0.1 - And So It Begins . . . Again

No, your eyes do not deceive you. This is, in fact, the first post of my ISBI challenge. It only took . . . 2 years for me to get around to it? Lawl.

If you're extra curious as to why I'm starting here at Goth Manor, then by all means check out the 'About' tab where I go into great detail about the particulars. Otherwise, the TL;DR version is I'm going to use Alexander Goth as my eventual founder. I'm going to play him from child age first in a prequel of sorts (much like I did with Mortimer in TS3) with the rest of his family until he's a YA and can move out on his own. 

So here we have it . . . Goth Manor, in Willow Creek.

And here we have the Goths. Or, MY version of the Goths anyhow. I remade them in CAS and gave them traits/personalities more like the Goths that grew up in my TS3 ISBI Challenge.

Mortimer and Bella here are pretty similar. Morty has the Genius, Gloomy and Creative traits, the Renaissance Sim aspiration and Quick Learner bonus trait.

Meanwhile Bells has the Good, Snob and Outgoing traits, the Friend of the World aspiration and Gregarious bonus trait.

The eldest daughter Cassandra has the Evil and Lazy traits, the Master of Mischief aspiration and the Dastardly bonus trait. In my original challenge, the readers voted Cassi as the heir and eventual TH. 

This time we'll be going the other direction, with our eventual TS4 ISBI founder, Alexander Goth. He's got the Good trait and the Whiz Kid childhood aspiration. 

Where he goes from here will be anybody's guess. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to randomize his traits or pick them based on gameplay, we'll just have to see.

Well, being a Whiz Kid, Alex needs to be read to by an adult for 2 hrs. I went ahead and used Mortimer's one free action to do so. 

MORTIMER - And so you see, son, string theory really is the best explanation in quantum physics, under the circumstances . . .

ALEXANDER - Uh, dad? I know I'm aiming for Whiz Kid here, but is this topic really age appropriate?

Meanwhile Cassandra went up to her room and went RIGHT for the slablet. Being (my evil version of) Cassandra, it should surprise no one that she immediately started to Troll teh Forums.

Bella eventually followed her up. And immediately began eyeing that slablet.

BELLA - Sharing is caring, dear.

CASSANDRA - LOL good thing I don't give a sh*t then.

BELLA - Such language! You're grounded young lady, no more computer privileges!

CASSANDRA - Wtf?!

BELLA - *chuckle* Victory, you are sweet.

CASSANDRA - Wow, major d*ck-move, mom . . . I'm kinda proud.

So Bella got the slablet for a while, and Cassandra was forced to 'settle' for her cellphone.

Before wandering upstairs into her brother's room to play some solo chess.

Mortimer's hour of reading was up, so it was mom's turn. I used Bella's one free action to instruct her to continue Alex's literary enrichment.

BELLA - And that, sweetie, is how babies are made.

ALEXANDER - Ok, now I'm POSITIVE that this isn't age appropriate . . .

Mortimer snuck upstairs to chat with his eldest, and take some selfies together.

MORTIMER - Pressed curds of milk!

CASSANDRA - Wow dad, so lame.

Finally finished with his 2 hours of being read to, I tried to have Alex challenge his sister to a chess match. Mortimer chose that exact moment to sit down and be in the way. -_-*

ALEXANDER - Hey dad! Can I have a hug?

MORTIMER - Why, certainly son!

ALEXANDER - Okay, awesome, time for chess now.

MORTIMER - . . . did you ask for a hug just to get me up from that chair?

CASSANDRA - Ding ding ding! And we have a winner.

Bella is still downstairs on the slablet . . . and I got a notification that she'd gotten a point in the Mischief skill. Wat? You're trolling the forums?! You're supposed to be a GOOD sim!

BELLA - OMG, n00bs. Aliens come from the TELESCOPE, not portals to another world! DUH.

. . . nobody tell her.

Upstairs, Alex wasn't fairing any better.

CASSANDRA - Hey, Alex, was that an alien outside?! (He actually had an alien in his thought-bubble, it was hilariously apropos).

ALEX - What?! WHERE?!

CASSANDRA - Hehehehe. *switches pieces*

Sadly, she still lost, even after cheating. :P

Oh hey, good going Morty! The whole family is getting pretty hungry--

MORTIMER - Yeeeah, Imma stop you right there. This is just a single serving of salad.

. . . -_-*

So Mortimer has a nice bowl of fresh salad while his wife and children are forced to eat cold cereal. 

