Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise ~ Solo Date-A-Thon – Date With Raven

Sul Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani! Well, that was certainly a surprise that Rick invited Brianna back to his island home. I, Roxanna Llama-Llama, remember when I first saw it…what a shock…and from the looks of things, it hasn’t changed at all. Still looks like a castaway lives there. But Brianna seemed to enjoy going there, and her small touches did seem to make the place look a bit better. And perhaps it would be a good thing to have Rick bring all the contestants to see where he lives, so they know what they’re getting into…er…rather…what a fabulous island home he has! Let’s just put it this way, the place has possibilities! And so, with that special date with Brianna over, today Rick embarks on the start of his Solo Date-A-Thon. Rick’s date this morning will be with Raven Xang, who placed second in the Solo Date Challenge.

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“I was pretty upset that I hadn’t won first place in that Solo Date Challenge, but at least I’m the second one to go on a Solo Date with Rick. I figured that the rest of the dates, including mine, would probably all be heading to the same location for a Solo Date-A-Thon. So imagine my surprise when Rick came to talk to me about our Solo Date last night, and told me it would be my choice of what I wanted to do. I was floored! I really don’t know Sulani that well, but there must be somewhere on the island that had something mysterious about it. I already knew they didn’t have a graveyard…so that was out, but maybe something else…a landmark, a place…I just didn’t know. But I knew I wanted to go somewhere with Rick that would be unique. So, I thought about it and told Rick that maybe he could show me some of the mysteries of the island. Like maybe there was somewhere on the island that had a legend associated with it that we could explore together. I don’t know if he was expecting that for an answer, and after a moment, he smiled at me and said, “I know a place.” So, wherever we’re going is still a mystery, which is kind of exciting, but even more exciting that I’m going there with Rick.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rick had asked Raven to meet him by the skiff beside the house at sunrise. He only had half a day with Raven for his date, and when he saw her coming around the corner, he certainly wished it was longer.

“Is this like déjà vu? Didn’t we meet here for our last Solo Date?” laughed Raven.

“Yes, we did, but, you’re not dressed in that cute zombie costume this time. In fact, you look pretty amazing in the outfit you have on today,” Rick said as he gave her an appreciative look.

“Thank you, Rick,” Raven answered, blushing slightly, “But I have to say, I think I preferred you in that zombie outfit, especially with that black eyeliner. That was pretty sexy!” flirted Raven.

“Oh! I’ll have to remember that!” Rick smirked.

“So, may I ask where we’re going today?” asked Raven glancing at Rick.

Rick took Raven’s hands in his and said, “Well, we’ll be taking the outrigger canoes to Mua Pel’am, and then I have a place in mind for some lunch,” replied Rick.

“You know every time I think of a restaurant now, I think of our first date with that tainted food. Oh gosh! That was horrible…” Raven reminisced shaking her head.

“Yes, it certainly was. But, rest assured that this place only serves the freshest fare, and the view is quite incredible,” Rick said smiling, as he placed a waterproof dry bag in the boat and helped Raven onboard.

“I’m pretty excited about our ‘mystery’ date,” Raven said smiling at Rick.

“Yes, so am I,” Rick answered as he pushed them off into the water.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They landed the outrigger canoes on a sandy stretch of beach on Mua Pel’am. Rick helped Raven out and then slung the waterproof wet bag over his shoulder.

Raven squinted through the trees and thought she saw a ship’s mast. “What is this place, Rick?” asked Raven.

“This place is called Admiral’s Wreckage and it’s a national park,” Rick said as he held Raven’s hand and they walked up from the beach.

“Oh, there’s a shipwreck here?” Raven widened her eyes as she said it.

“Yes, there are actually shipwrecks all around Mua Pel’am, and, of course, with all shipwrecks, there are legends and stories,” added Rick.

“Oooh…that sounds mysterious…” Raven said.

“But the real reason we landed here, is because this is the safest area to land the outrigger canoes, as on the other side of the island is an active volcano,” replied Rick.

“Oh my gosh! A volcano? Yeah, good idea we landed here,” laughed Raven.

Rick laughed, “If we had a full day together, we could explore the island, but since our time is rather short, there is a place close to here that I’d like to show you. It’s not too far to hike to,” said Rick, leading the way.

Rick and Raven hiked along the path chatting with each other, stopping along the way to admire the tropical flowers, and to occasionally take a sip of the bottled water that Rick had packed. Rick told Raven they were almost there, and they both heard the sound before they saw it.

“Oh my gosh, Rick, how beautiful! Is this waterfall what you wanted to show me?” asked Raven.

“Yes, it is the sacred waterfall of the island, and, of course, there is a legend associated with it,” said Rick, holding Raven’s hands in his as he spoke.

