Winterfest was wonderfully sunny. Snow still covered the ground and the wind stung but we were able to get some family photos outside. Rina, Ren, Apollo and Jenny had travelled to be with Rina’s parents for the holiday day so it was mostly our own family for the morning.
Once Art’s mom and my great Uncle Caden arrived though we all went to the complex where Dorian and the rest of the carnival folk spent the winter. It was a massive party and I did find myself wishing there was a place I could escape to. As if by magic Elric, Dorian’s younger brother, came over to me and volunteered to take me up to where they had their telescopes. With the clarity of the sky the stars were indeed brightly shining and I could sit alone appreciating it.
I haven't been posting much because for the past week or so, I've been dealing with this weird mix of chest pain and then some sudden fatigue and dizziness. I even went to the ER just to be safe, but thankfully the scans and x rays came back normal enough, so now I'm just trying to figure things out with my doctor to find out where this fatigue is coming from. It's a bit unnerving to not know exactly what the cause is, but I'm so thankful to have my friends and family's support during this weird time. 💛 (And also here's a cute photo of Ollie).
Underneath all of the hardships and/or trauma, you have such a beautiful and gentle soul, which I hope you'll never lose.
So shine bright and keep your head up, my friend, so you can see the sea of other beautiful souls too. We're here to help you.
Just A Little Robbery, That's All (And Dinosaurs Bones!)
Good news, we still have the dog named Cain
Damn, ladies! Fighting over I don't even remember what.
Lenny has something up his sleeve... A stagecoach robbery, Arthur's favorite.
And Arthur wants in on it.
Lenny I literally learned you were like 20 in this mission, yes you do.
Lenny listen to directions!! I said not yet!!
Oop- It was a set up...
Thank you for not dying, Lenny. I would've died myself. Didn't really come out with much money. Be careful where you're scoping out jobs, Lenny! Make sure they aren't set ups.
More stagecoach robbery!
On my way to the hideout to wait for this wagon that was carrying fragilel, valuable goods, Lemoyne Raiders ran up on me. Gosh, I hate this gang. (also I know it looks like I was aiming directly at the horse, the horse was unharmed! do not fear)
I was so distracted when the coach came along because of this lighting storm, especially considering a tree got struck right next to me. But we made it! Got the goods.
Here you go, sir.
I've been here before but I had to come back becauseeee
There's a dinosaur bone in here!
Omg its you again! It's been awhile.
I looked up a map for all the dinosaur bones and the area I was in happened to of had quite a few nearby, so I went ahead and crossed off three more bones off the collection list!
I've marked some of the others on the map so we can cross them off when in the area. Or one of these days I'll just take Arthur around the map and go and get these ones. There's a bunch in the other half of the map that the story hasn't quite unlocked yet.
Depending on your sim's mood, the sleep pose could change from arm under pillow (Happy, Embarrassed, Sad, Shy, Silly, Bored, Depressed) to arms stretched out (Passionate, Dazed, Furious, Flirty, Angry) They can do the same sleep pose if their moods are similar.
DO NOT use this if your sim uses those beds where the blanket doesn't cover your sim. You will be horrified.
Sleeping Animation by Zlostudio: Sleeping Pack
Arm Under Pillow Pose by @herecirmsims: Sleeping Ugly Pose Pack
✨Pillow Talk Override ✨
I really liked this kiss animation by Igor_Santos_Adonai, so cozy after a steamy night. And also Cuddles On The Couch By d'Violet, cute and comforting after giving up the goods.
*Its not perfect but I tried my best with overriding this*😭 (Vid shows both animations)
🚨Take out any other pillow talk mod mod you have if you wish to see theses animations🚨
Sims In Bloom: Generation 3 Pt. 46 (The Writing On the Wall)
Lavender's trip to Tomarang continued as the weeks grew warmer, and Violet's hours with her academic program grew longer. Lavender found herself spending a lot more time alone than she expected, but it couldn't stop her from exploring as much as she could.
She and Violet did make it out to the Sulea Tiger Sanctuary, but the tigers stayed hidden from view for most of their stroll through the jungle park.
"My mom's old vet students, Andre and Karla, are supposed to come take over this place, but it's probably not so easy securing the necessary permits from Nevada."
"I've heard time moves at its own pace in Nevada," Violet mused. "Kinda like here in Tomarang!"
By the time they left the sanctuary, Lavender fixed her disappointment by 'adopting' a tiger and joining the Cub Club.
The sanctuary might not have been Andre and Karla's yet, and she might not have seen any tigers, but she came from an animal-loving family and wouldn't think of leaving without a donation.
