Somebody to Love: Bachelor in Paradise ~ Rose Ceremony # 2

Sul Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani. Well, today, is Rose Ceremony #2, and at least we are getting closer to finding out who Rick’s somebody to love really is. The poor guy is so confused and is having whims for practically all the contestants. And that’s where we had to ask for YOUR help. A vote was conducted, and unfortunately, four lovely contestants will be heading home today.

The producers have chosen a wonderful location for Rose Ceremony #2 and with no incense burners this time I might add. Benny, Rick and I have already arrived and if you’ll excuse me, Benny and I have some prep work to do before the actual ceremony.

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Rick had wandered down to the shore to look out at the ocean and think about the contestants. He did truly like them all, but, he knew, in the end, there had to be just one. He just didn’t know which one just yet.

Benny and Roxanna were helping out the caterer before the contestants arrived. The lot was in a unique location, set amongst some ruins. Benny had just carried out plates laden with scrumptious food. Roxanna saw a lot of meat dishes and wanted to remind the caterer that there were vegetarians amongst the contestants.

Well, she didn’t have to worry because the caterer was making some type of vegetarian gourmet dish that smelled absolutely heavenly.

Rick had walked back just in time as some of the guests were starting to arrive. Benny was quick to greet Lara at the front. The bartender had arrived and was busy preparing some drinks for the early birds. There was also a dance area to the left, which would probably be popular later this evening. The center area held dining tables, and the floor was scattered with rose petals leading up to the presentation area.

Benny had done a great job of taking Rick’s photo, and as before, there were roses on display. Fourteen roses in all, four of which were yellow.

The pianist had arrived and was taking requests from some of the guests.

It looked like everyone had arrived and they were all looking gorgeous. They had certainly outdone themselves tonight. Roxanna and Benny ordered a round of drinks for everyone.

Raven helped herself to some of the appetizers that the caterer had put out. No matter what the event, Raven always looked very classy in her black outfits. Raven passed Cinnamon and gave her a sideways glance. Perhaps she was admiring Cinnamon’s unique dress. Cinnamon was waiting for her drink and looked radiant. Her outfit choice was a one-of-a-kind Asian-inspired gown, which she was sure would get Rick’s attention.

Miriam and Octavia had sat down at one of the tables together. Octavia looked sensational in a short, gold-colored dress, which accentuated her red hair. Anyone who chose a gold dress wanted to stand out, and that is exactly what Octavia was aiming for. Meanwhile, Miriam had opted for a flowing island dress in soft shades of green which complimented her carefree, easy-going personality. Miriam looked very attractive. Octavia seemed to be watching someone at the bar. Maybe she was wondering what Cinnamon was doing so close to Rick. Meanwhile, Miriam was looking a bit awkward trying to get Octavia’s attention to chat with her.

Brianna and Nami decided to sit down and join them. Brianna had chosen an island outfit, and even wore flowers in her hair to complement her outfit. Brianna looked spectacular. Nami had chosen a long red lace gown and looked bewitching. Red really was Nami’s best color. Let’s hope this one doesn’t get burned like the last red dress she had on. Brianna doesn’t look too happy about something, while Nami is beaming. Was it something Nami said?

Naomi and Charlotte have become fast friends. Perhaps the green color of their dresses drew them together. Charlotte opted for a formal green and white ball gown, and she really looks enchanting in it. Naomi had chosen a modern, short green dress with a slanted hemline, accented with gold geometric designs. It was young and fresh and suited Naomi’s sparkling personality. They were both having a great time chatting with one another. Naomi seemed a lot more relaxed than she did at the last Rose Ceremony.

The bartender was busy, first serving Coral her drink and then finishing up on Merinda’s drink. Merinda looked absolutely stunning in an all-white gown and almost looked like a Greek goddess standing there. Coral was enjoying her drink and looked especially alluring in the blue island outfit she had chosen. How the bartender was still working with these two beauties flanking him was just amazing.

Kyra and Isla were sitting together at the end of the bar and sharing tales of the island. Kyra looked exquisite in her green one-shouldered gown. The gown had flecks of gold sparkle throughout and it’s no wonder that Rick glanced her way now and again. Isla had chosen a sea blue gown, and she certainly looked beautiful tonight. Isla was enthralled by the pirate stories that Kyra was telling.

Iris took a seat beside Rick and looked absolutely gorgeous. Her 3/4 length cream dress with a gold accent chain belt was simple, yet elegant. And, it looked like Rick liked the dress choice, too!

Iris vacated the seat beside Rick and Lara saw her chance and sat next to Rick quickly. Lara had chosen a shimmery periwinkle beaded chiffon gown with cut-out waist panels emphasizing her slender physique. In the glow of the sunset, Lara certainly looked mesmerizing.

The sun had set and Roxanna signaled to Rick that the ceremony was about to start. The contestants grabbed another drink and a dessert from the buffet and found their seats. The chatter soon died down as Roxanna headed to the presentation area and picked up the microphone.

“Sul Sul! I, Roxanna Llama-Llama, welcome you to the Rose Ceremony. Tonight marks another milestone for the Bachelor in Paradise show, as we get closer to finding somebody to love for our bachelor. But before we begin, I just wanted to tell you all how gorgeous everyone looks tonight, and what a pleasure it has been to chat with each and every one of you. You are ALL fabulous! But therein lies the problem. All of the contestants are just TOO fabulous and our poor bachelor is having difficulty choosing just one. And so, the producers decided to hire an outside consulting agency to determine which of the contestants would be heading home tonight. And sadly, for four contestants, this will be your last night on the show. But for the others, you will have yet another chance to win the heart of our bachelor…Rick Goengeter.”

*Applause from the audience*

Roxanna motioned for Rick to come to the presentation area and handed him the microphone.

“Good evening ladies…and Benny. I just wanted to say that I wholeheartedly agree with what Roxanna just said. Indeed, you are ALL fabulous! On our group dates, I have had the pleasure of getting to know more about each of you. And, for some of you, on our Solo Dates, I have gotten to know a more….um…romantic side of you. It is certainly true that I have strong feelings for several contestants, which doesn’t make my choice any easier.  And so, as before, each of you will receive a rose. The color is the only difference. Yellow to those who will always be my friend, and red, for a friendship which has blossomed into something more.”

Roxanna stood listening to Rick and realized that whoever he chose would be one lucky lady indeed. What a suave bachelor he was.

Rick continued, “May I ask the contestants of House 1 to please come forward…”

“Three of the contestants in this house and one contestant in House 2 were in a tie-vote. The results of that tie-vote will be revealed towards the end of the ceremony. So, for now, I ask that Miriam, Raven, and Kyra please be seated again. Thank you, ladies.”

There were now four contestants left from House 1. Did that mean they were all staying? Rick selected a red rose and yellow rose from the roses on the table behind him. Er…maybe not.

Rick walked over to Naomi and handed her the first red rose. Naomi was safe. The look on her face said it all. She inhaled the rose’s fragrance and just couldn’t believe that she was still part of the Bachelor in Paradise show. “Oh Rick, I….oh, thank you, Rick!” Naomi said excitedly.

Picking another red rose from the table, Rick walked towards Lara…and handed it to her. Lara was safe. “Oh, this is so wonderful!” she gushed.

Rick again went to the table and chose another red rose. He still had the yellow rose in his other hand. He stopped before Brianna but didn’t say a word. Brianna looked a bit startled. “No, I can’t be going home, right? Not after what we shared at the Group Date. It can’t be possible,” she thought, looking a bit worried.

Rick smiled and held out the red rose to Brianna and she sighed in relief. Brianna was safe. She was so happy to be staying that she did an autonomous hug with Rick.

There was only one contestant left from House 1. Isla. And with a yellow rose in his hand, this could only mean one thing. Rick handed the yellow rose to Isla. “This is really hard for me to do, Isla, but know that we will always be friends,” Rick said sincerely.

“I’m going home? Off the show? I…I…” said Isla in a quiet voice.

“…Oh, I just don’t think I can face anyone right now. I knew it could happen, but I was just hoping…just hoping…” Isla gulped for air, “…that I would be staying.”

Rick looked at Isla and couldn’t bear to see her look so sad. He went over to her and gave her a hug. That seemed to cheer her up, somewhat.

As Isla left the presentation area and sat down, Rick went up to the microphone again. “May I ask the contestants of House 2 to please come forward…”

Almost as soon as Rick spoke, there was a strange light that suddenly appeared, and all the contestants rushed to see what was happening. There, for all to see was Charlotte, bathed in a strange light. She didn’t look too happy.

And suddenly she was lifted off the ground and seemed to float in the air. Up, up, up she went.  “Help! Throw me a rope or something!” shouted Charlotte.

But before anyone could even think of what to do, she was gone. Abducted by aliens!

Iris was a bit shaken by the incident as Charlotte had been standing right beside her.

“Oh my gosh! That could have been me!” she thought. In fact, all of the contestants were a bit rattled by the occurrence. Well, everyone except Raven.

“Well, that’s one way of eliminating a contestant!” Raven said laughing.

Roxanna wasn’t sure what to do as this had never happened before, so Benny headed up to the microphone and said that there would be a short break.

After discussing the situation with Benny and Rick, Roxanna decided to ask Nami for her opinion. Afterall, she was half-alien. Maybe she would know if Charlotte was returning anytime soon or if they would have to reschedule the Rose Ceremony.

“Oh, Charlotte will be back in a few hours. She’s fine,” explained Nami, “Nothing to worry about. They probably thought she looked really…um…interesting…and wanted to get a closer look at her.”

And so after discussing the situation with Rick and Benny again, they decided to continue with the Rose Ceremony.

And so the contestants of House 2 headed up to the presentation area. Well, everyone except Charlotte, of course, who had been whisked away by the aliens. Rick also asked Merinda to have a seat again, as she was one of the contestants in the tie-vote.

Rick selected a red rose from the table behind him and walked up to Nami. As he handed Nami the rose he thought of some song lyrics and before he realized it, he said out loud, “Lovely….that’s the way you look tonight, Nami.”

Nami was speechless. “I hadn’t expected Rick to say anything like that!” thought Nami. She felt herself blush from the compliment. Nami was safe.

[Author’s Note: As he handed Nami the rose, Rick had a whim to woohoo with her. The first whim he’s had for a contestant all night.]

Next, a red rose for Cinnamon. She was so excited, she started clapping. Cinnamon was safe. Rick even complimented her dress. “Say yes to the dress! Woot! He noticed me! I knew this was the right dress to wear!” thought Cinnamon happily.

And another red rose for Octavia. Although Octavia didn’t look too happy about something. Maybe she was surprised that a “certain” contestant just got a red rose, too. “Seriously? Cinnamon got a red rose? I really feel that a YELLOW rose would have suited Cinnamon’s gown so much better,” thought Octavia, knowing that she, Octavia, had nothing to worry about. Octavia was safe. Octavia suddenly came out of her sulk and flashed a smile at Rick.

There were two contestants left and Rick chose two more red roses from the table. One was given to Coral who gave Rick her biggest smile. Coral was safe. “He is so handsome, I could just melt in his arms right now,” thought Coral, imagining that scene in her mind.

And another red rose for Iris. Whoa! Iris sure was feeling flirty after receiving that red rose. She autonomously gave Rick a little wink and a coy wave. Iris was safe. “I don’t think he knows how good he looks in that suit. Pink never looked so good,” Iris thought to herself.

As if on cue, suddenly there was a beam of light. Charlotte had returned!

Charlotte looked a little “out of it” when she returned but appeared unharmed.

“Did I….did I miss anything?” she stammered, as Benny helped her up to the presentation area. All the contestants asked if she was okay and she assured them she was fine.

As Charlotte approached the presentation area, she saw Rick holding a yellow rose in his hand. Surely that couldn’t be for her. But in her bemused state, she looked at the other contestants on stage, and they were all holding a red rose.

“Well, I declare! Are y’all kidding me? I plum just got abducted and now I am getting eliminated, too? This night is the worst ever! Sugah, tell me this isn’t true!” Charlotte said in a shrill voice.

“Well, I…um…” started Rick, “…we can still be friends,” he said brightly.

“It’s true then? Y’all be giving ME a yella rose? Well, you can keep that thar yella rose. I am so hoppin mad right now, I’m madder than a wet hen and I’m just fixin’ to…I’m just fixin’ to…well, right now I don’t know what I’m fixin’ to do, but I am going to head to the bar and order me a bourbon.” And with that, Charlotte turned on her heel and headed to the bar.

She hadn’t taken two steps when she whirled back to Rick again, “On second thought, I’ll take that yella rose. I am, after all, a lady and will graciously accept your gift,” Charlotte said as she snatched the yellow rose out of Rick’s hand. “A rose is a rose is a rose”, Charlotte mumbled as she clutched the rose fiercely to her and walked purposefully towards the bar. “…And Nami got a red rose? Oh, fiddle dee-dee! She was probably in cahoots with those aliens and planned my abduction! Tarnations, what a night I’m having!”

Rick headed back to the presentation area. There were now only four roses left on the table. Two red and two yellow. Rick called up the four remaining contestants to the front…Kyra, Raven, Merinda, and Miriam.

“This morning, before the Rose Ceremony, these four contestants competed in a tie-vote competition. The judges decided that these contestants would challenge each other to a game of foosball, and the winner of the game would be staying.”

Rick turned to Kyra and Raven. Both of these contestants were tied for 3rd place. Rick held a red rose and a yellow rose in each hand.

 Rick walked up to Raven. “Raven won the foosball game with Kyra 5-4.”

“I knew foosball was your favorite game and I practiced at the house. I am so glad I did, and I am happy to still be here with you,” said Raven, accepting the red rose that Rick held out to her. Raven was safe.

This meant that unfortunately, Kyra was heading home. Rick handed Kyra the yellow rose.

“I really thought I had a chance. But…” Kyra stopped and looked down at the yellow rose in her hand, “I guess not. I’m just….I’m just so sad that I’m heading home today,” Kyra said as she tried to hold back the tears.

