Sunday 31 January 2016

Silver string

Round 36: September 2043 (Spring)
last update/next update

Araminta Romilly is 80, Finn and Victoria are 42 and Keira is 12.
(Magdalena is 79, Ione is 47, Elspeth is 29, Declan is 22, Caitlin is 20 and Daphne is 12)

Narrated by Finn Romilly


This is my second year as principal of the local high school. I was happy enough at the primary school but I’ve always wanted to advance. So when the opportunity came up, I had to take it.

So far, so good. I think I’ve settled in really well. I remember most of the kids from when I taught them in primary school.

I taught upper primary and there’s not a whole lot of difference between that and the younger kids here at the high school.

Keira is one of my students, which she isn’t too thrilled about. I taught both Declan and Caitlin too but it’s different for primary kids.

She does her best to pretend I’m not her dad while she’s at school but she’s a good student. That’s all I expect from her. 

Teaching the older classes is definitely a big change though! They’re so close to being adults and it’s interesting watching them make that transition.

Compared to the younger kids, they are much more motivated and very focused on university and their future careers.

There’s Ruby, of course, but without anyone to lead astray, it’s not too difficult to get her back on track. 

I’m told we just have a good group at the moment though. In previous years, there have been some more lacklustre students in the upper grades too.

I have had a bit of trouble with Julia but nothing I can’t handle. I took “her” job and she’s made it quite clear she doesn’t like me.

That’s fine. As long as she does her job well, I’m not that bothered that she dislikes me. 

When she started high school, Keira decided to take up guitar. She’s having lessons and practising all the time.

She’s got a talent for it and she’s very dedicated. As long as she keeps her grades up, I’m happy for her to continue.

Keira is the most reserved of our kids and it has let her break out of her shell a little bit more. That’s been good to see. 

She’s mentioned to both Victoria and Mum that she wants to make a career out of music, which I’m not nearly so keen on. 

They’re encouraging it but I’m sort of hoping she’s decided on something a bit more stable by the time she has to start thinking about her future. 

I’m keeping quiet about it and just leaving her be for now.

Keira is very headstrong and she’ll only dig her heels in further if she gets any opposition. I’ll pick my battles with her.

She’s currently trying to get Daphne to start a band with her, even though Daphne doesn’t really have an interest in music, or any sort of performance. 

She’ll happily listen to Keira play but has yet to join her on vocals, despite Keira’s urging. 

It feels strange that all our kids are so old now, considering Victoria and I still don’t feel too old ourselves.

Keira starting high school has been a huge shock to the system. She seems so grown up now. 

She’s not quite as grown up as she thinks she is though; she’s started asking if she can go out with her friends at night, which isn’t happening yet!

Mum has been unwell quite a lot lately. It’s easy for her to become short of breath and she gets very tired as a result.

She insists she’s fine and that we can do what we like but I’m really not willing to risk it. Her episodes have been getting more and more frequent and we’ve all been worried.

It got quite bad one afternoon when Victoria was home from work and she ended up calling an ambulance to take Mum to emergency.

I was able to leave school early with Keira and met them at the hospital.

Elspeth and Declan joined us a little later. Ione drove to campus and brought Caitlin down as well.

Over the next few days, Mum had lots of visitors: us, all of Ione’s kids, my aunt Zelda, Mum’s best friend Magdalena. 

She was barely conscious through most of it and she ended up slipping away after almost a week in hospital.

I think Elspeth is taking it the hardest. Mum was a lot younger when Ione and I were born and she was around for all of our adult milestones - getting married, establishing our careers, having kids of our own. 

Mum won’t see any of that with Elspeth and she’s struggling with it a lot.

Magdalena has been dropping by our house with food for us. We’ve told her it’s not necessary but she appreciated Mum doing that for her when her daughter died and it’s her way of repaying the favour.


It’s more than we can eat, honestly, even with Caitlin added in. She’s staying at home with us until at least the funeral. 

None of us have much of an appetite anyway, especially not poor Keira.

We’re enjoying having Caitlin here with us for a while but it would be nice if it were for a happier reason.

It’s going to be that little bit sadder and quieter once she goes back to campus and it’s just the three of us again. 

Araminta Romilly 
1963-2043


Araminta with her father, Stan and her mother, Xanthia. 

As a teen, with her lifelong best friend Magdalena. 

Araminta didn't go to college and lived with her parents as a young adult, where she was often in charge of little sister Zelda. 

On her wedding day, with husband Henry. 

Enjoying the perks of parenthood with eldest child Ione.

Second child Finn was born five years later.

Baby of the family Elspeth was a big surprise and didn't come along until Araminta was 51 and Ione had already left home for college.

She and Henry became grandparents when Finn and Victoria had Declan, who was quickly followed by Evan and Ione's twins, Justin and Xavier, later in the same year. 


By the end of her life, Araminta had a total of 8 grandchildren: Finn's children, Declan, Caitlin and Keira and Ione's children, Justin, Xavier, Aurora, Bianca and Francesca.

Notes:
  • Title is from Silver String by James Iha.
  • Already sort of dealt with Finn's new position in the last update but seeing my high school is actually finished now, I couldn't resist another look from Finn's perspective. :)
  • Keira matches up with literally over a dozen careers. Music is one of them but there's a good chance she'll pick something else too, which should please Finn. He'd support her if she decided on Music but would be relieved if she went a different way. ;)
  • I was actually pretty excited to play this update until I remembered I had to kill off Araminta. Oh well...she had a good run, I guess? 
  • If any of the hospital pictures look a bit incongruous, I had to go in and retake a couple after I'd already killed off Araminta, when I realised I hadn't actually taken them. I think there might still be one missing too, so..oops!
  • I hope no one minds the lack of an obituary. They're kind of annoying to write and a bit samey most of the time, so I just went with a photo collection instead and will probably do the same in the future. :)

12 comments:

  1. I liked the photo collection a lot, and there's no need for an obituary, with such a nice memorial in pictures.

    I was so excited to see this post, too, because they are one of my favorite families, until I realized it seemed like Araminta was going to die. But at least she was surrounded by family and she leaves such an amazing legacy. 8 grands!

