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taanoir · 20 hours

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Nicole still enjoyed the club, it had become her main outlet for social interaction outside of the house.

She met some interesting people that would show up for Goth and Industrial Night. Nicole was hoping to find someone she really connected with.

Even though she made a lot of friends, they never became more than that. Her trip to Henford still hung in her mind, Blake had changed so much and he seemed happier for it.

She felt stuck. Stuck in a cycle with the same faces and places. Maybe a change of scenery would do her good, not a move to a whole other country kind of change but maybe she needed a new haunt.

Besides, this club was starting to look like a frat party.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 2 days

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Even with the kids no longer being kids Gene and Milo tried to do family dinners on Sunday. It was the one day of the week everyone was home.

It gave them all a change to talk about what was going on in their lives. Nicole was working on new projects, the company was growing again, they were selling a lot more than books now. She was helping set up an inventory tracking system.

Tiffany always had stories from work or school, sometimes it was just talking about something they covered in class. Gene rarely talked about work but he'd started going to yoga classes and meeting some new people. It was good for his health both physical and mental.

Jennifer was still in High School but wasn't the most sociable of the group. She mainly hung out with the other members of the robots and rockets team. They'd all take lunch in the engineering lab, the teacher was pretty cool about the kids hanging out in there. She would talk about her teammates or she'd talk about her projects when they were gearing up for a competition. She had done the programing for the hydraulic arms on one of the bots in the last competition, but one of the other teams had a developed a bot that could climb stairs. She was bummed to have lost but was still impressed with the competition.

For Milo it was his favorite night of the week, Gene and all the kids there spending time together. The older they got the more he missed their company.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 3 days

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Gene had been working on some final components for Jimmy's rocket. Jennifer's robots and rockets competitions had given him some inspiration.

He just wasn't quite confident enough to test it.

Tiffany had graduated from High School and was taking courses at San Sequoia University as a journalism major. She was still writing for a small local paper but the zines had pretty much all disappeared. Uncle Milo had recommended picking up a job at the community center for some work experience and pocket money. She landed a job working the front desk. She didn't love the job, it was kind of boring, but she loved the people and she really felt like part of the community.

She met all kinds of interest people during her day. Tiffany also felt like she was helping instead of observing. She also started taking her lunch break at the coffee house across the street and getting to know more people.

She became friends with one of the regulars named Adam, he was also a writer and would show her some of his poetry when she wasn't busy. He was was funny and she enjoyed his company.

Not everyone was as pleasant as Adam, some of the community members were angry, rude or just in a hurry.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 4 days

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Nicole flew to Henford for a visit with Blake. They were both happy to see each other.

They spent time catching up on life. They found that their interests had diverged. Nicole still loved music, dancing, going out to clubs and had followed her dreams into the tech industry.

After Blake moved to Henford he made friends with a group of locals that were into football. He still loved music but he spent most of his free time working out or playing pick up matches with his friends. He would hang out with his friends but usually at someone's house, he wasn't really a club person. Too much noise, too many people.

They spent most of their time at the house. Blake's Mom, Poppy, was happy to see Nicole as well. She asked about Nicole's sister's and her Uncle's. Nicole gave them the run down on Tiffany's budding writing career and Jennifer's robotics competitions.

Her Uncle's were both doing well. Uncle Milo was still painting but he had picked up a job teaching art for the City, she thought he was looking for something to do with his time. He taught classes through the Community Center, his favorites classes were for the Gilbert County Memory Care Facility.

Uncle Gene was still running his business, they had transitioned over the years and were now focusing on hosting websites and providing storage space for businesses. More companies are wanting business websites, so they pay to have the site hosted remotely. It's a steady business and gives him and his team more time to develop new things.

Nicole also met Poppy's husband Alfred, he was very friendly and funny. Poppy had left her job in accounting in San Sequoia and become a homemaker in Henford. Alfred had a good position with the Bank of Henford, which was partly responsible for how they met. Blake worked at a local gym as a trainer but Alfred had gotten Blake's brother Josh an entry level job with the Bank. Josh had gotten his degree in finance but Blake didn't think college was for him. Blake still though Josh was a jerk, some things don't change.

They had always enjoyed playing chess together in San Sequoia, Blake was out of practice but they played a few games the night before Nicole headed back .

They both promised to keep in touch but the visit answered the question that had hung over them both, "did I miss the one?". They found they were still friends but nothing more, the trip gave them both the ending they needed.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 5 days

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With siblings there were no secrets, eventually both Tiff and Jen knew about Milo being Nicole's dad.

Both Tiff and Jen received the information well. They both adored their Uncles, especially Jen, she didn't really get to know her father and only knew her mother at a surface level. Uncle Milo and Uncle Gene were her parents as far as she was concerned.