Rick saw Kyra struggling and came over to her and engulfed Kyra in a hug. He would truly miss her.

And then there were two. Rick turned to Miriam and Merinda. Both of these contestants were tied for 4th place. Rick picked up the last red rose and yellow rose from the table behind him.

Rick walked up to Merinda first. For a fleeting moment, there was a look of hope on Merinda’s face, which was soon dashed when Rick gave her the yellow rose.

“Oh!” is all that Merinda could say.

“I guess I didn’t do too well in that foosball game…” Merinda said as she looked sadly at Rick.

“No, I’m so sorry, Merinda. Miriam won the foosball game with you 5-nothing,” Rick said as he gave her a hug. He really liked Merinda and was going to miss her.

Which meant that the last red rose went to Miriam. She was safe. Miriam just gazed into Rick’s eyes. “I should do a mistletoe kiss with him again. Right here, in front of everyone!” she thought. But somehow she controlled herself.

Roxanna went up to the presentation area. “I, Roxanna Llama-Llama, want to thank you all for being here. This concludes the Rose Ceremony for this evening. Congratulations to those contestants who are continuing. And I want to wish those contestants who are leaving us tonight, Charlotte, Kyra, Isla and Merinda, a fond farewell. It was a pleasure knowing you and I wish you every luck in the future. But the night is still young, so let’s have some fun and hit the dance floor!”

Rick’s last dance with the eliminated contestants. Left front: Charlotte Eclair, Left Back: Merinda Paewal, Right Front: Kyra Kealohi; Left Back: Isla Waters

Until tomorrow. Wikki Wikki Wii from Sulani.

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Author’s Notes:

Thanks to this simmer for creating this wonderful build. It is actually a restaurant, and I just changed the lot type and spruced it up a bit by adding the bar and dance floor areas.

“Lovely…the way you look tonight,” said to Nami by Rick, are song lyrics from the song, The Way You Look Tonight, (1936). Okay, so I was watching The Voice when I was writing this, and this is Preston C. Howell’s performance. He didn’t win in the knockouts, but I have always liked this song.

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The phrase “a rose is a rose is a rose,” (a line in a poem by Gertrude Stein), means “things are what they are.” In saying this line, Charlotte is just stating that even though it’s not a red rose, it’s still a rose. And so she was going to take that rose whether it was red, yellow or any other color, because it was still a rose from Rick.

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“Say Yes To The Dress” is a reality tv show about a bridal salon in Manhattan, and choosing the right dress for the bride.

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In the readers’ vote, there was a tie between Kyra and Raven for 3rd and Miriam and Merinda for 4th. So, I decided to have them compete in a foosball tournament, which is Rick’s favorite game. I downloaded a Maxis room, Friendly drinkery, and placed it on an empty lot. One game each. Winner stays. Results were: Raven vs Kyra: Raven-5; Kyra-4; Raven wins the game. Miriam vs Merinda: Miriam-5; Merinda-0; Miriam wins the game.

So, unfortunately, we say goodbye to four contestants: Charlotte Eclair (House 2), Isla Waters (House 1-mermaid); Kyra Kealohi (House 1 formerly House 3), and Merinda Paewal (House 2-mermaid).

 

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Somebody to Love: Bachelor in Paradise ~ Visit with Keala Hoapili & The Legend of the Sea Witch – Part 2

….continued….

The words of Keala echoed in her ears. Then, he will, unfortunately, perish beneath the waves with Serena and never be seen again.”

Roxanna didn’t know what to think after she heard what Keala had said. They had to save Rick. They just had to! But which contestant was his one true love?

Suddenly, Roxanna saw a light coming from Keala’s bedroom. “What is that light?” she asked.

Keala turned her head and looked. “That’s unusual. They usually do not appear before visitors.”

“They?” asked Benny.

“Yes, the island spirits. They are ancient island spirits who inhabit this place. Do not be afraid. They will not hurt you, but I must commune with them to see what they want. Please excuse me.” said Keala as she got up.

Keala went into her bedroom. Roxanna was curious and followed her. Keala spoke to them, but Roxanna did not hear what she said.

“They are here to speak with YOU, Roxanna. They want to impart some knowledge to you. We must all go outside now and they will appear before us,” Keala said as she ushered Roxanna outside.

“They want to talk to me? I…I…I’m a bit nervous about this. What if I say the wrong thing?” Roxanna appeared shaken.

Lia spoke up then, “It is best to just listen and be respectful. They have come for a reason and they will let you know what it is.”

[Author’s Notes: Those lights came from the Kraken’s Grappled Arm statue. And don’t they look like a skull shape?]

All four of them hurried outside, and there before them were three ghostly figures. Keala went over to one and bowed her head solemnly.

“These are the ones I spoke to you about,” said Keala as she waved her arm towards Roxanna and Benny.

“The woman…she is not one of us, but she wears the traditional dress. How interesting. She is most respectful of our customs,” said the first island spirit.

A second island spirit looked at Benny, “And the male sim, he does not know his gift yet, does he?” Keala shook her head no.

“Bring her to me,” said the first island spirit. Keala motioned for Roxanna to come to where she stood.

“What is your name?” asked the first island spirit.

“Roxanna Llama-Llama,” she said nervously. Roxanna had never spoken to a spirit before. She thought she would faint.

“Keala has told us about you and the male sim. She told me that you will do battle with Serena, the sea witch to save another. You have a strong aura, but you will need more than that to save him,” continued the first island spirit.

The second island spirit spoke then, “You must find the Heart of Sulani. It was stolen centuries ago by a pirate who came ashore and plundered the island. The fire gods became angry and a great storm came up and they rained fire down on his ship. The ship crashed onto the shoreline. The wreckage of the ship is still there and so is the Heart of Sulani.”

The first island spirit spoke again, “Only with the Heart of Sulani can you save the other. It has great power. The power of Sulani is within it.”

“Our time is growing short,” said the third island spirit, as she continued, “Heed my words well! To save him, his one true love must become something they are not. Only then can they defeat the evil…with the good of the other. Find the Heart of Sulani…hold it high…and summon the power within…”

And just like that, they were gone.

Benny came over to Roxanna and steadied her, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, of course, I talk to island spirits every day…” Roxanna joked as she held onto Keala for support as she was feeling kind of woozy.

“Keala, what did they mean when they said, ‘To save him, his one true love must become something they are not.’ I don’t know what they were trying to tell me,” Roxanna said looking confused.

Keala didn’t seem to know either and just shrugged her shoulders, “When the time is near, perhaps it will be more clear to you.”

Benny turned to Keala, “So what exactly is this Heart of Sulani?” he asked.

“The Heart of Sulani is a necklace crafted with a rare stone. A stone with magical properties. And the shipwreck is on Mua Pe’lam. But I am afraid that other sims have searched that area for centuries and have never found it,” answered Keala.

“So why would the island spirits tell me about this necklace if it was impossible to find?” asked Roxanna rather confused.

“Perhaps they believe that you and Benny are the ones destined to find it…” replied Lia quietly.

“Yes! Yes! That’s it!”, exclaimed Keala, “You and Benny have been chosen to help Rick’s one true love save him…” Keala added excitedly.

Roxanna and Benny were speechless.

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Author’s Notes:

Heart of Sulani-My Version:

The Admiral’s Wreckage is actually the wreckage of a centuries-old pirate ship (not a trawler as in the lot description). The Heart of Sulani necklace comes from the island of Sulani, and has mystical powers. The fire gods of Mua Pel’am punished the pirate for stealing the Heart of Sulani and caused a storm to rage and sent lava bombs from the volcano to rain upon the pirate’s ship. The pirate lost control of the ship, it crashed, and he and his crew perished, along with the Heart of Sulani necklace. Centuries later, the Heart of Sulani still hasn’t been found. Sounds good, right?

Heart of Sulani-Actual Version:

Below is the actual story associated with the Heart of Sulani. Barnacle Bay is a pirate world in Sims 3. “Jocasta” could refer to Jocasta Bachelor in Sims 3, mother of Bella Bachelor (Goth).

The lot traits of the Chieftain’s Villa is ‘Island Spirits”: “Ancient Island spirits inhabit this lot, visiting frequently. How will Sims choose to interact with them?” These are seen in the bedroom. There is no control over when they will appear.

Keala Hoapili has the “Child of the Islands” trait.: “These Sims experience a spiritual connection to the islands of Sulani, honor the islands by partaking in their culture, summon powerful elementals and reap the rewards of their blessings—or the consequences of their disfavor.” These elementals, which Keala can summon, are ghosts.

Photo credits:

Heart of Sulani necklace & Admiral’s Wreckage, Sims VIP – The Sims 4 Island Living Guide

 

Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise – Visit With Keala Hoapili & The Legend of the Sea Witch – Part 1

Sul Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani! Today we are heading to the Hoapili residence to find out more about these “evil siren” or “sea witch” rumors. Every sim that I have talked to said to go and talk to Keala, and so I thought that this would be the perfect day to go.

But first, we apparently needed some proper attire to wear for our visit. So while Rick was on his Solo Dates, and in preparation for our visit, I had asked Manu (Rick’s best friend), about what to wear when visiting Keala. He suggested that Benny and I visit the Sulani Marketplace, just off of Ohan’ali Town Pier, and head to Wiki Hauata’s shop. She was the best seamstress in all of Sulani and knew about its customs and culture.

When we arrived, I asked some of the staff where Wiki’s shop was. They were polite and pointed to a corner stall.

Benny, meanwhile, had seen a diving buddy at one of the stalls and was trying on diving suits. Benny, that is NOT what you will be wearing to see Keala.

I headed over to Wiki’s shop and the place was already bustling with customers. There was even a celebrity there. For such a small shop, it was very popular.

The owner of the store came over to me and I told her where I was going. She brought me over to a mannequin displaying a very striking island outfit.

“This would be the most appropriate outfit. It is respectful and pays homage to our island culture. It would be fitting to wear this to visit Keala. And it seems you like pinks and purples – it is perfect for you. But if any alterations are needed, I can do them while you wait. No charge, of course,” said Wiki proudly.

Wiki told me it was hand-dyed silk and she pointed out the elaborate hand stitching on the bodice. It was gorgeous and I could already see myself in it. I was about to try it on, when out of nowhere, the celebrity, Holly Alto, snatched it up and purchased it. I have to say that it did look rather good on her, but I know that it would have looked even better on moi. Unfortunately, Wiki told me that it was the last outfit in that color. Oh my gosh! What was I going to do? Did she have anything else that would be suitable?

Wiki told me not to worry and that she had another one in an even better color. In fact, she said that the other color would look so much better on me. And it did! I bought it right away in case anyone else had ideas of purchasing that one. While I was trying it on, Benny came over and whistled softly when he saw me and told me that I looked every bit an islander now.

I asked Wiki if she had anything for men, and she said she would be able to find Benny the perfect outfit, too.

And don’t you agree that I, Roxanna Llama-Llama, look absolutely marvelous? I also purchased this fab jewelry at one of the booths. It just accents the whole outfit, don’t you think? And Benny…well…I never knew he could look so good in island clothing before. And what did he do to his hair? Wow! He seemed to have gone all out. In fact, Benny looked…umm…rather…er…different…yes, that is the word I am looking for. *clears throat* And so, NOW, I think we are ready to visit Keala.

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The Hoapili household lives at Cheiftain’s Villa in the Ohan’ali Town district of Sulani. Keala, who is an elder, and her granddaughter, Lia, live there. Keala watches over the townsfolk who look to her for guidance. She has taken young Lia under her wing to pass on the knowledge and cultural history of Sulani through the generations. Lia has a different surname than Keala, and they may have spiritual, rather than biological, family ties.

Benny and Roxanna trekked up the path to the Chieftain’s Villa. There were several buildings on the property and Roxanna went to the largest one and knocked.

The view from the Chieftain’s Villa was spectacular. It was high on a hill that overlooked all of Ohan’ali Town.

They entered the hut and there was a main kitchen with a seating area towards the back.

To the left of the area, was a living room.

And through a set of doors from the living room was Keala’s bedroom.

Across from the main hut were two smaller huts. One was Lia’s bedroom. Several books were stacked on her dresser.

The other hut held a very clean, simply furnished bathroom.

Roxanna walked around the kitchen and saw a full bowl of kava. Did Keala know they were coming today? Before she could think about it, the front door opened and in walked Keala and Lia.

“I was wondering when you would find your way here. The island spirits told me you would be paying a visit. I am Keala and this is Lia. Welcome to our home.” said Keala as she moved towards them.

Roxanna looked sideways at Benny with a quizzical look at the mention of “island spirits”.

Please, help yourself to some kava. And since it is such a nice afternoon, let’s sit outside,” said Keala as she helped herself to a cup of kava.

Keala continued speaking as she led them outside, “Lia has duties and I must supervise her if she has questions. She is preparing a traditional island feast for dinner. I hope you like fish. It was freshly caught this morning.”

Benny and I both nodded that we did. Benny asked Lia if he could take a photo of her and he snapped a quick pic. I noticed that Lia was wearing a similar bodice as I had on, which confirmed that my outfit was indeed appropriate.

As they sat down together, Benny showed everyone the photo he took of Lia.

Keala turned to Benny, “So you are the photographer,” Keala said looking at Benny closely, “Manu was right when he told me you had a gift.”

“Oh, thanks. I just love to take photos. Pretty happy that I get to do something that I enjoy,” Benny replied with a smile.

“That is not what I meant. You have a deeper gift that you may not be aware of yourself,” said Keala.

“I do?” answered Benny looking surprised, “Ummm…so what is it? Is it like a horoscope reading or something? Like, I’m a Pisces and I love water?” laughed Benny.

“I do not jest. Your gift will be your greatest strength. Very soon your gift will be needed, and you will know when the time is right,” explained Keala.

“So, I have a gift and will use it someday, but it’s a mystery until then,” Benny repeated, not quite sure what Keala had meant.

“Yes, I am afraid I am unable to tell you more as there are many shadows in the future of what may or may not occur,” explained Keala.

