Monthly Round-Up: February

February 28, 2022 / livinasimminlife / 3 Comments

Hello Simming friends and readers, I haven’t done too much this month. It’s been a bit of a lull in content and engagement in the community, mostly due to the fact that I’ve had major anxiety. I also had two colds in this relatively short month, and we had a gas leak scare. Everyone is okay (including kitties).

Posted my conclusion to the Prologue for Stardew Remixed (the last Life Before Farmer post). I particularly love the screenshots in this chapter and the water. Water is just lovely. This was a hard section to conclude, mostly because I grew very attached to all the generations prior (James Owen Jackson and his wife, Joanna, their daughter, Daniela and her husband, Matteo, the lighthouse keeper, (and Honey, a later addition to the family, and of course, Jade, who will be the protagonist and her love, Cash). We will see lots more of Jade.

Posted Sims renditions of Stardew Valley characters on Tumblr (and some added by the Stardew Valley Expanded mod by Flashshifter). Suki is my latest creation, a lovely gypsy woman who runs a traveling cart in the Cindersap Forest, and opens for business on Fridays and Sundays. She has a loveable pet pig (whom I downloaded from the Gallery because it was the closest dog-to-a-pig conversion I could find). Suki has a mysterious past and smuggles items to buyers in Stardew Valley and beyond.

There’s Sandy, the lovely desert proprietress, who strikes me as a strong independent woman living among the shifting sands, carving out a piece of land and business for herself. Sandy was tricky to create in the Sims, mostly because I just couldn’t find a good outfit for her. I like the Stardew Valley Expanded version of her the best so I tried to mimic that look for her general appearance.

She rents to Mr. Qi, a mysterious and snazzy (alien) man, who sets up an off-the-books casino in the back room complete with a Bouncer. I am most proud of Mr. Qi’s makeover. The bedazzled gambler and minor crime boss has his own code of ethics. He looks out for Sandy and sends his Bouncer to deal with unruly customers and the worst sort of person – thieves. I named the Bouncer – Two Dice Bounce. Of course, that isn’t his real name. No one knows his real name. Despite his handsome face, Two Dice is a hardliner and can be mean to those who don’t pay their debts.

Finally, Krobus is a loveable ghost of a person, and in my Simworld, a Shade. The Shades are benevolent ghostly figures stuck between worlds. He is very shy and has severe social anxiety, but he likes to observe the humanoids and capture all their secrets on his anonymous blog under the handle- shadowmanwrites.

I plopped Sandy, Mr. Qi, Krobus, and Two Dice in a caravan lot in the Calico Desert a.k.a. Oasis Springs. They also have an underground pool (and a cavern that I can’t wait for my Player to explore). Suki lives in the Cindersap Forest a.k.a. Glimmerbrook with her pet pig. Catch all my makeovers on Tumblr – Sandy, Two Dice, Mr. Qi, Krobus, and Suki.

I’m kicking myself because I did a massive CC purge and I lost almost all the Sebastian mods. However, here is the latest version of Sebastian, and in my mind, the best one yet!

That’s all for now folks. A short update for a short month!

Monthly Round-up: January 2022

January 27, 2022January 26, 2022 / livinasimminlife / 11 Comments

Hello everyone, I’m going to start writing these “Monthly Round-ups” to let you know where I’m at on my projects/story schedule, share posts you might have missed, random musings, plans for the future, and stories I’m reading. I figured this would be a good way to keep you informed and engaged and allow me a place to share my thoughts, ideas, inspirations, and musings.

Worldbuilding

On this site I have a collection of new “pages” with more lore and worldbuilding – if this is your jam. Here are posts/pages added thsi month.

So You’re an Enchanter – is a quick snapshot of the culture and life of enchanters (a.ka. witches, but they hate that term and prefer to think of themselves as the superior spellcasters)

The Xekzoi, the feared green-skinned aliens and an in depth look at their origins, history, biology, and culture

Oceans and Waterways – really just a place for me to keep track of the names of the oceans and prominent seas, bays, lakes, and rivers on Simterra, but feel free to take a gander if it interests you (P.S. The Gem Sea is on the northeastern most coast of Simterra – top right hand corner)

Four Corners – a Sim Nation state in the north central Sim Nation, bordering two Sim Nation states and two Cascadian provinces. Why Four Corners? Because I had the content ready so why not?

The Oceanic Confederation – politics – if this interests you – this is a worldwide alliance of island nations on Simterra and how they operate and what countries/cultures influenced their founding

Religion – the world’s religions, some of which are supernatural. This will most likely be an ongoing project. It started and was inspired by The Sims Medieval’s Jacobans and Peterans and grew to reflect a more diverse world.

Stories

This is an area where I feel I am woefully behind. I really wish I could keep up with the vast amount of ideas and make regular story updates for all my tales, but my family, work, and other priorities prevent regular updates. I’ve learned that I write on a whim, and that I’m not exactly great at sticking to schedules. Take it or leave it. It’s who I am.

Throw Caution to the Whim – my latest endeavor and attempt at a WHIMs based challenge for Sims 4. Thus far, I’m days into gameplay and fascinated by my character, Azure Holliday, and her escapades. The whims challenge is forcing me to explore different aspects of gameplay and play in a way I would never have before. Don’t miss my intro post, the rules, and my mod recommendations.

Stardew Remixed has been my passion project for the last couple months. I’ve had so much fun recreating Stardew characters (and Stardew Expanded characters) in the Sims 4. I launched chapters in December 2021, and will continue to update this story as my schedule allows. I switched to writing chapters rather than posting profiles for every character + character backstories. I hope you don’t mind. Also, I did create a side Tumblr account for my Stardew love – stardewvalleythoughts.tumblr.com – where I post daily.

Speaking of Tumblr, I haven’t abandoned livinasimminlife.tumblr.com, but I’m posting less original content frequently. However, in case you missed it, check out my makeovers of the Charm family from Glimmerbrook. And now on the subject of Glimmerbrook…

Crescent Moon Conspiracy – this has been an enormous undertaking writing Parker’s story. As a side note, I plan to go back and rewrite Lizzie’s story to better fit this new world and lore. That is my challenge, burden, curse, call it whatever… haha. Constant rewrites for better or worse. I’ll make the old LASL chapters live again with updated lore bits as well and that might be a standalone alt-universe or something else. Not sure yet.

Back to CMC, I feel incredibly limited in the Sims 4 world telling this story, partly because Glimmerbrook is so small and partly because I can’t accurately show everything I want within the confines of the game as it takes an incredible amount of mods and a ridiculous amount of set-up. I don’t want to abandon said story, but I’m also considering two different routes: a) rewriting/setting the entire story universe with its TS4 characters in TS3, b) writing and releasing chapters on a very slow basis, or c) writing the TS4 story but in a pictureless (or nearly) form. I feel pretty discouraged about this whole process which is why I haven’t been posting, BUT… I did write one chapter and released it this month – introducing Parker to Glimmerbrook. You can read the latest chapter here.

Another rewrite – My Life with Criminals (MLWC) – this will closely follow its original just with updates to lore and the naming system. I have a special affinity for Rachel and the infamous Rackets. I started this story as a traitacy challenge, and it morphed into a life of its own. I am so glad it did. This story received an update this month also here.

What I’m Reading

Like I said, I’ve been awful at reading stories as of late. Three stories I’ve badly kept up with, but I’m enjoying reading when I can…

Another Legacy by CathyTea
Pelican Town to Sims Town (Stardew Valley fanfic) by Em
Tales of Camelot by Yimiki

Thanks for sticking with me if you have through the thick and thin here. If you’re new to my stories, welcome! I hope you enjoy the experience, and aren’t scared away by my ridiculous inability to stick to a schedule and post regularly. As always, I appreciate any feedback, thoughts, and ideas in the comments below. Let me know – what were/are your favorite stories of mine? What characters would you like to see? Are there stories of mine you’d like to see rebooted?

The Rise and Fall of Nations: An Early History of Simterra, Pt. 1

November 7, 2020March 24, 2021 / livinasimminlife / 1 Comment

UPDATED: 2/14/2021 – for current lore/timeline

Curious about time travel, the introduction of supernatural races, the migration of Sims through the stars, and the founding of nations? Then this post may just be for you!

Simterra has a long and storied history. Here’s part 1 – Pre-History to Early History. This is a largely informational post, but I try to keep it moving and only highlight the most important stuff. I’ll link here to two pages for reference:

Planets, Moons, and the Asteroid Belt (if you missed my last post and want to know where places are)
Humanoids and Aliens (if you want to know who the people are).

Feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Please keep all limbs inside the vehicle and refrain from standing in the cart. No seriously, if you leave your seat, we can’t guarantee you won’t be knocked out by the 75 foot wingspan of the Tirakan dragons above. 🎢

Before We Start

The Sims divide time into two eras. B.C.E. refers to Before Common Era. C.E. refers to Common Era, comparable to Eorthe’s BC and AD.
The other races have different methods of timekeeping, but for purposes of this article, we’ll stick to the one closest to our own.
As with any culture, the “history” of Simterra is told by the survivors and the victors of wars. Unfortunately, that means the accuracy of historical accounts may vary depending on whom you speak to, so just keep in mind, there may be more to the story than you’ll read below.

Important Things to Know

The ancient world map of Simterra (known as Susu in the east and Sumi in the west by the Tirakan). This map reflects the world before the shifting of tectonic plates, and the separation of Atlantica (continent) and Paradise (state) from Laurentia. Above are the names of the major Tirakan territories during the Golden Age of Dragons. 🔥

Pre-History Highlights

Simterra has been populated since 10,000 B.C.E. In the early days, the only inhabitants were the Tirakan, a race of intelligent humanoid dragons with advanced technology and biological abilities beyond any other known species in the galaxy. The Tirakan ruled from 10,000 B.C.E. to 1648 C.E. when they were all but destroyed. They are believed to be extinct, though some hopefuls hold out that the Tirakan are survived and are somewhere out there in the universe.

The Golden Age of Dragons extended from 7000 B.C.E. to 180 C.E. The Tirakan marked this time with A.E. or Ascension Era. This era was known as a time of peace, when the Tirakan welcomed strangers and travelers in the galaxy to their home planet. They opened their borders to and shared their resources with a variety of alien species. During this time, the species co-existed in harmony with one another on the fertile planet.

Around 4000 B.C.E., the Tirakan discovered organic “time travel” capabilities. You should be grateful for it because otherwise, you wouldn’t even know about the planet Simterra. 😉 The Tirakan also created the Governance of Time, laws intended to guide and protect the use of “time travel abilities and technology.” It’s all very hush-hush, and the methodology and practice of such “technological and biological marvels” isn’t well known or understood. However, it can be said, if any of the other species had discovered “time travel” first, the universe would be a far worse place.

A Kr’v lord swimming in the bay in Sunlit Tides, Paradīse . The Kr’v are an ancient polygamous vampiric race in the Daleth System, predominantly living on the planet, Titanav (also known as Kr’v or Eta II). 🧛

Early-History Highlights

In 9 C.E., the Tirakan met the Kr’v. The first Kr’v-Tirakan Zenith (conference) was held in the Grand Territory of Palatetal (modern day Tierra de Nadie, once a lush and fertile region) in 11 C.E.
In 180 C.E., the Tirakan met the Xekzoi. This marked the beginning of the Declination Era for the Tirakan and the Age of Discovery for the Xekzoi. Both mark the time using D.E.
By 331 C.E., the Tirakan began battling a plague known as Tel (the Scorpion Disease). For the next 44 years, the Tirakan species began to decline, the majority of the population dying out. A race “gone mad,” they began in-fighting among the tribes, and alienating their former allies.
During 400 C.E., the Tirakan and Kr’v signed the Blood Treaty in order to join forces against the invading Xekzoi.
- By 750 C.E., the Kr’v had finally developed a semi-successful antidote to the Tel, but it was almost too late.
- Somewhere between 1181 and 1444 C.E., the Kr’v dabbled with, created, and successfully utilized teleportation technology. Why is that important? It didn’t happen on Simterra. No… but it did affect what happened next.

Can you imagine a sudden micro-explosion of light and POW! You’re instantaneously in another star system? (Oh and did we tell you that you were in the middle of battle with two other enemy alien species?) 🚀

In 1561 C.E., a telekinetic event known historically as the Interstellar Blip occurred. A major space battle between the Tirakan, Kr’v, and Xekzoi is accidentally teleported to the Solar System above Eorthe. During the year, all three races crash land on the planet and encounter Sims (humans) for the first time.

- The Tirakan encounter Amazóns of Old Eorthe Simithiopia. Within two months, the Tirakan bring the Amazóne (the ‘e’ was added to symbolize their rebirth) back to Simterra instantaneously using modified time travel technology. The Amazóne settled in the eastern hemisphere on the continents of Laurentia and Atlantica.
- The Kr’v, the near-human aliens, descended into Old Eorthe Europe, near the territory of Simsea, and lived in the region (in disguise) for 16 months.
- The Xekzoi crash landed in the Tropics, encountering the Atamusians (ancestors of Atlanteans). With their superior technology and military training, they occupied the region for the next seven years using the locals as slave labor to rebuild their ships.

