The Smith Legacy: 3.2
43 PNGs underneath the cut.
It was vacation time for the Smiths, which meant they'd finally be able to live in the vacation house they'd bought a little while back. It was disappointing that they hadn't been able to go while Bill and Daria were still alive (or while Leya, Tyler, Alyssa and Ara were still around), but the rest of the family was still happy to go. It was a great birthday present for the quads and they were all excited to see what their vacation home looked like! It was (luckily) a lot bigger than they'd expected, with plenty of room for the whole family.
Samantha unsurprisingly headed straight for the grand piano in the foyer, but nobody complained. Samantha was easily the most instrumentally talented of her siblings and everyone in the house always gathered around in the hallway when she sat down to play. Her creativity skill had been maxed long ago (and with no urging from anyone else), and one could even call her a prodigy. Maybe. Maybe not. Carver and Kittredge were rather impressed by her creative skill; most Smiths in the past took to painting for their creative outlet, but Sam preferred to make music. The scientists were just happy that skill raising and creativity hadn't been bred out of the main bloodline yet.
They were a little worried about the family's social skills however. Well, specifically Jasper's. Jasper was a pretty mean kid, there was no doubt about that, and his tendency towards bullying left him with few friends in the house. His older teenage sisters were fond of him, but they were also teenagers and while they loved their little brother, they had other friends and people to hang out with. Older people. With the other quads, Jasper generally got along well with Phoebe, but depending on the day, he could be found fighting with either Fiona or Caitlin (and sometimes both!). So he took to building sandcastles on his lonesome by the beach.
By the evening, Jasper had covered most of the sandy beach area with sandcastles and still, none of his siblings had joined him.
Perhaps he was frustrated with the lack of company or the fact that everyone else was inside the house having a good time without him, but the moment Jasper headed back inside, he started up a fight with Fiona. The rest of the family had gotten quite used to gathering around to see the fights and the older girls had taken to posting bets on who would win each round. It had become the family's entertainment in a way.
Of course, the older girls were also interested in entertaining themselves in other ways. Roxie was particularly interested in entertaining herself with Norris Lew, who happened to be her aunt's husband's alien son. They weren't related, of course, but it was cutting it pretty close. However, the two had amazing chemistry and neither was really interested in anyone else.
Before Norris left that night, Roxie managed to snag her first kiss from him. (It was Norris' first as well.) Even though they found it weird that Norris' half-siblings were Roxie's cousins, Clay and Cassidy approved of the relationship. While Roxie probably would've gone on seeing Norris even if her parents didn't approve, it felt nice to know that they accepted her relationship with Norris for what it was. Carver and Kittredge were, however, getting a little worried about all the relationships forming between relatives in the Smith bloodline (whether closely related or not). They weren't sure what kind of mating catastrophes such close reproduction could cause.
After being on Twikkii Island for a full twenty-four hours and not having done anything, Sam and Roxie thought it was high time that they started actually doing vacation type things. They (much to their parents' joy) volunteered to spend the day with the quads, as a way to kind of introduce to kids to what it would be like to just hang out with teenagers. This was their birthday present after all. Sam couldn't believe that the kids were almost teenagers already. Time had passed very quickly!
The moment the taxi stopped on the South End Beach, Roxie sprinted out the cab and headed for the haunted and abandoned pirate ship on the coast of the beach. It was Roxie's lifetime want to be a space pirate, but perhaps she wanted to be a sea pirate as well?
The kids didn't stay at the South End Beach for very long though. They tried to find the captain's ghost and failed, so they quickly headed over to the Ancient Ruins of Numchuck. There, Fiona made friends with some of the locals (and some tourists) and rather than exploring the ruins, she opted to play in water balloon fights.
That is, when she wasn't fighting with Jasper. Jasper, as usual, initiated the fight and drew quite the crowd with his rowdiness. Sam and Roxie did nothing to discourage his behavior and while little Phoebe was worried for both her sister and brother, both Jasper and Fiona were more than capable of holding their own in battle. Fiona didn't quite understand why Jasper hated her so much that every time he saw her, he felt the need to hurt her, but she was more than prepared for his constant attacks. Neither really had an advantage over the other; sometimes Fiona won and sometimes Jasper did. That was just the way things went.
Fiona wasn't having the best of times at the Ancient Ruins. The group had gone on a tour and ended up with a swarm of bees hot on their trail! While most of her siblings had managed to shake the bees rather quickly, the bees particularly liked Fiona and she attracted a fair amount of attention running around and trying to escape them.