Lia told everyone that the feast was ready and they got up and piled their plates with the delicious smelling dinner.

Roxanna spoke up then, “Does this have anything to do with Rick Goengeter. Um, Island Rick?” asked Roxanna, already knowing the answer before Keala spoke.

“Yes, it does. He is in grave danger. I had warned him of this several years’ ago, but I am afraid he didn’t believe me. I gave him an amulet to wear, but I see he does not wear it every day,” said Keala shaking her head.

Roxanna looked alarmed, “Grave danger? What is he in grave danger from?”

“You may have heard the mermaids talk about her. It’s the sea witch. The siren. I have seen her several times and sometimes I have seen her take other shapes of other sims. She has that power. But I can see her true self, her evil heart betrays her. I was fearful when Rick lived on that island that she would visit him. But perhaps she didn’t. But she will not have a true hold on him until the ‘blood moon’,” Keala explained.

“The what? A blood moon?” asked Roxanna not liking the sound of that.

“It is…how can I explain it….” Keala thought, trying to find the right words.

Benny spoke up then, “A blood moon? Oh yeah, I know what that is…”

Roxanna looked at him in surprise, “You do?”

“Well, I took some astronomy courses in college, because I was trying to impress this girl I had an eye on who was all brainy-like. But she ended up going with someone else. But I really enjoyed that astronomy class and did rather well in it.” Benny said nodding his head as he told his story.

“Um…and so….what is a blood moon?” Roxanna asked again.

“Oh right! So, if I remember correctly, a blood moon ‘is a phenomenon whereby the moon in total eclipse appears reddish in color as it is illuminated by sunlight filtered and refracted by the earth’s atmosphere.’ It’s a rare occurrence,” said Benny as if he was quoting from a textbook.

“That is a very good explanation, Benny. Thank you,” Keala said looking at Benny fondly.

Benny beamed with pride and continued, “…oh…and did you know that a blue moon is not really blue, well it could be if there is smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere. You get two full moons in a month, and the second one is called a blue moon. And then, you have a supermoon…”

Roxanna cleared her throat, “Um, that’s all very interesting Benny, but, we really need to know more about this blood moon. So, Keala, when is this going to happen?”

“Right…the blood moon…Rick and the evil sea witch…gotcha…” nodded Benny as he continued eating his dinner.

Keala looked to the sky before she answered, “At the time of the autumnal equinox. The blood moon will be stronger this year as it will happen at the same time as the Harvest Moon.”

Everyone was silent when she said this.

Keala continued, “The last time the blood moon occurred was the night that Rick was attacked by that shark and saved by Dolphina. I don’t think it was a shark that pulled him under, although sharks are her minions and she can call them to attack. No, I believe it was the sea witch herself who was trying to pull Rick under and claim him as hers. But she had not done the ritual and he had escaped her grasp.”

Roxanna asked quietly, “There is a ritual?”

“Why, yes. You see, the sea witch, Serena Tempest, is the sister of King Triton* and at one time, they both controlled the Kingdom, in different sections of the seven seas. But Serena was jealous of Triton and plotted against him. She wanted complete control of the Kingdom herself. However, Triton found out about her treachery and took away her title and banished her from the Kingdom forever. It is said that at that point her heart became filled with hate and she became evil. The only way she can return and reclaim her rightful place is to return with a sim who bears a certain trait,” Keala said as she waved her hands wildly about.

“And you think that Rick has this trait she needs?” asked Roxanna listening intently.

“Oh most definitely, yes. He is essentially a good sim and that is the trait she needs. But that isn’t all. Under her spell, she must convince him to eat the mythical mermadic kelp.”

“The ritual starts at the sacred waterfall on Mua Pel’am. She must place a lock of her hair and his hair into the water as an offering to the fire gods of the island. If the offering is accepted, the sacred frogs will begin to jump and frolic in the water. This will also indicate that one of them is pure of heart. She will then sing the ‘Charmer’s Lullaby’ to put him under her spell and have him eat the mermadic kelp. From there, they will enter the ocean together. And when he heads into the deep water, his form will change to a mersim. In the deep water, Serena will impart the “Mermaid’s kiss” to keep him under her spell. And finally, she will use the ‘Siren’s Call’ to summon him to her. This will seal the bond between them. And, at that point, she will take him down below with her to reclaim her Kingdom.

This ritual can only occur on the night of the blood moon, when her powers are their strongest. The catch is that he must take the mermadic kelp of his own free will and want to be with her,” said Keala emphasizing the words as she spoke.

“Why do you think that Rick would do that? He could just say no,” said Roxanna quickly.

“Oh, but it is not that easy. Serena can use many mermadic spells to convince him to do as she bids. She can also take many forms. The ritual must be done precisely, or she will have no hold on him. And, Serena will stop at NOTHING to take him this time,” Keala said narrowing her eyes.

Roxanna thought for a moment, “So, she may trick him into thinking she is someone else?”

“Oh yes, I wouldn’t put it past her to use some sort of trickery to convince Rick to take the mermadic kelp from her. She is evil personified!” Keala said in distaste.

Roxanna looked at Benny, her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

Benny interjected and asked, “So, um, this gift I have…can it save Rick?”

Keala answered, “You are very clever, Benny. And, yes, it plays a factor.”

Lia spoke then, “There is a way to save him, though.”

“There is? How?” asked Roxanna with renewed hope.

“It is not up to us to save him. I am afraid there is only ONE who can save him…his one true love,” Keala said as she spread her hands before them.

“His true love? But…but…what if he doesn’t find his true love?” asked Roxanna nervously.

Keala shook her head sadly before she spoke, “Then, he will, unfortunately, perish beneath the waves with Serena and never be seen again.”

Roxanna felt grief-stricken. Surely, one of the contestants in the contest will end up being his one, true love? Wouldn’t they?

…to be continued…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

Sims can become Mermaids by ingesting Mermadic Kelp. Once a Sim ingests Mermadic Kelp, they will be given a “Strange Sensations” +3 Energized moodlet; then the Sim must enter the water and swim in order to complete the transition and grow a tail. If the moodlet runs out, the Sim will no longer turn into a Mermaid upon entering the water and must eat Mermadic Kelp again if they wish to become one.

• Charmer’s Lullaby (-30 Hydration): This lullaby makes the target Sim flirty.
• Mermaid’s Kiss (-30 Hydration): A Mermaid’s Kiss grants whoever is kissed the “Aquatic Breath” moodlet, which temporarily gives Sims the ability to dive underwater for longer periods of time. This ability can be used in and out of water, but is more powerful in water.
• Siren’s Call (-100 Hydration): Mermaids can lure a Sim to them in the ocean and once near, the Mermaid will dive underwater and drag the Sim down into the water. If repeated enough times can cause the Sim to drown. (Unavailable to Mermaids with Good trait). Mermaids will regain all their needs by performing this action.
• Credit: SimsWiki

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wiki Hauata is an in-game townie who just happened to show up at the right moment and became the proprietor of the clothing stall.

King Triton is the name of the underwater King from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989). In one plotline for the animated movie (which was not used), King Triton is a half-sibling with Ursula, the sea witch, and they are each given half of the sea to control. In Greek mythology, Triton is the son of Poseidon. Serena Tempest did not exist in Greek Mythology, I just created her for this story.

Photo credits:

Photo of “Blood Moon”, cnn.com

The definition of a blood moon is from the dictionary.

Build Credit:

A fantastic market build for Sulani. Thanks to this simmer for creating it. The only thing that was changed was the outfit on display.

 

Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise – Reader Vote – Elimination # 2

Rick stared into the fire after Iris had left. He didn’t know what to think anymore. How could he have feelings for so many of the contestants? This wasn’t like him. He was just a one-gal type of guy. But, this was different. He had never had 14 women vying for his love and affection before. And they were all so beautiful and unique. And they all wanted him. He thought of each contestant in turn and smiled. How could he choose? He picked up a stick in the sand and poked at the fire as he thought of some song lyrics…

“…A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita is all I need
A little bit of Tina is what I see
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
A little bit of Jessica, here I am
A little bit of you makes me your man…”*

MAMBO NUMBER FIVE, Lou Bega (1999)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sul Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani. You see our bachelor up there? The guy is lovesick, lovestruck, and TOTALLY confused. He’s a nice guy, but maybe too nice, because the guy is having a problem choosing. And he seriously needs YOUR help to find somebody to love. Because let’s be honest, we can’t go through the whole show with Rick and a harem of female sims after him. Well, we could, but then we wouldn’t find “The One” for Rick. And that’s what this is all about, right? Finding Rick somebody to love.

So, having said that, today is a rather sad day, as four contestants will be leaving the show. And it’s up to YOU to decide who will go home. Now the producers and I chatted and we decided that whichever contestants had a relationship status of “Lovebirds” with Rick would be safe! Since some of the relationships had changed and to give a last chance relationship boost, Rick went over to each House and did one Brighten Day and two Flirts with each contestant (in the bathroom). And so here are the results:

Lovebirds Status – in alphabetical order – (these contestants are SAFE) 🙂

• Cinnamon Apple (House 2)
• Nami Chuu (House 2)
• Iris Costello (House 2)
• Octavia Dillon (House 2)
• Brianna Hammond (House 1)
• Naomi Mahina (House 1)
• Lara McGowan (House 1)
• Coral Reeves (House 2)

From Left to Right: Front: Cinnamon Apple, Middle: Iris Costello, Nami Chuu, Back:  Octavia Dillon, Lara McGowan, Naomi Mahina, Brianna Hammond, and Coral Reeves.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Romantic Interest (RI) & Acquaintances (A) Status – in alphabetical order – (up for elimination) – sorry 😦

• Charlotte Eclair (RI – House 2)
• Miriam Epp (RI – House 1)
• Kyra Kealohi (RI – House 1)
• Merinda Paewal (A – House 2)
• Isla Waters (RI – House 1)
• Raven Xang (RI – House 1)

From Left to Right: Miriam Epp, Isla Waters, Merinda Paewal, Kyra Kealohi, Raven Xang, and Charlotte Eclair.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It really makes me sad that any have to be eliminated, but we do have to get down to one. Vote for FOUR (4)  to go home. Voting will close on Thursday, October 31st at midnight EST.

If there are any ties, an Elimination Challenge will then take place. Please do not let others know in the comments who you voted for to go home. Thanks 🙂

VOTE HERE

 

Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise – Iris & Miriam Solo Dates

Sul Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani. Wasn’t that such a fun night for everyone last night? I tell you, I should pick more of the challenges rather than the producers, don’t you think? And we even got a chance to hear Rick’s singing voice.  I mean he seriously has this deep, sexy…umm…er…husky…singing voice. Any of the contestants would be lucky to be serenaded by him.

And even though none of the contestants won the actual Karaoke Contest prize, two lucky contestants did win a Solo Date with Rick. Now the producers firmly told me that after these Solo Dates, that there needs to be a decision made and four will have to head home. Can you believe it? Four! Oh my plumbobs!

So, good luck to Miriam Epp (House 1), and Iris Costello (House 2) on their Solo Dates. Let’s hope that they can make an impression on Rick. This will also be our last Solo Dates at the Pineapple Lanai Restaurant, as we will be having another sponsor host the next dates.

So let’s head on over and see what’s happening!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rick invites Miriam Epp to the Pineapple Lanai Restaurant and they travel there together. Since Miriam’s relationship has dwindled down to Acquaintance, Rick has to get the relationship up before he can ask her for a date.

So, a few interactions of Brighten Day, Are you Single and Get to Know and Rick is ready to ask Miriam on a date. And she says yes! Well, thank goodness for that, because it would have been rather awkward if she had said no, having won this Solo Date.

And just like that, their date starts. And it’s like a switch has been turned on because all of a sudden Rick gets a flirty vibe. He also gets his first whim for Miriam to be “friendly” with her. That sounds like a good start for the date.

Things start to heat up and Rick gets a whim to “kiss” Miriam. I mean, Miriam certainly does have kissable lips, just like all the other contestants that Rick has had whims to kiss. I usher him over to request a table as there are a lot of sims arriving.

As they are heading towards the podium, some guy passes Miriam and glances flirtatiously at her. Miriam isn’t quite sure what to think. Um…hey you there, Mr. Green Flowered Shirt, get your own date! Miriam is with Rick right now.

The hostess recognizes Rick and tells him what a pleasure it is to have him visit them again. She brings him over to a picnic table.

In the meantime, it seems that Miriam has changed for the date! Va-Va-Voom, Miriam!

They sit down together, on the same side of the table! How cute! And, Miriam is sitting really close to Rick. It doesn’t look like Rick minds at all. And do I detect some flirting going on here? Rick compliments Miriam on her outfit, and then gets a whim to have “first kiss” with Miriam. Darn, I have to cancel that.

It looks like Miriam has moved over a bit to give Rick some breathing room. I think she was trying to have Rick take a whiff of some perfume she was wearing. You know, so he thinks of her every time he smells that scent. Smart move there, Miriam. Rick then gets two whims for Miriam at the same time, “kiss” and “woohoo”. Sorry there Rick, canceled those.

Throughout their whole date, Rick and Miriam have been telling jokes to each other. Rick’s jokes must be getting better because Miriam really likes them. She even claps at a few.

The server comes and Rick orders for the table. “I love chocolate ice cream,” says Miriam. And we already know what Rick is ordering, don’t we? Mr. Banana-nana-bo-bana-Rick-banana.

While they are waiting for their order, Rick asks Miriam about her art and as she talks Rick gets a whim to ask Miriam to be his “girlfriend”.

“Have you ever thought about being an art model?” queried Miriam.

“You mean…um…pose for art students…in the…buff…?” Rick looked around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation.

“No, silly… I was thinking that maybe you’d be interested in posing for a portrait. You have very mesmerizing eyes and I’d like the chance to capture your features on canvas,” Miriam said laughingly.

“Oh, a portrait? No-one has ever wanted to paint my portrait before. That would be interesting,” said Rick quickly.

“Of course you would have to sit still for long periods of time. Do you think you could handle that?” smirked Miriam.