A rare image of the first nee’uq (queen) of the Xekzoi. Depending on your perspective of the assassination, she could be viewed as a traitor or a hero. This image was captured in Cronor (the capitol of Ex’hala). If you must ask how we obtained it… well, it involved hefty bribery, many screaming llamas, and your firstborn child). 👿

Back in the Daleth System, the last dromon (king) of the Xekzoi began peace talks with the remaining Tirakan and Kr’v as the bulk of their military might “disappeared” in an instant. By year’s end, the dromon was betrayed by his lover and science advisor, Eth’astor. She staged a coup on Ex’hala and assassinated their leader, assuming his role. With their opponent’s armies at a fraction of their original strength, the Xekzoi swept in decisively and won the war with both Tirakan and Kr’v effectively confined to their home worlds by planetary blockade preventing mass transit off-world.

A surviving photograph of Lady Simelia Goth from the early days on Simterra. Note the “green effect” on the image. This was common technique in the dye-transfer process of a photograph. Green is the color of royalty in Albergia. You can’t tell here, but she is wearing gorgeous medieval evergreen robes. 📷

So what happened to those Kr’v/Xekzoi and the Sims of Eorthe?

The First Goth on Simterra: In 1563 C.E., the Kr’v on Eorthe came to the aid of Lady Simelia Goth when she requested help for her nation on the verge of war. In nothing short of a miracle, the entire city of Simsea disappeared overnight never to be seen on Eorthe again. (Of course, the population who remained behind did eventually rebuild the grand city state).

In 1564 C.E., the Sims of Simsea arrived on Simterra (after 4 telekinetic jumps through space). Their city successfully moved to what would be New Simsland (modern Albergia). The traveling Kr’v were stranded on Simterra due to the war with the Xekzoi.

The Sim immigrants spent the next 80 years attempting to build a kingdom. It is believed the first vampyres (Kr’v-Sim hybrids) appeared in the population (due to cohabitation with the Kr’v). Other interspecies relationships resulted in the birth of witches (Norn-Sim hybrids), fairies (Satur-Sim hybrids), and weres/lycans (Lykonian-Sim hybrids).

By 1644 C.E., the Kingdom of Albergia in Eastern Laurasia and the Kingdom of New Francia in northwestern Laurasia were established. The Kingdom of Avalon was founded in north-central Laurasia during 1647 C.E., and in early 1648 C.E., the Kingdom of New Scythia emerged in northeastern Laurasia.

The Road to Nowhere is the only passageway through the Setani Desert, connecting the southeastern edge in the state of El Dorado to the northwestern edge of state of Lonestar. There is no other way through the Tierra de Nadie (unless you prefer off-roading, which we don’t recommend because hottest temperatures on the planet, deadliest creatures of the night, and no civilization for hundreds of miles). 🏜️

How to Rid the World of Those Pesky Aliens

In September 1648 C.E., the Tirakan fought an impossible battle on behalf of their world, defending the fledgling Sim nations. They hoped to prevent full-world invasion and occupation by the Xekzoi. The three-day battle came to be known as the Twilight Hour (or Skirmish/Assault). When finished, the Tirakan managed to prevent invasion, but with heavy losses. Most, if not all, died in the battle, and once lush and beautiful Palatatel was reduced to a vast desert wasteland. The Tirakan were never seen again. Most Kr’v returned to their home world. Seriously defeated, the Xekzoi retreated, avoiding contact with Simterra for another 300 years.

Sims have never quite been able to replicate long-term cryogenic technology of the Xekzoi and Kr’v. Here a scientist crudely attempts to freeze trichomes (hair of a plant) in order to study the effects of ‘icing.’ Experiments on Viridi Plantae (PlantSims) were outlawed in the 2270’s by the World Council. 🌱

Late-Early History (that’s a thing?!?) a.k.a. A 300+ Year Time Jump (1961-2001 C.E.)

How Did They Get Here? In 1961 C.E., the Xekzoi who were transported against their will to Eorthe finally arrive back in the Daleth System. They have survived via cryogenics and traveled for 400 years. These Xek are not well received by the other Xekzoi and become exiles known as the Orbix, settling on the fringes of the Tierra de Nadie in the Laurentian Highlands, and in the deserts of Azteca.
What Becomes of the Water People: Many of the Atamusians died (unaccustomed to high desert temperatures). Those who traveled southeast found solace in the Amazonean rainforests of Atlantica. However, they weren’t content without their own land. The Orbix promised passage to a nearby habitable, but unoccupied planet. With advanced technology, the Atlanteans (renamed for their short-lived refuge on Atlantica) settled Jullanar.
Suddenly We’re Nice Aliens?!?: Okay, so most of the Orbix were humbled by becoming outcasts. They’re not entirely altruistic, but they do seem to be less hell-bent on murdering or enslaving all the Sims.
Alien Abductions: In the early 1960’s-1970’s C.E., the Xekzoi finally (sometimes they are incredibly slow moving) decided to randomly abduct Sims to experiment on them. Those Sims were never seen or heard from again. Creepy, right?

Today the SimNation is made up of 20 states and 3 provinces (the former autonomous nation of Cascadia ; now the Cascadian Regal Territories). The national capitol, Sim City, is located in the state of Bridgepointe. The nation is governed by representative democracy with state and local governance, and benefits from a thriving complex worldwide and offworld trade economy. You may be interested to know that the largest SimNational export is garden gnomes, followed by lawn flamingos. 🦩

The Founding of the Sim Nation: In 2089 C.E., sprawling city-states throughout the Laurentian continent met in Pleasantview, signed the National Charter, and declared themselves the SimNation. State lines for Greatlakes, Four Corners, Keystone, Bridgepointe, Excelsior, Old Dominion, Sultona, Bayou, and Lonestar were drawn. The first President of SimNation was Will I. Wright.
Additional States Added: By 2094 C.E., Bayview, Wheatridge, Palmetto, Paradise, Jayhawke, and Mesaverde joined the Nation. Geographically separated from the other states due to the Tierra de Nadie, Costa Verde, El Dorado, Valverde, and Timberland joined the Nation late in 2099 C.E.. Beringia was the last to join the Nation in 2101, the only state to be separated by another country (Cascadia).

And that’s it for today folks! Hope you enjoyed.

Where In The Daleth System…

October 23, 2020January 5, 2022 / livinasimminlife / 3 Comments

Everything you ever wanted to know (and didn’t want to know) about the Daleth System – its planets, moons, and mythological naming system.

Table of Contents

Language & Context
System Map
Sul
Cytia
Titanav/Kr’v
Jullanâr
Simterra
- Luna (moon)
Saturenorn
Asteroid Belt
Eta X / Exhala
Xurdarae
Quivrena
Tivaiyas
Khulbus

Hello readers,

This post is long overdue. I’ve been working on and perfecting it for months. It is technical so I’ll understand if you want to skip over it. I hope you find the mythology and history interesting, the fun facts and behind the scenes bits about the naming process and creation of the Daleth System.

This is probably the 10th iteration of the fictional star system housing my Sims world of Simterra, but it is by far the most detailed and elaborate. Most of my stories take place on Simterra (with the exception of Darkness May Dream and Only the Good Die Young on the planet, Kr’v). However, I thought it would be interesting to explore the entirety of the star system around them.

Whether you’re a worldbuilding fanatic like I am, a curious Sims gamer, a writer, or just a traveler passing by, I welcome you to the Daleth System, a labor of love and a long-time expanding project.

Language and Cultural Influences

Sims – speak many languages; Simlish is the internationally recognized language of the world, spoken primarily in Sim Nation, Cascadia, and Avalon. Many planets and moons are named for Venitian mythological figures. The Amazónean collection of cultural and religious stories regarding the origins of the universe, the star system, and religious figures is known as Venitian mythology. It is named for their most prominent Mother Goddess, Veni.

Other Simterran languages, mythologies, and legends had a role in naming astronomical bodies in the Daleth System including Albergian, Hellanic, Romi, Takaharan, Avalonian, Hibernian, and Harrapan. The scientific name for each planet begins with ‘Eta’ which means ‘place’ or ‘space’ in the Romi language. The planets and moons use a Roman Numeral numbering system.

The alien and supernatural races all have their own names for things. You will see the languages referenced below:

Amazóne – Nativi
Kr’v – Kyp’n
Xekzoi – Rek
Saturs – Saturian
Norns – Nornish
Khadis – Nyan
Atlanteans – Atlanti
Ṭirākaṉ – Nakka

In 1910 C.E., the Church of Jacoban attempted to petition the Sims Space Agency (SIMSA), International Astronomical Convention (IAC), and the Royal Astronomical Society of Cascadia to rename the planets and moons for religious, historical, or holy scriptures figures. Their petition was denied.

System Map

A *map of the star system named for Rauls Daleth. As you can see, Simterra is the 4th planet from the sun. Right click and open in a new tab to see a larger version.*

Sul

Sul, the sun, the source of light, the bright star of the Daleth system;
also a fun thing people say to greet one another in Simlish

Sul is Simterra’s sun, and it is a near-solar twin of Earth’s sun, though slightly cooler. The sun is known by many names depending on the race and species.

The System

The system holds 10 planets, 38 moons, 2 asteroid bases, erroneously named moons, and an asteroid belt. There are 6 terrestrial planets, 3 gas giants, and 1 ice giant, plus 17 habitable rocky/terrestrial moons. We will start with the planets/moons counting outward from Sul.

Cytia

Cytia (Eta I) is the first planet in the Daleth System, named for the Venitian goddess of commerce. The planet does not have a “surface” population, but it does have activity above ground. It is commonly believed at some point in history, a civilization existed in aerostat communities, possibly by the yet-to-be-understood Trydan (a race of energy beings). No one has really taken the time to travel there, and the structures have mostly been abandoned. The planet also does not have a moon, making it ideal for stargazing if the atmosphere is clear enough.

It can only be seen right before sunrise or right after sunset from the planet Simterra. It’s white in color with a greyish tinge, appearing like a moon on a cloudy night. The Cytian day is approximately 13 hours (12.97 hours to be exact). The Cytian year (or the time it takes to circle the sun) is 112.006 days (which is the equivalent of 60.67 days on Simterra or 1/6th of the Simterran year).

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta I.’ Simlish – ‘Cytia.’ Nativi – ‘Cytia.’ Kyp’n – ‘Zyt’i.’ Rek – ‘Ciitiija.’ Saturian – ‘Sydia.’ Nornish – ‘Sitja.’ Nyan – ‘Sitina.’ Atlanti – ‘Siti.’ Nakku – Caittiyā.’

Titanav / Kr’v

*Much of life on Kr’v is nocturnal as a way to survive.*

Titanav / Kr’v (Eta II) is home to the Kr’v (the vampire parent race) and is the second planet in the system, closest to the sun. To the Amazóne, they knew the planet as Titanav, a name which persists to this day. Titanav literally means ‘without Titans.’

In Venitian mythology, the Titans, much like the Greek Titans, were the ancient protectors of the inhabitants of Terra. Titans most likely refers to the Ṭirākaṉ, but could also refer to supernatural deities. When the Ṭirākaṉ went away and became all but extinct, the Amazóneans no longer had their protection and were subject to more alien invasions, war, and destruction.

The Kr’v call the homeworld ‘Kr’v’ named for themselves. Kr’v literally means ‘Blood.’ This is fitting as the planet has a reddish-orange atmosphere. It is thinner than Simterra’s, and temperatures on the planet’s surface rise to 56.7 degrees Celsius (134.06 degrees Fahrenheit).The Kr’v day on the surface is just shy of the Simterran day at 23.76 hours. The year on the planet is approximately 1/4th of the year on Simterra at 84.002 days. Because of the planet’s surface temperature, most planetary inhabitants live in craters caused by meteors and dormant volcanoes, and remain below ground for the majority of the day.

Titanav has one satellite, a yellowish-green colored moon, called Novnas (Eta III), named for the Venitian god of the cycle of life and death. Fitting as they are a planet of Reapers. However, to the Kr’v, they call their moon, Mesmon, who is their god of death.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta II.’ Simlish – ‘Titanav.’ Nativi – ‘Titanav.’ Kyp’n – ‘Kr’v.’ Rek – ‘Krvolok.’ Saturian – ‘Utanititan.’ Nornish – ‘Notitan.’ Nyan – ‘Noyashi tan tan.’ Atlanti – ‘Laeoutitian.’ Nakku – there is no word in their vocabulary for ‘titan.’ However, they called the planet ‘Civasumi’ which literally means ‘red land.’

Jullanâr

Jullanâr is the third planet (Eta IV). The planet is home to the Atlanteans (the parent race of Naiads/mermaids) and the elsuive umai (an amphibious race).

The Atlanteans are thought to be descendants of genetically modified humans from Old Eorthe, the Atamusians, believed to have once lived right around the Bermuda Triangle. The triangle is a spiritual symbol for the Atlanteans.

No, we did not make a typo. The umai have no concept of capital letters. In fact, it is offensive to capitalize the ‘u’ in umai, even if it starts a sentence. Don’t worry. It’s not a capital offense. 😉

Jullanâr is a breathtaking ocean world with 90% of its surface covered by water. There are distinguishable ecosystems though with deep ocean, shallower seas, and swamps. Most of the indigenous peoples live in underwater caves or on the rocky islets. The Jullanâr day is approximately 21.5 hours and the year is 225.32 days long. We tried to do the math comparison and gave up. The fraction is awkward.

