Friday, June 08, 2007

Nottington, Week 4

The time has come for my sims to get their very first taste of Seasons. And Open for Business, as well, but that's not quite as obvious in everyday life. As a note, my sim year is set to spring, summer, fall and finally winter.

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When we left last week, Kiana was heavily pregnant with their first child. She still is, of course. Unfortunately Adam had to go to work - he's an artist - but Kiana spent the few hours remaining until the baby was due planting a few tomatoes in the front yard. Then she took a nap.

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She woke up with labor pains. It's time!

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And little Keisha Nottington arrives. She's named for Adam's parents, Kevin and Alisha, who died when he was just a teenager.

She has Kiana's brown hair and custom blue eyes, as expected, and skin that is only a shade darker than Adam's.

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I wanted to try out some of the OFB work stations, so Adam will be making toys for the kids, and Kiana working on flower arrangements. When she's not gardening or taking care of the kids. She's an Ecological Guru, with only one day of work each week, so her maternity leave means she pretty much never has to work again in her life, unless she wants to.

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Adam arrives home with a promotion to Visionary. Quite a day for him! He rushes in to hold and cuddle his new daughter, of course.

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Soon afterwards he decides he wants to try one of the new career opportunities now available, so he goes into law. What a weird idea - a career reward that pays you to gain charisma? Well, no objections from me...

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Between Adam's promotions and Kiana's fabulous maternity pay, they decided to expand the house again, this time by adding a second story. I love the new building tools in OFB, by the way.

It looks kinda fairytale-ish. I think it's the roof, and maybe the windows as well.

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Of course, since they're both family sims, and Kiana wants to see at least three kids graduate from college, it's not long before she's pregnant again. And eating cheesecake.

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Time for Keisha to grow into a toddler. Wonder what Kiana's so angry about? Ddi she want to be the one bringing her daughter to the cake? Or is it pregnancy hormones?

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Oh dear. That's quite a chin. And what happened to her eyes? Hopefully this is one of those things that kids grow out of when they get older.

Keisha is an Aquarius like Adam, 2/4/7/7/8.

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I was amazed by how flat her profile is - looks almost like she ran straight into a wall or something.

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Then I took a look at her dad. Hmmmm. Well, it doesn't look so bad on him, so maybe she'll turn out okay.

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This kid has ambitions! Just a toddler, and she's already planning to be Big Sim On Campus when she grows up.

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Kiana can walk on air!

She reached a silver badge in gardening this week, and a bronze in flower arranging. Adam has a bronze badge in toy crafting.

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This time Adam is at home when his wife goes into labor. Doesn't he look eager to welcome the new babies?

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We have a boy and a girl, this time. Shaniqua was born first, with Jaquan close behind. They both have Adam's skin tone, Kiana's hair and eyes, and recessive blond hair rather than red. That puzzled me at first, and it wasn't until I checked Adam's DNA that I discovered he has one gene for red and one for blond hair. How did I never notice that before?

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With a toddler and two babies in the house, Kiana worn out from her pregnancy, and Adam having to rush off to work, they hired a nanny. She was pretty good with the babies...

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... but insisted on bringing Keisha a zillion bottles. As soon as Kiana woke up, she sent the nanny packing.

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Just a few hours later, Keisha had a birthday. She grew up into a pirate who likes to catch fireflies...

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... teach her pet brick to do tricks...

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...read stories about toilets...

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... and go fishing in the rain.

I dug a small pond in the corner of the lot just for Keisha. Come on, she's a pirate, and the first thing she did when she woke up the next day was roll up a want to fish! How could I deny her?

(Of course, I soon discovered that sims always want to fish in the summer, but lets not be nitpicky. I like my little pirate.)

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Don't drop the baby!

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Then it was time for the twins' birthday. Isn't it heartwarming to see how sexy Adam still finds his wife, after three kids?

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Here's Jaquan in the tux, and Shaniqua in the too-warm outerwear. It's summer!

Both are Capricorns like Kiana. Shaniqua's personality is 10/6/2/7/9, while Jaquan's is 10/4/3/8/10. Almost identical, with just minor differences, like Shaniqua being a little more outgoing.

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Shaniqua is a little Daddy's girl.

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Aww, sisterly love!

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Keisha and Jaquan get along just fine, too.

And that's where we leave them for now, this happy little family.