“Sure,” said Rick striking a funny pose, “Is this what you had in mind?” asked Rick in a pseudo-serious voice. They both burst out laughing a few minutes later.

“Needs work,” Miriam chuckled.

Rick then got a whim to “woohoo” with Miriam again. I think their relationship has now gone beyond the Acquaintance stage as Rick gets a “Hot Breakfast Date” moodlet.

And as if someone knew that things were getting rather hot between Miriam and Rick, his cell phone pings with a text. Guess who it’s from? I guess Iris is excited about her date with Rick that she can’t wait to chat with him! Nice try Iris.

Thankfully their order arrives. Maybe eating ice cream will cool Rick off a bit. However, I’m not sure that’s possible with the looks that Miriam is sending his way and the three whims of “make-out” with Miriam that I have to cancel.

“What’s this? A card on my ice cream personality?” Shall I read it?” Miriam looks at Rick enquiringly.

Rick nods and says he’d be very interested to know what liking chocolate ice cream says about Miriam.

“You are the life of every party! Charming, enthusiastic, theatrical, extrovert, flirtatious, innovative, artistic, are words that best describe you. You are very joyful and love your life the way it is. With your sunny disposition and lively aura, you tend to be the center of attraction and you keep the crowd cheering on.  True lovers of chocolate are *devoted* lovers of chocolate, so you’re about as loyal as they come (albeit a little flirtatious). All of this, in addition to your appreciation for intensity and richness in life, means you’re a total romantic. On the other hand, you often get bored with a humdrum routine.”

Miriam laughs nervously and places the card on the table. Rick laughs, too and raises his eyebrows towards Miriam. “So, a total romantic, huh?”

“What can I say? It’s true. I’m a sucker for candlelit dinners, roses, snuggling before a fire, fairy tales, and happy endings. Yep, all that mushy stuff. And yes, I believe that love is powerful and it can bring you magic. I’m a hopeful…not a hopeless…romantic,” gushed Miriam.

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I fed you a bite of my dessert, would you?” said Rick coyly as he scooped up a small bit of his banana ice cream and offered it to Miriam to taste.

“It’s not chocolate, but I guess I can try some,” smirked Miriam as she let Rick feed her a bite.

[Author’s Notes: This is the only date that Rick got the “feed a bite” interaction option. I think it had something to do with the seating arrangements.]

It looks like she is thinking that banana might be her new favorite.

And then Rick does an autonomous action that makes my jaw drop. He does a “tease flirtatiously” interaction. Hubba hubba, Rick! But how is Miriam feeling about this?

Oh yes! She is totally okay with this, too. Then they talk about the weather. lol

The date is going smoothly, no awkwardness, no quiet moments, they just chat and chat and joke constantly throughout the whole date. Miriam seems quite enamored with Rick on the date because, for someone who loves chocolate, she doesn’t even take one bite of her dish.

The date is almost over and Rick gets a whim to cloudgaze with Miriam. Rick pays for the food and Miriam looks sad that the date is almost over.

Rick and Miriam head down the stairs to cloudgaze.

But Miriam seems to have something else on her mind. And before I know what she is doing, she pulls out something from her pocket.

What the? Oh my gosh! She is autonomously doing a mistletoe kiss. Noooo… don’t kiss her…!

Too late. She’s too quick for me! And Miriam sneaks the first kiss with Rick! Pucker Up!

Sneaky, sneaky Miriam! I think the other contestants may have underestimated Miriam. She may be sweet, but she has a few surprises up her sleeve. Even for the producers! Who would have thought that Miriam would do something like that? I don’t think that Rick was expecting that at all! But did he resist? No way. I think he’s been secretly wanting to smooch lips with Miriam all night.

They conclude the date as they lay down to cloudgaze together. I can only imagine what Rick is thinking about with that BIG smile on his face. *Gold Date Achieved*

[Author’s Notes: I checked Rick’s stats after this happened, and it still shows 0 for Times Kissed. Maybe it only registers if Rick initiates the kiss. So technically, Rick hasn’t had his first kiss with any of the contestants yet!]

Miriam’s Date Comments: “I have never been on a more carefree fun-loving date before. Rick and I shared some great conversations and had so much fun telling each other jokes. I just didn’t want the date to end. I found myself looking at him a lot throughout the date. I mean the guy is good-looking and my heart was beating a little faster when he fed me that bite of ice cream. I felt my cheeks go hot and I almost needed to fan my flushed face. *blushes* And about that mistletoe kiss. Well, I knew I had to do something drastic to get my relationship up with Rick. So when I saw some mistletoe growing near the hala tree, I picked some and put it in my pocket and kind of had a plan. And later, without even thinking, I just pulled out that mistletoe and went for it. And I didn’t see Rick saying no. Did you? And thinking back on that kiss, if I had known that kiss would be so HOT, I would have pulled out that mistletoe at the beginning, middle, and end of the date! Yes, I would have! So, yeah, I am hoping to share many more kisses with Rick. His kiss is definitely on my list!*”

Relationship Status Changed After Date: Acquaintances to Good Friends to Romantic Interest

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rick heads to the restroom between dates. He can’t help but think of Miriam’s lingering kiss. That was quite a date! He quickly squelches any more thoughts and splashes cold water on his face. Time to think of his date with Iris. Rick wonders what surprises will happen on that date.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Next up is Iris Costello. Since she is already a Romantic Interest, Rick invites her out for a date. She readily accepts and when she sees Rick, she gives him an autonomous hug. Things are off to a great start.

Then, Iris takes an autonomous selfie with Rick. She is certainly not wasting any time making sure she gets more points in her relationship with Rick. And if you recall, Iris was the first contestant who actually initiated a greet with Rick at The House Meet & Greet.

While Rick requests a table, Iris decides she is going to clean up some plates. Umm…ok. Rick heads over to where she is and takes her hands in his. No dishpan hands here…just smooth, lovely skin.

Their table is ready and they are seated and quickly look at the menu. The weather is perfect and the scene behind them of the setting sun sets the scene for a romantic date. Rick is rather flirty and gets the “Hot Dinner Date” moodlet.

Rick orders their food and they start having an autonomous conversation together.

I have Rick compliment Iris on her outfit.

I think Iris likes the attention Rick is paying her. She certainly looks rather flirty.

And in fact, she does an autonomous flirt. Their order has already arrived, but Rick has some other things on his mind, other than food.

Iris has ordered pistachio ice cream and a rootbeer, and Rick…well, come on, if you don’t know what he normally orders, you haven’t been paying attention. Yes, it’s banana ice cream and a rootbeer. Rick immediately has two whims for Iris.

He most definitely wants to kiss her.

And he also wants to ask her to be his girlfriend. Unfortunately, I have to cancel both of those.

And this is where I made a fatal error. I wanted to move Rick’s chair closer to Iris’s because I couldn’t really see their expressions that well. So, I went into build mode and moved the chair. Well, that totally didn’t work and ended the date. Nooo… that’s not what I wanted to happen.

*IT’S REWIND TIME*

I exited without saving and had Rick ask Iris for a date again.

The only thing is that Iris came in a different outfit. So, here we go again. Round 2. Um, wow! Rick is mesmerized. Iris, you certainly have Rick’s attention now!

But Iris apparently wasn’t happy with that outfit because as Rick is talking to the hostess…shazam, Iris has changed again. Where are you hiding all these changes of clothes, Iris? And will she decide to change again?

[Author’s Notes: If this was a live stream, I would have been laughing so hard at this point with all these wardrobe changes that Iris was making.]

They luckily got the same table. Maybe Iris decided to re-think her outfit and wanted to step it up a notch because she looks absolutely gorgeous in her new outfit. By the look on Rick’s face, I think he agrees. I have Rick compliment Iris on her outfit. Rick gets the “Hot Dinner Date” moodlet.

[Author’s Note: I think I may have given her this outfit because her creator asked me to remove one of her outfits and I felt she needed another one. And notice I moved the chair BEFORE the date this time.]

Things heat up – FAST! Look at that smoldering look that Iris is giving Rick. Holey Moley!

In fact, Iris wastes no time and flirts autonomously with Rick. Hey…scrolls up to first attempt at the date…didn’t Iris do this on the first date attempt? Yes, yes she did. Well, at least she’s predictable in her actions, just maybe not in her outfit choices.

Rick looks perfectly at ease with Iris. He gets a succession of whims for Iris, “Make-out”, “Kiss”, “Have First Kiss”. Unfortunately, I have to cancel all of those. But I do have him flirt with Iris.

The server comes and Rick orders for the table. Guess what Rick is having?

And for some reason, they both get up at this point and start dancing. I placed a jukebox on the lot, so maybe their favorite song came on. I had to take an upper shot because Dennis Kim was sitting on the table in front of them, and it looked like Iris was giving him a personal dance or something. So, this shot is much better, especially with those looks they are giving each other. Hot! Hot! Hot!

Their order comes and they sit down again. Two rootbeer floats, and pistachio ice cream for Iris and ….ok, you know what it is…banana ice cream for Rick.

“Oh, an ice cream personality card? How quaint. Maybe it’ll reveal that I like the color green. Like the green shirt you’re wearing,” laughed Iris as she flirted again with Rick.

“Oh, you like this shirt?” asked Rick going along with Iris, “How about now?” Rick asked as he flexed his muscles. They both laughed and Iris read her card aloud.

“While initially, you might come off as reserved, you really have a strong, unique personality. You are creative and complex. You might live in a city now but always dream about moving to the country and starting your own farm. You ache for travel,­ but not the kind of travel that involves islands, fruity drinks, and a sunburn. You want to feed your mind and soul. You long to drift through an olive orchard in Tuscany, and you dream about nibbling on Camembert before strolling around the Musée d’Orsay. You are boundless and attract like-minded people.”

“So, you like to travel and nibble on things?” Rick asked flirting with Iris again.

Iris laughed, “Well, I do like to travel, and it’s true that I just don’t want to sit around on the beach when I’m on vacation. A few times, I have traveled to poorer parts of the simworld on a volunteer abroad program. That is really what I want to do. Travel somewhere, immerse myself in the local culture and make a difference. I feel good inside when I can bring a smile to someone’s face by doing something worthwhile.”

“I really like that idea. I’m often asked to help out with local charities, and I really can’t say no. They are all very worthwhile and I feel good about giving back to Sulani,” Rick answered.

“Have you ever thought about leaving Sulani?” Iris asked as she looked admiringly at Rick.

“Well, I’m not sure. I have sort of dedicated my life to helping keep Sulani beautiful and clean-up the oceans. Before everything happened with…” Rick took a deep breath before he continued, “…Calista…we had planned to travel the simworld together. So many new adventures are out there,” answered Rick honestly.

Rick noticed that Iris looked a bit sad at his answer. He looked deeply into Iris’s eyes and added, “But maybe a vacation would be nice with someone special…”

Iris smiled at his answer, “Yes, a vacation sounds good. I mean I love Sulani, too, and have been thinking of moving here. I just love the outdoors and thought about maybe even living off-the-grid, you know, be self-sufficient, live off the land…”

“Sort of like that farm you want to move to…” Rick smiled warmly at her.

“Oh right, the farm!” exclaimed Iris as they both laughed and realized how true her ice cream personality card turned out to be.

Rick gets whims to “kiss” and “make-out” with Iris. Ah shucks, I cancel those, but, look at these two. They are going to melt their ice cream with those hot looks.

They both take a bite of their ice cream at the same time and ugh! brain freeze. That seems to have cooled Rick off a bit as he gets a whim to be “friendly” with Iris. They then discuss world peace.

However, nothing has cooled off Iris as she continues to flirt with Rick. It seems Iris is quite smitten with Rick.

They had finished their food, but they still had time left on their date. Rick really didn’t want Iris to go so soon. He then gets a “woohoo in bush” and a “woohoo” whim for Iris. Rick…tsk tsk tsk…what are you thinking? Cancelled that.

“Would you like to take a walk together, down to the beach?” he asked, silently hoping Iris would say yes.

“That sounds really nice,” smiled Iris, tentatively taking Rick’s hand in hers.

The night air had turned a bit chilly and Rick felt Iris shiver.

“Are you cold?” Rick asked concerned.

“I just, well, I just should have brought a jacket or something. I’ll be fine…” Iris said quickly.

“Hey look. Someone must have had a bonfire here earlier tonight. Let me light it again…” said Rick collecting some driftwood and adding it to the pile and lighting the logs.

Rick moved closer to Iris and put his arm around her waist as they snuggled by the fire, “You’ll be warmer in no time,” Rick said as he held Iris closer to him.

“You’re right,” answered Iris as she snuggled against Rick, “I feel warmer already.”  Rick gets a “Flirty Flames” moodlet from snuggling by the fire.

It was a perfect night. A perfect date. A perfect moment. Rick looked into Iris’ eyes. And Iris looked so perfect. It would be so easy to just lean over and hold her in his arms and…

…Iris felt it, too. She held her breath and felt Rick’s eyes looking at her. Questioning her. Did he know what she was thinking? She so longed to hold Rick in her arms and kiss him like there was no tomorrow… But Iris knew that if she stayed, she may never want to leave. So, with as much willpower as she could muster, she released her arm from around Rick’s waist and took a step back.

And with that, the date ended. *Gold Date Achieved*

“I need to go…” Iris whispered softly, “The date was…even more than I had hoped for. Thank you, Rick.”

Rick looked into Iris’ eyes, “Yes, a most perfect date. I’ll see you soon, Iris.” And with that Iris willed herself to turn and walk down the pathway away from Rick to head home.

Iris’ Date Comments: “Is there a word that is bigger than Wow? Because I was wowed on that date. Rick and I…we just…connected. Our conversation flowed so easily. We were never at a loss as to what to talk about. We have so many things in common. And I can tell that deep down, he’s an adventurer. I could see the glint of excitement in his eyes when he spoke about traveling to far-away places. And maybe I imagined it, but I think he wanted to share those adventures with me. On the surface, he seems happy and carefree but I still sense a deep sadness within him. And the time we spent together at the bonfire was magical. And I could sense that he wanted to…that he wanted to…kiss me…and I so yearned to kiss him, too. But I had to go, not that I wanted to go, but I needed to go because if I had stayed, I might not have wanted to leave him. My emotions are certainly playing havoc with my mind and I don’t trust how I feel around him anymore…because I am falling…no spiraling out of control…with how I feel about Rick. I really do think I am falling in love with him.”

