Dinner with the Goths

Mortimer Goth had a shocking expression on his face when his wife, Bella, told him she was expecting their third child.

“Really?” he asked in disbelief. “You’re expecting again?”

“I am indeed!” Bella confirmed.

“Oh, I’m thrilled, my love!” he cried and embraced his beautiful wife. “I can’t wait to tell the children!”

At dinner, Bella struggled to finish her meal as she contemplated how she would break the news to the children. It has always been just the four of them and she feared they wouldn’t want another child in the picture.

Her fears came true. Cassandra was extremely displeased at the news. “Another child?!” she yelled. “Really, Mother…at your age?”

“I’m still young!” she defended. “Clearly there seems to be nothing wrong with my reproductive organs!”

“Yes, but soon you’ll be old and ugly!” Alexander mocked. “And your stomach will grow big too, so you’ll be fat, old and ugly!”

• 

Bella was devastated. “I knew they would react like that, but I hoped for the best. Worse thing is, they’re right – we’re not getting younger, Mortimer. What were we thinking?!”

“All the reason why we should have another child,” Mortimer replied. “Children keep you young and you’re a wonderful mother. Things will change, darling…you will see.”

“I’m not too sure about that,” Bella sighed.

The next few months flew by and the Goth children were horrified to discover they’re having their new sibling for dinner.

“Eat your brother!” Bella scolded. “Bonehilda worked very hard to prepare this meal for us and you said you didn’t want another sibling!”

Cassandra couldn’t believe her eyes. “Our parents are cannibals!” she yelled. “Who’s next? Me?!”

She then stormed out.

Bella laughed. “Oh, sweet gullible children…”

“This is not your brother,” she explained to Alexander.

“Then who is it?” he asked.

“No one,” Bella replied. “It’s just a cake shaped like a newborn infant.”

“A few months ago, I heard strange noises outside,” Bella said. “When I went out to investigate, I witnessed a bright blue beam of light, which levitated me into the air.”

“A few days ago, I gave birth to a beautiful blue creature. It was then that I knew this child is an extraterrestrial and not your father’s son.”

“He realized it too when he saw the child. It took him a while, but he accepted him and he is a part of this family now – just like you and your sister.”

When Cassandra returned, Alexander explained everything to her and they were happy to meet their new brother.

“Aw, he’s kinda cute!” Cassandra squealed.

“I wonder what he’s named,” Alexander said. “I hope it’s Cozmo.”

---

Author’s Notes:  Happy Halloween and thanks for reading! This is my entry for the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme of this month is “dinner”.

I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top choices in both categories. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Credits:

The Addams Family Manor by IvoryM13

Day 1: To Be Stranded on a Bright, Sunny Day

It was a hot Summer’s morning when eight passengers woke up to find themselves stranded on a deserted island. They were on their way to a luxury resort, which each of them won in a radio contest, but the plane crashed and now they’re here.

“Where the hell are we?!” Prissy Stratton shouted. “We are supposed to be on holiday, but instead we’re in the middle of freaking nowhere…just wait until my father hears about this!”

“I don’t know,” an older man replied. “Hell, I can’t even remember my own name!”

Royce Agarwal took out his phone. “It still works!” he shouted. “Let me see if I can find any signal…”

• 

Much to everyone’s dismay, there was no reception. “Damn it!” Royce yelled.

Royce then picked up a fishing pole that was just lying around. “I figured we can at least try to catch some fish,” he told Neida who tried to see if she could spot anything.

Neida really had to empty her bladder, but didn’t feel comfortable doing it with so many people around. Neither was anyone else. “Oh, no!” she cried after soiling herself and feeling humiliated.

“I know this seems gross, but one of us needs to stay awake and keep watch,” Owen said, while doing sit ups in his own urine. “This should keep me awake!” Iris and Ruby just looked at each other in disgust.

It started getting dark. The confused old man asked Royce if he was able to catch something as his stomach was growling. “Do you see any fish, huh?!” Royce shouted in frustration. “Yeah, me neither. I’ve been fishing the whole fucking day and not a single fish in sight! If you see any, be sure to let me know!”

