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.
I set the weather in my Sunlit Tides save using NRAAS Tempest to make autumn and winter into rainy season because I didn't want my sims to be able to go to the beach every day - I would soon get bored of that - but also because I think rain and fog make Sunlit Tides even prettier, even more tropical. In the "taking down Christmas ornaments" Jeanette was actually doing that idle animation for the Genius trait where it looks like they're solving a problem on an invisible blackboard. It looked perfect for what I wanted, so I quickly paused and moved her with MOO.
Oh, that's a great idea about setting the weather like that. So that's how you got Jeanette to look like she was taking down the decorations. Clever!
Saturday, last day of winter. Well, no one can argue with chocolate cake for breakfast! :yum: Gotta say I love those tropical bedspreads too!
William and Ruru aged up very nicely! Aw, pretty kitty cat. Love the idea for the ceremony and the kids having to buy their supplies. And those pics of them traveling to the volcano... so realistic! Love all of them, especially the one where they're walking up the volcano in the dark with their umbrellas. Great camp out pics! Yeah, lol, leave it to the dang paparazzi to find you out in the middle of no where. ;)
The pattern on the bedspreads is one of my favourite patterns, but I have to use it sparingly, otherwise everything would look the same! I found it on the Exchange, here: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=8814035
After an uneasy night spent in a tent in the rain, the four young people sleeping on the volcano woke up to a clear morning. https://i.imgur.com/dKEMM5Z.jpg
The view of the island down below was magnificent. https://i.imgur.com/jIzAcDE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Hi1tGTZ.jpg
There was one more thing to be done to complete Lilinoe and Ruru's coming-of-age ceremony: a visit to the salon. https://i.imgur.com/bv0ae9y.jpg
They would choose tattoos inspired by dreams or thoughts they had the night of the ceremony. https://i.imgur.com/Vvf89oo.jpg
Lilinoe had a tense dream about the Kraken battling the Sun. https://i.imgur.com/sSpc8Uy.jpg
She got a sea monster tattooed on one arm, and the Sun on the other, and was very pleased with the result. https://i.imgur.com/PcEJg6C.jpg
Ruru couldn't remember any dreams, but he was imagining going fishing at night under a clear, starry sky. https://i.imgur.com/ZmOAC3U.jpg
He asked for a fish tattoo on his chest, and stars on his back. https://i.imgur.com/lqHcd93.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/hQhxGSj.jpg
The four returned to the boarding school just in time for breakfast. https://i.imgur.com/gY0EFy4.jpg
After breakfast, Matiu had an announcement to make to his students. https://i.imgur.com/AysFhcS.jpg
He told them he was engaged to his girlfriend Noelani, and they were all invited to their wedding on Love Day. https://i.imgur.com/4EA463q.jpg
Meanwhile, the local beach looked very inviting in the sunshine. The stray kitty William had been feeding was staring at its empty plate. https://i.imgur.com/D8whMGb.jpg
William hurried to the beach and filled the plate. https://i.imgur.com/Iplo7RK.jpg
Matiu, Lilinoe and Ruru used the wave stations - finally, good weather for surfing! https://i.imgur.com/MzXCspF.jpg
After feeding the stray kitty on the beach, William had an international phone call. https://i.imgur.com/u5RlW8g.jpg
It was his parents, calling from Isla Paradiso to wish him a happy birthday. https://i.imgur.com/eNsbLlJ.jpg
After they exchanged greetings, William carefully mentioned the subject of his future life. He told his mother he was considering staying in Sunlit Tides. https://i.imgur.com/P2M7Xii.jpg
Molly didn't sound surprised. "If Sunlit Tides is where you see your future, you should stay there! I left my home in Sunset Valley as a young adult and traveled for a while until I settled in Isla Paradiso. Your father and I would rather you lived closer to us, but we will support you in your choice." https://i.imgur.com/PGb43FP.jpg
His parents' support didn't make William's decision much easier. But he didn't have to make it at once.
