Ella

"I wonder if I can use the Sims to help write about Little Women." Ella mused as she got up from the couch and headed for the computer.

"How in the world will that work?" Bella snapped.
Ella thought her twin sounded stressed. In an odd way, it was kind of comforting to her that Bella wasn't always so perfect.

"For the fiscal aid, silly." Ella explained as patiently as she could managed. "The pictures will help make the paper 'Pop'."

"the paper don't need to 'pop'! They only need to be clear and concise."
"And very boring. You don't want an A or something?"
"Of course I do. I just don't see how a silly game will…"
"Then you want to make them pop." Ella broke in, hoping to save herself an lecture on how frivolous games are. Quickly, she started the game going. She saw Belle going back to her sandwich with a hurt expression she was clearly trying to hide. And failed horribly. This made Ella feel pretty guilty. "I'll read the book." She said quickly and contritely. "But the pictures really would make it look great. And I am really good at editing these things in. I…it would give me something to contribute. I really, really think this would be a good idea."

"Well, I suppose as long as you read the book. I guess." Bella sighed. She watched as Ella vanished up the stairs, to go boot her computer up. She finished the last of her sandwich. Then cleaned after herself quickly and followed. Ella glanced at her as she walked in her room. "See," She said, with a bit of a grin. "Here is my plan. We read a chapter or two. Then we have the characters act them out, and take pictures of it. As long as we kind of skim and not read every single word, we should be done in time. And then we both take turns writing our reports, and typing them on the computer, and I will paste the pictures on to highlight the text. And bam! You got a killer pro and con pair of reports! This, you know what? I'm really starting to get into it!"

She turned back to the screen and shrugged, with a grin still on her face. "easy."

Bella nodded slowly as she listened. "I guess the idea has merit." She said reluctantly. "But it's a nice change of pace to see you actually care about an assignment for once. I'll go get the book."

"And I'll start designing the characters."

Ella thought she heard Bella mutter something, but she was not really sure what she said. So she choose to give her the benefit of the doubt, and ignore it.

Bella

Bella grabbed some water from the kitchen, then grabbed her book from her own room, from the accustomed spot on her bookshelf. She paused for a second and glanced around her room with a grateful smile. The room was clear and bright, the bed was made, and everything was comforting tidy and in it's place. Her violin was hung in its customary place on the wall, all ready for practice with her music books underneath. The only hint of disorder anywhere was a basket by the bed, where she kept a knitting project she was working on. She was determined to learn to knit, but didn't have as much time to devote to it as she liked.

She left her room reluctantly, heading for her sisters again. Ella was at her desk still, busy at her computer. Bella shuddered as she walked in. Ella had the same furnishing as Bella. The rooms were the same size. But there the similarities ended. Where Bella's was clean and orderly. Ella's was, to quote her Mom, a hot mess. Bella's walls was a soothing blue with a navy blue trim. Ella's was a soft pink with a softer lavender on the trim. Bella actually liked the colors. The room, he felt would be warm and inviting if it was actually of clean.

Ella waved her over soon as she noticed her at the door. Bella came over, carefully stepping over piles of litter on the floor. She sat in the chair hastily cleared for her. Ella pointed at the screen with a proud expression on her face. Bella bit back an amused smile. She didn't understand why her sister was so very fond of this game, but it was good to see her happy about anything of late. "See? I already created Jo!"

"I didn't know you had Victorian clothes in this game."
"Well, it's custom content. A fan made this clothes and stuff bundle, but she really has a knack for it. I gave Jo auburn hair. Isn't that what the book said?"
"Wait, let me check.." Bella said quickly opening the book quickly. She thumbed through some of the first pages, then paused. "No, it's chestnut."
"Is that the same thing?"
"Um, I think it has more brown than auburn."

"Oh. Okay." Ella clicked a few things with the mouse and the hair of the sim darkened noticeably.