However, Fiona got the chance to just relax again when they left the Ancient Ruins and went to the White Sand Hot Springs. She struck up a nice chat with some of the locals, who didn't seem to mind talking to a little girl like herself. It was getting a little too late for Fiona (and the rest of the quads) to be out, so not too long after they arrived, Sam and Roxie gathered their little siblings and brought them back to the vacation house. It had been a pretty good day out on the island.
Back at the vacation home, Clay was more than content to spend his vacation on the lot. And why not? He had all he'd ever need. A nice, comfortable bed, a working bathroom, an easily accessible fridge and a lovely beach to tan on. Yes, Clay was having a great time and he didn't even need to leave his house!
He didn't even need to leave to meet locals! Two beautiful local ladies stopped by the Smiths' vacation house to greet the newcomers and Clay treated them to what he called an Eden "delicacy"--Grilled Cheese! He didn't know if the women had ever had the gooey grilled sandwich before, but they both seemed to like the food very much. They were also great company and before the two left, Clay learned how to Hula Dance from them and was also a master at Hanging Loose.
Time seemed to be passing rather quickly on this vacation. Before the kids knew it, the sun had set once again, bringing about the end of yet another day on the island. While they longed for their vacation to last forever, the kids were also happy to spend what time they had on the beautiful island. Eden was a great place and they loved living there, but there was just something so incredible about being in a new, tropical place with such a stunning view. It kind of felt like an adventure.
Back in Eden, Michael Carver was a little jealous; he never got to go on vacations!
Caitlin was particularly inspired by the amazing view and took to the easel that had been conveniently placed on the little boardwalk that oversaw the beach, where her siblings were having their campfire powwow below.
Though it wasn't exactly a portrait of the view before her, one could tell that Caitlin had definitely been inspired by the ocean before her. That, and also that Caitlin was a wonderfully talented artist.
The next day, it was Clay and Cassidy's turn to take the quads out for a day on the island while Sam and Roxie got their beauty sleep. Clay and Cassidy were very excited to spend some good quality time with their youngest kids before they weren't so young anymore. Clay promised his kids that they'd have more fun than the quads did with Sam and Roxie.
And they did have a lot of fun! They went to every marketplace and every beach and every place you could go on the island and they went on all the tours again too (and there were no bees today!). The kids were having a lot of fun and Clay and Cassidy were also having more fun than they'd thought they would. Clay tried to pick up fire-dancing from the fire dancer at the beach, but he was much better at just watching the man perform.
Cassidy spotted a sketchy character she'd been warned about (because who else would wear a top hat to the beach?) and before one could say pickpocket, she had her family packed up and off the beach. There was still a bit of time before the quads' bedtime, so Clay whipped out the map to the mysterious hidden hut he'd found on one of the tours they'd gone on that day. Clay didn't know if the map would actually lead them anywhere, but it looked legitimate, and so they told the taxi driver to just follow the directions.
It turns out they were at the hut of the ever mysterious Witch Doctor! The Witch Doctor greeted the Smiths and told them that he'd give them a reward if they could fix his numerous broken things. Clay was a little skeptical, but the quads were so excited about seeing the Witch Doctor that they didn't even think twice about offering their help. Cassidy also had a bit of mechanical skill and she couldn't stand seeing all the broken things just lying about the Witch Doctor's house.
Once they were done fixing everything, the Witch Doctor handed Clay a very special secret gift and invited the rest of the family to sit and eat with him. After they were done eating, Cassidy and the Witch Doctor started up a dance party featuring the Hula Dance, the newest move the Smiths had learned. All in all, it was a pretty good night.
By the time they got back home, there was barely enough time to catch a good night's sleep before the family had to be off the lot and back to Eden. Their vacation was sadly over, but the quads couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. They had gone on so many adventures and had so much fun. They couldn't wait to tell all their friends back in Eden about all the exciting things they had done. For the rest of the family, it was just a well needed break from their regular life.
Of course, no matter where they were, some things just didn't change for the Smiths. Roxie had barely been home for more than a couple of hours before she'd invited Norris over. She had quite missed him up in Twikkii Island and the two more than made up for lost time together.
Sam decided to be responsible the night of their return and she confessed to her dad that Bill had left the deed to her. She wasn't even eighteen yet and she had no idea what to do with the vacation house. She knew she couldn't keep the deed for herself--especially not with her going to college so soon! None of the other Smiths would be able to visit it without her there.
