Where have I been?

Oooh, pretty!

Four months since an update?! Impossible! Admittedly, I haven't spent as much time on the blog-iverse as I should have. Rest assured I'm still working on Altwater, even though I haven't been posting. Usually I don't like to post WIPs on this blog, but I need to get into the habit of blogging regularly again anyway.

Sometime in September, my old computer "died". My computer flickered and then crashed, never to wake up again. I was distraught over losing a lot of my work on my PC, not just from Sims but from other things too (schoolwork, hobbies, old photos, etc.) So, I began to build a new world on my laptop. It was so much faster and cleaner than my desktop PC, so I stuck with it. I later discovered my computer didn't die, but I was too in love with my laptop and the world that I built with it to turn back.

Altwater!

I have tried many times before to recreate something similar to Altwater's principle in CAW, and it has never worked before. This is the first fully-functioning world I've been able to create! I spent a lot of time plotting and planning where certain lots would go, and how I would go about setting up an efficient transportation system. Altwater is nowhere near "done", but it is playable. I was able to finish and upload the bare bones of it before the 1.42 patch came out, which is great because the update basically locked me out of CAW. All of the lots lack street names and I'm not completely satisfied with the layout of the lots, but its doable until CAW is fixed. Plus, I have a TSD addiction. *cough*

Sunset on Pewter Beach

Altwater is a mountain town that I intend to fill with snobs, environmentalists, hipsters, self-employed sims, and nectar enthusiasts. Not sure why, but those are the sims I most often make!

This is the best 60s Glamour I could muster without CC or Store stuff

When I start blogging again, the first round of Altwater will take place in 1960. Hopefully nothing will crash or die on me and I'll be able to make it to 1961, lol!

The Pisnoy Family

Name: Zach Pisnoy

Hometown: Riverview

Current Location: Altwater City

Age: 43 SimYears

LTW: Renaissance Sim

Traits: Eccentric, Angler, Genius, Neurotic, Bookworm

Occupation: Museum Docent

Bio: Zach Pisnoy enjoys fishing, reading, and teaching people 

about the value of fish at the local science museum.

Family: Eleanor Pisnoy (wife), Samuel Pisnoy (son), Jared Pisnoy (son), 

Caroline Pisnoy (daughter)

Name: Eleanor Pisnoy

Hometown: Bridgeport

Current Location: Altwater City

Age: 40 SimYears

LTW: The Culinary Librarian

Traits: Snob, Natural Cook, Heavy Sleeper, Neat, Perfectionist

Occupation: Teacher

Bio: Eleanor is all sass and class, and encourages her students

and children to operate on the same level. NO slacking, NO slouching, and NO swearing!

Oh, and no fart jokes. She's not fond of practical jokes, either. She prefers

witty humor.

Family: Zach Pisnoy (husband), Samuel Pisnoy (son), Jared Pisnoy (son), 

Caroline Pisnoy (daughter)

Name: Samuel Pisnoy

Hometown: Bridgeport

Current Location: Altwater City

Age: 14

LTW: Undecided

Traits: Adventurous, Daredevil, Natural Cook, Ambitious

Occupation: 8th Grader (Middle School)

Bio: Samuel is new to town, but he already has his sights set on 

someone at school...

Family: Zach Pisnoy (father), Eleanor Pisnoy (mother), Jared Pisnoy (brother), 

Caroline Pisnoy (sister)

Name: Jared Pisnoy

Hometown: Bridgeport

Current Location: Altwater City

Age: 13 SimYears

LTW: Undecided

Traits: Green Thumb, Virtuoso, Good, Brave

Occupation: 7th Grader (Middle School)

Bio: Jared Pisnoy is a little bit more laid back and

"one with nature" than his brother, but don't let that fool you. 

He will bravely fight for what he believes in, and usually wins.

Family: Zach Pisnoy (father), Eleanor Pisnoy (mother), Samuel Pisnoy (brother),

Caroline Pisnoy (sister)

Name: Caroline Pisnoy

Hometown: Bridgeport

Current Location: Altwater City

Age: 7 SimYears

LTW: Undecided

Traits: Good Sense of Humor, Perfectionist, Ambitious

Occupation: Elementary Schooler

Bio: Although she is young, she is quite the mature young lady! She's dedicated,

focused, and hilarious to boot. Already she's starting to take after her mother,

which isn't so bad.