Those stares, mang. They are a judgin'.

After dinner I had Alex sneak in one more game of chess before bedtime. Still cheesed about the cold cereal, I made Mortimer his opponent. 

No cheating this time, but Alex still trounced him. Alex = Chess Champ, and he's only a day old! So proud.

Cassandra also warmed this simmer's heart cockles by autonomously cleaning up the dinner dishes. 

CASSANDRA - Maybe if I do some chores, mom'll let me have my slablet back.

BELLA - *from upstairs* Nope!

CASSANDRA - Dag-frabbit.

One of my self-imposed rules is to not use any of the Goth's current funds to add to the house in any way. They have what they have (which is quite a bit). So in an attempt to avoid any late night disturbances, I had Alex request that his father spray under the bed for monsters after chess.

MORTIMER - But . . . it's against the laws of nature and physics that there would be a creature of any type under this surface--,

ALEXANDER - DAD! Just spray the stuff!

MORTIMER - Ok, ok.

MORTIMER - Alrighty, son! That should do it! Monster-B-Gone successfully administered!

ALEXANDER - Ok, thanks! G'night!

MORTIMER - Sleep tight, m'boy!

*Three Hours Later . . . *

Goddammit. >_< Apparently the Monster-B-Gone was just water. *siiiiiigh* I gave in and bought one of those night-lights, and cancelled Alex's auto-action to go wake his sister. She needs to sleep for school.

Since he had to wait for the scared moodlet to go away before he could go back to sleep, Alex took this opportunity to top off his hunger need with another bowl of sad cereal. Then it was back to bed, for good this time.

Bella woke up in the wee hours because the cereal hadn't quite satisfied her hunger either.

BELLA - Oh dear . . . I'm feeling quite peckish.

So . . . maybe go down to the kitchen and eat something?

BELLA - Nonsense, I'll just play some Blicblock, that ought to make me feel right as rain.

>:[

After another hour or so she finally did go downstairs, and began cooking some Franks and Beans. I'd complain about it more, but it was an ACTUAL group meal. So yay for that.

Mortimer woke up that morning feeling sadz. Ah, the Gloomy trait, hard at work. He cried it out for a bit under the covers before getting up to face the day. I love his PJs, btw. Long argyle socks and bunny slippers? Damn skippy.

Yep, Beans and Franks. The breakfast of champions. Morty and Cass were sure to shower Bella with thanks.

After the kids left for school, Bella was sure to show her man some affection. LOL that side-eye, Morty. 

MORTIMER - It's the socks. Chicks dig the Argyle.

Indeed.

An hour or so after that, however, it was time for Mortimer's first day of work. I had him join the Science career, and just send him off alone like a regular career rather than follow him.

This leaves Bella (and me) home alone for most of the day. She fills the hours doing some light reading . . .

And some cleaning (already far more domestic than my TS3 Bella ever was lol).

The Goth children return after their first day of school. Alexander there is totally chill, while Cassandra throws out some typical teen attitude.

Alex challenged his mom to a game of chess to help with his Mental skill.

BELLA - And this horsie, sweetie? Where does it go again?

ALEXANDER - *sigh* That's a KNIGHT, mom, not a horsie.

Yeah, he totally beat her as well. #minichessmaster

Once he was Focused, he knocked out his homework (because that's the next requirement for his aspiration, complete homework twice while focused). Meanwhile the robot toy on his night-stand is perfectly, ironically placed. :>

Cassandra? What are you doing?

CASSANDRA - What? This? *stirs vigorously without looking*

Please don't burn the house down.

CASSANDRA - No promises.

I couldn't be too vexed with her though, because she made another group meal. See, Mortimer? THAT'S how you're supposed to do it!

And then, just to be an ass, he ate a bowl of chips instead of his daughter's mac'n'cheese.

I can just FEEL the condemnation in Bella and Cassandra's stares . . . But luckily Mortimer is completely oblivious.

Alex came down for dinner a little while later and Mortimer thought it'd be a good idea to share his melancholy thoughts with a grade-schooler.

ALEXANDER - GAH! I don't think I can handle this much existential pressure!

MORTIMER - Oh dear, perhaps I shouldn't have done that . . .

Ya think?! >_<

It's the middle of the night, everyone else in the house is sleeping, and Bella . . . is trolling the forums once again. 

BELLA - LUL,#notoddlers4ever

*backs away slowly* I can't save you from THAT kind of rage . . .

