tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11939145433372869042024-02-20T04:55:17.561-08:00Tales from ChallengevilleNdayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-77670433934034482292010-05-31T23:03:00.000-07:002010-06-19T12:27:12.489-07:00Table of Contents<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/?action=view&current=Neighborhood090411.jpg" title="Neighborhood090411.jpg"> <img border="0" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Neighborhood090411.jpg" /></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/?action=view&current=Neighborhood090411.jpg" title="Neighborhood090411.jpg"> </a></div><br />
<a href="http://flock.com/"></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">Since posts about the various lots are likely to get rather scattered, I figured I'd set up a table of contents first to provide handy links to what you might want to read about. Please be sure to read the Welcome! post first if you haven't already to get the overview of what's going on here. Families/Lots in the backstories section are listed in eventual playlist order, and not necessarily in the order I've played them so far.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/welcome-first-little-bit-about-and-blog.html"><span style="color: #663300;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Welcome! - General introduction</span></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">--- Backstories ---</span></span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/pennington-introduction-backstory.html">Pennington - Introduction & Backstory</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/day-introduction.html">Day - Introduction</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/chovie-introduction.html">Chovie - Introduction</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/rhodes-introduction.html">Rhodes - Introduction</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/shi-introduction-backstory.html">Shi - Introduction & Backstory</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/ball-introduction-and-backstory.html">Ball - Introduction & Backstory</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/wieser-druff-introduction-backstory.html">Wieser-Druff - Introduction & Backstory</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/druff-estate-introduction-backstory.html">Druff Manor - Introduction & Backstory</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/roper-introduction-backstory.html">Roper - Introduction & Backstory</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 130%;"><b>--- Current Stories ---</b></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/01/roper-growing-family.html">Roper - A Growing Family</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/01/university-pennington-roper-chovie.html">University - Pennington, Roper & Chovie</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/02/pennington1-round-1-which-witch.html">Pennington 1, Round 1 - Which Witch?</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/03/day-round-1-cards-anyone.html">Day, Round 1 - Cards Anyone?</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/04/chovie-round-1-oh-please-not-again.html">Chovie, Round 1 - Oh Please, Not Again...</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/04/rhodes-round-1-how-many-are-in-there.html">Rhodes, Round 1 - How Many Are in There?</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/04/shi-round-1-promotions-galore.html">Shi, Round 1 - Promotions Galore</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/university-maxis-playables.html">University - Maxis Playables</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/stacks-starting-out.html">Stacks - Starting Out</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/upsnott-first-two-days.html">Upsnott - The First Two Days</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/ball-round-1-free-to-good-home.html">Ball, Round 1 - Free to a Good Home</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/wieser-round-1-theres-llama-in-my.html">Wieser, Round 1 - There's a Llama in My Livingroom</a><br />
<a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-last-saw-druff-family-in-druff.html">Druff Estate, Round 1 - A New Life</a><br />
<br />
</div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-73122413987596462002010-05-01T12:21:00.000-07:002010-05-01T13:48:39.312-07:00Druff Estate, Round 1 - A New Life<p style="text-align: center;"><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Dan-StatsPortrait.jpg" alt="Dan Druff" border="0" /></td><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Misty-StatsPortrait.jpg" alt="Misty (Cupp) Druff" border="0" /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Nathan-StatsPortrait.jpg" alt="Nathan Druff" border="0" /></td><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Neville-StatsPort-Child.jpg" alt="Neville Druff" border="0" /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Norris-StatsPortrait-Toddler.jpg" alt="Norris Druff" border="0" /></td><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Personality-Luey-small.jpg" alt="Luey" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><br />We last saw the Druff family in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/druff-estate-introduction-backstory.html">Druff Estate – Introduction & Backstory</a>. Misty had been newly resurrected for the second time by Bud Wieser, and had been reunited with her husband and children in their new house. Life for the family fairly quickly settled into an ordinary routine and they began to put their paranormal misadventures behind them as they sought to become a normal family. Dan had <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/ball-round-1-free-to-good-home.html">adopted Luey from Crystal Ball</a>, the mother of his other children, and brought him home for his sons. He began working with him to teach him the tricks he’d need for his career.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-2.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Misty worked on her Creativity skills, and managed to finish maxing out all of her skills in the process.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-3.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Nathan also worked on his skill, primarily by playing chess to increase his Logic. It earned him a membership to the Games lot, and the representative found him to issue the invitation just as he was going to shower after having been in the pool.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-4.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Dan and Luey worked their jobs, with both getting chance cards. Luey came home with a promotion early in the week.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-5.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-6.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-7.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Misty helped Nathan with his homework after school, while Neville chatted with a friend he’d brought home with him.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-8.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-9.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Later that evening, Misty helped Neville get his homework done, and Nathan worked some more with Luey to teach him the new skills he needed now since his promotion. At some point during the day, Arlina Pennington had dropped by for a visit, and she was busy watching a game on TV while the family went about their own tasks.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-10.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-11.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><br />Dan worked on teaching Norris how to walk, though after they’d finished, instead of taking him up and settling him in his crib to sleep, he left the exhausted toddler to crawl into Luey’s bed to take a nap instead.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-12.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-13.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />The elderly butler generally did a fair job of taking care of things around the house, but was often to be found standing in the foyer with a confused look on his face as he tried to remember what it was he was going to do next.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-14.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Meanwhile, Misty had gotten herself another job in her preferred field, and she and Dan both had opportunities related to their hobbies crop up while at work.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-15.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-16.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Neville was proving to be a fairly social little boy, frequently inviting friends home from school with him. One day he invited Thomas Shi over.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-17.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />While he was talking and playing with Thomas out front, Misty came home with a promotion and a friend of her own. Her friend offered to hook her up with better pay for her work.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-18.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-19.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />After Thomas went home, Neville put off doing his homework some more and decided to try jumping rope instead. He discovered that he really likes doing Fitness activities.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-20.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Another day, another chance card for Luey who was doing quite well in the Showbiz career.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-21.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />That day, he and Misty both came home with promotions. Luey’s put him at the top of the Showbiz career after only a relatively short time working in it. This is likely due to the fact that he was getting a lot more attention with the Druffs than he probably would have at Crystal Ball’s house, since he would have had to compete with his parents and littermates there for someone to train him.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-22.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-23.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />As the days progressed, Norris grew up to be a child. Unfortunately, his parents had been so busy with their jobs, his brothers, and Luey, that he didn’t learn all of his toddler skills before he transitioned. He had received plenty of attention still, however, so he still grew up well.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-24.