#priyanka straud

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

With Ruby graduating high school early, this means we are officially ready to move on from Gen 3! So here's some outtakes from Priya's time in the sun.

One Crystal Crafter final achievement unlocked...

...And another. Thanks to her PRISTINE reputation, they also became instant pals.

Teaching the Hermit how to knit.

Greg looking after infant Ruby - see it's just a nice normal wholesome family camping trip!

I can't tell who here is more over the skill grind.

Mother and daughter knitting date.

Greg's little corner of the world.

The Watcher had a brief moment of excitement when he wandered over towards the yoga mat (we'd been speculating on whether or not he'd use it), but alas.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

I think the Yoga participants that we forced into joining with the Clubs mechanism who willingly signed on for this can agree on one thing and one thing alone: a raincloud would have been a better choice of insignia. No one looked like they were having fun xD

Except for Ruby (off-screen) who we sent upstairs to the children's area and who got to skill up without the unnecessary help from her mother - thank you very much INDEPENDENT trait...

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Learning to Crawl: Expectations versus...

... Reality.

ramblings below the cut

(Full disclosure: she aged up looking me-hued so I did a little CAS surgery and made her skin tone look more like her mother's. I know that you get very pale white-passing multiracial people irl, but it kind of gives me the ick when due to how in-game genetics work, Sims bear no resemblance at all to their POC coded parent. But she can keep the platinum blonde hair. I have no idea who that is from xD)

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

We wanted multiples. We prepared for multiples. We even wore the charged jewelry for multiples.

Alas.

Anyhoo. Meet Ruby Straud, dormant wolf. And wave goodbye to the last two bassinets. We may never see their like again.

Will Ruby be the one to hammer in the final nail when it comes to Vlad's profile? Only time will tell.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

When I did the "try for baby" interaction, I was not expecting this

The Watcher: Why are you two running right past that WooHoo bush - oh.

He also refused to leave. Maybe since he was around back in ye olden times of horses and buggies, he thought it unseemly to rush straight back to his crabby hermit shack or something.

(He also tried to make friends with the - understandably - terrified dog, but alas.)

The eventual walk of shame. Should we really be calling it a walk of 'shame' these days anyway? I nominate the walk of fame.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

oh my freaking watcher, @mannylikessims and @akitasimblr and others - to test out my wip Moonwood Library revamp I had Priya start a yoga class... and look who stomped over to join her!

Either he's turned over a new leaf or (more likely) he realises the importance of mindfulness to future crime lords too.

(Yes the yoga mats are hovering. I used 0-9 to get them onto the platform but will see if I can figure out a way around this...)

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Priya's been talking up Wellness to everyone with four legs and a working pair of ears in Moonwood Mill - and well, this is the result.

When I say that everyone's got in on the act, I mean everyone. Sadly I didn't see Greg's name on any of those jars.

Is this the Herbalism equivalent of white cake baking? Stay tuned.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

I mean, if ever a Sim needed them...

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Gifted Rory a moonstone bracelet (it reduces spellcaster charge/thirst/fury aaand Rory was the first person to come to mind for that last one xD) and that is Tier One of the CRYSTAL CRAFTER aspiration completed!

Bonus: Wolfgang being the cutest plus [redacted individual] beneath the cut.

I mean, who better to finally banish Vlad from sight, yes? Also considering Wolfgang, Rory (or Kristopher who always wants a nooboo) but the lore just writes itself.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Probably reflecting that Kristopher should have nominated literally anyone else to lead the welcoming committee 🤔

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Priya, but those HEADSTRONG and GOOD MANNERS traits are worth every long second I spent grinding for them, as you could never tell by looking at her.

(Also via Grandfather Caleb, Lily is a relation of some kind. First cousin twice removed, I think?)

Priya is due to start university whenever I can be bothered to have her check her application. For her gen I liked the idea of her being 'occult adjacent,' so she aims to max out HERBALISM and GEMOLOGY in order to help others take better care of themselves. I will have to pick what she majors in carefully*, as the TOP NOTCH TODDLER trait is no joke (seriously, just from a few days in Granite Falls she's already at Level 8 in the hated herbalism...).

*jic you didn't know style tip: Discover University doesn't appear to count what skill level you are but how much you progress in it, as I've had Sims with a max skill receive academic warnings, in spite of them doing all their coursework and showing up to class. So how do you like Robotics, Priya?

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Now officially joining @whyeverr and other victims of the HERBALISM skill on the grind.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

While we wait to hear back from our university applications, why not go camping? The notoriously grindy HERBALISM skill versus GENIUS, HEADSTRONG + TOP NOTCH TODDLER traits (with a sizable assist from verdant mushrooms tbh) - you don't stand a chance...

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

First legal drink, featuring the disappearing bar 👍

Just handwaving how her hair suddenly got very long - one of her dads is a spellcaster, you know? I was messing around in CAS and it struck me that she looked like a 60's era singer-songwriter of the Joan Baez/Grace Slick mold (yeah, Grace's face is rounder and with more stereotypically feminine features - it's the vibe or something) so I decided to lean into it.

TRAITS: Freegan, Genius, Dog Lover REWARD TRAITS: Gregarious (aspirational), Top Notch Infant, Top Notch Toddler, Weak Bloodline (spellcaster dad), Headstrong, Idea Person, High Self Esteem, Responsible, Good Manners, Mediator, Emotional Control, Graduated High School Early, Observant, Steel Bladder, Always Welcome ASPIRATION: Friend of the World

Also as adorable as Victor/Rahul were, I am so so glad to be playing a household of one for the next while. I don't know if it's a bug or if I was just unlucky but it was the worst gen I had in a while in terms of everyone cancelling interactions for no apparent reason. Example: they couldn't figure out how to do the laundry, even when I added a washing machine/dryer combo and placed the basket right next to the duo. And with that plus the usual drag-drag-draggity (and not in the fun Trixie Mattel way) that is High School Years on a good day, I'm surprised that I'm not reaching for the potato juice by now.

priya's post cake day selfies

Again, the Straud features are still present and the long center parted hair I gave her enunciates them more, but imo I don't think they're anything to hide? It's nice to have a Sim without the Same Face Syndrome that I fall into without meaning to.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Priyanka (or "Priya") is now at school and even with my rebuild where I condensed everything to two floors and ejected the basement into the sun, it takes soooo long to get anywhere.

So long that for every day I accompany her to school, I lose a year of my life...

And she has a crush on Morgan Fyres.

some selfies

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Before and after.

post cake day selfies

Yeah, Rahul's facial features totally drank a Red Bull and blasted "Eye of the Tiger" before this one.

Still very much a Straud in profile, but she looks more like a real person and less like a caricature. I think the chin and nose actually suit her. In CAS she didn't suit a super 'girlie' look so I gave her something a little more alternative and artsy.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

The TEACH HOW TO RIDE A BICYCLE interaction is the cutest when it ducking works...

And yes, Victor is fully embracing the farm life! Also being a spellcaster is very useful when it comes to weeding those glitched plants that EA has still not fixed :/