700 Years

My first child born here in Twinbrook will be a boy. I was impatient to know, and so I got the ultrasound as soon as possible. I noticed this pregnancy a lot faster than I normally do. It had been while I was getting a massage at the spa that the touch of the masseuse just felt different, especially when her hands lightly brushed against my stomach. From there on I kept an eye out, and my suspicion was correct. I was happy to be having a boy even if I hadn't had much of a preference on gender this time around.

TGO New Years Special! Behind the Scenes 2!

In the last Behind the Scenes post created in celebration of The Goddess' Order one year anniversary, I went through all the pictures I had taken of the goofy things my Sims had done since I started the challenge. I have gathered even in just these past few months more than enough pictures for another Behind the Scenes update. Thus, I am uploading this as a special surprise New Years update. Don't worry. You'll get the normal update tomorrow as well (:

We start pretty much around the same time where we left off last time. It is the day of Elioviel and Morti's wedding...

Which Ellothiel clearly wanted to upstage. She pulled out a quick session of poses I've never seen from her before or even seen in general. It was unexpected, but very fun to watch. I think she is trying to look like a model or something here,

but the whole thing quickly goes derpy.

Way Off Track

Penn is having quite the influence on Linnatiel and Rorion. It is surprising considering Linnatiel's original fright of him. However, now all three of them love spending time together. Penn came over one time to help with Renia, but he ended up using most of the time painting Linnatiel and Rorion's faces like his and playing with them. It kept them busy so I could focus solely on Renia so Penn was assisting me in a rather backwards way.

However, he got Linnatiel and Rorion incredibly riled up. They were still bursting with energy even when bedtime came around. Elvaran and Analinde came to me to complain that they couldn't sleep because the two children were having a loud pillow fight. I made them wash the cracking and chipping face paint off and get into bed. They were exhausted the next morning so I have a feeling they stayed up late despite this.

Clowning Around

Snowflakes drifted gently down from the sky from morning to sunset. It was very fitting considering that it was Snowflake Day. It had come on a Saturday this year so it was easy to get a large group together for a celebration. Elioviel, Morti, Elediril, Milmarion, Noril, Raradia and her husband, and all the children's fathers save for Christopher were the ones who came. Christopher still had work to do, and didn't have the time to make it over. I cleared out the television area so we could have the space for a proper gift giving party.

The celebration went on for most of the day. We made out well in gifts. Niphredil received three brand new art easels if you can believe it. Three! What are we supposed to do with them all? The other children got some toys, and I ended up with an alarm clock. I suppose it would be useful if Linnatiel and Rorion's crying wasn't already my alarm clock.

Sneaky

With the spring weather being crisp, clear, and refreshing Elediril, Milmarion, Noril, and Raradia spent the entire weekend at the festival. I figured it was fine to let them go as long as they made sure to finish all their chores first. It was also so nice having the house quiet that I even gave them extra pocket money so they could stay out later. I did join them once to go festival egg hunting with Noril and Raradia, but Niphredil became so irritable by all the loud noises that I had to bring her back home before too long.

Out

I was surprised when I found myself dealing with some morning sickness this time around. The last time I experienced any was that awful pregnancy with Elrelas, Henduil, Silmalad, and Alyan. I pray that this nausea is not a sign of a large number of multiples, though I think I would have been able to tell if that was the case by now. Perhaps I'm carrying twins again. I will not know. I've decided to hold off again on finding out the gender of my child again. The excitement of being surprised at Raradia's birth has given me the patience to wait. Whether it's a boy or girl, whether it's one child or two- only at the birth will the truth be revealed.

The Wedding

With all the excitement going on recently, there's not as much time as I'd like to spend with Raradia. It's taking longer to teach her than I planned, yet there's really no helping it. Elioviel wants me to be involved in every step of her wedding planning.

I've attended the weddings of my children before, but this is the first time I've done so much to help. As it is, human weddings really aren't so different from elvish weddings. Everyone wears their best clothes with the bride wearing a fancy dress of her favorite color. Family and friends from all over gather to watch the ceremony where the groom and bride promise themselves to each other. Naturally, for elves their declaration is for all eternity instead of until death. There's a marvelous party afterwards. The main difference between the weddings is that the party lasts all night, and it's the wedding morning instead of the wedding night that the groom and bride anticipate.