Points this round: 4 - 3 for new babies, 1 for TOC (Adam reached the top of the Artist career).

Monday, June 04, 2007

Scores and Stats, End of Week 3


Scores:

Sims: 80 living, 3 dead - 83 pts
Plat graves: 3 - 3 pts
Death at full influence: 3 - 3 pts
Top Of Careers: 37 - 37 pts
Impossible Wants: 1 - 3 pts
Net Worth: §2,500,958 - 26 pts
Big Sim On Campus: 34 - 34 pts
Summa Cum Laude: 34 - 34 pts

Total: 213 pts, up 97 since last round.


Stats:

Of my 80 living sims, 33 are male and 47 female.

1 elder, 57 adults, 12 YAs, 6 children, 4 toddlers.

12 are former townies or NPCs, 1 a former uni playable. 49 are CAS sims, while the remaining 18 have been born or adopted since the start of the challenge.

Richest household status still belongs to the Coopers at §254,818, but the Bonaccords are getting close at §237,602. Third place goes to the Knights at §174,311.

Poorest, except for the new lots where I've stuck this week's batch of graduates, is the Carr family at §50,460 - not too shabby, considering they started the week at just 20,000 plus furniture.

The Forsythes had an amazing §55,416 even before the two new graduates moved in with their graduation money - for a house which has never had an adult income, that's very impressive! All due to teen jobs, money trees, school chance cards, and, last but certainly not least, lots of date gifts.

The uni lots are all well-off, but that money is not included here. I spent most of it on adding to the houses, anyway.


This was the point where I added OFB and Seasons to my game, so a lot of things are about to change in round 4...
Black III, Week 3

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Ronan "Face" Black got himself a little house all his own after graduating. It seems just the right size for him. But he's in desperate need of new clothes - one Goopy in the 'hood is more than enough!

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Yeah, that suits him much better.

My original plan had been to keep him faithful to Dolores (Vega) and wait for her to graduate so they could live together. Somehow things just didn't work out that way... Especially not after he fulfilled his LTW of becoming a Pro Party Guest, and rolled up the new LTW of having 20 lovers.

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First there was Jessamyn Cantrell. Come on, she's a pleasure seeker, I need to work on those 50 dream dates!

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Then another pleasure seeker, brand new YA Natalie Nettles.

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Natalie's step-grandmother, Contessa Sadie Nettles.

That's a whole lotta aspiration points for one little kiss! ;)

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Hey college chick, I see where you're looking! Eyes up, please!

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He didn't hesitate to use the matchmaker, either, which had some interesting results.

"OMG, you're a burglar!"

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"What if I am? You gonna call the cops?"

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I think that would be a no.

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"He's cheating on me with the telescope! I'm taking my roses and leaving!"

Or maybe it was the date with the Contessa she was upset about. Anyway, Face is still in love with her, and that's all that counts.

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Moving on to the hired help... Now he'll have to be careful every third morning.

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Melissa looks hypnotized. Those eyes... Scary.

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My eyes! My eyes!

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Yes, that's a public woohoo doodad over her head. Don't act so surprised.

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No! She's married to your grandfather, so hands off!

At least wait until he's dead.

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He looks less than thrilled with this one. What, are you afraid she's going to order you to drop and give her twenty, Face?

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Of course, all these women keep dropping off flowers for him. And presents.

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Lots of presents.

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Saturday night, and all the air is getting bright... Yay, my aliens finally figured out the whole "adult male" thing!

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And I managed to get that shot, the one that shows exactly which part of the sim the aliens are most interested in.

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Face knows how to put two and two together.

He tried to distract himself with more romancing, but it didn't work, so he called up somebody else.

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"Dad, I'm so glad you came! Something awful happened last night. The aliens! They came, and the took me up to their ship, and they..."

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"Dad? Dad, where are you going!"

Yeah, Timothy, how can you just walk away when your son is depending on you for support?

"Can't deal... I can't listen to this. First my wife, now my son?"

Oh, right, I'd forgotten they took Renee last week. I'm sorry, I know this can't be easy, but Face needs you. Pull yourself together, for your son's sake.

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Awwww.

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And so this is how round three ends, with the first belly bump of the first alien pregnancy in Strawberry Fields.


Points this round: 2, for TOCs - Pro Party Guest and Celebrity Chef.