It Happened Over Mandarin Sorbet

For a few days, Nessa felt troubled. Something was definitely on her mind, which was why she was slightly reluctant to ditch her job at the bookstore (or was it the spa? Can't remember) to pursue her dream of joining the Singer career.

Was it because she didn't want to overshadow her sister Sophie?
Or was it that she saw first hand, just how difficult it was to get up that corporate ladder and she just didn't have the strength to pitch forward - feet first - into a possibly long and arduous career.

One thing was certain. Something was definitely up with Nessa.

And she came to a momentous decision, whilst sitting pigging out on a large tub of Mandarin Sorbet that they kept tucked in the freezer for such occasions.

After she'd finished, she pulled out her phone and looked at the College Packs that were littered over the front lawn.

She had a decision to make.

But what? So many choices. Leave home. College. Time travel. Go on vacation. Own her own resort. Start her career. Own a share in a local business. Change careers.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully pressed the numbers and dialled. And in next to no time, everything had been sorted out.

Her adventure was about to begin.....

Was she sure she'd made this decision?

She'd soon find out when she got there.

This .... Is Seriously Twisted!

Whilst Sophie is struggling to make ends meet and running around the town with her sing a grams, Nessa suddenly fancied the idea of being in the music industry too. Not as a serious singer. She has a lousy voice. But maybe perhaps, an instrumentalist. After all, this was kinda/sorta her LTW (actually it was exactly the same as her twin sister Sophie but let's not split hairs shall we?)

So, after a fun session with the water slide, she decides to pluck a futuristic looking guitar from her backpack - you can see where this is going? No? Well ... read on and thee shalt be illuminated!

Where was I? Oh, yes. Nessa playing her guitar ... in her rather skimpy swimsuit .... coming up to the end of Autumn, when leaves are already falling and the temperature starting to plummet.

As she played, she mused about the idea of her and Sophie hooking up as a group and playing gigs together. Shame the game just won't allow that at the Simfests. Oh well. She's pretty good, as she bounced up to level 4 in next to no time! Maybe I should get them together, somehow?

Anyways, there she was, alone, quietly playing her guitar sans an audience.

In the meantime, Sophie got a call from ....

.... wait for it ....

.... still here? ...

.... none other than BLAINE!

Yep, that old Simbot himself! Apparently he got himself a job - not a clue what mind you, and a promotion to boot. So his work colleagues got together and decided to send him a sing a gram to celebrate the occasion.

Sophie jumped at the chance. After all, gigs were drying up for some reason and she desperately needed the money - as I'd explained before. So she said yes, happily. She expected to be sent to a home address, but instead, she was told to meet him outside City Hall.

Hmm. Strange.

What was even stranger, was that when she arrived, there was a full blown protest going on....

... and the instigator of this protest?

... wait for it ...

... seriously, you'll never believe it ....

.... J1NX1E!!

Yep. She was protesting extremely loudly about the sheer lack of computers in and around the town!
This, coming from a Plumbot .... from the FUTURE!?!?!?!?

In a medieval town of all things?!?!?!?!

That is so twisted.

O-kay. I believe I've just about seen everything here. I have screwed up Dragon Valley once and for all, and do I care? Nope. Tis my game and my town to play how I want.

Sooooo ..... NYAH!

Anywho. Going back on track. Despite the loud protests, Sophie managed to get Blaine's attention and delivered her sing a gram without any mishaps at all! No deflated balloons, no tripping over her feet.  Despite the fact that she was exhausted beyond measure.

It takes some skill ... and an extremely powerful voice to rise about the shouts and yells of an angry crowd, baying for blood ... or in this case .... computers!

Edit: 

I am so glad I returned to Sims 3. Oh how I have missed the nutty randomness that is it's appeal. Seriously. They're going to have to really pull something spectacular out of the bag to tempt me back to 4, I can tell you! But, yeah. That was what I found when I sent Sophie over to do her sing a gram!

There Are Things That A Plumbot or Simbot Are Useful For

Sophie got home, to find there'd been a few developments around the place. Gone were Blaine, J1NX1E, S0NNY EM and BL4IN3. They'd had a bit of a chat and decided that 8 Sims - be they Fae, human, IF and Bots - was a little too much.

