Inspired By Pixels

The phone call took longer than Katerina expected.

She sat on the porch steps watching the morning drift by, fingers tapping anxiously against her knee while the new gardener worked among the flowerbeds. Fresh green shoots poked through the soil she'd planted only days before, stubborn little reminders that things could begin again.

Eventually a familiar figure appeared at the gate. The mint-green hair gave her away before Katerina even saw her face. Relief washed through her immediately.

"Helanna!" The two embraced in the front garden while the gardener politely pretended not to notice. Katerina felt herself smile without forcing it. It was good to be around old friends.

Helanna was a free spirit, always had been. After lunch, they settled into the hot tub behind the house. Steam curled into the spring air while bubbles drifted lazily around them. Katerina told her everything about Rose. About the proposal, and saying no and... regretting it almost immediately afterward. Helanna listened patiently, arms folded along the edge of the tub.

"You don't need another relationship right now," she said eventually. She had a point. Since the whole thing with Nate blew up she had found her self hopping around... Just like collage again.

Katerina sighed.

"Probably not." But she knew she was right.

"What you need is an easy crush."

The suggestion earned a laugh.

"An easy crush? What makes it easy?"

"Someone harmless. Someone fun. No pressure. No wedding rings." Katerina screwed up her face, no wedding ring had been the problem after all.

The bubbles hummed softly around them. But the silence was easy, just like it had been years ago.

The sun dipped lower and as the conversations died down, something shifted. Katerina leaned forward. Their kiss was brief and unexpected. The sort of impulsive decision that made perfect sense for exactly three seconds. Then reality crashed back in.

Suddenly Katerina was climbing out of the hot tub, breathing too quickly, heart hammering painfully against her ribs. A panic attack. Helanna wrapped a towel around her shoulders and sat nearby until it passed. No judgment.

Just quiet understanding. By sunset they'd reached an agreement. Friends. And only that. And somehow that felt like exactly what Katerina needed.

After Helanna left, she stayed outside a moment longer, it was getting cold as neighbourhood slept. Careful not to wake Crystal, she cried quietly beneath the stars.

The next day was brighter. Jeffery had finaly arrived. Fresh out of college and carrying far more luggage than seemed physically possible, Nate's son stood awkwardly in the driveway while Crystal bounced excitedly around him.

"Big brother!" The title clearly caught him off guard. Still, he smiled. He'd only met her once when she was still toddling around. Katerina hugged him tightly.

Whatever happened with Nate, Jeffery would always be welcome here. Always.

His first act as a resident was bafflinga though, as he carried a tent into the garden. Katerina watched from the kitchen window.

"What are you doing?" Jeffery looked genuinely confused by the question.

"Making sure I can give everyone space."

"The lounge is yours, until we move somewhere bigger."

"I know."

The tent went up anyway, he knew she loved this house. Crystal immediately declared that the tent the coolest thing she'd ever seen. She begged him if her friend Trinnie could come for a sleep over soon, he said he supposed she could.

Once he was more settled Katerina casually asked about college, what he had learned, where he liked best on campus and importantly,

"Meet interesting guys?"

Jeffery nearly choked on his drink. His mind flashed back to his dad's face, red in anger. But hers was calm, as always.

But his reaction had answered the question immediately.

A grin spread across Katerina's face.

"Oh, you did."

His ears turned pink.

"Maybe."

"Well," she said, reaching for her sandwich, "any friend of yours is welcome here. Any time you want" That was all the encouragement he needed.

The invitation went out almost immediately.

By evening, Ben was on his way over.

Jeffery greeted him outside before bringing him in.

"My mum's cool, my dads not going to be around," he explained nervously. He was still getting used to calling her mum, but it felt right.

Ben laughed.

"Good to know."

Inside, Crystal was busy showing off a positive report card she'd proudly brought home from school.

The adults celebrated accordingly and the atmosphere felt warm.

As darkness settled over the neighbourhood, Jeffery and Ben lingered together on the front porch, talking long after everyone else had gone inside.

Later they disappeared toward the tent for a little privacy.

Katerina wisely decided not to comment, at least now it made more sense. She hated that Nate had taught him to hide this so long. She thought of his new wife and child and shuddered. And for the first time in a while, she though of Nates first wife, Jeffery mum. What would life be like if she had lived?

