This document provides updates on various Sim families. Lydia Couderc passed away, leaving Mircea devastated. Bertram McClellan is enjoying being a toddler. Amy went to college but is now dating Perry. Jasmine and Jasper got married. Emmy and John's daughter Sarah Jane is growing up and wants to help with gardening. Caryl Miller is pregnant again despite her age. The families are going through typical life stages of marriage, children growing up, and new babies being born.

1. Welcome, welcome! I hope you’re having a good week, but if you’re not (like I wasn’t
last week), hang in there. It’ll get better.
You know what always makes a day better? An update! I like posting them, I hope you
like reading them, and it’s just a good thing all around. Today’s update is brought to you
by a hitherto unknown Slow Dance interaction: Step on Foot. Or presumably that’s what
it’s called. These two were dancing perfectly nicely, and then all of a sudden she was
jumping up and down and rubbing her foot and he was apologizing. I’ve never seen that
before. That said, let’s rejoin our story – Already in Progress…

2. Checking in with the Coudercs, it seems that Lydia has moved on to the great unfinished
townhouse in the sky. Mircea was pretty devastated.
KITTY: So was I. I had two great dads, but I never had a mom. Lydia was as close as I
got.

3. Lydia Couderc, 71 years old. A Knowledge Sim from the Far East, Lydia dressed as if
she were from Japan, spoke as if she were from Indonesia, and named her son as if she
were from Romania. She never achieved her LTW of Max 7 Skills, but she had fun trying
and died platinum anyway.
Goodbye, Lydia. Rest in peace.
KITTY: You know the really sad part?
You keep interrupting me. What’s the really sad part?

4. KITTY: She never got to meet her grandson. Say hi to the weird lady, Simon.
Simon?
KITTY: After Simon Tregarth. Since I can still talk to you. Obviously.
But – But how did this happen?

5. KITTY (V.O.): Oh, you know. The usual way.
MIRCEA: Honey? It’s not that I mind the view but…Are you sure you want to go outside
like that? There are people out there.
KITTY: Meh – if they’ve seen it before, they’ve seen better. And if they haven’t, it’s
time they did.

6. No, no. I mean, before that.
KITTY (V.O.): What do you mean, before that? We’re married. Married people woohoo.
You got married? Wh – ? When? Why?
KITTY (V.O.): He asked. I said yes. What’s you think I was going to do – say yes and
then go back on it?
No…I just wouldn’t have thought that you’d say yes.

7. KITTY (V.O.): Why not? We’ve been best friends since forever. We get along really
well. And we have two bolts.
I seem to remember somebody telling me that chemistry wasn’t everything.
KITTY (V.O.): Huh. Wasn’t me. I’m hoping it’ll give Barbie Dream Girl a hint.
Barb – Oh, you mean Valerie? Aren’s girlfriend?

8. KITTY (V.O.): Aren’s baby mama, you mean. (sniffs disapprovingly)
Oh come on. She’s not a bad person.
KITTY (V.O.): Then why doesn’t Ruth have her father’s last name?
I notice that you got rid of the Fuchs.
KITTY: Well sure. People made fun of it no end.
So maybe Aren doesn’t want that to happen to his daughter.
KITTY: But he could marry her and take her name and then they’d all have the same
name.
Kitty…
KITTY: No, fine. You like him better than me. Go on and check on them. Shoo.
Fine. Be that way.

9. So, it’s true. Aren and Valerie have a little one now. And aside from that one incident
with the spaghetti, it was a very uneventful pregnancy.
AREN: Ohmiesme, ohmiesme, another fire! What’m I gonna do? What’mIgonnado?
VALERIE: Aren, sweetie, I love you. And if you don’t calm down and get out of the
framming way right NOW, I will feed you your own ears.
Aren was quite pleased about Ruth’s birth and takes very good care of his little girl, but
he’s shown no inclination towards marrying her mother. Pleasure Sims, it seems, can take
marriage or leave it. Romance Sim Valerie actively fears marriage, and since she rolls
nicely generic wants, I see no reason to change things.

10. Not all change is bad, though. Amy finished up that last creativity point she needed for
the Quigley Visual Arts Stipend and headed off to college. Where she promptly became a
physics major. With a LTW of becoming a Media Magnate. The girl doesn’t seem to
know what she wants.