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Dan caught the flu from one of his patients at the hospital, but a bowl of comfort soup that night helped him get over it quickly before he’d passed it on to Misty or his sons.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-25.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Neville frequently played chess with Nathan since they were both trying to raise their Logic as much as possible so they could get good scholarships for college one day. One night the Games lot representative came and issued him his own membership to the secret lot.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-26.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Even though he was at the top of his career now, Nathan still worked at teaching Luey new tricks. Norris also took an interest in Luey, though mostly as a playmate.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-27.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-28.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />On her day off, Misty was feeling a bit cooped up in the house, so she decided to go shopping, and perhaps meet some more of the townsfolk. She tried talking to Maura Midlock, but Maura wasn’t very interested in talking to her.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-29.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-30.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />After giving up on trying to have a conversation with Maura, she met Sue Shi and chatted with her awhile while Sue’s son Terrance listened in.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-31.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Neville went outside to jump rope every chance he got, and it wasn’t long before he was offered a membership to the Platinum Gym.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-32.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Later, his friend Luke Warm came by for a visit. Though Luke was a zombie, he’d been quite nurturing in helping raise both Nathan and Neville when they were little and the family had still been living with Bud Wieser and Luke.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-33.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />By the end of the week, Neville had grown enough that he transitioned to being a teenager. Since the family wasn’t really big on birthday parties, he did so without much fanfare in the backyard one night while taking the kitchen scraps out to the composter.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-34.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />He decided that he wanted to have a big family of his own one day – and that he also wanted to explore the myriad possibilities inherent in Grilled Cheese sandwiches.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-35.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-36.jpg" border="0" /></p><br />Not to be outdone by his little brother, Nathan decided on a secondary aspiration finally as well. He decided that having a lot of friends would be cool.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Update%201/Druff-Update1-37.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><br />And thus another week came to an end at the Druff household. All had settled in nicely to their new home, though they still had many things to accomplish. The boys still had skills to work on and scholarships to earn. Misty was still working hard to get to the top of her career, and Dan was contemplating a career change. If only he could find time to do some job hunting…or to plant some things in the lovely greenhouse they had in the backyard. Perhaps one day he would.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">*********************************************************<br /></div><br />Author’s Notes:<br />My apologies to those who had been following my blog here in the past for the long hiatus. Unfortunately, shortly after playing the Druff household last August I found myself suddenly burnt out on playing the game and blogging. And so their pictures have languished on my hard drive for months now, waiting for me to find the time and motivation to write their story. I’ll apologize also for the rather sketchy text in this update, but it’s been so long since I actually played the lot for this update that I don’t really remember what happened, other than not a lot did happen really. Just ordinary day-to-day sim life for the most part. Luckily I’d taken plenty of screenshots while I was playing, so I did my best to piece together the week’s story from those.<br /><br />I hope to get back into Challengeville to keep the stories going, though unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time to play or to blog these days. They’re calling to me more and more as time goes on though, so hopefully I can get my feet wet with one of the families here again soon. Probably the Roper family next, though I’m still contemplating various options of how to proceed with the neighborhood, whether to keep going in the Prosperity rounds fashion that I have been and work through all the many households in the neighborhood (there are a great many that haven’t been seen yet in the blog), or to switch over to working on the various TSR challenge lots that are in the ‘hood to play those challenges out before I worry about continuing with the neighborhood-wide time progression. If any of you have any thoughts about what you’d like to see here, leave a comment, and I’ll take it under consideration. Until such time as I make it back here with another entry, however, take care all, and happy Simming.Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-80910926487544143602009-07-30T19:18:00.000-07:002009-07-30T19:34:40.359-07:00Wieser, Round 1 - There's a Llama in My LivingroomWe first met the Wieser family in <a href=http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/wieser-druff-introduction-backstory.html>Wieser-Druff: Introduction and Backstory</a>. At that time there were two families living in this house: Bud Wieser, who at the time was single (and still is), and Dan and Misty Druff, who were married and started having children almost right away. Dan and Misty have since moved out with their 3 boys, and we’ll see them again soon in another update. Bud’s friend Luke Warm, who was a tombstone in the yard to start with and was later resurrected by Bud as a zombie also lives here, as does Bud’s alien son, Castor. At the end of our previous story, they had been joined by a new woman, Misty Cupp, who was eaten by the cowplant, subsequently resurrected, and has since become a permanent resident here. Here’s a quick look at their stats:<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center; "><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/StatsPort-Bud-Adult.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud Wieser"></td><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/StatsPort-Luke-Zombie.jpg" border="0" alt="Luke Warm"></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/StatsPort-Misty-Adult.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty Cupp"></td><td><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/StatsPort-Castor-Toddler.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor Wieser"></td></tr></tbody></table></p><br /><br />The first thing I did upon loading this lot was to roll secondary aspirations for the three adults, since I hadn’t set them previously. Here’s how they turned out (Luke’s kind of creeps me out):<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud’s secondary aspiration"><br /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Luke’s secondary aspiration"><br /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty’s secondary aspiration"></p><br /><br />I then checked Castor’s memories to see where he was at with the toddler training, because it’s been months since I played them and I had no idea what I’d managed to do with him before. Happily, he’s already learned all of his skills except the nursery rhyme. He must have been a fast learner, because he still has 2 days before he becomes a child.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-4.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor’s memories"></p><br /><br />Once I had finished spending the aspiration points, and getting reacquainted with the inhabitants and what was going on with them, I unpaused and play began. I’d deliberately created Misty to be a good match for Bud when I made her to replace the original Misty Cupp (see the intro linked above for that story), and it became immediately obvious that things were going to work out just fine between them. Just like any good 3-bolt couple under the influence of ACR, they headed straight for the sofa in the living room to, ah, get better acquainted, paying absolutely no attention to Luke and toddler Castor who were just in the next room through the archway. Thanks to photo-editing software, a shrub conveniently sprang up in front of the couch to preserve their modesty though ;)<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-5.jpg" border="0" alt="Sofa woohoo"></p><br /><br />Once they had finished and gotten dressed, Bud decided to make an honest woman of Misty and dropped to one knee and proposed. Nevermind that they could barely have known each other really since I had sent her out to be eaten by the cowplant as soon as I put her on the lot before, then shut it down as soon as I’d resurrected her. I guess the resurrection must have given them a huge relationship boost, and then their antics on the couch must have been enough to convince him she was the one for him because he rolled the want to get engaged to her as soon as they’d finished.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-6.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud proposes"></p><br /><br />Misty happily accepted Bud’s proposal. Luke pulled himself away from his chessboard when he heard what was going on (one has to assume he was studiously ignoring the earlier sounds) and came in to stand by waiting to congratulate them.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-7.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty accepts"></p><br /><br />Misty and Bud were both happy about the engagement, though Bud did turn to speak with his friend, who for some reason wanted to talk to him about Darice Ball.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-8.jpg" border="0" alt="Good engagement memories"></p><br /><br />After talking for a bit, they split up and all sought out different activities. Luke sat down on the sofa to watch some TV, Misty sat down at the piano to practice, and Bud started teaching Castor a nursery rhyme after some tickling and snuggling. It soon became apparent that Castor was going to take after Bud in his love of music.