The Stewarts Family (and other shenanigans)
Sims player fourteen generation deep into a legacy. Here's their story! Also, art and builds.
Some might say it’s childish to have your mom push you on the swings at age twenty.
Call it what you want, I call it love. And a sweet memory that’ll last me a lifetime.
To be fair, I also don’t really care all that much what people think.
Today, we’ve got family coming over! Gram, aunt Miranda and our cousin Nolan, all at once! I am beyond excited as I haven’t seen aunt Miranda and Nolan in ages, and though I love my younger siblings, I’m looking forward to actually getting to know my older cousin. I’m hoping we finally become friends!
I might have been a little overzealous in table-decorating, but as I said, I’m taking this lunch seriously. Everything had better be perfect!
For example, I was the one to remind Mom that we needed to get tofu-based, fake turkey for Gram. The twins complain about it not being real meat the whole day, and I don’t trust Mom enough not to prepare it myself, but it’s worth it.
Cyril, in typical teenager fashion, absolutely has to take a selfie before we start the meal.
I may or may not have confiscated his phone thanks to my Older Sister Authority.
Here we are, all eight of us, and as I planned, everything is flawless. Somehow the tofu smells really good. Even Gram makes a comment on the quality of the food, and I feel my heart explode with pride.
And, perhaps more importantly, even the twins have nothing to say about the taste.
Some great-grandma/great-grandchild time. Gram and I were close when I was a wee little one, and now that I’m an adult, I want to deepen that bond, and learn everything she has to teach me. She must have so many stories to tell, so many things she knows about the world, and about our own family! She’s been alive to see five of all fourteen of us Stewarts heirs alive!
You know I need to know everything about it all.
I’m about to start quizzing her when Nolan pulls up a chair in front of me. “So cousin, he said. How have things been since your prom?”
“Well I don’t need to hide behind my big cousin in social events anymore! But then again I don’t go to social events anymore.”
Quickly, Nolan and I start getting along like old best friends. He’s everything I hoped, and I’m glad we finally can finally make up for all of the estranged, vaguely cordial years.
Gram watches over that, and I can practically read the amused “Youth!” she’s holding back from saying on her face.
The thing with parties is you have to clean up after. I sure as heck wasn’t going to let Gram, aunt Miranda, Nolan or my parents do it, and the twins, those little devils, have ran off to hide somewhere. So I’m taking care of it.
It’s fine, though. Nolan stuck around and we get to enjoy some more time together on the swings as the sun sets. The weather is getting cooler, yet I feel all warm inside.
You know I’m not exactly a social butterfly, but I love being around family almost as much as I love exploring a good (very) old tomb.
My name is Nounou. I run like the wind and explore the universe. There’s a whole world outside of that big house the humans call home, and it’s mine, all mine. All mine to explore. I knew my kingdom had to be more than that San Myshuno apartment!
I am the explorer of worlds and piles of dirt. Bow before my grace.
Loladorada is my friend, but she’s also very different from me. She says she’s been on the other side of the world, and now she’s content staying safe and well-fed inside. I don’t know if I believe her. She talks about walking human-shaped skeletons and blessings and curses and I think she’s just a show-off. Also, how dare she imply my kingdom is boring.
Lola does love food a whole lot. She always watches the Human in Chief when she cooks. And today, in particular. It’s a special day for the humans, they plan on having people over. It means we’ll have more opportunities for snatching food off the floor.
I’m a kind ruler and I let Loladorada have dominion over the dinner table. Most of the time, and as long as she promises to alert me when there’s something interesting on it.
That first leaf has barely had time to fall, and already we got the house all prepped and ready. Let it be known the Stewarts family won’t welcome the first winds of autumn without a properly decorated abode.
We got together as a family and despite the arguments about which shade of acorn exactly we wanted to hang above the door, we arrived at a result we all loved, ready to welcome friends and family into our comfy little home.
Mom’s friend Charlotte is the first to visit.
She was expected! Mom has been talking about her visiting for days now. They see each other so rarely. She says Dad and her still haven’t properly been introduced to their children, Patience and What’s-Her-Name.
I know Patience, though. She was in my class in high school and she was a brat who managed to convince the whole class she was some type of angel.
Yeah, the angel wings tattooed on her back didn’t fool me. She had little respect for me and my C average, and I didn’t care for her little clique of heart-eyed boys who followed her around like poodles.
That being said, we always remained civil to each other, out of love for our respective mothers. They would be broken-hearted to ever learn their kids didn’t get along. Even though I can’t figure out why, Mom and Charlotte are still the best of besties after all these years.
Cleo has the theory that mom and her might have also been brats when they were younger.
Guess as an archeologist that’s the only thing about history I’d rather not look into too much…
We spend a few more hours with Gram, then as the shop closes, we hug her, and head to the Oasis Springs beach with Mom and Dad. The heat is almost unbearable for most people here, but I don’t mind it at all. I just love the sun.
The twins are sharing secrets as soon as we arrive. Over their shoulders I can see what looks like a glass roof — are they looking up greenhouses? Good luck convincing Gram to get one! But I’m thrilled they are showing such passion into a common interest.
I hear Mom and Dad whisper about how the bar on the beach “hasn’t changed a bit”, but they won’t clarify when I ask. They just exchange knowing looks and smiles so intimate they make me look away — I’m not sure I want to know.
I love my sister, but I’m not taking her up on her offer to play Don’t Wake the Llama. She’s a sore loser and I’m much better at it than her. Learning dodge traps in the jungle has the side effect of making you more agile than the average teenager, you see.
