Sunday, April 19, 2015

Take Me to the Moon 4.14: Growing Pains

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Ewan Tesla is about halfway through his teen years; Elise Tesla just became a teen.


From the Journal of Elise Tesla


 Let me tell you, finally being a teenager isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes.   One thing that would revolutionize my life, is if my mom wasn't so weird.  






   I just asked her to give me some gardening tips so I can use some of the plants in scientific experiments.  But she drives me insane, going on about the fact that she's a Space Ranger, how she learned more about botany since going into space than she ever learned on earth.





She's told us a million times about how she walked on Sixam, the alien planet.








My grandma's pretty cool though.  She's old enough to retire, but she decided to become a police officer, instead, after grandpa died.





I was shopping in Magnolia Promenade last week, and she was there, patrolling.  She kind of said hi in a low-key kind of way, which was nice.   One thing I wonder about grandma, is how in the world she looks 25 when she's got to be pushing 70, at least.  Her hair is starting to grey, but she has no wrinkles, at all.






My dad and I usually get along well.  Except, when we play chess, he always looks so smug when he gets checkmate.  







He does it on purpose, just to annoy me.   I am sure of it.    I keep promising myself I won't play him anymore, but I really want to learn to beat him.






My little brother, Eric, is surprisingly cool.





 He knows how to take a joke without getting bent out of shape.






Since we started high school, though, Rachel and I aren't as close as we were before, and it's mainly because she doesn't like Eric.





Eric's my brother.  It's ok for me and him to argue, but not for Rachel to hurt his feelings.





Rachel doesn't appreciate it when I tell her to lay off.

"Jeez, don't take it so seriously.  I was just joking." 




 But everytime she's around Eric, she gives him a hard time, just for being a kid.






Although I'd never tell mom, seeing the rocket lift off still gives me goosebumps, and mom's new Apollo rocket that she built lately, is the most amazing yet.






Plus, we have an amazing lab in the basement of the command center.







Since mom brought back plant life from the alien planet, Sixam, she and dad designed a new area, a greenhouse with airlocks.  This is, of course, designed to prevent the specimens from Sixam from infecting us or our plant life here on earth.  Invasive species can be lethal in a new environment.







  Besides, two of the three specimens she brought back are carnivorous.   They are fascinating, and I am starting to think of them as my pets.






It's my job to take test the soil pH and a number of different stats on the plants daily.





And log it, so we can use the data to evaluate various experiments.






We haven't identified any toxins or dangerous substances in the plants, that would hurt us, but we are very careful to use all the universal precautions in the botany lab.






Along with learning to use the scientific method, and studying botany, I am working on my mechanical skills.  Although it is frustrating trying to use a ridiculously large wrench to fix a drain, I think it is critical that I know how even the most basic things around the house work.
 






Last weekend, a lot of the kids were going up to Yuma Heights for a campfire cookout, and dad let me go, since Ewan was going with Adrianna.  I kind of stuck with Rachel when we first got there.  We're still friends, and when Eric's not around, we're fine.






Ewan played the guitar, which was fun.







But without Rachel and I being close, I don't really have a best friend anymore.  I don't know Etienne that well, and I never really like Rianna at all.






 Like I said, being a teenager is not easy.







From the Journal of Ewan Tesla


Adrianna and I had our first kiss, but I don't think things are going so well now.  First, for some mysterious reason, Adrianna and Elise just don't get along.





Adrianna comes over after school a few times a week, so we get to hang out. She likes to play around a lot.





And it's hard for me to tell if she's joking or what, sometimes.




Then, she'll just suddenly say it's time to go.





And I don't know if I did something wrong, or if she wants me to make more moves, or what.






One evening after she left, I went down to the command center to do my homework near mom while she worked in her lab.







She saw me there, and came over to check on me.  Asked me how I was doing.  I asked her how in the world I'm supposed to figure out what girls are thinking all the time, and she said not to put too much pressure on myself.

 Mom asked what I think of Adrianna.  I told her, I really like her.  But I just feel kind of stressed when I'm with her sometimes.  Mom just listened, and said she couldn't tell me what to do.  She said she knew I'd figure it out, though.






Sometimes I wonder, though, what do mom and dad really know about being in love?  They've got each other, and they don't have to worry about what the other person's thinking.







The campfire cookout had been so much fun, I asked her to go up to Yuma Heights State Park with just me, for a date.




It was a gorgeous afternoon.





I thought maybe she wanted me to be a little more forward, and she did seem to like it.






I fixed Tofu Dogs on the grill, as the sun set.






But dinner was not what I hoped for.  Adrianna's not really interested in art or music,





and I don't know about student government, or political stuff she's interested in





We ended up both pretty bored and just waiting for it to be over.