Family: Zach Pisnoy (father), Eleanor Pisnoy (mother), Samuel Pisnoy (brother), 

Jared Pisnoy (brother)

The Miguel-Nagi Family

Name: Youssef Miguel-Nagi

Hometown: Al Simhara

Current Location: Millbrook County

Age: 40 SimYears

LTW: Golden Tongue, Golden Fingers

Traits: Angler, Natural Cook, Flirty, Artistic, Brave

Occupation: Desk Jockey (Law Enforcement)

Bio: Youssef enjoyed his time in Al Simhara as a permanent bachelor, until his

wife Nancy came along. He thought he'd never settle down, but she convinced

him that the married life isn't so bad. They've been married for five years, and he's been 

faithful ever since. His only wish is to be able to quit his desk job and spend more time

with his daughter.

Family: Nancy Miguel-Nagi (wife), Gina Miguel-Nagi (daughter)

Name: Nancy Miguel-Nagi

Hometown: Bridgeport

Current Location: Millbrook County

Age: 25 SimYears

LTW: Seasoned Traveler

Traits: Adventurous, Frugal, Charismatic, Good, Clumsy

Occupation: Junior Ambassador (currently on leave)

Bio: In another life, Nancy had an exciting (and lucrative) career as a

Junior Ambassador for her hometown of Bridgeport. After having a child with

Youssef, she took an indefinite leave to take care of the new

baby girl. Now, more than ever, she wants to hop back in the game. Youssef

is willing to stay home and take care of Gina while Nancy is overseas,

but for some reason Nancy just can't bring herself to leave...

Family: Youssef Miguel-Nagi (husband), Gina Miguel-Nagi (daughter)

Name: Gina Miguel-Nagi

Hometown: Plum Grove

Current Location: Millbrook County

Age: Six Months

LTW: Undecided

Traits: Heavy Sleeper, Couch Potato

Occupation: Toddler

Bio: N/A

Family: Youssef Miguel-Nagi (father), Nancy Miguel-Nagi (mother)

R1 - Out on the Town

Gyles: Out on the Town

Round 1

Spring of 1965

Paulette still struggled with school. She's been doing slightly better since joining the Study club at Millbrook High, but she still has the problem of paying attention to her mind-numbing homework. Her parents were a little worried about whether or not she needed professional help for it.

Even Papa agreed that her problem with school deserved some medical attention!

A new teen hot-spot called "The Hive" opened up across the street from the gym, so the teens ventured out after school to check it out.

Lucas and Kyra had fun taking silly pictures with the photobooth (but not *too* much fun, mind you).

Paulette was feeling rebellious one day and decided to release the frogs in Millbrook High's science department. What she didn't expect, however, was law enforcement to show up; sirens blazing and all.

Paulette: "Please officer, I'm so sorry! Don't arrest me! I'm having an awful time at school already..."

Paulette: "Um...officer?"

Paulette: "OH MY CREATOR THIS IS TOO WEIRD I CAN'T TAKE IT."

Yep, there goes that neurotic streak! Rest assured that although she did not get arrested (and subsequently grounded), she served plenty of detention the next day.

While the teenyboppers enjoyed their little hive hangout, Luke and Erin waltzed over to GlassHAUS, the latest and greatest of the Altwater nightlife scene. The tickets were pretty expensive at 100 simoleans per sim, but they had lots of fun during their night out. Or at least, I think they did...

Erin and Luke: "As long as the bartender's out of our waaaayyy, we'll sing alllll night and daaayyy..."

Meanwhile, the teens went down to the previously mentioned Hive and hung out with some friends. They met two new Millbrook High students, brothers Samuel and Jared. Samuel was the eldest at 14 SimYears, and Jared was the same age as Paulette and Lemon (13). Paulette really admired Samuel's athleticism, and his curiosity about other worlds. She could listen to him talk about Shang Simla or Al Simhara all day, if given the chance.

Paulette had a musical bond with Jared that couldn't be denied; when they jammed together, every note just fell into place. She really wished Lemon was there to jam along with them. She and Jared became fast friends after discussing some music theory.

Of course, she still had homework to finish. After jamming, she did the responsible thing and finished up her homework. Still, she thought it was so unfair that Lucas finished way before she did and played games with this girlfriend all night.

Papa and Sheba enjoy playing around with each other, much to everyone's delight. Hopefully those puppies will come soon!

Luke gave his son a lecture about his future, and not just wasting his youth on soda and arcade games. He was very concerned about his son's laziness and his lack of interest in things he could survive off of. Lucas didn't really have a great relationship with his dad and generally found him to be a bore, so he didn't listen much. He figured that he could just make money off of donating animals to science labs.

Of course, then he started thinking about his future as a Zoologist. He would need a degree, which would require college, scholarships, and - wait for it - good grades. Lucas decided that helping his dad out in the garden wouldn't hurt, and it could be a good start to finding an educational activity that suits him.