The planet temperature is warmer than Simterra, but not nearly as treacherous as Kr’v. Think tropics. That’s why it is a popular vacation destination for those traveling the star system. The planet is unique in that there are various non-mermatic species that live on Jullanâr via huge city-sized ships. Many immigrate to the planet in hopes of a better life or for work.

The planet has one satellite, an inhospitable terrestrial moon, very similar to Earth’s moon. It is known to the Sims as Rhaetus (Eta V), named for the Venitian god of storms, mostly because of lightning storms frequently on the surface. The Atlanteans call the moon, Kamahe, ‘lightning moon.’

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta IV.’ Simlish – ‘Jullanâr.’ Nativi – ‘Julanâr.’ Kyp’n – ‘Vassivet.’ Rek – ‘Vodni’var.’ Saturian – ‘Juniar.’ Nornish – ‘Jutiar.’ Nyan – ‘Junipa.’ Atlanti – ‘Jullanaria.’ Nakku – ‘Julanaar.’

Simterra

*Kr’v, Atlanteans, Khadis, Saturs, Norns, Lykonians (the werewolf packs), and even Xekzoi all once lived on the planet harmoniously. Can you believe that? We sure can’t*.

Simterra is the fourth planet in the Daleth System, and by far, the most diverse in terms of population, climate, flora, and fauna. The planet is home to the Sims and most supernatural races, and the Amazóne. Simterra once was the home of the Ṭirākaṉ but they are believed to be extinct. The planet is home to 14 regions, 5 continents, near-human races, supernatural races, and even some alien species. Inhabitants of the planet are primarily transplants and descendants of Old Eorthe humans. Supernaturals are believed to be a cross between Sim (human) and alien races.

The Simterran day is 24 hours, same as Earth. (That makes it easy). The Simterran year is 365 days with 13 months of 28 days and an extra day at the end of the year. (The calendar is similar to the International Fixed Calendar of Eorthe). Because of the nature of the calendar, the months and weeks are fixed with the 1st day always occurring on a Sunday and the last day occurring on a Saturday, with few exceptions.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta VI.’ Simlish – ‘Simterra.’ Nativi – ‘Honya.’ Kyp’n – ‘Syra’zem’la.’ Rek – ‘Belzelasvajko.’ Saturian – ‘Joro.’ Nornish – ‘Tala.’ Nyan – ‘Furazato.’ Atlanti – ‘Ulihonua.’ Nakku – ‘Sumi’ or ‘Susu.’

Luna

Luna (Eta VII) is quite populous with its own unique culture. Natural-born inhabitants of Luna are called ‘lunes’ or ‘lunites.’ However, the lunar peoples prefer the more ‘civilized’ and acceptable term – ‘selenars.’ The moon hosts several cities, including Oasis Landing, the capitol, and Lunar Lakes, and multiple small settlements. Luna has its own governor but is a member of the World Council. Citizens of the moon have attempted to declare independence twice, but have failed. The Lunar Riots occurred twice – once in 2301 and again in 2352. The first was over relatively quickly within a three week time period, but the second was bloody and brutal, lasting for nearly nine months. Luna lost half of its citizens, most died, some died later from complications due to injuries, and still others fled for other regions of the star system.

Saturenorn

Saturenorn is the fifth planet, (inspired by an amazing world created by many talented Simmers), The planet is home to the Saturs, a race of elves and fairies (parent race of the fae), and Norns, a race of enchanters and magicians (parent race of witches and spellcasters). The remaining Khadis tribes and even some of the Atlantean clans (ice-merfolk) live on Saturenorn.

The planet is an “icy paradise” and popular vacation destination. Its unusual flora and fauna also make the planet a place for many botanists, zoologists, and naturalists to study. Brilliantly colorful landscapes draw painters, photographers, and artists of all kind. Unique minerals also draw mineralogists, chemists, and a large community of fortune seekers.

The planet is much cooler as it is farther away from Sul, with an average high of 63-66 degrees (Fahrenheit) with temperatures as low as -33 degrees (Fahrenheit). Saturenorn’s day is slightly longer than Simterra’s at 24.75 hours. The month alternates between 29 and 30 days. The week is either 9 or 10 days, depending on the length of days in a month. There are 12 months in the year. The year is 354 days long. Once every three years, Saturenornians add a 13th month, known as their leap month.

Saturenorn has one satellite, a moon called Cacophony (Eta IX) (named for transcendentcacophony who designed the Saturenorn moon for the Sims 3 world). We have a secret… the realm… the other realm… you know the one we reference… that witches… er… spellcasters and enchanters talk about… the one they “travel to” via a portal or some other “magic…” that realm is actually a part of Cacophony. A world where the Saturs and Norns train the highest level sages, enchanters, and spellcasters. And that moon you see in the sky while you’re there? Hate to burst your bubble, but it’s an illusion. It’s actually Saturenorn in the distance.

The moon is the front lines for the Norns (and Saturs), a magical staging area for the war with the Xekzoi. The only way on or off the surface is through teleportation. The Norns have successfully managed to prevent the Xekzoi from invading/destroying their own moon through a magical barrier for nearly a thousand years, but how long this will hold, no one knows for certain.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta VIII.’ Simlish– ‘Saturenorn.’ Nativi – ‘Satinora.’ Kyp’n– ‘Caiturnjorn.’ Rek – ‘Vsjebo’noj.’ Saturian – ‘Saturjanorn.’ Nornish – ‘Sature Norn.’ Nyan – ‘Norneo Saseu.’ Atlanti – ‘Saturatinor.’ Nakku – ‘Siranorn.’

Asteroid Belt

Asteroid Belt, also called The Belt or The Ring, is home to two bases for the World Defense Forces, Moon Base Charlie and Moon Base Delta (inspired by worlds created by Rflong7). Both bases are primarily populated by members of the Simterran military, but they do have a small civilian population who live beneath (transparent aluminum) astrodomes. The belt itself is treacherous to traverse and it is a rare feat when humanoids can do so. The Moon Bases were established during the Second Xeno War in 2361 with over 90% of its residents as military personnel contracted by the World Council. A small civilian population, mostly families of military families, also lived on the asteroids. Civilians were commonly called “ringers,” jokingly as a way to establish a hierarchy between the booters (military personnel) and non-enlisted folks. The bases remained open for operation until Moon Base Charlie was destroyed in 2377 and Moon Base Delta was abandoned in early 2378.

Eta X or Exhala

*The atmosphere is toxic for any species other than the native Xekzoi.*

Exhala or X’hala is the sixth planet, known by different things depending on who you ask. It is the “tenth” habitable world in the system (when you exclude the asteroid bases). The planet was known to the Ṭirākaṉ as Exhala, meaning ‘last breath.’ Fitting as the Xekzoi who occupy the world and call it home are Hades-bent on exterminating inferior races. Anyone who has been to the Xekzoi homeworld has never returned.

The planet has a yellowish atmosphere, and it is much thinner than Simterra. It is believed that the air on the planet is somewhat toxic for Sims and most other species, but the Xekzoi have adapted. Their planet is fairly barren and near universal cold desert climate with rocky cliff cities to the far south. This could explain why they have invaded other planets for resources.

The year on Xekzoi is long – 1007.4 days or 2.76 Simterran years. The day is 47.99 hours long, twice the Simterran day. Xekzoi experience approximately 23.995 hours of daylight and 23.995 hours of nighttime. The moon is only slightly less with 44.25 hours in its day.

Eta X’s moon is known as Yara (Eta XI), the Venitian goddess of endings. Xekzoi call the moon ‘Kon’c’vka,’ which also means ‘end.’ The moon has a reddish atmosphere and is thought to host a Marsian environment.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta X.’ Simlish– ‘Exhala.‘ Nativi – ‘X’hala.’ Kyp’n– ‘Izdanite.’ Rek – ‘Iz’dih’ni.’ Saturian – ‘Exshal.’ Nornish – ‘Inhila.’ Nyan – ‘Ikioda.’ Atlanti – ‘Izahle.’ Nakku – ‘Itunkai.’

Xurdarae

In case you’re wondering, I used a God and Goddess Name Generator on fantasynamegenerators.com. Venitian mythology is influenced by the Greek goddess, Aphrodite / Roman goddess, Venus. I was inspired by the Venus statue in TS3.

Xurdarae is the seventh planet (Eta XII), a gas giant, with six moons, four of which, are at least moderately habitable, by certain species. It is the second planet beyond the asteroid belt.

Named for the Venitian goddess of rain, Xurdarae’s atmosphere appears bluish. The planet is considered a Class II gas giant, meaning its clouds consist of water vapor.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta XII.’ Simlish– ‘Xurdarae.‘ Nativi – ‘Xurdarae.’ Kyp’n– ‘Zaidurae.’ Rek – ‘Zooroodurray.’ Saturian – ‘Skuramar.’ Nornish – ‘Skoomarae.’ Nyan – ‘Yazodu.’ Atlanti – ‘Surdari.’ Nakku – ‘Xutayirae.’

Xurdarae’s Moons

Casyn (Eta XIII) This moon’s day cycle is 12 hours, exactly half what it is on Simterra (and Eorthe for that matter). The moon has a thin, but breathable atmosphere, somewhat inhospitable to most humanoids due to its cold temperatures. The moon is named for the Venitian goddess of charity.

Covelia (Eta XIV) Appropriately named for the Venitian goddess of darkness, Covelia is a tidally locked moon with half full-time daylight and half full-time nighttime. Even its daylight cycle though is in a permanent twilight or dusk-light due to the planet partially being blocked by the moon, Caiirin. The planet is hostile to most known life, though it is suspected at one point, an alien race had an outpost on this moon. The day is 13.66 hours and nighttime is 27.33 hours, making for a 41-hour full rotation.

Caiirin (Eta XV) Named for the Venitian goddess of misfortune, this moon has a 43 hour day cycle. The planet’s atmosphere is breathable, with moderate temperatures due to its proximity to the outer edge of the Goldilocks Zone. Don’t misunderstand though. Moderate on Caiirin is still cool – like 27 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.77 Celsius) on average.

Codia (Eta XVI) Named for the Venitian goddess of duty, it is our duty to inform you that you wouldn’t like living on Codia that much. It is a barren moon. But at least its day-night cycle is very similar to ours, 14 hours of daylight and 10 hours of nighttime.

Cesiris (Eta XVII) Named for the Venitian goddess of tranquility. It is a bit of a misnomer as the atmosphere has heavy traces of bromine, a poisonous gas to most known life. However, its beautiful plum-color is rather peaceful. The precious gem, plumbobian, or the green diamond is believed to be found in large quantities on its surface… if you can withstand the toxic atmosphere.

Czynar (Eta XVIII) Named for the Venitian goddess of freedom and resistance, this moon is also barren, much like Eorthe’s. It is tidally locked.

Quivrena

Quivrena is the eighth planet (Eta XIX) and a Jovian gas giant with thirteen moons, six of which have breathable atmospheres. Named for the Amazónean goddess of wind, Quivrena lacks the Great Spot that Jupiter does, but it does have unique weather including upper atmosphere typhoons and cyclones.

The planet is very dangerous, with a thick hydrogen-helium atmosphere and a dense molten rocky core. Gravity is approximately 2.38 times Simterra. It takes 12 years to orbit Sul. The planetary day is approximately 398 hours.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta XIX.’ Simlish– ‘Quivrena.’ Nativi – ‘Qivrena.’ Kyp’n– ‘Q’var.’ Rek – ‘Kivi Inreves Inelej.’ Saturian – ‘Kuivrae.’ Nornish – ‘Kvegrag.’ Nyan – ‘Kanatatarae.’ Atlanti – ‘Quivrona.’ Nakku – ‘Qvivrae.’

Quivrena’s Moons

Rhexdar (Eta XX ) is a barren moon named for an Albergian god of prosperity.

Qrolena (Eta XXI) is a barren moon named for Venitian goddess of messages. You may know Sulanian company, Qrol-text as a social media platform, named for the goddess.

Immir (Eta XXIII) is a barren moon named for the Albergian god of chivalry. Contrary to what you’ve heard, chivalry is not dead… just this moon.

Oznos (Eta XXIII) is a dusty moon with a thin atmosphere. It is named for a particularly ornery Albergian god of chance and luck. Its year is 1072 days (approximately 3 years on Simterra). Several Kr’v colonoies exist on Oznos, and is overseen by a rare female Kr’v lord (as of early 2400’s). However, witches and wizards, and some Khadis, not bound to the Encantar, also live in the outposts. Some have even whispered about dragonkin sightings.

*a sliver of the moon, Korna, visible from the moon, Oasine*

Oasine (Eta XXIV) is a terran ocean moon. Oasine has several colonies on isthmuses, islands, and peninsulas, mostly home to Atlanteans. This is where the merfolk like to go for holiday and trade. Oasine has 1070 days in its year. It is named for the Venitian goddess of the sea.