I was thinking maybe we should break up, but I didn't know what to say.  When we were just friends it was never like this.








Then Adrianna broke the ice, and asked if I wanted a back rub.







After she rubbed my back for a while, she said, "Aren't the stars beautiful?  It's such a beautiful night."







But I was just thinking, maybe we've moved too fast.  I don't feel ready for a girlfriend, and maybe I just need to meet new people for a while instead of trying to build a relationship.

But I didn't break up with her that night, because I just don't know what to say.  It's not her, and it's not me, it's just the time I think.  And I really want to stay friends with Adrianna.






When I'm painting, that's when I feel like I know what I should be doing.









Notes:

While on their date, Ewan didn't have any romantic whims. He wanted to meet someone new.  I had him kiss her because it is one of the "tasks" for a date. 

Delaney has 16 days before her elder birthday.  I think she's starting to look a little older around her chin line.  (Alexander only has 8 days till his elder birthday).





Bella has a glitch.  This is how she looks in CAS:





And this is how she looks in game, no wrinkles!  I chalk it up to her wealth and a skilled plastic surgeon.  But I would prefer her to look more her age; I think aging is beautiful and look forward to seeing my sims move on past that eternal youth look.




Desmond is still his gloomy self, but you'll be glad to know that his mom eats with him and tries to cheer him up.









The grim reaper was at Magnolia Promenade with Bella, when she was on patrol.  I was worried he was there for her!  She was very sad when she saw him, as she is now acquainted with him. 




Elise, however, didn't see him even though he was right beside her.





The most eventful thing that happened on Bella's patrol was that she ran into Etienne Pancakes, who is evil.  Since she is good, she gets a sad moodlet when faced with evil.




She can dismiss evil, though, as a mean social.   But Etienne practically bit her head off when she did it.



Now she just needs to find someone in need of a citation.  Bella is a Colonel, Level 9 I think, but she has to get some more experience before she can have her own cases, according to the game notifications.  (The game placed in her in the Detective career, as a Colonel, but when I play her I have to do the lower level jobs).


14 comments:

  1. Ha! I guess the wrinkle-free glitch couldn't have happened to a more appropriate sim. It looks like Bell has the body shape of an Elder. I like your idea that it's plastic surgery.

    It sounds like Get to Work is being a bit ham-handed with assigning careers. So Bella was assigned a career at Level 9, but she still has to do the activities for the lower level? Maybe she was assigned such a high level because she's an Elder.

    I LOVE Etienne Pancakes's makeover.

    I like what you did with Ewan's date. Maybe he and Adrienne aren't right for each other, and maybe they just need to slow down.

    The alien plants are gorgeous. Are they really dangerous, or is that just part of the story? What do carnivorous plants DO?

    Looks like you're leaning toward Elise as the heir!

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    1. Hi Susan! Is it pretty obvious that I like Elise the most? I really do like both of them and haven't decided but I have to admit that she's my favorite.

      About Bella's youthful look, I thought so too, it was quite interesting that Bella would have eternal youth (in her face,) due to a glitch! I hope it isn't going to affect everyone though. And I am happy that her body shape looks older.

      Glad you like Etienne's new look-- he is now an evil music-lover, so that's what I chose for him.

      I like Adrianna SO much; I am quite partial to her and would love to see her end up with Ewan. So it is really hard to not just make them like each other more. He did want to have his first kiss and be her boyfriend, but it's not panning out right now, so now I'm not sure if I should have him go out with someone else or just give him some girl-free time for a while. I'll see what whims he has next time I play. As a gloomy, creative guy I see him as not necessarily on the same wave-length as your average high school guy, a little more thoughtful and sensitive, maybe a little slower to jump in socially, where as she has a popularity aspiration so she's so outgoing.

      The alien plants have a description that says they are carnivorous, but I don't think they are like the cowplant, actually dangerous. I just thought it would be irresponsible to just plant a potentially invasive species above ground in the regular garden, and I had fun building the lab and having them use their space suits to tend to the plants.

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    2. Heh. I was so curious about the carnivorous plants that I Googled them. I thought maybe they liked meat fertilizer or something. I didn't see anything. Ah well. Apparently they don't need water and don't get weeds.

      I really like that you're guiding Ewan's relationship by his wishes. I think that's the way to go -- if you don't take cues from your sims, everyone's lives turn out the same :).

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    3. Susan, were you googling carnivorous plants in general or Sims 4 carnivorous plants? I'm not asking for any reason except curiousity :-) My husband has some pitcher plants and a venus fly-trap (in real life) and they are pretty fascinating. The Sims 4 alien plants still get weeds and I think they need water, but I haven't tested that.