“Don’t be so hard on the old man,” Neida said to Royce. “He’s just starving like all of us. Look at how skinny he is – he needs to eat something. I know you’ve been trying to catch something all day and we appreciate your efforts. We’ll explore the island tomorrow and see if we can find something, okay?”

• 

“Need to stay awake…need to stay awake,” Owen mutters while doing push-ups.

“This is really sweet and all, but hello, do you guys realize we’re slowly dying out here?!” Iris yelled. “We’ll probably drop dead before morning!”

Royce decided to try fishing again. He was luckier this time and managed to catch some fish.

“So…tired,” Ruby yawned.

Morning came and the survivors started dropping to the ground, no longer having any energy left. “Told you so,” Iris sighed.

---

Author’s Notes: This is my entry to this month’s Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge and the first chapter of a new story, The Crumbling Isle. I’m playing a survival challenge and the rules for the first day was that Sims should be fully autonomous, trying to survive 24 hours on their own. Luckily there were no deaths! Hope you enjoyed and please check out the other entries for the SimLit Challenge, voting for your favourites.

Also, a big thanks to the following Gallery creators whose awesome Sims are featured:

• MamaShawn89 – Prissy Stratton
• carolcolors – Neida Riscue
• SoulGal7 – Fernando Bravo
• ambahinvasion11 – Royce Agarwal
• Jazmi1396 – Iris Sampson
• SueSimming – Whisky Barrel
• FighterWolf00 – Ruby Blunt
• ema44068 – Owen Dickens

Freak For a Friend

Ita Mann and I were old friends, going back to kindergarten. So when she called me over the phone, sobbing over the death of her husband, Chuck, my heart bled for her. I wanted to be there for her and help in any way I can, so I asked her to come over for a weekend.

I was surprised how much weight she gained since I last saw her, but it’s not uncommon to eat more during quarantine. “You’ve gotten even skinnier!” she remarked when we greeted. “Need some meat on those bones!” Obviously I didn’t comment on her weight.

We sat down before the TV to binge watch some old soap operas we used to watch together decades ago. “Man, that guy is just as hot as I remember!” I commented on the male lead of one of the shows. “Delicious!” she joked. We had a great time catching up and exchanging stories.

She told me that she donated Chuck’s body for research, since she couldn’t bare to look at it. I sympathized with that, having lost my husband several years ago, though I wished Chuck received a proper burial. He was a good man and deserved that much.

A few days later, she invited me and a few other people over to her place for a barbecue. I found it odd, since Ita’s been on a strict vegetarian diet for over twenty years. Maybe she just wanted to spoil her friends, I thought.

When I arrived at her place, she was all dressed in black – as if this was Chuck’s funeral. I confessed that I felt a little under-dressed, but she didn’t seem to mind. When we sat down, I noticed a wall of huge raw meat just standing around. “Where’d you get all this meat and are you sure it’s safe to just let it stand out in the sun?” I asked.

“This is actually cruelty-free meat!” she explained. “I grew it myself – looks and tastes just like the real thing! You’ll see!”

The other guests arrived, also dressed in black, who I don’t recall ever seeing before. I wanted to ask Ita how she met them, but it didn’t seem appropriate. I couldn’t help but feel out of place – there I was, dressed casually, in the company of complete strangers. Something about them made me feel uncomfortable.

I was shocked when she served the food – she and everyone else ate their meat completely raw and only mine was cooked. I was starting to get really concerned. Ita was totally behaving out of character and I started to think that maybe she needs to see someone.

Weeks passed since that day and I tried calling Ita every day. I wanted to ask her why she’s behaving so differently and encourage her to get some help. But she returned none of my calls.

Life went on like before – I continued to arrange flowers for an extra income and sold some things I knitted on Plopsy. But I continued to worry about Ita, so I got in my car and went to her place.

I knocked on her door. “Hey, old friend,” she greeted with a hug. “Please come in!” She was very friendly…a little too friendly. “Good Watcher, Ita…what is that godawful smell?!” I shouted when I was greeted by a horrible stench coming from her refrigerator.

