The Broke Legacy: Gen 5.5 (Part 2 of 2)

[simgaroop]

Previous update: Gen 5.4









Although the house looked exactly the same on the outside, when my new Dad took me inside our home, I could barely recognize it.
Sure, the old dark walls and marble floor remained, but the place felt a lot warmer than I remembered, thanks to the sunlight that came through the new windows.




And as soon as I saw it, I fell in love with my room.
I must confess that was a bit TOO pink for my tastes, but then again, Dad had decorated it inspired by his eldest daughter's preferences.

Well, it's the thought what really counted, right?




But my favorite part of the house, oddly enough, was precisely the one place I was afraid of the most back when Aunt Olive was alive.




Gone was the creepy graveyard filled with the corpses of Olive's several victims. Although it was impossible to identity the bodies, the Grunts had placed several tombstones with their names and what little info they could find about them all around the new garden.

200 years later, they could finally rest with dignity.





Well, except for one lone body, buried in the back of the graveyard.





Trapped inside a cement tomb, so no one could ever find her, and maybe resurrect her by mistake.




The garden soon became my refugee, and I spent every afternoon talking to my parents.
I missed them badly, and I wished they were here.
But I knew that they were looking down at me, and somehow I believed they were the ones behind my adoption. They always liked the Brokes... I mean, Rose Mary Broke and Buck Grunt.




Dad decided to adopt me a couple days after I was taken away to the Orphanage.
You are a victim of the stupid feud between Cosmo Broke and Olive Specter, just like us. I swear I'll provide you with everything I lacked as a boy... a stable home and a normal childhood... well, as normal as possible. It's the least I could do for you...




With Olive's death, the Specter lot no longer had an owner, for her late husband had no children or relatives (and no one believed in the existence of Olive's son anyway). With the development of Culture Point and Sand Metropolis, Strangetown's economy had stopped its short lived increase, so no one was really interested in an old property in the middle of nowhere and filled with the corpses of unknown people.

It was the perfect place to hide the existence of their zombie mother (especially from their father, for they were afraid of his reaction due to his close friendship with Cosmo), so the Grunt brothers bought the property when it was repossessed by the government.

Unable to handle his difficult situation with Helena and Calvin, Uncle Ripp packed his stuff and moved to the old house with Dad. Uncle Tank went back with his father, his wife Kristen and his teenage daughter Nancy to the old Grunt house, of course.





And for the following weeks, the three brothers worked hard to transform the old house into a suitable place for children. They couldn't hire the help of an architect or constructors for obvious reasons, so they did all the work by themselves.





According to Dad, Uncle Ripp took his role as leader very seriously.
After all, he was used to being the captain of his pirate crew.
Move it, Tank! Those curtains won't install by themselves, you know!





One more word, Ripp, and I swear I'll kick your ass!




The weeks passed.
As soon as the house was ready, Dad called the Orphanage.
And the rest was history...





-"Buck?- I asked when he finished his story- Now that you've adopted me... does that mean that Chip and Lyla are also my siblings?"
- "That's correct. They are now your sister and brother... and so will be the baby that Rose Mary is expecting..."
- "You mean that Rose Mary is my mommy too? And that P-Poo, I mean Tom, is now my cousin?"




- "No, sweetheart. Actually, I've just signed the divorce papers, so I expect Rose Mary will do the same by the end of the month. We are no longer married..."
- "Th... that's what happened when a husband and a wife stop loving each other, right?"
- "Yeah, that's right. But what happened between Rosie and I is complicated, Ophelia. I love her, and you have no idea how much I miss her, but we can't stay married. Sometimes you are forced to choose between two things you really like, but can't have at the same time. My mother... Lyla, needs us the most right now, so I have to stay by my family's side... even if that meant giving up on the love of my life."
- "I... I think I understand..." - although he was not my husband (yuck! who'd want THAT when you were eight), I missed Poof too. But I was also very angry at him, for it was his fault that Olive had decided to kill my parents.

Nine years later, I'm aware that was not the case, because if anything, Tom was just another victim.
But I understood that way too late...

_______________________________________________




A year went by...