      I agree about following sims whims when in doubt, if they fit into their overall character. The 3 Sims 4 whims appear to be generated this way: #1 is current emotion-dependent, #2 is from their aspiration, and #3 is from a skill or trait. But there are those whims that all sims get, that pop up like "Buy a pool" or other stuff, just because they don't have it, that I routinely ignore.

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  2. Aw, I'm feeling for Ewan! It's hard to go back to being friends once you've already taken some steps towards a romantic relationship. :\ I hope he and Adrianna can figure out where they want this thing to go, if anywhere. Yeah, Ewan is still my favourite, lol!

    Weird glitch with Bella! Have you noticed that with any other elders? I can't remember if I've ever taken a really good look at TS4 elders. Is Colonel an actual police rank in the US? It's only military here but there are often rank differences between countries.

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    1. Hi Carla, thank you for commenting! You know, I think this is a new glitch with Bella. My other elders have developed wrinkles as they aged. But she's the only new elder since the new EP, which makes me think it is a bug. Or maybe it is a feature, lol.

      I feel for Ewan too. Whenever he and Adrianna hang out, he usually ends up with that sad look, not because of anything mean she says, and not just because he's gloomy. He just seems to not know what to do or say all the time, which I can totally identify with!

      My guess right now is that from a game perspective, they'll be able to gradually revert to being just friends, because they have not had many romantic interactions anyway, just a couple of kisses and a few flirts, holding hands. But nothing social seems to be straightforward or easy for Ewan. I appreciate your comment!

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  3. This was a wonderful update - I really like the lab/greenhouse! :)

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  4. Poor Ewan, and Elise too. It's really interesting to see her perspective on her Mom and her space flying, loved that opening photo! I hope that she can make mends, but it might be hard until Eric is a teen. I hope that Ewan figures out what he wants to do, that date looked pretty sad, but she seemed invested on turning it around, and reaching out to him. She is a hard one to grasp.

    And that is fantastic that Bella has a wrinkle-free glitch! I actually thought that you might have been giving her 'botox' to remain youthful! It'll be weird when the others turn elder, especially since Eric is still young.

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    1. Delaney and Alexander had Eric when Alexander was halfway through his adult stage, so he was a pretty late baby, but not as late as Desmond; his dad was close to having a twinkling age bar (death at any time) when he was born! Right about the time Alexander becomes an elder, Eric is due to become a teen. He'll become a young adult shortly after Delaney ages to elder. I miss my rotation chart with actual years on it, like I used in Sims 2! Alexander and Delaney wanted to try for baby again and I figured to let them try once, to fulfill the want, but maybe they wouldn't actually conceive... but Eric's great, I'm glad they did.

      Delaney and Elise have very different temperaments, and Delaney had a very hard childhood, where Elise has been pretty privileged. Delaney is pretty gung-ho and straightforward, although she is a genius. Elise likes to hang back and observe, and she tends to see the gloomy side or see the things that need fixing or criticizing. They could hardly be more different, really, but they actually have a friendly relationship; they just have these differences that pop up.

      I'm glad you like Bella, wrinkle free! I guess that's the way it's going to be :-)

      Thanks for taking the time to comment!



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  5. I really enjoyed the journal style for these two entries! I find Elise's face fascinating! She looks so much like her dad! Ewan's chapter brought back distant (like WAY distant) memories of teen romances! Oh, my! That trying to connect and just feeling bored, and the only thing that works is a back rub! Oh, my! So glad those days are behind me! :)

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    1. Me too, Cathy, I love Elise's interesting face and to me it goes perfectly with her personality, too. I just realized I really didn't show Elise's face much in her post, because I was showing what was going on around her.

      Social interactions were really tough for Ewan in elementary school, he always came home from the playground upset; when he first started being friends with Adrianna I thought she'd be so good for him, to help pull him out of his shell, but she's so extroverted (gregarious and self-assured) that I think she overwhelms him sometimes. Thanks for commenting!

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  6. I've been catching up on this story and it's so good it almost makes me want to play TS4! :)

    I really like the teenage POV on something as cool as space flying, because no matter how amazing your parents are you still kind of just find them weird at a certain point in your life. Heh.

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    1. Thanks for reading! I'm so excited that you are enjoying my sims' story :-) I love reading your Sims 2 blog, because you have terrific screen shots and are developing such diverse, interwoven characters, and on top of that, I get to live vicariously through your developing Sims 2 'hood, since I promised myself to stick with this legacy till its done but I played Sims 2 for so long and I do miss it.

      I'm glad it made sense to you about Elise wishing her mom would be more "normal," some friends and I were just talking about that trying to make your own identity and being annoyed with your mom.

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