Hello! Welcome back to my Creation To Future challenge, Movin’ On Up!

It’s an 80’s-style sitcom*, with all the production values and quality storytelling you would expect. Currently, the family is in the Wood Age, and likely to stay there for a bit.

*Laugh track not included.

CLARENCE: Mom? Dad? Can I go over to a friend’s house to play?BRYAN: What’s a “house”? Come to that, what’s a “friend”?BELLA (to Clarence): No, dear. There aren’t any people other than us in the whole world.CLARENCE: Yes, there are. I can prove it.BELLA: Okay, then. If you can bring home another person other than us, you can go to places other than here. (to Bryan) Don’t eat that – I just had an idea.

BELLA: Here, I’ve pressed one of those nice dark purple things until the runny bits in the middle all ran out. I want you to try just drinking the runny bits. Only I’m calling the runny bits “liquid” now. BRYAN: Okay. Why?

BELLA (V.O.): It was an idea I had while feeding Clorinda. She only has liquid and she does fine. I want to know if it works for grown-ups like us too.BRYAN (V.O.): I meant why do you call the runny bits “liquid”?BELLA (V.O.): Because that’s what it sounds like when it moves. (imitates small ripples in a pond) L’qood, l’qood. So, what do you think?

BRYAN: Oh, I feel lots smarter already.BELLA: So you like it?BRYAN: I like it a lot. Can I have some more?BELLA: No, just once a day. Here, try this instead.BRYAN: What is it?

BELLA: You know those tough things that you get sometimes, that aren’t floppy things?BRYAN: Yup…BELLA: Well, I’ve pressed that until it became liquid too. Try drinking it.BRYAN: Okay. (drinks, then farts, loudly and odiferously) I like this even better than the last one! (farts again, even worse) Can I have some more?BELLA (in the strangled voice of someone trying not to breathe): No, I think that one’s not a keeper.

CLARENCE: Mom, can I really go over to a friend’s house to play if I bring someone else home?BELLA: I don’t know why you keep talking about these “house” things, but yes, of course.

BELLA (V.O.): But don’t you want to play with Clorinda? She’s big enough to play with now.CLARENCE (V.O.): She’s stinky.BELLA (V.O.): Yes, sometimes, but we let your father take care of that.

CLARENCE (V.O.): And I do like to play with her sometimes, when she’s not so stinky.

CLARENCE (hiding his eyes): Where’d I go? Where’s Clarence?CLORINDA: (worried burbles)CLARENCE (flinging his hands away): Ah-HA! Here I am!CLORINDA: (delighted laughter)

CLARENCE (V.O.): But she likes to play with that big furry thing too, so she doesn’t always want to play with me. And then she smells like big furry thing.

BELLA: What are those?BRYAN: Orange!BELLA: Can we eat them?BRYAN (cheerfully): I dunno. Let’s find out. (bites into one with a slightly watery crunch) Yeah, we can eat ‘em. We need to eat a LOT of ‘em.BELLA: Because they’re good?BRYAN: Because there’s a lot on this plant. Do you want one?

BELLA: No, thank you. I’m going to fish instead.BRYAN: I don’t know what that means.BELLA: You don’t know what what means?BRYAN: “Fish.” I don’t know what that means.

BELLA: I’m going to attach a sharp thing to a long whippy thing and throw it in the water and then pull it out again, hopefully with a floppy eatable thing attached to the sharp thing.BRYAN: Oh. But why did you say “fish,” then?(Bella casts the fishing rod, which makes a noise like fshshshshshshshsh)BRYAN: Oh! Oh wow! That’s really clever, and lots faster to say! (wanders off, repeating happily to himself) Fish, fish, fish, fish, fish…

CLARENCE’S FRIEND: Hey, mister, what are you doing?BRYAN: I’m throwing a sharp scratchy thing for this big furry thing!CLARENCE’S FRIEND: …You’re playing fetch with a wolf?BRYAN: Is the furry thing a “wolf”? That’s a good name for it, because that’s the sound it makes. (imitates barking) Wolf, wolf!

CLARENCE’S FRIEND: Your dad is weird.CLARENCE: He’s not weird. He’s just from… Twikki Island. But can we go over to your house to play from now on?CLARENCE’S FRIEND: Good idea!

Notes from esmeiolanthe: In order for the family to leave the Wood Age, they need to earn a gold gardening badge and a gold fishing badge to unlock the easel, and then have someone top creativity. I was planning on Bryan handling the fishing and Bella the gardening, but it looks like Bella might clear both on her own. Will she top creativity too? Only time will tell!

And if the fishing sequence sounded like a Myshuno! Entry from a couple years back, well, I did reserve the right to incorporate it into the real story at any time.

Until next time, Happy Simming!