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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 3rd Nov 2017 at 9:11 PM Last edited by RoxEllen1965 : 24th Jun 2018 at 2:40 AM. Reason: Attached the images directly due to MYP issues
Default Pax Veronaville
I played these events back in April or May of 2017 and was inspired enough to try to turn my game notes into a story. The story threatened to turn into a very boring and badly written epic novel, so I set it aside and it took six months before I was able to look at it again. I've gotten sick of it just sitting here and would like to move on with the rest of Veronaville's story before I completely forget what I wanted to do with the characters, so I finished up this vacation episode as well as I could just to get it out of the way. I hope you find it enjoyable.

It was Day 5 of my current Veronaville when Consort Capp gave me the idea for this story. He was very stubborn about it too! Juliette Capp started this round with her aspiration deep in the red. Tybalt and vampire Roxie Sharpe started with mutual wants to get engaged. I bought Consort the big beach house in Twikkii because he had a persistent want for a vacation home. This nearly wiped out the family funds, so I sold it. Consort immediately clogged his want slots with "buy vacation home", "go on vacation", etc., so after the household earned a bit of money I let him buy it back. Tybalt is a university student, so he was dragged along on vacation as a guest. He didn't contribute much to the story and spent most of his time on the island doing "hang loose" at everybody he could reach and sleeping in the hammock at the beach house. I forgot to spawn tourists, so about halfway through the vacation, I moved the Monty family into a hotel. They didn't contribute much to this episode except a ton of blooper screenshots, some of which I uploaded earlier.

http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...176#post5195176 (Post 1299)

http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...031#post5205031 (Post 1311)

I didn't "sell" this bit very well, but Twikkii has a subtle ancient magic that heals the mind and spirit of things like grudges, obsessions and vampiric mind control...

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It was a bitter cold winter Saturday morning that seemed to mirror Consort Capp's mood. He had spent over an hour angrily playing phone tag with the travel agency and finally gotten the family's trip to the beach house in Twikii rebooked after some nitwit had canceled it due to "no space for your vacation party." As if a private beach house that size could have insufficient space for them all! The fool must have gotten their information mixed up with someone else's hotel reservations. As the family stood in the snow and waited for the airport shuttle, he wondered idly if the place was cursed. Consort had already bought it, sold it to keep the family funds out of the red, and bought it back again as soon as he could afford to. The family finances still hadn't recovered from this latest purchase, but he was determined to visit it anyway. Owning a second home this grand would be good for the family's prestige. Consort also needed relief from the stress of life in Veronaville and suspected that the grandchildren could also stand a change of scenery. If he really had to sell the place again, he could do so *after* the trip.



Tybalt met them the rest of the family at the airport and spent most of the flight grumbling under his breath about how either Roxie Sharpe should have been invited along too, or he should have stayed behind with her. Consort ignored him and concentrated on how best to keep enough cash on hand to avoid getting any of his property repossessed. Juliette and Hermia just did their best to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Tybalt's obsession with Roxie Sharpe had been at first amusing, then annoying, and now it was starting to get scary. Grandfather's fixation on the new vacation home was almost as bad. Fortunately, the flight was otherwise uneventful.

The beach house turned out to be just as magnificent as the real estate agent had promised. Unfortunately, it was also mostly empty except for the bathrooms and a sparsely furnished kitchen. Luckily, Consort had just enough money left to order camp beds for them all and a desk and chair for the cheap computer he'd brought from home.

Consort headed into the house to set up their few belongings. Tybalt stalked off toward the beach grumbling and Hermia greeted a cute local boy who'd come to investigate the new neighors. Juliette stifled a scream of frustration. Her life - this family - why was it all so ... so... Everything that mattered to her (mostly Romeo Monty) was back in Veronaville. Why was this stupid trip to this stupid beach house so important? She kicked over the trash can and stomped off toward the beach. Maybe she could at least manage to get a decent tan while she was stuck here.