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-9.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor’s hobby revealed"></p><br /><br />He didn’t really take to the nursery rhyme right away though and at first refused to even try repeating it with his father.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-10.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor doesn’t like the nursery rhyme"></p><br /><br />When that wasn’t making his dad stop singing at him, he showed him more emphatically what he thought of it.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-11.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor picks his nose"></p><br /><br />Eventually though he warmed up to it and started catching on, beginning to swing his little arms and sing along with Bud.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-12.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor starts to like the rhyme"></p><br /><br />Once Castor had finally learned the rhyme, Bud put him down for a nap while Misty made them some sandwiches for lunch. They all sat down together to eat, Luke and Bud discussed paranormal topics while Misty simply chowed down.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-13.jpg" border="0" alt="lunch"></p><br /><br />Bud had to work later that night, and Misty and Luke were both so exhausted by then that I barely kept one of them awake long enough to get Castor to bed. As toddlers are wont to do, he woke up around midnight and started screaming to be let out of his crib. I could have woken one of the adults up to let him out, but I decided to run a bit of a test here. I’ve heard mentions about how sometimes toddlers that have learned how to walk will manage to get themselves out of their crib, but I’ve never seen it happen, so I decided to see if Castor would do it. I wasn’t sure what the triggers for it are, but I knew as long as his fun was high he would just sit down in the crib and amuse himself for awhile till someone came to get him, so with testing cheats on I lowered his fun bar almost all the way so he’d really want out. As expected, he didn’t sit down, but continued to cry and scream and rattle the bars on the crib trying to get someone’s attention.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-14.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor crying to be let out"></p><br /><br />This went on for awhile, but he was showing no signs of trying to escape on his own, so I took his social meter way down as well, hoping that might spur him to get more pro-active about getting out of the crib. He simply continued to carry on like he had been though, looking more miserable as time passed and no one was coming to get him.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-15.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor is miserable in his crib"></p><br /><br />In the middle of all of this, Bud got home from work, and he came home with a promotion that put him at the top of the paranormal field.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-16.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud gets TOC in Paranormal"></p><br /><br />He was exhausted by the time he got home, since he’d only gotten to sleep for a few hours before work earlier in the evening. I could have made him go let Castor out before letting him go pass out in bed, but I still wanted to see if Castor would try to free himself. So I left Bud to do whatever he wanted to, which was to go straight to bed, and then moved the camera back to Castor. I was still zoomed in close from going out to get a picture of Bud’s promotion, and so when I clicked it back over to Castor, this is what I saw:<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-17.jpg" border="0" alt="heartbreaking miserable toddler face"></p><br /><br />Isn’t that enough to break your heart? It was for me, and I almost relented with the experiment since it was becoming pretty apparent he wasn’t going to try to climb out on his own. But, I was still hopeful, so I left him … until shortly thereafter I got a popup about how no one in the house was paying enough attention to Castor and he needed social interaction with the household. Then his icon disappeared from the left side of the screen, and when I zoomed out, sure enough, the social worker van was out front to take him away. I probably should have seen it coming but, well, forget that. I wasn’t going to let him be taken away when he’d likely have been fine if I hadn’t deliberately tanked his fun and social for the experiment, so I did something I almost never do, and exited without saving. Unfortunately I hadn’t saved since I’d started playing the lot, so I had to start all over with it, but it had only been about 24 hours, so wasn’t that bad to re-play. I took care to play the day through more or less just like I had before, so I didn’t take more pictures of it, just let the ones I’d taken before serve to show what happened. The main things I did different was I sent Misty to bed earlier in the evening in the same room that Castor would be in, so she was pretty much rested and ready to get up again by the time he woke up in the middle of the night this time. So she let him out, and all was well. Only I still haven’t gotten to see a toddler getting out of the crib on its own, and still don’t know how you can make that happen without having the social worker show up.<br /><br />After getting up, Misty gave him some tickles and snuggles, got a bottle for him, then put him down to play with his toys while she went to try to find a job. There hadn’t been any openings in the Intelligence field the day before, but luckily there was now.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-18.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty gets a job"></p><br /><br />Since Bud had reached TOC in the Paranormal field, I could now let him look for a job in Education to go for his LTW. And as luck would have it, there was one available that night as well. So once he’d gotten home with the promotion, I had him sit down at the computer and take it before letting him go to bed.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-19.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud gets an Education job"></p><br /><br />Misty was wide awake still, so she sat down to practice the piano some more. Her wants were full of wanting to gain various skill points, and Creativity was one of them.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-20.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty plays piano"></p><br /><br />The next morning before they both went off to their new jobs, they were up early, sat down together to a pancake breakfast, then decided to go ahead and get married out on their deck. It was just a small affair with just the two of them, and Luke as witness. They still made it a formal affair though.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-21.jpg" border="0" alt="wedding"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-22.jpg" border="0" alt="wedding"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-23.jpg" border="0" alt="wedding"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-24.jpg" border="0" alt="wedding"></p><br /><br />Getting married made them both very happy, and they both had good memories of it.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-25.jpg" border="0" alt="good wedding memories"></p><br /><br />Shortly after the ceremony though, it was time for them to go to work. Bud had to leave about an hour earlier than Misty, and so his carpool had arrived almost as soon as they had finished. Misty’s first day on the job went well, and a good decision she made while checking out a missing cat case with her partner landed her a promotion right away.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-26.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty chance card result"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-27.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty promotion"></p><br /><br />Bud’s first day went equally as well, and he came home with a promotion also. It didn’t hurt that his skills are already all maxed from before due to the physiology bug that existed for awhile after AL came out. Yes, I admit it, I took full advantage of that while it lasted with several sims in this neighborhood.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-28.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud promotion"></p><br /><br />That evening was Castor’s birthday as well, and with everything that was going on with the promotions and such, it almost caught me unawares. I realized it was about to happen just in time to get some good shots of him growing up though. Thanks to the attention he’d been getting the last few days, especially after almost losing him to the social worker, he grew up well.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-29.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor birthday"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-30.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor birthday"></p><br /><br />Meanwhile, Luke, who is unemployed, had been working on his LTW of maxing all of his skills in between taking care of things around the house for Bud. Currently he was working on his body skill, and so I frequently had him working out on the weight machine. His needs deplete so fast though that I never can leave him there as long as I often can other sims.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-31.jpg" border="0" alt="Luke works out"></p><br /><br />The following day, Friday, was Castor’s first day of school. As all kids do, he came home with only a so-so report card, which he wasn’t very happy about.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-32.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor first day"></p><br /><br />Bud came home that afternoon with another promotion thanks to maxed skills and lots of family friends. This one put him at his second TOC and fulfilled his LTW after only two days in the Education field. He was quite impressed with himself.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-33.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud gets his LTW"></p><br /><br />His new LTW is another career one. Should be easy. If I can get that career to come up on the computer that is. He didn’t have any luck getting it the rest of the week here, so is currently still in Education until Natural Science comes up.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-34.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud’s new LTW"></p><br /><br />Misty had a good second day at work as well, and she also came home with another promotion. She had to start lower down the ladder though, so has further to climb to get to the top.