This is a story in progress which will be, mostly, about my teen legacy heir, William, living the most perfect life I can imagine - attending a surfing boarding school in Sunlit Tides. I felt the need to state this in the first post because I know many readers like some drama in their sim stories. If you are one of those readers, you will probably find this story very boring!
William's parents met and got married in this story.
William woke up early and prepared breakfast for everyone. https://i.imgur.com/k1iE8YC.jpg
The morning was rainy... https://i.imgur.com/XhYNpo8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uP6mfrK.jpg
... but it didn't matter, because this wasn't a morning for the beach. It was time for all the students to go to the City Hall and receive their regular High School diplomas! https://i.imgur.com/gpOfiGf.jpg
One by one they changed into their graduation gowns and entered the building. Matiu went with them to watch the ceremony. https://i.imgur.com/wWudAk9.jpg
Only Rascal remained outside. he hunted to pass the time, and found a snake skin. https://i.imgur.com/gO6B0EQ.jpg
After a few hours the students emerged from the City Hall, diplomas in hand. They also got special awards - William got "Most likely to have a large family". https://i.imgur.com/4maArz8.jpg
A group photo with Matiu: https://i.imgur.com/ZrCHIJn.jpg
When they returned to the boarding school for their midday break, William called his parents on sim-Skype. He wanted them to see him in his graduation gown. https://i.imgur.com/NPKkvSA.jpg
He also told them he made his mind up about staying in Sunlit Tides. Molly and Bruce were not disappointed - they were expecting this decision. https://i.imgur.com/k0vaxAi.jpg
Molly told William they were going to transfer his part of the inheritance to his account, so that he can buy a house in Sunlit Tides. She had just one condition - she asked William to immediately invest in some real estate, so that he can have a source of income if his scuba diving and music don't turn out to be profitable. William promised he would do this. https://i.imgur.com/FFu9Lqa.jpg
Meanwhile, Matiu went to check out the Emerald Tides resort. Tomorrow would be Love Day, the day set for his and Noelani's wedding, and the resort was their chosen wedding venue. The resort looked a little sad in the rain... https://i.imgur.com/xn7ikY8.jpg
... but two townies were just getting married, and they were happy and oblivious to the rain. This gave Matiu a good feeling for tomorrow. https://i.imgur.com/wRp5lmK.jpg
When the rain stopped, the students ran to the beach to use the surfing stations. https://i.imgur.com/77MakGt.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ENk8zqA.jpg
Later, when they were cleaning up after dinner and getting ready for sleep, William felt an unexpected tinge of sadness. It was almost over - Only two days, and he and his five friends wouldn't be living together any more. https://i.imgur.com/GvGZE1f.jpg
Love Day, the day set for Matiu and Noelani's wedding, started with promising, sunny weather. https://i.imgur.com/X7Tbjao.jpg
Matiu picked up Noelani and went to the Emerald Tides resort early. The students would join them around midday. https://i.imgur.com/Uv1AJKb.jpg
I saw a smaller animal outside the Academy with Rascal and hoped it would be the stray cat William had been feeding, but it was just a raccoon! https://i.imgur.com/oyxIbwR.jpg
Around noon the students took a taxi to the resort. "Hello! We are here for the Henare/Koi wedding." "Welcome to the Emerald Tides resort! Your rooms are in the resort tower. The wedding will start at 1 PM." https://i.imgur.com/6U208jd.jpg
They changed into formal clothes and took their seats in front of the wedding arch. https://i.imgur.com/LCRvoYR.jpg
The bride and groom arrived in an excellent mood. https://i.imgur.com/FFCEuiQ.jpg
They exchanged rings and said their vows. https://i.imgur.com/e63Acsl.jpg
During the ceremony Rascal arrived - dogs can't check in to a resort, so I just had him visit the lot. https://i.imgur.com/aiT63nG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KsnPPTV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QeG7A5O.jpg
After they congratulated the bride and groom, the students gave them some privacy - they would all meet again at dinner.
William, Mindy and Valiant went to the shopping centre to look at some real estate ads. They had been discussing this - all four Isla Paradiso friends wished to stay in Sunlit Tides after they graduate from the Surfing Academy. https://i.imgur.com/4MUJMRm.jpg
Many of the houses on offer were luxurious villas... https://i.imgur.com/iJueubw.jpg
... but there was also a good choice of small, affordable houses - exactly what they were looking for. https://i.imgur.com/XCacXpo.jpg
The bride and groom had drinks at the resort bar. https://i.imgur.com/OqZIAU7.jpg
The students spent the afternoon windsurfing. https://i.imgur.com/q5ZoctF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QJxiodg.jpg
The sky was just turning pink when the newlyweds decided to retreat to their suite. https://i.imgur.com/bbsnH2N.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/3VM2tiN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CKf8Sp5.jpg
When the students stopped windsurfing, I located each of them at a different point in the ocean and had them swim back to shore and return to the resort. https://i.imgur.com/AkRnxhU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/J83JMsQ.jpg
Just in time for the dinner buffet, and then a refreshing sleep in the resort tower! https://i.imgur.com/U220F0b.jpg
After Noelani and Matiu's wedding, the entire company spent the night at the Emerald Tides resort.
