#sim: david vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

David traded in his bicycle for a Kenspa.

And it's adorable.

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #meanwhile ruby brought #the family's tofunda wagon #you know how you often just pop your monstrous suv #into your inventory #and take it abroad with you? #well that's what ruby did

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Back home and watching the stars from the covered front porch. In the rain. 🫤 Well, it's what they both wished for, and they seem happy enough.

Tomorrow, though, they're both going to therapy for these midlife crises. I'm over it.

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: ruby vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

After David completed his quest and Ruby grew tired of hanging around the town square, they met for dinner at Base Camp, where Ruby prepared spaghetti with veggie sauce.

Ruby had something on her mind, something she wanted to discuss with her husband, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up. She wasn't sure whether to bring it up at all.

Luckily, David brought it up himself.

"This spaghetti is delicious," he said between bites. "It reminds me of home. Hey! If we were at home, we could watch the stars and maybe go skinny-dipping after dinner."

"I would love that," said Ruby. "In fact... David, would you mind if we cut this vacation short?"

"You mean, go home early?"

Ruby nodded. "I know this trip cost a lot of money--"

"Aw, that's all right. I don't want to stay here either, Ruby."

"You don't?"

"No. I want to go home! I don't like frogs' legs, I don't like damp smelly tombs, and I don't like reaching my arm into holes and pulling it out full of bugs. And sleeping in a tent sucks. My back's hurt all day."

"I know what you mean," Ruby said sympathetically. "'I'm sure sleeping in a tent is worse than sleeping in a bed--" ("It is," said David) "--but the Base Camp beds aren't good, either. I miss our nice fluffy bed at home."

"Then let's go."

Startled, Ruby said, "Now?"

"Sure," said David. "Why not? Why spend another night in a lumpy bed?"

"Oh honey, I love you. I was afraid you'd be mad at me!"

"I'm never mad at you, Ruby. Do you want to call the travel service or should I do it?"

"You do it? I take longer to pack than you do."

"Okay. I'm pretty hyped about this!" David said as he took out his phone. "It'll be so great to get home."

#ts3 #the sims 3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: ruby vaneault #sim: david vaneault #oh he's never mad at ruby no #he just wishes to divorce her #but it isn't done in anger

[simstryingtheirbestok]

David was looking a little disgusted when he met up with Edith Morel that evening, I think because he couldn't believe he had done all that tomb exploration (and loot collecting, David, let's not forget) just to retrieve an old baseball.

So when one of my cats needed attention, I didn't bother pausing the game, nor worry about being away from it for a few seconds. I was back at the computer mere moments after getting up from the chair.

"Moments" is still too long a period of time to look away from a fast worker like David.

Nerrrrrp! No no, no no no.

😖

Because it never rains but it pours, the Midlife Crisis wish to Divorce Ruby promptly appeared.

Again, no. Absolutely not! Ruby is the best thing that ever happened to this guy, and that would be true even if she hadn't won the lottery. Or given birth to three of David's children.

Besides, Edith's taken, David. We are not doing this. I banish thee to Base Camp! You can get flirty with Ruby there.

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: edith morel

[simstryingtheirbestok]

NO! I don't want to. Why do you keep making me stick my hands in these things?!

#ts3 #the sims 3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #the forgotten burial mound #champs les sims

[simstryingtheirbestok]

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT! ONE NIGHT ONLY!

PROUDLY PRESENTS

RAIN OR SHINE

STANDING ROOM ONLY

NO REFUNDS (RUBY)!

David's big night arrived. The weather didn't cooperate, but it takes more than a little rain to stop Cheetah McGee.

That said, I don't think you can just stand there holding an umbrella all night, Cheetah.

The stage set this time was a combination of City Lights, Circus, and the default confectionary props. That bear on the left frightens me a little, not gonna lie.

David dropped things while juggling once or twice, but I had got him the That Was Deliberate lifetime reward, so these errors passed unnoticed (by the proprietor and the non-Ruby members of the audience, at least).

Here's the entire non-Ruby portion of the audience, by the way:

It's a shame Cheetah McGee has to retire so soon, but retire he did.

Tomorrow, David begins work as a paper boy, bright and early!