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-35.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty’s 2nd promotion"></p><br /><br />Bud had gone to take a nap after he got home from work (he was still trying to get switched over to working days instead of nights like he had been), so it was Misty who taught Castor how to do his homework that evening.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-36.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor learns homework"></p><br /><br />After Castor had finished his homework, and Bud had gotten up from his nap, they all sat down to have dinner together. Luke and Bud discussed television shows while Misty and Castor listened in.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-37.jpg" border="0" alt="dinner"></p><br /><br />Bud wanted another child, so that night he and Misty set about trying to make it happen. I didn’t notice until sometime later that there was only one curtain on the double window, and I’m not entirely certain how that happened.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-38.jpg" border="0" alt="woohoo in bed"></p><br /><br />The next day was Saturday, and after breakfast, Castor went to try playing the piano. And that was where he remained for the rest of the weekend pretty much. It wasn’t long before the flamenco lady showed up to offer him a membership at the music and dance lot.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-39.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor invited to music lot"></p><br /><br />Meanwhile, as Castor continued to remain glued to the piano, Luke worked on his body skill some more. Shortly after the flamenco lady had left, a coach showed up to offer Luke a membership to the fitness lot.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-40.jpg" border="0" alt="Luke invited to fitness lot"></p><br /><br />Things were humming along quite nicely in the household throughout the day, with Castor playing the day away on the piano, and Luke working on his body skill in between baths. I don’t think Castor ever stopped playing the entire day until he finally got tired in the evening and went to bed. I did keep an eye on his needs throughout, but everything was remaining well in the green, so I left him to it for as long as he wanted to continue. Luke and Misty had both had to work that day, and when they got home they did little out of the ordinary. So I was just kind of keeping an eye on everyone and letting them do as they would, when suddenly at some point during the evening I noticed there was a Llama on the couch.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-41.jpg" border="0" alt="visiting Llama"></p><br /><br />WTH? I’m not sure when the Llama arrived…I guess I’d gotten so used to seeing them come and go at the University houses and just ignoring them when they did, that it just didn’t register with me at first. But when it finally did I got very confused. I’d never seen one just show up on a normal neighborhood lot like that before. What gives? While trying to puzzle out why the Llama was there, and what to do about it, I happened to mouse over her and saw who it was.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-42.jpg" border="0" alt="the Llama’s identity"></p><br /><br />Those who have read the most recent University update might recall that Suzie Santander is the 3-bolt match that I found for Martin Ruben while playing him at University. I haven’t actually played her yet, but I did move him into an apartment after graduation, and had him invite her over and ask her to move in with him, which prompted her to age up to Adult. So she is no longer a college student, which means that it would seem I was right to have my reservations about making her playable, because apparently she’s going to continue to be a mascot as an adult. Except she was a cheerleader before, not a Llama, which just adds to the weirdness here.<br /><br />Around this time, the household started getting ready for bed. Castor, who hadn’t taken time to change out of his pajamas all day, went first, finally exhausted from playing piano all day. I hadn’t heard any chimes the night before with Bud and Misty, so I had them try again, and they ended up just falling asleep afterwards. Luke was still up puttering around with something, and I was still keeping an eye on Suzie to see what she would do. I’d seen her leave the house, and thought she’d just decided to leave, but then I caught a glimpse of her out by the cowplant. Uh oh, looks like I neglected to lock the gate again after unlocking it the last time so Misty could get in there. And the cowplant obviously hasn’t been fed for awhile.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-43.jpg" border="0" alt="look at the yummy cake"></p><br /><br />While I’m trying to figure out what, if anything, to do about this situation, Suzie makes a grab for the cake.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-44.jpg" border="0" alt="Suzie goes for the cake"></p><br /><br />I’m still unsure how I feel about this, and I think I even paused it for a few minutes to decide whether or not to intervene. On the one hand, it would be a shame for Martin to lose his 3-bolt love before he even got a chance to really be with her as a playable couple, but on the other hand, it’s obvious that she’s going to end up being annoying, showing up at people’s houses uninvited and most likely randomly doing the school cheer at people. Decisions, decisions.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-45.jpg" border="0" alt="Suzie gets sniffed"></p><br /><br />After debating it for a few minutes, I decided to just let things run their course, and I’d deal with whatever happened. So I unpaused, and watched the above scenes repeat themselves several times: the cowplant would dangle it’s cake toward Suzie, she’d make a grab for it, it would rear back and then lean forward to sniff her up good – but it never made a lunge for her. It would just settle back, put the cake out again, and the whole scenario would repeat again. Until suddenly, just as it looked like the plant was finally going to make the lunge to gobble her up – things flickered for a moment and then she just wasn’t there. Did it eat her? I wasn’t sure. But in looking carefully around its pen, both inside and out, I didn’t see a tombstone anywhere. And it didn’t look like the udder on its chin was enlarging. Hmm. And then I figured it out – Luke had apparently gone to bed right about then, and the game had kicked into fast speed when he fell asleep. I thought I’d seen a blur of her running out of the pen, but I wasn’t sure. The lack of a tombstone anywhere seems to indicate she did get away, though I forgot to go check hers and Martin’s lot to see if she was still there and alive and well. I’ll have to try to remember to check that next time I play, though I imagine I’ll find out eventually if she’s still around or not.<br /><br />In other random happenings in the house, Bud had rolled the want in the first couple days to hire a butler. I ignored it at first because I didn’t think they really needed one, but he kept rolling it, so finally I’d given in and let him hire one. Overall the one they got seems to be pretty good. He doesn’t waste their food supplies making meals that no one’s going to eat because someone else just made one, and he keeps the house and yard nice and tidy. But he is prone to strange behavior at times.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-46.jpg" border="0" alt="weird butler"></p><br /><br />I’m not sure what his problem was, but he stood there outside the one bathroom like that, alternating between X’d out thoughts of Misty and of Bud, sometimes burying his head in his hands and sometimes acting like he wanted to throw up. The two of them were occupying both bathrooms, and I think the butler was maybe wanting to get in to clean them, and having a freakout because he couldn’t.<br /><br />Anyway, back to the story. The next morning I sent Bud out to feed the cowplant. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try to keep it fed so it would hopefully be less likely to eat random walk-bys.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-47.jpg" border="0" alt="feeding the cowplant"></p> <br /><br />As he was heading back into the house, the Games guy showed up to offer him a membership to his lot, finally catching up with him just inside the kitchen door. I guess feeding a cowplant counts as a gaming activity…I’m not sure what else he was doing around that time that would have triggered the visit.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-48.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud invited to games lot"></p> <br /><br />Bud had the day off since it was still the weekend, and since Castor was hogging the piano again Bud was kind of at a loss for what to do. So I bought him a pottery wheel to keep him occupied, even though his preferred hobby is Music & Dance.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-49.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud works on pottery"></p> <br /><br />Misty had to work, and when she got home, she headed straight for the bathroom. Yep, chimes were heard the night before when I had them trying to get pregnant.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-50.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty puking"></p> <br /><br />Meanwhile, Castor had been obsessively playing the piano all day again, and it wasn’t long before he’d maxed his Music & Dance enthusiasm and the flamenco lady came by again to give him a plaque for it. This makes Castor the youngest sim I’ve ever had max out in a hobby.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-51.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor hits the Zone"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-52.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor gets his music plaque"></p><br /><br />Bud continued working away at the pottery, and in due course, earned his bronze badge.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-53.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud gets bronze pottery badge"></p><br /><br />Later that afternoon, Misty had her first belly pop, and her pregnancy was official.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-54.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty pops"></p><br /><br />Castor had eventually given up his spot at the piano after getting his plaque, which gave Misty a chance to practice some more for awhile, and before long the flamenco lady was paying another visit to the house to offer Misty a membership to the lot. I forget why she was out on the porch when the lady caught up with her.