Suburban Bliss II: Parent by Day, Party by Night
Previously: Salim moved to Brindleton Bay, where he settled down with Maki, befriended a stray dog named Waffle, and sunk ever deeper into his trying-really-hard-but-totally-uncool-anyway middle-aged dad stage, an identity further cemented by Phoebe's growth into a certifiably cool teen.
I randomly looked into the family inventory and found, like, $30,000 worth of random stuff, some of which probably came from Maki's former home, but I have to assume she stole the rest, including this tablet that mysteriously "does not belong to her" when I try to place it in her personal inventory. Anyway, here she is on her probably stolen tablet trolling online because apparently that's a very common activity for my Sims.
Meanwhile, Salim is working on upgrading the backyard area. I'm not sure how long he'll keep to this newfound gardening habit of his, but it makes for a nice picture, at least.
The main draw, though, is the swimming pool, which he may or may not have gotten installed just to tempt Phoebe and her friends to hang out at his place more often. He's hoping that drawing her right into his backyard will cut back on the long hours he has to spend stalking her around town to make sure she's okay. He's a good dad, if occasionally a little misguided.
He and Maki "conveniently" ran into Salim's new friend, Waffle, at the dog park. Unfortunately, Waffle doesn't make a good first impression on Maki because he's in desperate need of a bath and looks just like the mangy, neglected homeless dog he really is.
Maki: Here's an idea, honey. How about you take him home and wash him before you spend an entire afternoon in play so the poor thing isn't rolling around in fleas all day?
Waffle isn't a very big fan of baths, but at least he stayed in long enough to return his coat to its bright white glory.
Next up is a good brush down. All of a sudden, this canine street urchin is living in the lap of luxury.
Aww, they're such good buddies! Maybe Salim can transfer some of his doting dad tendencies onto Waffle and lay off of Phoebe for a while.
Oh my goodness, a "crazy party." I think they might be getting a little too old for this, but, sure, let's check it out.
Damn, this place is beautiful and impressive.
Zora: Oh, I see you brought your wife with you.
Salim: Why wouldn't I bring her? We dated, like, a hundred years ago. There's no reason to be bitter.
Maybe Zora is just worried Maki will get in the way of all their fun, but doesn't she remember how she met Maki? Maki is the one who brings the fun.
Anyway, time for a hedge maze adventure! Who will make it to the center first?
Maki: MARCO!
Zora, a tiny speck of orange hat in the distance: POLO!
While Zora and Maki are having fun, this maze is really a bummer for Salim, who, endlessly trapped within its leafy walls, seems to be experiencing a sudden emotional breakdown.
Zora: God, if I had known you were going to be this mopey, I wouldn't have even invited you!
Despite the abrupt yet intense onset of depression, Salim somehow makes it to the maze's center point first.
Salim: Ho-hum, I found the end. What do I care? Life is meaningless.
Well, his lack of interest aside, the view from above looks pretty darn cool.
Miko showed up to the party, but she also looks sad as fuck. What is up with everyone suddenly experiencing an all-consuming feeling of existential doom? Are they starting to get too close to elderhood for comfort?
Miko: *gloomily raises her phone in the air*
Salim: Oh, God! Time ticks on so quickly, and my life has no purpose, and we're all going to die!
Maki: You know what, I'm not really in the mood for this. Why don't you just wallow in your fabricated misery alone?
If you're wondering what the sneaky look on her face here is all about, she's about to relieve herself in that bush, which is a very Maki thing to do.
She then re-navigated the entire maze to fall asleep on a park bench in the middle of it, since it's, like, two in the morning and she'd rather snooze than return to Salim's sad ranting.
Zora: God, you two are the worst! I just thought we could have a night of crazy fun like we used to, and all you want to do is sit around and complain. See if I invite you to the next party.
Salim is exhausted, he's got work in a few hours, and he's definitely getting way too old for this shit.
Oh, but he sees a couple dogs, and he's totally re-energized! Waffle doesn't look too happy that he's daring to bestow attention upon someone else, though.
Don't worry, Waffle! This is the magical hug of adoption, which means you've got a forever home now!
Despite her initial misgivings, Maki has really come around on Waffle, to the point where she's letting him up onto the fancy sofa to spoil him with belly rubs.