“Oh, you remember that meat we ate the other day at the barbecue?” she asked. “It was too much to eat all by myself and the fridge stopped working.”

“You should’ve told me,” I replied. “I could’ve stored it in my fridge and invited some of my family over.” The men in my family were big meat eaters. “Promise me you’ll throw that out,” I said.

“Yes, I will do that right after you leave,” she replied. “Could you excuse me for a second?” she asked. “Sure,” I said and she went to the bathroom.

I was very curious about the contents in that fridge, so I decided to take a peek while she was gone. Nothing could prepare me for the horror I experienced when I saw what was inside.

Inside Ita’s fridge was the severed head of her deceased husband, as well as some limbs and human organs. I screamed like never before.

“What’s going on?!” she yelled as she stormed to the kitchen. “Please tell me I’m not seeing what I think I saw inside your fridge,” I said, my whole body shaking.

“Okay, I killed Chuck and ate his body,” she confessed. “Why…why would you do that?!” I cried. “Are you one of the infected? Some kind of zombie freak?! Answer me, Ita!”

“No,” she answered. “But I am the leader of a secret cannibal cult. You know…the lovely folks you met at the barbecue.”

“I knew there was something fishy about them!” I yelled. “Chuck was a such good man…why would you kill him?”

“He was, but he was a little boring for my taste,” she replied. “The taste of his flesh, however, was totally out of this world…”

“You’re sick!” I yelled. “Well, if I’m sick, then so are you,” she shrugs. “You also ate Chuck…remember the barbecue?”

I threw up right there. “You can’t deny that you loved the taste,” she says. “Join us and you’ll never look back.”

“I’m sorry, Ita,” I replied. “I’ll keep your secret, but I would never willingly consume human meat.”

“I understand,” Ita said and reached out for a hug. “Friends?”

“Friends,” I replied and hugged her, reaching for the knife inside my pocket.

I stabbed her in the back.

“I’m sorry, Ita,” I said. “But I can’t let you do this.” I then set her trailer alight and rushed home. I packed my things and left town, with no plans to ever return. The remaining cannibal cult members are still roaming around and I sincerely hope they get caught one day, but my part in this is over. It’s time to start a new page.

---

Author’s Notes:  Thanks for reading! This is my entry for the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme of this month is horror/suspense/thriller.

I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top choices in both categories. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Credits:

• Freak for a Friend by divanthesimmer
• I Ain’t Dead Yet Trailer (modified) by bethann420
• The Secret Society (modified) by divanthesimmer

A Fairy’s Tale

I always knew I was different. Back in elementary school, other kids would call me “Elf”, “Pointy Ears”, “Freak” and all sorts of names. I was told that I had an ear condition that made my ears look pointy and I was forced to wear a uniform to school, which made me an easy target to bully.

The insults got worse each year. I later started wearing my hair loose to try and cover my ears, but they were too long and still stuck out. I begged Mother to send me to a surgeon to have them fixed. She refused and said that there’s nothing wrong with me – I just had to ignore the other kids.

Then I started having dreams. I dreamt of a beautiful place with lots of trees and even a waterfall. It was magical. A place I’ve never seen before, yet it felt strangely familiar.

The next time I dreamt of a beautiful fairy queen wearing a sparkly silver dress, which matched her hair. She sang the most beautiful song – I wasn’t familiar with the language, but somehow I understood every word.

She urged me to seek out a certain tree, which would lead me to her. The tree was located in Willow Creek and would be easy to spot. It was huge and had strange things around its trunk, and there were red mushrooms at the bottom of the tree.

So I made my way there when my parents went away for work. They went away a lot and were very secretive about what exactly they did for a living, but I thought that it was none of my business, so I never asked. I found the tree, but I could’t find an entrance.

So I tried lots ridiculous things, like watering the tree, complimenting its leaves and talking to it about nature. I went there every week for the next four years, but still, there didn’t seem to be a way to enter the tree. I thought I was going mad – maybe my imagination was a bit too wild and none of this was real.

