DOARS- Week 6 Day 5- The Teddy Bear's Igloo

Welcome back faithful readers!

Is this update exciting? Hmm... I guess we'll have to wait and see. ;) I bet you're excited about it, though, huh? Because last time on DOARS, a long sought after gnome appeared!

Now the continuation......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

This morning started like most of my mornings do, waking up next to my husband, and then getting up to do laundry. It was at this point that my morning broke routine. There it was. I had been slaving away for the better part of a week (or had it been a week already?) and my efforts had paid off. We had a gnome ambassador.

Did he look like a teddy bear? Yes. Did I think that one of the kids brought a random teddy bear home from school? Yes, I did, actually. Did I realize he was a gnome at first? No. I mean, when you first saw this guy, did you think he was a gnome? I'm used to little pointy hats and big beards, both of which are missing on this one.

If you think about it, though, it does kind of make sense. He is after all an ambassador, so having a different look that is more similar to things that we sims see everyday might actually be brilliant. I'm sure I'll be more comfortable with him than I would be with a real normal looking gnome.

I wasted no time in approaching it, and calling on its ambassador skills.


"Who left their teddy bear here? I bet it's Hector's that boy just does not pick up after himself. I'm totally not going to make his bed, today. He can do that himself-" I was muttering to myself, but then out of no where (ore more accurately from right in front of me on top of the dryer) came a squeaky little voice.

"Are you done?" I think I probably choked and sputtered for a good minute before responding.

"You're a gnome! OH MY GOODNESS, you're a gnome! Are you the ambassador? I'm so sorry that I thought you were a teddy bear, that's so embarrassing!" I'm pretty sure my face was about 5 times redder than normal. The only time I had ever been almost as embarrassed was when I first went to Cycl0n3's house... and you're familiar with that story, I'm sure. Anyways, back to this story.

"Let me start over. I'm Lynn Sw0rd, humble doer of gnome laundry," I properly introduced myself. Now, I know, I know, I perhaps could have been a little more honest. Humble? Pretty sure that's never been an adjective used to describe me! BUT, I was really surprised, okay? I mean, how would you introduce yourself to a mythical gnome that you had just accused of being a teddy bear? Okay, now that we got all that cleared up, I'll go on with my story of this morning's events, which is about to take an abrupt turn.

The little gnome coughed, or snickered, or made some little noise that obviously meant he wasn't impressed and disappeared. Which didn't impress me very much. "Hey! Wait a minute! I have questions! What are you doing here? What do you want from me and my family! How are the aliens involved in this? Are we in danger? Are you in danger? Answer me! Please! Just answer me," I called into the darkness. Of course, he was gone. All of that work and I had scared the little guy off, or something. I don't know.

I'm sure you can imagine how I felt though. The answer to all of my questions was sitting in front of me and before I got anything it disappeared. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, like the wind had been knocked out of me, like everything I'd ever worked towards was gone. I know, I probably overreacted a bit, after all, I don't know where the gnome went, or what he was doing. I don't know what he was assigned to do. I don't know if he even wanted to talk to me or if it was Hector that he needed to speak to. It probably was Hector, though. Everyone wants to talk to Hector, including myself of course. Not that I'm jealous, I'm not. that much. I have a pretty special son, is all, and with a little patience I'm sure I'll get all the answers I need.

Now let me tell you, I've been telling myself that for a while now. It's getting a little old. I'm not the most patient person, you know. So, you should really be impressed that I managed, once again, to talk myself into being patient after the gnome disappeared. Got that? Be impressed.

I carried my disappointed and patient carcass back to my room, where Cycl0n3 was working on his assignment. I plopped myself down and leveled with him. I was done with being kept so much in the dark, he's my husband and by george, I wasn't going to let him not tell me whatever he knew. Which wasn't much. Basically, he'd been approached in the supermarket one day by a cloaked individual who somehow convinced him to start learning how to command an army and to find the specific coordinates of the closest inhabitable planet. And since the initial meeting he'd met the man one time to report back some of the information he'd gathered.

Now, don't misunderstand what I'm about to say, okay? That's more information than I had, so I was grateful... but... really? That's all he had?! He had let some random (and possibly insane) stranger give him a weird mission and he didn't ask any questions?
To Cycl0n3's defense, though, he said that he got a brief glance at the person's arm and it was green, so my husband, the science fiction loving man that he is, he didn't need much convincing. I'm trying to accept that, I really am, but it's a little frustrating. I'm sure you would agree if you were in my position.

Either way, you probably can guess what I did after that.






















If you guessed that I sent Cycl0n3 back to the store to find that man, then you're right. Good job. Want a cookie? It's been a while since I directly referred you to my agent, so it's time for me to renew that. If you want a cookie for guessing right, then present proof of that to my agent and pick the cookie of your choosing.

Cycl0n3 was not able to find him, there, sadly. Oh well, to be quite frank, I didn't expect him to. I mean, that was just the day I was having, of course the man wouldn't be there, he and the ambassador probably got together and threw a 'lets-not-tell-the-athlete-formerly-known-as-Lynn-Winslow-anything' party. What? Too self-centered? You're right, there could be lives in danger, races in peril, and I'm pouting about not knowing something that I probably don't need to know. Ok! I'll try not to let it get to me, but I make no promises.























Now, I've known for a while that my little girl loves the snow and the cold. It was pretty obvious when she was younger, because she'd always kick her blankets off and try to run around the house naked (events that I did not feel the need to photograph), so I wasn't surprised that she built an igloo, which she named "alternative dwelling for sim and other life". But I was surprised, because when exactly had winter started?

I guess sometime during the night, had I left the house this morning or during the day while my kids were at school, I'm sure I wouldn't have been as startled when my daughter ran inside excitedly proclaiming that she'd discovered a suitable dwelling for sim and other lifeforms in icy environments. I probably should have noticed that she didn't come in after school, but I had my mind on other matters... and I had been hunting that darn gnome for the majority of the day. Not that I really want you to know that, because that makes me look like I'm really not trying to be patient at all... but well... it's better than you thinking I don't care about my daughter's whereabouts.























Anyways, she left just as quickly as she ran in and said something about making a guard for the new dwelling. If you're guessing that her assignment had something to do with learning how to survive in winter, then you're thinking the same things that I am.

Now I know I said I'd be patient, but let's just think about what we know/ can guess.
Cycl0n3 is learning how to lead an army and find a habitable planet.
Raquel is learning how to survive in cold weather, finding a potion for something, and also searching the sky trying to find coordinates.
Hector is focusing on potion discovery, but he has his fair share of sky searching too, and he knows more than the rest of us, though he's been quiet as a mouse about it.
And I have paved the way for the gnomes to have a dialogue with someone, possibly myself, though more likely someone else in my family... ok, Hector. I've paved the way for Hector to talk directly with the gnomes.

All of this added together looks an awful lot like a civilization preparing for intergalactic war, natural disasters, and relocation, and possibly chemical warfare? So who's fighting who? Are the gnomes and the aliens fighting each other? Or are they teamed up against a different malevolent influence?

I tried to ask Hector, but he kept brushing me off in favor of homework. Well, if I have to get brushed off for something, homework is an ok thing to brush me off for. Though, if we're being honest I think he was using that as an excuse not to talk to me. Was he ordered to keep me out of it or something?




After dinner the kids helped me clean up, which was nice, even though they both stayed silent about anything aside from the normal things families talk about. We talked about the weather, Raquel being the happiest about the snow, of course. We talked about their least favorite teacher at school, and Hector warned Raquel about a certain science nazi that she'd be sure to meet once she was in high school. It was rather mundane and oddly comforting. Sure, I would have liked to glean a little bit of useful information, but it was nice that in the midst of this intergalactic scheme we were able to enjoy a quiet, normal, mundane evening.






















Later that evening I helped Raquel with her homework, although she didn't really seem to need my help. It made me feel better, though. And it was nice to spend some time just me and her, it had been a while since we'd had any mother/daughter time, you see.






















Hector spent the evening working on his lab station, which you might notice had been remodeled slightly. Or the room had been remodeled anyway.






















Actually so had out living room, apparently someone was collecting ugly rocks to display. I'm not sure if that was from the gnomes, or if Hector had something to do with it. Either way, I hope that these rocks serve some purpose, because they don't really fit my idea of good decoration for a family room.























Then the day was over. We all went to bed, and I tried to forget about everything that I didn't know and just enjoy falling asleep next to my husband.

Perpetually confused and curious,

Lynn Sw0rd






















~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, okay, you probably noticed that one of the pictures was out of order, but try to ignore it, and sorry about the wall of text in the beginning, but let's chalk both up to plot issues, huh?

DOARS- Week 6 Day 4- Ambassador To The Stars

Welcome back readers!

Now I bet you're wondering where I'm going with this plot, right? Well, it is going somewhere! It just might take a while to get there. I know I'm getting kind of tired of worried Lynn, but my game is just taking soo long to get to the point where I want it to be with this story line, so be patient (that's mainly for me)!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

Today is a game day! I'm pumped already and I haven't even hit the treadmill, yet. I'll just take this time to pause and remember my first day on the treadmill. Do you remember it?

I was completely new to town, and new to the treadmill. I used to think it was trying to kill me. I wasn't even being funny, I seriously thought that would be the end of me. It was my first day in Sunset Valley and I already thought some unknown force was trying to kill me! You probably thought I was a whacko, didn't you? It makes me wonder what in the world made you stick around until you got this far with me...

Well, I met Cycl0n3 that day just after I got off that death trap and he told me all kinds of things that new acquaintances just shouldn't tell you. (Really Cycl0n3, WHY in the world did you trust me enough to share your favorite color?)







 To this day I wonder what in the world brought us together. Everything was working against us! Still, though, there was something oddly charming about him, even from the first time I visited his house and learned his most embarrassing secret.



When I think back to that day it puts everything into perspective for me. It wasn't love at first sight with Cycl0n3, and it wasn't easy to use the treadmill, but somehow they both became intrinsic parts of my life, and now I can't imagine living without them.

I might be scared (although desperately trying to hide it) about the future and about my family, but in a few weeks, I'll feel comfortable and at ease with everything and I'll probably laugh at myself for freaking out in the first place. Until I get there, I guess I'll just have to be brave, and really, what could happen to me with Cycl0n3 by my side? We're unconquerable.

I know you're not here to reminisce with me, so I'll just get with my day, huh?

Game days are always fun, for one they mean significantly less work hours, so more time with the family, and for two, going to a free game is a great family outing for everyone. I know it's probably narcissistic of me, but I like that my family bonds over my talents. It makes me feel like none of this could have happened without me. Well, I mean, of course it couldn't have... but... I guess I'm just saying that it's nice to know that I'm needed. 

I try to show my appreciation and love to my family, but sometimes I get too caught up in conspiracies and worry that I forget to be the loving mother and wife that I am. So today I'm going to try to stop and smell the roses and make sure that my family knows how much I appreciate them. And first on the list of things to do was upgrade my husband's nectar maker, he'd been complaining about it not crushing very well, but now I've definitely taken care of that.

Meanwhile, Cycl0n3 got up and is furthering his interest in battle tactics. Now, I'm sure you've heard that that's what chess is, a battle between the white pieces and the black pieces. I'd be lying if I said that my husband researching how to lead an army didn't bother me, especially with ... you know... everything, but it's okay. He's a really brilliant man, and there's probably no one better that they could assign to whatever it is they've assigned him to. 

Apparently our son has been doing pretty well with his assignment, too. I heard some cheers and "yippeee"s this morning, so I guess he found something exciting. Hector and I haven't had the smoothest relationship, as I'm sure you've noticed, but I'm genuinely happy that he's succeeding. 

The kids got off to school just in time today. You know some day I just know that I'll have to take one of them to school because they missed the bus. I can't really blame them, though, it seems like what they're working on is more important that school, but I'm not going to tell them that. I'm just happy they aren't skipping school and that they still do their homework.

Well, I going to start delivering the gifts to Hector. I've kept them for a while, but he really should have them. They were for him, and who knows, maybe they'll help him to do whatever it is he's supposed to be doing. I'm not sure why he needs a tiny plant, but who am I to say it's not useful?

When I think about it, I'd hate it if someone started hoarding the gnome laundry simply because they could tell it wasn't ours. That would really keep me from acquiring a gnome ambassador, which could be really important. I mean, opening a dialogue can only be a good thing. Maybe I'll actually find out what's going on! I tell you, I wish my family would just clue me in! But, I'm not going to complain about it, because they love me, and if they're not telling me, I'm sure they have a good reason.

Yet again, this load of laundry does not have a gnome in it. I know they're rare, but this is getting ridiculous. What if time is running out? What if I can't meet the ambassador in time and something terrible happens? The worst part is, I have absolutely no information. My husband is learning military tactics, my son and daughter are making weird potions and studying the stars, and me? I'm doing laundry. Endless laundry. I'm sure it's important, I'm sure it's vital to whatever is going on, but surely there's something else I could do, I mean, laundry is great, but it doesn't take that long to do it. I could be doing something else in my spare time.

I digress, today is about enjoying the simple things in life. Today I'm stopping to smell the roses, so after I did the laundry, Cycl0n3 and I spent some very nice time together. Sometimes we get distracted and don't make the time to talk, but today we did.

Now, I have an idea what you might be thinking. You're probably asking me why I don't ask Cycl0n3 about what's going on. He surely knows more than I do, what with his secretive meetings at the supermarket and his military tactics. That's a very good point. In fact, I did ask him about it today, but he couldn't tell me anything. Though he did promise to tell me everything he knew eventually, so I guess that's something, and he did tell me that the only person who really had any details about what was going on was Hector, so he'd be the real one to ask.






















Well, I put some more laundry in the wash and left for my first game as an MVP- which I'm happy to say we won. 5-4. It was a little too tight for my comfort, honestly. I prefer to cream the other team, but we still won, so my bosses were happy. They said that they'd have some exciting things to tell me on Friday, and I think both you and I know what that means. Superstar Athlete here I come!

Although I was hoping the family would come to see my game, they decided to be responsible and do their homework, so I can't be mad at them for that. It's nice that they worked on it together. I mean, I know it didn't help Hector at all, but I'm sure Raquel enjoyed having someone to help her there. I feel a little bad about Raquel and her homework, honestly. It seems like when Hector was that age, Cycl0n3 and I were always around to answer his questions and walk him through it, but we kind of leave Raquel to her own devices. Her grades are good, though (better than Hector's were) so I guess I'm probably worrying about nothing.

Hector, being useful and the only one who really knows what's going on, did the laundry for me while I was out, which I really did appreciate. Lately he's seemed to have a nervous sort of energy about him, like he's trying to be patient, but time is slipping by too quickly. Or, well, that's how he seems to me. I suppose that's where my nervousness over the time frame of everything is coming from, because if he's nervous and knows what's going on, I have double the reason to be nervous! I kind of feel like I'm meandering around in the dark trying not to trip over invisible obstacles! Back to the subject, though, I'm glad that Hector did the laundry for me, I think that was very helpful of him, and I'll have to thank him for it when I get the chance.

Hector and Raquel both went to bed before I got home, which really surprised me, since I get home pretty early on game days. I haven't officially asked if Hector is staying up at night to work on his stuff, but I don't think I really need to. As long as he goes to school and does his homework, then I'm not going to get onto him about it.






I wish Raquel wouldn't do it, too, though! Oh well, I guess the night time is the best time for star studying, which seems to be the main thing she's been investigating.

However, my children's peculiar sleeping habits did give Cycl0n3 and I a little more one on one time together, which I'm thankful for. It was a very nice way to finish off my day.


The laundry woman,

Lynn Sw0rd

"Soon now, soon..."

Another new post that's not about DOARS...?

Why, yes, I am posting again about something unrelated to the DOARS- though not really unrelated if you read my last post. I just thought I'd post a pic of the planters. :)

Supernatural! Or Naturally Super... (as everyone is saying)

Hello there!

Well, my next generation rolled homemade and they're into their teens, so I was getting nervous, because they had been so tight on money that Cycl0n3 sold all their fruits and veggies just before the fall, and it got cold quick, so the plants went dormant. Yeah. For those of you who aren't aware of Random Legacy Rules- when a generation is homemade (starting when they become YA) everything they eat must be grown on their lot, you cannot fix anything that has a price next to it, and you cannot eat anything that is not cooked at home. Yeah.

So I had been ignoring it, but I was well aware that I was headed for Random Legacy death simply because it will be spring for only a day or two (if that) before Hector becomes a YA and that isn't enough time to grow anything.

But then, origin put SN on sale and there was hope! SN brings planters to the game, planters that don't go dormant! Yay. It also comes with some other really great stuff and (unexpectedly) the PERFECT trait for my simself- Proper! YAY!

All in all I'm happy with my purchase, and here's some random shots from it. :D

Eotteokae? 어떠개? 어떠개???

Hello readers!

Why yes I have been trying a littler harder with my Korean, thanks for asking! :) Now onto the point of this post.

I have a dilemma when it comes to who is to inherit our lovely DOARS. Here's my problem:
I love Raquel, but from a logical standpoint Hector is the obvious heir.
Hector has the right personality for Gen 2 (which I just re-looked up and it's actually Thief and not Emperor of Evil), and he's a boy which means he won't have any maternity time off work, and the next generation rolled 5 kids, so that could be really important. My storyline with the aliens is sort of centering around him, too.
... but I love Raquel. She's by far my favorite. I mean Hector is okay, he certainly has a better mix of Lynn and Cyl0n3's genetics (Raquel is Lynn's clone). And Raquel isn't right for this next generation, how could she become a Master Thief? (well, I have an idea, but it isn't terribly realistic). So I've told myself from the day Hector was born that he'd inherit, but... well, I just really like Raquel. :-/
So I'm going to ask you guys for imput!

This is my first official heir poll for the doars! I'm posting it on the side (to the upper right) and I hope you will weigh in, cos otherwise I will have to decide! Eeeeks. Anyways the poll will be up for a week.

DOARS- Week 6 Day 3- Maybe I'm Crazy

Dear Readers,

We're several days behind where I've played, and my head is feeling slightly okay today, so we're eligible for another posting spree! Now please don't get scared off, I'm sure that soon (just like the last week or two) I won't be posting, so please read these at your own pace. Also, I don't promise a posting spree, just that the DOARS are eligible and one might occur in the next few days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

My entries have been a lot about gnomes and nervousness and aliens and who know what else. You probably think I've lost my mind at this point, don't you?

Well today we're going to mix things up and try to have a perfectly normal entry, how about that? No gnomes, no aliens, nothing remotely related to a conspiracy.






Cycl0n3 and I promptly woke up at 5:30. He woke up in my arms which was a nice change of pace for us, though I hope that tomorrow goes back to how it usually is, you understand, I'm sure.

The family started out our morning as we were wont to do. I started some laundry, Cycl0n3 started breakfast and the kids ate some leftovers and finished up their homework. Actually I must say that I was pleased to see Raquel working on her homework this morning. After yesterday's homework swapping debacle, I just figured that Hector had finished it for her, but apparently he only did half of it. Now, I know what you're thinking, Hector still did part of her homework, so why in the world am I letting them off the hook on this one? Well, I have three answers for you: A) Why are my parenting techniques any of your business? B) Do you even know what the homework was? Maybe it was an interview with a sibling, did you think of that? and C) I really don't have any proof that it was her homework he worked on, I just get the feeling it was.

Plus,when I talked to Raquel she went on and on about how the computer could be used to compute the exact location of the alien homeworld and then we could find some way to help them. Let's ignore that for now shall we. But as a quick off topic remark- how in the world did she find out what's going on? Who in the world is talking to my family, and why aren't they telling me? Can't I know what's going on, too?

Well, the kids were sent off to school and I worked on a present for my husband. He had been bringing home all sorts of seeds, so I prepared another sprinkler so that he could expand his garden without expanding his workload too much.

Cycl0n3 has really been getting into Nectar Making, but the silly man won't let me drink any of it. Something about it aging properly. Now, now, don't think I'm being mean, I understand that it has to age and mature before it's really a drinkable and delightful nectar, but I'm just not patient. It would be nice to relax at the end of the day and have a glass of nectar and maybe a bubble bath. The good news, though, is that Cycl0n3 says his first batch should be ready before we're old, so I guess I shouldn't be too discouraged.

As soon as he started the nectar making process he got struck by lightning! I thought he was going to die! It was so scary. I told myself that for sure he would be the first casualty of war in the family. He almost was, too, but fortunately he pulled through, and he was just fine by the end of the night. I guess getting struck by lightning isn't as serious as I always thought it was. Who knew?

Now, don't get me wrong, though, I don't want anyone else to get struck again, no matter how non-deadly it might be, Cycl0n3 tells me that it's awfully painful, and I really hope that my family is more careful about being out in the rain from now on.

The kids got home after I headed off to work, and Hector got down to his homework right away. I've never had a problem with him doing his homework. He might make questionable decisions in life, he might be involved in some shady activities (that I'm trying to not mention in this entry), but if there's one thing I can count on him for, it's doing his homework. I really admire that kind of work ethic, don't you?

Raquel, though, is starting out her school years with a slightly different attitude regarding homework. She's just so focused on whatever she's working on that everything else seems to slip her mind... even homework... or food.... and probably sleep if we didn't get onto her about it. It seems she's following in her brother's footsteps when it comes to potion making. Well, I'm sure she knows what she's doing... right?

It's nice to see that my son wants to carry on the family laundry tradition. I know he'll keep his family clothed in the most well cleaned garments. That's comforting. No really, it is comforting. there's nothing worse than a family all wearing dirty clothes. Especially if that family is tiny and zips around from place to place staying out of sim view, but let's not talk about that today, huh?

Raquel and Cycl0n3 had dinner together today. I love watching them hang out, it's so sweet. They seemed worried and tense today, though, so I hope everything is okay. For as much as my family cues me in to what's going on I probably won't hear a word about what's wrong. Sometimes I wish I wasn't quite as obtuse as I am. Then I might actually learn a thing or two from observation.










For some reason that I won't theorize about here, both of the kids decided to go to bed early. I mean, I get of work at 6 and I'm home by 6:30, but the kids were already asleep before I got home today. I guess I should be glad that I don't have kids who pester me about staying up late every night. Some nights it might be fun to be pestered, though. I want to have all those normal parenting experiences that I hear about. But oh well! I just think my kids aren't normal, but that's okay! They're fantastic kids (yes, even Hector) so I can't complain about them too much, er... well... I shouldn't complain about them too much. There we go, that's a more accurate thing to say.














Well, tomorrow is a game day, so Cycl0n3 and I went to bed early as well.

Hoping tomorrow will be fantastic,

Lynn Sw0rd












~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt from Hector's Diary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think my parents might have figured out that I'm not sleeping at night. They haven't mentioned anything about it, though so I'm not going to worry about it.



 Besides, my work is far too important to jeopardize for a few fears about my parents.



 Especially because the Aliens are taking me to their homeworld tonight. Only for a little while, now, don't freak out.

Their ship was amazing, it was the most technologically advanced thing I had ever seen! And their homeworld, aside from the war torn areas, was magnificent and beautiful. Their race is definitely worth saving. They still haven't told me their grand plan for saving the race, but they have given me a few assignments. The current one is to report back to them with the potions that I'm discovering. Apparently they need a certain chemical compound, though I'm not sure if it's going into the offensive or defensive side of this war.






A member of their Elder Council dropped me off, Zhiddezoe Polination Technician, and she gave me strict instructions to keep my mission a secret from everyone. That was new. You might recall that Rommich encouraged me to bring my mother into the equation, and since then outside sources have alerted both my sister and my father to at least part of this scheme. Now, I know I'm not the kindest guy around, but all this tiptoeing around my family is getting old. I can tell how stressed my mother is about it. She hates the unknown. I wish I had gotten up the courage to bring her in on all of this before I was given the hush order.

It's too late to change that now, so we'll have to hope for the best.
.... But Zhiddezoe also left me with a warning that ran chills down my spine, we're close to the end game of this war, and soon they'll need me more than ever.

~~~~~~~~~
Factoid: Cycl0n3 and Raquel spend a lot of time together, but since he didn't teach her any of her skills as a tot, they actually aren't even friends! It's quite sad, but they act like they're two peas in a pod, so I left that tid bit out of the story.