silvereriena | The Picklesworth Legacy 6.1 (Reply)

By Jove, this family's getting huge.

So Catalina is back home and ready to put the rodeo world champion to shame. Except that this is not Catalina, it is a hardworking Sim City employee, here to deliver us the souvenir goods.

Catalina: D'awww... These are so cute!

I knooow! I was flashin' cameras left and right on your Twikii vacation, all in the hopes of getting a spankin' cowhide-covered photo album. The Picklesworths are professional tourists, thank you. They've littered cultural ruins and scared off the local fauna.

HOLD THE FFFFFFF—
Who are these people? This isn't Twikii Island. HAVE THEY GIVEN US THE WRONG ALBUM!?
Well, I was ruffling my own metaphorical feathers for a bit because this was my first time ordering an album. Didn't realize there'd be a pop-up showing the actual photos, so I just stared at those two Brokeback Mountain cosplayers for a while going "Hrrrmphhh".

It's just family reading time in the house! Amos is entranced by How To Nab A Level 7 Mechanical Point, Vol. 12 but Helene is more into the Jaws-like shredding of bodices. AND WHAT A STEAMY SENTENCE SHE MUST BE READING AOOOOGAH
I'll stop now

Well it's not all fond reminiscing while staring at pictures of complete strangers in this house. We are on a mission... to fertilize! So I had Catalina call up Cesar the mailman, who had better deliver hohohohoho pleasedon'tkillme.

Cesar asked if he could bring a friend and I was all up for it, hoping for a guy Catalina hadn't met yet. Alas, 'twas a lady (and she was mightily unimpressed or perhaps just lazy-eyed). But Cesar was very :D about the whole excursion so that's all that I was banking for.

Ladyfriend is very, VERY unimpressed by the courtship rituals of the romantically inclined Sim and would much prefer gazing at the vast expanse of future property lots that have yet to be built upon (I AM GETTING TO IT I SWEAR).

All it took was one hug and then they headed straight for the bedroom. Cesar, ever the dedicated postal worker, did not remove his mail bag from his person. This man puts Newman to SHAME.

Helene: I AM HEARING THE MOST UNSEEMLY THINGS COMING FROM MY PARENTS' OLD ROOM O____O

That is because it's Catalina's room now. Cash that into your nightmare bank, why don't you? Hehehe.

Amos spits in the face of timing and propriety. As if a little thing like his children's coital activities is going to stop him putting that helmet down in his proper place. A man of conviction, he is!
Also, Cesar somehow counts as Catalina's 10th woohoo. When she was in college, she didn't get a "woohooed with service Sim" memory with him, only a regular woohoo memory. But after this one, it just popped up and it fulfilled her "Woohoo 10 Sims" wants I had locked. I think I may have just accidentally found a loophole. OH ME OH MY I FEEL CHEEKY

Catalina: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET A LITTLE PRIVACY IN THIS PLACE

You forfeited that right the moment your ancestor signed on to be in a legacy. Them's the breaks, kiddo!

Hugh! How's it going in the spiritual hood, buddy? :D

Hugh: Father is insufferable! He does not understand that I need my artistic space! I can't attend every zombie luau ever! And my son has become a fire-dancing hooligan!

Man, Sim Heaven sounds awesome.

I do believe Cesar's helped you bake a nice little loaf or two! (Please not three)

I think Catalina's reputation is spreading around. Either that or she's put up flyers asking for willing men while I'm not looking because she keeps getting calls from guys she's never met.
And you bet your sweet begonias she calls them back to get those relationship bars up and revving hon hon hon.

Catalina: PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR IF YOU JUST DON'T CARE

I care about your magically changing hairdo. WHAT IS THIS. IS IMPENDING MOTHERHOOD MAKING YOUR FOLLICLES REBEL WHAT

The baby boom happened mere seconds before her carpool arrived. Whatever, art forging can't be too stressful, right? Right?
Oh come on, we're teaching the kid early to be dedicated to your job, legality be damned! :D

IMPENDING AVALANCHE AHOY? Not likely; the lucky buggers never have to worry about getting snowed into their own domain. My belief can only be suspended so far, EAxis!

