Prosperity Challenge - 12.4 (Days/Years 34-36 - Lind and Band House)
I've had half of this entry sitting here, saved, for six months at least. I peeked back at Winterfell today, and I was so sad that I'd let the neighborhood stagnate. So, making no promises, here's another update with what little I can remember from all this!
Lind
Remember the Linds? Tacky house, tacky life, etc.? Melanie, former cheerleader, and her daughter Oralia have been living on their own in Melanie's poorly designed townhouse.
Fortunately, Melanie saved up enough to move to a new lot (built by plasticbox from MTS2). No longer will she route every path through the garage!
This is from the old house, but it's one of the better shots of Oralia as a toddler that I've got. She looks so innocent...how long until her parentage rears its ugly head and turns her into a mean-spirited prankster? (mordana666 has correctly identified the cow mascot as Oralia's father!)
Dorian (the cow) came around to see Melanie for what he was hoping would be a quick session between the sheets, only to find himself face-to-face with his heretofore unknown offspring. He'd known Melanie had been pregnant, but never imagined he might be the father until he laid eyes on his child. Once he had though, it seemed obvious. His hair, his eyes...his face.
Melanie, when pressed, admitted he was a candidate, and consented to letting him spend some supervised (by the nanny) time with Oralia. He wasn't sure how he felt about this new development. She was cute, to be sure, but he was a single guy with no plans to settle down.
He and the nanny butted heads, as he did with most people. The nanny disagreed with every move he made around Oralia.
He quickly gave up on babysitting, content to watch Melanie parent. He wondered whether the mysterious force that compelled him to wear his mascot uniform everywhere was the same one that occasionally made Melanie dress up as a llama. Would Oralia inherit her parents' strange compulsions?
He found himself invited to his probable daughter's birthday party, only to witness Melanie shamelessly flirting with some robot. He thought he was a pretty open-minded guy, but this was the mother of his child. He'd thought they had come to some kind of understanding.
Once Melanie realized that she had offended him, she was quick to apologize - but only for doing it right in front of him. She'd honestly thought he wouldn't mind.
They quickly made up - and Melanie began to wonder if Oralia might need a father after all.
She was growing up so fast...
Band House
Another promotion, another humiliating outfit, eh Eli?
It was a very big day for everyone in the band house, as they liked to refer to it. Abe and Eleanore's birthday had finally arrived. No more diapers, crib screams, or complete dependence. They were coming in to their own.
Eleanore, everyone knew immediately, was going to make all the boys cry. (I got new eyes!)
Abe was his own brand of adorable, but didn't have his sister's instinct for troublemaking.
She could be hard to get along with. Sweet Abe often got his feelings hurt.
Shena, to her surprise (and disquiet), found herself pregnant again. Two kids at once had seemed like the perfect arrangement - now the pooping and screaming cycle was going to start all over!
Eli, for his part, was delighted. Well, he didn't have to get fat and hormonal!
She had to admit that the kids she had were well worth it.
They were very excited for the new arrival. Abe thought a little brother would be nice to play catch with. Eleanore was already plotting to use the new baby for practicing makeovers.
The delivery was just as bad as Shena remembered it.
But the payoff still managed to surprise her. (Meet baby Archie! I think that's his name. It's been SO long!)