11. This left Andrew and Opal on their own for the first time in over twenty years.
OPAL: So, Andy… All the kids are out of the house now… We can finally do all the
things we’ve always wanted to. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
ANDREW: Does it involve the bed?
OPAL: Of course.

12. ANDREW (V.O.): Then I think we’re on the same page.
You heard it here first, folks. Andrew and Opal are into going to bed before eight o’clock.
Freaks. That’s just wrong.

13. Amy’s first year at college overlapped with Perry’s last. Perry having been promoted
from family friend to personal friend, they spent a lot of time hanging out or doing
homework together.
AMETHYST (without looking up): Perry, she’s taken.
PERRY: You sure?
AMETHYST: Positive. Her girlfriend’s named Solveig. Or Kana. Or something like that.

14. A pretty girl like Amy rarely lacks study partners. Often, these study partners are of the
male persuasion.

15. But somehow, the ones Amy wanted to notice her didn’t. Of course, Amy was a little
deficient on the noticing front herself.

16. And she’s not the only one.
Apparently, Snuggles the dog died without my noticing. Ooops.
Snuggles Sanders, age unknown, but incredibly old if translated into human years. Or
even Sim years. She piddled everywhere but outside and generated a ton of Want panel
spam among people who met her even once. Her family loved her, though, and she them.

17. Snuggles’ family is doing quite well. Of course, when you have two Knowledge Sims,
this is quality couple time.
ROBI: Hey, did you know that a diagnosis of tuberculosis exposure is not the same as a
diagnosis of tuberculosis disease? I thought tuberculosis was tuberculosis.

18. Or this.
ROBI: Whoa whoa whoa – What do you think you’re doing? I saw that!
ROSALIE: Hey, it was worth a shot.

19. ROBI (flatly): It was worth a shot.
ROSALIE: I was losing!
ROBI: Has it never occurred to you that other people like to win too?
ROSALIE: Really?
Well. Little marital spats aside, Rosie and Robi are doing quite well. And Rosie’s sister
and her family?

20. Here we have Bertram McClellan, about to grow up one day early. He suffered from the
childhood disease known as Birthday Glitch. Fortunately, few children over the age of
infant are afflicted. Treatment consists of a simple quit-without-saving and the
application of a birthday cake.

21. Bertram is almost as happy as a toddler as he was as a child. He does cry sometimes, now
that he’s potty trained. He hasn’t figured out the whole climb-out-of-the-crib thing. I’ve
never had a toddler manage that. Are there only certain Sims who can do it?
Daddy likes to toss Bertram in the air whenever he gets a chance. And then go sit on the
couch. He’s not as young as he used to be.
Bertram likes being tossed in the air. But his favorite is –

22. CASSIE (in a deep, growly “monster” voice): Tickle monster time!
BERTRAM (delightedly): Aaaahhh! Tickwe! Tickwe!
CASSIE: I’m gonna get you! I’m gonna tickle Bertram!
BERTRAM (while shrieking with laughter): No! No! No tickwe Bewtwam!
CASSIE (normally): Okay, sweetie, I’ll stop.
BERTRAM (eagerly): Again, Mommy, again! Tickwe Bewtwam again!
No sooner do you fulfill a “Tickle” want for this kid than he rolls another one. I guess it’s
all the Outgoing (10) and Active (9) points.

23. And speaking of Outgoing points…
COLIN: Cal! It’s so good to see you again! Well, we won’t have any time between visits
now, will we? Since you’re moving in.
CHALCEDONY: No, Uncle Colin. Not now that I’m moving in.
COLIN: And your big day – are you ready for that?

24. CHALCEDONY(V.O.): Uncle Colin, I was born ready.
Chalcedony Littledragon is now Chalcedony Tang.
Because I thought Cal Tang sounded good, that’s why.

25. CHALCEDONY: So, Perry, I want you to meet this girl – she’s a good friend of Elle’s,
and –
PERRY: No. Uh-uh. I’ve met too many people already. Not meeting another.
CHALCEDONY: But you have to meet people sometime. You never want to talk to
anybody.
PERRY: Do too – you, Jasper, the guys at the dorm…
CHALCEDONY: Yeah. And they’re all guys. Your autonomous gender preference is for
girls. Haven’t you ever met any girls you felt something for?

