Back with the Landgraabs again!
Nancy may look cute here, but she’s actually contemplating a sudden desire to hurt poor Ichika.
What could Ichika have possibly done to deserve this?!
Let’s be real - absolutely nothing. This is just Nancy we’re talking about.
When she’s not thinking about hitting other Sims, Nancy is otherwise dousing herself in toilet water.
This becomes exponentially weirder when you realise this is the same Nancy who was only recently a grandmother, head of a witches coven, and an all round evil mastermind.
But hey, she loves water now!
Betsy is trying her best to instil manners and strong character values in Nancy this time around.
It’s become like a full time job for poor Betsy though, and it’s left her barely any time to try and hold together the faltering Landgraab Coven.
Or pursue her painting and writing…
Luckily Betsy has Sul Sul to lean on.
Even if he still does find the concept of raising Nancy a little difficult to comprehend…
“I think we need to be more strict with her, Sul Sul. I’m worried we aren’t doing enough to ensure she grows up a changed Sim.”
“Uhh… okay. Though have you tried saying no to her lately? I went to take the tub of ice cream off her the other day and she called me Fool Fool!”
Betsy and Daisy met up one afternoon.
“I’m so glad to see you Daisy. The Coven feels as if it’s crumbling right now. It’s just me, you and Gemma these days… we desperately need more members.”
“I actually need to talk to you about that, Betsy. The Council have appointed me as the new Sage of Practical Magic…”
“Oh my Watcher. Daisy, that’s amazing!”
“It is, yes… but of course, as a Sage I can no longer hold ties to any one Coven.”
Betsy’s heart sunk.
“Wow, okay. That makes sense, I guess… I… I’m so happy for you, but of course gutted to lose you, and… well actually, perhaps your first act as Sage could be lifting this little ban on Dolly rejoining?”
“I obviously can’t do that, Betsy. The rules are still the rules. I’m sorry.”
One morning, Betsy and Sul Sul were eating breakfast ahead of their respective days at Coven training and work.
“Look, I know I’ve only just moved in to this place,” said Sul Sul, in-between bites of toast, “but I was thinking we should actually move away from here. Like far away.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah!” laughed Sul Sul. “Wouldn’t it be better to raise Nancy in a totally new environment, away from the place she spent so many years plotting evil deeds?”
“Hmm. I hadn’t even thought of that. Gosh, old Nancy would kill me if I sold the Landgraab Townhouse… let’s do it!”
Sul Sul, from Sul Sul.
This man is an adonis, truly.
Later that day, Betsy was with Gemma at Coven training.
It just didn't feel the same these days… Two witches do not a Landgraab Coven make.
Dolly’s presence here was greatly missed by them both.
And this is why Betsy is Coven Leader.
Sorry, Gemma…
(Don’t worry, this is all just friendly duelling between Coven sisters!).
Betsy & Gemma were exhausted after they had finished their duelling.
“These sessions feel tougher than before, right?”
“Yeah,” Gemma nodded, “but there were three of us back then. One of us would get a break while the others…”
Gemma stopped when she saw a tear forming in Betsy’s eyes.
“I just wish I could get Dolly back in the Coven,” groaned Betsy. “I’ve tried everything to convince the Sage Council. I don’t know what else I can do.”
“Dolly will find a way… she always does.”
“Does she even want to, though? She’s been blocking my calls for weeks…
“I just miss how things were. I’m the worst Coven Leader ever…”
Gemma laughed.
“Now we all know that isn’t true… once you start sacrificing family members, then we’ll talk! Listen… Dolly is taking this all out on you right now, but deep down she knows this isn’t your decision. I promise you that.”
“So Nancy, this is the car that we’ll be driving in to get to our new home…. And this here is all of your precious furniture that we’re going to be selling before we move there…”
Nancy’s eyes widened in horror.
“Wiwwal bwetch.”
“What was that, Nancy?”
“Nwuffin.”
Nancy seems genuinely sad that Betsy is selling the Landgraab Townhouse.