Consort had just finished plugging in the computer and setting up a temporary redirect for his pension check when he heard a yell from the front of the house. Now what? He looked out the window and saw Hermia giving her new acquaintance a noogie. Consort sighed in exasperation. Both girls had been behaving unacceptably lately. Maybe it would have been better to come out here by himself and leave the grandchildren at home. At least he didn't have to worry about the damned feud out here in the tropics.

Just as Consort was settling down at the computer again, the doorbell rang. Three more locals had arrived to "welcome you and your family to our beautiful island." Consort was not happy about his private retreat being invaded by so many strangers, but it would have been unthinkable to be rude to guests. As he greeted them, one of the women grinned and made an odd gesture with her hands. Some sort of local greeting? Consort politely made a crude attempt to return the gesture. She seemed pleased that he was interested and demonstrated a few more times until he got it right. As if he would be seen dead doing something that silly in public anyway.

The friendly young woman smiled at Consort again. "You and your family seem really stressed out. Twikkii is a great place to relax and unwind. Whitesand Hot Springs is just up the street from here. We have a massage where you get hot stones placed on your back - stress melts away like ice cream on a hot beach." Consort grimaced. "I suppose this massage costs a lot of money?" "Yes, the massage costs money, but the sauna and hot springs are free. Hula lessons are also free - if anybody shows up to teach them." She laughed.

After a light lunch, the guests went down to the beach to build sand castles and swim in the ocean with the grandchildren. Consort scowled and headed upstairs to give financial advice to fools who never should have been trusted with money anyway. He was ashamed to admit how much he needed the payments after spending so much on the beach house, but it was important for a family of high status like theirs to have an impressive vacation home like this one.



The next morning after breakfast, Consort had just logged into his account on the computer when the screen went dark and sparks and smoke flew out of the machine. Consort swore at the cheap piece of junk and went to call the local repair service. Thinking about how much the repairs would cost did not help his mood. At least his pension check had arrived on schedule. He had to admit that the massage the the young woman had mentioned sounded like a very good idea at this point, so he gathered the family and set off toward the hot springs. Maybe he could even get the locals to teach him how to do the massage himself.

Juliette watched Consort head off toward the massage table. Hermia had learned a local greeting gesture from Grandfather and then taught it to Juliette. Between that and her lovely new suntan, Juliette no longer felt quite so angry and frustrated. Something about this island made Veronaville's problems seem a lot less important. A local woman was dancing the hula near a wall speaker next to the food stand. Was this one of the free hula lessons she'd heard about? Juliette and Hermia hurried over to try to learn the dance while Tybalt joined three local women in one of the hot springs. They smiled at him, but he found them somehow unappealing. Tybalt started to mentally compare them with Roxie Sharpe and was surprised to discover that he suddenly couldn't remember much about her. He must have thought she was special for some reason - after all, they had promised each other to get engaged when he returned from this island vacation. Tybalt was a bit shocked to discover that not only was he no longer really interested in Roxie, but he wasn't even entirely sure what she looked like. She was blonde and ... had blazing red eyes and fangs? That couldn't be right. Tybalt closed his eyes, leaned back and let the hot water wash all his worries away. He could worry about what's-her-name later.

(This is Roxie Sharpe in my game. She will not be happy that Tybalt escaped her control.)
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...612#post5059612 (Post 1047)



Juliette was really getting into the hula lessons. It was a very relaxing dance - almost meditative in a way. "... and wave and turn and ..." Juliette closed her eyes in enjoyment - and nearly fell over in shock when she opened them again. There was Grandfather in his expensive imported suit, swaying and turning and waving along with the rest of the hula class. His eyes were closed and he had a blissful smile on his face. Could it be that Grandfather was actually having fun? And there was Tybalt dancing the hula too! Wow, this place was really something!

After the hula class, Consort paid for a local pineapple delicacy for all of them and then booked a glass-bottomed boat ride. He didn't seem to be quite so frantically worried about money anymore. As they were getting off the boat, Consort found a crumpled piece of paper under his seat. It was faded and wrinkled and difficult to read. It was probably some silly souvenir thing - a fake "pirate treasure map" or some such - he could look at it more closely later.