Relationship Status Changed after Date from Romantic Interest to Lovebirds.

And that concludes the Solo Dates for today. Wikki Wikki Wii from Sulani.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

KISS ON MY LIST, Daryl Hall & John Oates (1981).

Ice cream personality sites:

What is Your Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

This is what Your Favorite Ice Cream Flavor says about You

And credit to this wonderful simmer again for this fantastic build.

 

 

Somebody to Love: Bachelor in Paradise – Sing Your Heart Out!

Sul! Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani. Well, weren’t those house parties wild? I am so glad that I got a chance to attend to witness some of the things that happened with my very own eyes. The producers weren’t too happy with the two fires set by House 2 and wanted to hold another elimination challenge. But I calmed them down and convinced them instead to hold another competition for a Solo Date with our Bachelor. And I even told them that since tonight was Thursday, that I had the perfect place for the competition to take place.

Yes, ladies, you’re going to sing your hearts out at Planet Honey Pop! in San Myshuno because it’s karaoke night. Since this is such an exciting night, I convinced the producers that everyone should participate, and they agreed. Wow! My charisma skills must be working overtime to have convinced them of that.

Now, the rules of the competition are simple. Everyone can participate; however, only those who have not gone on a Solo Date with Rick, can actually win the contest. There will be two lucky winners who have the top scores. Plus, oh….and this is very exciting…they will also get to sing a duet with Rick!

Having said that, there is one exception to this rule ~ if one of the ladies actually WINS the karaoke contest (their name is announced by the bar at the end of the contest), whether they have gone on a Solo Date or not, they will be able to go on another date with Rick. Plus, that sim will be pretty famous, so we better sign them up for ‘Singing With The Stars.’ 

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go and sing!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Planet Honey Pop! was already getting crowded when Rick, Benny and I arrived. Some of these sims were past karaoke winners coming to defend their title. There was karaoke legend, Akira Kibo, who could make anyone sound good singing with him. And inspiring songstress, Anaya Jang, who made hitting those high notes sound easy. There was even a celebrity outside the club hyping up excitement for the night. Oh my gosh! Is that Dirk Dreamer? What a hunk!

Benny saw one of his paparazzi buddies from ClickBait Magazine and asked him to snap a photo of the three of us. I know, I know. I, Roxanna Llama-Llama, look absolutely stunning!

So, it’s no wonder that Dirk Dreamer asked for a selfie with me alone. I mean seriously, how could I resist? And when he gave me his autograph, he wrote down his personal phone number with little hearts around it. But alas, he had a prior engagement and couldn’t sing a duet with moi. Oh well, his loss.

While Roxanna was drooling over Dirk Dreamer, Benny and Rick headed inside.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The House 1 contestants had already arrived, and Benny wasted no time heading over to welcome them. Benny decided to order everyone a drink to um…loosen up their vocal cords. All the contestants from House 1 had dressed up for the occasion. They were looking quite fine!

Rick saw the contestants from House 2 and joined them at the bar. Rick must have had the same thought in mind as Benny, as he ordered a round of drinks for everyone. He complimented Iris and Charlotte on how great they looked tonight. Cinnamon overheard that conversation and Rick realized that he should compliment everyone. They all certainly looked lovely as well, but could they sing?

Now wait….umm….we are missing a contestant…make that two contestants…

Oh, there’s Olivia, who decided to sit by herself at a nearby couch. Perhaps she is hoping Rick sits next to her again! I have a feeling that Olivia deliberately planned this strategy to get Rick to come on over.

And Nami had headed straight for the karaoke stage. Maybe she was thinking that a warm-up song would be a good strategy to win this contest. Good thinking, Nami.

An announcement is made and House 2 is asked to head to the roped-off karaoke area for the karaoke contest. To make it fair for everyone, all contestants would be singing the same song. The House song “For Your Love.” It seemed appropriate. Hit it, ladies!

Merinda is in front, literally singing her heart out. Wow! Such emotion! Nami is beside her not even looking at the words on the screen. Maybe Nami knows this song. Let’s hope this is the song she practiced to.

🎵♬ “A-bu-nay…”

And these three contestants, Iris (in front)), Charlotte (in back) and Cinnamon (on the right), are so in sync with each other. Look at them go! Cinnamon is thinking that she should have gotten the lead microphone, because, well, she looked rather ‘spicy’ in her snazzy dress. Iris was thinking that Charlotte looked really great in that hat. Charlotte really was just having fun…but what if she won…she could get another date with Rick. At the thought of that, she hit a note so high that she didn’t even know she could do that! Oh yeah!

🎵♬ “….Va-vu lert…A-bu nay…”

Not to be outdone, in the far right are Octavia and Coral. Octavia even perfected a little turn while singing the song. Practicing her SimElvis moves, no doubt. And Coral…(takes cotton batten out of ears)…well, she actually sounded pretty good. Unbelievable for a first-time singer! Woot!

“…va-vu lert…lakken…” 🎵♬

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And the scores started to come in once they had finished. Great work ladies! Most of the scores were very similar. High scorer for House 2  was Charlotte with a whopping 50/100 points! Must be the hat! But since Charlotte had already gone on a Solo Date, next up would be Iris with 47/100 points. Of course, Charlotte may have the best score from all the karaoke contestants and win another date with Rick. But who knows because we still have House 1 to hear.

Benny is having some fun too. His song choice is a Pop number, Fun Tonite. The thought “carry-no-key” comes to mind when Roxanna hears him sing. He’s so bad, he’s actually good.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And another announcement is made and House 1 is asked to head to the microphones.

Miriam grabs the microphone in front and thinks of nothing but Rick. She gets rather inspired doing so. Naomi is in back and Isla is to the right. And they start singing…not actually together…but they’re singing. I mean they started singing at the same time, but Isla seems to think this is funny and is laughing and singing at the same time. Naomi is concentrating really hard on keeping up with the beat. But, well, the beat goes on without her. Karaoke is a lot harder than it looks. Miriam started singing at an octave higher than everyone else, which may have thrown them off. And she crushed it!

🎵♬  “Ahhh..shubbie…blahhh…”

Brianna and Lara seem more interested in seeing what the other was doing. Oh no! Lara stumbled on a word, then stared straight ahead. Oh gosh, she seems to have forgotten some of the lyrics. Look at the screen, Lara. The screen! This was more like “I-forgot-the-words-oke” for Lara. Brianna just carries on as if she saw nothing, singing loudly. Oh yes, Brianna is belting it out at the top of her lungs. Loud, louder, loudest, but a little off-key. Ouch!

🎵♬ “…shi ba-butchi ba be sim…”

Kyra is in front of Miriam and she’s in the spotlight. Kyra’s hand goes to her heart as she sings out the notes. She may have stage fright, but she’s now a karaoke amateur. Yes!

🎵♬ “Ahhh shubbie blah…sa sul butchie black e blim…”

Raven is in tune with this song. She’s got the rhythm, she’s got the moves, nothing’s going to stop her. She’s NAILED IT! Raven felt so great after singing that tune that she took a selfie. Let’s not tell her how she really sounded, okay?

“A-bu-nay…va-vu lert…” 🎵♬

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

 

And here comes the scores. Great work ladies! Is it possible that one of the House 1 contestants beat Charlotte? Yes! Yes! It’s true! High scorer for House 1 was Miriam with a new record high of 55/100 points! Thinking of Rick must have done it! And Kyra ties with Charlotte at 50/100 points. And there’s another 47/100 from Lara, who ties with Iris. Maybe the judges gave Lara extra points for looking good since she blanked out at the words. So, now, who wins that date with Rick?

Karaoke Scores – Final

Roxanna congratulates everyone on their karaoke scores. They all sounded great to her, but then, don’t tell anyone that she’s tone-deaf. They all wait patiently until 11pm until the winner of the karaoke contest is announced. Could this be Miriam’s lucky night? Could she win it all?

While they wait, the bartender mixes up another round of drinks for everyone. She certainly has skills! Raven is the first at the bar. A little thirsty, are we, Raven?

Naomi forgoes the drink at the bar. She can’t believe she got the lowest score. She sings more karaoke in the corner and is determined to get better at this.

(Author’s Notes: This was an autonomous action by Naomi as she kept singing in the corner all night after the contest.)

Well, no-one from either House won the actual Karaoke Contest, but it looks like Miriam and Iris are the winners of the Solo Date with Rick. And that is all that matters to them.

Rick invites Miriam to a karaoke duet and chooses a country tune. Wow! Rick has such a deep singing voice. Rather sexy-like. Miriam, meanwhile, has this little girl high-pitched voice. Let’s just say, it’s an interesting sounding duet.

Rick must have been singing some karaoke, too, while the contestants were singing because he can now do a jazzy duet. He invites Iris to join him, and, – oh my gosh – they sound great together. Wow! This is their singing genre. What a great sounding jazzy duo.

The night ends with Rick doing a jazzy solo number, Classic Beauty. He really does sing jazz rather well.

His adoring fans of House 1 watch Rick karaoke.

And his adoring fans of House 2 all agree that Rick is the “real” karaoke champion. Until tomorrow…Wikki Wikki Wii from Sulani.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

So, we have two more Solo Dates with Rick and then there will be a reader vote on which contestants will have to head home. So start thinking of who your favorite contestants are.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I just love listening to sims sing karaoke. Trying to listen to the lyrics for this song reminded me of a scene from the movie Jumping Jack Flash (1986), where Whoopi Goldberg’s character (Terry Doolittle), tries to decipher some song lyrics from a cassette tape of The Rolling Stones’ Jumping Jack Flash song. After countless hours of listening and writing down the words of what Mick Jagger is singing, she shouts “Mick, Mick, Mick…Speak English!” You know, watching this movie clip again tells me that Whoopi could have been a sim. Some of her apartment decorations look like something straight out of The Sims buy mode and just switch out those penguin slippers for bunny slippers and she’s set.

(Caution: There are two curse words in this clip)

Jumping Jack Flash – Deciphering Mick

Yes, this is what we did before google to find song lyrics. And, just so you know, I did try to google the Simlish words for this song, but there weren’t any. So, I had another practice sim in another save file sing this song over and over to write down the lyrics. And that is why I am singing this song all the time now. lol

Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise -Pump Up The Jam – House 2

Another beautiful day in Sulani and Rick is up early and ready to party with House 2! I think Rick might have slept in his clothes because he’s wearing the same outfit today.

And Rick and House 2 have arrived at the party place. The ladies looked absolutely fabulous in their party attire and Rick decides to do the same as he did in House 1 and tell each contestant how great they looked.

Rick starts with Merinda and she seems to enjoy the attention.

Coral gives Rick an autonomous hug. Coral is certainly a hugger, or maybe she just likes to hug Rick. Rick notices that Octavia has a drink in her hand already. Did the bartender arrive, or did she bring that from home? Maybe Octavia thought it was a BYOB event.

And soon the contestants head off in different directions and Cinnamon heads inside. Wow! She looks so good in that dress.

Coral, Nami, and Octavia hit the dance floor. Benny has arrived, wearing a different outfit. At least Benny didn’t sleep in his clothes.

And here comes Roxanna. That is quite the outfit she has on. And does she look a bit tired? Maybe from the late night with House 1 yesterday, but I’m sure she’ll perk up.

Rick heads to the dance floor and compliments Octavia on her outfit. Before he can chat anymore with Octavia…

…Cinnamon comes over and steps between Octavia and Rick. Now that is certainly one way to get noticed. Cinnamon wasn’t kidding when she said she was going to get Rick to notice her. And doesn’t Octavia look a little shocked at this bold move by Cinnamon?

And now Cinnamon is whispering something in Rick’s ear. What could it be? Is she airing some dirty laundry about the other contestants in House 2? Nah, she couldn’t stoop that low…could she?

Well whatever she said, it worked. And Rick gets his first whim to embrace Cinnamon! Wow! Already, Rick? And he does it right in front of Octavia, who doesn’t look too happy about this development.

Rick continues to compliment each contestant and tells Iris how great she looks in her outfit.

Octavia glares at Iris after she hears this and Iris can’t believe how jealous Octavia is behaving.

“Rick has said the same thing to everyone, Octavia! Get a grip!” Iris says.

Rick heads over to where Nami is sitting playing “Don’t Wake the Llama” by herself. He gets a whim to have a first kiss with Nami, but, oh darn, I have to cancel that.

Octavia has conveniently moved to the romantic loveseat. Rick hasn’t even finished the rounds of complimenting everyone yet and he finds himself seated beside Octavia. Obviously, he still has eyes for Nami, who is still seated in the games area, but then he gets a whim to be friendly with Octavia.

Coral, Merinda, Iris, and Cinnamon are dancing and chatting on the dance floor. Merinda seems to be telling everyone a joke.

Charlotte, meanwhile, is inside content to chat with Benny and Roxanna. Charlotte, hun, I think you better head over and chat with Rick. HE is the reason for the party, remember?

And it looks like Octavia is trying to put the moves on Rick. Or maybe it’s the other way around because Rick suddenly gets a whim to make-out with Octavia. There seems to be a lot of heat between these two suddenly. Maybe too much heat!

And before Rick can do anything…a fire breaks out beside where they are sitting. Charlotte must have been on her way to talk to Rick because she is right beside Octavia freaking out about the fire. How did this plant suddenly catch on fire?

Hmmm…now that’s interesting. Cinnamon is standing on the sidewalk behind the burning plant and doesn’t appear to be freaking out about it. I mean…I wonder… No, no, it couldn’t be…Cinnamon wouldn’t have set this fire to get Rick away from Octavia. Would she?

