#save 2

The decision was hard, but Takama had to do it. It's not that he didn't genuinely care for or even love Erick, but there were things he could not compromise on.

Death had always been a part of his life. For him it was something to be honored and celebrated; it was a significant part of the culture of Ravenwood which he was proud of. So finding out that there were members of Erick's family who not only artificially prolonged their life via magical means but also avoided death entirely through the same potions was some what of a shock. He held no ill will towards the family, but Takama worried that he would be expected to partake in the same magic were he to stay with Erick.

And so he hadn't spoken to him in a few weeks while he ruminated on this problem.

He ended up turning to his neighbor and longtime friend, Zelmira Gomes for advice and support. They felt the same way about death as Takama and understood why he felt uneasy about the relationship proceeding. In those weeks things changed between the two.

As he got closer to Zelmira, he knew he had to talk to Erick soon. The boy deserved to not be kept in the dark so they could both move on.

The Romance Festival isn't where he wanted to say goodbye, but when Erick invited him out in an attempt to reconnect he figured he had to do it no matter how much it hurt.

Seeing Erick crying in the rain made him wonder if he made the right decision, but deep inside his heart he knew that it was for the best.

A few days later in Newcrest, Ronnie Pancakes was scrolling through Simstagram whenever he saw a post with Zelmira and Takama announcing they were together. Shocked, he fired off a text to Erick to check in on him and invited him over.

The two hugged and Ronnie asked him what happened and if he was okay.

Erick explained that the breakup didn't come as a surprise as the two had been distant for a bit after having the discussion about Takama's feelings about death and using magic to avoid it. Still, it stung, especially whenever he found out about Zelmira.

Whenever it came time for his birthday, he realized that maybe Takama was right that the differences were too much to overcome in a life long romantic relationship with how uncomfortable he felt about the subject.

Erick paused, took a deep breath, and then stated, "I guess I might as well come clean. I'm sad, not because of losing Takama, but because I started seeing him because I was scared to mess things up with you."

Ronnie was shocked. "What do you mean mess things up with me?"

Erick nervously continued, "I like you Ronnie. Maybe more than like. I was scared to admit it because I didn't want to risk our friendship. Now Takama's gone and it's too late."

Ronnie stared for a moment before carefully speaking, "And to think that I never admitted to how I felt because I was also scared that you'd not feel the same way. By the time I worked up the nerve to say something, you were with Takama and I didn't want to interfere."

Erick was stunned, "You mean you felt the same way?"

Ronnie taking Erick's hands, "Not just felt, but still feel. Let's sit down and talk."

The two had been best friends ever since their first day of high school, but today they were blushing and giggling as old crushes were renewed and their fears melted away.

The Pancakes were friends with Erick's grandfather, Darrel Charm, so while they may not have fully understood the magic they supported it. Ronnie suspected that the man played some role in Little B's sudden appearance too, so he was eager to learn more about the power that that the Charm and Ember families had.

But learning about all of that could wait for now.

* hey so i really fuckin like faul

With Victor Landgraab aging up to teen-hood, several of his friends and relatives did as well. There's also some new teens for him to meet and hang out with!

Nathan Landgraab [he/him] - Creative + Self-Absorbed, the thoroughly spoiled only child of Myra Landgraab, Sofia Bjergsen, and their robo-nanny/friend Athena. He's not mean or rude; he's just used to being the center of his household's attention and affection. As his moms get older, they worry that while they may have set their son up for financial and academic success, perhaps they didn't set him up well socially. Perhaps now that he's older and is spending more time with Victor, his grandpa Malcolm can be a good influence on him.

August Villareal [he/him] - Genius + Romantic, the older of the two twin sons of Luna and Lawson Villareal, August is feeling the full force of teenage hormones kicking in. He wants to date and mess around with a lot of different people, and he views himself as being too young to settle down with any one person just yet. However, under that cool, confident exterior is a nerd who's far more book smart than anything. He's not nearly as smooth as he'd like to be and is 0 for 1 on his flirting so far.

Lance Villareal [he/him] - Practice Makes Perfect + Squeamish, the younger of Luna and Lawson's twins, Lance might be considered by some as a late bloomer. He prefers to think of himself as reasonable. He doesn't understand August's obsession with kissing and the like. Think of the germs! And hands going where?? Have they been washed? Maybe one day he'll get it, and maybe he won't! For now, the main thing he's worried about is surviving puberty and high school.