The girls settled into something resembling domesticity, even though they both knew these living arrangements were temporary.
Lavender was still getting used to the squat toilet in the bathroom - she always forgot not to wear her socks in there first thing in the morning! But she liked getting up early to make them breakfast before Violet left for her program, and the girls would sit at the kitchen table to talk about their plans for the day.
Today was the hottest yet. "While you sweat it out in a classroom for your program, I'm heading to the beach covered in SPF 90."
"I'll text you when class is done and come find you," said Violet. "Stay hydrated."
Lavender grew up in frigid Brindleton Bay, and the Tomarang sunshine was really something else. She knew better than to mess with the heat, and she loaded herself down with two litres of water before trekking out to one of the public beaches in Koh Sahpa.
Lavender beat the heat by swimming laps in the turquoise blue bay. The water in Brindleton Bay was never this clear, and she knew the water in Evergreen Harbour wasn't great for swimming, either.
It wasn't just the heat that drove her into the water for a swim, but the novelty, and she was taking another dip when Violet found her from the shore. She grinned and swam forward, greeting her girlfriend with a kiss as the sun dried her skin almost instantly.
"How was your day?"
"Good! I'm glad they let us out early because of the heat. I saw Vanesha at the apartment when I went to get my suit, and I told her to bring her sister out to join us."
"You did?"
"Yeah, it's hot out and the fans are only so good."
"The fans in her apartment are a lot better."
"Not that good...why are you being weird about Vanesha and Zhafira? You said they're cool!"
"They are! But they're around a lot. I found a really quit beach because I thought we'd get to be on it just the two of us."
"Well, you didn't say that."
"Like you won't say that you secretly want to stay in Tomarang?"
Violet reeled. "What are you talking about? Is this just because you're jealous of Vanesha for no reason? It's easy to tell, Lavender."
"I'm jealous of Vanesha because she sees you every day and I'm only here for six weeks! Six weeks that are almost over, by the way. Don't change the subject."
"From what?"
"From the fact that you keep buying things for your apartment as if you're never going to leave, and every time I bring up Evergreen Harbour, you change the subject."
"Because you keep talking about your new home...that you bought without even asking if I wanted to live in a bunch of shipping containers covered in fake grass! Are you even listening? Did you clean up the beach before I got here?"
"I..." Lavender stashed her bag of trash and focused on their conversation. "Do your parents even know you don't want to come home?"
"I didn't say I didn't. I haven't decided anything yet, Lava. I'm trying to get through the program before I make any life changing decisions. But I wasn't going to do anything without talking to you first."
"It's not like I'd force you to move there. I'd keep doing long distance."
"For how long?"
"Long enough. Longer than we've already done it, because I love you."
"I love you, too, Lava...do you mind if I take a rain check on the beach? It's too hot, and I'm not feeling great all of a sudden."
"Let's head back," Lavender said easily, and Violet smiled.
"Do you mind if I spend the evening alone? I'll find you later, I promise."
Lavender felt Violet's words like a punch to her gut. She knew the girls had been grating on each other a little in their small apartment, and their fight on the beach revealed it had to do with a lot more than just the heat.
So Lavender stayed by the shore and Violet headed back to Morensong by herself. Wandering the Night Market, she ran into Vanesha, but she felt too guilty over Lavender's jealous feelings to chat with her for long.
"I did want to tell you that Zhafira told me you want to be a DJ, and I think that's so cool. If I become an event planner, I'd book you for the entertainment all over the world."
Vanesha laughed. "If Zhafira ever figures out how to fix the electrical, I might think of leaving her alone in the apartment so I can travel around. Until then, I'm not interested in burning the place down."
The girls shared a smile as Vanesha realized she was alone. "Where's Lavender tonight?"
"Oh, she was at the beach, but it was too hot for me. She should probably be back pretty soon from Koh Sahpa."
The women parted ways and Violet texted Lavender, who was hanging out in a park not far from the house. I found some chalk and a hopscotch court, she wrote.
Violet found her and offered her a hug. "I'm sorry about earlier. I do think about staying in Tomarang sometimes, but I don't want to fight."
"I don't want to fight, either. Let's go home."
They made their way back home, but Violet's next day off was grey and rainy. It was welcome after sweltering heat in the days before, but it put a dampener on their plans to bask in nature at the national park.
With umbrellas in hand, they made their way out, anyway, before parking themselves on a bench under a wooden gazebo with views of lush, manicured gardens leading out to the bay.
They sat in silence for a while, until Violet slowly broke the peaceful sound of nothing but rain against the roof of the gazebo.