The Goddess' Order 1 Year Anniversary Behind the Scenes Special!

I feel like Ellothiel right now.

Can it really have been this long already? A year has gone by? It feels as if it's taken forever, but also as if I've only just begun. It's hard to believe I'm more than halfway through the challenge. It's also a bit sad. Doing this challenge has become such a big part of my life that I don't know what I'm going to do when it ends. Another challenge, yeah, but it will never be the same. I'll never get attached to another Sim project like how I've grown attached to The Goddess' Order. It will be special. I probably won't ever be able to leave it alone. Perhaps for each anniversary, or whenever I feel like it, a bit more of Ellothiel's life will be presented to you. I'm sure I have enough creative juices left in me to always find a new story of hers to tell. I'll get lonely without her if I let her go entirely.

That's the future though. Ellothiel still has a lot more to tell you, and many more babies to give birth to. You're stuck with her and me for a little bit longer. And so, in honor of our one year anniversary, I've decided to make this post. There were many ideas I considered, none of which I will tell you in case I decide to do them later. I don't want to spoil anything. What you will be getting is a a behind the scenes look at the lovely Sims of The Goddess' Order. Things go wrong in-game more often than you would think, or otherwise the Sims are just odd. There are also some things I think would be interesting to share, but would weird to include in the storyline.

So here we go, your first look at what happens when you glance your eyes away!

Winter Festival

The Goddess has to be pushing me along. When I met Ricardo Brenner and was given such another perfect opportunity that I could not pass by, I knew there had to be something going on beyond my control. I don't know if there is a certain child that the Goddess wants born or if she simply wants me to hurry up. It might be true that for right now I can afford to have this child so soon after giving birth to Noril, but this pace of continually having children one right after the other cannot be kept on for very long. I at least want to wait until this next child becomes a toddler before I press forward again.

Fifty

I know I've said this before, but ada and Eloril really spoiled me with their presence. One of the things I miss most about them is their ability to deal with the thieves. Since they were able to deal with them so quickly, the alarm was able to be turned off as soon as possible. However, now I have to suffer through it until the police arrive. I keep calm, and tune out the headache I get, by reminding myself of that horrible feeling when that first robbery occurred. The alarm truly is something I'm grateful for.

Decision

As I sat watching Elioviel swim, I kept waiting. Waiting to feel terrified, waiting to see my daughter be pulled under the water by some invisible force, waiting to see her gasp for air, and waiting for me to not be able to do anything to stop it. None of that happened. Elioviel swam peacefully without incident while Zuri and I watched over her.  No matter how much I anticipated the worst, the waiting for something bad to happen was the only bad thing that was happening.

Something similar can be said for Meldiron's death. Of course I'm terribly upset and saddened by his passing, but the horrible depression I was so sure I would fall into never hit. I'm still finding ways to enjoy life. Ada theorized that my resistance to the deep sadness can be likened to a callous. Now that I've experienced such a low, Meldiron's death, which was not as tragic or unnecessary as Cirabel's, won't cause that depression again because I've toughened like new skin over a wound. His words made sense, but I decided to keep waiting in case the feelings merely needed more time to sink in.

Sunset Valley

It was a relatively long trip to arrive at our new house. I knew Eloril was getting a bit frustrated with me since I would not stop glancing back towards the direction of Aurora Skies, but I simply couldn't help myself. My head shifted of my own accord before I recognized what I was doing. I knew it was time to leave there, the certainty of that almost overwhelmed me, and yet it was still very hard to leave. Much like my children back in Appaloosa Plains, my children who remain in Aurora Skies told me to go wherever I could be happy again. However, the feeling that I've somehow betrayed them lingers in my heart. I think my regret is a large part of why the chill of my grief will not depart from my skin.

Thus, it was relieving to be distracted when ada, Eloril, Elioviel, Zuri, and I all finally arrived in Sunset Valley and pulled up in front of our new house. We eagerly got out. The car we were in was spacious, but after five days of almost non-stop driving even that extra room wasn't enough. Elioviel and Zuri were the happiest amongst us to be freed. The relief grew into excitement stepping through our new front door. I had been very much in love with the open design plan since the first moment I saw the pictures. The design is mostly why I chose it.

The house somehow reminds me a lot of home, and I need to be as comfortable as possible right now into order to have a clear mind when I make a final decision as to whether I will stay or go.