Super Snobs

“I can get up early. It’s my birthday!”

Doug Fir is ready for his birthday. Two days ago, he finished all four childhood aspirations. It’s nothing to brag about–not even for a lazy Sim. We learned the trick, even if we only learned it in time to do half of it. Plus, it’s gen 7. These kids are smart.

“I want to go to school, but I’m not going to school. Why? I gotta blow out candles on a cake. That’s why.”

Tamarind is also ready for her birthday.

“I finished all my aspirations, too.”

Yes, I know, Tam. The trick worked well, plus you worked really hard.

“Two days to spare.”

Yes, I know.

Because the twins’ age bar became twinkly at around 2 a.m., the twins skipped school and we had a breakfast birthday party. I didn’t want the kids to age up before having cake, so they blew out the candles first thing.

Love it when they grow up in a blaze of glory!

Tamarind and Doug Fir both rolled snob for their teen traits. I’m not thrilled about it, but a favorite Sim of mine, Tanisha Snow from the Hippies game, is a snob, and it’s really not the worst trait. Bad moodlets from watching the romance channel seems to be about the worst of it, and since we mostly watch the cooking channel, the twins should be pretty safe from that.

It makes sense that Tamarind, who is an art lover and the daughter of the Master of the Real would develop some snobbery.

Lazy Doug Fir, on the other hand, with his laid-back beatnik ways, seems a less likely candidate. But you know, come to think of it: the biggest snobs I’ve ever known were lazy beatniks back in college, so maybe this is the perfect fit!

Doug Fir, who will likely be sharing the old mansion across the street with Mesquite’s ghost, is enjoying the master entertainer’s humor.

Doug rolled Renaissance Sim, perhaps my favorite aspiration of all, and Tamarind rolled Chief of Mischief, which I have not had good luck with ever. I’m fine with the mischief: it’s the making of enemies that I balk at.

“Let’s not play ‘Spoons,’ brother. It’s a little folky. Let’s play a hand of something with class–Belote, how about.”

She’s got Aspen’s face, Tamarind does. If she’s heir, I’ll be happy looking in those mischievous eyes, seeing that little grin for the next generation.

I enjoyed the family feel of the party. onezero was at school–for she becomes a teen in two days, and she still needs to do homework twice while focused in order to make it to the last milestone of Whiz Kid. But even with the little sister absent, with Aunt Sugar catering and Aunt Khloe as the mixologist and Cousin Irving in the kitchen telling jokes to the family friends, and with everyone simply feeling happy and relaxed, the party had a summer morning style.

“Dad, I appreciate the fashion advice, but I think the Freezer Bunny jacket just is not my look.”

The family danced, each following the trails of his or her own thoughts. Tamarind caught the dreams of young person standing in the doorway and looking out.

Salix and Chandler, who stood at the doorway looking in, followed dreams mixed with memory already.

Everybody danced.

Doug’s going to enjoy his aspiration, I predict. If he’s not heir, I would love it if we could complete it before he moves across the street!

The best microscopes yield the best discoveries.

Tamarind isn’t concerned about her aspiration one way or another. She knows her grandmother Aspen never completed Public Enemy and her great aunt Madrona never completed Chief of Mischief; neither of them worked to make two Sims dislike them.

“I think I’d rather have people like me, too,” Tamarind said.

“Blick-block seriously is one of the best games available as an app.”

Whatever, Tam. Let’s just see how it all develops with your aspiration.

Seems awfully fast that these kids would be teens already.

Time’s nothing to worry about, onezero assures me. It’s passed in a blink to me, but for each of them, immersed inside the experience, it’s been rich and dense.

“So you think, maybe, when you’re a teen, you’ll still be inspiration blue?”

Maybe if I take some breaks, find myself immersed in the rich moment-to-moment experience here on my side of the screen, the pace of my own imagination will catch up with–or is it slow down with?–the experience of the Boughs. We don’t want it to be over before we know it!