The following morning, Jeffery returned to the house only to find Crystal waiting by the morning paper.

She looked up immediately.

"How's your friend?"

Jeffery nearly groaned.

"He's fine."

"Is he moving in too?"

"Not yet."

Crystal considered this disappointing news. But decided she could wait.

Before work, Jeffery helped Crystal with her homework while Ben offered encouragement, he said art majors were not too good at numbers.

The sight made Katerina smile. A family didn't always arrive in the shape you expected.

Sometimes it grew piece by piece.

Once everyone had left for the day, Katerina enjoyed a quiet morning.

A jog then a shower, followed by reading the newspaper on the couch.

She'd tied her hair back, hiding most of the pink tips she'd added days earlier. To her surprise, she preferred it that way. Less dramatic. More herself. Made her think less about...

She had a rifel though her clothes and picked out something a bit different before reading a good book on the porch. It was a peaceful spring day. The peace lasted long into the afternoon, until Hazel Roseland appeared.

She hugged her and invited her inside, they had not seen each other in months, nothing unusual there. Especially both woth new babies. But then... Hazel hadn't stepped away and the hug lingered. Somehow the hug became a kiss.

Katerina blinked in surprise. News travelled fast, apparently. Far faster than she'd expected. Faster than even her divorce had.

The afternoon slipped by in easy conversation, shared laughter, and a closeness neither seemed interested in questioning. It was just like those days a uni. Hazel had a reputation, sure. Romance sim. But it felt right. Wasn't Hazel recently divorced too?

For the first time since Rose's departure, the ache in Katerina's chest eased a little, and was mostly pushed aside.

When Hazel finally left, she moved quietly through the house, careful not to disturb Jeffery stretched out on the sofa.

The front door clicked shut behind her. And once again Katerina found herself alone.

Yes... It was just like collage all over again... and the regret crept in again.

Spring arrived gently at Loft home, carrying the scent of fresh soil and possibility through the open windows. Katerina stood in her tiny front garden with a packet of flower seeds tucked beneath one arm, her fingers already stained with dirt as she planned where each bloom would go. Life felt lighter now.

The lottery win had changed things, of course. Not enough to make her extravagant, but enough to give her breathing room. Enough to buy this little downtown house she adored, nestled within walking distance of the comedy club where she spent her evenings amongst friends.

It was more than enough to leave behind the life she'd shared with Nate Pleasant.

The divorce had been painful, but standing beneath the spring sunshine, planting flowers that belonged entirely to her, Katerina couldn't help feeling hopeful. Still, there was one thing she loved far more than her new freedom.

Crystal. Today was her birthday. The little girl spun through the house with all the excitement of a firework, growing into a child before Katerina's eyes. Her room was already scattered with sketchbooks and crayons, and she proudly announced that she couldn't wait to start school.

"So I can make art like you, Mommy." Katerina laughed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I think you'll be even better."

Crystal beamed. For a moment, the tiny house felt full to bursting.

That afternoon, Robbie Sartor stopped by for his booked massage, the lottery money wouldn't last forever and the club was still finding its feet.

He greeted Katerina with a grin and a kiss that lingered just long enough to stir old feelings. She smiled against his lips before noticing something glittering on his hand.

An engagement ring. The realization hit a beat too late. Robbie followed her gaze and awkwardness flickered across his face.

Still, they settled into familiar routines. Katerina began work, her hands working carefully across tense shoulders while they chatted about ordinary things. Nothing more happened. Nothing could. Not anymore. And maybe that was good...

Meanwhile, Crystal sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, entirely absorbed in a toy rocket ship, launching imaginary expeditions to distant galaxies while making enthusiastic engine noises.

After Robbie left, Katerina changed into workout clothes and threw herself into an intense exercise session. Her muscles burned. Sweat dampened her hairline. But the restlessness inside her refused to disappear.

As she ran, a thought she didn't particularly want surfaced anyway.

Maybe marriage hadn't been the problem. Maybe it had simply been who she'd married. The idea lingered long after the workout ended.

That night, Crystal slept soundly, in her dreams, dolphins leapt through silver waves. Giant turtles drifted beneath turquoise oceans. Schools of brightly coloured fish swirled around her like living rainbows.