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-55.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty invited to music lot"></p><br /><br />Castor continued with his piano obsession on Monday, both before and after school. But I got a surprise from him this day – since he maxed out his hobby enthusiasm, he now changes into his formal wear before he sits down to play. I’d never seen that before.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-56.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor in a suit playing the piano"></p><br /><br />Later that evening, Bud helped his son with his homework. Castor had already learned to study from Misty, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep having him get help when he needed to do it. If nothing else, he’d be able to finish it up faster.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-57.jpg" border="0" alt="Bud helps Castor with homework"></p><br /><br />Misty had spent the day lounging in her pajamas, working on learning skills from books both for work and to satisfy wants. Late in the afternoon on Monday, she had her second belly pop.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-58.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty pops again"></p><br /><br />On Tuesday, Castor came home with his first A+. I guess the extra homework help he’d gotten paid off.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-59.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor A+"></p><br /><br />He ran inside to show his report card to his father, who had been taking advantage of his day off to spend the day in his pajamas and to finally get some time on the piano.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-60.jpg" border="0" alt="Castor shows A+ to Bud"></p><br /><br />The rest of the day and evening passed fairly uneventfully. I’d expected Misty to go into labor in the late afternoon or early evening, but she didn’t, and so I’d almost decided that I was remembering the number of days wrong and that I’d have to wait until next time to see her baby, since their week would be up first thing in the morning. Shortly after midnight, however, she awoke and went into labor.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-61.jpg" border="0" alt="Misty goes into labor"></p><br /><br />I held my breath a bit at that point, waiting for the pop-up that would tell me if it was just one, or more than one. I groaned a bit when I saw this, since the triplets & quads hack has been taking fiendish delight in giving me 3 or 4 babies at once lately. <br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-62.jpg" border="0" alt="TWO babies on the way"></p><br /><br />You can’t tell just from the pop-up how many it’s going to be really, since it will say TWO even when it’s THREE or FOUR. But there wasn’t much I could do about it at this point however many it was, so I just sat back and watch as the birth commenced, hoping it at least wouldn’t be quads again. The cinematic played, and Misty gave birth to the first baby, a boy with her eyes and hair color. Purely by chance, I managed to capture what I think is a rather lovely family portrait of her, the baby and Bud when I snapped the closeup shot of the baby.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-63.jpg" border="0" alt="Carroll is born"></p><br /><br />She handed the baby to Bud, and then gave birth to number two, another boy who also had her eyes and haircolor.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-64.jpg" border="0" alt="Carmichael is born"></p><br /><br />And that’s where she stopped, with twin boys. After choosing names for them, I quickly paused to go redo one of the bedrooms into a nursery for them. They already had the cribs, first for Dan’s children with the first Misty, and then for Castor, so it was just a matter of moving furniture around a bit and putting up different wallpaper and carpeting. This was when I noticed there was only one single-wide curtain on the double window in the bedroom, so I replaced it with a double-wide one as well. The names I chose were just the first ones that popped into my head for “C” names. Don’t ask me why it was these names instead of more usual ones.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-65.jpg" border="0" alt="Naming the twins"></p><br /><br />Carroll is the one on the left that Bud is holding, and Misty is holding Carmichael.<br /><br />And that is where I decided to end the week with the Wieser Household, even though it was a few hours early. Here’s a parting screenshot of the household from the neighborhood view at the end of the week.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Wieser-1-66.jpg" border="0" alt="Week end household picture"></p><br /><br />Next up will be the Druff household, with Dan and Misty Druff and their 3 sons. Will the newly resurrected and young-again Misty continue to be as fertile as she was before? Let’s hope not. Time will tell though. Until then, take care everyone.Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-78849799879499540572009-07-16T17:40:00.000-07:002009-07-16T20:05:13.303-07:00Ball, Round 1 - Free To a Good HomeWe first met Crystal Ball and her household in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/ball-introduction-and-backstory.html">Ball - Introduction and Backstory</a>. What had started out as a simple household of one woman and her dog for the TSR Chewy Ball: Stunt Double challenge had evolved into a chaotically full house with Crystal, her triplet daughters, and 5 dogs. Here's a brief look at them all to get you re-acquainted:<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Our week with the Balls started out around midnight on Friday. Darice, Darla and Doreen had just celebrated their birthday the evening before and became children. Despite the fact that they had to start school early in the morning, they were all wide awake still despite the late hour, as was their mother Crystal. While Darla and Doreen found things to play with, Crystal headed outside to start replanting her garden since she had recently harvested most of the plants she'd had in her greenhouse. Darice headed outside to help her, watering the seeds after Crystal had planted them.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />After finishing in the greenhouse, mother and daughter headed back inside and started working with Lulu and Dewey to teach them tricks they'll need for their jobs. Crystal started teaching Lulu how to play dead...<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-3.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-3.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />While Darice started teaching Dewey how to roll over.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-4.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-4.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Meanwhile, Darla and Doreen had both settled down at the activity table to play and work on skills. Doreen opted to play with the blocks, while Darla practiced her drawing skills.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The entire household stayed up all night, and in the morning the girls all boarded the bus for their first day at school. A few of the dogs headed off to work, and it turned out to be a good day for Luey, who earned a promotion through a chance card.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-6.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-6.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Ball1-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-7.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-7.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Ball1-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-8.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Meanwhile, Darice was faced with a tough decision on her first day of school, though she managed to make the right choice.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-9.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-9.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-9.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Ball1-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-10.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-10.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />The late night training with Crystal paid off for Lulu, and she also came home from work later that day with a promotion.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-11.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-11.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Later that evening, Crystal invited the girls' father, Dan Druff over. He brought his oldest son Nathan along with him. Crystal wondered if Nathan knew that her daughters were his half-sisters, but decided that she wasn't going to be the one to tell him if he didn't know. She hadn't realized at the time of her brief affair with Dan, which left her pregnant with her triplets, that he was married and had a son, but she'd never managed to hold it against him when she subsequently found out. They remained friends, and though she still loved him, she kept things platonic between them these days, simply inviting him over now and then so he could get to know his daughters a bit. So, while Nathan went inside to hang out with the girls, Crystal stayed outside with Dan for a bit, quietly discussing the girls with him on the front porch, filling him in on how they'd been doing and assuring him that they were all fine and were not in need of anything. She then got to the point of her reason for inviting him over that evening, namely to see if he'd be interested in taking Luey home with him for his boys. She'd realized that she was going to have to give a couple of the dogs away if she ever hoped to breed one of Chewy's offspring to keep his bloodline going, and she knew that Dan's family would be able to give one of them a good home...if they were willing to take one of them. Dan was happy to agree, knowing that his boys had been wanting to get a dog since they'd moved into their new house.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-12.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-12.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-12.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Dan and Nathan stayed and visited for awhile, and then went home, taking Luey with them. Then, even though it was Friday night and they would have the whole weekend to work on it, Crystal decided to get the girls in the habit from the start of doing their homework each night after school. So, after letting them take naps, one by one she sat them down on the floor to teach them how to study and get through the work as quickly as possible. She promised to get them each a desk for doing their homework as soon as possible so they could work more comfortably than sitting on the floor.