Suddenly everyone rushes over to the fire. The entertainer is a bit miffed because she was halfway through her piano sonata and everyone fled. Were they having a weenie roast now? She really felt overdressed for the occasion.

Coral: “If the place burns down, are they going to move the party somewhere else?”

Roxanna: “The producers aren’t going to be happy about this. I don’t think they’ll get the damage deposit back.” 

Charlotte: “Those poor oranges. Look at them wilting on the tree. I could have used them for a dessert.”

Octavia: “I hope this little fire doesn’t spoil my chances with Rick.”

Iris: “I’ve read about this somewhere before…a burning bush…is it a sign or something?”

Benny: “There’s all this water here, maybe we could start a bucket brigade…yeah, if I had a bucket…”

Merinda: “This is a really HOT party and the DJ hasn’t even arrived yet!”

Cinnamon: “Did you see Octavia hitting on Rick? Scandalous!”

Nami: “Wasn’t there a fire in House 3? Is that sim still here? Who moved in with us from House 3 again?”

Rick grabs a fire extinguisher and extinguishes the fire.

Everyone runs off to the front of the party place. Um, the fire’s out. No need to run away now. Then Rick gets a whim to woohoo with Octavia. Seriously Rick? Now? I cancel that whim. Rick, I wonder about you sometimes…

Iris: “I heard someone whispering about a House 3 fire. I hope they don’t think that I set this fire. And it was Tabitha who had the cooking fire, and she isn’t even here!”

Cinnamon: “I’m sure Rick won’t be getting any more “hot” thoughts about Octavia anymore.”

Merinda and Nami are looking at Charlotte strangely. Suspicions abound as to who really set that fire.

Benny made it to the front unscathed and shouts Fire! Fire! and realizes that, um, yeah, the fire is out.

Coral: “Octavia was getting rather chummy with Rick over there. Maybe it’s a good thing the fire started, because who knows what would have happened next.”

Coral heads over to ensure Rick is okay and Rick gets a whim to flirt with her.

I guess Coral liked that and she does an autonomous flirt back. Hubba! Hubba! Rick! As there are no more whims for any of the contestants at the moment, I realize that Rick hadn’t spoken to Charlotte yet, so I have Rick head inside.

After chatting with Charlotte and Merinda for a bit, I have Rick head to the bar and order a round of drinks for everyone.

Rick orders a round of drinks and then Rick gets a whim to compliment Nami. Cinnamon doesn’t look too happy about this. I think she was hoping Rick would be interested in her again. Of course, Octavia sees this too, but I have no idea what she is thinking because her back is turned.

Nami sits next to Rick and compliments Rick on his bravery.

Everyone is rather parched from the fire. Charlotte is feeling rather uncomfortable due to the icky surroundings. Why won’t the caterers clean up? Look at all the dirty dishes!

Rick seems to be enjoying Nami’s company. It’s like Rick and Nami are in their own little world. In fact, Rick gets a whim to whoohoo with Nami! NOT! But, things are certainly heating up between the two of them!

And then…OMG!…not another fire! This time it’s right near Nami, and she’s on fire!

Oh no! Now Rick is on fire, too! Does anyone care? Does anyone do anything? Oh no, they’re just sitting or standing around drinking and chatting like nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Nami grabs a fire extinguisher and self-extinguishes herself, and then Rick does the same.

Something weird is going on. It’s like someone is trying to sabotage things between Rick and any contestant he gets too close to.

Octavia has no doubt that Cinnamon had something to do with this. And Cinnamon thinks that Octavia had something to do with this.

Charlotte: “Cinnamon, sugah, it certainly is interesting that you were around the side the fire happened on both times! Y’all have something to confess?” 

Cinnamon just glares at the two of them.

So much for any more drinks as the bar is charred to a cinder.

I guess Rick needed some air, and he gets a whim to cloud gaze with Nami. Oh, what the heck! Go for it, Rick! Obviously, Octavia feels she can’t leave these two unattended.

Author’s Note: At this point, I open the downstairs restroom area so Rick and Nami can go shower. I don’t even have to prompt them, they just go.

Poor Nami heading to shower.

Meanwhile, out in the garden, Coral is jumping in the ash remains from the fire. She discovers that it was an incense burner. Similar to the one she found near the bar area. She figures that is what started the fire. She needed to tell the others. They probably won’t believe her though, as they all think one of the other contestants deliberately set the fire. Well, at least she knows what really happened.

The bar has been replaced (did they have a spare one hidden somewhere?), and drinks are flowing freely now. Everyone seems to be in a playful mood. Could you get any closer to Rick ladies?

Rick is back from showering and he must have showered in his clothes because he’s in the same outfit.

Rick sees Nami and he gets a whim to embrace her. Nami has changed. Her beautiful dress burned to a crisp. He embraces her and is so glad nothing has happened to her. The rest of the night, he has nothing but whims for Nami. He wants to be friendly with Nami, flirt with Nami, woohoo (again) with Nami. It’s just Nami, Nami, Nami! I guess almost dying in a fire together will do that to you.

The party is nearly over, and Rick figures that he needs to have one last dance with everyone. Gold Party achieved. Well, yes, it better be. It certainly was a memorable party!

The party is over and it’s almost morning. Rick seems to have some thoughts on his mind. We can only guess at what Nami is thinking about as she gazes at Rick.

Until tomorrow, Wikki-Wikki Wii from Sulani.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

Pump Up The Jam, by Technotronic, 1989

As with House 1, I had Rick do two Social Events back-to back.

I created a new party outfit for Nami. Her formal wear was red, so I figured she liked red. Obviously, Rick liked it, too. But sadly it is no more as it was charred beyond repair in the fire.

Wow! That was some party! The same location was used for both houses, and I had lit the incense both times for both houses. Just never figured it would start a fire, let alone two! And to think we nearly lost our bachelor!

Rick got whims for: Cinnamon-1; Coral-1; Octavia-3; (in this count 1 make-out and 1 woohoo whim canceled); and, Nami-8 (in this count 1 first kiss and 2 woohoo whims canceled). After that second fire, Rick only had whims for Nami. Nami’s relationship status has changed to Lovebirds with Rick.

Final Relationship Stats for House 1 After Party:

Everyone still has pink in their relationship bar with Rick. Lara, Naomi and Brianna are Lovebirds. Raven, Kyra, and Isla are Romantic Interests. Unfortunately, Miriam has dropped down to Acquaintances.

Final Relationship Stats for House 2 After Party:

Everyone still has pink in their relationship with Rick. Nami and Coral are Lovebirds. All others are Romantic Interest, except, unfortunately, Merinda, who has dropped down to Acquaintances.

Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise ~ Party in The House – House 1

Sul! Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani! Today is an exciting day! I mean the last few days have been rather exciting, but this is Party Day! And best of all, Benny and I have been invited to both parties! A rental hall has been booked and I hear it is one spectacular place. Food, drink, dancing…and what’s a party without a little innocent flirting? Right? *wink*wink*It’s a great opportunity for the contestants to schmooze with Rick. So get out there ladies and charm our bachelor! Show off your moves on the dance floor, share an inside joke or challenge Rick to a game of foosball. Whatever it takes – make yourself stand out from the crowd. I mean you can’t all stand out like MOI, in my perfect party outfit, but, ladies, at least try!And here it is! Isn’t this the most gorgeous rental hall you have ever seen? And to think it’s been hidden away in Magnolia Grove all this time. Who knew?Rick and the contestants of House 1 arrive at the Party Venue at the same time. The ladies had certainly outdone themselves, and Rick decides that complementing each contestant on how they looked was a good start.Rick gets his first whim to compliment Lara, which he does. He also takes a moment to compliment Miriam and Isla. The contestants soon scatter and Rick dashes around the lot to try to ensure he compliments them all.Raven heads inside. She must be hungry, but the caterers haven’t arrived as yet.Kyra had headed off to the side area to trim a bonsai bush. Does she have some inside info on a possible up-coming challenge involving this bush? Or maybe she just got that urge to prune and just couldn’t resist.Here is a full shot of the side area with Kyra’s trimmed bonsai bush.Brianna runs around to the back patio. The dance floor seems to be beckoning her.The patio area is pretty nice, with a dance floor and restrooms on one side, and a central seating area.And the other side has some gaming tables and another romantic seating area. There is also a bubble-blowing area to the left.Rick does catch up with Naomi and compliments her on her outfit.Oh, Afu! What a lifesaver! He must have known Raven was hungry and starts cooking some food. Benny has arrived and is dancing in the background. Where are the caterers?

Author’s Note: This screenie was taken before I moved the dance area to the patio area and added the back stairs. But I wanted to get this shot of how Afu just jumped in and started cooking.Rick then decides to make some drinks for everyone. A surefire way to get them all to come to him, rather than Rick having to chase all the contestants.That seems to work as everyone heads to the bar. Roxanna has arrived and already has a drink in hand.Everyone is now either dancing, chatting, drinking or eating. Well, everyone that is, except Miriam who is standing out front with a lump of clay in her hand. Ummm, Miriam, did you bring that from home? Get in there, girl! It’s a party, NOT play-doh time.Rick heads to the back and tells Kyra how great she looks. And before Kyra has a chance to say anything……Rick takes an autonomous photo with Isla. Nothing like breaking that mood with Kyra. And is Brianna trying to get in that photo, too?Rick gets a whim to flirt with Raven. And why not? She looks good swinging those hips. In fact, she’s looking so good that Rick gets a whim to woohoo with her. Um, no, I cancel that one.Rick then gets a whim to cloud gaze with Raven. Isla is wondering why they are looking at clouds when there’s a party going on. And look who has decided to join them? It’s Miriam! “Here she comes just a-walking down the street, singin’ ‘Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do.'” I think she’s ready to party now.Inside, the entertainer has arrived. Benny has taken a seat to watch Diego Lobo tell some jokes.Miriam showing off some moves on the dance floor! Oh yes! You go, girl! Looks like Miriam has gotten Rick’s attention.Naomi and Raven come over to chat with Rick and he suddenly gets flirty. Oh yeah, he’s the man!Rick gets a whim to get to know Raven, and Lara intervenes. Oh my! Look at Laura’s face. Is she getting a tad jealous that Rick isn’t spending every minute with her?Lara is making sure Rick notices her, too, and does an autonomous flirt with him. He then gets a whim to compliment Lara.Rick has to tell 3 jokes and follows Naomi into the bathroom to tell her a joke about politicians. Rick, um, just wait until she comes out, okay?Another whim for Raven as he tells her a joke. Wow! Raven is on fire tonight with all the whims Rick is having for her.But not for long, as Rick gets a whim to embrace Brianna. And, yes, she is so embraceable. He then gets a whim to woohoo with her. Um. Rick, NO! I cancel that and the same whim comes up again. Rick, no woohooing! I see he also has a whim to use the bubble blower. Ok, let’s head you over there.Of course, he invites everyone to come over and blow bubbles with him, and there is mass confusion as everyone tries to sit with him. Kyra is the first to try and sputters and coughs. She decides it’s not for her and gets up and heads to the dance floor.Lara gets up and sits in the romantic area. Maybe she thinks Rick will come over and sit beside her.But no, Rick seems quite happy where he is. And it’s just Rick and the mermaids, Isla and Naomi. I switch the flavor to Xanadu Sunset and it seems to go over well as Rick wants to talk to friends.

Author’s Notes: I don’t have sims use the bubble blower that much, but apparently this flavor gives a happy moodlet.Rick then heads to the bar area and orders a round of drinks. Everyone is having a good time.Rick grabs some cake and sits down at one of the tables.He is joined by Miriam, Lara, and Kyra. Raven is having a hysterical, maniacal moment near the piano and Lara is looking a bit concerned.

Rick then gets two whims. The first is to chat with Raven, which he does.

And the second is to make out with Brianna. Woot! Ok, so we have benches here, he is going to try his luck.

Rick heads down to the little side area and calls Brianna over. Okay, well, he thought he just called Brianna over, but suddenly the whole group comes over. Oops!And it appears that Roxanna has an admirer. Who is this guy? Must be another bartender.Okay, well that didn’t work. Once everyone dissipates, mostly they head to the dance floor, Rick tries again. He calls Brianna over, and ONLY Brianna over. Oh yes! They are here together now. The only problem is there is no interaction to make-out. Shucks! I cancel that interaction, and it comes up again. So, I have Rick try to make a move on Brianna. And then Raven comes over and takes a nap on the couch opposite them.Shh! If we’re quiet, it can happen. Go for it, Rick! And Brianna has no objections to his putting an arm around her.Ahhh…and then Brianna leans her head on Rick’s shoulder. So sweet.Any other thoughts, wants or whims that Rick might have towards Brianna are squished as Miriam sits down nonchalantly with a cup of coffee.And now Kyra joins them, too. Ugh! As the party is almost over, Rick decides to head to the dance floor to have a final dance with everyone.The DJ is in full swing and Benny and the caterer think this is a hopping party.Naomi must have missed Rick because she gives him an autonomous hug.And they did it! Gold Party! Woot!Rick then challenges Raven to a dance battle. He had the most whims for her all night.Raven struts her stuff and wins. Rick looks sad. Maybe it’s because he lost the dance battle, or maybe it’s because he is thinking of what could have been with Brianna.And maybe Brianna is thinking about that, too.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

I did two back-to-back House Party social events for House 1 and Rick earned gold twice!

Rick got whims for: Raven-6 (in this count 1 woohoo whim canceled); Brianna-5 (in this count 2 woohoo and 2 make-out whims canceled); and, Lara-2. Even though Raven had the most whims, Rick had the most romantic whims for Brianna. Brianna’s relationship status with Rick has also changed to Lovebirds.