It is often said that time can heal even the deepest wounds.
And in the case of the Broke family, that saying soon proved being truth.
Following a successful career as a blockbuster actor, Tim finally won a Simmie award for his dramatic interpretation of Monty Capp in the film "Kicking the Trashcan: The struggle of two families", based on a real story.
During his acceptance speech, Tim thanked his beloved family, and especially his father Puck, whose stories about his youth in Veronaville were an invaluable help when he was preparing for that role.




His triumph opened several doors and opportunities for the experienced actor, whose life long dream of earning enough money and fame to provide a comfortable life to his family was finally becoming true. But Tim was an ambitious man, eager to take on the different challenges that life provided him.
And with that in mind, he asked Studio City's executives for an opportunity to direct his first film, an epic martial arts adventure story that'd take place in the distant Takemizu Village.
Tim's family was excited by this new step in his professional life.




The downside to this project was that Tim was forced to move to Takemizu Village for almost two years. Of course, he did everything he could to find the time to visit his wife and sons as frequently as possible.
Everytime he arrived home, he was surprised by how much the boys were growing up. Sometimes he feared they'd transition to their teenage years while he was away.




True to his word, Buck visited Chip and Lyla every afternoon after Ripp returned from his day job so he could look after Ophelia during his absence. He usually took them to Strangetown's downtown or a park, and the rare times he spent more than five minutes in the Broke household, he never left the living room.




Despite everything, his father's return was just what Lyla and Chip needed. Both freaked out a bit when Buck told them about Ophelia's adoption, but they slowly understood that it wasn't a bad thing and that she wouldn't take their father's love from them.




If anything, they could consider themselves lucky, for they would have now not one, but TWO new sisters to play with.




Edward started First Grade. Despite his impressive intelligence (that could rival Chip's), he had a lot of trouble paying attention during class, so he spent most of the time bullying his classmates.
It was later discovered that his lack of attention was caused by his difficulty reading the letters and numbers in the classroom. With the help of a new pair of glasses (which Ed hated, by the way), his academic troubles were gone.








That didn't stop him from bullying other children, though. For Edward, there was nothing as funny as the girl's terrified faces when he told them there was a spider on their head, or the silly face his favorite victim, Tommy, made when he was shocked by one of his pranks.



A couple months before her daughter's birth, Rose Mary received the divorce papers, already signed by her soon to be ex-husband.





It hurt her deeply, but she signed them too in the end.
It was so unfair that everything they had lived together, after winning the battle against military schools, unexpected pregnancies and her sometimes shaky mental health, it was precisely the Grunt's well known prejudice against the alien race what had separated them for good.

Although to be fair, the only alien the Grunts hated now was her Grandfather, but it didn't matter anymore.




She knew she had to be strong for the sake of their children, so Rose Mary did her best to put a smile on her face and continue with her life, even if Buck was out of it.




Eager to promote in both Lyla and Chip the love and pride of their family that had distinguished the Brokes for generations, and which the recent events had deteriorated, Rose Mary spent many months depicting all her family members during their lives.




She wouldn't let Olive's story destroy what her ancestors had worked so hard to build. The Brokes were known as a strong and close family, so it was time to prove that was true, especially during these difficult times.

So, she looked for pictures of all the Brokes in Strangetown, starting with Beau and his brothers, and created portraits that she hung around the house, so their history and legacy wouldn't be unknown to her children, Tim's children... and of course, those that weren't here yet.





Calvin and Rose Mary also went back to their first love: Music.




They were both aware that it was unlikely they'd get accepted as performers because of their "old" age (at least according to most music executives), but that didn't mean they weren't allowed to compose for other singers and bands. Rose and Calvin often sent demos to several music studios, hoping they'd accept them some day.




The following summer, Rose Mary gave birth for the third and last time.







Monica Broke was born in the middle of a family divided by a mistake from the past. It hurt Rose Mary to think she'd never know about the love that once kept her parents together.

Nonetheless, as she stared at her baby's sleeping face, which looked remarkably like her ex-husband's, Rose Mary wondered if Monica's arrival was their last chance at happiness...

_____________________________________




This... plaaaaaace is familiar. My memories are dim... but being here makes me feel... at peace...




They put all these pictures on the waaaaaaalls.
They said they'd help me remember eeeeeeeverything.




I know those kids... they are my babies.
I miss them... I wonder if they arrrrrr all right.
Tank has an exxxxxam tomorrow.
Bucky will wake up soon...