But one day, something told me to go back and try again. This time, a hole appeared in the tree and I entered. The trunk was a lot bigger than I anticipated. Everything was dark inside – a faint glow the only light, a rolling burble the only sound. I followed the sound and got distracted by an ethereal mist glowing ominously.

I entered the mist, which was warm and friendly. I suddenly felt the sensation of being spun around. I reached the Glade and spotted the fairy queen.

It was even more beautiful and magical in person. The fairy queen told me the truth – my real parents were fairies and the imposters who raised me murdered them, as well as most of faekind when I was an infant. The remaining fairies were captured and placed in orbs, to be used as spellcasters’ familiars.

She told me my “parents” were actually powerful sorcerers and keep the orbs containing the fairies in our attic. They also casted a spell on me, which took away my wings. It was up to me to save them and defeat the evil sorcerers.

The fairy queen trained me on how to wield magic and perform magic duels. It took a while, but I managed to win the duel. It was time to confront my parents.

I found Mother outside, looking completely different than the woman who raised me. I confronted her about what she did and challenged her to a duel.

I won the duel, which killed her. I felt bad that things have come to this, but she and Father had to be stopped.

I then challenged Father to a duel, who was enraged when he learnt that I killed his wife. He fought really hard and knocked me down several times.

But I couldn’t just give up, so I stood up and fought with every ounce of my being. I eventually defeated him and went to the attic, where I found the orbs.

I took them to the fairy queen, who freed the captured fairies. They flew around in joy and I envied them.

But then the fairy queen commended me on my bravery and blessed me with my own set of wings. I spread my wings and went up in the air, feeling like a bird learning how to fly and like I finally knew who I am.

Now, I watch over the forest of Glimmerbrook, keeping an eye out for lumberjacks and polluters. It’s good to finally feel like I have a purpose and a place I can belong to.

---

Author’s Notes:  Thanks for reading! This is my entry for the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme of this month is to write a fairy tale, since 26 February is Tell A Fairy Tale Day in America.

I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top choices in both categories. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

New Residents

I remember life before death. I used to be a world-renowned paranormal investigator in the late 1970’s. Yes, the one and only Claude René Duplantier Guidry. People worshiped me – they took my photos, asked for autographs and even made a painting of me. Years later, that same painting would become my permanent residence.

I had a girlfriend. Her name was Temperance. She couldn’t stand seeing me with anyone else, even when it was just a friend or acquaintance. She was really jealous and over-possessive, yelling at me every night I came home late and sometimes she got violent as well.

So I left her. Finally I was free. I could go out whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted, with whoever I wanted and I did. Every night, I had a different lover and half the time, I didn’t even know their names. I realized one thing – the monogamous life was not for me.

Temperance, however, was still obsessed with me and proceeded to follow me around wherever I went. I even got a restraining order against her, but she still managed to show up every now and then. Even in my last moments, after I was crushed in one of my lovers’ murphy bed, I saw her in the corner of my eye. Seeing me in someone else’s bed drove her over the wall. She had a cardiac explosion, which killed her moments after me.

The house I lived in was haunted. Nobody wanted to deal with the specters floating around the place, but I didn’t mind. Sure, the evil, vengeful spirits would keep coming back and they really got on my nerves, but the friendly, peaceful ones were delightful and always put a smile on my face. After my death, the house was abandoned for several decades – until the Rivers family finally bought the house and moved in.

They were happy-go-lucky Bohemian folks who seemingly didn’t mind living in a haunted house, except the daughter, Rain. There was something different about her. Unlike her parents, Rain was pale skinned, wore dark clothing and was sad all the time. I could sense that she was a medium, like me, and the spirits really brought her down. She wasn’t afraid of them – she just felt horrible about how they died and that they couldn’t go to rest in their afterlife and that she wasn’t able to give them that peace they desperately sought.

So I showed and introduced myself to her. I thought that maybe all she needed was a helping hand; a guide if you will. I helped her perform séances and showed her how to deal with the dead. Eventually she lightened up and we got to know each other better. When Rain was a toddler, she would tell her parents about “invisible” people who talked to her about their lives. No one believed her then and thought that she just had a wild imagination.