Rick began telling the tale, “You see, long ago, there was a beautiful Sulani princess named Masina who was in love with an islander named Rangi. The princess’ father had already arranged for Masina to be married to a Chieftain’s son on a neighboring island and would not hear of his daughter being married to a commoner. The princess implored her father that she was in love with Rangi, and that she would not marry the Chieftain’s son. But her father forbade her to see Rangi. Masina and Rangi’s love was strong and they would secretly meet by a cliff every night. When Masina’s father found out about their clandestine meetings, he ordered that Rangi be found and killed. It was the night of the full moon, and the princess and the islander met at the cliff and prayed to the fire gods to keep them together. It is said that one of the fire gods appeared before them and told them that he would only do this if they were truly in love. To prove this, they must take a lock of each other’s hair, braid it together, and kiss under a full moon. If their love was true, the frogs of the island would rejoice with them. If their love was false, the frogs would be silent. Masina and Rangi quickly braided a piece of their hair together and kissed. Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! The sound of the frogs echoed around them, declaring that this was indeed true love. However, Masina’s father and his warriors came upon them just then, and Masina’s father ordered one of his warriors to kill the islander. A spear was thrown, and Rangi, seeing it coming towards him, turned to avoid it. Much to Rangi’s horror, the princess was struck by the spear instead, and losing her balance, fell over the rock ledge to her death. When Rangi saw Masina’s lifeless body on the ground below, he was so grief stricken, and his love for the princess so great, that Rangi jumped from the cliff ending his life, too. The fire gods, knowing that this was true love, were saddened by the death of the ill-fated lovers, and turned them into this waterfall so they could be together forever.”

“Oh my gosh, what a tragic love story,” said Raven looking at the waterfall and thinking about the legend, “but I guess it is also happy, as they are now together…” remarked Raven wistfully.

“…and many Sulani sims still believe in this legend…and if this ritual is performed by a couple when there is a full moon, and the frogs rejoice, then those two sims are destined to be joined together for all eternity…”

“That sounds rather romantic,” replied Raven.

“There are so many legends surrounding this island and perhaps another time we can explore the island together,” Rick suggested.

“I would really like that…” nodded Raven.

“And so now, I do believe I promised you lunch…” smiled Rick.

“Is it on Mua Pel’am because I’m famished!” Raven said looking around.

“It is very close by. In fact, you can see it from here,” Rick said and waved to a nearby island.

“Oh, we’re going to an island for lunch? The restaurant must be well hidden because I can’t really see a roof or anything…” said Raven squinting at the island in the sun.

“Actually…” Rick said holding Raven’s hands in his, “There is no restaurant there. That island is my home and I would be honored if you had…if you had lunch with me…”

Raven looked at Rick in disbelief, “You own an island? Oh, come on, you’re joking, right?”

“No, it’s true…I own that island, but it’s rather rustic…” Rick trailed off, not sure what Raven was thinking.

Raven was lost in thought, “Rick has invited me to his place to have lunch with him. I can’t believe he actually asked me there….”

“Um…Raven…if you don’t want to go there, we can certainly go somewhere else…”Rick said looking at her intently.

“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry…oh, no…I mean, yes! Yes, I would love to go to your place and have lunch!” enthused Raven.

“That’s great! Let’s head on over then,” Rick said beaming at Raven.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They landed the outrigger canoes on the shore and Rick helped Raven out. “Welcome to my island home,” Rick said, taking Raven’s hand in his, eager to show her around.

Once they were done the tour, Rick retrieved the waterproof wet bag from the canoe.

“Is lunch in the bag? Are we having a picnic?” Raven smiled as Rick came towards her.

“Well, actually, we’ll be catching our lunch today. Freshest fare on the island,” Rick said handing Raven a fishing pole. 

Raven’s jaw dropped in surprise. “You want me to fish? Oh my gosh, Rick, I’m really not that experienced at fishing…” Raven said as she looked at the fishing rod.

“Well, here, let me give you some pointers,” Rick said as he helped Raven bait the hook and showed her how to cast.

“But what if I don’t catch anything? I’ll starve!” Raven said laughing.

“Well…” said Rick, setting his fishing rod down for a moment, “maybe you need some luck. There is an old fishing tradition which states that it’s good luck to kiss the first fish you catch and release it back into the water…” Rick explained.

“Oh gosh…now you want me to kiss a fish?” Raven said looking slightly aghast.

 “Well, that’s an old tradition, but I much prefer the new tradition of bestowing some good luck on the lovely angler…“Rick said with a glint of mischief in his eyes, “After all, fishing is all in the wrist…” Rick flirted with Raven as he gently kissed Raven’s hands.

“Well, if I don’t catch anything, I’m coming back for more of those lucky kisses…” Raven said flirtatiously, casting her line into the water, “…the new tradition type, that is…” laughed Raven.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a few attempts, Raven did catch one fish to Rick’s three.

Rick even caught a rare butterflyfish. He told Raven that this was an endangered fish, so he released it back into the water.