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

The Vaneaults cruised into the weekend with David trying out for a gig at the coffeehouse on Friday. Sadly, he was turned down, told to come back when he had more experience.

When I checked, he had only just reached level 3 in the Acrobat career. Only one more level to go! but also, I've noticed that it seldom does any good to audition at the low end of the job experience scale, when the Sim is only at the minimum career level required. I therefore put him on a schedule of workouts and performing for tips around town, and vowed to try again.

Saturday, all the teens beseeched Ruby for help learning to drive. Emmaline got her request in first. Ruby looks about as thrilled to be doing this as you'd expect.

Unfortunately, Ruby's job means she works weekend nights, so Emmaline is the only one she was able to teach Saturday. Evan eventually corralled David and learned from him, leaving only Eloise remaining.

When she got home Saturday night, Ruby informed me that she'd been promoted again. That's great!

She also informed me that I'd forgotten her birthday.

She promptly joined David in having a midlife crisis. 😞

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: ruby vaneault #sim: emmaline vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

David had his first gig at the coffeehouse! I thought I'd send Ruby to see it as a show of marital support.

That was a mistake.

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: ruby vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Remember how Ruby didn't like Cheetah McGee's performance?--That wound up having a terrible effect on her relationship with David, decreasing it noticeably.

Well, noticeably for someone who was paying attention, but that's never me, so I only found that out when they returned home and David tried to flirt with her. Minus signs galore! for the first time ever in their relationship. 😢

I got them back on track, finally, but that took some hours, which meant David didn't get to bed until very late, obliterating his chance for promotion in the Journalism career.

I guess he'll be sporting this snazzy paperboy uniform a while longer!

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: emmaline vaneault #sim: eloise vaneault #everyone's a critic but especially ruby i guess

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Sunday, Eloise learned to drive and later met up with Emmalline at the diner for some lunch.

Then they went to the library to finish up their respective novels. Eloise has actually maxed the writing skill, thanks to a head start as a toddler; a sci-fi novel published in childhood, Esto es mi roboto; and I think a whole lot of tabcasting when i wasn't paying attention to her, as I am otherwise at a loss to explain it.

At the library, Eloise completed her hit sci-fi followup, The Timeline Tangle, while Emmaline published a flop drama novel, Melodramatic Melancholy. Well, they can't all be winners, but how that must have wounded her Diva soul I can't imagine.

I didn't know what to do with Evan, so I sent him over to the Ivanov's to visit his new niece, Bellatrix. He taught her to walk, because heaven knows her parents aren't going to.

Meanwhile, time to attend to my midlife crisis-havers, David and Ruby! David wanted a tattoo. I got him a small set of flames on his left forearm in tribute to his firefightin' days.

Afterwards, he thanked the tattoist profusely, then displayed the maturity of his advancing years in the way that only he can.

Ruby wanted a makeover.

The stylist's original vision

was to put Ruby in a vivid green and purple coat dress, add 1980s-themed Day-Glo eyeshadow out to her temples, and do nothing about her sad flower-child hairdo. Atrocious. Ruby liked it, but I am the boss here, and I did not like it one bit.

Somehwere in the midst of all this, I sent David back to audition at the coffehouse again.

Success this time! In fact, nailing this audition propelled him to level 4, his max level for the Acrobat career according to the dice roll. So, technically, I shouldn't let him play this first gig of his on Monday. I should have him quit now and begin working in the Journalism career that he rolled for his next track.

But c'mon. Does that sound like any fun to you??! Me neither. The show must go on!

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: ruby vaneault #sim: david vaneault #sim: eloise vaneault #sim: emmaline vaneault #sim: evan vaneault #sim: bellatrix ivanov

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Despite his difficulties, David did finally earn a promotion to level 2 of the Acrobat career. With this came a new uniform for Cheetah McGee.

Cheetah put on a stellar performance at the Botanical Gardens; too bad there was no one around to see it, and really too bad there was no one around to drop a little something in the tip jar.

Well, back to the Summer Festival it is, buddy. There don't seem to be any proprietor map tags for you yet, so this is the job: Making an ass of yourself in public for little or no pay.

Cheetah McGee found his audience and worked hard to impress them. He juggled knives. He juggled torches. He pretended to be waiting for a bus that was late; he pretended to be doing some deep thinking, which may have been harder than juggling the knives.