Xander Munch [he/him] - Competitive (Abysmal) + Active, Victor's cousin on the Munch side, Xander was Gunther's last child before he passed and was reborn. He's got a competitive streak that runs deeper than even Teddy and Jax's which was brought to light after he challenged Grim to a best of 3 rock paper scissors match in order to cope with his dad dying. Sports are his main jam, but he joined Jax's club simply because he couldn't stand not having an opportunity to go head to head with someone, anyone, in anything to show that he's simply built different.

J Huntington IV [he/him] - Active + Snob, if hating his dad was a skill, then J would have it maxed out. His relationship with his mom, Zoe Patel, isn't much better either though they largely ignore one another. He resents his father's constant party-going as well as the way he uses the people around him for content. J (or IV as Leon refers to him) is torn between changing his name and restoring some sort of prestige to it. His friendship with Victor is genuine, but he also sees it as an opportunity to build the Huntington name back up.

Leon Rocca [he/him] - Art Lover + Active, on the other side of the Neo-Partihaus is the easy going himbo, Leon. The son of Paolo and Ty Houston [the jilted former side partner of Mortimer Goth], his birth was largely because of J III's influence and need for social media content. Ty didn't really want a child, but caved for Paolo. Despite his questionable start, his dads were quite supportive and close to him. "IV" is his closest friend currently, and he frequently provides a listening ear to the boy. His goal in life? Paint, vibe, and work out. A good fit for a certain Charm boy.

Fiona Robles [she/her] - Competitive (Bad) + Dance Machine, if the Watcher ever finds a functional DDR style arcade machine, then Fiona will rule it. Until then, she's hanging out in Jax's club kicking ass and chewing bubble gum... and she's all out of gum. Unlike some of her other competitive peers, she's actually trying to "git gud" at not being a toxic tar pit. It's not easy, but she's got a little sister looking up to her, and she wants to provide a good example.

Dusty Robles [he/him] - Kleptomaniac + Generous, a self-styled "Robin Hood", Dusty is very into the redistribution of wealth (much to his parent's chagrin). Whether it's by stealing and selling or hacking, he's determined that those who are more fortunate are sharing the love with those who are less so, even if they don't realize it. He's not yet met Victor, but boy if he does...

Carl Robles [he/they] - Adventurous + Clumsy, at first glance, Carl shouldn't be the most worrisome of the Robles triplets, but his clumsiness combined with his constant need for adventure gives their parents the most night terrors. They are determined to climb Mount Komorebi at some point, and regularly drag their siblings and dad to the Oasis Springs gym to use the rock climbing machine. Sure, they may fall off, but that just means they need to keep on trying... right?

Kelsie Bjergsen [she/her] - Good + Neat, Kelsie lost both of her parents shortly after her birth and never got to meet or know them. Widower Dominic Fyres and Ulrike Faust found the Bjergsen girls doing their best to survive alone, and the two of them moved in to help out. Yuki Behr soon joined, and the little rag tag family prospered. The only two sims she ever knew as parents are now gone, and Alton and Francis Villareal are doing their best to help out in their place. Despite the losses, Kelsie is a kind soul who is always looking out for others and does what she can to help out around the house.

Lester Fyres [he/him] - Art Lover + Music Lover, like Kelsie, Lester never got a chance to meet his mother and his oldest sister was gone before he was born. Dominic brought him to the Bjergsen household and raised him alongside Kelsie with Ulrike. Both adults were a strong influence on him, and his love of both art and music are a reflection of that. Lester's determined to keep the Fyres name in the club scene and has been working on his DJing skills while hanging out with the Spin Masters. He has never met Morgan and doesn't realize he has a living sibling.

Billy Dyer [they/them] - Foodie + Socially Awkward, when Kelsie was struggling with multiple losses (Dominic, Ulrike, and Elsa) as a child, she developed an imaginary friend named Billy. She and Billy were close, and once she became a teen she gave them the option to become real. Being real has been a delight... but also a bit of a challenge in some ways. They're finding themself developing a crush on Kelsie that may or may not be shared, and they're also still trying to figure out what to even do with their life. To help with the latter, Billy has created a club for former Imaginary Friends so they can hang out and talk about life after imagination. As far as Kelsie goes, do they risk confessing their feelings or try to get over them to avoid potentially losing their first and closest best friend.

Evie Delgato [she/her] - Practice Makes Perfect + Creative, Evie is a knitter, a social media influencer, and an aspiring fashion designer. She lives in Britechester with her big brother Pierce and his fiance Rohan Elderberry. When she isn't knitting, practicing yoga, updating her social media with her thrifting finds, or doing her homework, she's playing piano and hanging out with the family pets. She misses Brindleton Bay from time to time, but is glad the weather in Brithechester is a lot nicer. Evie's been friends with Victor since they were kids and has a crush on Lester Fyres.