The footfall of snow at the entrance ~magically disappears~ when family members arrive. Who what when where how why? *Eyes Lalita suspiciously* Alien workings, methinks.

The Picklesworths are a colourful bunch, aaaall across the spectrum. They're not just here to pose stoically of course, they've all come to celebrate the birthday of our loveable grump Helene.

To my right: tooting party horns of paper and whooping with the joy of a thousand happy campers... The enthusiaaaaaassssstssss!

To my left: Standing around, possibly with minds adrift in another plane and overwhelmingly in the senior citizen majority... The people who DGAAAAAAAAFFFFFFF

The dining room is honestly not that small, but it still took a long time for everyone to stop walking into each other but I never planned to try and cram a clan of seventeen (SWEET SPAGHETTI-OS, SEVENTEEN) in there.
Not that Helene gives a fig, she is uplifted by the impending indulging of cake!

Everybody: WOOOOOH HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAY
Celeste: *Appalled by all the hooliganism*

Twirl baby, twirl!

Still gorgeous? YES CAPTAIN, YES I DO BELIEVE SHE IS.

David: GRRRRR

Methinks someone is not looking forward to his own impending elderfication.

And while Helene runs off to do a wardrobe change, the rest of the family catches up with each other and force me to reign in my picture taking urges, despite the 8D that my face was the entire time. Adoration of family reunions? Moi?
I REGRET NOTHING

Mario: Honestly, I'm tired of all the snow that we've been having lately. It's making it difficult to go to work.
Naomi: SHUT UP WINTER IS BEST SEASON LALALALALA

Naomi does not take kindly to differing opinions. She'll go rant about it on her blog later.

All of this inter-generational bonding just warms the cockles of my heart. I like to think Gareth is imparting spare life wisdom to Diana. :)

Amos: WHAT. NO ONE SAID IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY AS WELL

Don't fight it, Amos! Let those bones creak! Let that hair silver! You'll totally be a distinguished grandpa!

Amos: HA! Not if I dye my hair. Look who's still young, baby!

I am disappoint, Amos. Also highly amused, but I shake my finger at you.

Amos: Guys! I don't look silly with dyed hair, right? Right?
Genevieve + Mario: *Shuffle awkwardly*

Genevieve: It's nice to see you full of wrinkles while I'm still fresh and youthful.

I don't even need to describe Helene's face, do I? xD

When I say this is a family reunion, I mean a COMPLETE family reunion. As if a little thing like incorporeality is going to stop Hugh from popping in to say hello.

A pleasant time for folks and ghosts alike! Unless the ghosts were scaring the folks, they might not have been so happy about that.

John-Bob: It's so nice to have all the family together for a bit. :D

Nice as it is, it'd be better if y'all didn't make them paint the floor in yellow (although I don't have that hack, so blue urine it is!)

SOMEONE didn't hear my warning just now! Not that Tiffany ever listened to me even in life. Sorry Rue, I'm afraid you were cornered with no way out this time.

With all of the guests gone, Helene and a newly silver-haired Amos have some well-deserved alone time. You know those 50+ year-old models who are all so ridiculously good-looking that you hope to age that well yourself? I feel like they are the equivalent of that in the Sim world.

Must you really break the nice atmosphere right now? :T

Burglar: Crime has no set time, ma'am.

Burglar: Mwahahaha. This child's bedroom is the perfect place to search for valuables!

Dario would have words with you if he were here but since he is not, the shrill alarm sound will suffice.

Officer! Letting the thief catch you from behind? The police force in the Sims needs to seriously re-evaluate its training standards. :T

Well, it's the end result that counts I suppose. THE HOUSE REMAINS UNPLUNDERED FOR ANOTHER DAY.

