simply dropped out of her queue.

I tried sending her to the front yard without jogging, and she wouldn’t go, complaining that the path was blocked. I directed her downstairs in small increments, none of which she complained about. And there I saw the problem.

The front door was a Happy Holiday Stuff Pack decorated door. This is the first casualty of the reinstall.

I replaced it with the non-decorated base game version, and all was right with the world again.

Eddie continues to make friends and get promoted.

And Eddie and Celeste have plenty of time to linger over their meals and have long, meaningful conversations.

Or they did, anyway.

Then Frederic moved back home with his fiancé, Isaac Clemens.*

Isaac has the LTW of 20 Best Friends, which I think was maybe not his LTW in the bachelor challenge, but since that was in a dummy ’hood, I’m not going to worry about it too much.

*See Love, Frederic, available on LiveJournal, Desirable Discourses, or in the Bachelor Challenges forum on Boolprop.

Frederic promptly set the stove on fire.

The man has seven cooking points; you’d think he would be past this. Well, he’d better get over it quickly, since he wants to be a Celebrity Chef.

In pursuit of this goal, he found a job in the Culinary career. It’s only a Drive-Through Clerk position, but hey -- everybody’s got to start somewhere, right?

This was a quiet rotation for the family, and the only other occurrence of note is that Isaac actually likes to play video games.

I think that’s the first time the computer has been used for anything other than email, checking scholarships, or finding a job.

Maybe I should go buy Isaac some more games…

EMMA

Is that any way to talk after all I did for you?

GOLDBERG

Getting me into a party isn’t much of a burden.

EMMA

I’m your mother!

GOLDBERG

Technically.

Another change you may notice -- although this is not related to the new computer -- is that Adam has new glasses. The old ones were a default replacement by a creator whose views I don’t agree with, and they were removed. (Somehow, I don’t see Adam as the sort of fellow who goes around in sunglasses indoors.)

He doesn’t need them to see, anyway. He only wears them because his wife finds men in glasses to be smexy.

Amy doesn’t have strong reactions to much -- witness her response to starting a fire -- but she does have very definite opinions on glasses.

Fun fact: Amy and her family often get used as guinea pigs for new custom content I’m trying out. They’ve had all manner of hairstyles (many terrible), tried all kinds of “magic” style special effects (many also terrible) and fiddled with many different devices. I am pleased to report that the chocolate factories work quite well.

Yes, I said chocolate factories, plural. This one is by Paladin at SimWardrobe. It makes boxes of chocolates, which supposedly have many different magical effects, including making you happy when you eat them.

Of course, that’s a magical effect of pretty much all chocolate…

This one is by Simoun at Mod The Sims, and it makes chocolate bunnies and (supposedly) chocolate plumbbobs. But you have to have a certain amount of Cooking skill before you can make chocolate plumbbobs, and Amy isn’t there yet.

I’m thinking that perhaps there should be a chocolate shop somewhere in the ’hood one of these days…

Bryan is too young yet to help test anything out, so he spends most of his time playing with the cat or with his friend Skye. She’s serious about her pillow fights, but is a good friend. Bryan usually has one want or another in his panel for her.

It’s often a want to beat her at some game or other, but what do you expect from kids who haven’t even reached the double digits yet?

ÆLFRIC

My, what an… interesting design. Tell me, is it makeup?

SILENT LADY looks at him as if he is something she just stepped in.

ÆLFRIC

No? It’s permanent? How unusual. And how unusually daring. Is there a reason you chose that particular

location?

SILENT LADY turns and walks away.

Another casualty of the move to the new computer were (was?) Dmitri’s lovely custom alien eyes. I didn’t mean to replace them in the event of a rebuild, but this wasn’t a rebuild, and I could have sworn that the file was safely in my Downloads folder.

Apparently not.

Mind you, Dmitri’s mother still has alien eyes, which makes no sense, since she had the same custom set as he did.

So after an emergency quit-and-scour-the-dowloads-section-of-MTS, I found a set of contacts that make Dmitri look like his old self again. The eyes won’t be passed along to any children he may have, but hey -- that’s genetic drift for you.

Trixie didn’t have very long to enjoy her retention of the alien eyes, since no sooner had Dmitri moved back home with his fiancée than the Grim Reaper came for her.

TRIXIE: Well, at least I got to see my baby come home.

GRIM REAPER: T.a.’. ..y I wai..d ..til ei… .’..ock, M... .and..s.

DMITRI: Noooo! Mooooom!

LEONID: Nyet, zaika! Nyet!

TRIXIE: Such soppy men I’ve got! Don’t make such a fuss! Look, I have a drink and hula zombies and everything.

Trixie Sanders, 75 years old. Trixie was an adventurer who spoke Alien with an excruciating accent, but she never let that stop her. Although not color-blind, she thought that everything went with everything else, and that brighter was better. Like her best friend Tirtha, she found love late in life. Also like Tirtha, she made no distinction between their children -- Tirtha’s daughter was Trixie’s daughter too. Trixie’s age may have actually been older than 75 due to the elixir she consumed, but since 75 is all she owned up to, it’s all we’ll count.

Estray inyay eacpay, Trixie.

The next morning, Leonid passed along the deed to the flower shop and the wholesale connections Tirtha had left for Dmitri. (Via a circuitous route, but it’s his inheritance anyway.)

DMITRI: Thanks, Dad. But why all the rush? Can’t we just relax a bit and plan the wedding?

LEONID: Nyet, I do not think is good idea to wait. Life is short. Anythink can be happening.

DMITRI: But not anything bad, right?

LEONID: “Anything” is meanink anything.

Dmitri visited the flower shop and hired a new employee by the name of Jerry Ryan. Mr. Ryan is fond of leather jackets and bad makeup in his private life, but he knows what all the buttons on a cash register do and he’s willing to wear a uniform, so he will be a valuable asset to the team.

