How could I possibly forget the shoes I was originally going to write "I better not be such a tease this time or Ellu will throw her pink shoes at me next time she passes by"
And yeah, she really is gorgeous. Just needs to realize it herself Got her off a blog a few years back, wish I could remember which one to give credit but no idea :/ Googled no cc Sims and found her that way. For some reason back then I thought she was kind of ordinary looking, hence the insecure about her looks personality. But I was dead wrong, she is quite the looker. And yes you are right Lulu Belle does have features of them both.
Henrik is taken, sadly But very funny you said that! Remember him, a little birdie tells me he may reappear in the story at a later stage But as I've said I really can't shut up about my Sims if given the slightest chance to talk about them, so for those interested here's a bonus-post with part of Henrik's story
He is actually a downtownie, the one with the sunglasses and snake skin suit. And in my game the designated outing-starter. Always calling houses asking the inhabitants to come along to an outing. He quickly became a regular visitor and good friend of any Sim that likes to party and have fun. One of those is Max Flex (in English Flexor, the premade from Academie Le Tour), who after college moved into a small apartment with three roomies. Here's Henrik chatting with Max at one of the parties.
When Max's sister Alicia (added by me) graduated from college, he threw a party to introduce her to people in the hood and help her find a social circle. Of course Henrik was there.
Alicia is a pleasure Sim, a very hip young woman whose main joy and interest in life is music. No aspirations to work, really just wants to enjoy life and have fun, and play lots and lots of music. She makes a living as a street performer, and lives in a rather gorgeous loft. And if your main aspiration is to enjoy life, being friends with Henrik is a great idea because he is guaranteed to hook you up with all kinds of people and fun experiences. So of course Alicia invited him to her own parties.
Being a pleasure Sim Alicia doesn't just want friendly fun, a date here and there is highly necessary for a happy life, at least in her book. She's not one to take anything seriously though, so she had a number of flings with different people just for casual fun. Henrik being a romance Sim one day called her up and asked her to a date downtown. Of course she'll say yes. Henrik made his thoughts clear the minute they met up outside the karaoke bar.
Matron Lena just happened to be there too, must have been her night off. Or maybe she heard on the grape vine Henrik would be there. She never does miss an opportunity to show up and make connections, and chief of police is a very handy contact to have. Guess she wanted to use the karaoke machine, but they got there first
Those of you that know me from discussion forum know I usually have a plan with my Sims, a story in mind. And once upon a time I played free will off, never allowing spontaneity. But through reading forums I came to realize there are times when Sims have great ideas on their own, and these days I quite enjoy the curve balls they throw me. In this case the first curve ball was Henrik calling Alicia up and asking for a date. Even though he's a romance Sim I never really saw him as such. To me he was the neighborhood buddy, the extrovert social friendly guy that is part of any circle and who really just loves a good time. Certainly wasn't planning on making him date anyone. But Alicia is just casual flings any way so why not. I had intended for her to be a care free single for a long time to come, only living for her music and whatever pulled on her strings that day.
But came the second curveball. Sometimes, you get those moments I've mentioned in earlier posts, when an animation you've seen many times before suddenly looks entirely new, and your Sims send you such a clear message saying "This is what I want." or "This is who I am". And on this date, that is exactly what happened. Something about the two of them singing together said these two Sims belong together. There's a connection, a bond, that throws my original plan out the window. This is not a casual fling, this bond is something deeper.
Maybe it's the fact that purple leopard print and snakeskin jacket go hand in hand. Maybe it's the fact that they both look like hip people. I really don't know what it was, but after that night it was clear to me that Henrik fell head over heels for Alicia and really wouldn't be interested in anyone else. I wasn't as sure about how Alicia felt, (some of you may remember the post in story dilemma thread) though she was quite happy to invite Henrik back to the loft to finish off the date. Time would tell how she felt.
Naturally Henrik kept calling, inviting her to new dates for new fun and exciting experiences together.
Didn't take long before Alicia seemed pretty smitten too.
Even so Alicia continued her casual flings with other people. Henrik isn't a romance Sim for nothing, so no jealousy from him. He was happy to spend whatever time with Alicia that she felt like spending with him, and took no issue with her spending time with other people too. He figured if it was meant to be, it would be, if and when Alicia was ready. He is what I'd like to call RSMR - Romance Sim Made Right
Alicia actually did really well as a street performer. Earlier on her brother Max invited her to come with him and his girlfriend Elna to Twikki Islands, staying at his girlfriends vacation home, and Alicia really enjoyed the tropical climate and the beach. So when she found herself with money to spare she decided to invest some of it on a vacation home of her own. No fun going on your own though, so she invited her three main flings to come with her for a long weekend, and one of the lucky ones was Henrik. If you've never played a similar scenario I highly recommend it, it was so much fun watching these three dudes and Alicia all tucked up in one place. Benny and Ville constantly vying for her attention, and Henrik being his usual cool self just going about his business and still managing to get just as much attention.