Amos sleeps on his bedroom bench in protest. I'm not sure what he means to achieve from this, but more power to ya?

Catalina: Is it safe to go back inside yet?

Nice to see your casual attitude to your unborn's possible reactions to frozen temperatures. A nice snow pedicure doesn't happen every day, I guess.

Criminal: This is a sad turn of events. :(

Don't fret. You'll be back and raiding in no time! Prison sentences in this game are more fragile than glass, I swear.

One of the guys who keeps calling up Catalina has finally popped by the house for a visit.

Catalina: You wanna hang loooose? No really, I need you to hang loose in my bedroom right now

The fabled Mr. Mickles is going to help us win this one over! I don't want to use him too often because I learned the hard way that overuse leads to consequences. But as Catalina is pregnant and cranky (although she is having one of the smoothest pregnancies I've ever had in my game), I figured I'd make an exception this time.

Catalina: OK, so how does this work? Do I rub your pins or something?
Ben: *MAGICKED*

Ben: VISIONS OF CATALINA ARE DANCING BEFORE MY EYES <3
Catalina: Best souvenir eveerrrr

I think we all know what comes next.

ICE CREAM PARTAAA– Oh, well that works too. 11/20!

The mailman who comes to the house is not Cesar and has not been in a Catalina encounter yet. Hmmm... *Rubs hands gleefully*

Soon.

Sometimes one must put aside one's preferences for the good of the guild. ONWARD, LANCELOT

Who knew poking pixel people with pixel swords could be so lucrative?

Amos may be a master in the virtual world, but the spiritual plane is still giving him some trouble.

Amos: I can't handle this anymore.

Your Knowledge Sim positive memory tells me otherwise.

THE HEAVILY EXPECTANT ARE OFF LIMITS JOHN-BOB. I don't know why all of the ghosts are oot and aboot tonight. Is Heaven's Lounge closed for renovations?

Amos is living the dream of every Knowledge Sim. Scyfy, you need to knock Ghost Hunters off your airspace and give this man his own show.

It's all so thrilling it's practically heart-stopping!

Amos: I think my heart has actually stopped.

Told you! A temporary beat skip in light of all of this spiritual excitement!

Amos: No, I mean I can't feel my pulse.

Death: Like a bowl of mac n' cheese, in a way. This should become one of those iconic pictures that will grace many a college dorm wall for years to come.

Luckily, Helene had finished her own bowl of delicious cheesy pasta goodness just in time to beg the great lord o' death himself. Groveling might not be her strong suit but she gets the job done.

Helene: This looks like it'd be rigged.

Helene: VICTORRRYYYYYYYYYYY

Have a fantastic bird's eye view shot as celebration!

And with a newly revived and jubilant Amos punching the air in delight, all is well in the house.

Of course, that didn't stop the ghosts one jot. In fact, it only seemed to encourage them further. Poor Helene wanted to get some cookies from the fridge but instead got a faceful of transparent Grandpa.

And then her dad decided to pop in as well.

Helene: If I close my eyes, they'll go away!

Amos' brief brush with death must have altered his sharpness of mind somewhat because Catalina tricked him twice during this game. Then again, she had a lot of practice tricking her big brother. xD

We interrupt lunch to bring you: incoming Generation 6! EEEEEEEEEH

It's a... floor baby. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.

But let's take a closer look at said floor baby first. Say hello to baby boy Andreas! He's got his daddy Cesar's pale skin, black hair like his mother, and the dark blue eyes that both of his parents have and seems to be invading this family.

And his twin brother James has the exact same colouring! Thankfully, Catalina has other prospective baby-daddies on the line to add more variety this generation.

Catalina: Alright, you boys sit tight while Mommy calls more of her NPC friends.

And so, mere minutes after giving birth, Catalina calls up Scott the sweet waiter for some immediate fertilization while Helene is relegated to newborn caregiver in the background. Will this be a running theme? Who knows. On the bright side, her sons' births wasn't a negative memory. It's all up in the air!

And thanks to