When morning came, she padded sleepily into the kitchen while Katerina made breakfast.

"Mum?"

Katerina looked up. "Yeah, sweetheart?"

Crystal climbed onto a chair.

"Are we best friends?" The question was so earnest that Katerina immediately smiled.

"Of course we are." Crystal seemed relieved.

Then she asked, "Can you come to school with me?" Katerina laughed softly.

"No, honey." Crystal's shoulders slumped. "But," Katerina continued, reaching over to squeeze her hand, "there's probably a new best friend waiting for you there."

The child considered this carefully. Then she smiled.

A moment later they were dancing around the kitchen to music from the radio, twirling between chairs and laughing until the bus came.

The maid arrived shortly before lunch. Rose. For months now, their relationship had existed in a strange, undefined space. Sometimes they dated. Sometimes they drifted apart. Then somehow they always found their way back to each other again. Today, Rose seemed unusually cheerful.

She hummed while cleaning and later started making burgers for after school, filling the kitchen with the smell of sizzling onions and grilled meat.

When classes ended, Crystal burst through the front door with a friend in tow. It was Trinnie Woodrow, Katerina recognised the surname but couldn't place it.

The two girls barely paused long enough to say hello before racing outside together.

Their laughter echoed across the neighbourhood as they chased each other through the yard.

Inside, Rose dried her hands on a towel.

"Katerina?" Something in her voice made Katerina look up. Rose was nervous. Before Katerina could ask why, Rose reached into her pocket. The room seemed to stop. A ring.

For one suspended heartbeat, neither woman moved. Then Rose asked, Katerina's stomach dropped. Because she cared for Rose... she wanted to say yes. But she couldn't. Not after Nate.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Rose's face crumpled. The silence afterward felt unbearable. Rose left before the burgers had even cooled and told her the relationship was over. Completely.

Katerina stood alone in the kitchen staring at the untouched food and felt her heart breaking all over again. Not because she didn't love Rose. But because she was terrified of becoming someone's wife again.

Trinnie stayed late while Katerina hid her emtions from her daughter, Trinnie talked. Mostly about robbers. About handcuffs and crime. About how frightening it had been when her family had been robbed recently. The stories came out matter-of-factly, as though she'd repeated them so many times they no longer felt scary.

Katerina listened quietly.

She noticed how worn Trinnie's shoes were. Crystal listened with wide eyes, utterly fascinated. By the time Trinnie's dad arrived to take her home, darkness had settled outside the windows.

After the door closed behind her guest, Katerina turned toward Crystal.

"Want to do something fun?"

Crystal nodded immediately.

An hour later, both of them were standing in front of the mirror.

Katerina had given them makeovers. Crystal giggled while examining her reflection.

Katerina's own hair looked different now too. The tips were dyed bright pink, a splash of colour. Perhaps not coincidentally, the shade looked remarkably similar to Rose's hair. Katerina told herself it wasn't intentional. The small ache in her chest suggested otherwise.

The next morning dawned clear and warm. Katerina settled onto the front porch with a book, enjoying the quiet. Birds chirped in the flowerbeds she'd planted days earlier. Crystal was inside getting ready for school.

For the first time in weeks, everything felt still. A maid eventually appeared at the gate. Katerina looked up automatically, expecting familiar pink hair.

Expecting Rose.

But the woman walking toward the house was a stranger. It wasn't Rose. Not anymore.

Katerina watched her approach and felt the reality settle over her like a final curtain. Some chapters ended all at once.

Others ended quietly. This one, apparently, was both. But then she picked up the phone...

Really behind on uploading... But here's a family shot from Brandi's youngest (with Skip...) Scott Newbie, and his wife Prue (Dina & Mortimer's Daughter) with their three kids (Ash, Sage & Essie) and first grand child (Elion).

After graduation, Jen Long and Marsha Sell moved downtown, chasing the shimmer of independence and the pulse of the city. They’d toured a dozen places before finding the one, a sleek, sunlit apartment with high ceilings and glossy floors that made their reflections look braver than they felt. Signing the lease felt like sealing a promise to themselves: this was the start of everything.

Jen handled most of the paperwork, steady, practiced, the kind of confidence that came from growing up with money and knowing how things worked. Marsha hovered beside her, smiling nervously as she signed her name beneath Jen’s, her hand trembling just a little. The place was far beyond anything she’d imagined she could afford; she insisted on taking the smaller room without hesitation.