Cassandra woke up in the wee hours to pee (lawl pun awesomely unintended), and then got a glass of water. A little counter-productive to the whole bathroom visit, but whatevs.

CASSANDRA - . . . are you EVER going to give me back my slablet, mom?

BELLA - . . . not likely.

CASSANDRA - FML.

BELLA - Hey Morty, the kids are at school and you still have 2 hours before work. Wanna go upstairs and have some fun-time?

MORTIMER - *intense reading is intense*

BELLA - . . . really?

Well, eating a bowl of beans and hotdogs in a nightie isn't exactly sexy material, Bells.

That afternoon, Alex brought home this little cutie. Her name is Elyse Scales, and I'm fairly certain she's a randomly generated townie. I love her gray eyes, though the black hair is unfortunate. I like genetic variety . . . Oh well, if she becomes his spouse, I'll just give her a dye job. :P

ELYSE - Say what?

Nooooooothin'. :>

Cassandra was sleepy, from waking up so early. But instead of going to bed or even going upstairs to her own room, she decides to nap on the bench outside. *long sigh*

Alexander got right to work on his 2nd Focused Homework, and I was pleasantly pleased when Bella autonomously started helping him. Elyse stares on, as if this is all a completely foreign concept.

And it probably is, being a townie and all.

ALEXANDER - C'mon Elyse, all you gotta do is lift your arms, like this! See?

BELLA - Yes dear, don't be shy!

ELYSE - But . . . why?

This is an ISBI household. Logic need not apply. Like, ever.

Cassandra woke from her nap, and went straight for the coffee maker. And so it begins. -_-* I usually forbid coffee makers in my ISBI houses, because they'll drink cup after cup instead of actually going to sleep. Which inevitably causes pass-outs. 

I'm trying to stay way from adding or removing anything from this house though, and I'm not counting points just yet anyway. So this will be a good test to see how TS4 sims handle the java.

In a move that should surprise no one, Alex soon challenges Elyse to a chess match. 

ALEXANDER - Not to brag or anything, but I've yet to lose a game.

ELYSE - Pretty sure that's the very definition of bragging, but whatever. You're cute, so I'll let it slide.

Through socialization over the game, we learn that Elyse is a Bookworm. That together with how much Alex seems to like her, and Elyse is pretty much locked in for future spouse. I went ahead and moved her (as I suspected, randomly generated) family into an empty house, just to make certain she isn't culled.

A tired Mortimer came home from work, and made a beeline for the coffee. Ugh.

MORTIMER - Yes . . . great eye color, pleasing bone structure . . . this one will do nicely. Great selection, son. 

BELLA - Her hair and clothes need work, but we'll see to that once she moves in.

ELYSE - . . . wat?

ALEXANDER - *nervous laughter* They're just playing, don't pay them any attention. I-I think it's your move?

Wow, guys. Creepers much? Mortimer seriously stood there and just watched them play, and Bella felt the need to drag her cereal all the way into the living room too.

Even when Alex went to sleep that night, they couldn't untie the apron strings.

BELLA - What do you mean, he's going to move out when he becomes a young adult?! How am I supposed to give Elyse a make-over? Or play with my grandchildren?

MORTIMER - I'm sorry Bells, that's just how it's got to be. Challenge rules and all. I'm sure he'll come and visit, though.

Yeah . . . I doubt it. But don't tell them that, no need to crush their hopes and dreams.

CASSANDRA - Gotta pee!

Well you know where the toilets are. The pee-pee walk never gets old. :P

ELYSE - Wow, maybe put some clothes on?

BELLA - Maybe don't come visit before any decent hour?

Yeah, Elyse actually called to come over and visit at 6:30 am, on a school day no less. I've never seen that happen before, in any of my games. Took it as further evidence that she needs/deserves to be in this challenge.

CASSANDRA - Hey look, I made breakfast!

Yah, a SINGLE SERVING. >_< What about your brother?

CASSANDRA - There's cereal in the fridge, he'll be alright.

Bella? 

BELLA - Hmm . . . nope, sorry, I'm pretty sure I only have enough tomatoes for a single serving of salad.

GDI.

ALEXANDER - What?! Really? You saw a toddler?

ELYSE - Heheheh.

Wow, Alex. Just can't catch a break, coming or going.

Well, that's it for this installment! Check back next time as our future founder continues to grow. Will he ever get proper nutrition? Will his mother accept the fact that he won't be living with her when he comes of age? Will anyone ever beat him at chess?

Find out next time! But until then, happy simming!