Family Frenemies X

Previously: Elliot and Madeline balanced work life and home life as they celebrated promotions, reignited the romantic spark, and successfully raised their daughter, Nadia, into a charmingly quirky and only slightly rebellious child.



Aisha: We finally made it! Our new home! She may not look very impressive now, but a few coats of paint and some furniture and she'll be good as new!

*insert montage of several excruciating weeks of renovation and decoration here*


And voila! Suddenly the living room is so much brighter and more inviting!


Of course, Aisha was most excited about christening the kitchen with her latest brilliant recipe.


The entire upstairs serves as her bedroom. My favorite part of the room is on the opposite side, though...


It's an adorable little yoga corner! I know it's fairly simple, but I freaking love this mirror and we all know how much I love watching Sims do yoga. I predict many yoga photo sessions taking place here in the near future.


Look at fluffy little Nutmeg flopping like a tiny speck across this iceberg of a pet bed! She's obviously feeling very at home here already!


Her bed having been taken over by a pint-sized occupant, Cashew is forced to resort to the sofa for her nap, but she looks just as comfortable.


Unsurprisingly, Aisha is already making tons of new feline friends around the boardwalk. There truly is a cat heaven, and she's finally found it!


Less fun are the sad, sick strays who show up in her backyard like she's the answer to all their problems. As much as she'd like to, there aren't enough hours in her day to help every single one of them.


Aisha decided to keep the outdoors furniture and decor exactly as it was when she found it, including this bench that's perfectly placed for the cats to enjoy the neighborhood sights without lifting a single paw.


Fluffy little Nutmeg is now fluffy big Nutmeg, and both she and Aisha's freshly-baked sweet potato pie are looking scrumptious!


After a couple days spent settling in, Aisha invites Shawn over for an official housewarming.


Of course, she forces him to lavish heaps of exorbitant praise onto her sweet potato pie before she doles out any more kisses. As an unflirty Sim, her romantic reserves are limited and come at a high price.


I can't even be mad at Cashew for gobbling up the rest of the pie because she looks so precious doing it.


Oh, look, King and his new friend have arrived from some grand adventure with a gift!


As well as several more friends. Okay, when the real estate listing called this place a "cat hangout," it really wasn't joking.


In fact, "cat hangout" may have been an understatement for the sheer number of wandering felines who find their way into the backyard for a lazy afternoon nap.


Aisha: I love each and every one of you, but damn! Give a girl a moment's peace, why don't you?!?


Even a cat lover sometimes needs a break to spend some time with her human companions, so another date with Shawn is in order.

Shawn: That bald chick totally just stole my drink, didn't she?
Aisha: Don't worry, babe, I'll let you share mine.


Aisha: *in a drunken show of bravado* I bet you a million dollars I can kick your ass at this game!
Shawn: Oh, really? A million dollars? Are you sure about that?


Aisha realizes mid-game just how truly drunk she is, and it's really starting to mess with her depth perception.

Aisha: I think I've made a huge mistake...


Aisha: GODDAMN IT!
Shawn: Ha, you lose! That's a million smackers to me! Pay up, girly!


Because the spirit of party is woven into her DNA, the very next night, Aisha heads out on the town again, and, what do you know, she bumps into the ghost of Aahana! A tearful family reunion ensues.


Oh, man, the whole gang's here! I'm getting misty-eyed myself. Though I guess if there's any place you'd expect Phoebe to haunt, it'd be the night club where she spent her formative years partying it up.


Even Jane's son, Jerome, shows up, and he and Aisha perform a sick coordinated routine (when did they have time to prepare that?!?) in honor of their parents' dance legacies. The crowd goes wild.


Shawn showed up, too! And I think Aahana approves of him, at least the parts of him she can make out through the dance floor haze of lasers, smoke, and ear-splitting techno music.


After all that hard partying, Aisha needs to take some time to quietly commune with nature and take in the more secluded parts of Brindleton Bay she hasn't explored as much.


Nothing beats fishing! Even if it means Aisha getting nearly as damp in the rain as the fish in the pond!


Aww! Whatever kind of fish this is, it may be small, but it sure is cute!


I relate deeply to this dog who just couldn't possibly make it across the bridge before succumbing to the temptation of slumber.


Aisha: I AM ALIVE WITH THE BEAUTY OF NATURE!!!

Shh! Can't you see he's trying to sleep?!?


She just loves this place so much, she can't help but shout it out for all the world to hear.


Oh, yikes. King has been hanging around too many strays and eating from too many piles of spoiled sardines. This looks like the sort of stink even a bath won't make go away.


Vet: Well, hello there, handsome fellow! You look very familiar! Have I seen you in here before?
Aisha: How dare you imply my children are anything but the dictionary definition of healthy! I am the world's greatest cat mom, damn it!


We'll let that claim stand unchallenged for now. At any rate, King is patched up and ready to go home in no time.


Aisha bought a fish bowl for her catch, and oh my god, it's the cutest thing! How have I not thought to do this before?


In theory, I love the idea of a bunch of cats merrily hanging out around the house all the time. In practice, it's actually really sad to see half of them throwing up and passing out in puddles of their own pee because Aisha can't possibly rescue them all at once. Hopefully, they find good homes eventually because any thought otherwise is breaking my heart.


EXCUSE ME, STRANGE BALD MAN I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, WHO ARE YOU, AND WHY ARE YOU INVITING YOURSELF ONTO MY PORCH?!?


Dude, I appreciate the sentiment, but you're a little late with that... She's been moved in for ages!


Unwanted Intruder: What kind of asshole doesn't answer their door when you knock?!? All I wanted was to say hello and drop off a delicious home-baked fruitcake, but I just get rejection! Unacceptable!


No offense, guy, but there are more pressing matters at hand, like finally agreeing to take in this cat, even though you have plenty already, because you just can't stand the sight of him miserably dragging himself across the sidewalk a second longer.


Vet: Oh lord, that cat is rank! What hole did you go and drag him out of?!?


Vet: Wait, aren't you the self-proclaimed "world's greatest cat mom" from the other day? Not looking so hot now, are we?
Aisha: For your information, I'm saving this poor abandoned cat from certain death by bringing him here. So, yeah, I am the world's greatest cat mom, and I'm proud of it!


Aisha: All right, Yogi, looks like you're coming home with me. I'm not sure where we'll put you, but we'll make it work.


Sneaking into the restaurant kitchen to kiss under the mistletoe even though it's long past Winterfest? A totally normal and sane thing to do on a date! I don't see the problem here.


Waitress: I'm sorry, but the kitchen staff has politely asked that you vacate the premises immediately. Otherwise, I'll have to get security involved, and nobody here wants that.


Whatever. That restaurant was stuffy and pretentious anyway. Aisha would much rather eat at the Spice Festival, where she's hoping to reclaim her childhood title of spicy curry champion.

Aisha: Piece of cake. This shit is mild. Bring me some real heat already!


Killed it! Now she can totally impress Shawn with her new t-shirt and the shiny title that goes along with it.


Oh, hold on. Is this... an impromptu engagement? Has Shawn finally conquered Aisha's hopelessly unflirty heart?!?


Shawn: HOLY SHIT, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M ENGAGED TO THE REIGNING SPICY CURRY CHAMPION!!!


Aisha: It's okay, babe. Not everyone was built to withstand the heat. Luckily, I can handle the burn well enough for the both of us.


With their engagement, Shawn officially moves into Catscratch Corner, and I think he's pretty stoked about it. Some people would fear being boxed in by cats on all sides, but Shawn is living!


Oh, yeah, and being able to hang out with Aisha on a permanent basis now is pretty cool, too, I guess... But all those cats, though!