1.4 - Older and Taller

"Before I knew it, Zhen was a toddler.  She really takes after me, don't you think?"

"I immediately got to work teaching her to talk... properly.  Say 'It's not proper for a young lady to run'."

"Yes, and all princesses don't make their mommies change any diapers, okay?"

"But then, much to my surprise, that jewel I decided to hang on to grew!  And it was worth... well, let's just say that I got my lifetime wish.  Now can we have a decent house?"

Fine, fine...  Give me a second.

"And it seemed only an instant later that we had a lovely little tower to live in!  We abandoned the ground level and left it to my animal friends, who seem much happier having it to themselves."

"The next level up is only half-sized, and a sort of viewing deck.  The player said that she'd build a new room for Zhen at the top of the tower later..."

So sick of building, want more playing!

"...So for now Zhen's things are here, but she doesn't seem to mind.  Here I am teaching her to walk with her head level like a proper young lady... and we're both in our nightdresses...  I need to teach both of us better..."

"This is the next level up, where the tower really starts.  It has a small kitchen, eating area, reading nook, and bathroom."

"And here's my luxurious bedroom suite.  I'm living like a Queen now - but that's only right.  This island is mine, isn't it?  And I'm the mother of a little princess.  So of course I'm a Queen."

"The tower looks a bit odd from a distance though..."

Hey, when you have so little room to work with, function trumps form.

"Shortly after we settled into our greatly enhanced abode, I became a master of martial arts."

"And Zhen became a master of using the potty.  Mommy is so proud!"

"She plays with all her toys, but her doll is her favorite.  She named him Edward."

"Somewhere among all of this, my birthday came up when I wasn't really paying attention.  Let's see, what to wish for?  I think I already have everything I want...  Can I wish for it to not be my birthday?  Please?"

"I don't really look any older, do I?  No, I don't think that I do.  Definitely not.  Not even a little bit.  Oh, help!  I think that I'm having a mid-life crisis!"

"But Zhen is a great distraction from those thoughts she always wakes up in such a good mood, so that's when we have our little mommy/daughter moments.  It's a good way to start off our day before she runs off to play and I work on my sculpting."

"But before I knew it, my little princess had another birthday of her own."

And she gained the perfectionist trait.  Wow, that's... very helpful Zhen.

"And then she asked me if it's okay for a princess's favorite color to be gray.  I had to think about that for a moment because I wasn't even sure.  But I suppose it's okay for a princess to not wear pink.  Then she asked if it would be okay if the player decorated the room she was building above mine that color.  How could I say no?"

"Where are all the pretty colors?  I think that I might cry!"

"And another thing that she asked for was a chemistry set.  I'm not sure if it's a proper thing for a princess to be doing, but I eventually said yes.  The player said that it's a common hobby for children with dolls."

"I guess I'm just used to my little princess not having so many of her own opinions.  Though I suppose there are some advantages to Zhen getting older.  I don't feel worried about leaving her alone in the tower for an hour or so whenever I start to feel stir crazy."

"Though I keep getting the feeling that she's keeping something from me."

1.3 - Obvious Lies

Danielle...

"No, nothing else happened during my trip to China!  Stop asking!"

You know, pretty much everyone who will read this is a player too.  We all know that you're lying.  You're not fooling anyone!

"...I'm not?"

Not even a little.  You're obviously very pregnant.  And the people just want to know who the father is.

"...Okay..."

"His name is Shing Hong.  I met him my first day there - isn't he handsome?"

"We got along right away - he's very charismatic.  And I suppose I was just happy to have someone nice to talk to after being by myself for so long."

"And one thing led to another."

"And another..."

"...and another.  He was such a sweet guy and he kept telling me I was beautiful.  We spent my whole first day together."

"And then I asked if I could spend the night, even though it was still a bit early.  I guess I was more lonely than I realized."

"I fully intended to literally sleep at his house, but it turned out to also be a bit more figurative..."

"It was all awkward the next morning.  I fall for the first guy I meet in China, and neither of us were really interested in a long-term relationship.  I mean, he's not even a prince!  Of course, I didn't realize I was pregnant until around the time I headed home.  I don't feel like much of a Princess now..."

