Chapter 39: Distantly Related

Police officer by day, basement rock star by night.

Inspired by stories of Jazz, Paprika builds a sphinx... thing.

Sifton has aged to child, so Paprika is encouraged to go visit.

"Sure you love to play in the sun, but it's death to me. BURNING DEATH!"

"Okay, uncle..."

Geeking out with Sifton.

It doesn't take much effort to discover her cousin is a snob. Paprika figures she'd best start talking about spa treatments and fashion.

"So it's probably my dad's fault half the girls our age are wearing hearts. I'm sorry."

Sacha asks if Paprika is keeping up with her homework. Ma'am yes ma'am!

Pomegranate tree has some weeds.

Paprika goes home after school with Nakisha Remington. Can you spot the child in this picture?

"This place is huge..."

Rickie lays down some ground rules.

"Okay, kid. Don't touch ANYTHING that looks like an urn, a vase, a container, anything."

"So," Nakisha ponders, "is your family really insane? Mom says it is. She says that's why we disowned you. But you don't look particularly insane. Not like that Susan kid, who eats dirt."

"That's silly." Paprika giggles. "Most of us are eccentric. Not insane. And Susan is a daredevil."

When Paprika goes home, Sifton visits, greeting her with an Asian-influenced bow. Sifton doesn't know much about her mother's side of the family, but knows she was Chinese. And that's cool, right?

Being a snob, Sifton can tell those are prize-winning azaleas.

The Archer place isn't as good-looking as her own home, though. There's just no contest.

Back at Sifton's house, Arthur gets in some piano practice.

Vampire + sun = BEST DOCTOR EVER.

The ghost hunt continues.

"Come out... I know you're there..."

Boo.

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Etc.: When outside in the daytime, vampires get a negative moodlet that grows more and more severe the longer they're outside. They'll start to burn visibly and make suffering animations almost immediately, and far before the moodlet will cause them to decide it's time to flee indoors. The fact that they can ignore their pain is sometimes useful when you need them to interact with your sim, but it's a bit unrealistic and depressing to watch. Vampires not under your control will autonomously show up in places where they can get no relief from the sun, such as parks or graveyards. And if they get caught up in an action, such as jamming, they may decide to continue for quite a while... ensuring that the second they stop, they will faint.

Later that night, Arthur was seen playing the piano in his kitchen instead of his front yard. Sigh.

Luckily Riverview isn't quite as harsh as Egypt, or my town would have no vampires.

Uhm... anyway, Paprika will be a teenager next chapter, juggling her social life and part time job + school.

Chapter 38: Ouch

Melody offers a quick joke to brighten her husband's morning before he scurries off to work.

Now Martin is doing house calls and often too lazy to hunt for customers at the salon itself, Barney's has hired Stanley Broke (son of Kenji and father or Rickie, I just remembered) as the store stylist. Stanley's taste is questionable but his makeovers are cheap.

A haircut and a new jacket, you say?

Oops. Martin used his cursed scissors, making this man's hair longer instead of shorter.

Bridgette Grisby, Rosanna and Kendell's daughter, would like attire that will speak volumes of rebelliousness to other teens but leave her parents safely in the dark.

Fabulous.

Ceila Holloway would rather Martin not cut her hair, after he made her wear a dress in chapter 36, but once again her mother has forced a stylist appointment.

Jazz's ghost is one with the Force.

Sometimes Melody has dreams about having a real job. She calls them nightmares.

The Riverview Saloon opens. It was once just a sad, neglected juice bar, but the owners have added instruments for live entertainment so it's been upgraded to dive bar. Melody, Cody, one of Patricia's sons and some anorexic girl are the first on the scene to check it out.

Melody practices guitar late into the night, but the Saloon is such a boring place most people don't stick around long enough to give tips.

"Josephine told me to join your band. Just so you know, I only do night practices."

One more person, and they can sign themselves up for gigs. With Josephine on drums, Melody as lead guitar and Pavel's awesome bass skills, they only need a good pianist...

Go away, Arthur.

The next morning, Martin goes to a house and a baby crawls out, its parents nowhere to be found. Bad day.

What is this? A Mormon compound?

Some toddler pictures.

  

FFF GNOMES ARE WATCHING.

Paprika grows older. Sacha visits and is pleased to see her granddaughter's continued interest in educational toys.

Martin's promotion to stylist level 9.

When you're forced to look like Michael Jackson, take it like a man and dance.

Martin teaches Paprika how to be a chess pro.

"Putting my hand on my nose is really the secret, Dad?"

Meet The Westfield Band's pianist, Nigel.

"You have an earring and a mohawk! Join my band!"

Only Pavel shows up for practice.

Melody lets him know she's not upset that the band's progress as a team is so minimal; she's come to terms with the fact that this is only a hobby for her, she'll never be famous, and she's just grateful for the company. If even one person shows up to jam with her for a night, she's counting it as a win.

But. Several badgering phone calls later...

Yes, that's still Nigel. He called Martin almost immediately after joining the band, in need of the magic comb and a band-worthy shirt.

Paprika creeps downstairs to enjoy the chaos.

The next day, Melody is again playing without her bandmates in the park.

Rickie brings her rather under-dressed toddler son, Tobin, and teaches him to walk.

Melody's sister Bernice stands there creepily while Rickie's older daughter Nakisha tosses Melody a substantial tip. Nakisha enjoys living in the biggest eyesore in town (the Remington place) and showing off her family's money. The blond kid is unrelated.

Encouraged by her grandmother, Paprika fills every counter space with cakes, pies, muffins, cookies, cupcakes and brownies.

Unlike Sacha, Paprika grows bored of the toy oven after mastering its use. Though eating the cake is still fun.

"Layers! Layers of chocolate! OMG!"

Sacha adjusts to her new home.

"Are these pirated?"

"What? No!"

"Okay yes. But they're for educational purposes."

Paprika wants to see a ghost, so naturally she visits a graveyard. But there are no ghosts... only Drumheller, looking grieved or terrified.

Paprika tries her new chess skills on Drumheller because he looks like a dumb jock. However, he defeats her soundly.

"Blah blah music blah blah tattoos. I'm getting a new one tomorrow."

"You don't have to get tattoos every week you know. It doesn't 

turn me on or anything. In fact it makes me worry for your health."

Rita finally gets to work on the arm she's always wanted to mutilate.

Since she was a child, Melody wanted to be a Star News Anchor. But she found herself too self-esteem challenged and shy for that sort of thing, and has today accepted a new goal in her life: loving the outdoors, and the upkeep of Randy's garden. The eggplants and steak plants are dead. The limes are excellent instead of perfect. Melody will make the garden perfect again.

So, a weird green flower sort of tattoo.

"That... kind of hurt, Rita."

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Etc.: Melody joined the Archer family with the lifetime wish of being at the top of the journalism career. Since I rolled busker, I had two options. (1) change Melody's lifetime wish, and (2) allow Melody to die with her hopes and dreams crushed and unrealized. I finally saved up enough points to change her lifetime wish.

Paprika fulfilled the requirements for perfect toddler. The toddler stage is the most challenging, in my opinion, so it's a relief to have that over with. Child stage is pretty easy. Paprika's traits are excitable, eccentric, and now brave. Screw random traits until next time. I just really wasn't happy with the traits it gave her.

I do hope I get the random traits roll sometime in the future.