What’s better than having your legs soaked in fresh water during a hot day?
I’ll tell you what. Having your legs soaked in fresh water during a hot day as a family.
And then we go jam to the sound of some summer tunes. Mom does a good job of not looking too disappointed at how little her kids can stick to the rhythm.
I may not dance as well as hear, but I sure do look fierce doing it.
It’s still early in the morning and pretty chilly when we reach the Herbology shop. Gram is already there, waiting for us with a hug and a big smile ready.
We don’t spend much time waiting outside. The summer is almost over, and Gram needs to harvest the plants that will die soon. She waves away our suggestion of building a greenhouse. She wants to stay close to the natural cycle, she says, and she’s not really looking for efficiency anyway.
She gives us direction and advice, and shares precious knowledge about how to keep a plant alive. It’s not necessarily my cup of tea, but the twins are listening happily, and I’m just happy to be with Gram.
We also get to plant the future autumn crops!
Look at me, getting an apple into the ground.
As I was saying, Cyril finds an unsuspected love and peace into this gardening morning. He rarely ever gets behind holidays and their traditions, since he’s a delicate, teenage loner, but he’s happy to be participating in this one!
He’s also much better than me at this. He’s already harvested ten flowers in the time it takes me to find one lemon.
I just stick to planting more apples.
Some of the crops will survive through fall. These only need a bit of watering today, and Cleo volunteers.
The Gardening Twins.
Gram jokes that her old back is relieved she doesn’t have to do all of that herself, but really we know she would probably be much, much faster on her own… The years have had no effect on her health, it seems, and she’s so experienced it would make up for it anyway.
More flower picking.
Gram explains that this is chamomile, and you can use it in many special decoctions. Some of them, she adds, I may like to bring with me on my belomisian travels…
I’m not really sure what she means by that yet, but I grab a handful anyway.
Apparently, you can give someone a full, five-minute critique on their crop-watering technique.
Around lunchtime, exhausted by the whole exercise, I’m the first to head inside the shop. It’s full of people looking for bio produce or some earthy panacea. Or maybe they just find comfort in this green place that seems entirely removed from the outside world.
In the staff room — aka Gram’s personal space — I unpack the lunch mom made for me.
It’s actually not all too bad, especially with some of the fresh spices I gathered from the garden to accompany it.
The twins gather a little more advice from Grandma before going on their own break.
Cleo, whose hands are full of dirt, comes inside to wash them.
Cyril wants to stay outside for a bit. He’s found Gram’s workbench and is tempted to make her a bouquet.
He’s not quite self-assured and the bouquet involves a lot of trial and error, but…
… in the end, he’s pretty satisfied with the results.
Near the water in Windenburg, you’ll find a quaint little house. It looks like a cottage and it has a vast garden full of exotic and rare flowers, herbs and trees.
This is Gram’s herbology shop, that she built after entering retirement, and where she’s been spending most of her time since my grandmas died. She takes care of her plants, and brews remedies from them in the back of the house.
Today, for Family Day, she’s proposed that the twins and I come join her. She would like to introduce her to one of her passions, and the thought of spending a day surrounded by greenery and hanging with our great-grandmother sounds pretty much perfect. Cyril is not really into the idea of gardening at first, since he’s not fond of dirt, and dirt getting under his nails. He also dislikes crowds — and people in general — so the clients scare him. Really, Cyril doesn’t care much for this holiday dedicated to gardening.
He loves Gram dearly, though. So he only pretends to complain for a while before agreeing to come with us.
So in the early hours of the morning, we join her at the shop.
Around here we have a specific holiday. It’s called Gardening Day, and it’s a really, really old tradition that dates back to the very first members of our community. Gardening is how the first members of the Stewarts family made their first dime. Made their fortune, in fact.
It’s a holiday for everybody, but for our family, it’s the occasion to commemorate and spend time together. So we’re up at dawn and get ready to enjoy this time together.
Mom and Dad are living the spirit of Family Day from the start!
I woke up late and reaaaally didn’t want to witness that so soon after waking up.
Cyril and Cleo were smarter and took their breakfast in the dining room, like normal people. Mom quickly joins. We plan on spending the day outside, and she won’t be joining us until later, so she’s packing our lunches.
Cleo is already pretty excited about today, she’s dancing around in the living room.
Mom and Dad may not be into gardening at all, but that doesn’t stop Dad from being in the flower theme. He gifts mom a bright red rose for the occasion.
Cleo and I have plans to go work on our fitness together today.
I lead the way and she quickly joins. She’s gotten better and better, and now easily keeps up with my pace. She jokes that soon I’ll be able to take her on my travels to Selvadorada.
Or is she joking, really?
Not everybody can keep up, though. We meet a jogger who decided to walk instead.
To be fair, not everyone can keep going under the scorching sun. It invigorates me, though.
After a quick shower, I go outside again to sort the drying laundry.
Cyril’s grades have been menacing to slip recently, so before he even gets rid of the sweaty smell of walking around under the sun for too long, he kneels in the grass and works on an electronic project.
I should clarify that Cyril is a straight-A student. When he means “my grades are slipping,” he means he got a B in Science.
When my grades “slipped”, it meant I almost got kicked out of school for sleeping in math class again.
Dad’s clocked in a few extra hours at work today, too. Nounou is not the most expressive of cats, but Dad is happy to have him to cuddle after a tough day.
The Stewarts Family (and other shenanigans) 