Valiant and Jeanette relaxed outside before going to sleep, watching the sea and the starry sky. https://i.imgur.com/p2o27jH.jpg
It looked like a metaphor for their futures: endless and full of possibilities. https://i.imgur.com/Jya3BKe.jpg
In the morning, everyone had a quick breakfast at the resort, and then they went to Surf Point Beach, still in their formal clothes. This would be the last day of school. https://i.imgur.com/C4qxeln.jpg
They changed into their swimwear, and Matiu told the students this would be like an informal final exam. "Show what you have learned, and don't be afraid to show off!" https://i.imgur.com/nnHLQxV.jpg
William, Lilinoe and Jeanette were the first to have a go. The other three watched from the pier with Matiu, Noelani and Rascal. https://i.imgur.com/o9kRQol.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2rCQHdJ.jpg
The three taking the exam tried some synchronised moves. William was a little bit late for the handstand... https://i.imgur.com/YLnPYlZ.jpg
...but they performed the Hang Ten in almost perfect synchronicity. https://i.imgur.com/sWiTHXG.jpg
Mindy, Valiant and Ruru were next, and they managed a synchronised handstand. https://i.imgur.com/Xidt8WY.jpg
Matiu congratulated them all and said he was proud of them.
While they were chatting on the beach afterwards, William told Lilinoe and Ruru that he and all three of his Isla Paradiso friends had decided to stay in Sunlit Tides, and that they would take part in the firewalking ceremony that night to seal their decision. Lilinoe and Ruru were delighted to hear their friends would stay with them. https://i.imgur.com/8E3uXlF.jpg
During the midday break, Matiu read the notice about his and Noelani's wedding in the newspaper. The journalist got it all wrong! https://i.imgur.com/h7q7NOE.png
Meanwhile, the students had errands to run - they would all be moving out of the boarding school tomorrow and there were arrangements that needed to be made. William received the money his parents sent him and, as he had promised them, invested a part of it immediately: he became a partner at the grocery store. https://i.imgur.com/9LaWbyN.jpg
Then he visited the house that had caught his eye in the real estate ads. https://i.imgur.com/hq9yFtX.jpg
It was perfect for him at the moment - cozy and surrounded by sea, and in the vicinity of houses his friends would move into. It can be enlarged in the future when - hopefully - Oliana moves in with him and they start a family. https://i.imgur.com/QLj3EOL.jpg
After buying the little house he chose, William still had a few thousand simoleons left, so he made two impulse purchases.
He bought a pickup van to carry his surfboards. Needless to say, when he returned to the boarding school in it, his friends thought it was the coolest thing ever! https://i.imgur.com/8g8wKGS.jpg
He also bought a Hikon QX40di Gladiator camera as a present for Mindy. https://i.imgur.com/YW3SwZm.jpg
She had recently saved up for an underwater camera and had been taking great photos while scuba diving, but she needed a good-quality camera to use on land. https://i.imgur.com/fR2WEjp.jpg
Now William doesn't have that much money left... but he will worry about that tomorrow!
All six students tried to rest as much as possible in the afternoon, to prepare for their night hike to the volcano. https://i.imgur.com/LOJS9oI.jpg
In the late afternoon they visited the beach again, and Mindy gathered everyone to take some group photos with her new camera. https://i.imgur.com/ddDpeXM.jpg
They turned out very good. Everyone would get a copy as a goodbye present. https://i.imgur.com/ts0Akrk.jpg
After sunset, the six students got into William's new van and drove towards the volcano. Lilinoe and Ruru, who had been through the firewalking ceremony last week, would witness their friends performing it. https://i.imgur.com/2AU9nno.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZNmkYTD.jpg
William parked the van at the foot of the volcano, and they hiked up through the jungle until they reached the skull-shaped cave.