26. PERRY (V.O.) (hesitantly): Well… Back when I first met Amy, when she was a teen,
there was this…electricity…
CHALCEDONY (V.O.): Of course there was. She joy buzzered you! Mean as a snake,
that one.
PERRY (VO.): No she isn’t. Heart of gold.
CHALCEDONY (V.O.): Boy, not only are you desperate, you’re delusional! Look, I’ll
get Elle to introduce you to her friend.
PERRY (V.O.): Oh.

27. But despite the heavy-handed matchmaking attempt (a miserable failure, by the way), the
party was a Good Time.
ELLE: Cal, you got cake up my nose!
Chalcedony may be the nice one of the siblings, but he’s still not all that nice.
And speaking of weddings…

28. JASMINE: (shocked shriek)
JASPER: What? It’s not like you’ve never seen me naked before.
JASMINE: I had no idea that you took a rubber ducky in the bath with you!
JASPER: Only on special occasions. (to the ducky) Isn’t that right, Duckduck? (in a
rubber ducky voice) That’s right, Jasper!

29. JASPER (V.O.) (in his own voice): And what occasion could be more special than my
wedding day?
The happy couple threw a big party – so big that afterwards I found out it counted as a
family reunion as well.
Jasmine Scott is now Jasmine Littledragon, by the way.
Do you see Perry there in the background, looking at Amy instead of the newlyweds? So
did Jasmine. She doesn’t miss much, and she’s much better at this than Chalcedony. Just
a tiny bit of Influence…

30. …and the party became a Roof Raiser.
I couldn’t tell you what Perry said – he has the softest whisper ever – but there were red
hearts flying afterwards.
JASMINE (to herself): Best Influence points I ever spent.
Although Amy seemed to have a few reservations.

31. JASPER (V.O.): What’s wrong, sissy?
AMETHYST (V.O.) (automatically): Don’t call me that. (as Jasper opens his mouth) I
don’t care if it’s a perfectly valid dialect word for “little sister.” I don’t like it. Perry’s in
love with me.
JASPER (V.O.): What?
AMETHYST (V.O.): Perry’s in love with me. And he’s shy and nice-point-challenged
and he doesn’t get along with anyone and I’m afraid that if I let him know I love him
back I’ll get hurt. And it’ll ruin our friendship.
JASPER (V.O.): Oh. Uh. Look, heart-to-hearts aren’t really my area of expertise. But
Perry’s a stand up guy. And if he hurts you, well, your one nice point will make him
regret it, right?

32. AMETHYST: One nice point? Jasper, I have seven! I used to fake it so you’d leave me
alone!
JASPER: Oh. It worked. Okay, then, me and my one nice point will make sure Perry
regrets it if he hurts you.
AMETHYST: You promise?
JASPER: I promise. Now give your big brother a hug, willya?

33. But hurting Amy doesn’t seem to be what Perry has in mind.
PERRY: So, Amy, would you like to go get something to eat? With me? At a real
restaurant? My treat.
AMETHYST: Why, Perry! Are you asking me on a date?
PERRY: Yeah, I guess I am. If you want me to. If you don’t, then I guess I’m not. It’s
kind of up to you, I guess is what I’m saying. What do you think?
AMETHYST: Perry, you’re too much.
And so…

34. AMETHYST: Thanks for dinner, Perry. I had a really good time.
PERRY: So did I. I…like spending time with you.
AMETHYST: I like spending time with you, too. I guess I never thought of you like that,
but I’m really glad you asked me out. Really, really glad.
PERRY: So maybe you won’t mind if I do this, then.
AMETHYST: Do what?

35. PERRY (V.O.): This.
Goodbye, autonomously permalocked Have Very First Kiss. Hello, autonomously
permalocked Get Engaged to Amethyst.
Which reminds me: How are John and Emmy doing?
…What? I have to segue somehow!

36. SARAH JANE: Is this right, Mommy?
EMMY: Yes, you’ve got it.
SARAH JANE: When can I help Daddy with the trees?
EMMY: When you’re a little older.
SARAH JANE: But I’m older now!
Now that Sarah Jane is a child, she can participate in a very important part of
Littledragon family life: gardening.

37. In fact, gardening is so much a part of family life that Emmy decided to join the garden
club. The entire yard was in tip-top condition, except for one rosebush that flipped over
to needing a trim during the inspection. No points for guessing what they zeroed in on.
Oh, well. At least joining made Emmy happy.