When the keys finally turned in the lock, they stepped inside together. The air smelled faintly of new paint and something electric, hope, maybe. It was big, bright, and beautiful, the kind of apartment that made them both believe that adulthood might actually turn out okay.

The housewarming came faster than they’d expected. Jen’s family poured into the apartment, filling the rooms with laughter, chatter, and the kind of noise that made the space feel alive in a way only family could. Marsha stayed close to Logan Deppieses, her boyfriend, who stood quietly by her side, a gentle anchor amid the chaos. She was shy, soft-spoken, and unlike Jen, had no family here... no voices, no stories, nothing Jen had ever heard her mention.

Jen’s father, Benjamin Long Jr., made his usual entrance like a storm in a tailored suit. He cornered Jen before she could escape, reminding her—again—that love is a tool, that life was about timing and strategy, that she should really think. Jen sighed, her eyes rolling so far they nearly escaped her head. It was a little easier now, at least, ever since he’d patched things up with her mother and announced yet another baby on the way. Ugh, Dad, she thought, always a bomb waiting to go off.

Later, when they were alone, Marsha leaned close and muttered, a little too quietly, that Jen’s father had flirted with her. Jen froze, groaning. “I swear,” she said, “my parents are a nuclear hazard.”

Nights fell unevenly after that. Marsha lay awake in her smaller bedroom, the soft city hum leaking through the windows, turning thoughts of Logan over and over in her mind until sleep felt like a distant memory. She had taken a job at the little flower shop just down the street, a quiet, sun-dappled space where she could lose herself among petals and leaves, the scent of roses somehow steadying her restless heart.

Jen’s nights were louder. She bartended at Bernard’s Botanical Dining, a place where vines hung from the ceiling and fairy lights glimmered like tiny constellations above her head. She poured cocktails with precise hands, the clink of glass and buzz of conversation a rhythm she could lose herself in. And when the bar quieted down, when the last patrons had stumbled out and the city outside softened, she returned to her red notebook, letting her first novel bloom in careful, imperfect sentences. It was messy and thrilling and entirely hers.

Evening light spilled across the dining table, where Marsha’s waffles and Jen’s lone brownie waited on their plates. Their “temporary jobs” had been keeping them busy, and they hadn’t talked like they used to in college.

Marsha admitted, almost shyly, that she hoped Logan would propose soon. Jen smiled, letting the words hang in the air, though she didn’t voice the thought buzzing in her mind, that Marsha was too kind, too gentle, too good for anyone to take lightly. “You don’t have to be married to ‘know’ someone,” she said softly, and Marsha knew exactly what she meant.

Through the walls, the familiar thrum of their neighbor, Autumn, drifted down, likely at another late-night party, voices and music vibrating through the apartment. Jen and Marsha exchanged a quiet glance, laughing softly at the chaos just beyond their walls.

Then, suddenly, Marsha stood up, brimming with unexpected confidence. She knocked on Autumn’s door and, without hesitation, told her she was being too loud. Jen blinked in surprise, she hadn’t thought Marsha had it in her, but the firmness in her friend’s voice left no room for argument.

That evening, Logan came by, and the apartment seemed to shift around them, lighter, warmer, full of quiet anticipation. In Marsha’s bedroom, the soft pink walls glowed in the lamplight, a colour Logan had always said he liked, and it made the space feel like it was just theirs.

They laughed until their sides ached, pillows flying and feathers spilling across the bed, the kind of carefree joy that left the rest of the world behind. Later, they curled up together among the blankets, the pink glow soft around them. Fingers intertwined, hearts beating close, the closeness deepened in ways neither had dared to name.

In the morning, Marsha watched him slip on his shirt, lingering by the door. She tried not to show how heavy her chest felt, how empty the pink room seemed without him there, but the quiet longing in her eyes said more than words ever could.

Life settled into quiet rituals. Mornings began with meditation, sunlight slipping through the curtains and painting soft patterns on the floor, while afternoons were reserved for yoga, the two of them stretching and breathing together, trying to find balance in the blur of their twenties.