Clay appreciated Sam's honesty and in return, he gave her a gift of his own. "I figure you're responsible enough to handle this," he told her with a small smile on his face. "That, and I have no idea what I would do with it." Sam didn't ask what the gift was; she was a little scared to find out. All this talk about responsibility was making her nervous.
Sam wasn't the only one getting stuck on their nerves that night. Roxie was trying to strike up the confidence to ask Norris to be her boyfriend. They'd been hanging out for a while and hooking up, but there was no official title on their relationship or anything. As it turned out, Roxie had nothing to be nervous about; Norris agreed to be her boyfriend without any hesitation. They truly made a sweet couple.
This photo is proof that Jasper Smith can and does get along with (some of) his siblings.
Sooner than anyone seemed to anticipate, it was time for the quads' birthday!
The excitement was thick in the air, not only because the quads would be aging, but because it meant the fourth generation was that much closer to going to college. Jasper and Fiona shared a rare moment of calmness before it was time for the birthday party to start. They were actually talking for once, instead of rushing to claw out the other's eyes. Fiona actually wanted to be able to get along with Jasper and they had a pretty chill conversation before they went inside for the cakes. Fiona had to wonder if Jasper was finally maturing.
Clay and Cassidy had taken another chance on throwing a party and had invited all of their older kids, patiently waiting for the rest of the fourth generation to join them in college. Alyssa was the first to saunter in, looking as cheery and pretty as ever...
She was followed closely by Tyler, who managed to look both smug and whimsical. He was pretty happy to be back at the main house.
Leya also showed up, looking as stunning as she had before leaving for college. She was the most excited to really get the college ball rolling.
Ara had also been invited to the party, but apparently had plans for the night already.
Still, missing guests weren't enough to dampen the party mood. The quads dutifully lined up in front of their respective cakes and started pondering what birthday wishes they would make. Everyone else watched on with wide grins and the occasional hoot and holler.
Phoebe was the first to age! She kept her exotic looks and also gained quite a gear-influenced wardrobe. It worked for her, oddly enough. Anyway, Phoebe rolled Family as her main aspiration and Popularity as her secondary. Her lifetime want was to own five top level businesses and her one true hobby was fitness. Phoebe's personality read as 4/10/8/3/10, making her an Aries. She was turned on by fitness and jewelry, but turned off by glasses.
Next up was Caitlin, who I think grew into her long face quite well! Caitlin rolled Pleasure as her main aspiration and rolled Grilled Cheese as her secondary. Her lifetime want was to become a game designer, but her one true hobby was sports. Caitlin's personality read as 7/3/9/7/3, making her a Scorpio. Caitlin was turned on by fitness and charismatic sims, but was turned off by fatness.
After Caitlin came Jasper, who was beginning to regain that look of smugness and arrogance he had as a toddler. Jasper (to pretty much everyone's surprise) rolled Family as his main aspiration, but rolled Pleasure as his secondary. His lifetime want was to raise twenty puppies and/or kittens, but his one true hobby was music and dance. Jasper's personality read 5/9/3/6/4, making him a Leo. He was turned on by jewelry and high logic skill, but was turned off by grey hair.
Last, but certainly not least, Fiona aged! She kept her regal princess-like look and rolled Romance as her main aspiration with Pleasure as her secondary. Watch out folks--there's a new heartbreaker in town! Her lifetime want was to become a Rock God and Fiona's one true hobby was fitness. Her personality read as 5/9/3/6/4, making Fiona a Leo. She was turned on by both fatness and athletic sims (slightly oxy-moronic, no?), but was turned off by red hair.
...And it wouldn't be a real Smith birthday party if the cops didn't show up to shut it down.
Early the next morning, Sam set off for college. Everyone said goodbye to her, but Clay found it necessary to run outside and wave to Sam until her taxi pulled out of view. Not like he's playing favorites or anything.
Just kidding. Clay loves all of his children equally, clearly. All his children absolutely adored him as well. Fiona made it clear that she much preferred staying in on a late night and hanging out with her dad than going out with her friends from school. Not that Clay minds at all. Playing chess with Fiona means she's not out doing sim knows what. It also meant they could bond...over logic skill building.
Meanwhile, Jasper is outside bonding with the telescope...
Do the men in this family ever learn?
That's all for this update! Thanks for reading/sorry for the wait! I'll be going off to college at the end of this week (omgomgomgomgomgomgomg), so I have NO IDEA when I'll be able to update next, but I'm dragging my desktop along with me so that I can play the Sims. Good priorities; I have them.