The news only managed to cause a sensation for a couple of weeks until it fizzled out in favor of the latest household gossip, Nicole had been invited to come to Henford by her old flame Blake.

Gene wasn't hot on the idea of her traveling to the other side of the world to visit her ex but he wanted her to travel and see the world.

Milo was concerned, he was the one that comforted her when they broke up. She was devastated when he left. She's a grown woman and can do what she wants but he was still upset at the prospect of her being just as upset and all the way in Henford.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 6 days

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Milo kept working on the nectar making, he was starting to get some really decent blends. After aging they will be really excellent.

Tiffany graduated High School early and took a full-time job as a columnist. Milo was still her biggest supporter, he was very proud of her.

Jennifer was keeping her grades up. She loved being on the rockets and robots team. She was learning so much about engineering but she was now leaning more towards being a software engineer instead of a mechanical engineer. She still loved building robots but she found she was better at writing the programs than soldering the chip sets. Uncle Gene had a lot of advice from his time working with the San Sequoia Science Center.

Nicole spent several weeks really going over the complexities of her situation with her parentage. For the most part things stayed the same, Milo was still there for her, she still went to him for advice or just to vent after work. However, there was still a noticeable softening to both of them. She was more open, gave him more hugs and would seek his company a little more. He was more honest when she asked for feedback, and he made it a point to teach her things she didn't have much of an interest in before.

She was still happy to play her video games, she'd just play in the den.

Jennifer also took up painting, Milo was happy to Mentor her.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 7 days

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Milo finally talked to Nicole. He was nervous when he began speaking. Doubt ate at the back of his mind, what if she was mad and never wanted to talk to him again? What if he had waited too long? What if she thought he was trying to replace Jimmy?

"Hey hun, there's something rather serious I need to talk to you about."

Nicole's face was painted with worry, Uncle Milo never sounds like this.

Milo studied her face, she shouldn't be the worried one. "We need to talk about your parents, well really, about your father."

Nicole's face shifted from worry to confusion "He's been dead for almost 9 years, what's there to talk about?"

Milo could feel his face losing color and threatening to take his nerve with it. He ripped the band-aid off and blurted out "The thing is, he was your Dad but not your father. I'm actually your biological father." Milo held his breath waiting for her response.

The words hit Nicole like brick. Her mind raced, she had so many questions. Why had no one told her before now? Who else knew? Why go through all the hoops of custody? Her Mom and Uncle Milo, had a thing at some point, did her dad know? .... what the actual fuck.

She took a drink of her wine and began to gather her thoughts. The new information began to really sink in. Was she really surprised or was it the shock of it being said out loud? She thought back through the moments of her life, the one constant had been her uncles.

Nicole let out a long sigh that seemed to emanate from her toes. She wasn't mad, but she was still confused and a little hurt "why did you wait so long to tell me? Why didn't you want me to know? That would have been really helpful to know at any time in the past 8 years".

Milo was honest, that's all he could be "I didn't know myself until after your Mom started therapy. She made me promise not to tell you, which your Uncle Gene thought was a horrible idea. Turns out he was probably right, not surprising I know. I also didn't know how to tell you. You loved your Dad so much, and I didn't want to discount that in any way."

Nicole drank some more wine and let the information percolate. "So, do you want me to call you Dad or something? This is going to take a little bit to process."

Milo's eye went wide "No, no, no, no ... nothing like that. I just wanted you to know for medical reasons and because I have loved you since you were born, like a daughter, and you are in fact my daughter. You should know that at least one parent, even if they didn't know themselves, has always been in your life and isn't going anywhere. I was here because I loved you and I wanted to be here for you, the biology was more like a bonus level that I had no idea how to navigate."

"I've watched you hurt too much for too long and for that I'm sorry. I was scared I'd end up hurting you more by telling you. Then it was too long and ... I was just trying to work through my own fear and doubt, not an excuse, but that's why it's so late coming."

Nicole softened, a small smile crept over her face "I'm glad you told me, thank you. I'm going to need a little time, right now, I'm just surprised. No matter what, you're still Uncle Milo, I still love you. I still love Uncle Gene too. You both have been here for me, Tiff and Jen. We have always had everything we needed and most of what we wanted. You've been mentors, role models and parents with or without blood. This opens up some new things I need to look at and some old things I need to reexamine." She paused, "I do have another question, who all knows?"

Gene shifted in his seat "To my best knowledge, your Mom, Uncle Gene, me and now you. Though, according to your Mom, your Dad knew." Nicole's eyes widened, "Dad knew and you didn't. That had to be a rough conversation". Milo nodded "It was, but it also put a lot of things into context. If you have other questions, I will answer them as honestly as I can." Nicole thanked him again but she needed to sit with this for awhile.