I made a few changes to some of the contestant’s outfits. I changed Raven’s hat as the other hat was hiding her lovely face for photo shots. I created an extra outfit for Kyra, and she looked pretty sexy in it. I added some jewelry to Naomi’s outfit and some earrings to Lara’s outfit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“There she was just a-walkin’ down the street, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”‘ song lyrics from the song Do Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann (1964).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks to this simmer for creating this wonderful build. The original build had the kitchen and restroom areas downstairs, and the dance area in the dining area. I downloaded this on a 30 x 20 lot and added some stairs on the back, made the back dance/patio area, and changed the color scheme to blue. Since parties are so short, I didn’t want sims going up and down the basement stairs, so I moved the kitchen upstairs and built some restrooms on the patio. I did keep the downstairs restroom area but just blocked off the stairs, so no sims could go down.

 

 

 

 

 

Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise ~ To Infinity…and Beyond! – House 2

Sul! Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani! Well, Benny was right. There are mermaids in Sulani! And the discovery of two mermaids amongst the contestants in House 1 caused quite a heated discussion in the house. And apparently, from what Naomi said, there are more mermaids amongst the contestants in House 2. So, this afternoon we are heading over there to find out who they are.

Rick had gone ahead of us, and I stayed behind to ask Isla about something she had said…something about an evil siren in Sulani. But she didn’t know anything more about her. I have heard that twice now, once from Isla, and another time from a Sulani elder who mentioned a “sea witch” was after Rick. I had really thought nothing of it, but now that I know that mermaids DO exist, I think I may have to investigate this further with Keala Hoapili. But that will have to be another day. Let’s see what happens at House 2.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The contestants had been asked to gather in the living room. So, here they were again. Gathered together for some impromptu meeting discussion. What were the producers up to now?

Cinnamon looked around the room. Was this another elimination challenge, or perhaps more solo dates? She certainly hoped it was the latter because she had plans to ensure that Rick only had eyes for her. Then she saw Roxanna and Benny arrive and knew that this couldn’t be good news.

Rick came to join them in the living room as they all sat down.

Roxanna cleared her throat, “A lot of you may have heard stories of mermaids. Mythical creatures some say, who can make a sim fall in love with them. We are here today because we believe that mermaids exist and that there are mermaids living in House 2.”

Octavia laughed out loud, “Mermaids in Sulani? Are you kidding me? That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!”

Octavia realized she was the only one laughing. No-one else seemed to find this funny. In fact, they all seemed rather quiet.

“You’re kidding, right?” Octavia looked at Roxanna who shook her head no, “You mean there ARE mermaids in Sulani? In this house? Who are they?”

Rick went to the front of the room and told Octavia and everyone else that this is why they had come here, to find out who the mermaids were in House 2. Everyone was quiet and it seemed that all eyes were on Rick. He told them all that they had just come from House 1 and it was revealed that two mermaids resided there. One of the mermaids told them that there were mermaids living here, too, but they would not reveal who they were. They wanted everyone to be “merwoke” so that all contestants will know who are and aren’t mermaids going forward. Rick waited a moment for this to sink in.

“So, since we don’t know which contestants in House 2 are mermaids, I am giving them a chance to come forward before we reveal who they are,” explained Rick.

Rick looked at everyone and saw Charlotte glance at Nami and Coral glance at Merinda. Did Charlotte and Coral know something that no-one else in the house did?

And what was this? Now Nami was looking at Iris. There was indeed something going on here. Obviously, some sims knew something but didn’t want to say anything.

Rick looked around and thought he saw movement on one of the couches. Yes, he had. Iris had removed her sunglasses. Did this mean she was preparing herself and was coming forward to make the announcement that she was a mermaid? Rick waited a moment, but, no, she didn’t get up.

Rick had no choice. He blew into the conch shell.

At the sound, Merinda was drawn to the front and made an “Eek! Eek!” sound revealing that she was a mermaid.

Rick was rather surprised when Coral came to the front and revealed herself as a mermaid, too. He would never have thought that it would be Coral.

The room suddenly erupted into a frenzied conversation but soon dropped off to a worried murmur when Charlotte spoke up.

“Tarnations! There are mermaids here! Well, they aren’t the only ones who need to reveal themselves, and if that contestant doesn’t come forth NOW, I am going to spill the beans on her,” Charlotte said looking again towards Nami, “I don’t know if she’s a mermaid or not, but she’s got some type of powers. Honestly y’all, she can read minds!”

Suddenly all eyes were on Nami. “Oh no!” Nami thought, “My secret…she’s going to tell everyone! I need to do something!”

“Okay, okay, it’s true I have some powers. I can probe sim’s minds and find out about them. But that’s it. I can’t make a sim fall in love with me. How I wish I could.” admitted Nami.

Cinnamon spoke up then, “Are you a mermaid, too, Nami?”

Nami looked around at everyone and saw Rick looking at her, too. She thought she would never have to tell him like this. She just wasn’t prepared to do this now. But she had to. She took a deep breath and continued.

“No…I’m not a mermaid. But I know what it’s like to be different. I have tried to hide my secret my entire life, but I guess it’s out now,” Nami paused for a moment trying to steady her voice, “I’m half-alien. My father came from the planet Sixam and my mother fell in love with him. She knew he was an alien and she didn’t care. But I had a hard time growing up. The kids in my school….they made fun of me…they…” Nami was starting to tear up and her voice faltered.

Rick was beside Nami in an instant. He took her hand and said, “Nami, come with me. You can tell me all about it in private.” Rick turned to the others, “If anyone wants to talk to me after Nami, I will be in my bedroom.”

As soon as they entered Rick’s room and sat down, Nami burst into tears. Rick didn’t know what to say but he felt Nami’s pain. All those years hiding this secret, it must have been so hard for Nami. As Nami told him her story between sobs…always feeling different…an outcast…having no friends…her dog…discovering fashion and how it had changed her life…Rick had a sudden urge to hold Nami in his arms and comfort her, to protect her from everything she had gone through. But he knew it was best to sit and listen.

After her sobs had subsided, Rick handed her a box of tissue. Nami smiled at him thankfully.

“Nami, this doesn’t change anything. I like you for who you are…your personality…your kindness…for being you. Your father must have been a wonderful man if your mother loved him so much, and it didn’t matter where he was from. Now that’s true love. Accepting each other for who they are,” Rick said sincerely.

“But there’s something else, Rick. This is not me. I mean…I don’t really look like this. I am wearing a disguise. I’ve come this far, I need to show you who I really am,” said Nami firmly.

“This is the real me,” said Nami quietly as she removed her disguise.

Rick got up and walked towards Nami, “With or without your disguise, you are still beautiful, Nami. Has anyone ever told you that?”

Nami shyly looked down, “No, no-one has ever said that. Only my parents.”

“Well, you are truly beautiful, inside and out, Nami. Please don’t let tonight dampen your spirits,” Rick said as he moved closer to Nami and held her hands, “I have always felt a strong connection with you. I don’t know what it means, yet, but I want the chance to find out…”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Nami took a step back. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I’d taken so much of your time. Of course, the others…the mermaids…they probably want to talk to you too,” Nami said and quickly put on her disguise again thanking Rick. At the door, Nami glanced back at Rick and then took a deep breath and walked out the door.

Rick took a moment to compose himself thinking about Nami and what she had revealed to him. “Come in,” he said.

It was Merinda. She looked very awkward as she entered his room. “Rick, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Me being a mermaid and all. Well, I only found out myself when I became a teen. I didn’t know I was a mermaid. And it’s great and all, but I wanted to enter this as just another contestant. I had heard about you and thought you were terrific, and I just felt…”

“…Oh, I blew it didn’t I? I am going home, now, aren’t I? I should have just told you, in private, somehow…I just…I just…I just thought we would be a perfect match. We both cared for the environment. I just thought it wouldn’t matter…but now…I just didn’t want you to find out like this…I’m so sorry…” Merinda rambled on almost hysterically.

“Merinda, calm down. Everything is fine. You’re not going home,” said Rick.

Merinda looked relieved, “I’m not? Are you sure?” Merinda asked.

Rick laughed and took Merinda’s hands in his, “Yes, I’m sure. It doesn’t matter if you’re a mermaid or not. You’re still the same person to me.”

“Dolphina told me you were different…that you were special,” replied Merinda.

“Dohphina? MY Dolphina? You can talk to dolphins?” Rick asked incredulously.

“Yes, and fish, too. Dolphina told me how you go out in the water and clean up all the debris. Even the deep water where she swims. She thinks you are wonderful,” Merinda beamed at Rick.

Rick smiled. “Wow! To be able to talk to dolphins…that’s amazing. Well, when you see Dolphina again, can you tell her ‘thank you’ from me, and that I think she’s wonderful, too,” said Rick.

“Oh I think she already knows that, but I’ll tell her. And thank you, Rick for this chat. I feel much better now. And…um…Rick…I think you’re wonderful, too,” said Merinda as she smiled and opened the door and stepped out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, back in the living room…

“Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I think I need a drink. I mean, come on, mermaids and aliens are among us as contestants. What next? Witches and warlocks? Sims turning into skeletons?” exclaimed Octavia.

“Well, actually about that last bit…um…sims turning into skeletons…you know I’ve seen some strange things in Selvadorada…” interjected Cinnamon.

“…Are you telling me that you’re going to turn into a skeleton now? Well, that explains a lot! What do you have? Secret skeleton powers?” interrupted Octavia.

“I am NOT a skeleton nor am I going to turn into one. I was just saying that there are some things that are unexplained and that you should keep an open mind…” Cinnamon snapped back at Octavia.

“Will everyone just get along! It was so pleasant in House 3. We were all friends. We all got along…” said Iris in an exasperated voice.

“Well, sugah…this ain’t House 3 no more. And don’t you be thinking that anyone in that house was your friend. This is a contest, honey, and we are all after the same thing. And it ain’t friendship….” retorted Charlotte.

“Umm….did someone say something about a drink before? I am feeling rather parched myself, and I heard that Afu makes a great rootbeer float. Who wants to join me?” asked Benny trying to get everyone to calm down.

That seemed to work as everyone headed to the bar area and ordered a drink.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Coral had been hovering outside of Rick’s door waiting to talk to him. She HAD to talk to him. But he was still with Nami. How much longer will he be? Oh gosh, maybe if she used the facilities and came back, he would be free.

Coral came back and found that now Rick was with Merinda. And then she heard Merinda say goodbye and the door opened. Coral stepped inside.

Rick turned around. “Coral!”

“Rick, I need to talk to you. To explain why I didn’t tell you I was a mermaid…I need to tell you the truth about my past…” stammered Coral, and before she knew what was happening, she engulfed Rick in a hug.

“I’m so sorry, Rick that you had to find out like this. I was going to tell you on our next date. Really I was. I just never thought I would feel this way…” Coral said in a halting voice.

Rick motioned for Coral to sit down. When they were settled, Coral told him about her family’s ancestral fishing grounds and how a whale felt that it was unfair that they had exclusive rights to the area. The whale attacked her family and she was thrown against a coral reef and had been knocked unconscious. When she awoke, her family were all dead. She was the only one left alive.

Coral paused for a moment seeming to relive the tragic memories, but then she took a deep breath and continued.

“The ruler of my Kingdom, did not punish the whale and said that we shouldn’t be eating fish anyway, since fish are our friends, not our food. He let the Kingdom make the judgment and they said the whale was innocent. It was also decreed that I was never to fish or eat fish again, or I would be banished from the Kingdom. I screamed at them all, and fled the Kingdom and swam thousands of miles until I ended up in Sulani. I do fish, but now use a fishing pole. But I don’t eat fish anymore. More out of respect for what happened to my family, not because of this decree,” Coral said sadly.

“Oh Coral. I am so sorry. I had no idea,” replied Rick as he took Coral’s hand in his, “I wish I could take all your pain away. I know how it is to lose your family. I have no family either. I’m sorry, too, that I seemed a bit surprised when it was revealed that you were a mermaid,” said Rick.

“And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you. You know when it all happened, I was never going to go back to the ocean again. I was going to become a terra firma sim. I guess I played the role too well,” Coral let out an embarrassed laugh, “But I can’t deny my heritage. I am what I am. A mermaid” replied Coral.

Rick stood up holding on to Coral’s hands while he did so. “And it makes no difference who or what you are. I still feel the same way about you. I hope you still feel the same way about me…” said Rick as he gazed at Coral.

The moment was suddenly interrupted by Benny pounding on the door saying they were going swimming.

“Now that sounds like a great idea!” smiled Coral, reluctantly releasing her hands from Rick’s.

Rick laughed, “Oh sure, I bet you’re going to splash me with your tail!” he chuckled.

“You bet I am!” responded Coral already running towards the water.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Both Merinda and Coral wasted no time getting in the water. It had been so long since they had gone for a swim.

Nami joined in the fun, too, or maybe she was just trying to prove to everyone that she wasn’t a mermaid.

Charlotte, Iris, and Octavia seemed happy chatting together at the bar. Or maybe Iris was just playing peacekeeper between the two.

Cinnamon and Benny weren’t far behind in joining the swimming party because Cinnamon was going to make sure SHE was in that water with Rick.

Cinnamon may not be a mermaid, or have special powers, but she was going to make sure she was noticed by Rick.

Roxanna was content to stay up-top and survey everyone’s interactions. Today had been a truly ‘enlightened’ day. Four mermaids discovered and even an alien among them now. Who knew what tomorrow would bring with the house parties. Until then, Wikki Wikki Wii from Sulani!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

“To Infinity…and Beyond!” spoken by Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story (1995).

While Octavia and Cinnamon were having a heated discussion about who knows what, Iris autonomously threw up her hands. It was so funny, I had to take a screenie. It really was as if she was saying, “Alright, already, everybody just chill!” Just love those autonomous actions!

Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise ~ Behold! The Mermaid! – House 1

Sul Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani! After Benny’s revelation yesterday about the possibility of mermaids in Sulani, they were headed to each house to find out if there were any mermaid contestants. If it’s true that mermaids can make a sim fall in love with them, and these mermaid contestants have been using their magic on Rick, this could seriously put the contest in jeopardy.