While they were waiting for midnight, Ruru told stories about the fire god. https://i.imgur.com/lLLMBii.jpg
Although he had heard the stories before, William couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. The atmosphere of the skull cave and the jungle at night, combined with the big decision he was about to seal - it was all a little overwhelming. https://i.imgur.com/l0xEAns.jpg
To hide his unease, when midnight came he volunteered to walk over hot coals first. https://i.imgur.com/wtLyMXi.jpg
Yay! He did it! Apparently you can bluff yourself into being brave! https://i.imgur.com/dJhNiIY.jpg
Mindy was next. She skipped over the hot coals on tiptoe, but she got to the end successfully. https://i.imgur.com/oWjtyHY.jpg
Valiant walked over the coals with a serene expression, almost as if sleepwalking. https://i.imgur.com/K0XCtGR.jpg
Jeanette was the only one who had problems - she actually got to the middle, lost courage and ran back to the beginning. https://i.imgur.com/rO6l7pR.jpg
Embarrassed, she decided she would try again and get to the end this time, even if her feet fall off. She did it, and didn't lose her feet. https://i.imgur.com/aySpHli.jpg
All six went to sleep tired and satisfied. https://i.imgur.com/WGlsUlh.jpg
Saturday, last day of spring and end of the school year (part 1)
The six young people sleeping on the volcano woke up at early dawn and congratulated one another. They were a little cold - it had started raining during the night - but they felt accomplished, because the coming-of-age ceremony was almost finished. https://i.imgur.com/axzOsIc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/svqRxUp.jpg
They packed their tents and sleeping bags and descended through the jungle to the town while the sun was rising. https://i.imgur.com/8NuE2MZ.jpg
They had all seen this beautiful sight before, but for William, Mindy, Valiant and Jeanette this was a new experience: seeing the island and knowing it was now the place they belonged to. https://i.imgur.com/n4xgI75.jpg
They hadn't packed any food, so they briefly stopped at the shopping centre to buy some sodas from the vending machine before their final stop... https://i.imgur.com/37UACDL.jpg
... the Salon, where they would each get a tattoo inspired by their night on the volcano. https://i.imgur.com/nvjLW3N.jpg
William seemed to have spent all his courage on the firewalking, because he was terrified of the tattoo artist's needle. He chose a dolphin both on his chest and on his back, because during the night he kept thinking of swimming and riding the waves. https://i.imgur.com/DeuOOvM.jpg
Valiant chose a symbol of the fire god with protective wings, because the volcano had given him an unexpected sense of calm. https://i.imgur.com/SlKL8ZO.jpg
Mindy had dreamed of talking to a mermaid with sea-green hair, so she decided on an image of her on her belly. https://i.imgur.com/RryP0zT.jpg
Jeanette asked for a butterfly and a rose, to represent the flora and fauna of the island she wanted to explore. https://i.imgur.com/KuTcgU9.jpg
Saturday, last day of spring and end of the school year (part 2 - the end)
After the salon the students returned to the Academy for the last time. Matiu congratulated William, Mindy, Valiant and Jeanette on becoming adults according to Sunlit Tides traditions. Everyone was a little bit teary-eyed - this was not a real goodbye, because they would all live on the island and remain friends, but life would still not be the same. https://i.imgur.com/InGB4qe.jpg
There was just one last thing to do - all six students took the University acceptance test to see how well their skills had developed. https://i.imgur.com/sdZtm1z.jpg
Unsurprisingly, all six got maximum credits for Physical Education and they were all eligible for a scholarship of at least 1000. Jeanette was the absolute record-holder: she got not only a full scholarship, but also at least some credits for every major.
After that, it was time for everyone to move into their new homes.
Ruru and Mindy decided to move in together straight away. https://i.imgur.com/Dv0v4Wl.jpg
The other couple, Valiant and Jeanette, decided not to take this step yet. Valiant moved into a wicker house next door to the one William chose... https://i.imgur.com/fjcRga8.jpg
... while Jeanette bought a houseboat moored in the marina. It had been owned by a marine biologist and was full of science equipment - an opportunity too good to pass! https://i.imgur.com/QOefDq2.jpg
Lilinoe bought a small modern house near the festival lot. https://i.imgur.com/XpNCDA1.jpg
As William drove to his new home, he passed by Matiu, Noelani and Rascal, who were going to live in Noelani's home. The boarding school building was going to be empty over the summer. https://i.imgur.com/uW4C1ln.jpg
Finally, a home of his own! William placed Mindy's group photos on the bamboo walls and went outside to try out the hammock behind the house. The rain had stopped and the sky was clearing. https://i.imgur.com/6xKtsQE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VqPRqsj.jpg
If this was what adulthood was like, William felt that he was going to like it! https://i.imgur.com/vXFCUjz.jpg
THE END
(For a story in which barely anything happens, I got ridiculously invested in it! I felt terrible breaking up the large household and moving them away one by one, although it was always going to happen. )