    As for Keira, maybe she could be in a band with Monroe and Ella. I realize that probably isn't going to happen, but it was just cool that both your updates this week had teens exploring their musical talent.

    I'm with Finn and Victoria, I don't feel like they are old yet either!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Glad you liked the photo memorial! It was a lot easier to put together than an obituary!

      Araminta did all right on the grandchildren front, especially with Evan and Ione giving the Duggars a run for their money! This is one of my favourite family groups.

      Ha, no, I'm pretty possessive with my sims so it wouldn't happen but it's fun to think about! I'm going to see if any of my other teens might be into music enough to start a band with Keira. I've always wanted to have a band but have never had enough sims of roughly the same age interested in music!

      I know, when I was writing the little bit at the top, I was thinking "42? Is that right? It can't be!" LOL.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  2. Sad to see someone go who meant so much to their family and friends, but you made it look and feel very realistic.
    Also the bits about the students, and how different primary school kids are to teens at high school.

    And as for the "old" - 42 definitely isn't old :-) I'm nearly 48 and don't feel (or look) it :-D

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. I never like killing off my sims, even the old ones like Araminta!

      No, 42 (or 48!) isn't old. It's still older than I think of Victoria and Finn being though and older than they think of themselves as being. It's a weird thing for them. Having started their family so early, I think they might feel too young for a lot of things happening in their lives for quite a while to come. :)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  3. Oh no, so sad that she died. I too like the photo collection as well, either way you do such a good job with the deaths in your hood. It is funny that you and Maisie both have teens wanting to start bands this week, lol!

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    1. Heh, it's funny that you and Shannon both mentioned Maisie's update - I haven't got around to reading it yet, so I've got a little preview. ;)

      I feel like my death posts are my weakest sometimes, so thanks for the compliment. :)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  4. Finn is hilarious. "It's okay if you hate me as long as you do your job."

    But sad that Araminta died. :( I feel especially sad for Magdalena for some reason. I think it's good that they let her bring food over; she probably feels the need for little rituals like that as she gets older and more and more of the people she's close to die.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yeah, Finn wouldn't care. He's too practical and he knows he can only control his own reactions to things, so as long as Julia gets on with it, Finn will just let it go.

      I don't think Finn or Victoria would dream of asking Magdalena not to bring anything over. It's a bit much but they can recognise the good deed for what it is. It's a way for Magdalena to process her own grief as well.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  5. Like everyone else, I just cannot even believe that Finn and Victoria are in their 40s now!!! :o

    Finn, don't worry, every 12 year-old wants to be a rock star, lol! I wonder if Keira will change her mind to favor something else by the time she grows up?

    RIP Araminta. :(

    That is super sad for Elspeth. She's just about the exact same age I was when both of mine were gone. If I'm doing the math right, 17 for her dad (?) and 29 for her mom—only mine were in reverse, 15 for my mom and 29 for my dad—so I totally feel her. Sorry to be a downer on your blog, lol! But true, it's really not old enough. But having older siblings should be a comfort to her. I have no doubt that they'll both be there for all of Elspeth's big moments.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I know, right? It's crazy to me!

      Ha, yes, there's every chance this is just a passing fancy for Keira. She also matches up with some careers that Finn would find entirely sensible, like Business, Architecture and Counseling Psychology, so there's hope yet. ;) I haven't decided what way I'll go with her. I'll just have to see how her character develops.

      This was already kind of a downer of a post anyway, so no worries! Yes, Elspeth was 17 when her dad died, which is so young to lose a parent. :( Even 29 is young, really. But you're right - she's lucky that Ione and Finn are both very family-oriented, so she's not going to be left to twist in the wind over who is going to be there for her when she has her own big moments to celebrate. They both will be. :)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  6. I like the photo collection! I wish I could do something like that, but I have zilch old photos of my current elders. It was sad to see Araminta pass, and how sweet of Magdalena, I do remember when she brought her groceries after Tessa had died.

    It was nice seeing the high school, and I can feel for Kiera, I never had a relative be my teacher, but if I were, I wouldn't want it for high school! Her and Daphne are really adorable together, I like that they are such close friends. I will be curious what Kiera decides to do for a career, I think it is the hardest to pick a career when they match for so many.

    I feel so sad for Elspeth... she lost her Dad so early, and now to lose her Mom before any of her own big milestones, that is rough. I also feel sad for Magdalena, losing her friends over time. :(

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    1. That's one of the benefits of blogging a hood from the start, I guess. If I was prepared to actually go through my folders, I probably could have found more...but the older ones aren't tagged yet, so...no. LOL!

      No, I never had a relative as a teacher either and I suppose how I felt about it would depend on who the relative was! Would definitely not have wanted my dad as a teacher, especially not in high school. Cringe! I'll just play it by ear with Keira's future career, I think. No idea where I'm going with her yet but I'll watch to see if she gives me any clues.

      Yeah, I wish Araminta had held on for a couple more years as well. I feel like Elspeth and Josh are getting pretty close to talking marriage and she's not going to have her mum around for that now. :( Araminta and Magdalena was really the first friendship I noticed and took the time to nurture for so long in Sullivan, so I'm sad to see that end as well.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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