I bought chicken for souuuup. For Ripp....
He ate much candy.... and.... his tummy hurts.
I was walking homeeee... and woke up heeeere.
But they won't let me gooooo.




I'm boreeeed of this room.
I want out... with my babies.




He is waiting in the liiiiiiving room.
He says he's going back home. He says his son misses him... and that he's made things uuuuuup with some Collin guy.
I ask him to take ME home. I want my babies too. They miss me too.
He gets sad.... he says my babiesssss miss me, but they are not home.
He says to look inside my heart...
I don't undersssssstand...




Little Phiiii is afraid of meeee.
I am a monster... I smell bad. Buzz would not liiike it.
My skin is cooold and I can't find my finger.
I wonder if my babies would be scared of me too...




One day... Phi sits with me.
She says she's afraid I'll eat her.
I laugh at her.
Kids are so silly...




Her dress is too sad... too black.
I... I once knew how to use these machines and stuff.
Maybe that's why they left them here...
I sit down and work for hours.
It's like magic, because my hands move as if directed by some invisible force.





Ophelia said my dress is odd.
Perhaps because fashion has changed since I were a little girl.
But she liked it nonetheless.




Her father liked it too.
When she told him I made it, he began to cry.
Something in my chest ached in that instant.
I couldn't think of anything else but this... urge to hold him close to me.
Just like I used to do when he woke up at night, when he was a little baby.

My little Buck... please don't cry.
Your mother is back...

______________________________________




- "Did you want to see me, Miss Cloud?"




- "Please sit down, Nicholas. I'm glad you came, because there's something important we need to discuss."




- "Is anything wrong, Miss Cloud?"
- "Of course not, Nicholas. Actually, this is something I'm sure will make you very happy. I've been paying close attention to your academic work and I must say I'm very impressed by what I've seen. You are one of the most intelligent students I've met in the years I've worked in this school, and all your teachers share the same opinion about you."
"Th-thanks..."
"You are welcome. Anyway, I have high expectations for your professional future, Chip. And I firmly believe you've got so much potential, that I'd hate to see it wasted in a regular University like La Fiesta Tech."




"That's why I've decided to nominate you for a place at BLC Institute to pursue your professional studies."
"Are you serious?!"




"Of course I am, Nick. Why shouldn't I?"
"It's just that... I'm only a sophomore, Miss Cloud. Isn't it a bit early?"
"Listen, Nicholas. The BLC Institute only accepts three students each year. It's not easy to get a place in there, as you well know, so the earlier we start working on your application papers, the better. Plus you've got an advantage over other applicants, for you are a Strangetown citizen, just like BLC's Dean."




"Think about it, Nick. I can't imagine a better future for someone as bright as you than as one of BLC's prestigious graduates..."

__________________________________




I think Miss Cloud and my Grandma Lyla would get along pretty well. Just like my school counselor, Grandma thinks I deserve much more than what a small town like Strangetown has to offer. She says I inherited the Vandermorgan's intelligence and ambition, and that if I work really hard, I'll get to do anything I want.

Perhaps even found the one soul that can save her slightly incomplete one from her eternal suffering.

Although I was aware of her "existence" since I was six, I only got to meet her when I was almost eight, a couple months after Monica's birth.









It was my sister Lyla who asked our father to let us visit his new home as a birthday present when she turned thirteen. She considered she was now mature enough to deal with her zombie grandmother, and that she'd protect me too.

Lyla had grown up so much in the last year. Mom and Dad were very proud of her.
Deep inside, though, she was still a bit insecure, and often looked for the aproval of others.
She hated being alone, so she was always looking for new friends to keep her company.





Lyla and Grandma Lyla (yup, we often got them confused) got along pretty well.
They were both curious and friendly... well, in the case of Grandma, as friendly a zombie could ever be.
For my Dad and my uncles, it was a true miracle the way Grandma had slowly recovered her memories, and one might even say her soul. Perhaps it was the fact that her sons protected her since the very beginning, surrounding her with the most significative stuff from her "life" (which Uncle Tank had found in their old basement) and being extremely patient with her.




In the end, what mattered is that Grandma was almost back to her old self (according to Uncle Tank and Uncle Ripp), and although it was naive to think she had a real life (she wasn't allowed to leave the lot, for her own security), the Grunt family's wounds were finally closing.