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-13.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-13.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-13.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The next day Crystal called up her friend Daphne Roper and invited her over. She knew that she had a young son and thought that they might like to have a dog for him, and knew that they would give Huey a good home should they agree to it. She asked Daphne about it when she got there, and while Daphne was quite willing to take Huey, she insisted on paying Crystal for him since she knew Crystal would be losing the income he earned at his job.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-14.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-14.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-14.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Crystal agreed, knowing that she couldn't afford to turn down the money, and after they had agreed on a price, Daphne went inside to meet Huey. He took to her right away, and she knew that he would be a good addition to their household.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-15.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-15.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-15.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Later that afternoon, Darla finished teaching Dewey how to roll over so she'd be able to get a promotion at her job.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-16.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-16.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-16.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Outside, unnoticed by any of them, Brittany Upsnott, who had recently graduated from Sim State University and moved into an apartment in neighboring Townie Valley, came by and stold their newspaper, just out of sheer meanness.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-17.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-17.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-17.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />That evening, with Huey and Luey gone, Crystal called the pet adoption agency to see if she could get a mate for Dewey. They had a few adult male dogs to choose from, and after hearing their descriptions, she decided to adopt one named Grimalkin. A man from the agency brough Grimalkin over right away, and while he was inside introducing himself to Crystal and collecting the payment...<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-19.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-19.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-19.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Grimalkin stayed out front, chasing his tail in the street next to the car.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-20.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-20.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-20.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Transaction completed, Crystal went out front to welcome Grimalkin to her home.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-21.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-21.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-21.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />She took him out to the small side yard to meet Dewey, and was pleased to see that they seemed to get along well right away.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-22.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-22.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-22.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The next day, Dewey came home with a promotion, thanks to the training that Darice and Darla had given her...<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-23.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-23.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-23.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Brittany Upsnott came by again to steal the paper...<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-24.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-24.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-24.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />and Darla and Doreen played chess together. Darla liked practicing her logic skills, and enjoyed playing with her sister, even though Doreen cheated a lot.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-25.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-25.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-25.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />While they were playing, a man came by and offered Darla a membership to a lot just for people that liked to play games.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-26.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-26.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-26.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The next day was a busy one for the household. It started out not so well when Lulu made a bad decision at work that cost them a fair bit of money.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-27.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-27.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-27.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Ball1-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-28.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-28.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />It was Chewy's birthday, though the event went largely unnoticed in the busy household.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-29.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-29.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-29.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Becoming an elder didn't slow him down, however, and it turned out to be a lucky birthday for him when he won an award at the awards show that morning, as well as securing a lucrative movie deal. He was also somewhat instrumental in helping uncover a plot by one of his rivals to rig the awards show and take his award for herself.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-30.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-30.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-30.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Ball1-1-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-31.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-31.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Crystal was unable to attend the show with Chewy as she'd already arranged for the Garden Club representatives to come by that day to inspect her garden. While she secretly hoped she might qualify for a coveted Wishing Well, she mostly just wanted to be accepted as a member of the club so she could get their discounts. After greeting them upon their arrival, she hurried to mop up a mess that one of the dogs had made on the front walk that the maid had missed.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-32.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-32.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-32.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />In the end, the Garden Club liked her garden and landscaping well enough to offer her a substantial prize and membership to their club, but she didn't quite qualify for a Wishing Well. They told her they'd be happy to inspect her place again in the future and reconsider her for one though, and gave her a few tips on what she could do to improve.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-36.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-36.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-36.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Meanwhile at school, Doreen was offered a chance to pick the game for the afternoon recess period. She chose well and everyone had a good time.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-33.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-33.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-33.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-33.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-33.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Ball1-1-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-34.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-34.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />That evening, with encouragement from Crystal, Dewey started sniffing flirtatiously with Grimalkin, eventually leading him out to one of the doghouses with her. Crystal smiled to herself when she peeked outside and saw the doghouse shaking, but was glad the girls were all busy with their homework upstairs and she didn't have to explain what was going on. She wasn't quite ready to have that talk with them yet, though she knew she'd have to eventually.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-37.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-37.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-37.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-37.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-37.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Crystal's early insistance that the girls all do their homework promptly every evening helped them to excel at their schoolwork right away, and by Tuesday, their third day of school, they all brought home A+ report cards. Crystal cheered enthusiastically for each of them, letting them know how proud she was of them.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-38.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-38.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-38.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-38.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-38.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Keeping up with the garden and the dogs during the day, making sure the girls all did their homework at night as well as cooking plenty of meals so there would always be leftovers in the fridge for them to eat when they got hungry didn't leave Crystal much time to work on her skills until late in the evening. She'd long since gotten used to keeping odd hours, however, so once the girls were all in bed, and the dogs were settled for the evening, she'd go to the bathroom and practiced speeches she'd probably never have to give to raise her Charisma. It wasn't long before she'd managed to master the skill.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-39.