beanstalk_sims | Culpepper Pals: Autumn 3: Zest

Hello again! I've very nearly finished playing the season, so I'm playing catch up with updates. I had a lot of fun playing autumn, but I'm really excited to see what the new season brings!

Anyway, let's focus on Johnny & Tania!

Last time, Tania set off from her home in Oasis Springs in search of an adventure. She didn't have to look very far before she found herself in Strangerville, and accidentally stumbled onto some shady stuff. Johnny turned up, and asked her if she wanted this or a real vacation. Tania felt that the right thing to do was to commit to solving the mystery, and Johnny agreed to stay as support. As her investigation got deeper, the situation in Strangerville appeared to get worse. Things did eventually take a turn for the better, and Tania was able to discover, and destroy, the source of the whole shebang. Whilst celebrating her victory, Tania kissed Johnny in the heat of the moment, and immediately apologised - although he turned out he felt the same way. The two of them set off for a new adventure.

Their new adventure bringing them home, of course.

Money is pretty tight - Johnny Zest is broke by design, and Tania didn't leave home with much money as the Bell family simply didn't have enough to spare. So these two will have to wait a little bit before their next adventure!

Johnny gets to work on the skills he needs for work, while Tania takes some odd jobs.

I was really excited to finally give the odd jobs feature a go, but I didn't realise most of them would be rabbit holes? It's fine. It's still pretty interesting to have a sim who isn't doing the proper career thing for a change.

What kind of comedian dresses like that??

While Johnny was out at work, Brianna randomly dropped by. I guess that's fine, she only lives across the road afterall.

"So how's life with Johnny? His little shack isn't much to look at."

"It's a little bare and we're a little broke, but we'll get there," Tania smiled, "Though I'm saving up for a trip to Selvadorada rather than furniture."

"...why?"

"I just want to. Aren't there places in life you're desperate to go?"

As if one sister wasn't enough, Shari then turned up. Also uninvited.

"Well, my new place is pretty bare too, Brianna. But if Tania wants to go abroad more than she wants new sofas, that's up to her."

"I know it's up to her, I just don't get it. I mean, red couches and green curtains? What was Johnny thinking?"

While her sisters debated Johnny's taste in interior design, Tania was busy fixing the toilet.

See, Johnny is fond of mischief and is constantly pranking the toilet. Not only does this mean Tania is constantly fixing the toilet, but also she dislikes mischief. I'm really interested to see how they get along going forward, I've not had a couple with opposite likes and dislikes yet!

It's Monday morning, and Tania is starting it off in the garden!

The produce will be a great little cash boost, plus one of her likes is gardening. I did have her join a club for gardeners, but they didn't actually get around to meeting up this season.

Johnny spent the morning dozing while waiting for Tania to get back from her odd job.

Taeko also stopped by. That's all three sisters in 24 hours.

"Why do you guys keep checking in? Are you also here to judge my curtains?"

I sent Johnny and Tania out for the evening. What's a cheap date? Bowling!

I didn't actually get a picture of them both there? I'm not sure how I managed that. I did enjoy that the other bowlers were all bears though.

Despite the fact I completely dropped the ball taking pictures of their date, it was a success. The two of them kept flirting after coming home.

"How does it feel to be living with a bowling champ, Johnny?"

"It's everything I dreamed of as a young lad!"

"Hey I have an idea for what we should do next!"

...you saw that one coming, right?

They officially became boyfriend and girlfriend after this.

"Are you...dancing...to my comedy routine?"

Tuesday arrives and the garden is in bloom!

I love Johnny's garden, I definitely want to preserve that if I ever extend the house.

It's just not a normal day until one of the sisters drops by. Apparently Tuesday is Shari's turn.

"Seriously, why do you guys check in all the time?"

Given that Johnny was disowned by his family, I imagine he finds it difficult to understand why Tania's siblings drop by all the time. Especially given that Tania isn't fully related to some of the other sisters - Brianna is the only one she's related to by blood.

That afternoon Tania nips over to Sulani to catch frogs for an odd job.

Imagine just being able to drop by an island paradise on a whim.

She then needed seashells for a different odd job, so the whole afternoon was spent in Sulani. The game actually crashed at that point, but first time round Tania had found a piranha in the sand. I was going to have them keep it. Ah well.

Johnny came along too, it wasn't all work. They hung out after she'd found the shells she needed.

Wednesday morning looks a little different...Tania and Johnny had finally saved enough to have a couple of days in Selvadorada!

"It's not quite sun loungers and snorkelling, but Selvadorada is pretty, I'll give you that."

"It's going to be excellent Johnny, I promise."

"Right, quick breakfast, John, then tomb raiding!"

"...what?"

"What?"

"Oh you weren't joking. We're actually going scrambling through nature."

"Of course! That's why we came here!"

"Sure. Sounds super relaxing."

I haven't actually played with this pack much, so I was pretty excited to get a good look at everything!

Selvadorada is very pretty <3

"Oh yeah, this definitely looks safe."

Tania and I were both having a great time, I'm not convinced Johnny was though.

Aaaaand then the bees found him.

"Oh no, Johnny, you're green! Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, I feel fine. I'm sure the green will go away, right?"