A few years later, she created a séance circle at school and people knew something was up. They called her a Satanist and she was expelled from the school. Her parents had to home-school her and she felt very alone. She was never truly alone and sometimes she had dead relatives who kept her company, but she missed having real human contact. She felt like an outcast and became completely miserable.

When she was nearly finished with high school, she and her parents moved to Willow Creek and she tried to fit into society again. But she was home-schooled most of her life, always stuck at home. It was hard to adapt, especially in a new town with strange faces. But she trusted me.

We started to form a romantic relationship after she graduated high school and later she became a freelance paranormal investigator. I didn’t join her on the job, but I was always anxiously waiting for her at home. We were very happy together, enjoying every moment in each other’s presence. Even her parents were happy that their daughter had someone special in her life.

But that happiness didn’t last long. One evening, Temperance showed up out of nowhere. She made the Rivers’ lives a living hell and it had a huge toll on our relationship. Eventually Rain couldn’t take it anymore and ended things with me. The family decided that it was best to move out and find a new place.

So now I’m all alone again, with my past haunting me every second in this gloomy mansion. At least until it gets a new owner.

---

Author’s Notes:  Thanks for reading! This is my entry for the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme of this month is “new beginnings”.

I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top three choices in the Veteran category. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Credits:

Households and builds:

Guidry Before His Death by me

Temperance by me

(Male) Bases w Paranormal CAS by lisabeesims

(Female) Bases w Paranormal CAS by lisabeesims

Tiny Living Micro Reno by lisabeesims

Duplantier Dwelling by Doctor Ashley (can be found in the game library if you purchased Paranormal Stuff)

Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge: October 2020 Theme

Everyone, please join this challenge! It’s so much fun and all the participants are incredibly supportive! ❤

lisabeesims

I am back from a 3 month unplanned hiatus and hopefully can get this challenge back underway.

I missed you all and I missed this challenge.

Just to get us all back into the swing of things, here is a link to the forum thread (we are a forum based challenge):

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/956705/monthly-simlit-short-story-challenge/p1?new=1

We have some of great social media already in place:

Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Monthly-SimLit-Short-Story-Challenge-421539258598605/

How many of you know we have a shiny new Discord?

TY DivantheSimmer .. he is our boss man there.

Here is a link (If it does not work let me know) https://discord.gg/uQKydQX

We have a Twitter (I am not sure, but I think Divan is doing this one too) https://twitter.com/MonthlySSSC

I would also love an Instagram presence or even a Tumbler – looking for volunteers!

Please note:

Part 1of this blog will present the upcoming monthly theme, banner links and…

View original post 212 more words

Kaylynn Wang: Super Sim

• Chapter 1: Kaylynn’s First Day in Willow Creek

Chapter 1: Kaylynn’s First Day in Willow Creek

Hello everyone! I’ve been suffering from writer’s block again (as I often do) and I’ve been busy mostly building and creating Sims, which you can all find on the Gallery (my ID is divanthesimmer). I realized that I’ve probably only played 10% of the game, so I decided to make a random Sim and do as much in the game as possible (complete all the aspirations, max their skills, try every career and so forth). I’ll write about her journey/progress, keeping the story very informal (might help making me feel less pressured to write). I’ll continue my other stories as well – I just need a breather from them every now and then.

This is Kaylynn Wang, my story created Sim (from answering some random questions to determine your Sim’s personality, career, skills and starting funds). I didn’t change her that much and really liked her look. Her traits are Good, Cat Lover and Glutton, which is kinda fitting when you think about it. I imagine she has a “zest for life” and wants to experience everything life has to offer. She’s a writer at Level 3 and has 3 points in Charisma and Mischief and 2 in Writing. I also cheated to give her the “Chopstick Savvy” trait – something I like doing for Asian Sims. She has standard starting funds.

This is her house, which I downloaded from the Gallery, built by zero_doll999. I thought it was very cute and fitting for a cat lady like Kaylynn. I keep thinking her name is Kathlynn for some reason.