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-39.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-39.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-39.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-39.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Crystal had gotten Grimalkin a job in the security field a day or two after adopting him. He didn't last very long at it unfortunately, as a bad decision his second or third night cost him the job.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-41.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-41.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-41.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-41.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-41.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Ball1-1-42.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-42.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-42.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Wednesday evening, Dewey had her puppies. Crystal decided to name them Donald and Daisy.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-43.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-43.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-43.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-43.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-43.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Ball1-1-44.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-44.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-44.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Darice, who had been a rather studious sort ever since becoming a child, loved to read books about cleaning. She rarely ever actually did any cleaning, since they had a maid who took care of most of it, but she loved reading about it. Because of that, and because of helping Crystal in the garden occassionally, a lady came by the same evening the puppies were born to invite her to a special lot for nature lovers.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-45.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-45.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-45.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-45.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-45.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The next day, Crystal managed to find another security job for Grimalkin with another company.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-46.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-46.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-46.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-46.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-46.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />On Thursday, while the girls were at school, she decided to try her hand at writing novels. Creativity was the only skill she still hadn't mastered, and she thought writing would be a good way to improve it.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-47.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-47.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-47.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-47.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-47.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />She worked until the girls came home, then fixed them dinner and made sure they did their homework. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, and with the arrival of Friday morning, our tale of a week in the life of the Balls comes to an end. It was a week of many changes for them, with even more changes yet to come as the girls will soon become teenagers, and Crystal will have to decide whether or not to keep Donald and Daisy or give them away so Dewey can have more puppies. Join us next time when we see how they will handle the changes and decisions that lie ahead of them.<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-48.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-48.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-48.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-48.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-48.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">--------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Author's Notes: I was somewhat leery of coming back to this house, as I figured it would be rather chaotic with all the kids and dogs to keep up with. And it was pretty chaotic a lot of the time, but it also managed to be fairly boring to play for the most part. Just the normal routine of skilling, playing, doing homework...go to bed...do it all over again the next day. While I often do take screenshots of the chance cards while playing, normally I prefer to focus on what the family was doing instead of including or mentioning them in these posts. This time, however, they seemed to tell a lot of the story that was going on with the household this week, so I put them in.<br /><br />While thinking of how to write their story this week, I realized that the situation with Dan and his sons presented a bit of a conundrum storywise. Technically, Crystal's daughters are older than Dan's sons with Misty, since I originally played this house before I ever played Dan and Misty, and thus Crystal's brief affair with Dan happened before he and Misty became a couple and so he wasn't really cheating on Misty at the time. I started playing the challenge that they were a part of after I stopped playing Crystal's house, and they started having babies together early on (you can read that story <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/wieser-druff-introduction-backstory.html">here</a>). That challenge took quite awhile in sim time to play, so by the time I'd finished it, and moved Dan and Misty out to their own house, their oldest son had aged up to teenager, and their second son was already further along in the child stage than the triplets are. So, for story purposes, I decided that the best way to handle the skewed timelines between the two houses would be to posit that Dan and Misty were already married, and already had Nathan by the time he met Crystal and had a little dalliance with her. How prominent this bit of storyline becomes will likely depend largely on what happens in the future when I play the Druff household, and/or when I make it back to this house again.<br /><br />All of the dogs here make a lot of puddles, and after several sim days of being grossed out seeing it covered in yellow puddles like this almost all of the time:<br /><br /><a title="Ball1-1-40.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-40.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Ball1-1-40.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-40.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Ball1-1-40.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I decided to delete all of the concrete floor tiles and replaced them with a terrain paint that looks like closely set white paving stones and blended fairly well with the concrete sidewalk and doorstep (I neglected to get an after shot of the minor renovation however). Doing that allowed the puddles to dissipate on their own and saved the maid a lot of mopping, and saved me having to look at a nasty mess on the front walk all of the time. Not entirely sure why they always had to do their business on the walk, but I'm guessing it has to do with the flower beds that line the walk being in their way and keeping them from going onto the grass.<br /><br />I wasn't really sure if Crystal's lot would be decorated enough to earn the wishing well when I called the garden club, but I gave it my best shot anyway. I don't know if the puddle that was still there when they showed up contributed to the comment about needing to tidy up or not. If it did, well, sorry garden club people, but 4 large dogs and a relatively small yard means there's going to be a lot of dog messes in the yard. And Crystal has too many other things to do to have any time to poop scoop. I did make sure she kept the leaves raked while they were there, and had kept Crystal up all night with the aid of motive cheats to make sure all of the garden plants had been weeded and talked up to thriving condition the night before. And she has that fountain that was originally a date gift from Dan I believe. I wasn't really too surprised when she didn't get the well, however. I just don't seem to have much luck with it. Getting her into the Club had been my main goal, however, and I achieved that at least. I may or may not have her try again for the Well in future.<br /><br />Next up will be the Wieser household, with Bud Wieser, his alien son Castor, his zombie friend Luke Warm, and the new Misty Cupp. It should be an easier house to keep up with what everyone is doing at least, and hopefully something will happen, or I'll find something to do to make it interesting. See you all next time.<br /></div></div><a title="Ball1-1-44.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-44.jpg"> </a><a title="Ball1-1-42.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-42.jpg"> </a><a title="Ball1-1-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-34.jpg"> </a><a title="Ball1-1-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-31.jpg"> </a><a title="Ball1-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-28.jpg"> </a><a title="Ball1-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-10.jpg"> </a><a title="Ball1-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-8.jpg"> </a><a title="Ball1-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Ball1-1-7.jpg"> </a>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-89617357316208513302009-07-05T19:38:00.001-07:002009-07-05T19:53:17.301-07:00Upsnott - The First Two DaysThe second sim to graduate during the University round with the Maxis playables was Brittany Upsnott. She graduated two semesters ahead of the others (Ashley Pitts did as well, but he sadly didn't do anything that was interesting enough to rate a separate post about his first two days of adulthood), and thus to preserve the age gap I played her for two sim days after moving her into an apartment in the same complex where Jane Stacks was living with her fiance Randy McClelland.<br /><br /><a title="Upsnott_Update1_1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Upsnott_Update1_1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/Upsnott_Update1_1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Brittany probably wouldn't have known it, since I'm not certain she even knows Jane, or at least not certain if she knew her at this point or not, but while Brittany was chatting up the landlady and trying to become friends with her, Jane was doing some heavy duty flirting with one of their neighbors, Talin Depiesse.