Some refreshing punch on arrival. Henrik and Benny already found their way to the hot tub, though I hope the "hot" is misleading in this instance. Certainly wouldn't want to get into a hot bath on a beach on a tropical island in the middle of summer. But a cooling bubbling one, absolutely.
Henrik left to make some hamburgers for lunch, leaving Alicia to have a make out session with Benny.
Eating together. Henrik side-eyeing Alicia, thinking she's looking fine in her bikini.
Soaking up some rays while Ville admires the sand castle he built
At night Henrik and Alicia had some alone time in the tub. Backrubs, always a classic.
Love Henriks casual arm around the shoulder. Very chill, just like him.
And what do you know, that backrub got him invited to sleep with Alicia in her bed rather than one of the guest beds.
I wish I had this kind of view, I'd eat breakfast there every day too.
Henriks turn to soak up some rays, while Ville builds yet another sand castle, and Alicia tries the water.
I suspect Alicia thought Henrik looked so comphy taking a nap in the sun she wanted to get in on the action
Did I mention Benny and Ville kept trying to get her attention? You are out of luck boys, can't compete with Henriks charm.
Even when reading a book Henrik is more interesting to Alicia than Benny and Ville
Part of why I sent them on this trip was because I wanted to figure out how to proceed. What better way to figure out how Alicia felt than put her in a situation with options and see which way she leans? And time and time again she'd choose to hang out where Henrik was, making it clearer and clearer to me that she wasn't as opposed to the idea of monogamy as I first thought. And then this happened, screaming it out loud and clear. The next night Alicia was once again enjoying a late night soak in the hot tub, and Henrik went to join. Benny was not having it, he was not about to let Henrik get all the attention yet again. To further add to the comedy of this, do note Benny decided to get in stark naked
Benny doing his best to adopt a cool confident pose, Henrik with his usual calm poised facial expression making no deal at all of the fact that Benny got in naked clearly trying to disrupt things, with his arm still casually placed around Alicias waist under water... and to top it off, Alicia completely ignoring Benny unable to take her eyes of Henrik.
Face it Benny. You are screwed, this battle is loooong lost. Look at that expression on Alicia's face.
He did not get the memo though, causing Alicia to tell him to get lost. Again, love Henriks casual arm on the rim of the hot tub, the other hand calmly placed on Alicias leg. Always oozing that quiet centered relaxed confidence.
Finally alone, it took no time at all for things to get real steamy.
The boys still hadn't given up though, and the next morning they both tried to put the moves on Alicia. Is it just me or is there a hint of rejection in the way Alicia is standing?
After she got dressed, Henrik suggested they get out of the house for a bit, get away from the other two. Alicia was easily convinced.
Gorgeous surroundings, and yet Alicia still only has eyes for Henrik.
They spent so much time holding hands and flirting darkness fell and food barely looked touched at all.
When they got back, Henrik took Alicia down to the beach. Having quietly observed her change in behavior over the past few days he had a hunch time was ripe to make his move.
Turns out, his hunch was right. Alicia says yes, no second thoughts.
This picture is quite possibly my favorite picture I've ever taken. The angle came out perfect, highlighting everything. There's something about the way Alicia is standing that is so very her, and Henrik really manages to pull off the down on one knee hands on heart look he's got going. And then that gorgeous Twikki Island landscape in the background, and the bright summer night. Love it so much :lovestruc
One very VERY happy Alicia. And a pretty darn pleased Henrik too.
The next morning it was time to pack up and go home.
All in all, a very successful vacation. Not for Benny or Ville, perhaps, but for Henrik, Alicia and me. I had tons of fun playing it, and I am very glad I figured out where they wanted to go. They are an adorable couple who definitely do belong together. I had not at all planned on Alicia settling down, and certainly not this soon, but the game threw me a curveball and it was a great one. What's so fun about these two is they keep doing it. Never had a couple that's made me rethink their story and change direction entirely as many times as Henrik and Alicia, and I love it!
So yep Ellu, Henrik is very, very much taken. He is the kind of romance Sim that is a romantic, not a sleazebag. He likes romantic gestures, he likes to love and he likes being physical, but to him it's not a numbers game. He wants to love Alicia, not get notches on his bedpost. I figured out the reason why they gave me that feeling. Alicias great passion in life is fun. She wants to be happy, and enjoy life. And Henrik makes her laugh, being equal parts cool and silly in just right blend for Alicia. One minute they'll be cuddling, the next Henrik's doing a chicken impression making her scream laughing.
Not actually doing a chicken impression, but you got to admit, it sure looks like it. And that's what I love, the random moments you happen to snap that picture making you see a different frozen frame of an animation, that depending on context might say something completely different than the original meaning.
I hope you enjoyed this quick-side story. Thought it might be a nice change of pace to the slightly darker tone in Sally Mae's and Siri's stories at the moment