Cantrell Chronicles
The Shaking of Foundations, a Cantrell Chronicles, Part One_ Chapter One The call came in the dead of night. Reaching an arm out from underneath the covers, Joseph groped for his cellphone on the nightstand. “This is Joseph Cantrell,” he said. The voice on the other end was unfamiliar. The man introduced himself as Walter Noel. “I’m your uncle’s . . . lawyer. I’m very sorry to bring this news to you. But the old gent deceased last night. Kitchen fire.” Slowly, Joseph unwound himself from the bed covers to sit up. “So, he was still able to care for himself at his lofty age.” “Oh, absolutely, in fact he insisted. Said he’s always been on his own and it would be a cold day in Hades were he to surrender himself to the care of another. Not even his valet. He often went down to the kitchen to make and get his own coffee, too. I guess old habits die hard. Pardon the phrase.” “That sounds like Uncle Joe. Capable to the end, except for the fire.” “Yes. We were all very shocked, didn’t see that coming. Listen, I’m calling because you have been named his sole-beneficiary. Your father’s sudden death left a vacancy, some years back. His next younger brother, Joseph, stepped up to fill it. Joseph was meant to be regent, since he was to care for Aaron’s children, getting them ready for the role they would fulfill in the future. It should have been you on the Throne and the nation wouldn’t be facing all of this now. But he insisted you were still much too young and dare I say, immature, in his estimation.” “He was right on that. I was quite the dreamer, in my youth. I enlisted in the military shortly thereafter, which helped me to become a man. Saw a good chunk of the universe, as a result. My service also enabled me to fund my college education, the GI Bill, revised and renewed. A great deal of good came out of it.” “Yes, His Majesty spoke of you often. He couldn’t have been more proud of you were you his own son. You’ll be pleased to know he’s made some changes to the estate that I do believe you will approve of. It is beginning to take the shape of a proper home, as it were. “As the eldest, the crown is yours. Joseph had no issue and yours is the proper line of succession, as your father’s firstborn son. Although in the interim, Alexandra has stepped in where she had no place. But such is palace intrigued. You get the dwelling, the property and the horse Joseph the First left behind. Also the contents of his bank account. Your uncle was a very rich man. You are required to attend the reading of the will. How soon can you get here? And, of course after DNA testing there will be a ceremony to cement your position.” “Yes, of course. Can’t be too careful, I suppose. And I am also aware of the steps of Nobility I need to fulfil beforehand, too.” Joseph ran a hand over his head, catching the stray wisps of dark red hair unleashed from the tie that held it together during his slumber. “Two months at the earliest. We’re currently residing on Vulcan.” “Vulcan! He told me you were far away. I didn’t anticipate off planet. I shall postpone the reading, then. Since no one else is mentioned in his will, and there is no one else who can or should step up, we have that luxury. We just have to do something about Alexandra, you understand. Get you properly inserted as the head of the dynasty. It could cause disagreeable feelings toward you, which I regret. Nothing more disruptive than unrest in a dynasty. Your siblings, of course, will also be there. In order to help facilitate a timelier arrival, I shall send the royal space vessel to pick up you and your family — is two weeks' time enough to get your affairs in order, sir?” “We will make it work. Thank you for calling.” Joseph quietly ended the call and set his phone aside. Early, the Vulcan sun not yet up, he was tired, but expected not to sleep, even so. At least now he understood his feelings of unrest, most recently. Most of his children, in varying strength inherited the psychic abilities that ran through his noble family. Hearing a slight noise, he looked toward the