And at the end of the day, he had earned §39: one Simolean less than he earned his first day on the job, when he still struggled to pantomime being trapped in a box.

How the fuck did he earn less by doing more? Is he living in this economy?!

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

🎵 a beautiful sight we're happy tonight the kids are off to boarding school at last 🎶

David and Ruby chose to celebrate this milestone by immediately jetting off to Champs Les Sims.

I know, but I can explain!

I mean, yes, it's true that

the Vaneaults are not swimming in cash after paying all the boarding school tuition

David didn't exactly bring home the bacon with that Cheetah McGee nonsense

he's only made it to level 2 of the Journalism career, so that's not raking in the Simoleans, either

this will only drag out achieving his Jack of All Trades LTW, which he should earn once he hits level 4 in Journalism

It's true that there are numerous arguments against sending David and Ruby to Champs Les Sims right now.

On the other hand, this is the fun save.

These two never got a proper honeymoon and they could use some time (and scenic surroundings) to reconnect, what with them both suffering midlife crises.

Because I'm trying to indulge them in those crises, it's perhaps worth noting also that David rolled both a regular wish to visit Champs Les Sims, particularly, and an MLC wish to travel abroad, generally.

Besides, with a little strategic foraging, they could actually make a profit on this expedition, even if right now they're down to their last §800. 😬

And even if, just as in University, David is often easily distracted by some of the scenery.

#ts3 #the sims 3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: evan vaneault #sim: emmaline vaneault #sim: eloise vaneault #sim: ruby vaneault #sim: david vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

David obstinately clings to his bicycle, even in the desert heat.

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Back in Lucky Palms, we find the Vaneault triplets attending their first day of high school Thursday morning, while David and Ruby both have the day off--Ruby because that's her schedule, and David because there was a thunderstorm raging, and I wasn't about to send Cheetah McGee out in that mess.

Besides, he's been wanting to finish The Story of a Game Developer for ages, and I've never let him because... come on, David, read something good for a change.

And besides that, David is taking the day off because it's his birthday today!

After completing their school/television/dinner/homework routine, the triplets went to the Summer Festival to pelt each other with water balloons. It was Eloise and nephew Adrian

versus Emmaline and Evan

Eloise and Adrian won, 100-90.

Ruby, meanwhile, got good enough at skating to do spins.

Where was David, you ask? What about the birthday boy, you wonder? Will his celebration take place at the festival?

Yes. Well. David was home upgrading one of the bathtubs, you see.

...because I completely forgot about his birthday. 😞

I am truly awful.

"You sure are! Not even a cake for poor Cheetah?"

You... you do kind of need to keep fit in this career--

"Just for that, I'm going to age into a midlife crisis!"

Sigh.

Ruby came home and, with the help of her her winning combination of Good and Hopeless Romantic traits, tried to cheer up David.

And mostly, I think, it worked.

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: eloise vaneault #sim: adrian ivanov #sim: emmaline vaneault #sim: evan vaneault #sim: ruby vaneault

[simstryingtheirbestok]

"Dad? What do you think about Perfect Mind, Perfect Body as an aspiration for me?"

"Maybe, son. Maybe, but I think you should decide later on what to aspire to. Besides, I'm not sure that one jibes with your love of grilled cheese sandwiches."

"That's easy, Dad! Working out so much will mean I must eat more grilled cheese sandwiches just to keep up my strength!"

"That's pretty smart of you, Evan. But take your time, okay? It's a big decision."

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: evan vaneault #kid has a point

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Business was slow one morning at the Summer Festival--no one seemed to want to tip poor Cheetah McGee. So when lunchtime rolled around and Ruby dropped by, enjoying a day off, I entered them both in the hot dog eating contest.

I figured one of them was bound to win it--I imagine they've both known real hunger (well, I know David has!)--but maybe the good life has blunted their appetites, because they blew an early lead to let some townie win the damn thing.

Then, of course, they each threw up.

The Acrobat career is not suiting David nearly as well as the Firefighter one did. Well, only three more levels of it left.

#ts3 #ts3 challenge #the sims 3 #the sims 3 challenge #career opportunities challenge #sim: david vaneault #sim: ruby vaneault #sim: sammi claremont