The next day the family visited the "boardwalk beach" to do some shopping. Hermia nervously asked how much they were allowed to spend and was astonished when Grandfather merely smiled and replied "Don't worry about it - just have fun! Buy something nice for yourself!" Consort bought himself a watch and a new outfit consisting of loafers, comfortable trousers and a loud tropical shirt. His expensive suit was just wrong for this laid-back island. "Hey kids, let's go see some of the sites!" The next couple of days were spent in a happy blur. The Capps visited a wrecked pirate ship (local legend said it was haunted by the ghost of its captain) and then one of the local ruined temples. One was still overgrown with jungle and odd things were rumored to have happened at the site. The other temple had been cleared out and cleaned up for the tourists. Consort decided they should visit the safe-sounding temple and regretted the decision as soon as he arrived. There were cheap mass-produced souvenirs, a fast food stand and a tour guide who appeared to be determined to make the history of the place as boring as possible. Consort was politely pretending to be interested in the droning tour guide when he felt a wet splat on his back. Juliette stood there looking pale and scared, obviously convinced that she had crossed a line. Consort was actually grateful for the distraction. He favored her with a wicked grin and grabbed his own water balloon. Juliette emitted a delighted shriek and fled out the main entrance, Consort racing after her. Both of them nearly ran right into Patrizio Monty, who glared icily at the two and stalked off down the path. Consort stared thoughtfully after him. The soothing effect this island seemed to have on people made it a perfect place for truce talks. They could be rid of the accursed feud and prevent further tragic losses to both families. He would have to find out where the Monty family was staying.



The next morning, Consort had no luck with any of the hotels on the island. All the desk clerks primly quoted privacy regulations that forbade them revealing the identities of any of their guests. Consort sighed in exasperation and belatedly recalled the faded map in his pocket. Exploring Twikkii might give him some ideas. Tybalt politely declined to come along, but both girls were eager to go on Consort's expedition with him.

The trail on the map led the Capps up through the central mountains, which seemed to be permanently shrouded in a thick fog. Just as Consort was beginning to wonder if they were completely lost, the group came upon a clearing. In the middle of a small lake was a tall hill with a tiny hut on its peak. From the hut came loud shrieks and what sounded like cursing in the native language. Consort checked the map again. This appeared to be the right place. Warily, the family started up the rickety winding stairs leading to the hut.

Inside the hut was a man wearing traditional native robes. He appeared to be some sort of shaman. The man was yelling unintelligibly at the top of his lungs and jabbing repeatedly at his dishwasher with a screwdriver. He hit a live circuit and was blasted into the air by the shock. Consort was amazed that the man wasn't dead. "Excuse me, sir." More yelling at the dishwasher. Was the shaman hard of hearing or was he just too focused on the broken dishwasher? "EXCUSE ME, SIR!" The shaman turned around, startled. "Is there anything we might do to be of assistance?" "Oh! Visitors! Welcome to my humble home! I am sorry that I can't offer you proper hospitality as my microwave and other appliances are all broken. I can't fix them myself and the snake who sold them to me just yammers legalese at me when I try to talk to him about warranties." Consort offered to try repairing the appliances himself. The family funds had gotten so depleted at one point that he'd had to dismiss the butler and learn how to maintain and repair the household appliances himself. The shaman was delighted. "You just do whatever you need to do. I'm sick of looking at these things, so I'm going to go nap in the hammock outside. You can come and wake me when you're finished."

Consort made sure to have the girls mop up the puddles from the leaky dishwasher before he started. It wouldn't do to get shocked while standing in a puddle. The actual repair work took very little time and was much easier than Consort had feared. The shaman was pleased and grateful and proudly prepared a meal of macaroni and cheese in his microwave (which Juliette slobbered down like an ill-mannered peasant). "You've done such a wonderful job! I can't thank you enough! I must reward you for your generosity. I was going to use this to get revenge on that slimy salesman, but I sense that you have a better purpose for it. Use this wisely. It's very powerful!" At first glance, the object looked like a cheap, poorly made imitation of a voodoo doll from some silly old horror movie. "How do I use this?" Consort wondered. The shaman smiled at him. "When you need it, you will know what to do."



