#theo golzine

[nocturnalazure]

Would Theo have accepted Erik and Laurie's relationship?

Question raised by @danjaley during the non-canon Xmas Special (in not so many words, but I extrapolate :D). Thank you for the opportunity to let me blabber about my blorbos!

Theo would definitely have had no trouble with his grandson being in a couple with a Golzine man. For one simple reason: Jeong Sen.

Sen was Theo's right-hand man for decades. He was a bastard son of the former Hei boss, and Theo literally bought him in cash from the Hei clan. He lived under the Golzine roof and helped raise Nathaniel. Sen has been fully devoted to Theo, even when it jeopardized his brotherly relationship with Nate. And he never talked about himself, never hinted about his feelings or what he wanted from life. He never seemed interested in pursuing a relationship with anyone, man or woman alike.

It was enough for Sen to be Theo's shadow. He knew that Theo rarely gave his trust, and considered it a privilege that he was given a second chance. Sen was a very private man, and he would have died rather than letting anything get in the way of his position alongside his boss. My take however, is that his feelings for Theo were more than just admiration. And that Theo was aware of it.

Mind you, there was never any ambiguity in their relationship. Even if he hadn't been straight, Theo was married and very much in love with his wife. Sen would never have presumed anything on that part. The lines were very clear, and he was happy to follow them.

So yes, Theo would understand that sometimes, what you think is loyalty turns out to be something more. But in the end, personal preferences and origins don't matter at all to him. What matters is whether you can do the job.

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Golzines

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For those interested, I have made a music video with all the Xmas Special shots!

As (ominously) explained by Grimmy, this was completely non-canon, so not really an update per se. There are too many impossibilities. Sam and Laurie have a 15-year age gap, but they look almost the same age in this shooting. Theo would have been way too old to still be alive (although I did make him look older than he was in the story when he died, thank you @danjaley for the grandfather poses!). Elsie would never have been adopted by Ivy and given to Laurie. Even Sam and Nathaniel's conflict was cleared too easily.

I have already shown two Christmases at the Golzine's, and those were part of the story itself. The first one was in 2014, when Nathaniel and Ivy had just gotten together. The second Christmas was in 2018, and that was when Sam and Nathaniel's relationship had deteriorated. But this time, for once, I wanted to see all the family members together, as they could have been if they had all been alive and closer in age. In this one, Ange is over the moon: she has felt isolated for so long, she would have loved taking care of a big family. Theo is grumpy, first because he's getting old, but also because he still sees Ash as Nathaniel's mistake and therefore doesn't consider him part of the family. He can't help but snap at his son, and Nathaniel can't help but be resentful. Nate pulls a face when he gets out of the car because he dreads spending a whole evening getting criticized by his father. Which starts the moment Nate sets foot in the house: he's not wearing a tie and that is unacceptable! On the other hand, Theo's soft spot for Sam is clearly visible when she gives him a peck on the cheek and he's the one who claps the loudest when Ange presents her cake! :D (the cake itself is the baked angel food cake, because of course that is what Ange would bake)

As for Sam and Laurie, I've always described their relationship as 'healthy competition'', but I have a feeling that Sam would get on Laurie's nerves sometimes: she's quite a handful, let's be honest. :D That, and she is still the favorite child. But they love teasing each other, and when they're not playfully fighting over who the actual heir is, they sure know how to work together. Ivy plays it cool but she is so proud of her kids (I love that pic of her with Laurie and Sam!). And she's generous in accepting Ash unconditionally.

Laurie and Ash would have gotten along like two peas in a pod. That's why I showed the two of them having a walk in the snow, engrossed in their conversation. And I think Nathaniel would have been really happy for an opportunity to get to know Ash.

Erik (who does not wear the ankh necklace, which means that his father is also alive and well :)) would have felt very awkward, being formally introduced as Laurie's boyfriend. He's very much aware that he's lower on the social scale and he would have been dead scared of Theo! xD Laurie would have briefed Erik in detail about what he should do and not do in front of his grandfather, like which fork to use and above all: "wear a tie!" Even so, Erik couldn't resist rolling up his sleeves and loosening his tie before sneaking away for a smoke. xD

Did you notice the little nods to the actual story? Erik lighting Nathaniel's cigarette like Seth has done a thousand times, Nathaniel and Ivy taking a bath together (which is how they got busted by Sen aeons ago xD), Theo kicking Laurie's ass at chess, Ash finding comfort in petting a dog, Sam and Ash platonically sharing a single bed like they did at the dorm, and of course Laurie and Erik being together in this AU, even if nothing dramatic binds them this time.