It was a rainy Sunday morning, so I decided to let her read a book to pass the time.

Later the welcome wagon started and her neighbours, Travis Scott, Liberty Lee and Summer Holiday showed up. Summer brought a fruitcake.

“Hey,” Kaylynn greeted. “Nice of you all welcoming me to the neighbourhood on a rainy day like this. Please, come in!”

“I like your shoes,” Kaylynn said to Travis.

“Thanks,” Travis laughed. “I’ve had them for a few years now, but I never get tired of ’em.” Summer and Liberty looked out of the window to see if the rain has started to settle down. It didn’t.

“So, where are you originally from?” Travis asked.

“I was born in Shang Simla and lived there until I became a teen,” Kaylynn answered. “Then my parents moved to San Myshuno and we lived there until my parents passed away in a car crash recently. I decided I needed a change of scenery, so I moved here!”

“I’m sorry,” Travis said sympathetically. “You’ve seen a lot of the world, though, haven’t you? I’ve always wanted to see the Great Wall in Shang Simla!”

“I guess so,” Kaylynn replied. “It’s quite a sight, I can tell you that!”

“But the journey is exhausting,” Kaylynn continued. “After I reached the end of the Wall, I decided that that was the first and last time I’m ever going up there.”

Summer and Liberty had their own conservation.

“What about you?” Kaylynn asked Travis when Summer and Liberty went outside. “How did you three meet each other?”

“Oh, we met each other at college,” Travis replied. “After graduating, we all needed a place to stay, but couldn’t afford rent on our own, so we decided to move in together.”

“Travis, I think we can go home now.” Summer said. “The rain is a lot lighter and I wanna leave before it starts pouring again.”

“Sorry we didn’t really get to talk,” Liberty apologizes. Cats started entering the house from nowhere.

“I guess we’ll see you around!” Travis said. “Nice meeting you, Kaylynn!”

“Bye Kaylynn!” Summer and Liberty greeted simultaneously.

After the trio left, Kaylynn introduced herself to the cats who barged in. “Hey Kitty, I’m Kaylynn!” she said to Cleo, reaching out her hand. I don’t know why Catarina Lynx’s cats are walking around like strays in Willow Creek.

She then greeted Josie.

And finally Bartholomew A. Bittlebun, Sr., who actually belongs to the Delgato family in Brindleton Bay.

I wanted to see if she could adopt them and the game made it seem like she did, but they weren’t added to the household. My game might be bugged – likely due to a mod.

She also greeted Doc, who I didn’t see until then.

I had her fill the dish in the kitchen, since I didn’t know how often random cats would visit the house.

She gobbled up a piece of the fruitcake Summer brought earlier.

She has the Friends of the Animals aspiration and one of the tasks is to own a pet, so I had her browse the adoption agency. There were three kittens with adorable names I can’t remember now, so I had her adopt them.

While waiting for the social worker, she read a book to pass the time.

The kittens started showing up and she introduced herself to each of them, but a lot more cautiously than she did with the older cats.

The social worker, who’s a PlantSim (I have a few mods to improve them), showed up and I thought the adoption process was over, so I had her go to bed when she became tired.

No cats joined the household, so the social worker either decided Kaylynn was unfit to be a cat owner or I did something wrong.

Chapter 4: The Lowenstein Family

It’s been years since Elmer Lowenstein last went on holiday. He’s been saving up for the last few months and decided to browse the web, looking for travel destinations. “A trip to Granite Falls seems perfect,” he thinks.

At his retirement party, Elmer had a one-night stand with a younger woman. He hasn’t heard anything from her ever since, until recently when he received a letter stating that he’s the biological father of two twin boys. Their mother passed away, which means he is now their legal guardian as well.

At first, Elmer didn’t want anything to do with these boys, but he’s growing pretty close to them and at least he never had to change any diapers – it’s bad enough having to change his own. People often mistake him for their grandfather and burst out in laughter when he tells them that he’s actually their father. It annoys him, but he’s been in this world long enough to not let other’s opinions bother him.