Me? Well, I was just glad I was finally allowed to visit Grandma, Dad and, of course, my new sister Ophelia. She was the one who helped me the most when I first met Grandma, for she was already used to her odd smell and behavior from living with for almost a year.

She had changed so much since I had last seen her, I could barely recognize her. She also said I was much taller as she giggled. Girls are so annoying at that age!





She didn't ask for Tom. It was actually me who brought him up when were talking about school one day.
"Are you ever going to forgive him, Phi? He's very sorry... and you know this wasn't his fault."
"I... I'm not mad at him, Chip. I never was... I was just so sad when everything happened, that I said awful things at him without noticing..."
"Then why won't you call him, Phi? Or maybe you'd like to visit us for our sister's birthday! I'm sure Tom will love to see you!"





"All right, Chip. I'll think about it!"





But she never went to our place, for something odd happened that night.
My Grandpa was not a fool. He quickly realized that something odd was happening between his sons, so he followed Tank for several nights. And that's how he discovered that Grandma Lyla was back from the grave.

So, he went to the house and called out her name. He screamed for hours and, according to Phi, Grandma Lyla decided to face him despite Dad was totally against the idea.





"Oh Lyla... my sweet Lyla! Wh-what happened to you? What have they done to you?!"





Grandpa wasn't angry. He just dropped down on his knees and asked her to forgive him for everything that had happened between them.
"I was a foolish man, Lyla. I scared you away and that's how you ended in this vile place. I-I did so many stupid things to protect you, but in the end the one who hurt you the most was you."




"Please stop it, Buzz. I don't want anyone to blame themselves anymore for my death. If I ended up in the haaaaaaan-hands of that woman, it was because I decided to leave the house. I'm sorry I brought so much grief to our kids and to you Buzz. I never intended to abandon you. This... this was all just an unfortunate accident."




Grandpa was never told the story of Cosmo Broke. All he knew (and cared about) was that Grandma Lyla had died as she was looking around Olive's garden that night. Grandpa was very old and didn't deserve to suffer anymore.

I even heard my own father mention that sometimes he wasn't as sure of Olive's story as he used to be...





And that's how the Grunt family was finally reunited after so many years.









Unfortunately, our joy was short-lived, for Death came for Grandpa a couple weeks later.





Grandpa was not afraid of dying, for he had lived a long life, and his soul was finally at peace.
But he still asked him to take Grandma Lyla too, but his request was denied.
Remember the price I asked you in exchange for Lyla Grunt's soul. Set my son free... and I shall do the same to her..."

And that's the reason I've decided to follow Miss Cloud's advice and apply for BLC Institute. It is well known that its graduates eventually become the most influential and powerful people in the world.

If I am granted access to that power... I could move my influences to search for him, for the son of the Grim Reaper. I wouldn't leave any rock or tree unregistered. I swear I'll do everything to find the so called son of death.

And once I do, my Grandma will finally be free.

______________________________________________





By the time Monica turned one, things in the Broke household had changed dramatically.
It all started with a phonecall.
Rose Mary could hardly believe her luck when received a call from an important Music Studio, asking her to perform in front of the executives. At first, she thought they just wanted to listen to her compositions before assigning them to their singers, but once the executive informed her they were actually interested in HER performance and that were also eager to sign a contract with her, she lost her breath.




It had taken her fourteen years, but she was finally offered the chance to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a famous singer. A dream that was abruptly interrupted when she found out she was pregnant just before moving to Veronaville's conservatory.

Looking back on her life, Rose Mary didn't regret marrying Buck, despite the sad outcome of their story. She wouldn't change anything for the joy that Lyla, Chip and now little Monica had brought to her existence, despite the difficulties she had to sort with her ex-husband.

But deep inside, there was a tiny hole in her soul that never let her be truly happy. It was evident even in the sad smile she showed in her wedding pictures, despite being with the man she'd always consider the "One" in her life.




They both gave up so many things back then.
Buck never complained about it, but Rosie knew he was frustrated for not going to the Culinary Academy and travel around the world as he always dreamed.
He had recently won an important cooking contest, though, so in some sense life was also smiling at him.




Dawson and Max were now retired after a long career with the Drama Llamas, but the Broke cousins never had a chance to experience that, for they were forced to abandon their dream due to the challenges life threw at them in their youth.