Bella looked at the slowly rotating avatar with a thoughtful expression. "I like her, otherwise. "She looks like the Jo I always pictured her. She is only a little short."
"Well, can't do anything about that."
"Why?"
"Game won't let me."

"Oh. That's weird.."
"True. But there you are."

The two stared at the screen for a moment, then Ella added, as she changed the screen. "Oh, here is her traits! I gave her bookworm, of course. And hot-headed. That's because she gets angry easily."
"Good sense of humor?"
"well, yeah. I thought that it would fit her."

"Well, I guess I can see that. But why did you make her athletic?" Bella wondered.
"Didn't she like running and skating and all that stuff?" Ella demanded, starting to look miffed. "Wasn't she a tomboy? Sorry but the game don't got tomboy as a trait. I had to improvise."
"Oh. Well...Yeah." Bella said slowly, looking pensive.

"And since I can only give out four traits to a teen. That's that. I want to make her dramatic when she becomes a young adult. Her favorites are red, alternative, and stu surprise."
"Wait, what?"
"Favorites, you know?"
"Alternative?" Well, this is a modern game. It don't got Victorian music, you know."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

Ella

Ella was really getting annoyed by the time the started developing the rest of the cast. For someone who doesn't know squat about the game, Bella sure seemed to love to criticize! Still, she was also somewhat encouraged. This was, by far, the most interest her twin ever took in one of her hobbies. Thankfully Meg was easy. A classic beauty, with traditional tastes. They decided She loved mac-n-cheese, green and classical, that she was a virtuoso, was good, proper and friendly.

Amy was a child, so she got only three traits. They were artistic, proud, and lucky. They had a lot of fun trying to get her curly hair right, not to mention her formal where, the purple dress with 'skyrockets' all over it. They finally agreed on her favorites after a long debate. Key lime pie, blue and classical.

Beth was simpler in a way, but harder too. They didn't want to make her boring, or too dull in appearance. Finally she was to the twins satisfaction. She was good, virtuoso, shy and cat-lover. Her favorites was white, cookies and to Bella's dismay, rock. But Ella's logic compelled her to agree. If Beth lived in modern times, then she would really have loved all kinds of music.

Marmee was the hardest. Finally, they agreed on her traits, from what little was in the books. Good, good sense of humor, virtuoso, proper, and hot-headed. Ella objected to the last until Bella found the part in the book where she confessed to Jo that her temper was just as bad. They agreed on brown as a favorite color, salad and jazz for music. Somehow it seemed to fit her.

Bella thought they were done, but Ella quickly reminded her of Hanna. Father March, they agreed can wait for later. Hana, they made middle-aged like Marmee. She was neat, natural cook, nurturing, grouchy and hard-working. Her favorites was yellow, stu surprise, and country.

Bella was starting to getting restless by the time all the Marches were designed. Ella got more and more annoyed with her. Finally, she glared at her. "what do you want now?"
"We been at this for hours. I'm hungry, tired, and we hadn't read page one yet!"

"We have been using that book the whole time! So we had been reading...just jumping around some." Ella snapped defensively, then blinked and added softly. "Hours? What do you mean hours? Wow, two hours?"
"Closer to three."

"Oh, whatever!"
"Whatever nothing! It's six!"
"So?"
"So, Mom's not home yet."
"So? When has that ever been news?" She snapped, getting up to stretch her legs.

"No need to take that out on me." Beth muttered, crossing her arms and glancing at her with a hurt expression.

"I wasn't taking it out on you! I...Oh forget it. Just forget all of it! I'm going to grab some grundage."

Bella stared at him, then laughed suddenly. "I rue the day you watched that movie." She said, following in Ella's wake. But sinse the tone was teasing instead of grumpy, Ella was able to tease back instead of blow up. "What? Your just upset because I'm cool like Crawl while your stuck being dull old Becky."
"Becky was cool too."
|"Took Crawl to make her cool, thought."
"Fine. Point awarded."