Kyle is the younger of the twins, by twelve minutes. He’s the confident, self-assured one who protects his brother from bullies at school. A typical boy, he’s glad that he finally has a father he can call his own, like all the other kids. Still, he struggles to fit in because of his brother.

Jaden is the eldest of the twins; very squeamish and petrified of bugs and spiders. He also prefers to dress and behave like a girl, much to Elmer’s dismay. Elmer has taken Jaden to the pediatrician once, but was told to let Jaden dress like a girl and that it might just be a phase he’ll grow out of one day.

It’s a rainy day and the kids are on their way to school.

Neither of them want to go. Jaden is dressed in a pretty (and very feminine) black dress and classy flat shoes.

Elmer’s been thinking a lot about his mother today and mourns at her tombstone in the pouring rain. It’s been decades since she’s passed, but he still misses her. It feels like just yesterday that he was a boy, the same age as his sons, with his mother sending him off to school. He knows exactly how Kyle and Jaden must be feeling with their mother gone and sometimes he wonders if that’s the reason Jaden is the way he is.

Soaking wet, he eventually goes back inside and plays BlickBlock on his computer. “One’s never too old to play video games!” he thinks.

He then prepares some grilled cheese sandwiches for himself and sits down in the kitchen to eat. “I remember how Mother used to make these,” he thinks. “It just doesn’t taste the same.”

After eating, he puts his plate in the dishwasher and hears the boys coming home from school.

He grabs a glass of orange juice and joins them in the dining room, where they’re doing their homework.

“How was school?” he asks and sits down.

“Okay, I guess,” Kyle answers. “Some kids picked on Jaden again, asking him if that’s the dress he wore at Mother’s funeral. You know, the usual.”

“Perhaps I should go talk to those kids,” Elmer says and puts his glass down a little harder than he intended. “Or better yet, their poor excuses for parents!”

“It’s okay, Father,” Kyle says. “I taught them a lesson they won’t soon forget!”

Being elderly, Elmer became tired more frequently. The ottoman in the dining room is surprisingly comfortable and he often takes naps on it.

The kids often have to prepare their own dinner, since Elmer would likely be asleep. Jaden reheated some leftover chicken nuggets in the microwave.

Kyle decided to take a nap as well. It was an exhausting day at school.

Jaden doesn’t mind standing while eating his meal. In his mind, it made up for all the time  spent sitting down behind a desk in class.

He washes his plate afterwards, since the dishwasher’s full. He also grabs one of the cookies he baked during the weekend. He liked baking with his mother before she passed.

While the ottoman is comfy, it often leaves Elmer with a very stiff neck. “Guess it’s time to get into an actual bed,” he thinks and smiles.

Kyle changes into his pajamas and gets into his bed. He likes the outdoors and all the things boys like – sports, cars, girls and dinosaurs. He wishes his brother shared at least some of his interests. Then he’d have an actual friend; someone he could relate to. Now, all he has is an elderly father he barely knows and a brother who dresses and behaves like a real girl. No one at school wants to be his friend, because of his “weird” brother.

Jaden also went to bed. When the boys moved in, Jaden insisted on his own room and that it should be decorated in pink colours, complete with a big unicorn bear, a walk-in closet and a dollhouse every little girl could only dream of. In Jaden’s mind, he’s a girl. A girl trapped inside the body of a boy.

Elmer finally goes to bed after booking that trip to Granite Falls. He’s looking forward to it – it might be their last vacation after all.

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Author’s Notes: Thank you for reading. This chapter featured VanPelt81‘s submitted family, the Lowensteins. Nothing much happened in-game and I had lots of bugs playing them, including Jaden nearly drowning in the pool during a thunderstorm (he wouldn’t get out)! Luckily they had a very interesting backstory (as all VanPelt81’s Sims usually do), so I had enough to write about. The original lot included a Sim’s gravestone and I completely forgot about it (until Elmer mourned at it), so I pretended that his mother was buried there and that he mourned for her.