Besides, they'd seen how Sophie was around Andrea, and realised that someone must move out to let him in and start the next generation.

They couldn't agree on who should sacrifice their comfy position....
... so they all left, en masse.

This left a house of females only, who had to survive without a male presence for the first time ever. And it was tough. Especially when dealing with the beehive.

Poor Sophie got stung badly, because the bees had been terribly neglected, starved and overflowing with honey.

See? This is where Plumbots and Simbots come in handy. Their metal bodies are resistant to bee stings!

Still sore from the stings, Sophie retired to bed. Pat, as her unofficial 'protector' joined her in doll form. Just to make sure that those nasty bees couldn't get to her!

Aww, he DOES have a nice side after all! I just wish he'd show it a little more often.

He still finds it fit to insult her at every opportunity, no matter how nice she is to him. Especially when he breaks the hot tub without any good reason.

Pat: Wasn't me.
Sophie: Aw c'mon, there was nobody else near there.
Pat: Ness was outside.
Sophie: Yeah, playing on the water slide ... with Hespa.

Pat: Urgh, that goody two shoes. Hate her already.
Sophie: At least she's doing something around the house and not being a royal pain in the butt.
Pat: Blah.
Sophie: Besides, what were you doing there in the first place? You know, once you got wet, you'd have a hard time drying out.
Pat: Because I wanted to.

It was true, Hespa wanted to get a job, since the income had dropped considerably from Blaine's pension. So she scoured the local paper to see what they had on offer. One of her wishes was to join the Business career, making coffees. Well.... it's a start! She also wanted to enrol in college, but first things first!

Shannon was mighty proud of her adopted daughter. Even though the atmosphere was still a little awkward between them.

Shannon: I'm so happy you're fitting in here.
Hespa: Um.... thanks.... aren't you going to answer your phone?
Shannon: Meh, it can wait.
Hespa: No, seriously, you really should answer your phone. It could be important!

Oh god, how I hate that Loner trait. It makes relationships REALLY difficult indeedy. The only one that Hespa truly trusted, was Nessa.

Plus, since the Bots were no longer around to keep house, and everyone else was so busy, it was time to bring Bonehilda back.

Much to Hespa's dismay and horror.
Especially when she walked into her bedroom to chat online.

Poor Hespa couldn't get out of the room fast enough!

To calm her nerves - and keep out of the way of Boney - she decided to fix the hot tub.

Another good reason why Pat despises her so much. She's making him look bad (not that he had any problems in that area!)

EDIT:

I realised I couldn't move Andrea in if there was a full house of 8 Sims, so I decided to move all the Bots together. That way they'll be all together.

Andrea's Revelation

Hespa and Nessa got separated at some point and poor Hespa arrived home quite late, and in a lot of distress. So much so that she fainted from the shock of having to travel by public transport.... with loads of other people!

She really needs to do something about her phobia of crowds. Seriously.

Anyways, Sophie and Andrea were catching up on old times. She missed him desperately and needed to see him asap to fill him in on all the goings-on. Of course, he was only too happy to pop across to see her too. In fact, he broke the speed limit in his rush to reach her doorstep!

Andrea: Hi.
Sophie: Oh .. hi.... that was fast!
Andrea: Yeah, I know. I kinda missed you.
Sophie: Did you get all my emails and texts?
Andrea: Yeah, I did. Each and every one of them.

She flushed slightly. Something that Andrea found endearing. Shuffling her feet, she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

Sophie: I feel so silly.
Andrea: What for?
Sophie: Um, well ... I felt like a stalker, sending you all those messages all the time.
Andrea: And you're one heck of a pretty stalker to me.
Sophie: Awww... thanks. Drea.
Andrea: I like that. Drea. Sounds much less girly than Andrea.

They giggled at this endearment, just as Pat made his appearance.

Pat: Yeah mates, laugh all you want, how come you never sent ME anything?

Sophie grimaced and muttered under her breath.

Sophie: Not now Pat.

Andrea caught her change of mood.

Andrea: You okay?
Sophie: I'm fine.

Her smile was fleeting as she cast a sideways glance towards Pat, standing there glaring through blue button eyes. There was only one thing for it.