Jen’s own world was moving in a different rhythm. Hours spent writing in her red notebook had finally come to fruition, her first novel was finished, polished, and sold. The small triumph felt enormous, a secret spark of pride she carried with her through the apartment, into their shared meals, and across the pink glow of Marsha’s bedroom where Logan’s absence still lingered.

Jen had tentatively stepped back into the dating world, though half-heartedly. The high school crowd still buzzed around her like flies, and her exes bickered endlessly over memories she’d long outgrown. She agreed to meet Connor Langerak for drinks, thinking it might be harmless fun but it quickly became clear why he’d asked her out. He was rude, arrogant, and entirely insincere, his words sharp, his smiles calculated, Jen realized with a sinking feeling that he wasn’t interested in her at all, only trying to make someone else jealous.

The evening spiraled. She left Connor behind and went dancing instead, the bass thrumming through her chest and the lights blurring into streaks of color. One drink became three. A stranger’s smile caught her attention, blurred into a kiss, and by the first light of dawn, Jen woke with a pounding head and a bowl of cereal spilled across her kitchen table, remnants of last night’s chaos scattered like confetti. What was his name again..?

The next morning, Jen opened the door to find a small, shocking package on the doorstep: a bag of flaming poop. She stared at it for a long moment, half in disbelief, half in exasperation. She didn’t need to guess who it was from, though part of her wondered if Connor Langerak’s was missing a therapist visit.

She kicked the bag lightly, sending a faint plume of smoke curling into the air, and muttered under her breath, “Seriously, Connor? Really?” The absurdity of it made her laugh despite herself, though a part of her still seethed, was this high school again?

On the last day of spring, Logan stopped for the night again. The three of them hung out in the living room, the air thick with laughter, leftover pizza, and the soft hum of the city outside. Jen nudged the conversation, half-joking. “He should just move in already,” she said, keeping her gaze quietly on him.

Marsha, all soft curiosity and hope, turned to him. “Would you?”

He smiled, effortless and warm. “Yeah. Why not?”

Jen let herself exhale slowly. She didn’t fully trust the influence and wealth shadowing him, but she liked the way he fit here, in their world. She would keep an eye, quietly, and protective as always.

And just like that, he moved in.

Dean Wren and Aurella’s married life began in a converted barn apartment—small, drafty, patched together with repairs Dean swore he’d finish “next weekend”, their landlord was seemingly always too busy. When their daughter Talia was born, though, everything shifted.

The barn that once felt quirky and charming suddenly felt too tight, too basic. Dean made a choice. He wouldn’t touch a single coin of Aurella’s family fortune; his pride wouldn’t allow it.

The Goth name came with its own shadows and expectations, and Dean was determined to stand on his own. So he signed his name on a mortgage, his hands shaking just a little, and together they moved into a house that was basic, modest… but perfect for them. The housewarming was lively and warm. Lucy and Alexander Goth came to meet their newest grandchild, holding Talia with proud smiles that seemed to melt even Dean’s nerves. For a moment, everything felt right.

But Dean struggled. Long shifts at the gas station left him drained, and being away from Aurella and Talia gnawed at him. Quietly, almost guiltily, he found himself gambling—not in cards or dice, but in risk. Another loan. A leap. A dream of his own pizzeria. A place where families could gather, kids could laugh, and he could finally do something that felt alive. The start was small—just a simple restaurant in a basic marquee, but the spark in him grew again. No more late nights now, right?

Talia toddled from room to room soon after, her laughter filling the house as she learned to walk between her parents’ outstretched arms. And then, another shift—Aurella thought she might be pregnant again.

They were still newlyweds, still learning, still dizzy in love. But when baby Veanna came—too early, too fragile but healthy—they held her with the same fierce devotion they had given each other since the beginning. Two children now. One dream unfolding. And a love that kept pulling them forward, even when the road threatened to break beneath their feet.

George Kat’s life has always been a bit unconventional—and lately, it’s starting to look a little charmed. His cat café, freshly opened in the heart of Downtown, smells like cinnamon and coffee, and is already drawing curious locals in for cuddles and cappuccinos. The cats seem to have settled in faster than he has! Even the Pleasantview locals become regulars quickly.