Credits:

• Lowenstein by vanpelt81
• The family’ home was originally created by lilsimsie for the SimsieSave, in which I’m playing. I only modified Jaden’s room and added more kitchen appliances.
• The Tiny Twavellers CC pack by Harrie and Felixandre. The dollhouse and rug in Jaden’s bedroom is from the pack.

Chapter 3: The Hayes Family

After doing her homework with her twin brother, Louie, Leah Hayes sits down in the living area of her family’s apartment in the Arts Quarter of San Myshuno to watch some television.

“Mom!” Louie calls. “There’s a monster under my bed!”

“Calm down, sweetie,” Saoirse says and hugs her son. “I’ll go check in a bit.”

First, she greets her husband, Connor, who just returned from work, with a kiss on the cheek. Connor is a painter and art has always been his biggest passion.

That and photography. Saoirse shares the same interests and works as a freelance photographer.

“Allright, let’s see this monster!” Saoirse says.

“Hmm,” Louie thinks. “It must be hiding. I think it knew you’re coming!”

“Maybe it left,” Saoirse says.

“No!” Louie cries. “It’s definitely still there! Please Mom, please spray it away!”

“Allright, where are you, monster?” Saoirse asks with the spray bottle in hand. “There you are!”

She sprays the monster. “Begone, vile creature!” she exclaims. “No monster shall enter this house, er apartment, ever again!”

“Feels pretty awesome to have Superwoman as your mom,” Louie thinks.

“What are you watching?” Saiorse asks Leah.

“Just a kids’ show,” Leah replies. “It’s pretty good, though.”

Louie joins them. “Whew,” he says and holds his chest. “Almost missed the show!”

“Where’s he been?” Leah asks. “Still cared of the “monster” under his bed?”

“Yeah,” Saiorse replies. “I sprayed it back to Oblivion, though.”

Leah claps her hands at the show she’s watching.

“How many times do I have to tell you that monster is real?” Louie asks, annoyed at his sister. “Mom saw it. Tell her, Mom!”

Connor joins everyone and sits next to his wife.

“Oh, I saw it allright!” Saiorse exclaims. “It had big, green tendrils and glowing red eyes! Scariest creature I ever did see!”

“Why didn’t you ask me to spray the monster?” Connor asks.

“You weren’t here,” Louie replies. “Mom always is, though.”

“But you’re still cool!” he exclaims. “As cool as a sidekick can be, that is!”

Saiorse starts preparing dinner.

Cooking is another activity she really enjoys. She decides to make Spaghetti Bolognaise.

“Come one, come all!” Saiorse calls. “Dinner is served!”

The family sits down at the dinner table. Louie, however, is missing in action.

He decided to take a nap.

“Where’s Louie?” Connor asks angrily.

“In our room, sleeping,” Leah replies. “I don’t know what’s going through his mind these days!”

“My neck is so stiff,” Saiorse complains and holds her neck.

“You prepare a delicious meal, kill monsters and that’s the thanks you get!” Saiorse yells and slams the fridge after putting away the leftovers. Leah helps with the dishes to help tame her mother’s anger.

“Thank you, Mom,” Leah says while washing the dishes. “It was lovely.”

She gets no reply, however.

Saiorse decides to lie down. It’s been an exhausting day at work.

Connor stays in his chair and watches television.

“I need to have a talk with that boy,” Connor grumbles.

Leah decides to join her father. They enjoy watching cartoons together.

“You’re a milk-drinker!” Leah yells. “You hear me, Louie?!”

“You look so pretty,” Louie says to Leah sarcastically. “Not at all gross, today.”

“You bring everyone so much joy,” Leah replies. “When you leave the room.”

Leah decides to take a nap this time.

So does Connor.

“Cereal for dinner is the best,” Louie thinks as he eats a bowl of cereal while everyone’s asleep.

“Much better than spaghetti.”

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Author’s Notes: Thank you for reading. This chapter featured the Hayes family by Simslover163, Watching them in-game was quite amusing. In reality, everyone was just tense from the thunderstorm, but I decided to be creative with the story. Hope you enjoyed.

Credits: