The Lazlo Legacy—Grace 3.1

Welcome back to The Lazlo Legacy. This week we are visiting the lot of Grace Russell.

Grace immediately tries to get on the good side of her mother-in-law-to-be, Hilary Bumgarner, by cooking breakfast.

Grace’s efforts are wasted because Hilary is more interested in discussing her son’s future.

Hilary: Sean, dear, I just know you could become a tennis pro. I can see you winning Simbledon some day!

Sean: Mother, I’m surprised. I assumed you wanted me to become a World Renowned Surgeon like Father.

Sean’s course is already set, however. He is going to become the Leader of the Free World, so he heads to City Hall to get a job.

He runs into Elaine Irvine, the mother of Leaf’s girlfriend, Jessica.

Sean: Good morning, Mrs. Irvine.

Elaine: Why, Sean, it’s wonderful to see you. My, you’ve grown up into quite a ruggedly, handsome, virile young man!

Sean: Thanks.

Elaine: What brings you down to City Hall?

Sean: I just joined the Mayor’s re-election campaign.

Elaine: Oh, so you’re joining the political arena? Well, you can count on me to become one of your most dedicated constituents.

Me: Sean, step away from the cougar right now.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Sunday night is family night, so Grace invited her family over. Her father, Mason, was the first to show up.

Me: Say, Sean, is there anything you’d like to discuss with your girlfriend’s father?

Sean: Nope, I’m good.

Grace’s sisters, Love and Hope, also came. The girls seem enamored of their brother-in-law-to-be. They fawned over him like he was a movie star. To tell the truth, Sean does reminds me of someone. I just can’t put my finger on who. Maybe if he had fangs it would become clearer….

The next day is Graduation Day for Grace.

Most Likely to Take Over the World? Back off, that’s Leaf’s mission. With Grace entering the Film Career and Sean climbing the Political Ladder, they are poised to become the Power Couple of Harmony.

After graduating, she switched back into her everyday attire.

Me: Why did you get out of your robe so soon? I wasn’t done taking pictures.

Grace: I had to. It’s hot as Hades outside. When are we going to get snow?

Me: Apparently not in March.

Lauren Kline is Sean’s sister. He also has a toddler sister named Jane who I left behind with Lauren and her husband, Kirby, when I moved Sean, Hilary, and Phil (Sean’s dad) out of the family home. (I just didn’t feel like dealing with a toddler.)

Like the Film industry, politics is about image, so Sean does his best to stay fit. It really helps that he’s an Athletic Sim.

I love watching Sims jog across this bridge!

The following day is Sean’s Graduation Day.

I was hoping to get him a good breakfast before he had to go down to City Hall, but I was too slow. The game cancelled everyone’s actions and pushed them to City Hall. Unfortunately, Grace was cooking at the time. You know where this is going…

I love the sideways cap on Sean! Now he reminds me of a rapper whose name sounds like a brand of candy. [Useless Trivia: My first job post-college was IT consulting for M&M/Mars.]

Looks like someone else is graduating today too. Both of these Sims come from families who are native to Harmony.

What fire, you may ask?

This fire. It also took out the counter to the right of the stove.

Girl, you are just wrong. First of all, you are the one that left the pan on the stove, not Phil. Second of all, this man will be your father-in-law someday.

In case anyone has forgotten, Grace has the Evil trait. It seems to come out most when she’s around Sean’s parents.

Most Popular seems appropriate. I hope his classmates continue to exercise their right to vote in the future.

Victory dance!

For the first time ever (Do you notice EA always uses that phrase in their marketing pitches? Seriously, you could make a drinking game out of it.), another townie graduates at the same ceremony as my active Sim! I was wondering if this ever happened. This is Edward Dunkin with his mom Shellie.

This is Edward’s dad Todd (Or maybe it’s Toby, I can’t remember.) In a fresh Harmony save, you can find a teenaged Todd living with his young adult brother, Max; his teenaged brother, Toby; and his child-aged sister, Macy. They are like the Salingers, except there are just four of them. Those Dunkin boys are pretty fine, too. I need to get them married into my Lazlos.

After the ceremony, Sean is starving, so I send the family to the Business Complex/Restaurant. I directed them to eat outside before I realized there were no tables outside.

Hilary is in the Journalism career and gets a Writing opportunity. I love that an Opportunity called “Add a Little Drama” features Harry Chesterman. Harry’s been doing nothing but adding drama to this hood.

Sean had a wish to go to the Library, so the family joined him.

Phil: My son, Sean, graduated with Honors today. I am so proud of him. Of course, I expected it. He gets his good looks from his lovely mother, but he gets his smarts from his old man. That boy is going to go far. He’s going to be President some day. Mark my words.

Townie Nawaf Marks: Excuse me while I go have a heart attack in the corner there.

No, seriously, Nawaf had an emergency medical situation. Lucky for him, there was a World Renowned Surgeon in the house.

Nawaf: Oh, good, nitroglycerin. It will stop my heart attack.

Phil: It sure would…if this was nitroglycerin. This is just a placebo.

Me: *stage whisper* Nawaf, if someone tries to give you nitroglycerin in liquid form, run away!

Nawaf: *engraged* A placebo? What are you giving me a placebo for?

Phil: To justify the 1500 Simoleon bill I’m going to send you. My rates are tripled after hours.

Nawaf: Why should I pay you? You’re not even giving me real medicine?

Phil: You think I’m going to waste real medicine on you? Face it, old chap, you’ve got one foot in the grave already.  Watch that temper. The last thing you need right now is high blood pressure. By the way, people over 80 days old must pay in cash.

Me: Nawaf, old age inevitably comes for each Sim, but what’s important is that a full life was lived.

Nawaf: Death sucks.

Phil: As do taxes, which you—rather, descendants of you—will be paying to my son someday. Have I told you how proud I am of that boy?

Nawaf: Grim Reaper, take me now!

I am happy to report that Nawaf made it through the end of the week. And he should consider himself lucky that he has a wife and children because I’ve been using Master Controller to Totally Annihilate single elders. Yes, I know it’s cold, but my game is lagging from the large population. There are over 250 Sims in Harmony.

Harry does it again. This time his love interest is the (ex-)sister-in-law of Jessica Irvine. I didn’t know Danita had divorced Jessica’s brother, Jake.

Later in the week, Danita’s ex-mother-in-law, Elaine comes prowling around the Russell-Bumgarner home. To her disappointment, Sean wasn’t home.  Way to mask your thoughts there, Phil!

Before he gets himself into trouble, I send him down to a bar called “The Gamer’s Hideout” to fulfill an opportunity.  I then discovered he had this sweet ride in his inventory.

I have Twallan’s Story Progression Mod configured to give Sims at the top of their careers Celebrity status. Phil is a three-star celebrity which will be helpful to Grace in fulfilling her LTW of Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous. Phil’s agent called and asked him to have a drink at The Gamer’s Hideout to earn celebrity points. I forgot the bartender’s name but I must have spent fifteen minutes in CAS trying to find an outfit that suited her.

Mission accomplished.

Yay! Grace’s first promotion.

She celebrates by taking a dip in the hot tub with Sean. Ok, actually, this was me trying to nudge them to roll some romantic wishes. It was almost the end of the week and I hadn’t seen an engagement wish yet.

Now we’re talking! Cue mini pic spam.

Obviously, they are in love, but still no engagement wishes! Grr…

Shocker! *rolls eyes*

And Sean also gets his first promotion.

Grace got invited to a party at some townie’s apartment. Oh my goodness, get this woman a maid.

The hostess didn’t like that Hilary whipped out her laptop to continue working on her book. No, sister, your funky laundry lying everywhere makes your party lame.

Sean’s little sister aged up to child. She’s still not moving in, but I suppose I should have her parents call her every now and then.

The townie we saw graduate earlier in this entry has gotten married and is expecting a child. His new wife is related to Chance’s friend, Buff Johnson.

She is his great niece to be precise, the granddaughter of his brother, Carl.

Grace’s place is starting to look as bad as that townie’s apartment, so I make the executive decision to hire an executive butler…whom I neglected to take any pictures of. For what it’s worth, her name is Jasmine Nolan.

The next morning…

 

Sean: So, I guess it’s about time I popped the question, huh?

Me: Are you for real, home slice? I’ve been trying to nudge you all week to pop the question, and now on the last day I'm playing your lot, you just wake up with the wish to propose? Are you frakkin’ kidding me?

Sean: Was just a thought.

Me: Ok, pretty boy, it’s cool. You’re going to pop the question, but you’re going to do it in style because there is actually one feature in Generations that I like. Before you get the girl, you’ve got to get her dad’s blessing.

Sean: Are you serious? What is this, 1811?

Me: Lest you forget, Sean, the Lazlos practice strict family values. Asking for the father’s blessing falls right in line with that. You’re the first couple in this legacy that has had the opportunity.

Sean: *grumbling*

Sean found Mason in the seedy part of town. I assume Mason was in the middle of a job. He seems so wholesome doting over his six kids that I forget he is in the Criminal Career track.

Sean: Mr. Russell, I’d like to ask you something.

Mason: What is it, son?

Sean: Mr. Russell, I know we’re young, but I know in my heart Grace is the one for me. When she’s near me my whole world is light, and when we’re apart it’s like I’m on the dark side of the moon.

Me: I think I’m going to be sick.

Sean: I promise you and Mrs. Russell that I’m going to take good care of her…forever. If you would give us your blessing to get married, it would make me the happiest man on the planet…no, the happiest man in the universe! Please, Mr. Russell? What do you say?

Mason: ‘Kay.

Sean: Really?

Sean: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sir!

Mason: You’re a good kid, Sean. Go make my daughter happy.

Sean: Can I call you “Dad?”

Mason: Don’t push it.

I’m not going to lie. The exchange between Mason and Sean made me tear up a little. I know I have griped about Generations to no end, but EAxis got this one right.

Well, by the time Sean got Mason’s blessing, it was too late to throw the wedding party. But I didn’t want to wait until their next turn for them to get engaged.

So, Sean asked Grace to watch the stars with him.

Oops, he forgot his Tic Tacs!

Grace: Aren’t the stars beautiful, Sean?

Sean: Not as beautiful as you.

Grace: *laughing* I can’t believe you used that lame line.

Sean: Sorry, Grace. I just want this night to be perfect.

Grace: It is perfect. It reminds me of Prom night.

Sean: You remember that shooting star we saw? I made a wish-

Grace: Stop! You can’t tell me your wish. It won’t come true.

Sean: Marry me, Grace.

Grace: What?!

Sean: I’ve known since Prom night you were the one. Will you marry me?

Aw, her eyes remind me of Adaeze’s when Justice proposed.

Grace: Yes, Sean, of course I’ll marry you.

Sean: *whispered* My wish came true.

Seriously?! We’re trying to have a moment here! Well, that’s all for this week. Next up, we visit Grace’s family of origin.

Grace: Girl, he went to Jared’s!

Completion Challenge Scoring:

Unique Traits: 27

Careers:  3

LTW: 6

Skill Challenges: 15

Paranormal: 1

Miscellaneous: 2

Total Points: 54