bedroom door. *~~*~*~~*~~* “Dad, what is it, what’s wrong?” Erik said, stumbling groggily into his parents’ room. His father was seated on the edge of the rumpled bed, his mother surprisingly fast asleep. Must have taken a sedative, the boy thought to himself. For the first time in his young life, his father looked on the worn side. Haggard. A tad older, as if he suddenly carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Clearing his throat, Joseph said, “It’s your Grand-Uncle,” Joseph said, struggling to get the words out, lest he give into the grief that battered the back of his eyes. For all of the old man’s faults, Joseph loved him dearly. His uncle was a caring and affectionate force in the Cantrell children’s lives truly filling in where their father had left off. “The one you were named for?” Erik said. “He’s ancient, isn’t he?” “You might say so, he just had his one-hundred and fourth birthday. Last time I saw him he was still so full of life. You can’t keep that one down,” “Dad?” “Kitchen fire. He apparently tried to put it out, but his efforts were futile. Smoke inhalation.” “I’m so sorry.” “What a guy he was, though, I remember when . . .” “So you’re saying Uncle Joe basically raised you and your siblings,” Erik said. Joseph nodded, “After your grandfather passed so suddenly, Uncle Joe did come to live with my siblings and me, in the family estate. You see, your grandmother died years before, fell off her horse. Broke her neck, she died instantly." “Oh, that’s terrible. I don’t believe you’ve ever shared that story before.” “Still so painful, losing my mother. Uncle Joe was great. He used to tell such outrageous stories.” For a brief moment Joseph Sr.’s, mouth curved into the slightest of grins. “I’m guessing that’s where you get your penchant for such. In many ways you remind me of him.” Joseph shook his head. “We didn’t know you couldn’t see well, but you made up some of the most delicious stories about what you were seeing in the picture books. My favorite was the angels dancing on the top of candles.” “Okay, maybe.” Erik had never met the man, but he used to relish the stories his aunts and uncles shared whenever they came to visit. His father’s family was very close. He knew his dad was really hurting over this loss, too. Reaching over, he placed a warm hand on his father’s shoulder. “Are you going to be okay?” Placing a hand over Erik’s Joseph nodded, slowly. “That’s enough reminiscing for now. Why don’t you turn in and get some rest. We have lots to do, in just a few days. So many loose ends . . . before I ascend the throne,” Joseph’s voice was nearly a whisper as his voice trailed off. “What? Dad, did you say throne, what throne? What are you talking about? Are you saying we’re royals? I don’t believe it. How come I’m just hearing about this now? Why did you let me dream about my future. to become a rock star? That can’t be possible now, can it?” Erik watched his father closely, waiting for his response, hoping beyond hope his dreams hadn’t just been dashed. “Did you never wonder why your aunt and uncles always visited us all dressed up as if they had just been to Court or a fancy ball? Lady and Gentlemen. Grand Dukes and Grand Duchess, all. That’s their titles when their father is king. You, too, will be a Grand Duke.” Erik sat on the bed next to his father gasping for breath as he hyperventilated. “Easy, Erik, slowly in and out, you’re going to be fine, I promise. Besides, you’re the Second Son, like Spock. I will permit you to pursue your dream, but there are other things I’ve been remiss in teaching you. University, for one, to make sure each of you can competently take the throne, if needed. “You’ll each have to learn fencing lest a duel be required. Archery. Diplomacy, that sort of thing. How to be a Noble. You already are a leader, I can tell.” “But I’m the second son. . . .” “As for not telling any of you — I promise I will explain things more fully when we get settled into the estate. This is a big move, you understand. A total change of our lives.” All for now, thanks for reading!