Now that the shop has a cashier on staff, my playable Sims can go there and buy crafted flower arrangements for their own homes without having to get the appropriate badges themselves, which was kind of the point.

Although the shop does need a better name. “Flowers” just isn’t cutting it. I’m open to suggestions, if anyone’s got any ideas.

You may have noticed that Dmitri got a new look. His fiancée Rose got her old look back, but she wasn’t satisfied.

ROSE: Yeah, it’s okay. (sighs) But I’ve always wanted something a little more alternative. With purple lipstick, maybe, or black hair.DMITRI: So why don’t you change it up?ROSE: But girls are supposed to have long hair and like pink. I’m not supposed to look different.DMITRI: I’m not “supposed” to be wearing Lacy Little Satin Cheekies from Victoria’s Secret, but that hasn’t stopped me.ROSE: You really think it would be okay?DMITRI: Sure, why not?

ROSE (nervously): So, what’s the verdict?

DMITRI: It’s perfect and you look beautiful.

ROSE: It’s not too unfeminine or anything? Socially unacceptable?

DMITRI: It’s plenty feminine. Cute. Do you like it?

ROSE: Yes…

DMITRI: Then it’s perfect and you look beautiful.

As it turned out, Leonid was right to be concerned about anything happening, because that very evening, it did.

Leonid Petrovich (Andrews) Sanders, 64 years old. Leonid was very Shy and very Nice, which made working up the courage to ask his wife out for the first time extremely difficult. He spoke multiple languages fluently (albeit with something of a Russian accent), and found his wife’s Alien accent particularly grating. It’s a sign of just how much he loved her that he never said anything. Leonid was a former Criminal Mastermind, although he was only in it for the intellectual challenge, and a firm adherent to the New Wave movement -- to the point where he had his eyeliner tattooed on. I think is is safe to say that Leonid will be missed more than New Wave.

Do svidaniya, Leonid.

Of course, a big wedding was out of the question this rotation, but there are other things Family Sims can do to make themselves feel better.

And by that, I mean adopting a cat like Tiger here. What did you think I meant?

GOLDBERGMr. McGuffin?

MCGUFFIN turns, scowling.

MCGUFFINI think you’re (sees SILENT LADY) with a verra bonnie

lassie. What’s your name?

MCGUFFIN takes SILENT LADY’s hand to kiss and only then notices the papers that are now in his hand.

GOLDBERGMr. McGuffin, you’ve been served.

Hi Sally! Nice poster! And is that an award I spy there?

SALLY: Oh, that? Anybody could get one of those.

But what’s it for?

SALLY: One of the Season One episodes. Er, “Best Adult-Themed Adaptation of a Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale.”

Congratulations!

SALLY: Meh, competition for that one tends to be pretty thin. But they did get Cas Randomroll as a guest star, which was cool.

Very cool. How’s the family?

SALLY (V.O.): Doing okay. Troy is working hard to get promotions before he gets to be too old. You can only be an athlete for so many years before your various parts start going, you know?

I know. Like your knees or your back…

SALLY (V.O.): Or your elbows, or your hips.

SALLY (V.O.): Which is why I’m actually kind of afraid for Troy.

You’re worried he’ll throw something out, or tear it, and need surgery?

SALLY (V.O.): Not so much. But he’s worried about it. And he’s started drinking boot juice, which is technically legal and which is rumored to help with things like that.

SALLY (V.O.): I just don’t see how it can be good for him. And he seems to be building up a tolerance to it, so he’s having to drink more for the same kick. No pun intended.

None taken.

SALLY (V.O.): At least I don’t have to worry so much about Tamara. I mean, she’s bringing home boys who flirt with her when they think I’m not looking.

SALLY (V.O.): But she’s not shy about handing out the noogies if things go further than she wants. She can take care of herself.

SALLY (V.O.): Anyway, she spends a lot of time smustling with her girlfriends. That’s as in “girls who are friends,” not “girls who are sweethearts.”

I figured.

SALLY (V.O.): So it’s all good here, really. (yawns) Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to take a nap before I finish up my next thrilling episode.

Sure, no problem. Sleep well.

SHOUTS and CHAOS in the distance.

GOLDBERG

Do you know,that’s the most fun I’ve ever had at one of those parties?

The Grim Reaper said “That’s why I waited until eight o’clock, Mrs. Sanders.”

Trixie and Leonid remained cute until the last minute. Zaika means “bunny” in Russian, and is a term of endearment for one’s wife, daughter, pet, or son under the age of ten. But only a Nice, Shy man like Leonid would apply it to Trixie.

Yes, there are some internal-timeline inconsistencies with regards to the exact broadcast order of Goldberg & Silent Lady episodes. Um… Y’all are seeing them in reruns, which can mess things up?

Until next time, Happy Simming!

The Goldberg and Silent Lady sections used a lot of custom content and poseboxes. All custom content is from Mod The Sims unless otherwise indicated. In addition to the Up Shift and Down Shift advertised at the beginning, I used:“Timeless Office” set by jgwoodsLong drapes and recolors by KiaraRawks“Hacked Coat Hook” by Mary-Lou and Numenor“Custom Modeling Poses Hack V2 w/Facial Overlays” by decorgal21572“Maxis Tattoos That Really Stick!” tattoo overlay box by SpaceDoll“Very Elegant Bun” dustfinger recolor of a hair by Helga from JustSims2. I cannot remember if I used the Helga original or the dustfinger recolor.Custom buffet table by Mary-Lou, featuring a custom desert also by Mary-Lou“Curls Wild” unlocked Maxis mesh by simsbaby“Squeaky Clean” bathtub pose pack by Screaming Mustard