"Oh!  And now the baby is coming!  Call an ambulance!"

Um, they can't exactly get to the island.

"This sucks!"

 Say hello to Zhen!

"It's Chinese for precious or rare.  Because she's my precious little princess from China."

And she's a heavy sleeper and a slob.  Great.  At least she's cute!

"You know, I just realized something?  I don't need a prince.  When I held Zhen for the first time, I realized that she's all I need to be happy.  Even living on this tiny island in the middle of nowhere.  But this island is what I have now.  I just wish it was a nicer place for my little princess."

"Even if I have to unclog the toilet all by myself, I'll do it for her!"

"I continued training with my martial arts after Zhen was born, and now I'm able to break space rocks, which sometimes have pretty jewels in them.  Though it's hard juggling that with taking care of Zhen all by myself."

"Though the fortunate thing about the size of the island is that I never have to be too far away.  I also sculpt when I have time for some extra money."

"Oh, and one of the peasants delivered a little doll for Zhen from a distant relative after she was born.  Though I can't imagine how anyone in my family could have known about her.  Very strange.  But the doll is cute."

"The peasant also delivered the jewels I sent to be cut.  I sold the rest of them so that I would have more money to fix this place up better for Zhen, but this one came out so beautiful that I think that I'll keep it."

TELEPORTING DEER!

"The island is getting so cramped between my animal friends and the rest of my things that I hope to be able to earn enough to give us some more room soon."

1.2 - Chinese Travelogue

"China was beautiful, and seemed so big after being on the island for so long."

"And, best of all, there were other people around.  Being a loner, I don't need other people much, but even I miss seeing people after awhile."

Um, but what's with that face you're making while you're riding around?  It's creeping me out!

"What?  It's a smile!"

Seriously, though, the face Sims make while they ride a bike...

"China is so beautiful!  But eventually I found my way to the martial arts academy.  I'm a disciplined Sim, after all, so martial arts comes naturally.  ...So I just hit this thing a few times, right?"

"By the time I called it quits after my first training session, I was very stinky but I'd earned an orange belt."

"Then I found a wonderful garden patch.  These fruits and vegetables should be very useful back at home.  While the island is very barren, my player says that it's fertile enough to grow food.  I don't know how interested I am in that though, and it would probably take up a lot of space."

"But my player insisted that I gather seeds as well - there were quite a few by this old barn, though it was a bit of a hike getting there."

"For convenience's sake, I'd brought along my sleeping bag from home and slept on the academy floor.  Nobody seemed to mind, and it saved me from having to go all the way back to the base camp."

"The next day I started training with breaking boards.  These foam ones weren't that difficult.  But that's how I spent my entire trip, really: I'd practice my martial arts until I was tired, took a break to gather food and seeds, and then back for more martial arts until I was tired."

"Before I left, though, I made a quick stop at the marketplace for a few books, a board breaker of my own, and my player insisted on some more fruits and veggies and a lot of fish.  Of course, with all the martial arts and plant gathering I spent most of the trip pretty stinky, but the guys at the marketplace were polite enough to ignore that."

"By the time I was ready to leave I'd earned a blue belt and was breaking 4 stone boards at once (I added one right after this pic was taken).  And that's what I did in China."

I think you skipped something...

"No, really, that was everything."

...Uh-huh...

"Before I knew it, my time in China was over and I was back home.  I... forgot how small and empty it all is."

"But I brought back a few reminders of China.  It was nice being able to continue practicing my martial arts."

I think that's not the only reminder you brought back from China...

"What are you talking about?  The nausea is just from the food on the airplane."

...Uh-huh...

I see that your sculpting theme has changed as well...

"I just got tired of sculpting men all the time.  I thought that I'd do something a little more abstract this time."

...Uh-huh...

And what about the wardrobe change and the belly bulge?

"I've just been eating a few too many pomelos lately.  I'll work it off and then my old clothes will fit again..."

...Uh-huh...  Why don't you tell us about that part you skipped over?

"I didn't skip anything!"