Kimberly London, George’s brilliant and bookish girlfriend, has just moved in. A scientist by day, a quiet reader by night—she’s often found curled up on the couch with a thick novel, a purring cat on her lap, and a cup of tea left to cool beside her. Things between them are new, but steady. Full of potential.

Then one night, everything shifts.

While they’re asleep, their home is broken into.

The sound of drawers being pulled open jolts them awake. The cats scatter. George jumps up. Kimberly calls the police. It’s tense and surreal, but the burglar is caught not long after.

When the police leave and the adrenaline fades, they’re left in the quiet of the backyard, under the stars. And that’s when George proposes.

No big speech. No ring in a dessert. Just him, with her, barefoot in the middle of the night, asking her to stay.

Kimberly says yes.

A few days later, she tries on a wedding dress she found at a boutique near the café. She stands in front of the mirror for a long time, smoothing the fabric, not saying much—but there’s something in her eyes that says she sees it. She sees them.

And George? He finally picks up his guitar again. After all the rejections, after the heartbreaks that once made him think he’d never try again, something has returned to him—quiet confidence, maybe. Or just hope...

In my last play through, I had her grave discovered by Alexander due to his future book in ts3, 'murder in pleasentview', when he was an elder.

But it wasn't quite right....

Meadow's business Thayer’s Flowers is now enjoying moderate success, and things are getting more serious between Meadow and Skylar. With the divorce from Forest Danders finalized, Meadow can’t help but think it would be nice for Fern to have a real father figure in her life again.

Fern has recently become friends with Trinny, a classmate at school. When asked, Fern's told her that babies are delivered by birds, a story she proudly believes. Shes not herd of a woohoo…? Meadow watches her daughter head off with a mix of concern and quiet joy—Fern is finally making friends.

Later, after tending her garden, Meadow talks to Fern about the possibility of Skylar moving in. That evening, they host a lovely spring barbecue, with Chef Skylar manning the grill and serving up hot dogs.

Not long after, Skylar officially moves in. With the new living arrangement, romance begins to blossom more deeply between him and Meadow.

Wanting a fresh start, Meadow decides it’s time for a makeover—for both herself and Fern. They visit Monica Goth’s salon for new hairstyles and stop by Bella Boutique for some stylish new clothes.

With Theo next in line to inherit Goth Manor, Alexander grows increasingly uneasy. Meanwhile, he and Lucy struggle to adjust to their nearly empty nest, attempting to rekindle their old passions—gardening and writing—amid the lingering sense of change.

Theo feels the weight of expectations pressing down on him—the pressure to marry, secure a respectable career, and uphold the family legacy.

Weary of it all, he impulsively books a getaway to Twikkii Island, desperate for a reprieve. But what begins as a simple escape quickly turns into entanglement, as Theo finds himself caught between two whirlwind holiday romances—one with the glamorous tourist, Heather Huffington, and the other with the enigmatic islander, Cara.

Returning home, he finds that little has changed. But before he can fully settle back into his old life, Cara arrives unexpectedly. Still reeling from past missteps—particularly his disastrous history with ex-girlfriend Summer Broke—Theo wastes no time. He pops the question immediately. To Alexander’s growing dismay, Cara says yes.

Year 6 - Round 2 - Spring - the Woodrow Family

The divorce from Hazel Roseland wasn’t easy on Zeeshan, but at least he got full custody. Proof that money isn’t everything… right?

Still, he knows he can’t do it alone. Trevor steps in to watch the kids, giving him the chance to apply for child welfare until the girls are in school.

With that weight lifted, life becomes a little more manageable. For the first time in a while, they can actually afford furniture, groceries… even a pizza.

But the girls are growing up fast, and time is slipping through his fingers. Lucia and Trinnie will have to become more self-sufficient.

Year 6 - Round 2 - Spring - the Campbell Family

Working and studying is tough, and Trevor is barely scraping by on rent. But the grand opening can't wait. And so, Campbell’s Carpentry is up and running.

For years, he's dreamed of mastering his craft and launching his own furniture business. Now, that dream is finally taking shape. But no matter how hard he tries to focus, he can't get Virginia out of his mind.

Year 6 Round 2 - Spring Grads

I have been trying out different backdrops for the Grads this round. I can 't decide between a more generic grad backdrop or theming towards the degree. Whether to use a grad outfit or formal wear... 🤔

What do you think?