Sophie: Drea?
Andrea: Yeah?
Sophie: There's  ... something ... I gotta tell you.

Andrea's face was inscrutable as he watched her. She felt really stupid at doing this, but she also realised that she had to face this inevitability eventually.

Sophie: I've ... um .... got a big ... problem.
Andrea: Aaaannnnnddd????

Oh to hell with it, she blurted out about Pat, her words falling out of her mouth as fast as she was thinking about them.

Sophie: I've got a childhood imaginary friend. His name is Pat. Nessa had one too, but hers grew up to be real. Mine? He's just a total pain in the ass. He won't listen to reason, he's clingy and he's always gotten me into trouble more times than enough.

She paused, catching her breath. Andrea just blinked. And then he grinned.

Andrea: Is that it?
Sophie: Yeah, why?
Andrea: For some insane reason, I thought you'd met someone at college and you were breaking up with me.
Sophie: Oh hell no. I've missed you loads whilst I've been away.
Andrea: And me too.
Sophie: Soo.... you're not freaked out at the fact that I had an imaginary friend/toy?

He laughed.

Andrea: No, silly. Coz I had one too. She was an evil little thing. Called her Ace. She convinced me that I was gay .. and I was severely allergic to shoes of all things. The amounts of times I was sent home because I'd gone to school without my shoes! I told her to take a hike
Sophie: And ... that was .. it? She was gone?
Andrea: Well ... sort of.
Sophie: What do you mean ... sort of? How did you get rid of her?
Andrea: I dumped her doll form in a dirty puddle, a dog came along and ragged her to bits. So mom just HAD to throw her away.
Sophie: Eww, that's a gruesome end.
Andrea: Fraid so.
Sophie: Hear that Pat? Just be lucky I don't do that to you
Andrea: Now, be nice Sophie. He might be an ass, but he was there for a jolly good reason. Maybe you should put up with him for a little longer. Eventually, he'll get tired of you.
Sophie: Yeah. I guess. You know, you're such a nice understanding guy. What would I do without you?

She impulsively planted a kiss on his lips, taking him completely by surprise!

He looked slightly take aback by her bravery, but then pulled her into his arms and kissed her properly!

Andrea: I'd forgotten what a Great Kisser you are.
Sophie: Shush, enjoying this moment!

Sadly, all things must end ... or in this case .. come up for air!

Sophie: Hey. How about a couple of selfies ... for posterity?
Andrea: Sounds good to me.... and Pat can join in if he wants. I know he's standing right behind us.
Pat: Am not.
Sophie: Drea! You blinked!
Andrea: Did not.

Sophie: Gah, I'll have to take another one now.
Andrea: How about a kissy one?

Sophie: That sounds cool!
Pat: I hate this.

They both checked Sophie's phone and grinned. Pat stalked off, not happy that he didn't show up in any of the pictures at all.

Yep, despite her misgivings and fears, Andrea completely understood about Pat.
He's a keeper!

There's Something Nasty In Dragon Valley

It had been a year to the day since Sophie set off on her adventures in college and now she was back. Dumped in the middle of nowhere, in the worst storm the sleepy little town had ever encountered.

 It was then that she realised why only Nessa and Hespa were available for her graduation.

Blaine was busy fighting one of the worst emergencies he'd had in his entire career.

And Shannon was going out on a 'date' with a vampire! Although she was kinda sorta out of touch, as he thought she was a little like the weather ... wet. But still, it's nice to see her getting out and about anyways.

BL4IN3 and S0NNY EM were busy at home. S0NNY EM was proving to be quite a prolific artist actually.

Although, sticking one's head through a block of clay, isn't exactly 'modern art'.

But..... it was Blaine - the original Simbot that uncovered a dirty little secret that was now unfolding in the Valley.

His latest emergency had 4 Sims trapped in a house. No fire, but people panicking nonetheless. So he popped over to help out. And that's when he discovered a shocking sight!

Shannon's sister, Teagan MacAnna, had been deliberately locked in the basement with no means of escape! The door leading down to the basement had a powerful spell cast upon it that Blaine could not undo. Not even his trusty axe would break down  the door. Such was the powerful force that had been placed!