Korna (Eta XXV) is a barren moon named for Venitian god of blacksmiths.

Phirsoi (Eta XXVI) is a desert moon. It is named for a Hellanic god of hope. Phirsoi suffers from year-round mild dust storms, but the ones that come last up to 30 days, which is saying a lot. Phirsoi only has a short yearly rotation of 144 days. The moon is a hotbed of illegal activity due to its rather inhospitable land. Again the moon has a few Kr’v outposts, and a handful of other alien races.

Alene (Eta XXVII) is a watery moon with a terran atmosphere. It is named for the Venitian goddess of rivers. The planet is home to some umai as well as an occasional Atlantean. There is a fae colony as well, primarily dealing in the moonpetal harvesting and trade. Perfectly legal on Alene, it is outlawed throughout most of the system due to its addictive and hallucinogenic properties. Alene’s day is 11 hours, and its year is only 28 days.

Rue (Eta XXIII) is a dusty moon. It is named for the Albergian god of riddles. Rue has a dusky yellow atmosphere mostly due to nitrogen dioxide. The air isn’t exactly breathable without a mask and ventilation system, but is habitable… barely. Rue has a 14-hour day and a 180-day year. The perennial herb Ruta gravolens is a native tiny yellow flower that grows on its surface, commonly used at funerals, and colloquially known as mornflower.

Gamethys (Eta XXIX) is a barren moon named for Hellanic goddess of souls.

Ixtune (Eta XXX) is an ice moon named for an Albergian god of time. Some believe Father Winter and a distant relative of the fae known as Erufu (elves) once inhabited Ixtune.

Rizerin (Eta XXXI) is a barren moon named for the Venitian god of forgiveness. One week on Rizerin is the equivalent of three months for those on Simterra (84 days). A year on Rizerin is 4,368 days on Simterra or 11.95 years.

Isyn (Eta XXXII) is a barren moon named for an Venitian god of the ostracized and outcasts.

Tivaiyas

Tivaiyas is the ninth planet (Eta XXXIII), categorized as an gas giant with eight moons. The name is disputed. The International Astronomical Convention (IAC) of the planet Simterra recognizes the icy world as Tivaiyas.

The name is derived from Tiva, the god of form, shape, new life, and souls, and Ayas, the goddess of metals and precious gems, in Venitian mythology. They are typically paired as the god of life and the goddess of the afterlife.

Greg Orachi, a Romi-Takaharan astrophysicist and astronomer, is credited with combining the names and adding the extra ‘i.’ Tragically, Orachi was killed by a falling meteor in the early 2350’s. The IAC decided to leave the name as is, but other races call the planet by different names.

It is speculated this is the homeworld of the Trydan, but it has never been proven. The Ṭirākaṉ called the planet, Ṭi, literally meaning ‘light’s place of rest,’ or ‘the place from which light goes to sleep.’ This is because in the Eḻutuṅkaḷ, their sacred teachings, the sun, Suri, is the source of life, and to balance, there is also Ṭi, darkness.

Starry night in Hidden Springs, Cascadia on Simterra. The Ṭirākaṉ practiced a ritual of starmapping as part of a coming-of-age ceremony. Younglings were expected to traverse the star system in search of meaning even in the void.

While the Trydan are loosely understood to be energy beings, no one has seen a Trydan in their true form, and many believe the species is a myth. However, the Eḻutuṅkaḷ teaches there is a place where light is born in darkness, and they loosely reference a place in the star system. Some dismiss it as an allegory, but others genuinely believe something is out there. Either way, the Ṭirākaṉ once erroneously believed this to be the outer planet of the system, beyond which lay the stars, or the place where light was born in darkness.

The environment on Tivaiyas is unstable as its atmosphere is thick. Its purple color is believed to be dervived from bromine gas and atmospheric iodine. Gravity is approximately 3.51 times Simterra. Orbit duration is 18 years and its day-night cycle is 13 hours.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta XXXIII.’ Simlish– ‘Tivaiyas.’ Nativi – ‘Tiva Ayas.’ Kyp’n– ‘Va’ait.’ Rek – ‘Civat ariy Sit.’ Saturian – ‘Tuivrae.’ Nornish – ‘Trvear.’ Nyan – ‘Tishiyasha.’ Atlanti – ‘Tuvira.’ Nakku – ‘Ṭi.’

Tivaiyas’ Moons

The planet has eight satellites (moons). Interestingly, none of the moons are named for Venitian mythology. The IAC passed a rule in the late 2370’s that astronomers from countries other than the Sim Nation and central Sim Union could also name astronomical bodies.

Didall (Eta XXXIV) is the name of a character in an Avalonian anthology of stories.
Thydion (Eta XXXV) is the Hibernian hero from fae legend.
Duare (Eta XXXVI) is the Harappan god of resistance.
Chiara (Eta XXXVII) is the Romi goddess of misfortune.
Exsus (Eta XXXVIII) is the Romi god of exile and hatred.
Theldes (Eta XXXIX) is the character from Hibernian legend, known for burning his enemies’ villages and lands.
Phasbin (Eta XL) is the Hellanic god of night.
Laaldir (Eta XLI) is the Harappan god of obscurity.

Khulbus

Appropriately named for the Harappan god of endings, Khulbus (Eta XLII) is the tenth and final known planet (and the 42nd known astronomical body) in the Daleth system. It is categorized as a ice giant with five moons. Its atmosphere is composed of elements like ammonia, carbon, methane, nitrogen, and oxygen. Water has been found high in the atmosphere. Gravity is approximately 3.51 times Simterra. The orbit duration is approximately 127 years. A day is roughly 37 hours.

Etymology: Scientific Term – ‘Eta XLII.’ Simlish– ‘Khulbus.’ Nativi – ‘Kulan.’ Kyp’n– ‘Kuhlik.’ Rek – ‘Subul Khulz.’ Saturian – ‘Kularae.’ Nornish – ‘Kuhlvirar.’ Nyan – ‘Kulukuli.’ Atlanti – ‘Kuvira.’ Nakku – ‘Kulani.’

Khulbus’ Moons

The planet has six moons, one in which is believed to be habitable to certain species.

Xidtin (Eta XLIV) is a barren moon named for the Hellanic god of measurements.
Irsin (Eta XLV) is a barren moon named for the Venitian goddess of the elements.
Xemas (Eta XLVI) is a barren moon named for the Hellanic goddess of battle.
Dunas (Eta XLVII) is a barren moon named for the Hellanic god of envy.

Laius (Eta XLIII) is a lava moon, believed to have a methane rich atmosphere. Laius means “cursed” in the Hellanic tongue. The satellite certainly would seem cursed as it once was a sanctuary for Ṭirākaṉ fleeing battle with the Xekzoi. The moon is tidally locked. Its year is approximately 243.33 days, and its day is roughly half that at 121.66 hours.

Uona (Eta XLIX) is a strange satellite. It sometimes reverses its orbit and swings wide so it almost appears to be a moon of Tivaiyas. However, it is considered a moon of Khulbus. Uona is the gatekeeper of the underworld in Hibernian legend, and fae mythology.

Author Note: Please forgive the weird spacing. WordPress is giving me grief and neglecting spaces between words. I tried to double check the spacing, but I may have missed a word or two. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. What mythology do you want to know more about? What planet or moon do you think would make a good location for a story of mine?

Color Your World (Day 3, Pt. 3)

October 21, 2020October 22, 2020 / livinasimminlife / 6 Comments

Author Note: Hey readers, after a long hiatus, I’m back with another chapter of Wright Way Travel Adventures. I apologize for the long delay. I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life and I’ve been under a lot of stress. This has been a hard year for everyone, I think.

I haven’t been motivated to play Sims 4, especially with all the community drama around unhappiness with the Sims team. I don’t really want to get into that here, just saying, for my mental health, I checked out for a little while and avoided the forums and TS4. I have been working on my other story outlines, but no promises that you’ll see other updates from me in the near future. I know I left a lot of threads hanging in other works of mine. Please know I haven’t forgotten you or my stories. Thanks for hanging in there.

This chapter is rated PG for suggestive language. 😉 Just thought I’d throw that disclaimer in. And don’t forget to stay tuned for post story author notes. I link to extra pictures (After Party) over on my Simblr! Without further adieu…

Around 8pm, the travelers head to Prism, a nightclub owned by the Bacon family (from my LASL story).

When you think of nightclub, you think of… naps? Poor Divan is exhausted from his day of bowling and karaoke. He’s ready to sleep it off among the iconic Prism colored waterfalls on this brightly painted bench. Sweet dreams, Divan!

Tyson struts across the rainbow sky bridge in style. You walk that walk, Tyson! He is rocking and rolling with confidence.

Cheryl arrived in style. Seriously, I love the City Living outfits. She’s worn the outfit before, but this lighting is giving her a soft, youthful and laidback look.

Cheryl heads to Low Lights Bar, right off the plaza, to play tunes on the jukebox. Her selection? Classical. Okay, Cheryl – let’s relax into mellow melodies while sipping on sparkling water. No judgment here. 🙂

Cathy was so happy to eat pineapple fried rice (a custom dish available by icemunmun)

Cathy is excited by the international cuisine. She can’t stop smiling.

Love that rising moon!

Tyson purchases a little liquid courage, juice on the rocks, before heading upstairs to the open mic. He rehearses jokes in his head.

Munter Bacon (submitted by Munterbacon) and Karleen Corey (fresh from the gym) appeared in the background. This gave me the idea that Prism was owned by the Bacons. The family owns several prominent buildings, hotels, and night clubs in San Myshuno and in other parts of the world.

Amelia introduces herself to a club patron on the plaza. She discovers Shiro Tanaka is a junior sales associate at the San Myshuno Mall.

“Do you sell books?” Amelia asks. “What’s your favorite?”

“I work in the flower shop,” Shiro replies. “And gift store.”

“Oh.” Amelia almost seems disappointed.

Shiro quickly adds, “We sell guidebooks… for the city.”

Amelia lights up. “I would read all of them. I love learning about new things and places.”

There’s the gorgeous Mia Kibo in the background. I love her makeover! Don’t worry. The legal drinking age is 18 in Cascadia. And what is it with Sims complaining about the weather! While Cheryl and Nia catch up outside, Hayden joins Cathy in the lower bar. However, an interloper plops down between them. She munches on sweet and sour pork while chatting with Cathy and the other patron (the name escapes me) about the weather.

“Because of where San Myshuno is located on the Polar Channel and the Dauber Sound, hot air rises. This creates a vacuum for cooler high pressured air from the ocean and that’s why the fog often rolls in most days of the year,” Hayden explains.

“What are you? A weather girl?” the man rolls his eyes. “I came here to drink not listen to the weather report.”

“That’s a meteorologist,” Cathy interjects, with a furrowed brow. “I’m very interested in the climate, Hayden. Tell me more.”

“Well, it’s early summer, so we are most likely to see heat waves, but since we’re situated on the coast, fog typically rolls in the morning and evenings,” Hayden continues. “And San Myshuno does have summertime storms. The high ocean moisture combined with warm temperatures collide in the atmosphere to create thunderstorms,” she blushes. “I did enjoy weather science in school.”

“Peace out,” the man says and leaves the counter.

“Good riddance!” Cathy murmurs. “He was rude!”

Nia orders a bowl of ice cream.

“Do you smell that?” Nia asks.

Both ladies close their eyes and inhale happily.

“Mint chocolate,” they say in unison.

Ouch! Sorry Tyson. No one’s listening.

In the Sunset Lounge, Tyson shares some of his best material. The small gathering can’t stop talking amongst themselves.

Divan decides to help a brother out. Who knew he could play violin? And he sounds really good. Musical talents are coming out of the woodwork – first singing, now violin. Good for you Divan!

“Give it up for Di-van!” Tyson shouts.

He proceeds to time his jokes to the violin strokes. Well played, gentlemen!

MINEZ‘s Siri Beaumont started practicing singing while Divan played violin and Tyson shared jokes. She was a pretty good singer. Perhaps she picked up some tips from her opera-singer roommate, Aria.

The new crowd is really excited by the show. A pink-haired lady named Siri is invited to join the show and she begins singing.

By the way, that’s my Simself in the background. Shameless plug – you can download my updated Lizzie Green 3.0 on my Simblr with only a moderate amount of CC (list and links included). 😀

Amelia and Shiro talk well into the twilight hours.

“What a breathtaking purple sky!” Amelia exclaims, regarding the view.

“Prism has some of the best views in the city,” Shiro explains. “It’s why I like to come here actually. To get inspired.” He casts his eyes to the ground shyly. “I’m not much of a dancer or drinker, but you can’t beat these panoramas.”

“Panorama? Are you perhaps into photography?” Amelia inquires.

“I’m a bit of a budding photographer,” Shiro says, straightening a little in his seat. “I’m not sure I’m any good yet, but I do enjoy snapping shots here and there for my scrapbook.”

The two grab a selfie together to commemorate their new friendship in front of the beautiful Prism fountains.

“Here…” Shiro pulls out a pen and paper, scribbling something. “My number so you can send it to me.”

“Old fashioned information exchange,” Amelia beams. “I like it.”

She tears a piece off the end of the paper and writes her own number down.