I also wanted a moment in which Laurie is the center of everyone's attention and his whole family gathers around him. The poor boy needs it so much. The spontaneous expression on his face in that unused screenshot below breaks my heart. It's like he knows this is all a dream. 💔

I had written a long, depressing post about how 2023 was one of my worst years yet on a personal level, but I will keep that one to myself, it’s out of my heart now that it’s written down. Instead of dwelling on the bad stuff, I had a lot of fun shooting this non-canon update. I’m grateful to have my little space on here, and the incredible luck to have you guys to share my story with and inspire me with your talent. I’d rather focus on that for the year to come!

Wishing you a wonderful New Year's Eve! Thank you for your support throughout 2023. ❤️

[nocturnalazure]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to simblrs whose sims you adore!!

Thank you so much for thinking of me! 💖

You wanted to know more about Golden Child Nb 2, i.e. Nathaniel. 😜 (I still can't believe he's Nb 2 though... Laurie, what have you done to me? 😭)

I fear I'm a bit chatty when it comes to him, I'm sorry!

His character changed quite a bit throughout his life. I find it difficult as a writer to show a believable evolution that can be attributed to getting older and wiser, while still being consistent with natural traits. But I think I have achieved that with him.

He loves of course both of his kids, but Sam is special to him because he had to fight for her (and against her). While Laurie has always been autonomous, maybe a bit too much so.

He'd already explained his views on being a mob boss (in short: better him than somebody else), and even if he had made his peace with it, it did by no way mean that he enjoyed what he was doing. He had always hated it, and most of all, he hated that this will be his legacy to Sam and Laurie. He saw it as a curse that he didn't know how to lift.

His ambivalent emotions towards his father were left unresolved. I thought it was more realistic that way. Theo's dying scene was meant to show his son that he loved him, even if he never said it out loud. But Nathaniel kept on living with with the feeling that his father never trusted him.

His relationship with Seth is at the root of Laurie and Erik's current relationship. I adored the way Nathaniel and Seth interacted and while it was simply inconceivable between them, I did want something more to develop at some point between a Golzine heir and their lieutenant (I also tried it with Sam and Lance, but it was a very different relationship). So blame Nate and Seth if Laurie and Erik are in the position that they're in right now. xD

[nocturnalazure]

sweet beginnings tag

This tag is all about looking at your past. All you need to do is to find one of the first screenshots you ever took (preferably also published), and post it beside the recent one! And tell everybody when you took that first picture! Oh, and don’t forget to tag your posts! #sweet beginnings tag

Thank you for tagging me @descendantdragfi, @greenplumbboblover, @obscurus-noctem and @eternal-infamy!

❤️‍💜💚🖤

This is going to be long.

I had already posted the very first picture I ever took with the Sims but I can't find it anymore. Anyway, here it is (dated May 2010): get ready to be dazzled.

Such talent already. Much awe and impress.

The man in the picture is a Golzine, of course. Sid Golzine to be precise, ie Laurie's great-great-grand-uncle. Lisa will give birth to Emily and Tim's grand-father. In fact, their family bloodline is the true one. Laurie's bloodline originates from Sid's brother Ludo who adopted a son.

But this is not the first pic of the story and definitely not representative of what I do today. It just can't be compared to anything.

For a more relevant comparison, maybe I should show you how I used to write AFATWG at the time. So this is what my very first post on WordPress looked like in January 2013. It is no longer available (published privately only) and has not been translated from French.

The first pic is of little Paula Leneuf, who will be Theo Golzine's mother, ie Laurie's great-grand-mother. (In my defense, I wasn't taking pics to illustrate the story at the time. I wrote it for myself, and was using pics as prompts. Then I started taking more and more pics... and well, here we are.)

This here Tumblr was opened in July 2013, and I initially only used it to summarize the WordPress updates, like in this post here. Looking at it made me tear up a little: I was right in the middle of writing Seth and Nathaniel's teenage years. 🥹 This is what the WP updates looked like in July 2013 (the update was about Seth having a part-time job as a mechanic. That guy - whose name I can't remember - was the first to give him a chance.):

In 6 months' time, I had switched to writing fully in English, mostly dialogues and A LOT MORE pics.

The switch to "graphic novel" happened 2 years later, in January 2015, precisely with this update about Hector (a forgotten character that went to live in Isla Paradiso - the one who got cast away if anyone remembers that part?). I was trying out some stuff.

The Sunrise on Pluto update that was published at about the same time is a lot closer to how I do things today. I was using Superlame for the bubbles at the time (although debatable, that is the name of the program, not my skills).