He swam out into the deeper water with Valiant, Mindy and Jeanette, and they practiced snorkeling together while the rest of their friends surfed. https://i.imgur.com/eN7Lc7F.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jWwbTZV.jpg
The sunny day was so inviting, the beach was full of townies. Even Cyrille the annoying paparazzo gave up on stalking the students and went for a speedboat ride instead. https://i.imgur.com/Vg3UPxS.jpg
Intoxicated by the sea and the sun, Ruru and Lilinoe didn't notice in time that aggressive seals were circling around them. https://i.imgur.com/ftuKRV4.jpg
I didn't catch the moment of the seal attack, but this was Ruru's face the moment after it happened: https://i.imgur.com/wNH7fCp.jpg
They would have to buy new surfboards. Their old ones became garden decorations: https://i.imgur.com/b1wJEzn.jpg
Rascal took advantage of the sunny afternoon too, practising his hunting skill. He found a maple leaf and a snake skin. https://i.imgur.com/BRXHzym.jpg
After everyone returned to the boarding school, prepared and ate supper, William invited Oliana on a date at the fusion lounge. https://i.imgur.com/dLr8SqD.jpg
They spent the evening cuddling and making out on a sofa in a private compartment. https://i.imgur.com/qiwFFpp.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Wu4dpAE.jpg
Oliana was one of the reasons William wanted to stay in Sunlit Tides, but he didn't want to mention this to her just yet. In spite of being very much attracted to each other, they didn't really know each other that well, and William didn't want to scare Oliana away by mentioning serious life decisions too early. https://i.imgur.com/b9fdJzi.jpg
@PalmArrow So nice to see another update! :) Love the photo of the 'island below' view. Nice idea with the inspirational tattoos. I had a sneaky feeling William's thoughts would go in that direction, but I suppose time will tell. He looks so much more grown up now. Oh, lol, Ruru's expression says it all, along with the battered surfboards. There's so much of my game I need to explore, especially in island life. William and Oliana make a cute couple. And of course, as always, I love your photos!
A beautiful rainy dawn. https://i.imgur.com/z2ovzQO.jpg
The only two teens left in the boarding school, Mindy Hamada and Valiant Vanderburg, took the school bus for the last time. Valiant would age up today, and Mindy the next morning. https://i.imgur.com/00v1yFJ.jpg
The stray cat William had been feeding and befriending wasn't on the beach today. https://i.imgur.com/iiq3Vxl.jpg
I placed a Feline Welcome gnome in front of the Academy, hoping it would return for a visit. https://i.imgur.com/5PyzPWh.jpg
The rain meant no surfing, so the young adults in the household ran various errands. https://i.imgur.com/bNEFzKp.jpg
Ruru and Lilinoe needed new surfboards - their old ones were destroyed by seals. To earn some money, Ruru accepted an opportunity to fix the plumbing at Riku's Luau Diner... https://i.imgur.com/eB0Z6W6.jpg
... while Lilinoe collected eggs at the Spring festival. She found a fancy egg more than twice the value of a surfboard. https://i.imgur.com/IQGVwY9.jpg
Meanwhile, William bought a drum kit and spent the morning practicing... https://i.imgur.com/0wUUvz5.jpg
... and Jeanette worked on her science skill at the Science Lab. https://i.imgur.com/ALY5b7x.jpg
Her expressions were hilarious to watch! https://i.imgur.com/M1VPcJ5.jpg
Having earned enough, Ruru and Lilinoe bought shiny new surfboards. https://i.imgur.com/98HXD97.jpg
The rain stopped and the sky started to brighten. https://i.imgur.com/MlueHxx.jpg
William gained a skill point in Drums, and so did Jeanette in Science. https://i.imgur.com/edyvpxb.jpg
When Mindy and Valiant returned from their last day in school - both on the honour roll - Matiu drove everyone to the sport bar. Valiant was going to celebrate his birthday there. https://i.imgur.com/zsdSnkh.jpg
It was finally time for Mindy Hamada, the youngest of the six students, to become a young adult like her classmates. https://i.imgur.com/m6NbIog.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/teGxNh8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MGVAFPI.jpg
After finishing the birthday cake, Matiu and the students gathered on the beach just as the sun was rising.