The way back from the shaman's hut didn't seem nearly as difficult as finding it had been. Consort was lost in thought most of the way. Could this voodoo doll really help bring peace to Veronaville? He would certainly have to try it. How frustrating to know the Monty family was here on the island and not be able to find them. The hot springs were popular with tourists, but unfortunately, the Montys weren't there. The tour guide mentioned a limbo contest at Paradise Beach, so Consort decided to try there next.

Hermia decided to grill some hot dogs for the gathering crowd just as the Monty family arrived. Patrizio noticed the Capps and started toward them with murder in his eyes. It was now or never. Consort gripped the voodoo doll firmly and concentrated. Patrizio's head glowed briefly. His scowl of rage morphed into a broad smile and he wrapped Consort in a big hug. "Neighbor! How wonderful to see you here!" The rest of the Monty family stared in astonishment. Consort used the doll on Isabella. It worked, but he had an odd feeling that if he used it again so soon, something very bad would happen. That was alright. He'd made peace with the Monty elders and peace for the rest of Veronaville would soon follow.



(Even though he wants peace, Consort is still stubborn and sees only what he wants to see. The Capp-Monty feud is not the only conflict in Veronaville either - only the most obvious one. I hope it doesn't take me six more months to make another episode of this.)
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Top Secret Researcher
#2 Old 3rd Nov 2017 at 10:30 PM Last edited by lordtyger9 : 6th Nov 2017 at 9:30 AM.
@RoxEllen1965

I really Enjoyed your Story with Consort Capp and his party. I love reading other people's stories even if I don't really write stories myself.

Good pictures. I looked at the ones that were in a different thread as well.

for info on changing the Mac Open File Limit check out my post here http://www.insimenator.org/index.ph...html#msg1628939
Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
Field Researcher
#3 Old 5th Nov 2017 at 8:18 PM
That was a great story. I also hope it doesn't take you another six months to make another episode!
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#4 Old 6th Nov 2017 at 6:52 PM Last edited by RoxEllen1965 : 24th Jun 2018 at 2:52 AM. Reason: Attached the images directly due to MYP issues
Thanks very much for the kind words. I'm glad that so many people liked it. I think part of my problem was that I played the whole seven-day vacation in one go and tried to write it up all at the same time. Maybe if I do this in smaller "chunks", it will be easier for me and come out better. It also occurs to me that some of the pictures might have worked better with captions. I have to take at least a small break from it now because I downloaded a few more mods and several megabytes of clothes and hair. I want to make very sure that nothing breaks the next time I visit Veronaville.

Until the next episode, enjoy some out-takes!

Field Researcher
#5 Old 6th Nov 2017 at 7:31 PM
Fun pictures! I think that red head with the pillow is taking the game way too seriously.
Top Secret Researcher
#6 Old 6th Nov 2017 at 8:15 PM
@RoxEllen1965

The Voodoo Doll works well, but if they are enemies it will take more than one shot to make them friends I think. Maybe have them apologize first or use the Voodoo Doll more than once.

I use the Voodoo Doll a lot, btw.

Funny pictures. I am quite looking forward to more of your various Stories.

for info on changing the Mac Open File Limit check out my post here http://www.insimenator.org/index.ph...html#msg1628939
Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#7 Old 7th Nov 2017 at 10:35 AM
The voodoo doll seems to have been intended to make friends out of strangers or acquaintances, not end a murderous feud between mortal enemies. I ran some experiments in a test copy of Veronaville and the witches' Mactoamicus spell didn't help much either. The voodoo doll can be very useful, just not for what I wanted it for. The funny thing is that I thought it had worked at first. Patrizio approached Consort with a big grin and raised his arms - I honestly thought there would be a hug!

I always run with the testing cheats on and make frequent use of the Blender and Manipulator. If I remember correctly, I ended up using one of the mods to clear their enemies flag and set them to low-level friendship.
 
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