Unfortunately for her, a mysterious and unnamed buyer swooped it up almost immediately after it went on the market.
With it, they also requested to purchase Nancy’s entire collection of vintage furniture too.
With the departure of the former residents to their next home, the new owner of Nancy’s prestigious townhouse arrived for the first time.
They were very excited to be in possession of this place.
“I get you wanted to own your ancestral home, but did we really have to keep it all a secret from Betsy… and must you really keep wearing that thing?”
“I couldn’t risk her refusing. You know how she prefers me to remain a good little Spare for her. And yes… the scarf adds drama, Gemma.”
It took far longer than expected, but the Watcher has finally finished Betsy, Sul Sul and Nancy’s new home.
The vibes are very much meant to be ‘witchy but suburban’.
Look at that cute little sun room!
There is also a basement too, so Betsy has somewhere to perform her Coven related activities.
(Yes, the new greenhouse and basement kits came out while I was building this home.)
The Landgraabs are certainly settling in well to their new home (in San Sequoia, by the way).
Sul Sul, in particular, is enjoying being out of Nancy’s old lair.
Nancy, on the other hand, appears to have rather taken a liking to the rocking chair in the sunroom, just like the old lady she really is.
Nancy, what are you looking so proud about?
We can all see the state you’ve left your potty in back there.
Poor Betsy will have to clean that up later (thank goodness there’s a spell for that), though in earnest she is probably rather used to cleaning up the messes that Nancy leaves behind.
One of Betsy and Sul Sul’s favourite things about San Sequoia are the beautiful scenic routes their neighbourhood offers.
The couple have started going for joint runs together in the morning.
Working out together gives them a shared hobby, and more importantly some alone time (away from the ever watchful eyes of Nancy).
These two are so in love!
A bonus shot of Sul Sul, just because seeing his cheerful face is always enough to lift the Watcher’s mood.
It seems getting hot and sweaty on their runs can often lead to them wanting to get hot and sweaty elsewhere too.
The Watcher’s hand may have slipped here, clicking the Try for Baby interaction instead…
That afternoon, Betsy had some Coven responsibilities that she needed to attend to.
All spellcasters are expected to undertake community service of sorts, for the good of the Simverse.
Today her task would be to see to a particularly nasty Sim, who’s been stirring up trouble in the Save of another Watcher (@NhimSim).
As we all know, Betsy prefers to use symbolic retribution when dealing with misbehaving Sims.
She therefore decided to transform this guy into a form more befitting of his trashy personality.
She needed a new bin to store Nancy’s dirty diapers in, anyway.
Buh-bye, Guru George!
With Coven duties over, Betsy passed by the old Landgraab Townhouse.
She was in the area anyway, and was still intrigued as to who the new owner is.
It was a shock to see Dolly and Gemma standing outside… and even more so when they then casually used a key to enter the property.
Betsy sat down on a nearby bench to process what she had just seen.
She could hardly believe it.
Had Dolly (and Gemma) really gone and bought Nancy’s old house behind her back? It felt like a betrayal. How had they gone from being best friends, almost sisters, to this?
Whenever Betsy is away performing Coven duties, Sul Sul always struggles with managing the tornado that is Nancy.
She does not listen to him… like, ever.
It honestly makes him wonder whether he’s cut out to be a dad…
Their disdain for one another cracks the Watcher up.
Sometimes the pair can have cute moments together, though.
“Swo did the pwincess weally defweat the evil qween then, Sul Sul?”
“Yes, Nancy. She certainly did.”
“That’s a shwame. Stoopid pwincess. I hope the qween gets anwuva chwance.”
A moment of appreciation for toddler Nancy.
Her birthday is fast approaching, and the Watcher is actually really going to miss this era. It’s been both hilarious and wholesome to watch her relearn the basics of being a Sim again.
What fresh adventures might her child years bring, though?
The Watcher had genuinely never seen this moodlet before.
Sul Sul loves swimming too, so lord knows what was so special about this pool (Well… it did belong to Malcolm Landgraab, so…).