"Well, as long as you're feeling okay...there's this little hedge up the path, right...it looks perfect for-"

"I think I see where you're going with this."

Yeah, I think Johnny feels fine.

I did send him back at that point, but Tania pressed onwards.

Tarantulas dropping randomly from above? Yeah, that'd be a no from me.

I honestly have no idea what I'm doing at all, but it's pretty fun all the same.

"Hmm. I have this feeling I should turn around. Weird."

Aaaaand then she got hit with a poison dart. So that's fun.

Time for bed I think.

"Hey guess what Johnny? We match!"

"Oh, you're green too. That's good. Definitely a vacation to remember."

Johnny then decided to relax the morning away, politely hoping his next holiday with Tania is a better one.

Tania started working on the things she found. Hopefully she finds something she can sell, funds are pretty tight.

I have no idea why she looks so mad, though. Maybe the locals were gossiping about the green spots.

Oh good, there's tarantulas in the accommodation now too!

Johnny is just having the best time.

Tania cheered him up when she got back from chatting to the locals.

"You feeling any better, John?"

"Well spiders randomly dropped from the ceiling, so no."

"Update, I feel great! And my green spots are gone!"

"Er, Johnny...I'm still spotty."

Yeah for some reason their dazed moodlets timed out at the same time, despite the fact the bees & the poison dart were hours apart. Johnny made a full recovery and Tania...

...had to visit the museum and use their very limited funds to buy an antidote.

Luckily they had just enough money left.

Tania came home and slept the whole thing off, with Johnny hovering nearby at all times.

"What a trip, hey?" Tania said, plopping down on the bench next to Johnny. He looked at her sternly.

"Is this what our relationship is going to be? Me watching you storm head first into danger, wondering if you're going to come back?"

"Johnny-"

"I know I'm a pretty laidback guy, Tania, but I don't know how to cope with watching the person I love risk her life!"

"I didn't risk my li-"

"You could've died, Tania!" Johnny exclaimed, "What if we hadn't held enough cash back for the antidote?"

"Johnny..."

"How am I meant to look your father in the eye and say I just watched you go?"

"Johnny," Tania said, quietly, "It's fine. I lived. We'll make more money. There's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about this time," Johnny replied, "After the whole thing in Strangerville, and now this...am I just meant to travel the world with you, holding the bags back at the hotel while you risk everything? I don't know if I can do that, Tania."

"What if we go somewhere else next time? I do want to come back here someday, but you're right, we should probably have a bit more money behind us."

"We're coming back here?"

"I will. And I hope you will too, Johnny. You're the one I want by my side, no matter what the adventure is."

Tania sunk to one knee, "Johnny, will you marry me?"

"...Tania! What? How did we get from arguing to a proposal?"

"Don't worry about it," Tania laughed, "Johnny, I need an answer. Will you marry me?"

"Well, it's insane and we have no money and spiders keep dropping from the ceiling...but of course I'll marry you!"

This felt quite soon for me, but I've been playing based more on whims lately - and this is what Tania wanted.

Maybe a brush with a deadly poison puts things into perspective or something! I should mention this whole thing took place on Spooky Day, which amused me.

...well, how else do you celebrate getting engaged? :)

The spiders wanted to congratulate Johnny personally.

And then the trip was over, and the couple were in their sparse little trailer again.

Time for normality to resume.

"So when are we going to get married?" Johnny asked, when they sat down in the garden that afternoon.

"You mean, are we doing it this weekend or waiting for winter?"

"I was thinking it might even have to wait until spring, Tania...we can't really afford a big wedding. At all."

"Who said I needed a big wedding?"

"Tania, your family is pretty big...your sisters-"

"It can just be us, Johnny."

"I've never really been the kind of girl who daydreamed about weddings, Johnny," Tania smiled, "How about we just tie the knot at the Romance Festival this weekend?"

"Won't your family be disappointed?"

"They'll be fine with it, Johnny. It's our choice."

"Okay. Romance Festival it is."

The rest of Friday was spent working on things - in Tania's case, her pocket full of Selvadorada treasures and for Johnny, the skills he needs for work.

Saturday day time passes by rather quickly - Johnny worked on comedy routines for his aspiration, while Tania did several odd jobs.

They've made back a little bit of the cash they spent this season but things are still pretty tight!

It's Saturday night and it's time for romance!

"So, are you ready?" Tania asked, taking a sip of tea, "Speeches all written, suits ordered for you and your best man?"

"Of course, months ago. What about you? Picked out a flower pal?"

"You know, I knew there was something I'd forgotten to do," Tania laughed, "Are you ready to make me your wife?"

"Yes. Definitely."

* * *

"Tania Jane Scott, I stand in front of absolutely none of our family and friends and ask you to please be my wife?"

Tania laughed, "I do."

"I love you, Johnny. I can't promise every adventure we go on will be easy, but I can promise you this: we'll make it through all of it together."

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Zest!

And that's where the season ended for these two newly-weds! I cannot wait to get back to them next season, they're so much fun to play. I wasn't planning on getting them married this season - but I've been using their whims in my gameplay more and it's interesting to see how things go!