38. And Jon grew up quite well indeed. Normally, I don’t show transition shots – if you’ve
seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all. But, well…

39. EMMY: You’re not leaving the house dressed like that, are you?
JON: Sure I am. We’re doing the Goopmeister shoot today – you know, the downmarket
branch of GilsCarbo?
EMMY: I am familiar with Goopmeister. And if you bring that outfit home to add to your
wardrobe – Well, don’t be surprised if you find it’s committed suicide in the grill, that’s
all I’m saying.

40. In the Miller household, Timothy has transitioned to toddler with absolutely no fanfare,
because I started having a glitch where he would disappear from his crib. He was usually
in the company of closet-Family-Sim Uncle Jer, who on more than one occasion
demonstrated his ability to teleport the baby into his arms without ever even going up the
stairs. He also seems to have the ability to turn the baby invisible, since I’d see him going
through the motions of bathing the baby, complete with sound effects, but without a baby
anywhere to be seen. Growing Timmy up seems to have foiled Jerome’s child-teleporting
abilities, but not his fondness for taking care of the kid.

41. If he tries that with this one, he’s dead meat.
I have used Try For Baby every time, in accordance with Caryl’s Strict Family Values
beliefs. I think they had a built-in contraceptive in the form of a maxed household. This
will be the last one, though, since by the time the little one is born, Caryl will be too old
to have any more. So will Lucky, come to that – not that I’ve had any natural abductions
in three years. (grumble)

42. Tyrone’s relationship with Timmy has improved somewhat. I’m not sure what his
relationship with the new baby will be like. When you’re sixteen, it’s bad enough that
your parents had to woohoo to get you. To be confronted with living proof that they
haven’t stopped is flat out mortifying.
(Incidentally, it seems that Caryl has had a beneficial effect on the Miller gene pool.
Ricky was a Goopyclone, Yvonne looked like a hawk, and Stacey continued with the
hawk theme. Lucky ended up looking like a cheerful and good-natured chicken, but still:
a chicken. And Byron looked like a deformed chicken. Tyrone has an actual chin.)
Amy gets along with Timmy very well now. She has stopped asking for a little brother of
her own, though.

43. This may have something to do with the fact that she is now old enough to help out with
diaper duty.
Amy has added robots to her list of interests. Robots and racecars. They go together
pretty well, don’t they? And given her fathers’ interests, is a fascination with robots really
a surprise?
Amy’s fathers are doing quite well, but not in any photographically interesting way.

44. As for Aunt Stacey… Well, she’s got the skills to be a Celebrity Chef. She’s got the
friends to be a Celebrity Chef. Goodness knows she’s been working long enough to be a
Celebrity Chef. What she doesn’t have is luck with the chance cards.
Busted back to Prep Cook. Again.
Moving on…

45. For a Family man, Robin doesn’t actually seem too interested in his new son.
ROBIN: Take that, Mr. D!

46. And after Gerard’s birthday, the only noticeable improvement is that now Gerard can get
out of the way.
FRANCOIS: Ha! Payback time!
But there is one part of being a Family Sim that Robin enjoys.

47. GERARD: Lady? Why Mumma an’ Daddy twying to eat each uvva’s faces?
Eat – ? Uh, Gerard, honey, let’s go in the other room, okay?
GERARD: But I wanna know!
Come on, kiddo. Your blocks are in the other room. You like to play with your blocks,
don’t you?
GERARD: Uh-huh. (leaves)
Phew! That was close. And other things are close, too. One might almost say “imminent.”

48. AMETHYST: I can’t believe you’re really leaving!
PERRY: I can’t believe it either. How stupid was I to graduate? They make you leave
once you do that. I could have switched my major to, I don’t know, biochemistry.
AMETHYST: You don’t know anything about biochemistry.
PERRY: Exactly. I would have had to take all kinds of remedial classes, and I could have
stayed. But we’ll talk on the phone every day.
AMETHYST: You’ll come to visit.
PERRY: We’ll go out on the weekend. Unless you have midterms or finals.
AMETHYST: …I’m going to miss you, Perry.
PERRY: I’m going to miss you too.

49. And so, as Perry grows up into clothes that actually aren’t so much inappropriate as they
are too pale, I will bid you adieu. I hope you will join me for the next
installment…whenever that ends up being. I usually don’t post until I’ve at least started
playing the next installment, but hey – rules were made to be broken. If I can find a copy
of the rules I have in mind, there might even be something resembling a plot for an
installment or two. (Or maybe there won’t. Plots involve work, after all.) Until then:
Happy Simming!