That was enough fishing for one day, and soon Rick had a nice fire going, so they could roast the fish they caught. He pulled out a few items from the wet bag and placed some potatoes on the grill along with some foil pouches full of vegetables.

“I thought some citrus punch would go nice with lunch. Would you care for some?” asked Rick holding up a glass.

“Oh, I’d love some,” Raven answered.

Soon, lunch was ready and they sat down together to enjoy it.

“So, Rick, this place is nice, but have you ever thought of building something a bit more…um… enclosed?” asked Raven swallowing another bite of fish.

“You’re right, it does get a bit soggy here in a tropical storm. And, as a matter of fact, I have done some sketches for a beach house…” Rick replied.

“You have? Oh, I’d love to see them…” said Raven, looking at Rick intently.

“I was hoping you would say that, because I kind of need some help with the living room area.” Rick said as he grabbed the plans and sat down with Raven to look them over. Raven listened to Rick talk about the plans for the room.

“You should add lots of candles,” Raven suggested, “I love candles. There is something special about the dance and flicker of a flame. But in an enclosed container, like a hurricane lantern, so there isn’t an open flame. That would be much safer for young children, too.” Rick seemed to like Raven’s ideas and made some notations on the plans.

“We have a bit of time before we head back. I would love to take you out into the deep water, but that will have to wait for another day. Would you like to go for a swim in the lagoon?” asked Rick.

“Oh, that sounds refreshing,” said Raven, “I got quite hot hiking around the island before.”

As they swam in the clear, turquoise water together, Rick commented that Raven looked very lovely in and out of the water.

“You know, Rick, you are always complimenting me,” blushed Raven.

“Well, you need to be complimented. You are very beautiful,” Rick said winking at her, “…even if you still need fishing lessons..,” Rick laughed.

Raven playfully splashed him and laughed.

“Well, maybe if I had kissed that fish, I would have caught more,” Raven laughed.

“Perhaps,” said Rick swimming towards Raven, “But I much prefer you kissing me than a fish…” said Rick, as he gently placed his hand on the back of Raven’s head and met her lips with his. They kissed, a slow, lingering kiss, as they floated together, treading water with their feet.

Raven felt Rick encircling her with his arms and pull her to him. There was something about Rick’s kisses that always took her breath away. Made her feel weak. Made her want more. And even in the water, she could feel her cheeks get hot.

I am not sure if Raven really cooled off from that swim. Don’t you agree?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Raven’s Date Thoughts:

“This date marked Rick and my third date together, and it was truly a remarkable date. I never expected that Rick would bring me to Mua Pe’lam to see that waterfall. That was quite spectacular…and that legend…wow…that was so unexpected. All I have to say is that Rick is always full of surprises. It’s so true! Imagine my surprise when Rick invited me to his home for lunch…and oh my gosh…Rick owns an island! And his pun about the “freshest fare” and then telling me we have to catch our own lunch! Rick has quite a sense of humor. Of course, he was great at fishing…and very patient with me, even though I only caught one fish. And that fishing legend…I had to laugh. Sometimes, I wonder about these stories that Rick tells and whether he’s just making them up for a laugh. So, when I returned to the Bachelor House, I googled the “kiss your fish” tradition, and sure enough, it’s true. But, I really can’t see myself doing that. And talk about kisses…oh my…that kiss with Rick in the water at the end of the date…just heavenly. I could stay in the water all day just being with Rick. In fact, I would have no problem spending all day in and out of the water with Rick. I really never tire of being around him, and certainly never tire of kissing him. And I do think that’s what I’m hoping for. To spend all of my days with Rick. Because I know in my heart, that I am in love with Rick. I can only hope that Rick is in love with me, too, and will choose me to spend all of his days with.”

Relationship Status has changed to Soulmates.

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Author’s Notes:

There are many legends of waterfalls, but, of course, none that suited my story. So, I created my own, based on some legends: The Legend of Pearl Shoal Waterfall, China, the Maid of the Mist, Canada and Akaka Falls, Hawaii. I hope you enjoyed it. Spoiler Alert ~ The Legend of the Sulani Falls will play a part in the finale.

“Kiss Your Fish”, article. Nowadays, however, with pollutants in the water, many people don’t recommend that you do this tradition anymore, as you are risking contracting a bothersome intestinal parasite. Giardiasis is a diarrheal illness caused by a microscopic parasite, Giardia intestinalis (also known as Giardia lamblia or Giardia duodenalis).

Game Up-Date & Sentiments:

After their morning together, Rick and Raven got their first sentiments. It is unfortunate that Brianna’s date was before the up-date, as I am sure she would have had the same one. Anyway, I was pretty excited  when I saw this:

I found this explanation about this sentiment on Carl’s Guide:

Deeply Connected

Long Term

This Sim has a powerful bond with the other Sim, and they’re a source of strength and comfort to them.