“Come by the flower shop sometime,” he suggests.

The lights dim as Tyson shifts from just telling jokes to full-on stand up comedy. Hayden brings her plate of nachos upstairs to enjoy the show.

Cathy remains at the bar, but she isn’t too pleased with her juice on the rocks. She sneezes. Dayle Wymer (submitted by Skcaga6 for my LASL story) appears. Penny Pizzazz Sarafin is also in the background.

“Gesundheit!” Dayle Wymer offers.

“To your health!” Mia echoes. “Oh! I’m studying Bergish.”

“The language of Albergia. Good for you,” Cathy says “Danke,” she nods in gratitude to Dayle.

“You don’t like your drink?” Mia asks. “I can order you another one, Ms. Tea.”

Cathy winces. “Yes, I think I prefer hot tea. Barkeep?”

Cathy goes upstairs to the dimly lit Kaleidoscope, an arcade on the top floor. She enjoys a solo game against invading evil gnomes. I’m pretty sure she maxed video gaming here.

“No more setting people on fire at Harvestfest, little buddies,” she murmurs to herself, strategically hitting the buttons as needed.

Hey guys! Eyes on the stairs. 🤭

Divan and Tyson seem to be enjoy watching Hayden sashay up the stairs.

Nia and Cheryl wander into the arcade, Kaleidoscope. Nia is not happy with fighting lava monsters.

“Gah!” Nia hits the machine with her fist and jumps over to the next machine. “Do you want to play lawn racers instead, Cheryl?”

“Sure,” Cheryl agrees.

Look at that lovely smile from Supriya. And she is rocking the business classy look!

Cathy moves to her own beat. She’s the first to arrive in The Cheeky Checkerboard, the main dance club on the fourth floor.

Get your groove on!

With the glittering cityscape at her back, Cheryl poses, ready to meet her challenger for juice pong.

Who’s it gonna be?

The guys generously let Hayden go first.

“I can do this in my sleep,” Cheryl brags.

“Game on,” Hayden replies, putting on a poker face when Cheryl’s ping pong splashes the first plastic cup.

Drink it down, girl!

Ready to go!

She scores!

“Hmmm… tied,” Tyson rubs his chin. “Might just be interesting. Care to place a friendly wager, Divan?”

“No thank you!” Divan grunts.

Cheryl does not look happy.

“Watch it sink!” Hayden grins. “In the drink!”

With newfound determination, Cheryl narrows her eyes and slugs back a drink, then wobbles a little.

“Oooo!” Hayden teases. “How long can you keep this up?”

“All the way baby!” Cheryl snarks back.

Tyson’s turn! Amelia decides to practice foosball.

Tyson misses.

“Ouch!” Cheryl says. “All talk but no game.”

Hayden finally gets one in for the team. Cheryl takes a drink. For some reason, Divan glitched and I had to reset him. He was pretty annoyed most of the evening. Guess the nap didn’t help! Poor guy! I just can’t seem to stay on top of his needs in game.

Nia heads downstairs to New Heights, the athletic club. After changing into more comfortable attire, she tries her hand at the rock climbing wall. She got stuck in the middle, nervously glancing down like she did when she tried the high dive earlier.

“One foot in front of the other,” Amelia coached from the ground.

“Okay…” Nia took a deep breath, but she still looked like she was about to burst into tears… or fits of laughter.

“Here I’ll join you,” Amelia attacks the rock climbing wall with vigor.

She makes it to the top in record time.

“How did you do that?” Nia exclaims in awe.

Divan was stuck. I had to reset him. That’s why he didn’t play juice pong. Cheryl heads off to the restroom.

“All that juice!” Cheryl mumbles.

“Come on, come on,” Tyson coaxes. “You were a juice pong pro, Hayden. You’ve gotta have some stories from your college days.”

“She doesn’t have to tell us if she doesn’t want to,” Divan snips.

“Wild sorority parties? Post-football game celebrations?” Tyson nudges. “Graduation day?”

“Debate team finals?” Hayden winces and grins shyly. “Loser had to streak across campus.”

“Ahhhh!” Tyson yells triumphantly. “So you improved your game to avoid the dash of shame. It’s okay, my friend, it’s happened to the best of us.”

“Oh this is too much for me!” Divan flushes and throws his hands up awkwardly.

“Are you kidding?” Hayden giggles. “No… I was a winner. I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that.”

Tyson smiles.

“This is so uncomfortable. Why would you even ask her that?” Divan balls his fist.

“It’s all in good humor,” Tyson replies. “Let it go, man.”

“Are you feeling okay, Divan?” Hayden asks.

Divan angrily stomps off.

“No!”

All that juice, Tyson decides to get some food in his stomach.

Tyson took his BLT to The Green Room, which was empty. No one was performing karaoke. Apparently, the travelers missed the show earlier in the evening.

Hayden joins him with bold pick-up lines and suggestive conversation.

“I hope I didn’t embarrass you,” he says.

“Nope, we’re good,” she smiles, quirking a brow. “So have you ever streaked across campus?”

Tyson smirks. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yes, that’s why I’m asking,” Hayden replies boldly.

They were joking about weather and ducks (seriously… what’s with weather??!?) and then told dirty jokes and moved onto suggestive conversations.

Tyson pauses for a minute and tilts his head.

“I got caught outside in a downpour. Used a newspaper does that count?” Tyson asks.

“Wait,” Hayden smothers her laugh. “Why were you naked?”

“Uh… it was lovely weather for ducks,” Tyson replies. “And I don’t have feathers.”

“So you stripped down and… ran with… a newspaper?” she blinks rapidly.

“Someone stole my gym clothes. And I’m like cool… at least my clothes won’t get wet,” he shrugs.

Hayden laughs. “Well, that’s a refreshing way to look at it.”

“So I bet a classy gal like yourself hasn’t really done anything too crazy,” Tyson assumes.

“I threw caution to the wind once,” Hayden replies, with a deadpan expression.

“What do you mean?” Tyson asks.

“My roomie and I found caution tape in an empty barrel down by the soccer field. We ran around campus late at night drawing chalk outlines and hanging up tape outside the boy’s dorms,” she replies.

“Caution to the wind!” Tyson repeats, bursting into laughter. “I get it now. Good one!”

Cheryl joins Cathy in the Cheeky Checkerboard. She’s strutting her stuff. And her dancing skill increased to 3.

Cathy plays ping pong with a townie in Kaleidoscope.

Amelia grabs a cold brew and a BLT from Low Lights and heads upstairs to find the others.

“So about later…” Tyson winks at Hayden.

She giggles.

Amelia clears her throat and settles onto the couch. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Yeah, my moves,” Tyson smacks his forehead and laughs.

“Eh…” Hayden hides her face, chuckling sheepishly. “How’s your evening been, Amelia?”

“You two could get a room,” Amelia replies, swallowing her bite of sandwich.

Hayden and Tyson relocate to outside on one of the rainbow sky bridges.

“What exactly is this?” Hayden inquires.

“What do you want it to be?” Tyson replies.

“I mean… we’re flirting… we’re teasing each other… I think we have chemistry,” Hayden rambles. “I’m the group guide though. Is this unprofessional? Do you feel comfortable?”

“Hayden, we don’t need to overcomplicate things. How about this?” Tyson suggests. “We’re feeling this situation out. To see where it goes.”

What’s with everyone ordering BLTs? Haha.

“Have you seen Hayden?” Divan asks.

“Uhhhh…” Amelia begins.

Tyson smiles. “I don’t think it’s inappropriate. It’s nobody’s business what we do or think of each other. I want to get to know you better. And you’re hard to ignore.”

“I’m hard to ignore?” she repeats, and squeaks. “So what are your intentions actually, Mr. Michaels?”

“I don’t want to distract you from your work, but I am attracted to you,” he continues. “I like you. And I could ask you the same thing. What are your intentions, Ms. Donnelly?”

“You want to know? You really want to know?” Hayden takes a few steps toward him.

Nia swishes on the dance floor. One – two – three.

“I like you too,” Hayden whispers as she bumps Tyson’s nose. “Ooo… sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he kisses her back.

I switched to check on another character, and didn’t get any more shots, but these two autonomously flirted and made out on the bridge here for a few minutes.

“So Hayden,” Tyson begins. “You’re like WiFi. You make me want to connect to you.”

Hayden giggles. “I want to connect to you too.”

Explore Simterra the right way in style!

Closing Author Notes: What a chapter! I was surprised by the intense chemistry that flared up between Hayden and Tyson, but they seem so happy. I’m a little worried about Divan though. 😬

This was a fun chapter featuring Simslover163’s Cheryl, lilypadmeulin‘s Nia, VanPelt81‘s Tyson, divanthesimmer’s Divan, MadameLee’s Amelia, and CathyTea‘s Cathy Tea . Shout-out to MINEZ, munterbacon, and skcaga6 for their Sims’ appearance.

Prism is a beautiful nightclub you can download on the Gallery by eimajunknown. I made some edits for my game to add some more activities, but the original is simply stunning.

BUT Wait! There’s more. Pop on over to my Simblr to see how the Sims finished out their night at the club. Actually more like it took me all night to get all the screenshots and activities so they closed down in the wee morning hours. 🤭 I’ll do a quick shout-out here – LegacySims2017‘s Joseph Simself makes an appearance. Enjoy the After Party!

Share with us. What are your favorite moments from the night at Prism? What do you think of Tyson and Hayden’s budding relationship? Yay or nay? What about Amelia and Shiro? Do you hope to see more of him? Some surprising skills popped up here – Divan and the violin, Amelia and the climbing wall, Cheryl on the dance floor, Cathy video gaming. Do you want to see more skill building?

A Simterran Traveler’s Guide, Pt. 1

September 8, 2020September 8, 2020 / livinasimminlife / 2 Comments

Noon in the burbs outside Newcrest, a northeastern city in Valverde

Hiya readers! I wanted to let you know that I’m working on completing a Traveler’s Guide for Simterra. It will present similarly to WikiTravel articles with some of my own humor sprinkled in for kicks and giggles. I hope you will consider taking a journey to this planet that I have been working on for the past 6 years. I also hope that the content isn’t too dry for you, though I don’t expect you to love this world as much as I do.

Thanks for reading. I will be updating the guide over time so expect more article announcements in the future. For now, please enjoy…

the introductory page in case you’ve been under a rock and don’t know where Simterra is. (No judgment here. I hear rocks make lovely shelters from the elements. 😉 Also I’ve recently been under the “rocks” of Tamriel, playing in Elder Scrolls Online, delving in caves and dungeons for skyshards and battling otherworldly monsters and unfriendlies).
and you can also enjoy a page devoted to the “regions” of Simterra, in case you’re trying to decide where to visit first. You’ll get a quick overview of all the continents, climate, and must-see places of each region.

Dag dag!

-Lizzie

P.S. If there are any other ESO fans out there, here’s a picture or two from my recent adventures on another world.

Look at that breathtaking sunset! Ignore all the on-screen text and stats bars.

Yes, I have a thing for sunsets in world. And just so this isn’t entirely unrelated… I am really appreciative of the worldbuilding in ESO.

A Toad Hop, the Mythos of Months, and a Lunar Celebration

September 7, 2020September 8, 2020 / livinasimminlife / 1 Comment

Welcome back to Simterra. Please see my Disclaimer page if you have questions, concerns, find an error, or are just curious about my world and how it works. If you missed the previous post, be sure to read ‘Oh My Sun Mother! And Other Astronomical Delights‘ as it fills in the blanks about how the different races refer to the sun and the Daleth System. This was originally going to be a single post, but it grew increasingly longer with my attempts at humor and background information, but I promise you, it’s an interesting read as I hope… this will be. Also, thank you for your patience as I’ve worked through editing/updating and modifying this blog. I was recently hacked and had to do a good bit of work to repair this blog.

A Toad Hop, the Mythos of Months, and a Lunar Celebration

a.k.a. An Intro to Simterra, Pt. 2b: Astronomy

What do a Toad Hop, Mythos of Months, and a Lunar Celebration have in common? I’m so glad you asked. Astronomy. This little update has been sitting in my drafts since July. It’s high past time I share my updated calendar for Simterra, and a bit more about Luna, the moon above Simterra. I finally made some edits to it to where I felt comfortable sharing. Enjoy!

Simterran Calendar

Celebrating the new year with music and song! Sha shoobie!

The Simterran year is 365 days with 13 months of 28 days and an extra day at the end of the year. (The calendar is similar to the International Fixed Calendar of our world). Because of the nature of the calendar, the months and weeks are fixed with the 1st day always occurring on a Sunday and the last day occurring on a Saturday, with few exceptions.

Fixed calendar month	Matching dates on the Gregorian calendar
	Starts on fixed day 1	Ends on fixed day 28 (or 29)
January	January 1	January 28
February	January 29	February 25
Suluary	February 26	March 25*
		March 26* (Toad Hop)
March	March 26	April 22
April	April 23	May 20
May	May 21	June 17
June	June 18	July 15
July	July 16	August 12
August	August 13	September 9
September	September 10	October 7
October	October 8	November 4
November	November 5	December 2
December	December 3	December 30
		December 31**(Year’s End)

*An intercalary day or leap day occurs once every fourth year and is commonly called Toad Hop. It is named for the elusive umai, a reptilian race. This extra day occurs during the month of Suluary or Apollon (a month between February and March on the Gregorian Calendar). The day is typically called Sunturday on the calendar so as not to disrupt the week schedule and is always calculated as the 26th day of March.