Creek Tales - A Pack Legacy Challenge (updated 03/09)
When Maxis introduced the option of turning packs off and on in game, I was wildly tempted to create a Pack Legacy Challenge for the game. Of course, someone else already did, but as usual, I'm all about creating my own rules based on my own playing style and play badly when others dictate my game, which of course means I'll make the rules up as I go, still there are a few basics. Basic guidelines I intend follow: I will start with an entirely base game family, the Creek-family (introduced below). They (including the kids) are generation 1 of this challenge. With every new generation at least one new pack (EP, GP, SP or Kit) will be unlocked. That generation then has to truly explore that pack, meaning jobs, looks, decorations, aspirations, traits, skills even deaths should be explored to the fullest by the sims born in that generation. The exception is seasons, which will be unlocked as the oldest child of gen 1, Willow, ages up to a teen. Which pack that will be unlocked will depend on the first trait given to the first child in the next generation (so a family orientated child will unlock parenthood or growing together, depending on which have been unlocked before). Some traits only unlock kits. In that case the second trait given to a child of that generation will unlock a pack. Some kits will also be unlocked with a specific pack if it feels like a good combination, like country kitchen with cottage living or industrial loft with city living. And some rules (yes, even I have a few rules): All traits are to be given randomly, with the exceptions being that a sim of a new generation MUST take traits of a newly unlocked pack if there are any, randomly if there are several. When every trait of the newly unlocked pack is assigned to a sim in game, randomness for all available traits are allowed. When the first child of the next generation receive their first trait, true randomness applies as that will dictate the next pack to unlock. A new pack is unlocked when the oldest child of a generation ages up to teen. No CC is allowed, a part from the occasional ad-on pack (separations of items already in game, matching chairs to a sofa or more window options). Even add-ons should be kept to a minimum. This is after all about exploring the packs to their fullest. Mods are allowed, but not those that significantly adds gameplay options (such as career-mods, new aspirations, traits or new gameplay). The purpose here is to explore the options of the packs after all. For me, myself, I intend to start out only with BetterBuildBuy and MCCC and try to keep other mods to a minimum (that lasted less than an hour, there are simply too many things I cannot live with in game, but the aim is the same, keep mods to a minimum and no mods that adds gameplay). As for the rest, well that's up in the air still. I plan on starting with aging on normal, but as that is very new to me, I might change that to long instead as I've never managed to live with normal age span before. Either way, adult lifespan will be about twice the usual length for how else are they going to be able to see their kids grow up and have kids of their own? And with that I think it's time to meet our founding family. As with The Whittaker Saga I will write the post in a blog and post the links here. Link: Meet the Creek Family
The Girl Who Fell Between Worlds - April's Story 2.0 - Updated March 8
This story follows April Fogel and her time in Strangerville. I started this story a couple years ago and never finished it, and so now I'd like to tie up some loose ends. In April's story there had been strange disappearances happening around Strangerville. April joined the military to try to find out what was going on. The Mother had already been defeated, but General Buzz Grunt, as April's commanding officer, ordered her to research how to resurrect it. While in the military she met Tate Tomlin, who ended up helping her. His sister was one of the people who had gone missing and together April and Tate found her, and the other missing people. They discovered that Loki Beaker had been behind it, but April suspected Buzz Grunt had some dealings in the ordeal as well, but she had yet to uncover what they were. The only missing person they hadn't found was the General's wife, Lyla Grunt. Now, April has been taken from her simverse.... And been brought to a different timeline, in the past and in an alternate simverse from where she grew up. There she woke up with very little memories of her past. She met Tate and Honey Tomlin, who helped her try to get her bearings and figure out what to do next. The story will continue from here. Thanks for reading. :)
Around the World Legacy, Chapter 27
Lis Bellerose is entering the next phase of life: her teen years! Drama, exploration, and more await her as she takes her first steps into the world of Copperdale High School. She'll make new friends and see old ones, and maybe come across old enemies... but first, a birthday party, of course! https://paxxieplayssims.blogspot.com/2026/03/lis-bellerose-high-school-beginnings.html
The Dead Zone Challenge
Hey everyone! I've been working on this challenge for a few weeks now. Reaper Path in Devastation is complete as well as Desolation Path. Enjoy! Challenge Summary: Survive through lot challenges and traits. Heal the salted earth. Befriend townie ghosts and invite them to your home! Help a ghost friend reach reincarnation. All while finding love, and furthering your bloodline Dead Zone Challenge And here is a highlight from one of the playtests I've done. Happy Simming! ❤️
