Road to Selvadorada III

Previously: Aisha and Shawn's trek through Selvadorada was cut short by the loss of their only machete and Aisha's discovery that she was pregnant. Before leaving, they adopted a stray - *gasp* - dog named Dakota. Upon returning home, their son, Gideon, was born.



Nadia: Hey! It's been a while since you last saw me, hasn't it? You're probably wondering how I ended up being trusted to care for a toddler who isn't even my own. Well, let me get you up to speed...


If you're wondering what Nadia's been up to lately, she's still a curfew-flouting rebel, complete with 100% more clubbing now that she's a teen. I guess the party gene skipped a generation and is now rooted solidly in Phoebe's only granddaughter.


Just kidding! Aisha is totally down for a little clubbing every now and then, and she's also firmly behind Nadia flagrantly disregarding all of her parents' well-intentioned but ill-enforced ground rules.


Impromptu synchronized girl group dance routine? Don't mind if we do!

Cool Aunt Aisha: Yes, you go, girls! You are killing it! Show that dance floor who's boss!


When Nadia deigned to drag herself home around two or three in the morning, she's surprised to find her parents up and waiting to spring the rule book on her. She was hoping she could just sneak to bed and no one would ever be the wiser.

Madeline: Young lady, you are in so much trouble right now, it's not even funny! You'll be lucky to ever see daylight again!
Elliot: *chuckles nervously* Come on, honey, don't you think you're being a little harsh?
Madeline: Shut up and let me handle this! Child, your phone is mine until further notice! You. Are. Grounded!


Nadia: NOOOOOOOOO, YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! MY PHONE IS MY LIFE! MOOOOOOOOM!!!


Nadia: Hello, devoted followers. It is with regret that I must inform you of my impending absence from the Simstagram community. Sadly, I cannot say when I will return. Parents suck. That is all.


Madeline: See? Staying home on the weekend and doing your homework like a good girl isn't so bad, is it?


Nadia: I can't believe I was so bored I read an entire book. I literally want to die.


Madeline: Aren't we just having so much fun together, darling? I've really missed this mother/daughter bonding!
Nadia: Sure, Mom, if that's what you want to call it. But even good girls need some fresh air, you know?
Madeline: Well, okay, I guess you've earned that. But don't go too far. I'll be watching...


She may not be allowed to step foot beyond the neglected kiddie pool in the backyard, but any kind of distance from her mother is better than nothing.


I love this. Can you imagine trying to take an entire vacation without raising anyone's suspicions? And, surely, stealthy volunteering wouldn't be frowned upon. If anything, it should be an approved rehabilitation activity for disobedient teens!


Aisha, stop tempting her! Do you want Nadia's mother to lock her up in her bedroom for life and throw away the key?


Finally, Madeline has to leave for work, and Nadia tastes sweet, sweet freedom at last because we all know her dad's too much of a pushover to do anything about it.


You know Nadia is a good kid at heart when her Big Escape is simply to play chess in the public space mere feet from their house and she cringes with every move at the thought of discovery.


Elliot: I can't help but feel that there's something on here I should be paying attention to... Curfew? No, it's still too early for that. Goddamn it! She's supposed to be grounded, isn't she? Where on earth did that girl get off to?


Nadia: Dad, please don't tell Mom! All I did was go outside and play chess for forty-five minutes, I swear. Let me live! My brain was going to rot from being cooped up in this house all day!


Now that she's outgrown her childhood science kit, Nadia is experimenting with other hobbies to channel some of her rebellion and rage in a more healthy way. Although, now that I think about it, I'm not sure wielding a massive knife she clearly has no idea how to use is the best option.


Don't worry, no one was harmed in the process of Nadia's first attempt at woodworking, unless you count this pathetic pile of uneven wood pieces that clearly deserved a better fate.


Soon enough, she's mastered the knife enough to produce this rather impressive horse sculpture, and she's pretty proud of herself for it, even if she'd never admit she actually enjoys such a nerdy activity to her friends.


All right, I think she's spent enough time refraining from having real fun now. Let's see what this party is all about.