Benny grabbed the conch shell and Roxanna and Benny headed to House 1 first. Rick was meeting them there and had been apprised of the situation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rick was up early and looked out across the lagoon at the rising sun. It seemed so calm and beautiful at this time of the morning. A perfect day and a good time to think. Ever since last night when Roxanna had called to tell him about Benny’s discovery, Rick had been deep in thought. He had always felt that Sulani was a magical place. So he wasn’t surprised to hear that mermaids might live here. And why not? I mean, who would have thought that he had a special relationship with a dolphin? Anything was possible.

But what about their powers? Could they really make a sim fall in love with them? His mother used to tell him stories when he was young of sailors plugging their ears with beeswax to not be lured into the rocks at the sound of the siren’s song. So were sirens and mermaids the same? He always thought that sirens were bad and that mermaids were good beautiful mythical creatures. And there were certainly a lot of beautiful sims in the contest. So were they mermaids or sirens? And had he started to have feelings for some of them because they had used their powers to put a spell on him? What would the producers do if it was true? Would these contestants be eliminated if they had? So many unanswered questions, but at least today he would know who they were.

He looked around at the contestants of House 1. Were Lara or Kyra mermaids? Lara, who he had so badly wanted to kiss. Three times in fact. But he had resisted. He was certainly wrapped up in her spell, but was she a mermaid? Or perhaps Kyra? Her coy flirting had certainly left him feeling breathless.

Or maybe Isla or Naomi were mermaids? Isla was such a delight to be around. Had he heard her the other night crying over a mounted fish mumbling poor fish friends? Or Naomi, so fragile and beautiful. Naomi had called fish her friends, too, but maybe he was analyzing things too much. I mean Naomi was a vegetarian.

Or perhaps Raven? She was almost everywhere he went. Is that how it worked? Mermaids needed to be in the vicinity to use their spell upon you, or it wouldn’t last? Raven was certainly a beauty he wanted to get to know better.

And then there was Brianna and Miriam. Both of these sims enchanted him, but were they mermaids? Miriam had fashioned shell necklaces for everyone upon her arrival at House 1. But was this something she did because she was a mermaid or because she was an artist? And Brianna had been anxiously waiting to make Rick her famous grilled salmon dish. So, she couldn’t be a mermaid if she ate fish, could she? Rick was utterly confused and really didn’t know who was or wasn’t a mermaid in the house.

And what about the sims in House 2? He felt an affinity for each and every sim in the contest.

And to think that mermaids had entered this contest to win his love. That made him feel all the more special. Perhaps mermaids were really no different from regular sims and were looking for somebody to love, too.

The contestants in House 1 had gathered in the living room. The last time they had gathered was for an elimination contest. Is this what was going to happen again? Another elimination contest?

Roxanna and Benny arrived and Roxanna switched off the spy cam. Roxanna spoke first, “Ladies, I am just going to come straight to the point. Yesterday, Benny made an astonishing discovery, and we are here today to find out if it is true. I know this may be hard to believe, but there are mermaids in Sulani….”

Rick quickly glanced at the contestants, and it looked like Miriam and Kyra just smiled, but did he detect a look of surprise on Naomi’s face? Did she look nervous?

Rick looked at the other contestants, and Lara, Raven, and Isla were looking intently at him, while Brianna was staring at Roxanna. None of them spoke a word.

Rick stood up and walked to the front, “Sulani is a magical place and it is not that unusual to have mermaids living among us. The problem is that mermaids have magical powers, and one of their powers can make a sim fall in love with them. I have very strong feelings about certain sims, so far, and we just wanted to rule out any possibility that these “feelings” may have been manipulated.”

Rick paused, “Before we reveal who they are, I wanted to give any contestants who may be mermaids a chance to come forward.” No one moved.

Rick really had no choice as to what he had to do next. He went over to Benny and Benny handed him the conch shell. Rick looked at all the contestants again and then blew the conch shell.

As if by magic, Isla stood up and came to the front.

Almost immediately, Naomi did the same.

Isla let out a vibrating sound that sounded like “Eek, eek!” She seemed in a trance when she did this.

Suddenly, Naomi did the same sound and the same pose.

Benny looked at Roxanna as if to say, “I told you so.” Roxanna seemed to be deep in thought as she realized what had just happened.

The other contestants started to talk all at once. What did this all mean?

“I think that Naomi used her mermaid powers on Rick while she was on that date. I heard about it and how he was all flirty with her. I even heard that he wanted to ‘make out’ with Naomi on the date,” said Brianna almost pointing a finger at Naomi.

“No, it’s not true. I never did. You have to believe me. Yes, there are ways to do that, but Rick and I…we just…well…we just feel…I mean I am…we’re both…I am falling in love with Rick, okay! There, I said it!” Naomi blurted out.

“I only found out myself that I was a mermaid when I came to Sulani and entered the water…and…my…tail appeared. I didn’t know I was before. I swear it’s true. I have since learned that my grandmother was a mermaid, and it seemed to have skipped a generation. My mother wasn’t sure I was a mermaid, but has since told me about my heritage, which is deeply rooted in Sulani,” stated Naomi.

“And what about Lara? I heard that Rick wanted to kiss her. Did she use a spell on him? I bet she’s a mermaid, too, and she’s hiding it somehow,” Brianna said as everyone looked at Lara.

“Hey! Why is everyone looking at me? I told you. I am NOT a mermaid!” Lara emphasized, “It’s just…Rick and I got along really well on the date…and, well…maybe he did want to kiss me, but he didn’t. Anyway, what does THAT prove? I don’t have any special powers or anything to use on him. If anyone has any special powers, it has to be Raven. She’s told me she has dabbled in magic before…”

Raven laughed, “Well, I do wish I had some special powers because I would certainly use them to snag Rick. But I don’t. I only have my natural beauty and charm to work with. Satisfied, Lara?”

Kyra spoke up then, “Well, no wonder Naomi and Isla never said anything. The way everyone is treating them. Making them feel different. Like outsiders. Being suspicious of them, just because they’re mermaids. Well, I’m different, too. I’m a child of the islands and have a spiritual connection to the islands of Sulani and can talk to the ancestral spirits. So, now that I’ve said this, am I under suspicion, too?”

Raven laughed at that comment, “Kyra, next time, can you ask those ancestral spirits if they have a love potion or two we can use?” 

Isla spoke up then, “And this is why Naomi and I didn’t say anything before. Because we would be treated differently. Sims would think we would do something to sway things in our favor. But it’s not true. So, yes, Naomi and I are mermaids, but Naomi and I, and the others swore a pact together to not use our powers to have Rick fall in love with us.”

Roxanna exclaimed, “So, there ARE others! Oh, Benny, you were right!”

Naomi walked over and sat beside Roaxanna, “But you will have to find out who among the contestants in House 2 are mermaids, the same way you found out here. That way, all the houses will be “merwoke”, which means that all the contestants will be aware that mermaids exist, and will see them out and about around Sulani.”

Miriam spoke up, “I think it’s wonderful! Magic exists all around us and to now be able to see some things that others may overlook…well, I just feel so inspired. And it’s terrific that two or more mermaids decided that they wanted to enter this contest, too. And even though we are not all mermaids, each one of us is different and special. But I am curious, could you tell us what powers you have? At least some of them?”

“Thank you, Miriam, that means a lot. Because Naomi and I are good mermaids, we cannot do certain things. We can certainly summon clear skies, but could never summon a thunderstorm. There is talk amongst the mersims that there is an evil siren in Sulani, but we have not seen her.”

“Most of the powers that we have come through song. If I were to sing the Charmer’s Song, for instance to Rick, he would suddenly feel very flirty towards me. But these powers leave a mermaid very dehydrated.”

“We normally get dehydrated naturally and need to replenish by swimming in the ocean, taking a bath, or drinking lots of water. Neither Naomi or I have dared to go swimming since we came here, so that our secret would be safe,” explained Isla.

“But I am glad the secret is out now. I have missed swimming so, so much!” said Naomi.

Brianna looked at Isla and Naomi, “I’m so sorry about how I reacted before. This must have been so hard for both of you to try to ‘blend in’ and not tell anyone your secret. I reacted badly. I was just so jealous because I had heard that your dates had gone so well. I do want to apologize. Maybe I can make it up to you and cook you a scrumptious vegetarian dish. It would be my pleasure to do that for the two of you.”

All the contestants thought that was a great idea and Brianna smiled and went to the kitchen to start fixing the dish. As everyone chatted with Isla and Naomi wanting to find out more about being a mermaid, Rick kind of just stood looking at everyone. He wasn’t sure what to think about this development. He had so many questions.

“If anyone needs me, I will be in my room,” Rick announced and excused himself, as he headed down the walkway to his bedroom. He needed to think about things.

Naomi called after him. “Rick, I’m sorry you found out this way…I was going to tell you…Rick…” Naomi felt awful. She should have told Rick on their date. Maybe he was having second thoughts about her now because she hadn’t been honest with him. She had to go and talk to him. And it looked like Isla had the same idea, as Naomi saw Isla run after Rick on the walkway.

Isla knocked quietly on Rick’s bedroom door, “Rick, it’s me, Isla. May I come in?” asked Isla as she tentatively opened the door. She saw Rick sitting on a chair and walked over to him.

Isla looked sadly at Rick, “Are you upset with me? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you on our date. It’s just, I didn’t really know how to tell you. But what I told you about my background, the oil spill, where we lived, how we moved here, all of that is true. The only difference is that we were living “in” the water, not “in” the town. I’m sorry I lied to you. I never meant to. So what will happen now? Will I be eliminated from the contest?”

Rick looked at her, “Isla, no, you won’t be eliminated. I do understand why you didn’t want anyone to know. I saw the reactions of the other contestants. But I wanted to tell you that I have always been fascinated by the stories I have heard about mermaids, and maybe now you could tell me if they are true or not.”

Isla smiled, “Sure, I can try.”

“Is it true that mermaids can sleep on the water? That must be such a wonderful feeling. Just to float freely on the water like that, without fear…” Rick said as he looked at Isla.

“Yes…it is the most relaxing feeling in the world,” answered Isla.

“Maybe…” Rick said slowly as he took Isla’s hands in his, “You could show me. Would it be alright if I saw your mermaid form? I bet you are a beautiful mermaid.”

Isla smiled at Rick, “I would be more than happy to show you anytime. Maybe now we can all go swimming together.”

There was another knock on the door, and Isla turned at the sound. She had taken up enough of Rick’s time. As she bid him goodbye, Isla knew she had nothing to worry about.

As Isla left, Naomi entered Rick’s room.

Rick told Naomi that she wouldn’t be eliminated. She was so surprised and elated at the same time. “Oh, I’m so happy that I get to stay…to be here with you!” exclaimed Naomi.

“I do have one question for you, though,” said Rick as he held her hands, “If a mermaid and a sim had a…” he stopped almost embarrassed by what he was about to ask her, “if they were to have a baby…would the baby be a mersim or a sim when they were born?”

Naomi smiled sweetly at Rick, “Well if that should happen, there is a 50/50 chance that the baby would be a mersim. But a mersim does not know they are a mersim until they become a teen and they get their powers. But only when they step into the water do they become a mersim. For me, it was not until I came to Sulani and swam in the ocean for the first time.”

Rick said quietly, “That must have been quite a surprise for you.”

“Yes, more like a shock!” emphasized Naomi.

“Well, I’m glad this happened. But I need you to promise me that you won’t keep any secrets from me again. Okay?” said Rick.

“I promise…I have no more secrets…” said Naomi, “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Well, now that Isla and your secrets are out, I think it’s time for a swimming party!” Rick said happily.

“That would be terrific! Now I can show you how fast a swimmer I am!” exclaimed Naomi, her eyes lighting up at the thought of swimming again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Rick and Naomi came back, everyone had moved to the beach area near the water. They must have had the same idea because they had all changed into their swimwear.

“Hey, Rick! You’re just in time, we were all going to go swimming,” said Benny.

“Sounds good. In fact, I am challenging Naomi and Isla to a race! First one to the buoy wins!” said Rick with a glint of mischief in his eye.

Isla and Naomi looked at each other and laughed, “You’re on!” they said unanimously. “But, you are going to lose so bad!” laughed Isla.

As Isla and Naomi entered the water and waded to the deep water, they suddenly transformed and their tails spouted. They were at the buoy before Rick even had a chance to enter the deep water.

And even with all the mermaid-mania going on, Rick still came over to chat with Lara. “Oh yeah, I got this! No mermaid is a match for how Rick feels about me!” Lara thought to herself.

Raven entered the water and thought about how she would love to be a mermaid. “I look so sexy in the water! I think I’ll swim over to where Rick is. Looks like he’s getting too cozy with Lara. Maybe I’ll splash her!” Raven thought to herself.

“Mermaids in Sulani! Pfft! That’s nothing! Just wait until Rick sees me summon those island spirits! Now that’s something to see,” Kyra thought, “Oh yeah, really something!”

“It’s a good thing that we didn’t have a swimming contest. The other contestants wouldn’t have had a chance,” said Roxanna amazed at how fast Isla and Naomi swam.

“Yeah, or diving!” added Benny, “Gosh! I wish I was a mersim. It would really help with my diving lessons. No tanks required!”

“I am going to capture this on canvas! So magical. It might even be featured in the museum. What shall I name it? Well, of course! Behold! The Mermaid!“ thought Miriam as she painted the beautiful mermaid forms of Naomi and Isla.

“I still intend to cook Rick that grilled salmon dish. I mean, he ISN’T a mersim,” thought Brianna while she prepared lunch, “Maybe a secluded island somewhere. Just Rick and I. What a great idea!”

Brianna announced that lunch was ready and everyone was hungry. Swimming sure worked up an appetite. Rick looked around and saw everyone laughing and chatting. Yes, today was indeed a perfect day.

Roxanna Llama-Llama looked around, too, and hoped that things would go as well at House 2. Until then, Wikii-Wikki Wii from Sulani!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

“Behold! The Mermaid!” is a line from the movie Splash (1984). Dr. Walter Kornbluth, an eccentric scientist, sprays water on Madison’s human form (the mermaid) on a sidewalk in New York, so she will spout her tail. When she does, he shouts this line, so he can prove to the world that mermaids exist.