**The final day of the year (inserted after December 28th and equivalent to December 31st) is called Year’s End (also New Year’s Eve) and does not belong to any week (though it is commonly calculated as December 29th). The day is typically called Sunterday so as not to disrupt the week schedule.

Simterran Seasons

In the Northern Hemisphere, seasons are similar to Eorthe . Winter begins in December, spring starts in March, summer kicks off in June, and autumn commences in September. There are four months of winter, three months of spring, three months of summer, and three months of autumn. In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite (and there are 4 months of summer).

Seasons	Northern Hemisphere	Southern Hemisphere
Spring	March-May	September-November
Summer	June-August	December-Suluary
Autumn	September-November	March-May
Winter	December-Suluary	June-August

Simterran Moon

Luna, appears similar to our moon, but is about 1.5 times bigger and hosts a breathable atmosphere, though only a fraction of Luna’s surface is habitable.

Simterra has a moon is called Luna, and hosts a livable, breathable atmosphere. Many structures on the moon’s surface are enclosed by visible and invisible astrodomes in case of space debris. Luna’s gravity is relative to two-thirds of Simterra’s gravity (and Earth’s).

People who live on Luna are called ‘lunes‘ or ‘lunites‘ by the Simterrans. However, the lunar peoples prefer the more ‘civilized’ and acceptable term – ‘selenars.’ The moon hosts several cities, including Oasis Landing, the capitol, and Lunar Lakes, and multiple small settlements. Luna’s cycle is approximately 28.25 days, which lends itself to marking the passage of time easily.

The Amazónean moon goddess, Octavia is associated with the month of October. She has a minor mythological cult associated with her, but few practice any real worship. It is said that some supernaturals draw power and energy from the moon, most notably the pyre, enchanters, and the fae.

Sims celebrating the first night of Jubilee at a local bar in Glimmerbrook, Avalon.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the enchanters celebrate their Jubilee during the months of September through November. In the Southern Hemisphere, a shorter Jubilee season is held in March and April, though many enchanters travel north for the full season in the autumn. Jubilee is a festival season devoted to lunar energy, and honoring the coming of autumn and harvest. (The closest comparison we have on Eorthe for a long celebratory season is Carnival). The 84-day celebration incorporates feasts and parties, carnivals and street fairs, and ceremonies and galas. Many bars, night clubs, businesses, and restaurants host events all season long. All because of the beautiful satellite orbiting Simterra. It’s spectacular and there’s really nothing like it.

Astrology and Mythology

Like on Earth, the months of the year have corresponding astrological signs.

#	Month	Sign	Description	Element	Modality
1	January	Capricorn	The Goat	Earth	Cardinal
2	February	Aquarius	The Water-Bearer	Air	Fixed
3	Suluary	Pisces	The Fish	Water	Mutable
4	March	Aries	The Ram	Fire	Cardinal
5	April	Taurus	The Bull	Earth	Fixed
6	May	Gemini	The Twins	Air	Mutable
7	June	Cancer	The Crab	Water	Cardinal
8	July	Leo	The Lion	Fire	Fixed
9	August	Virgo	The Maiden	Earth	Mutable
10	September	Libra	The Scales	Air	Cardinal
11	October	Scorpio	The Scorpion	Water	Fixed
12	November	Ophiuchus	The Serpent-Bearer	Fire	Mutable
13	December	Sagittarius	The Archer	Fire	Mutable

Octavia is the Amazónean goddess of the moon, keeping an ever-watchful eye each night.

Each month is also named for a character in Amazónean mythology. The mythos takes its origins from the Amazon region of Earth somewhere in ancient and medieval Eurasia. Amazónean mythology is heavily influenced by Roman and Greek mythology. In turn, Albergian mythology borrows from the Amazónean and is also influenced by German and Celtic mythology.

January – Janos (Amazónean); Janos/Jana (Albergian) – god/goddess of air and wind, beginnings, openings, gates, transitions, doorways, passages, and time
February – Febrios (Amazónean); Febrivon/Febriven (more commonly called Vonos/Veni) (Albergian) – god/goddess of the seas, love, romance, desire, pleasure, sex, and poetry
Suluary – Apollon (Amazónean); Apollos/Apolla (Albergian) – god/goddess of sun, light, heavens, wealth, sovereignty, knowledge, and prophecy
March – Maron (Amazónean); Maros/Mara (Albergian) – god/goddess of weather and storms, war, conflict, competition, protection, sadness and grief
April – Aprion (Amazónean); Aprilo/Apria (Albergian) – god/goddess of rains, fruits, flowers, agriculture, animals, gardens, beauty and truth
May – Maios (Amazónean); Maia (Albergian) – goddess of spring, fresh water, nature, mountains, animals, preparation, and growth
June – Junius (Amazónean); Junia (Albergian) – goddess of earth, wisdom, children, feminine energy, family, fertility, and life
July – Julios (Amazónean); Julio/Julia (Albergian) – god/goddess of summer, celebration, relaxation and rest, freedom, theater and story
August – Augustos (Amazónean); Augusto/Augusta (Albergian)- god/goddess of steam and heat, entertainment and recreation, vigor, youth, greatness and prestige
September – Septemos (Amazónean); Septemo (Albergian) – god/goddess of crops and harvest, work, strength, and masculine energy
October – Octovos (Amazónean); Octavios/Octavia (Albergian) – god/goddess of autumn, the moon, mysteries and secrets, the hunt, wild animals, and wilderness
November – Novemos (Amazónean); Novo/Nova (Albergian) – god/goddess of fire and hearth, home, domesticity, purity, friendship, sacrifice, and thanksgiving
December – Decemos (Amazónean); Decemo/Decima (Albergian) – god/goddess of winter, cold, darkness, endings and closings, the underground (rocks, gems, and metals), death and rebirth

Each corresponding god has a goddess in Albergian mythology, with the exception of goddess only months (May and June) and the god only month of September.

Final Thoughts

Cathy Tea rejecting a terrible cup of tea in Home for the Holidays.

Hopefully this wasn’t as dry or boring as I think it is. I am fascinated with this kind of stuff – worldbuilding and naming, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. However, I hope you found this information interesting. Dag dag!

P.S. While ‘Sul Sul‘ means ‘may the warmth and blessings of the sun be upon you‘ within my Sim culture, the phrase ‘Dag dag‘ means ‘may the rest of your day be interesting without me.’ 😉

P.P.S. Planetary system map coming soon! I can’t wait to share it with you all!

Bowl’d Over (Day 3, Pt. 2)

August 30, 2020September 5, 2020 / livinasimminlife / 8 Comments

Welcome to Myshuno Bowling & Karaoke! Everyone changed into hot weather attire. I modified a few of the ladies outfits so they would be more appropriate for bowling. I didn’t think skirts or dresses would be as maneuverable. I tried to keep the same stuff packs and/or color scheme.

Using a dice, I determined teams. 1 and 3 were the first team. Divan rolled a 3. Cheryl rolled a 1. Neither seemed happy to be paired together. Divan hoped to be on a team with Hayden, and Cheryl wanted to be with Nia.

Two and four were paired together. Hayden rolled a 2. Tyson rolled a 4. Hayden seemed a bit sleepy. I think she was up too late reviewing the travel plans. Tyson offered a “friendly gift” – a cup of coffee from his inventory.

“Hey Hayden, you okay?” Tyson asks.

“Yeah, uh… oh… a bit tired,” Hayden tries to hide a yawn.

“I could go scrounge us up some coffee before starting,” Tyson offers.

“Really?” Hayden perks up. “That would be amazing.”

She reaches for her wallet. Tyson shakes his head.

“On me, a gift,” he says.

She smiles graciously.

Last team – Five and Six plus whomever arrived last at the bowling alley. Cathy rolled a 5, Nia rolled a 6, and Amelia rocked it up last. Nia wanted to be with Cheryl. Amelia wanted to be with Tyson. (based on whims they rolled to chat with the other people).

“Why does Cheryl and Hayden get to have all the fun with the guys?” Nia whines.

“Hey we got this ladies!” Cathy tries a rallying cry.

Divan is up first! You know you can take your glasses off inside.

“Are you watching, Hayden?” Divan asks.

“I’m watching,” she says.

Tyson bows after bowling.

“Thank you. Thank you very much,” he does his best Elvis impression after completing a perfect strike.

Cathy nearly thwacks (MINEZ’s) Sammy Sarafin (my Simself’s brother-in-law) with the ball. Also, I find it funny that the second round of folks changed into bowling shoes, but Divan, Tyson, and Cathy all released their first bowl in sandals and flip flops. Must be a glitch! Oh and Cathy Jr… a.k.a. the Cathy Tea named for her aunt is also in this picture, second from the right. I thought the universe would end. Haha. Not really.

“Oh excuse me, sir,” Cathy apologizes and then excitedly releases her ball.

“Auntie?” the younger Cathy exclaims.

“Oh!” the other Cathy holds her ball and says hello to her niece. “It’s so good to see you.”

“What are you doing here?” her niece asks.

“I’m on a travel adventure,” Cathy replies. “What about you?”

“I came for the cupcakes,” the younger CT winks. “I heard they are delicious.”

Divan also gets a strike on his first try.

“He shoots! He scores!” Divan celebrates.

“Uh, this isn’t basketball,” Hayden giggles.

Tyson continues his victory dance! Divan is not thrilled. You can’t see him, but off camera, he was scowling, and whimmed to be mean to Tyson. By the way, the gentleman in the black and white tank top and the cargo shorts is (skcaga6’s) Dayle Wymer from my LASL series.

“It’s the lady’s turn,” Divan says, coolly.

“Let him have his moment,” Hayden smirks.

“Yeah, let me… have my… moment,” Tyson spins around and brushes imaginary dust off his shoulder.

Cathy finally lets her ball go.

“Will you hurry up?” Amelia grunts, impatiently.

“There you go, little one,” Cathy whispers to the ball.

Oof! Sorry Cathy. She bowls right into the gutter. Amelia was almost right on top of Cathy. Eek! I thought she would knock her over.

“Move over!” Amelia shouts, aggressively. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

Cheryl looks so pretty here.

Hayden practically throws the ball down the lane. Opps! And there are so many people here at the Bowling & Karaoke place. I have a mod that adds more people to lots, but sheesh! Too many. I sent some home with the “Make Sim leave” cheat. It was getting too crowded.

Cheryl looks like a pro – poised and ready to go!

Poor Nia falls flat on her first try. She still manages to knock out 1 pin.

“Garmulspuff!” Nia garbles.

“Oh are you okay?” Cathy asks. “Should we get you some ice?”

Needless to say, Nia is done before she starts. Cathy agrees to sit down with her and make sure she’s okay while Amelia to “get ice” from the bar.

“What are you doing?” Hayden asks her bowling partner.

“Coaxing it to make another amazing strike,” Tyson says. “Fly my pretties! Fly!”

“Uh… it’s just one,” Hayden frowns.

Nia is a little teary and dazed after grabbing a face full of wood.

“It’s okay,” Cathy encourages. “It happens to the best of us.”

“I brought you the ice, and oh!” Amelia exclaims and whirls around. “I forgot the juice.”

“Juice?” Nia repeats, dazed.

“For your blood sugar,” Cathy explains.

Will the ball make it?

“Come on! Come on! Come on!” Hayden urges. “I can feel it in my bones!”

Tyson waits with breathless (and frozen) anticipation.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!” Hayden cheers.

“How do you keep doing that?” Divan asks, defeated.

“Luck, it just runs deep in our bones,” Hayden grins.

“Yes,” Tyson pumps his fist in the air. “Now that’s rattlin’.”

STRIKE!

Once they are sure she’s okay, Cathy encourages Nia to try again.

Neither of the other teams seem to be doing as well.

Divan trips on approach. Oh! It’s probably those flip flops, D. *shakes head*

“You got this!” Tyson yells for his teammate. “Best partner right here!”

Strike again! Divan isn’t watching the score. He’s watching Hayden.

“What did I say? Have I got the best partner in the world!” Tyson hoots.

“Could you tone it down?” Divan mumbles.

“Whoa! Looks like you’re the team to beat,” Amelia remarks.

“Bye niece,” Cathy waves to the other Cathy.

Oh! Not so fast! Cheryl is striking a pose. And possibly all ten pins. Divan has sadly given up on his partner, even though Cheryl is doing well. Not cool, Divan, not cool!

“So uh… Tyson… you think you could break up the team, and share a little luck with the rest of us?” Divan asks.

“Uh looks like Cheryl’s doing just fine,” Tyson replies.

You do that dance, Cheryl. You deserve it!

“Aww yeah! Nine out of 10 pins. Not bad. Not bad at all,” Cheryl says.

“Good job, Cheryl!” Hayden cheers.

“Nice one!” Tyson says.

Uh oh! Cathy’s getting a headache. All the tension of being around lots of people getting to her.