It was the morning of Nancy’s birthday.
“I can’t wait for her to age up today, Betsy. She’s been such a handful as a toddler.”
“You… you think things are going to get easier? Oh, Sul Sul…”
Betsy had work that day, so it was left to Sul Sul to decorate the garden for the birthday party later.
He began to wonder how his life had suddenly become all about Nancy again…
Speaking of the little queen, she was enjoying one last nap as a toddler.
The birthday party got underway that evening.
Nancy has been (purposefully) kept away from other children thus far, so it was just her grown up family members in attendance… aka her elder children and adult grandchildren.
The silver foxes of Gen 2 are looking good!
There were two late arrivals to the party, however, & by chance they arrived at the same time.
Betsy had felt queasy at work that day, and was running behind.
Dolly, on the other hand, just likes to be fashionably late. Interesting outfit choice for a kid’s birthday party…
“Wow, Dolly. Brave of you to show your face here… and oh my gosh… isn’t that one of Nancy’s old dresses?”
“Yeah, so what. Why wouldn’t I show up?”
“I know you bought her house. Why do you continue to go behind my back, as well as freeze me out for things beyond my control?”
“I tire of you playing innocent, Betsy. I know you want me out of the way so you can be Landgraab Queen… well guess what, I’m not that kind of Spare.”
“You know what, Dolly? Just leave. Leave my home, this party, our lives! I’m trying to raise Nancy right. You aren’t helping.”
Betsy stormed away. She was furious, more than she had ever been before.
She wasn’t the only one, though. Dolly felt a fire burning up within her, and followed her cousin back into the midst of the party.
“Who are you to tell me I can’t spend time with my own grandma? You’re the one who turned her into a helpless toddler in the first place. Let’s settle this the right way.. as Spellcasters.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I am. All or nothing. Including control of the Coven.”
Betsy wasn’t usually one to so recklessly agree to such a duel, especially when she was the one with so much more to lose, but her anger at Dolly overtook her sensible nature in that moment.
They both Transportalated from the party, out onto the street in front of the house.
Dolly almost immediately began bombarding Betsy with spells.
Betsy quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer relentlessness of them, and was shocked at some of the magic Dolly was using.
Where had she even learnt to wield some of these new spells?
Dolly seemed to have acquired a whole new catalogue of dark magic… and almost appeared to take pleasure in quickly bringing Betsy to the ground.
“Wha… Dolly… stop! You’re hurting me!”
Dolly didn’t seem interested in stopping, though.
Betsy barely managed to lift herself to her feet in time to repel a second round of attacks coming at her from her cousin.
It began to feel like Dolly wasn’t just duelling for a simple win…
Betsy focused hard, recalling all of her training (from none other than Nancy).
That, along with the drive she felt from both her anger & desire to protect her little family, enabled her to conjure her full set of powers.
Suddenly it was Dolly who had collapsed to the floor.
Betsy held Dolly there, and the duel was won. Dolly had run out of steam.
“Leave now, Dolly. I love you, but we can’t go on like this. You’ve become blinded by your own delusions and cravings for power.”
Dolly said nothing, taking one last look at Betsy before flying away.
Betsy staggered back to the party, weak and exhausted. She was concerned about Dolly’s new powers, but couldn’t dwell on that right now.
“She’s gone, Sul Sul. I had to do it, to protect our small… our growing… family.”
“You did what had to be done to… wait… growing?”
“Well, this isn’t quite how I intended to tell you… but yes, we have the next generation of Landgraab on the way.”
“Ahhhhh! Betsy!! Praise the Watcher!!”
“Oh em gee! New swister or bwuva for Nancwy?!”
Despite all the drama at the party, there was still one thing left to be done.
Betsy lifted Nancy up to blow out the birthday candles.
“Hapwy Bwirthday to mweeeeee!”
And here she is… child Nancy!
The Watcher swears he did NOT choose this trait on purpose… He randomised it one time and this is what she got!
He almost fell off his chair. The game just knows…
Keep Betsy and Sul Sul in your prayers…