Rosie often wondered if the silent resentment they both felt towards each other what made things go so bad that day.
And she also wondered if she'd be able to take this opportunity and make it work.




-"Mom, may I ask you a favor?"
- "Anything, Rosie. What's up?"
- "I know it's been a while since you closed down your beauty salon, so you might have lost some practice but... I think I need a makeover, and I'm deadly afraid of asking Helena, for you well know I could end up with a bright green Mohawk like the one she did on Tim when he was in college!"




- "I may be old, Rosie, but I've never lost the touch. Of course I'll help you, sweetie. Anything to see the smile of my little Rose Mary once again..."




- "So tell me, Rosie. Any ideas for your new look?"

__________________________________________________

I'm sure you've heard about Rose Broke, Miss Cloud.
Everyone and their mother know her lyrics by heart.
















Uncle Calvin and Aunt Rosie often offer concerts around the world.




They are even used to their creepy stalker fans by now.






Uncle Buck was Rosie's biggest fan. He usually listened to her as she played the piano during his visits.





And he often said that he was extremely proud of the way Rosie was managing both her music career and her role as a mother. Perhaps because she was now mature enough to do so.





Dad said that he had never seen Aunt Rosie so happy. In many ways, it was as if she had gone back to the rebel teenager she used to be. I once hear Uncle Buck say in low voice that she also looked as beautiful.

- "What about the rest of your family?"





Well, Edward was still a dick.
Lyla and Cody were now best friends. Perhaps because they were both teenagers back then.




Lyla always dragged him out to her school's parties, and it wasn't long before most of Lyla's friends were following him around. You know, the whole "older and interesting" shit chicks dig so much.
Of course, they didn't have enough money to pay the taxis that took them around town at night, so Cody had a bright idea.
He bought a piece of junk that was once called a car, and decided that he would fix it.




Lyla of course was interested in not depending on her parent's money to move around, so she offered to help him. They spent that summer working on it.




Uncle Cody was no longer interested in continuing with Cosmo Broke's projects. He still made toy robots for Chip, Ed and I now and then, but he didn't bother with more complicated stuff.
He was deadly afraid of making a mistake as big as THAT one.




He still had nightmares all the time, though.








So he still drank until he could no longer see anything clearly at night.
I'm sure everyone knew about it, but ignored it nonetheless. There were more important things to worry about.
- "Such as...?"








Like the whole deal with my cousins and Ophelia, who now was my half-cousin but still refused to talk to me.
But who cares about that shit?
- "Thomas..."




Oh! And then the General died.




He was buried in the Specter graveyard, but I wasn't there at the time.
- "Why not? Where were you?"




It doesn't matter.
Oh, have I told you about my little cousin's birthday?




She turned one, so Aunt Rosie threw a party for her and everyone else...





- "All right, Thomas. Hold on for just one second."





- "What's wrong, Miss Cloud?"
- "While I appreciate the way you've been telling all these nice details about your Aunt Rose Mary and your cousins, I notice you've been systematically avoiding one topic."
- "I... I don't know what you are talking about!"




- "Why won't we change the topic for a moment and focus on your own parents instead?"





- "My parents... heh. Well... there's not much to say about them..."
- "Really? I think there's much to say about them, starting with your father and his rising career in Studio City..."
- "Yeah... Dad spent almost two years in Takemizu Village. He visited us now and then, of course, and somehow was able to knock Mom up during one of them."





- "So your mother was also pregnant back then. Interesting... you had never mentioned the existence of another sibling besides Edward. How old is...?"
- "E-eight..."




- "Please continue, Thomas."
- "Yeah... Mom was pregnant and well... she was huge by the time Monica turned one."





- "I... I was so excited by the imminent arrival of... of Bianca."
- "Is that her name? It's beautiful..."




- "Yeah... Dad was also at the party. He had a huge surprise for all of us. He couldn't be absent from Takemizu Village by the time of Bianca's birth, so he decided he'd take all of us there instead. We were all very excited... we'd never left Strangetown. Grandma Wanda was worried about Mom, she said it'd be harmful for someone as pregnant as she was to travel so far away, but Dad said she'd be fine. What was important was that she'd give birth at Takemizu's best hospital and surrounded by her husband and children and..."




- "And that's it! I... there's no point in talking about the past! I...I don't want to talk about this crap anymore."
- "Thomas..."