Erin and Luke found a dog gnome outside of their house one day. They're not sure who left it there, but it looked nice enough!

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Cheezy's notes: Lucas seriously has no interests, no skills, no special traits...nothing. It made me concerned for him, since adolescence is such a pivotal time for skill gaining! 


-I'm going to close down Millbrook High in favor for another school I've created, so I'm basically building my own educational system as opposed to using EA's rabbitholes. My system will focus on two basic skills (writing and logic) and the rest will be electives. More on that later!

R1 - Dog Days

Gyles: Dog Days

Round 1
Spring of 1965

Our week with the Gyles started off with a perfectly sunny day at the South Point Flea Market. Luke was a former botanist at the Sunset Valley Science Center, so he knew the value of fresh fruits and vegetables. Despite their short time in Millbrook, visiting the flea market every Saturday morning became routine.

Kevin wasted no time finding a girlfriend, and Allison wasted no time looking elsewhere. Kevin and Allie were sweeter than pie, and everyone adored seeing them together. However, sometimes Erin worries her son is moving too quickly, and carelessly at that.

Erin, Luke, Lucas, and Kevin all sat down for their morning lunch. Nancy from down-the-street made a lovely autumn salad to share with the community.

Lucas, following in his big brother's footsteps, also made a "friend" rather easily. Her name was Kyra Lewis, and she was the daughter of Mayor Mary-Anne Lewis. Lucas found her pretty, but was a little more interested in her younger sister Lemon. Her sarcastic sense of humor often made him feel stupid, but he found her a little more interesting than Ms. Goody Two-Shoes.

Lucas could never tell his baby sister Paulette how he felt, because she's great friends with them both. It's actually hard to find someone Paulette isn't friends with. Of course, the gift of gab comes with a few curses; due to her inability (or unwillingness) to stop talking, she's failed quite a few tests.

She tries to do her homework on a regular basis, but then she gets bored and plays with Sheba instead. Paulette was beginning to think that maybe school just wasn't something she would ever "get".



If school just wasn't her thing, that would be alright with her. She's pretty good with her favorite pink guitar, and she's great at saying the right thing at the right time. If she continues to hone those skills, who knows where it'll take her?

Erin's skills have taken her out of military retirement and into the business world. Due to some thrifty saving in her younger days, Erin was able to buy out an old gym and make some renovations to it. At first, the changes were pretty subtle - but soon, the old Millbrook Recreation Center will attract more and more customers wanting to get fit, and Erin will be the mastermind behind it.

Lucas enjoys teaching Sheba how to do tricks. In fact, Lucas enjoys animals in general. Both of his parents love animals, so it wouldn't be a surprise to discover that he does as well. Maybe he'll do something in the animal sciences one day.

Lucas was feeling rebellious and decided to egg the mayor's house one night. Of course, Lucas isn't the brightest bulb in the box, so he completely forgot he was essentially egging his girlfriend's house. Fortunately, he didn't get caught.

Although exercise can't turn back the hands of time, Erin still likes to keep up with her morning jogs. They keep her fit as a fiddle, and they warm her up for her long training days with clients.

One of those clients would be good 'ol Nancy from down-the-street, or Nancy Miguel. Nancy wanted to support local business, so she paid a visit to Erin's gym for a short training session. She certainly did not expect to be challenged so much, and she's certainly no novice to fitness! Erin knew she was on the right track with her training style.

Lucas' girlfriend was also subjected to Erin's ruthless training. Kyra wanted to "get in shape for swimsuit season", but she had no clue this is what that meant!

Lemon and Paulette like to hang out in the gym's cafeteria every now and then, since there's nowhere else for them to hang out. They talk about everything; from school, to boys, to jobs - you name it, they discuss it. They even talk about politics, which makes for some pretty awkward conversation.

Erin's gym isn't as popular as she'd like it to be, so there's a large gap in waiting time between clients. This is usually when Erin will hop on the treadmill for a few miles, or she'll take a swim in the downstairs pool. Anything to keep her moving away from the boredom...

And speaking of boredom, Erin and Luke felt that Sheba was getting bored. So, they adopted a new companion for her! He's an Australian Cattle Hound named Papa, and let me tell you a secret: his name (hopefully!) won't be a coincidence.

The Gyles Family

Name: Erin (Kennedy) Gyles

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Current Location: Millbrook

Age: 73 SimYears 

LTW: Astronaut (Achieved)

Traits: Workaholic, Atheltic, Brave, 

Grumpy, Dog Person

Occupation: Retired Astronaut

Owner of Millbrook Community Center

Bio: After getting married, having a family, and 

reaching the top of her career, Erin is finally taking 

a much-needed break. Sort of. She's still pushing herself to the limit

with her new business venture. With all this running around, 

is she spreading herself too thin?