Since then, I've gone back and transformed quite a few updates into a graphic novel style. Not everything, because I didn't always have enough pictures to illustrate and still needed an descriptive text for what happened in between.

You already know the way I do things today. It's not that different from 8 years ago. Maybe more interesting frames? Probably better sized speech bubbles. Certainly better graphics.

For the sake of completeness, this is a side-by-side comparison of my first photo shoot and my most recent one.

...Not much difference, no?

I think everybody and his cousin has done this tag, so not tagging anyone this time but please feel free to do it if you'd like!

[nocturnalazure]

As Far As The World Goes (AFATWG) is a Sims 3 graphic novel and a long-running generational family drama following the overlapping life of several families. It starts as the story of a whole town, with narration coming and going between households, but gradually focusing on the Golzine mobster family. Most storylines are connected to them in some way or another. Golzine heirs all have different styles but are bound by honor and duty (and a tendency to have complicated love stories).

In AFATWG, there is drama a-plenty, with a pinch of comedy, there are heaps of romance, but also action scenes (guns!), a whole cast of supernaturals, and above all, there are morally grey characters struggling with internal conflicts.

The beginning of the story is long-winded and confusing and was not published in graphic novel format, which is why it exists now only in the form of summaries.

Disclaimer: Mature content such as nsfw scenes or trigger warnings (blood or drugs for example) are properly tagged. There is no gore but violence does occur in that world.

Part 1 Summary -> Click

In which you meet a whole variety of families. How can a love story between terrible mob boss Theo Golzine and a teenage daydreamer end well? Will workaholic businessman Thomas Leneuf manage to rise up against his sleazy boss and raise a family? Will Rose Wong manage to fill her father's shoes as a mayor? Why would broody Violette Blake let her high school bully get anywhere near her? Will Jacob Golzine be a famous musician someday? And... can vampires actually have children?

Part 2 Summary -> Click

In which Theo Golzine declares war on the vampires while Yu Wong tries to outsmart him and it may very well turn against her. Thomas Leneuf finds himself facing an old enemy while his children Gabriel and Amelia experience the torments of adolescence. Eve feels responsible for turning Cain into a vampire against his will, but a new protagonist named Tristan will meddle in their already complicated relationship.

Part 3 Summary -> Click

In which Nathaniel Golzine falls in love at first sight with a girl his father Theo does not approve of. Eve gets estranged from Cain and falls right into Tristan's trap. Juvenile delinquent Seth Zay becomes unintentionally involved with the Golzine criminal family. Jacob Golzine achieves stardom, and while Gabriel Leneuf is once again attracted to somebody else than his fiancée, will shy Johan Blake finally be able to confess to his best friend's sister that he loves her before she gets married to another man?

Part 4 Summary -> Click

In which mob heir Nathaniel Golzine, exiled to Lucky Palms with a heavy heart, finds love again. Theo Golzine and Yu Wong go together in search for the last werewolf. Eloise struggles with a dark part of herself. Seth Zay follows his father's footsteps as a criminal. Gabriel Leneuf takes responsibility for his past mistakes.

Part 5 Summary -> Click

In which Nathaniel Golzine meets his first love again just when his relationship with Ivy is deteriorating.  Skirt-chaser Noah Deville dreams of a rags-to-riches story for himself, but also longs after artistic Emily Golzine. Following her predecessor's death, Pippa Crewe takes over the function of local witch. And an evil vampire lord makes his appearance…

When it actually starts: Part 6 and Final Part -> Click

In which Nathaniel and Ivy are finally ready to commit to each other. Risa finds out that she might have special genetic capabilities. Theo meets his father’s ghost and it doesn’t end well. Young witch Pippa erases her past. Baron Gilles de Rais starts calling upon his past followers: to defeat him would require joining forces. But most of all… Sam Golzine makes the acquaintance of Ashley Blake, an encounter that will change their whole life and possibly the course of time.

“To the Edge of Time” (TTEOT) is the continuation of As Far As The World Goes, starting when official heiress Sam Golzine has accidentally been sent through time and space with her half-brother Ashley. And it looks like they both have undergone a few substantial physical changes during their journey through time, further complicating their already complicated relationship. They have left unresolved conflicts behind and need to cope with their new situation.

Will they be able to retrieve their former appearance and go back to their timeline? And what happened to their families in the meantime?

Click to start reading TTEOT

You can also directly catch up with the story of Laurie, the current Golzine heir, if you start reading as from here but please be aware that some parts of the plot may not appear entirely clear if you don't know the background. 

