§HermioneSims§ note:
This chapter will change a bit the tone in comparison with the last few ones, but I played this part during a certain time-limited event that I also found to be very fitting for closing Generation 7!
Beware the fact that a few major bugs occurred during this chapter, more explanations about what I'm referring to at the end of the post.
Nacho: meow, meow, meow (yawn), meow!
(*translation: "Why is everyone this noisy today? I just wanted to sleep in peace up here...")
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From Alba's diary
Olivier: Are you sure you don't want me to call a plumber? At least on your birthday, you should relax a bit!
Alba: But this isn't that difficult after all, I just need to tight this up a bit more and it should work again...
Olivier: (ironic) Rather, are you sure you're not just trying to gain some time?
Alba: Of course I'm not!
I guess that, actually, Olivier was not totally wrong. Time passes for everyone, no one can do anything to avoid it, but who really likes to become old, after all?
Well, if really there isn't an alternative, I guess that I should still at least try to enjoy the birthday party my family organised for me. Everyone came, it's gonna be a funny night, I can tell it already.
Alba: (surprised) Oh, so you're dating someone, River?
River: Well, ehm, more or less, I guess...
Alba: And do we know her, by chance?
River: (embarrassed) Actually, about this...
Rowan: (shaking his head) Why do you have to talk about this stuff even when eating a cake? I think I'll go outside...
This said, Rowan really left to go talking with his uncle and aunt outdoors. Both I and River were quite perplexed. I mean, at this point I know my son enough to expect reactions like this from time to time, but I still think sometimes he's a bit too dramatic about it...
Olivier: What do you think River was about to say, before Rowan made us change topic?
Alba: Ahm, who knows. I had the impression that he didn't want to lie to me, but that he didn't feel at ease enough to talk about it with us either. I guess I'll ask him again another day.
Olivier: So mysterious...
Alba: Rather, can I play a bit with you?
Olivier: Sure!
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Old age also means retirement, and therefore much more free time. So, without even realizing it, I ended up spending most of the day playing the guitar around the house and humming some songs. Olivier and I are actually trying to write a new song of our own, but it's so difficult to invent something new and original…
Rowan: Nacho seems a bit annoyed, should I bring him outside?
In the evening, however, Olivier and I often go to the karaoke near the beach, everyone knows us there by now.
As you can see, my dear diary, since when we decided to retire it didn't take much for us before we returned to focus on our music.
And, one fine day, Lily knocked on our door to invite us to an event that, according to her, was just unmissable for us. At that moment I still didn't know what to expect, my sister seemed to want it to be a surprise, but in hindsight I can only say that she couldn't have found anything more fitting.
Alba: Oh, that sounds interesting! And what are we going to do?
Lily: If I tell you, what surprise would it be?
Alba: Well, you're not entirely wrong...
We all decided to go along with Lily's plan, so we all gathered together at the teleportation coordinates she indicated to us. I don't know how much paperwork she had to do to bring the whole family in there, that place seemed somewhere in the countryside just outside Sim City...
Iris: Nice park, but what are we doing here?
Lily: We almost arrived, it's right there! Let's hurry, c'mon!
What a strange sign, “Sims Sessions”... what does it mean?
Wait, this is an outdoor concert, isn't it?
Alba: Do you know what's going on?
Olivier: No, Lily still refuses to give us more detailed answers.
Alba: But then why do you already have the concert t-shirts?
Rowan: They sell them over there, it seemed appropriate for the place.
In fact there was a really nice atmosphere, with all those people singing and dancing together and having fun right under the stage. Not to mention the performances!
Lily: So, what do you think?
Alba: Everything is so cool, I always wanted to participate to a concert like this!
I'm pretty sure one of the artists was one of Lily's favourites, and that this is why she organised the day...
But this doesn't really matter to me. We danced and sang all day alongside songs we heard on the radio every day, but which sounded even more true and engaging when listened to like this, live.
It had already been a long day, but the adrenaline made me feel like a young girl. The real concert may have been over, but I still wanted music. So why not take out my own guitar too?
Rowan: Hey, do you plan to play your new song now?
Olivier: Why not, it could be fun!
Alba: Are you sure? Several parts still need to be polished, and...
Olivier: I don't think anyone will notice, they just want to have fun!
As usual I was worrying more than I needed to, I don't think I've ever received so much applause in my life, nor have I ever had so much fun.
Someone even asked us if we had scheduled some concert to come listen to us, can you believe it, my dear diary?
And, at that moment, it didn't even seem like such an absurd question. We sure could have a lot of fun performing like this.
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Olivier: What's bothering you? It's such a beautiful night!
Alba: Well, sometimes I don't feel like I've done enough. These islands would still need so much attention to return to what they used to... And then there's the question of the robot on Sixam, and everything else. On the other hand, however, I'm also so tired of all that stuff...
Olivier: C'mon, no one can take charge of so many things. And then the younger members of the environmental agency have learned a lot from you, they will certainly do well.
Alba: Yes, let's hope…
Olivier: Hey, but what is that flower over there? Lately I've been seeing it everywhere, but I had never noticed them before.
Alba: Now that the robots have stopped pouring out their waste, those palm trees have started blooming again. There are a lot of palm trees like this around here, but they haven't been able to produce flowers and fruit like this for I don't know how many years.
Since we were literally surrounded by them, I picked one of those flowers. Out of thousands of flowers, it certainly wouldn't have made a difference.
Alba: They're beautiful, right?
Olivier: Yes, really a lot. Despite everything, the archipelago seems to be better off than when we arrived, right?
Alba: Yes, that's probably true.
After all, Olivier isn't entirely wrong, the archipelago has visibly improved in recent years, these flowers are just a small example. And all this is also thanks to the work of our agency. We have not managed to solve all the problems, but perhaps it is time to pass the responsibility to someone else, hoping that they'll manage to face future challenges.
And retirement isn't even the only big change Olivier and I are facing. Rowan is not a kid anymore, it won't be long before he leaves the nest and moves to college, and our life will change radically again. Perhaps the time has come for us to focus on ourselves and what we like to do, without expecting to save the world at all costs.
We've put music aside for so long, relegating it to a mere hobby, but why shouldn't we try to make it something more? Starting a new project at this age won't seem easy, but on the other hand I think I could have fun livening up Sulani's parties and evenings with our music.
It's curious, when I think about it. The two of us weren't even born here, but this archipelago impressed us to the point of making us decide to come and live here and do our best to clean up these islands. A very different life from the one we would have had in New Sixam, but we have never regretted this choice.
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§HermioneSims§ corner
Yup, I took advantage of the Sims Sessions 2021 for this chapter! It was a quite funny one-week time-limited event dropped during the summer 2021, and a music concert just seemed the right place for Alba & co! The event was described quite in detail here.
However, as I anticipated in the introduction, I had two main bugs occurring during this game session:
1) The faces of the artists who performed during the concert were overwritten by those of sims from my gallery, due to some settings I was using for the MCCC mod. I'm particularly sorry for the artists involved, but with such a short time-limited event I didn't have the time to solve the issue!
2) My sims were never able to go on stage and do their own performance (probably because at some point I was obliged to reset the stage for I-don't-remember-which-issue). So my original plan was to make Alba and/or Olivier exhibit on stage, but that was just impossible, sorry!
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