And to make matters worse .... the owners of the house ... were none other than senior members of the Dragon Valley Committee! The same ones who'd poured scorn upon Shannon when she brought the Bots to Sophie's high school graduation!

They pleaded their case, but Blaine was having none of it. He yelled through the door to Teagan to ask her if she could teleport at all. She was far too scared but he managed to calm her down so she could think rationally.

As soon as she was calm, she felt foolish for being such a coward and not thinking straight. But she managed to teleport back home. At the same time, Blaine got on the phone and called in the higher authorities to deal with this serious case.

And then dialled another number. To tell the fire station that he was officially retiring. Just two Sims from his goal, he'd seen far too much and had had enough of saving people .... full stop.

He tracked down Teagan to see if she was okay and filled her in on what he'd done. She was still a little shaken, but grateful for his help.

It was at this point that he felt his battery back up starting to falter and wondered if she wouldn't mind lending him an electric socket he could plug himself into.

She was quite surprised that this 'old man' was, in fact, a hunk of metal underneath!

Editor's Notes:

I sent Blaine in to rescue Teagan from the basement, there was a routing issue that meant that he couldn't chop the door down properly. No matter how many times I told him to. Time was ticking onward and I got really frustrated. So I used ResetSim for Teagan to send her back home. However, this didn't complete the emergency. So I got him to retire instead.

But really? A fairy Sim trapped in a basement of an apparently 'esteemed and powerful' member of the 'committee' and unable to free herself???? THAT stinks of conspiracy (in my minds' eye anyways)

Crunch Time

Sophie went to bed early. There was nothing much happening, no fires or ghostly visitations and the last party invite she got ... the host wasn't even home! She'd checked his GPS coordinates on her phone (I went into Town Mode and checked there, but this sounded much more feasible) and discovered he was out somewhere in the outskirts of campus.

So she awoke, bright and - well - not quite so early, she finally rolled out of bed at just before lunchtime despite her early night (Heavy Sleeper trait in full swing) and swallowed hard. It was crunch time. The results had been posted and it was just a matter of hoping that she'd passed.

Slowly, and nervously, she opened the envelope. Her stomach rumbled mercilessly, letting her know that she needed to eat and soon. But that just had to wait. This ... was much more important.

The suspense was killing me at this point as she peered at the results at the bottom of the page....

... and gave out one hell of a yell!!

She'd PASSED!!!!!

A 'C'!

She was so happy that the first thing she did was to phone home and let them know the good news. It was Nessa who answered.

Sophie: They're having a graduation ceremony later, think you can get everyone together and bring them over?

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Then Nessa sighed deeply.

Nessa: Not sure about everyone else, they all seem to be busy.

Sophie's happy bubble began to deflate rapidly.

Sophie: It would be nice ...
Nessa: Hespa and I can come, if that's any consolation?

Sophie couldn't keep the bitter resentment from dripping off her tongue.

Sophie: It would have been nice for everyone ... but ... oh well. I'll see you and Hespa at the stadium then.
Nessa: Wild horses couldn't stop us!

They hung up and Sophie had lunch. Something one of the other dormies had cobbled together, but she didn't even taste it. She was so nervous about this ceremony.

She arrived at the stadium, very early, along with many others. But they were all refused entrance because they weren't wearing their graduation robes. Nessa saved the day by dashing to the dorm and grabbing the robes for Sophie. Hespa loitered towards the back of the crowd, feeling more and more uncomfortable around the gathering crowds (her Loner Trait starting to kick in)

Hespa: Breathe, just breathe. There's nothing to worry about. They're only here for the ceremony. They're not going to laugh at me.

But her calming exercises just didn't work as suddenly and without warning, she went into full meltdown.

Thankfully, nobody noticed. (apart from one Sim)

Purple Haired Student: What bright spark brought THAT freak here?

Now, be nice.

They were far too nervous about forgetting lines and tripping over their gowns to think about the strange Sim standing there screaming and freaking out.

After waiting a long time, and the door attendant being extra fussy over the dress code, they were all allowed in.

Editor's Notes:

I didn't get the 'throwing of the degree scroll' because they'd taken that long in entering the stadium that the game simply switched to loading screen before that happened. But I am happy that her hard work paid off and she passed with flying colours!