This was the best case scenario Milo could have imagined. The two finished their wine and shifted the conversation to a Project Nicole was working on at the office.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #Gen 9

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taanoir · 8 days

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Tiffany had spent years studying painting under her Uncle Milo and she had honed her skills to the point she could make a career out of it.

However, writing was still her main love.

She became a published author before she graduated high school. She had written a collection of short stories that was picked up by a publisher.

Her uncles were proud of her, especially Uncle Milo.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 9 days

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Time for a Challenge Check in!

Here is a freshly aged up Jennifer with the Cringe trait (ignore the walls down in the background), this was right after For Rent released and she was the first sim I've ever played with the new trait. I've actually found it's pretty fun, the meme interactions are a little annoying but I like the social interactions. It's seems like what should have been the socially awkward trait.

Gen 9 - Modern Age

Max Programing, Video Games, Mixology - All maxed by Nicole and Jennifer

Hack all available options - Completed by both Nicole and Jennifer

Have a sim play Video Games on the computer from the time they get up until they go to bed. - Completed by Nicole

Have 2 Sims reach the top of their career and complete their aspiration (bonus if it's 4 sims). In process

Meet your ancestors, bonus if you become friends with them. Nicole became friends with Calisto and Khur.

I didn't know this was an achievement.

They have been a very busy group. Everyone is racking up maxed skills and completed aspirations.

Challenge Wide:

50 Gold medal events - Complete

Completed 20+ aspirations, 9 careers, and 27 skills

All potions and traits have been purchased - Complete

#historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 10 days

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Jennifer was doing well in school. Like her sister, Nicole, she had a strong interest in the sciences but her interest was more focused on engineering. She asked Uncle Milo if she could join the school rockets and robotics team, the only catch was they traveled for competitions.

Milo didn't see a problem as long as she kept her grades up. However, she should talk to Uncle Gene tonight before she commits. Jennifer was thrilled, she knew Uncle Gene wouldn't have a problem.

She was waiting out front when her uncle got home from work. She told him all about the team, the competitions, the cost and the potential scholarships it would make her eligible for.

Uncle Gene wasn't sure it was a good fit for her. He had spent years watching his brother build a rocket that has still never flown. He was happy she had an interest but maybe she could take it in another direction.

Jennifer rarely pushed back on her uncles, they were both super supportive of everything the girls wanted to try. Jennifer had never actually considered something like this would be a no. She gave a passionate counter to her uncle's argument. Unlike her father, she would be working as part of a team with a mentor that worked in engineering. Also, she was taking it another direction. Her interest was in robotics. Rockets were cool but that wasn't what she wanted to work on.

Uncle Gene could see how important this was to her and she made a good argument. He walked his decision back and told her to go for it. Just get him the registration packet so he could fill it out and she had to keep her grades up.

Jennifer was ecstatic!

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 11 days

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Nicole spent her weekends at the club. She was happy to spend her time dancing and socializing.

She didn't get along with everyone, there were a few people that could sour her mood instantly.

Bonus: Nicole in full dress.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 12 days

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Milo's hobby had become collecting hobbies. He had learned about a hidden fishing spot from one of the patrons at his last showing.

He felt like a dork talking to a tree.

To his amazement, it worked!

He rode his bike through a candy tinted meadow towards a beautiful lake.

The patron had mentioned rare fish. Milo's mind swam with the possibilities if the lake looked like this.

The patron was right, this is the strangest fish he had ever seen.

After some epic catches and a few that were too smart for him, it was time to ride home.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 13 days

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They arrived back in San Sequoia with two teens and a young adult. Jennifer developed an interest in working out. She hadn't been an especially athletic child but her uncles and her sister Tiffany were happy to encourage the new interest.

Milo started trying to figure out Rita's nectar making equipment with varied success.

Milo helped Jennifer decorate her room to her style. She had more ideas but this was a good start for making her own space.

Nicole landed an position with an online book seller. They were a growing company and there was room for her to learn.

Tiffany was in her senior year and looking forward to becoming a journalist. She still wrote for several zines, plus she had worked on the school newspaper and yearbook. She took every opportunity she got to submerse herself in the world of publishing.

#ts4 gameplay #historychallenge #childrenofcalisto #gen 9

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taanoir · 14 days

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Their last night in Sulani they had a quiet dinner back at the restaurant.

Well, as quiet as they get.

When they got back to the condo they built a bonfire and celebrated Nicole's young adult birthday until the sun came up. This was their final hurrah before they headed back to San Sequoia.