https://i.imgur.com/GTPi7RK.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/niIiTp7.jpg
Matiu led the way to the surfing stations. William and Jeanette followed. https://i.imgur.com/7aBk0Ij.jpg
This was embarrassing! William fell off his surfboard so badly, he actually sank into the sand on the ocean floor. Thankfully, nobody noticed. https://i.imgur.com/Yfbt7b5.jpg
He saved face by leaping out of the ocean like a superhero. https://i.imgur.com/dSGP4qJ.jpg
"Yay! I landed back on my surfboard!" https://i.imgur.com/6m00y8b.jpg
Jeanette didn't seem to have noticed anything. https://i.imgur.com/eGL7OkF.jpg
Valiant, Mindy, Ruru and Lilinoe were snorkelling in the deeper water and looking for shells. https://i.imgur.com/b1gasxn.jpg
Another good move by William: https://i.imgur.com/9hXKTa8.jpg
Mindy, the birthday girl, wanted to sell her shells and buy a better camera to advance in the Photography skill, so everyone else donated their shells to her. Together they were worth a little more than 300 simoleons. https://i.imgur.com/OdCC77w.jpg
Not a lot of money -- definitely not enough for the Hikon QX40di Gladiator - but selling the shells and her old ChannonTek Outlaw gave her enough for an underwater camera. https://i.imgur.com/FeJBZMQ.jpg
When everyone returned to the boarding school for a midday rest, Mindy flirted with her boyfriend Ruru. It had been too long since they were able to do this - Ruru had been among the first of the six to age up, Mindy was the last. https://i.imgur.com/aKZZmMZ.jpg
Ruru and William rolled wishes to form a band at the same time, so they immediately formed a band together. they are called The Children of the Ocean, and so far there is only Ruru on guitar and William on drums. https://i.imgur.com/2BpkuYH.jpg
The Children of the Ocean had their first jam session in public right away, under the palms on Pirate's Beach. https://i.imgur.com/fOXXLPB.jpg
William and Ruru's jam session on the beach was successful - they earned some small money, and a jogging townie stopped to take a photo. https://i.imgur.com/27h8YHK.jpg
After the midday break, Matiu and the students met on the shore and swam to the beginner diving spot, the Forest of Kelp. https://i.imgur.com/YV4sW21.jpg
By now everyone had at least three skill points in diving, and the Forest of Kelp wasn't a dangerous place. still, Matiu warned the students to return to the surface if they experience any discomfort. https://i.imgur.com/Su7BjB8.jpg
As they were swimming around the tall kelp, William noticed a red-finned shark and caught it. https://i.imgur.com/OBzdgmv.jpg
They met their old acquaintance, elder mermaid Brook. Mindy talked to her about kelp recipes and snapped an underwater photo of her. https://i.imgur.com/3a6KAyh.jpg
They scuba-dived until sunset, then resurfaced. https://i.imgur.com/Nyp2udX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/kvuucwd.jpg
It was time to swim back to shore. https://i.imgur.com/OLJr9yI.jpg
They returned to the boarding school tired, but in excellent mood. https://i.imgur.com/zkLpwPg.jpg
While Jeanette prepared supper for everyone, Ruru and Mindy watched the stars together. https://i.imgur.com/IdahVtJ.jpg
They returned inside just in time for sushi. https://i.imgur.com/EFsoPgi.jpg
Almost everyone bathed and went to bed early, to soothe their aching muscles. But William asked his girlfriend Oliana to meet him at the Hideaway. He had been thinking a lot about his future, and his mind was now made up. This was a conversation he didn't want to postpone. https://i.imgur.com/p94yJCI.jpg
"You know, Oliana, when I came to Sunlit Tides I thought I was just going to graduate from the Surfing Academy, and then return home to Isla Paradiso." https://i.imgur.com/qjL1eap.jpg
"But I don't want that anymore. Sunlit Tides has become my home, and I want to stay here." https://i.imgur.com/H3pVNBO.jpg
Oliana was delighted. "I never said anything because I didn't want to put pressure on you, but that's exactly what I was hoping you would decide!" https://i.imgur.com/wRMhF9w.jpg
"I'm so glad you said that, because you are the biggest reason I want to stay!" https://i.imgur.com/lruMmam.jpg
They embraced with relief - the question of their future had been hanging unspoken in the air since they became young adults, neither of them sure if the other wanted this to last. William returned to his dormitory so tired he could barely stand on his feet, but he couldn't remember ever feeling this happy. https://i.imgur.com/7FL8x9a.jpg