It's literally just... Aisha dancing awkwardly by herself in front of a grand piano? God, I really hope this thing picks up.


Aisha: See? I told you it would be a rager! Now that everyone's shown up, we can officially get this party started!


Surprisingly, I think this is Nadia's first taste of an adult beverage, and judging by the look on her face, there's no turning back now...


Madeline: YOU HAVE LITERALLY BEEN UNGROUNDED FOR ONE DAY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?
Nadia: Come on, Mom, I'm practically an adult now!
Madeline: You are sorely mistaken if you think any of this behavior is even close to adult-like! To your room, now!


Nadia is totally done with her authoritarian mom, and as soon as she becomes a young adult, she wants out! Unfortunately, she doesn't have the funds to secure a place of her own. But she calls up her Aunt Aisha for advice, and it turns out she and Shawn are in desperate need of a nanny for Gideon so they can return to Selvadorada as soon as possible. Free room and board solely for keeping a kid entertained (and maybe changing a few dirty diapers)? She's in!


And, thus, we catch back up to the present timeline, where she immediately sets about proving her worth by getting Gideon started with some flashcard learning.


You may have also noticed from the excessively gaudy decorations that it's Spooky Day!

Aisha: Aren't you supposed to get dressed up for this or something?
Uncostumed Child: Don't question it. Just give me the candy, lady.


Well, she may not be feeling the Spooky Day spirit, but the Jang household definitely is! Gideon is all dressed up as some sort of little monster, though it's hard to be frightened by him when he insists on being so cute with Dakota.


Aisha and Shawn are dressed up as some sort of adventurers, and Nadia is an astronaut, naturally, in case we had all forgotten that she's actually successfully piloted a rocket to space and back.


Aisha has crafted quite the spread of desserts so that Nadia can invite her friends over for a small Spooky Day get-together... because she's the Cool Aunt, remember?


Poor Gideon wants a taste of his mom's baked goods so badly, but he can't quite reach them!


Don't worry, he finally managed to procure some pumpkin bread, and I'm very amused by how one slice is nearly as big as his head. Also, I'm adding toddlers sitting on pillow piles to my list of Very Adorable Sim Things I Never Get Tired Of.


The friends have arrived! You can tell by the obnoxious peal of air horns that has rudely disrupted the peace.


That's Tayler underneath all that blue body paint, and she looks less than thrilled about Erika making googly eyes in Nadia's direction. Does someone have an unrequited crush?


NADIA, PUT AWAY THE BLASTED AIR HORN, FOR GOD'S SAKE! NOBODY APPRECIATES IT!


Look at Aisha and Shawn showing off their rumbasim mastery to the guests. God bless them. They're more than ready to return to Selvadorada and finish what they started.


It's not that Aisha and Shawn want to leave their son behind. If he were old enough, they would definitely take him with them. But they're not getting any younger, and if they wait for Gideon to grow up before they return, the secrets held by the Selvadoradian jungle may be buried for good.

Aisha makes sure to read him the best bedtime story possible tonight, since it may be the last one he gets from her for a long, long time.


The night ends with four friends looking absolutely ridiculous around a blazing fire pit.


Nadia: All right, are you guys ready to hear the scary story of the longest space battle known to man?


Tayler: Oh, cute. Is this the plot of a novel you're working on or something?
Nadia: How dare you imply any of this isn't 100% real?!? I witnessed it with my own two eyes, damn it!


Chandra: Oh my god, have you really been to space?
Erika: How does that even work? Holy shit, were you abducted by aliens?!?


The true details of the story are even more shocking, so much so that I dare not print them here, for they may rip a hole in the space-time continuum itself.


Nadia: And that is why... YOU NEVER ENTER SPACE BATTLE WITHOUT BEING FULLY EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST IN HIGH-TECH WEAPONRY!!!


The next morning, Aisha calls to finalize the details of their return trip to Selvadorada. Now that she's been fully converted to the adventurer lifestyle, she can hardly contain her excitement.

Aisha: How long will we be staying? Indefinitely.