He's also a bit of a wild one, and she enjoys regularly taking him out on walks to get his excess energy out.
Wow, this is the most scenic representation of dog-walking I've ever seen.
Zora, please, give us a break. We've barely recovered from the last "crazy party" you dragged us to. As tempting as the offer is, it's going to have to be a no this time.
Anyway, ready for a plot twist? Maki must have gotten pregnant just before I left their house for a few days because I returned to find the baby coming literally right that second. She looks just as prepared for it as I am.
Ready for another plot twist? She had twins. They're both girls, their names are Ivy and Olive, and don't ask me to point out which is which because, at this stage of their lives, it's impossible to tell and it hardly matters.
Maki decorated the walls of their nursery with some of her genius-level art.
Speaking of redecorating, Salim decided to turn their other spare room into a super-cute bedroom for Phoebe, who he's somehow convinced to stay over for a few days.
I bet this fancy new computer purchased exclusively for her use sealed the deal.
You can bet your ass that some fun stuff re: Phoebe's plot to take over the Paragons went down here, but we'll save that for the next installment of her own story. For now, it's helpful to have an extra set of hands around to care for the twins.
She also immediately fell in love with Waffle and named herself his official walk-giver from now on. (On a random note, can I just say that this hoodie is one of my favorite things, and I may have at times just forced Phoebe into physical activity to see her totally rocking those cat ears.)
Apparently, pets can pick up their dishes and come beg you for food if they're hungry enough? On one hand, this makes it look like Waffle is being neglected. On the other hand, it's pretty cute and hilarious to see. Don't worry. He was fed shortly after.
I feel like it's been a while since Salim got a promotion, but he's slowly on his way to becoming a literary legend.
Also, in more lighthearted successes, he's been entering gaming competitions and losing for his entire adult life, but he finally won. Bless!
Kind of sad, though, that he's more emotional about that than, say, his latest promotion or the birth of his children. Just saying.
Speaking of those children, they're toddlers now, and have got the uber-adorable outfits to prove it! I can't say this with absolute certainty, but I'm 90% sure Olive is in the cow spots and Ivy is in the owl hoodie (which is possibly even cuter than Phoebe's cat hoodie).
Clear a path, everyone! Here come the wobbly toddlers to wreak havoc on everything they see!
I randomly looked into the family inventory and found, like, $30,000 worth of random stuff, some of which probably came from Maki's former home, but I have to assume she stole the rest, including this tablet that mysteriously "does not belong to her" when I try to place it in her personal inventory. Anyway, here she is on her probably stolen tablet trolling online because apparently that's a very common activity for my Sims.
Meanwhile, Salim is working on upgrading the backyard area. I'm not sure how long he'll keep to this newfound gardening habit of his, but it makes for a nice picture, at least.
The main draw, though, is the swimming pool, which he may or may not have gotten installed just to tempt Phoebe and her friends to hang out at his place more often. He's hoping that drawing her right into his backyard will cut back on the long hours he has to spend stalking her around town to make sure she's okay. He's a good dad, if occasionally a little misguided.
He and Maki "conveniently" ran into Salim's new friend, Waffle, at the dog park. Unfortunately, Waffle doesn't make a good first impression on Maki because he's in desperate need of a bath and looks just like the mangy, neglected homeless dog he really is.
Maki: Here's an idea, honey. How about you take him home and wash him before you spend an entire afternoon in play so the poor thing isn't rolling around in fleas all day?
Waffle isn't a very big fan of baths, but at least he stayed in long enough to return his coat to its bright white glory.
Next up is a good brush down. All of a sudden, this canine street urchin is living in the lap of luxury.
Aww, they're such good buddies! Maybe Salim can transfer some of his doting dad tendencies onto Waffle and lay off of Phoebe for a while.
Oh my goodness, a "crazy party." I think they might be getting a little too old for this, but, sure, let's check it out.
Damn, this place is beautiful and impressive.
Zora: Oh, I see you brought your wife with you.
Salim: Why wouldn't I bring her? We dated, like, a hundred years ago. There's no reason to be bitter.
Maybe Zora is just worried Maki will get in the way of all their fun, but doesn't she remember how she met Maki? Maki is the one who brings the fun.