"I wanted to talk about yesterday..."
Lavender breathed a sigh of relief. "Me too, and I was thinking, I wasn't thinking about how much you love Tomarang when I found my new place in Evergreen Harbour, but I could run LavaKnits from out here. We could look for a bigger place with room for me to work, and it probably won't take me too long to sell the place I bought. It had been on the market for a while when I got it, but someone out there must think it's a cool place to live just like I did. But you mean enough to me-"
"Lavender, I...I think we should break up."
Violet's words fell heavy against her, sinking into Lavender's skin and clawing at her heart. "You...what?"
"I think I do want to stay in Tomarang after my program is done. You were right that I was thinking about it and didn't say anything. I haven't even talked about it with my parents because I thought I could just make up my mind when I was done. It's a big decision and I wanted to be really sure, but I wasn't being fair to you, either. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? I just said I wanted to move here to be with you."
"You want to move here because you're jealous of Vanesha."
"And you breaking up with me doesn't make me feel like I have no reason to be jealous of her, for the record."
"It's not about Vanesha!" she insisted. "Lavender, I love you. I love you even though we're headed in different directions. But if there was a way for us to want such different things in the same place, maybe we wouldn't be fighting against even having this conversation."
"I don't want to fight with you, Violet. I don't want to lose you."
On the verge of tears, Violet shook her head. "I don't want to lose you, either, Lava. But we...we probably shouldn't talk for a while. I'll finish my program and let you get situated, and then maybe we can see where we are and how we feel."
Lavender felt as though part of her had been sucked into a black hole, with an endless expanse of nothingness slowly filling the empty space. "Yeah, maybe...What now?"
"Are you going to be okay to get back to the house if I go meet some friends from my program? I don't know if you want to look into changing your flight home or not, and Vanesha says you can stay on her couch for a few days if flights are too expensive."
Lavender grimaced. "You told Vanesha you were going to break up with me?"
"Lav...she's my friend. Do you think I wasn't a little bit jealous when you and Brea got matching tattoos without me? We used to be like the Three Musketeers. But I didn't make a big deal about it because it's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal if you felt left out, and I would've included you if I knew it mattered to you even a little bit!"
"Lavender, I'm sorry. I have to go meet my friends."
"Yeah, I'm sorry, too. Tell Vanesha thanks, but no thanks; I'll find a hotel if I can't change my flights, but it won't take me long to pack up and be out of your apartment."
Violet nodded solemnly as Lavender stood from the bench. It was raining harder now than when they arrived, and she buried herself, and her tears, beneath her appropriately black umbrella. ->
<- Previous Chapter | Gen 3 Start
Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary
Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary | Gen 2.2 Summary | Gen 2 Finale
NOTE: The writing really has been on the wall for this one for a while, but I wasn't trying to blindside anyone with their breakup. Violet's Child of the Village trait means she's unhappy whenever she's not in Tomarang. If there's a path back together for them in the future, it still felt realistic that their very young relationship (with so, so many communication errors on both sides), wouldn't survive this trip.
But a lot of high school sweethearts break up and get back together for good, so we'll have to see whether some time and distance can bring them to a good place again.
After school, Raine finds a post-it note stuck to her locker. The familiar handwriting tells her to make her way to the music room. Raine had a suspicion that this moment was coming, so she stayed on her best behaviour in classes. She couldn’t get an afterschool detention and leave Tea hanging!
Raine tugs the post-it note off of her locker and tucks it into her inventory. It’s a cute keepsake she doesn’t want to lose! She follows the instructions and heads to the music room. As she pushes the door open, the sound of a marvellous melody fills the corridor.
Tea peers over her shoulder with a dramatic flick of her hair as she plays the most beautiful tune. Raine hasn’t heard it before! Knowing her crush, she’s probably written a whole song for her!
Raine pulls out her phone and turns on the flash as Tea starts to sing. She’s got a lovely singing voice that only Raine gets the privilege of hearing. Once Tea gets to the second chorus, Raine’s heard enough of the lyrics to sing along with her.
Tea knows she will never forget this moment. She notices that Raine clutches the post-it note that Tea left on her locker. She sways to the music, holding her phone high with her other hand. Her gorgeous singing voice harmonises perfectly with Tea’s. Raine’s a very talented vocalist. It’s no surprise that she picks up on Tea’s self-composed lyrics with ease.
The promposal is going perfectly so far! Tea finishes her song with a jazzy drag of her fingers across all the keys. She spins around and locks gazes with Raine. Her crush’s knowing smile makes Tea amused and anxious all at once!
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