Happy reading!

[nocturnalazure]

Not bad. Not bad at all.

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Right hand of the boss: Jeong Sen

With... the current events, I thought it would be nice to throw a little reminder of how relationships have been between the Golzine boss and his right-hand man.

The first heir, Béranger, didn’t have anyone close to him besides his adoptive grandfather Ludo. He didn’t have the time anyway, he was killed off early in the story.

His son Theo made a very similar statement that he didn’t trust anybody by first sacking then killing his mentor Cedric. However, Jeong Sen sold him his services and proved resourceful and trustworthy more than once. Too bad he was actually working for the Wongs/Heis (yeah, the feud goes back a long way between those families). But Sen liked Theo. He decided to save Theo’s life, thereby signing his own death warrant as he was a literal property of the Hei clan.

Sen is left for dead but Theo saves him in return. And buys him back from the Heis.

From then on, Theo starts to truly trust Sen and values his opinion.

Sen very often acts as a go-between regarding Nathaniel and the strained relationship between father and son. He is also Nathaniel’s martial arts instructor and generally the closest thing he has to a brother.

But Sen’s ultimate loyalty is to Theo. As Nathaniel learns at his expense.

Nathaniel was really hurt and as much as he loved Sen, he couldn’t help but resent him.

Sen never had a life outside of being a Golzine man. He never had any relationships, or even shown any interest in men or women. He was entirely devoted to Theo.

On Theo’s order, he taught kid Sam how to use a gun. Blame him if she’s got an affinity for firearms!

Shortly after becoming an elder, he was shot by the Pastorinis (lots of bad blood between the gangs!) and died protecting his boss one last time.

Theo never showed how much Sen’s death affected him but he must have felt very lonely. Sen was his loyal bodyguard and wise counselor, always in the shadows and asking for nothing more than to be at Theo’s side.

[nocturnalazure]

40 and 43 for Erik, then 26 and G) for Theo

Aaaah, anon! You know me so well!

Theo

26. What is their preferred mode of transportation?

Theo bought an Aston Martin very early on, a DB9. It was his favorite car and he would drive it himself.

But Theo obviously started a trend.

Nathaniel scoffed at his father's car. He got an Aston Martin Vanquish instead.

You haven't seen it yet but Laurie has an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera that he uses personally when he’s not driven around in the armored SUV.

G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

His steadfast belief throughout his life that if he was harsh on his son, it was for his own good. The tender gesture he had for Nathaniel when he died... why couldn't he have it sooner?! And even then, he mentioned his wife while clarly looking at his son! So much suffering could’ve been avoided if he had just opened up a little...

Erik

40. How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Erik is generally rather self-confident and he wants to demonstrate his usefulness by any means. But he also knows that he tends to go too far and ignore the red flags. He just can't help it and honestly doesn't know how to control himself.

He doesn't feel comfortable with anything cerebral. He's perfectly aware of his shortcomings in that area, and he's pretty salty about it.

43. If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?

"I'm straight. I love boobs. Why do you ask?"

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I wanted to do more shots of “The Golzines through time” but I will need a different setting. If we stick to history, Thomas’ storyline is supposed to take place towards the end of the 1950′s and Theo’s in the mid-60′s. Still love them in the above decor though so I’m sharing.

Following that timeline means that Nathaniel would’ve been born somewhere between 1970 and 1975. And that he meets Ivy in the early 90′s. I kind of feel even more connected to him. :p

Also... should I change the name of the Golzines? That name comes from the manga Banana Fish but the character in that story is a real scumbag and I definitely want to dissociate my characters from him. ^o^; It’s not even a real Italian-sounding name. :/ Soooo... I’ve been considering changing it to something else but it’s kind of a big deal since I’ve used that name for almost 10 years now.

Open to suggestions but I’ll investigate on my side. :)

[nocturnalazure]

From character video “Luna” (2018)

Still not sure why I like that totally random Italian song so much but I still think it’s a perfect fit.

Geez, now I might want to make another character video. I have a whole AFATWG playlist and I’ve been meaning to use some of the songs in a video for sooo long. But making a video is honestly a lot of work and in the end, not very rewarding so... I’ll see if I get into the right mood.

Or maybe I’ll just make a quick trailer/recap of the current arc once it’s over.

PS: This is my 7,000th post on Tumblr, woohoo!

[nocturnalazure]

Throwback from the 2014 small simblr photo challenge

I had completely forgotten that Ange had painted a portrait of Theo.

Where is that painting??

(answer: long gone in a save cleaning process.)