Anyway, time for a hedge maze adventure! Who will make it to the center first?
Maki: MARCO!
Zora, a tiny speck of orange hat in the distance: POLO!
While Zora and Maki are having fun, this maze is really a bummer for Salim, who, endlessly trapped within its leafy walls, seems to be experiencing a sudden emotional breakdown.
Zora: God, if I had known you were going to be this mopey, I wouldn't have even invited you!
Despite the abrupt yet intense onset of depression, Salim somehow makes it to the maze's center point first.
Salim: Ho-hum, I found the end. What do I care? Life is meaningless.
Well, his lack of interest aside, the view from above looks pretty darn cool.
Miko showed up to the party, but she also looks sad as fuck. What is up with everyone suddenly experiencing an all-consuming feeling of existential doom? Are they starting to get too close to elderhood for comfort?
Miko: *gloomily raises her phone in the air*
Salim: Oh, God! Time ticks on so quickly, and my life has no purpose, and we're all going to die!
Maki: You know what, I'm not really in the mood for this. Why don't you just wallow in your fabricated misery alone?
If you're wondering what the sneaky look on her face here is all about, she's about to relieve herself in that bush, which is a very Maki thing to do.
She then re-navigated the entire maze to fall asleep on a park bench in the middle of it, since it's, like, two in the morning and she'd rather snooze than return to Salim's sad ranting.
Zora: God, you two are the worst! I just thought we could have a night of crazy fun like we used to, and all you want to do is sit around and complain. See if I invite you to the next party.
Salim is exhausted, he's got work in a few hours, and he's definitely getting way too old for this shit.
Oh, but he sees a couple dogs, and he's totally re-energized! Waffle doesn't look too happy that he's daring to bestow attention upon someone else, though.
Don't worry, Waffle! This is the magical hug of adoption, which means you've got a forever home now!
Despite her initial misgivings, Maki has really come around on Waffle, to the point where she's letting him up onto the fancy sofa to spoil him with belly rubs.
He's also a bit of a wild one, and she enjoys regularly taking him out on walks to get his excess energy out.
Wow, this is the most scenic representation of dog-walking I've ever seen.
Zora, please, give us a break. We've barely recovered from the last "crazy party" you dragged us to. As tempting as the offer is, it's going to have to be a no this time.
Anyway, ready for a plot twist? Maki must have gotten pregnant just before I left their house for a few days because I returned to find the baby coming literally right that second. She looks just as prepared for it as I am.
Ready for another plot twist? She had twins. They're both girls, their names are Ivy and Olive, and don't ask me to point out which is which because, at this stage of their lives, it's impossible to tell and it hardly matters.
Maki decorated the walls of their nursery with some of her genius-level art.
Speaking of redecorating, Salim decided to turn their other spare room into a super-cute bedroom for Phoebe, who he's somehow convinced to stay over for a few days.
I bet this fancy new computer purchased exclusively for her use sealed the deal.
You can bet your ass that some fun stuff re: Phoebe's plot to take over the Paragons went down here, but we'll save that for the next installment of her own story. For now, it's helpful to have an extra set of hands around to care for the twins.
She also immediately fell in love with Waffle and named herself his official walk-giver from now on. (On a random note, can I just say that this hoodie is one of my favorite things, and I may have at times just forced Phoebe into physical activity to see her totally rocking those cat ears.)
Apparently, pets can pick up their dishes and come beg you for food if they're hungry enough? On one hand, this makes it look like Waffle is being neglected. On the other hand, it's pretty cute and hilarious to see. Don't worry. He was fed shortly after.
I feel like it's been a while since Salim got a promotion, but he's slowly on his way to becoming a literary legend.
Also, in more lighthearted successes, he's been entering gaming competitions and losing for his entire adult life, but he finally won. Bless!
Kind of sad, though, that he's more emotional about that than, say, his latest promotion or the birth of his children. Just saying.
Speaking of those children, they're toddlers now, and have got the uber-adorable outfits to prove it! I can't say this with absolute certainty, but I'm 90% sure Olive is in the cow spots and Ivy is in the owl hoodie (which is possibly even cuter than Phoebe's cat hoodie).
Clear a path, everyone! Here come the wobbly toddlers to wreak havoc on everything they see!