A few extra pics under the cut!

While I poke around in my save hoping that the upcoming patch unfucks some of my family trees, I figured I'd go ahead and tinker with using the Dynasty system to create crime families like I envisioned.

And of course the Villlareals were my main target. Max and Erich are currently co-heads with Max heading up the Oracle side of the "business" and Erich being the boss over the muscle and hands on parts. Dynasties don't allow for co-heads, so I set up two different ones for each branch. They are allied in game though the screenshots don't show it because I took them before doing so.

First up, the Oracle Branch:

The Oracle crest has the owl as this group has eyes everywhere in the darkness seeking out secrets. Max is of course the head with Alan, their youngest bio son, being the heir. Alan is currently working side by side with Max as his university degree gave him a BIG boost. He gave up a CEO role at a tech start up, but sometimes wonders if this is the life he really wants to live... he IS an idealist after all. Kiano is their spouse, and while he's not in the criminal career, he IS an Interstellar Smuggler. Close enough. Kiano might be a better fit under the Boss branch, but Max obviously wanted their husband to be a part of the dynasty they formed.

Heaven (Max's daughter) and Ollie (Alan's spouse) are both freelance programmers focusing on hacking, pen testing, and viruses. Any information they happen to find out about their client while working gets passed along to Max and Alan.

Vincent is Max's nephew and Erich's son. He's currently a teen, but he's already showing a strong aptitude for hacking. While he's technically a Good sim, Erich wanted to make sure his boy had the opportunity should he choose it, and Max wanted a back up plan in case Alan changes his mind again.

Penny Pizzazz... well... in order to get someone who's not family into your dynasty, you have to adopt them. And with the family trees already wilding out, YOLO. Welcome to the family Penny! On the surface, Penny is a simple dancer [spice], but drinks and curves loosen lips. Penny's main trade is spying and secrets.

And that leaves us with Luna. Luna likes to imagine she's not involved in the family business, but she does take commissions for art forgery. While not a clean fit in this dynasty, Max has a soft spot for their sister since she was one of the few people in his family that never gave up on them while they were at the lowest part of their life.

The Boss Branch:

Crossed swords mark the crest of the Boss branch as this side of the business isn't afraid to get their hands dirty by getting directly involved in matters.

Erich appointed his oldest bio child and only daughter, Marie, to be the heir and his successor. She's working her way up the ranks now wanting to prove to the others that she's worthy of the title of Boss.

Orlando is Erich's husband (And Max's ex) even if the game currently has made... concerning... changes in their family tree situation. We'll leave that alone. Like Max, Erich was obviously going to include his spouse in the dynasty even if Orlando's job is closer to what Luna does.

Emilio is Max's oldest son and their only child with Orlando. Though he is as far away from the criminal career as one can be, Erich raised him and didn't want him to feel left out. Since Vincent was in the Oracle branch, Max felt it was fair for Emilio to be in Erich's.

Yoltic is Marie's husband and is a pianist by trade. He and Marie met whenever he was playing at a lounge she was frequenting. While he isn't involved in the Business himself, he's fully aware of it and push come to shove, will 100% throw down to protect his family.

Nick Davidson is another Penny Pizzazz situation. I wanted his snobby shady ass in the dynasty officially, so Erich had to adopt him.

Nick is as crooked as they get. Smug, egotistical, shady AF, and generally an asshole all around. Why is he here? Because he's a judge. Having a judge in your pocket is just smart, and having one that is both easy to bribe and even easier to blackmail? Smarter.

Nick's wife, Kathleen, is a CEO ruthless and temperamental enough to give Nancy Landgraab pause. The two of them run a fight club on their front "lawn" mostly for their own amusement and profit (because watching the lessers pay per hour to fight each other is hilarious), but also it serves as good way to pick out new talent for the gang.

Marisol Villareal is a baby. Her crime is being simply too adorable.

The face of a hardened criminal for sure.

Next time we'll see the Ito and Nishimura clans!

A note on this I forgot to add is that some people may notice that there's some missing family members! Not all of the family is in The Business. Hugo, for one, doesn't want any part of it and wanted to be left out of the dynasty. He's busy chugging potions of youth with Diego.

Emilia had maintained that she didn't to extend her age nor did she want to be brought back if she passed due to it. She felt that she had lived a good life and was happy to not only have reconnected and reconciled with Darrel, but also have Phoenix and Finn together with him. Not only that, but Johnny Zest - the man Darrel had initially left her for, had become one of her best and closest friends. It was an odd situation for sure, but it was one that had brought her multiple years of joy.