- "Really, what's the point of all these stupid appointments. Why are you so interested in me? My grades are fine and I have no problems with anyone in this school. I'm just... nothing special."




- "And that's precisely why I've been calling you here all these months, Tom. Your teachers are worried because you just don't seem to care about your classes, and you are absolutely right about not having problems with your classmates... because you've never bothered to approach them. Coach Jones says you have so much potential as a basketball player, yet you've refused all his offers to join the school team for years."




- "You are almost eighteen, Thomas. Have you thought about what you want for your future? What about college? With your average grades and not a single extracurricular activity in your record, how do you expect to enter to La Fiesta Tech? If you only joined the team..."
"Teams are for losers... I'm better on my own..."




- "Everyone needs company, Tom. You can't expect to spend the rest of your life all alone..."
- "Of course I can. I don't need anyone, and they are better with me..."
- "That's not what the people who love you think. They are worried about you..."
- "In that case, Miss Cloud, do me a favor and tell them to stop meddling with my life. Nothing good will ever come from me. It's better for them to stay the hell away from me..."

It's the best... for everyone...

__________________________________________












- "So, are you coming with me? Lyla's staying over for dinner tonight and..."
- "Nah, I'll stay here and wait for Tom instead."
- "Are you sure?"
- "Yeah..."
- "Well, I'll see you later Chip..."
- "Take care, Phi."
















- "So... are you going out with Gina Hammilton?"
- "Who?"
- "You know... Gina... the blue haired chick you were kissing ten minutes ago?"
- "Oh... so that's her name..."




- "I really don't understand you, Tom. You were exchanging spit with her, yet you don't even care about her name?!"




- "It's not as if she cared about mine either. It was just... a hormonal release. Sometimes, my hand is not enough for that, you know?"




- "I- I really don't know how I deal with you sometimes, Tom."
- "No one asked you to be my counselor. I have enough of that shit with Miss Cloud. Though I don't I'll go back there anymore..."




- "Lovely night, right?"
- "Yeah... it's all right..."




- "Eight years, Chip... eight fucking years..."
- "I know, Tom."


























- "I can't wait until my little sister is born, Chip! I'm sure Monica and Bianca will get along almost as well as the two of us."
- "Almost as good as Phi and you used to be..."




- "Yeah..."




- "You know something Chip? I think Grandma Wanda is right. Things will always get better as soon as we think positive. And I think Phi and I will be friends again. As soon as I come back from my vacations at Takemizu Village, I'll go with you to your other house."
- "That's a great idea, Tommy!"
- "We'll have a lot of fun! Just the three of us!"

I promise, Chip! This will be the best year of our lives!

________________________________________

Notes:
- Ginger Cloud, the school's counselor, was created by strange_tomato for the Pixel Trade Community in Livejournal.
- There is a very wrong double cameo in the pictures of Rose Mary's "concert". One of these cameos is a clue of what's coming up next with the story. The other cameo is from a character (with 0 creativity points, BTW) that somehow got his stories mixed and sat down at the drums before I could direct another sim for that scene. It was community lot, so I couldn't really control who showed up there. Dude! You are a PIRATE in this story, not a musician! :D
- All the "Future" scenes were recreated with clones of Ophelia, Tom and Chip, because they are still kids in my game. The school lot is the "American High School" lot by twoflower and the bus station is from plasticbox, both at MTS2. I only edited the school's gym to include the basketball net from Free Time.
- Lyla rolled Popularity aspiration, with the LTW of having 20 best friends.
- Stats will included in the next (and hopefully much shorter) update.

Thank you so much for reading this HUGE update. See you next time!

Comments

[simgaroop.livejournal.com]

Nervous is "very old", indeed. If you're aware of the Strangetown story (from Maxis), he's been suffering at the hands of a very evil family of scientists for years, so his soul is almost as broken as Lyla's.

That's why the Grim Reaper hasn't been able to take him away.

I downloaded the Broke house from Orikes' exchange account:

http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/lot_detail.php?asset_id=612437&asset_type=lot&user_id=2584933

I changed a few things to make it more "desert-y" and to fit 12 sims in there, but I agree that it's a gorgeous and very playable house.

That vacation at Takemizu is not ending well, obviously.
But you'll see how bad in the next update.

Thanks for reading!