Family: Luke (husband), Lucas (child),
Paulette (child), Kemmie (child), Kevin (child)

Name: Luke Gyles

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Current Location: Millbrook

Age: 68 SimYears

LTW: Creature-Robot Crossbreeder (Achieved)

Traits: Dog Person, Loves the Outdoors,

Brave, No Sense of Humor, Adventurous

Occupation: Retired Botanist

Education: High School Graduate

Bio: Luke has always been the more easy-going

parent, although that's not saying much 

considering how strict Erin can be. Now 

that he's retired, Luke is enjoying his

time off with some leisurely reading,

chess games, and a stroll or

two around the flea market.

Family: Erin (wife), Lucas (child),
Paulette (child), Kemmie (child), Kevin (child)

Name: Lucas Gyles

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Current Location: Millbrook

Age: 14 SimYears

LTW: The Zoologist

Traits: Absent-Minded, Couch Potato, 

Loves the Outdoors, Clumsy

Education: Currently in 8th Grade

Bio: Lucas is aging in a different environment than his

two older siblings. Erin and Luke are hardly ever home,

and when they are, they're far too tired to instill the values

of work ethic and physical activity as they did with Kevin and Kemmie.

Is Lucas failing school because he "doesn't get it", 

or is he failing to get their attention?

Family: Luke (father), Erin (mother), Paulette (sister)
Kemmie (sister), Kevin (brother)

Name: Paulette Gyles

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Current Location: Millbrook

Age: 13 SimYears

LTW: Golden Tongue, Golden Fingers

Traits: Neurotic, Friendly, Virtuoso, Slob

Education: Currently in 7th Grade

Bio: Paulette is cute as a button and a total chatterbox. Everyone

absolutely adores her. Her one problem is in school! How on

Earth is she supposed to focus on school when there

are so many cool people to talk to?!
Family: Luke (father), Erin (mother), Lucas (brother)
Kemmie (sister), Kevin (brother)

R1 - Starting Over

Miguel-Nagi: Starting Over

Round 1
Spring of 1965

Not much has happened to the Miguel-Nagis since we last checked in. Their move to Millbrook County (a small town on the southern side of Altwater) was a very smooth transition. They have a nice house, with plenty of space for a booming garden or maybe a few playthings for Gina.

Of course, frugal Nancy was not at all happy with the expenses. She constantly daydreamed of being able to go back to her job as Bridgeport's go-to Worldly Relations Ambassador, but they demoted her when she took maternity leave. Plus, she started to miss her friends back in Plum City. The town here was so sparse in population, she began to feel separated from society.

Youssef was much less conflicted about the move. He really liked it here. The limited population meant less traffic, more jobs, and most importantly - less people to potentially hurt his precious little girl. It's not like they could do anything to a toddler, but one day she'll be all grown up and messing around with boys - or girls - who will only break her heart in the end. As a father, he couldn't imagine his lovely Gina falling for a boy who behaved as he once did.

Gina didn't seem to have an opinion on the move, since her mind was on more important things. You know, toddler things. She was hitting all those important milestones in record-time, including walking. At times like this, Nancy and Youssef wished Gina had more family around to see her progress.

Nancy had no problem in the friends department, despite the sparseness of people. She quickly found a best friend in Allison, and her elderly neighbors down the street.

She also found a friend in her garden, which served as a way to save and make money while taking care of Gina.

And although the town was quiet, they were not immune to robberies and accidental fires. Thankfully, they had enough of those in Plum City to be prepared for them here in Millbrook.

Every now and then, Youssef and Nancy like to put on their evening's finest and go out on the town. After the owner of the Empire Ballroom requested Youssef to perform every night, they finally had the perfect excuse to go out at night.

Youssef enjoyed playing for the patrons of the Empire Ballroom and taking in the ambience. It didn't pay very much, but he enjoyed being back in the music scene again.

And of course, the hot tub was a very nice perk.

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Cheezy's notes: This post was a bit scatter-brained, as I'm still trying to organize everything. This is basically just a summary of what Nancy and Youssef have been doing to try and get used to their time in Millbrook. I find it easier if I cram all of the sim-week into one post, so there aren't several Round 1 posts for one family. Just a fair warning; that means some families will have word-heavy and picture-laden posts! 


A map of Altwater will be coming soon, but it's pretty sparse as it's still in the "development" phase. I'm using MySimsRealty's Storybrook County as Altwater's map.