Divan checks on Nia.

“Hey, I saw you fall earlier… and I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Divan says.

“Oh… really?” Nia blushes. “That… yeah, I’m okay.”

Hayden and Tyson stare straight ahead.

“You two okay?” Cathy asks.

“Yeah, I’m just stunned…” Hayden begins.

“…by our score!” Tyson finishes.

Cathy heads outside for fresh air.

She visits the Uptown Cupcake stall first.

“What do you recommend?” she asks the attendant.

“Oh they’re all amazing,” the clerk brags. “We make everything with the finest organic ingredients and harvest from sustainable wheat fields only. ”

“I’ll try the classic vanilla,” Cathy orders.

“Excellent choice,” the clerk approves. “The vanilla is genuine Selvadoradan.”

The group heads for the rooftop pool. Nia, in her fabulous high heels nearly trips over a pool light. Amelia is so excited that she hops in the air.

“Oh they brought us a complimentary bottle of Moore Love wine,” Amelia says, practically giddy.

“Yes, because drinking by the pool sounds divine,” Nia sighs.

(Yeah, I feel you, girl. You just whacked your face too. Probably should avoid the wine.)

“The Moore Winery is just outside the city near Myshuno Meadows,” Hayden explains.

Everyone goes to change into swim suits. Amelia is the first one back, happily slipping into the hot tub with her glass of wine.

“Dude are you alive?” Divan asks of Tyson.

“No,” Tyson replies. “I was just thinking about the time I was chased by taxidermists. Never a good idea to play dead around those guys.”

“Uh… okay…” Divan scratches his head.

“Uh… that’s a long way down,” Nia squeaks.

No kidding! Wait… what is going on back there?

A helicopter party! I’ve never seen this in game.

Or this… the helicopter landed on the building! Okay… don’t mind me. Excited gamer here. Haha.

“Ahh… I don’t know if I can do this,” Nia cries.

“You got this,” Divan gives her a thumbs-up from down below.

“You can do it,” Cheryl encourages.

“Yeah, we’re all waiting for you down here,” Hayden adds.

“But I haven’t…” Nia gulps. “Dived in years.”

“It’s like riding a bike,” Amelia says.

Apparently not. Poor girl can’t catch a break.

“You okay there, Tyson,” Amelia hides a smile. “You aren’t chicken, are you?”

“No…” Tyson glances down over the side.

Is it just me or does Tyson look like he belongs on the cover of a magazine here? 🤩

It’s a very long drop there, Tyson, but you’re not going that way. What’cha thinking?

WHAT THE? Yes, that’s Tyson. He changed into this outfit right before his dive. I got the perfect shot! 😆 Fly, my Super Justice Llama! Fly! (I really have to disable the random costumes in game… and wow! This glitch was… wow! Totally ruined the awesome model-esque thoughts I had going through my head seconds earlier).

Yeah, Hayden. My thoughts exactly! What did I just see? *grin frozen on face*

Amelia heads inside, showers, and changes. After ordering a Super Chocolate Tummers Bomb cupcake, she gets a glass of sparkling water from the bar.

Hayden enjoys a Rabbit’s Special cupcake – carrot cake, of course.

Divan settles at a table and enjoys a glass of water and red velvet cupcake. Cheryl orders a vanilla cupcake and joins Divan.

Divan gets his groove on. He must be prepping for the night club.

Divan gets changed and joins the karaoke. Unfortunately, he’s not that good and Amelia cringes, getting up to practice singing for fame instead. (I think the game glitched out and Divan couldn’t use the karaoke machine.)

Poor Nia. She tries too, but she can’t take her eyes off the screen, and she’s a bit pitchy.

Cathy sings her heart out. She’s pretty good.

Amelia… now is your time to shine, girl! Show ’em!

Tyson is really good. Did not see that coming. Must be the joke star persona helping him with the charisma piece, but you can’t fake those pipes!

But it’s Divan for the win! Great job everyone! Congratulations Divan! I’m glad something is finally going your way today!

Cathy enjoys the cupcake so much that she goes back for seconds. Amelia also orders a second cupcake.

Look at that breathtaking sunset! Okay, travelers, time to head to the Prism.

Explore Simterra the right way in style!

Author Notes: Thanks everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I’m playing around more and more in my design program. I had a bit of fun with that magazine cover with Tyson. 😉 Also Maxsimum is a magazine available in the original Sims. I can’t take credit for it. But it’s so fitting. 😂 I’m trying to incoporate more randomness so when your Sims are faced with a decision, I’ll often use dice and roll for it like I did with the teams. Or I use dice when the Sim submitters haven’t given me an answer on something. Hopefully you don’t mind. Again thanks for reading.

This adventure featured Simslover163’s Cheryl, lilypadmeulin‘s Nia, VanPelt81‘s Tyson, divanthesimmer’s Divan, MadameLee’s Amelia, and CathyTea‘s Cathy Tea (and also the younger Cathy Tea). 😛 Also shout-out to MINEZ and skcaga6 for their Sims’ appearance.

This was a fun chapter to play/write.

A Wee Bit of Breakfast Drama (Day 3, Pt. 1)

August 21, 2020September 5, 2020 / livinasimminlife / 6 Comments

Hayden can’t sleep. She gets up at 4:30am to go for a run. When she returns, she helps herself to a magazine and a pack of peanuts at the hotel gift stand and observes an ancient world map.

Good morning travelers! Cathy and Nia start off the morning with a 6am swim. (I swear the Sims are obsessed with the hotel pool).

“Do you hear a voice?” Cathy asks, as she halts her laps.

“Uh…” Nia tilts her head and listens.

Nothing but the sounds of the morning commute traffic.

“No,” she replies.

“Oh I swear I heard something,” Cathy quirks a brow.

Amelia is awake next at five after seven. She admires her dress in the mirror.

“It really is the perfect color for me,” she smiles.

DJ goes to visit Amelia. Maybe the maid let the little doggie in? Anyhow, we get this cute moment!

Divan practices good oral hygiene after waking up around 7:30am.

When Divan goes looking for DJ, he accidentally walks in on Amelia. Yikes! 😳 (SIMS, lock your doors! That maid keeps letting people into the room).

Tyson gets up and kicks the soccer ball around on his deck at 7:45 am.

I always find it funny when I think I recognize tones/songs from my Sims singing/humming. Now I have this song stuck in my head. You’re welcome. 😆 Does anyone else notice their Sims humming randomly in game?

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He seems to be humming the theme song from Rocky. Get it, champion!

Hayden plays a little Blicblock in the computer lab. Nia browses emails. (Who put that easel there? I sure didn’t.)

Tyson joins Nia in the computer lab while Hayden goes to grab a shower and get changed.

“That shade of red really compliments your lips,” Tyson tries a futile flirt.

“Uh… thanks…” Nia replies, but she’s blushing.

Not one to be deterred, Tyson exclaims, “Oh! Oh! Wanna hear a joke about ducks?”

“Sure,” Nia shrugs.

“What did the duck say to the waiter when he brought the check?” Tyson begins and then smirks. “Please put it on my bill.”

“That’s a good one,” Nia laughs. “You’re really funny, Tyson.”

“Of course,” Tyson smirks. “And you want to know something funnier…”

Cheryl watches the news after waking around 8am. She is excited the station is featuring a dance party at Prism, the night club they will be attending later that evening.

Everyone arrives at breakfast for a 9am seating.

“Mmm… the orange nectar looks delicious,” Cathy remarks, pointing at the menu. “Just the right amount of fresh squeezed Del Sol oranges from back home. What are you going to order Tyson?”

“Er… when Tyson said funny, I didn’t think he meant he would come to breakfast in costume,” Nia rolls her eyes. “Morning Divan.”

“Ro-bot or-ders bah-na-na milk-shake,” Tyson says, robotically.

“That sounds delicious,” Divan replies. “I think I’ll get that too. Good morning, Nia,” he nods to Amelia. “Good morning, Amelia. Have you seen my dog?”

“Oh yes, he came by my room earlier,” Amelia giggles. “He did a trick for me.”

Cheryl is in a good mood.

“What a beautiful morning,” Cheryl sighs.

Divan is feeling flirty again. Uh oh! He spots Hayden.

“Morning Hayden,” he squeaks.

“Good morning,” she grins.

Amelia is really hungry. Her stomach rumbles.

Cathy listens to Divan’s complaint.

“I hope the waiter comes soon,” she says.

“Have you read any good books lately, Professor?” Divan asks. “I find the hotel library lacking. Nothing really grabbed my attention.”

“Please call me Cathy,” Cathy replies. “Though I’m flattered you still call me professor.”

“Well you are my old… er… former professor,” Divan says. “Sorry. I don’t know how to say this properly.”

“I just finished Famous Spellcasters Throughout History by Cornelius J. Implorium,” Cathy shares. “It was a fascinating read. All four thousand pages.”

“I admire you enthusiasm,” Cheryl says to Tyson. “But how are you going to eat with the helmet on?”

“Through a straw,” Tyson quips.

“Ooo… this sounds so delicious,” Cheryl exclaims. “Honeyed World Fruit Charcuterie.”

“Can you see the menu well?” Hayden asks.

“It’s a little fuzzy,” Tyson admits.

“How about I read the items and you tell me if you want to hear more about their description?” Hayden offers.

“Thanks. I worked up an appetite this morning. I’m gonna need a megabyte!” Tyson exclaims.

“See anything good?” Cathy inquires.

“Yes, I think… the Savory Bacon Love Petals for my appetizer,” Divan says. “Oh can you have appetizers with breakfast?”

“I don’t see why not,” Cathy smiles.

“But are they called something else?” Divan asks.

“Perhaps hors d’oeuvres,” Cathy suggests.

My Sims have been doing this weird thing lately where they just start singing and can’t stop. Divan decided to serenade the table with some songs from the Arcadian states.

The food arrived. Hayden ordered the mushroom quiche and a glass of coconut nectar. Tyson attempts to drink his milkshake through his helmet via the straw. Cheryl is not impressed by Divan’s singing.

Don’t worry, Divan. I am. He leveled up three times during breakfast. (By the way, that’s friendsfan367‘s Ali from my LASL story in the background in the pretty blue blazer and pink shorts. )

Cathy listens thoughtfully to the table chatter while munching on artisan bread.

Amelia is particularly pleased with her chocolate bubble tea and her potato bread, but she still has a embarrassed moodlet and Divan still has a tense moodlet.

“So uh… sorry for earlier…” Divan stammers.

“Uh yeah… I don’t want to talk about it,” Amelia grimaces.

“Do you like fishing?” Divan asks.

“Huh?” Amelia tilts her head. “Oh there are some fine fishing spots in Brindleton, but it’s not a pastime I really indulge in.”

“Yeah me neither,” Divan replies. “Just trying to make conversation. I do like walking DJ along Whiskerman’s Wharf.”

Tyson changes so he can better enjoy his meal, leaving to return his costume to the hotel… rather reluctantly.

“I heard a joke the other day,” Hayden says.

“Okay,” Tyson says, rather glumly as he takes a bite of his salt-and-pepper shrimp cocktail.

“What did the fisherman say to the magician?” Hayden asks, and pauses for dramatic effect before speaking in an accent. “Pick a cod. Any cod.”

Tyson’s eyes light up. “That’s pretty good.”

Several people asked Hayden for “knowledge of charisma.” Nia seemed to be in a bad mood all the sudden.

“Hayden, I’d love to know more about being a tour guide,” Divan asks. “Do you have any tips for people?”

“Why are you considering a career change?” Nia quips below her breath.

“I… um…” Divan trails off, looking embarrassed.

“Oh… well… I guess, I’m still pretty new at this, so you’ll all have to tell me how I’m doing,” Hayden chuckles.

“I think you’re doing a fan-freaking-tastic job!” Tyson exclaims.

“Oh thanks,” Hayden blushes.

“Yeah… uh… me too…” Divan adds.

“I guess the best tips I can give you… based on my time working in a museum… don’t worry about being perfect. Just go with the flow. If people interrupt and ask questions…” Hayden offers.

“Like this?” Divan raises his hand.

This elicits some laughs from around the table.

Nia wasn’t having Divan’s silliness. She tells a joke about mimes and shouts forbidden words.

“Hey want to hear a joke about mimes?” she interjects loudly. “What do you say to an annoying street performer? Oh go mime your own (insert swear word) business.”

Poor girl had a raging headache. I think that’s why she was mean.

Thankfully the waitress came over at that exact moment to take everyone’s main dish order.

Nia excuses herself to the restroom (and unfortunately, got stuck there. I had to reset her.)

Divan was pleasantly surprised when they brought out a giant food dish for DJ. (I was accidentally playing around with sizing for another object and this one got blown up).

“Uh Nia, I have some essential oils in my purse. Might help with your head,” Cathy offered as soon as their main meals (and glasses of water) arrived.

“Oh… you noticed…” Nia sighs and lowers her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a bear earlier.”

“Maybe try and squeeze a nap in before this afternoon’s festivities?” Cathy suggests. “And you don’t have to apologize to me. Apologize to Divan.”

“I will,” Nia nods. “How’s your… tower thing?”