Grimms Generation
Grimms Generations: Meet Brynlee Grimm a young aspiring tattoo artist who with only 20k in her pocket set up home and shop in Nordhaven. Her goal you ask? Stay afloat, create art and become the best tattoist around. She will be the start of my new legacy so I wanted to post for anyone who wishes to follow along or download what I create! 😀 Feel free to share some love on the gallery #shandylou97 shandy_lou97
Introducing: Keeping Up With The Kealohas (My Royalty & Legacy Storyline)
Sul sul everyone!, Meet the Kealoha Dynasty of Sulani. The dynasty is currently led by (Knight) Nohea and his wife, (Dame) Tiare. They have two children: (Lord) Akami, the heir because he is the oldest male, and (Lady) Leilani, the youngest daughter. The Kealoha Dynasty has been Sulani's ruling royal family for the past 400 years now, beginning in the year 1626. However, somewhere along the line, the Kealoha Dynasty has fallen from grace. The Kealoha Dynasty was always loved by the Sulanians because of the dynasty's culture of being kind-hearted and benevolent to their people, as well as taking good care of the island and its crystal blue oceans. However, the infamous Kualana Kealoha, Nohea's 3rd great-grandfather, was a rotten apple from the tree who ruled so badly that he caused the entire island of Sulani to overthrow the Kealoha Dynasty in a nationwide uprising. Kualana was a self-entitled, cold-hearted ruler who ruled with an iron fist and caused the majority of the commoners of Sulani to be poor and hungry due to extremely high taxation. After that, the ruling Kealoha Dynasty had its ruling power stripped to being merely the governing nobility, rather than the ruling nobility that had the full trust and allegiance of the Sulanian people. The Kealoha Dynasty has also held a secret from the Sulanian people ever since they were in power; they are an ancient merfolk bloodline, meaning that they have mermaid blood. However, not everyone is a mermaid; on rare occasions, it skips a generation. Nohea, Tiare, and Akami are mermaids, but Leilani is not. Many of the Sulanians misunderstand mermaids and view the merfolk as horrifying beasts, and if the secret ever gets out now, the chances of the Kealohas ever gaining the love of the Sulanians will just go down the toilet. However, being merfolk is not the only Kealoha secret. Some secrets are bad enough to destroy and tarnish the entire dynastic name... Will the Kealohas gain back their ruling power and the trust and allegiance of the Sulanians, or will their secrets find them out and cause their name to go down in history as the worst dynasty to have ever lived, having another dynasty take over? Stay tuned....
The Tides of Power - is back! (Updated: 6th March 2026)
A kingdom ruled by a deadly siren. A court overrun with enemies. If Melody wants to keep her throne, she’ll have to rely on the one human who doesn’t die at the sound of her singing. THE TIDES OF POWER is an action-packed fantasy love story perfect for those who’d appreciate a Game of Thrones meets Once Upon a Time. Updates are every Saturday. Click the image below to view the chapter index: Or click the image below, if you'd like to start reading from the latest chapters:Lost Legacies Playthrough!
Aurelia Espinoza-Cheng was perfect in every way. A perfect student, a perfect daughter, a perfect actress. Her character values were impeccable, her clothes carefully curated, every word and action meticulously considered and executed. And she was happy... or at least, she should be. Her parents adored her, even if they pushed her, and she didn't want for anything. Why wasn't she happy? At her parents' insistence, Aurelia is now pursuing an honors degree in Drama at the University of Britechester. They intended for her to become a famous actress, and to take their names with her to stardom. But now, things are shifting- rumors of coming nobility fill every conversation, and Carin has a new goal in mind for her daughter. She's top of her career as an Art Critic, she can't just give that up to chase nobility. But her daughter? Aurelia's future is still open, and the crown of Ondarion is ripe for the taking. But is that what Aurelia really wants? Or do her dreams lie instead among the snowy peaks of Mt. Komorebi, where her secret lover would accept her with open arms? Regardless, she'll first have to deal with the mysteries that the newly arrived Royal Envoy has thrown her way. You can read about Aurelia's part in the Lost Legacies Event here! https://paxxieplayssims.blogspot.com/2026/02/aurelia-cheng-birthday-tea-royal-drama.html
The Parsons Legacy (Generation 31)
Sul, sul! Welcome to The Parsons Family! The Parsons are a big crazy Sims 4 family, started by Bryanna Parsons on October 4th, 2019. The Parsons family do not use any cheats. The goal of the Parsons is not only to be a huge family with lots of generations, but to also be as successful as possible. The Parsons wish to complete every goal they possibly can. Yes, you read that right, the Parsons will complete every career, every skill, every university degree and they will live in every neighborhood, build every kind of house, own every business, become every life state, collect every item, and so much more! If you want to see more of the Parsons, then you're in luck! I'll update here each time a new Parsons Legacy chapter is posted. Thanks for checking out the Parsons, and I hope you will come along for the crazy ride they're in for. The Parsons Legacy Family Tree