“Oh my!” Cathy looks up at the sky. “This beautiful Cubed Ahi with Vegetable Wasabi Matrix is heavenly.”

“So is my tiger shrimp with dewdrop broth,” Amelia interjects.

“I ordered pancakes and they brought me a waffle with fruit,” Nia sighs.

“Oh yes! This is…” Cheryl sniffs her sizzled brisket over sour clover salad . “Divine!”

“I’m so glad you all like the restaurant,” Hayden smiles, taking a bite of her Monte Cristo sandwich.

“My French toast is okay,” Tyson shrugs. “I liked the shrimp better.”

Everyone enjoys their breakfast. Then they order dessert. Poor Nia needs to excuse herself again before enjoying her mango sticky rice. Tyson and Cheryl enjoy Nebula donuts. Amelia and Hayden munch on bacon-wrapped donuts. Divan gets a slice of cowplant meringue pie. Cathy eats a jelly-filled donut while telling a gross joke?

“I once tried a cheese donut,” Cathy begins.

“Like a danish?” Divan asks. “Danishes are yummy.”

“No… actual cheese. Needless to say it wasn’t gouda,” Cathy says.

“That’s an excellent pun,” Tyson exclaims. “I’ve got another great cheese joke. What bounty hunter gets paid in cheese? Boba Feta.”

Cathy seems sad no one believes her.

“Nice one!” Hayden clinks glasses with Tyson.

“No, I actually ate a cheese donut… like cheddar cheese,” Cathy insists.

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound very good,” Divan says. “Why would you eat it?”

“Why not?” Cathy sniffs. “I was feeling adventurous.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Divan replies, meekly, taking a bite of his pie.

Cheryl was grinning oddly. Like she was stuck with the expression for several Sim minutes. She also laughed politely. I think she was done with the cheesy jokes. Also a second donut appeared on Hayden’s plate when she began eating it.

“Mmm… your donuts have such bright colors,” Hayden remarks before stuffing her face.

“Ooo… what’s a cat’s favorite color?” Tyson shouts. “Purr…ple!”

“Okaaay… on that note,” Cheryl grins, awkwardly. “I think I’ll do some painting before we leave.”

She gets up to leave.

“What did I say?” Tyson shrugs.

Explore Simterra the right way in style!

Author Notes: This breakfast was a bit disastrous. I blame the buggy issues with Dine Out. It took me nearly a full Sim day to get everything working properly in game, and I nearly lost Cathy Tea to starvation. Backed out without saving. Whew! The ISBI nature of this game is tripping me up a bit. 😬 Next time I probably won’t have the Sims order as much food.

By the way, Cheryl’s painting was fabulous.

Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you enjoyed. This adventure featured Simslover163’s Cheryl, lilypadmeulin‘s Nia, VanPelt81‘s Tyson, divanthesimmer’s Divan, MadameLee’s Amelia, and CathyTea‘s Cathy Tea. And shoutout to friendsfan367 for her Sim, Ali’s appearance.

Blossoming Friendships (Day 2, Pt. 3)

August 14, 2020September 5, 2020 / livinasimminlife / 14 Comments

After a fun-filled day at Geek Con, everyone needed a little time to unwind.

Amelia ordered the earthy butternut squash soup from the Trendy Tortoise. She had a pleasant, if not, mostly solitary day, but that suits her personality. Amelia enjoys reading so much that she reads the menu and all its delicious details.

Cathy ordered a scone from the Café Belomisia and hums to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as she keeps an eye on the twilight rain.

Hayden hops in the shower to wash away her costume makeup. The hot water feels good after a long day of mostly standing.

Cheryl enjoys a long soak in her suite and listens to the ping-pong of the raindrops against her window.

Tyson joins friends in a chat room. He’s feeling pretty good about his new joke material and tries it out.

“May I join you?” Cathy asks as she approaches Amelia’s table with her scone and cup of bee tea.

“Sure,” Amelia says. “Did you get that tee shirt at the festival?”

“Yes,” Cathy replies. “Press play for more scintillating conversation.”

“Oh! You’re funny,” Amelia laughs. “Would you like to hear about the book I finished today?”

“Absolutely,” Cathy says. “Books are one of the simple joys in my life.”

“Great, maybe you can recommend some. I’m always looking for good reading material,” Amelia adds.

Divan goes to work off some of the day’s frustrations. He finds himself thinking about a very kind bounty hunter who cheered him up earlier. (Yes, all three whims were about Hayden!) 😮

Everyone, except Tyson, walk in the rain to the San Myshuno Mall. Tyson rides his bicycle alongside the ladies, chatting with both Cheryl and Amelia. Hayden feels a bit tired, even after her nap.

Cathy, on the other hand, was energized by her conversation with Amelia. She continues daydreaming about two of her favorite things – books and tea. (Love the polka dots, Cathy!)

The tourists head inside to buy dinner. Cheryl elects to skip the meal and purchases plain vanilla ice cream from the SimNational food booth. Both Tyson and Cathy are craving Cathaysian food – Tyson opts for classic eggrolls and Cathy orders sweet and sour eggplant. Both Amelia and Divan decide to eat from the Aztecan food stand. Divan tries the spinach wrapped burrito and Amelia wants empanadas. Hayden is in the mood for fish tacos.

Amelia and Divan sit together. Amelia tries to enthuse about her favorite authors, but Divan seems distracted. He keeps looking over at a certain someone, and Amelia is unimpressed. (That poor food stand clerk appears like she’s about to fall asleep… or she has something in her eye).

“Are you listening?” Amelia demands to know.

“Oh um… yes… ” Divan blushes. “Your favorite book is…”

Hayden, Tyson, and Cheryl enjoy their meals together. (Funny… that’s Marcos from my LASL story in the background. He always shows up as a vendor in my stories. He is featured in a side story included in the main story).

“How can you eat that?” Cheryl directs at Hayden, evidently not a fan of the combination of fish and taco shells.

Hayden doesn’t take offense. “They really are delicious. You should try them. Purple cabbage and avocado are the best toppings.”

Tyson smiles. “So Cheryl, you got a sweet tooth?”

Cheryl gives him a weird look. “What of it? I’m a grown woman. I can have dessert for dinner if I want.”

“No need to get defensive,” Tyson puts his hands up. “Oh did you hear they proposed a new law against ice cream?”

“What?” Hayden’s jaw dropped.

Cheryl eyes Tyson skeptically.

“Yeah, but don’t worry,” he adds, sticking a fork in his eggroll.

“You know you can eat that with your fingers,” Cheryl interrupts.

“I know,” he shrugs and grins. “So that ice cream law? They didn’t pass it . The law was deemed un-cone-stitutional.”

He guffaws at his own joke. Hayden giggles. Even Cheryl smirks a bit.

Cathy whims to play ball with DJ, read a book, and play on a computer as she enjoys her meal alone. She tackles her dinner with fierce chopstick skills.

Nia is swayed by the lady vendor’s dramatic presentation of meal options. Nia chooses the Mapo Tofu and Pork dish, a Cathaysian classic.

Cheryl, Divan, and Tyson head to the electronics store after dinner. Cheryl looks longingly at the microphone. Perhaps she has a hidden karaoke talent.

Tyson wanted the Future Cube, but it was too high on a shelf. He tried to ask the clerk for assistance, and another customer rudely stomped by, demanding service.

Cheryl wows the crowd with her singing skills. Only one guy wasn’t impressed. She is now level 5. I’m not sure when she picked up this skill and when she practiced it, but it’s cool. Divan eyed a new computer, but it was a bit pricey.

“Heh? Mine is better anyhow,” he decides.

Amelia and Cathy went to the bookstore. Cathy helped herself to tea. Amelia purchased Comedy 1: Get the Jokes. Cathy purchased Trolling for n00bs. (Actual book titles in game). 😄

Nia eyed a television. The sales clerk tried hard to talk her into buying it, but she decided she couldn’t fit it in her suitcase.

“We can certainly ship it to you,” the clerk attempts.

“No…” she says, distracted by Lost Dog’s Journey Home playing on the screen. “That’s okay.”

“I can find you a better deal on Atlantis,” Tyson claims with a whisper.

“Oh what’s that?” Nia says, her eyes growing wide. “Is it anything like Plopsy?”

Cathy enjoys her newest book in a quiet corner of the bookstore.

Hayden bought a scoop of strawberry ice cream. She sits down in the bookstore.

“Mmm… don’t you just love the smell of new books?” she asks Cathy. “Fresh pages waiting to be explored. Travel around the globe… the universe really… in minutes.”

“Did you know? They misspelled ‘the‘ in this sentence,” Cathy states, pointing to the page. “‘Teh…’ It should be ‘trolling the forums.'”

The clerk didn’t like Hayden eating ice cream in the store.

“Miss, will you please take your… snack…” he looks at her disdainfully. “…elsewhere?”

“Oh, sorry,” Hayden replies. “I’d like to buy this book.”

She unexpectedly purchases So You Want to Be a Rocket Scientist? which seems to appease the sales clerk.

Divan is the first to leave the mall. He sees an abandoned bike and tells Tyson about it. Tyson confirms it isn’t his bike. Divan walks around and talks to a few more people (and I assume he’s asking them if they are missing a bicycle) before heading back to the hotel.

Tyson leaves next. He kicks at a hacky sack on his walk back.

Cathy jogs back to her room. She doesn’t look happy. She seems to have lost her book as she didn’t place it in her inventory. That’s okay, Cathy. I really don’t think you are a troll at all.

“Research,” Cathy grunts as an excuse, and then mumbles something about ‘forget-me-nots.’

(She wanted to discuss gardening, but no one was around).

Poor Hayden is exhausted, but she seems happy. She had a good time at the mall. I wish I could’ve shown you all the music store, the clothing shop, and the souvenir/flower shop. Next time.

Cheryl is the last to leave (actually, I never saw Nia or Amelia leave). She had a pleasant evening as well, even though she’s tired. The scent of the Takaharan cherry blossoms seems to perk her up just enough to return to the hotel.

Divan stares out into the city. He’s been doing a lot of thinking since earlier today. He’s still rolling nothing but whims for Hayden. Stargaze with Hayden. Cloudgaze with Hayden? (That one must have been leftover from earlier in the day). Discuss video games with Hayden. Eek!

But that cityscape *whistles* is gorgeous!

Despite being critically low on energy, Tyson decides to hit the gym before closing.

“Visualize the person you want to be,” he says. “And go for it!”

Oh! Cathy’s whim to play with DJ hasn’t gone away. Good thing the little dog ran up right as she was sitting down to play a game at the computer.

“Hello sweetie,” Cathy smiles as she pets the dog’s shiny coat.

(When did you get a bath, DJ? Who gave you a bath?)

Amelia took the plunge and went for a night swim. Again, look at that view!

The hotel lobby is impossibly dark. Why?

“Hey I found you,” Nia greets Cheryl by the elevator. “I wanted to walk back with you.”

“Oh, sorry… I took longer. I was admiring the beautiful trees lining the pathway.”

“The Takaharan cherry blossoms?” Nia smiles. “Yes, we have some back home also.”

“Say, I really wanted to get a photo of us earlier in cosplay,” Cheryl admits. “Would you mind? I know you had way more makeup than me.”

“Are you kidding?” Nia exclaims. “I’d love to.”

“Meet you back here in twenty?” Cheryl suggests.

Explore Simterra the right way in style!

Author Notes: Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you enjoyed. This adventure featured Simslover163’s Cheryl, lilypadmeulin‘s Nia, VanPelt81‘s Tyson, divanthesimmer’s Divan, MadameLee’s Amelia, and CathyTea‘s Cathy Tea.

Cathyasia is the continent where Shang Simla, and other Far East countries are based, except on Simterra, it’s actually central east. Cathyasia is the name for a microcontinent during the Late Paleozoic era of our Earth. On my Simworld, Cathaysia refers to a culture and a continent. Takahara refers to my Simworld version of Japan. Azteca or Aztecan refers to a grouping of countries rather than a continent. (The continent is actually Columbia). Atlantis is my Simworld alternative to Amazon.

Worldbuilding

Stories

Other Stories – Abandoned, Discontinued, Future Plans

What I’m Reading

Before We Start

Important Things to Know

Pre-History Highlights

Early-History Highlights

So what happened to those Kr’v/Xekzoi and the Sims of Eorthe?

How to Rid the World of Those Pesky Aliens

Late-Early History (that’s a thing?!?) a.k.a. A 300+ Year Time Jump (1961-2001 C.E.)

Everything you ever wanted to know (and didn’t want to know) about the Daleth System – its planets, moons, and mythological naming system.

Language and Cultural Influences

System Map

Sul

The System

Cytia

Titanav / Kr’v

Jullanâr

Simterra

Luna

Saturenorn

Asteroid Belt

Eta X or Exhala

Xurdarae

Xurdarae’s Moons

Quivrena

Quivrena’s Moons

Tivaiyas

Tivaiyas’ Moons

Khulbus

Khulbus’ Moons

A Toad Hop, the Mythos of Months, and a Lunar Celebration

a.k.a. An Intro to Simterra, Pt. 2b: Astronomy

Simterran Calendar

Simterran Seasons

Simterran Moon

Astrology and Mythology

Final Thoughts