<br /><br /><a title="Upsnott_Update1_2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Upsnott_Update1_2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/Upsnott_Update1_2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Luckily for Jane, Randy had already gone to work for the day and so wasn't there to catch her cheating.<br /><br />Oblivious to the drama going on across the street, however, Brittany wasted little time in calling her own fiance, Bruce Rauscher, to invite him over to see her new apartment and to ask him if he'd share it with her. He was happy to accept.<br /><br /><a title="Upsnott_Update1_3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_3.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/Upsnott_Update1_3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Always one to take the initiative, Brittany didn't waste much time putting a Mrs. in front of her name. Being a progressive sort of woman, however, she insisted on keeping her own name instead of taking Bruce's. Bruce was happy enough to go along with her, and so he became Bruce Upsnott.<br /><br /><a title="Upsnott_Update1_4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_4.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Upsnott_Update1_4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_4.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/Upsnott_Update1_4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Unlike when they got engaged, Brittany had no second thoughts about what she'd done, and both had a good memory of their informal living room wedding.<br /><br /><a title="Upsnott_Update1_5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Upsnott_Update1_5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/?action=view&current=Upsnott_Update1_5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Upsnott/Upsnott_Update1_5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And that is pretty much where their brief (for now) story ends. Brittany hasn't yet been able to find a job in the Paranormal field, though they have plenty of money since Bruce moved in, and he is employed, albeit not in the field he would prefer. I'll include his stats next time I post about them, whenever that is.<br /><br />And that wraps up the final tale from the University round with the Maxis playable students. Next up on my playlist is the the Ball Household, with Crystal Ball, her triplet daughters, and five dogs. It promises to be a wild and crazy ride, I'm sure. Hopefully it won't be another two months before I have another update for you about her. While I'll admit that The Sims 3 has been keeping me distracted a lot the last few weeks, I haven't given up on Sims 2, and fully intend to continue playing it, and to continue with Challengeville. I have so much left to experience, finish, and accomplish here after all. So, until next time, I bid you farewell.Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-75399824647535381732009-07-05T18:33:00.000-07:002009-07-05T20:02:55.115-07:00Stacks - Starting OutAs I noted in the main post about the Maxis playables at University, Jane Stacks graduated 4 semesters before all the rest. And as such, she got to be my guinea pig for trying out apartments for the first time, as well as for testing an apartment complex that I built based on some plans I found online. I had one false start with her because of some things I'd messed up on in building the complex which made the whole thing glitchy, but eventually I got everything working right, or at least as best I could tell they're working right now. The mistake was that I didn't know you can't use the little divider strip fencing that came with the Pets EP, and I had used it in between the main part of the apartment and the kitchen. This had the effect that the game considered the kitchens and the small back yard each unit has to be part of the communal area, and not part of the unit. It also made the whole thing glitchy....things were visible in the neighboring apartments that should have been, and it caused errors with the NPC neighbors whereby they were getting stuck in their apartments.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_15.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_15.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_15.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />If you look closely, you can kind of see the ghostly forms of the trapped neighbors who've ended up peeing themselves because they couldn't move for some reason. (Incidentally, this was the first time since I put MATY's yellowpee hack in that it's actually shown up as yellow for me. I'd taken one or two things out just previous to playing this part, so I guess one of the things I'd removed was conflicting with it somehow.) I ignored them as long as I could, but eventually it kept popping up the little event window repeatedly and wouldn't let me get rid of it (it'd pop up again instantly as soon as I closed it) and I had to do something about it. Even though I'd gone in via the apartment cheats and removed the fencing bits that shouldn't have been used which did fix the problem of the kitchen and backyard being unusable the way they should have been, it still didn't fix everything, and I eventually had to move her out temporarily so I could reset the entire complex by rezoning it to residential and then back to apartmentbase. That finally fixed everything, though it also raised the rents with the new areas being counted, so I had to fudge her funds a bit since moving in and out had cost her some money. For the purposes of this entry, however, I'll be acting as though the temporary move didn't happen. I might have ended up playing her for 5 total days instead of just 4 with the move - I got a bit confused on how much time had really passed for her - but I figure one day more or less isn't going to make any difference.<br /><br />As a refresher before I switch into storyteller mode, here are Jane's stats (as well as a sneak-peek at her new outfit):<br /><br /><a title="Jane-Stats-Adult.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Jane-Stats-Adult.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Jane-Stats-Adult.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Jane-Stats-Adult.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Jane-Stats-Adult.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Jane had recently "broken up" with Martin Ruben shortly before she graduated when he met someone else. Though since they hadn't ever gotten engaged or anything to make their relationship "official" there wasn't any actual break up, and they are still in love with each other. And so, as she moved into her first apartment, she was facing the unpleasant prospect (for a Family sim such as her anyway) of having to remain single until such time as she could find someone else she was compatible with.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_3.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_3.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_2.jpg"> </a><br />She wasn't really too worried about that just yet, however. Instead she was mostly anxious to get started on her lifetime want of raising 20 puppies or kittens. And so one of the first things she did, even before going shopping for new clothes, was to call the pet adoption agency and adopt a kitten named Alegra.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />As soon as she'd gotten Alegra settled in her new home, however, she went in search of some better clothes to wear than the leftover costume from the theatre department that they'd given her to wear when she graduated. A quick trip to Cold Issue Clothing in Downtown and soon she was a woman of the 21st century again.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_4.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_4.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />While she was downtown, she decided to check out some of the nightlife spots, and headed over to Rodney's Hideout. As it happened, their regular pianist had called in sick that night and they were desperate for a replacement. Hearing this, Jane offered her services. True, she'd gotten her maxed Creativity by painting, not playing piano, but it couldn't be that hard could it?<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Apparently it wasn't, and she quickly became a hit with the Hideout's patrons that evening and earned several hundred simoleons in tips. One man in particular was quite taken with her performance, and after finishing his dinner, he continued to sit at his table and listen to her, frequently clapping and cheering in between songs.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_6.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_6.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />When she finally decided she needed a break, Jane got up and went over to the man whom she'd heard behind her, wanting to thank him for his interest in her performance. His name was Randy McClelland, and as soon as she introduced herself she knew that he was the man she was meant to be with.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_7.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_7.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_7.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He was so taken with her in return that he offered to get her a discount on any furnishings she might need to buy for her new place.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_8.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_8.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_8.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Unfortunately by then it was getting late, and Jane was getting tired, so after having a few drinks with him at the bar, she said her goodbyes and headed home. She'd made sure to get his number, however, and the next afternoon she called him up and asked him to come over to her place for a date. He accepted, and after he arrived, they first spent time getting to know one another better.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_9.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_9.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_9.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />By sunset, however, things had progressed to more than just chatting between them.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_10.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_10.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_10.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And even though once they'd started kissing they could hardly stop, the date officially ended not as a dream date, but it was close.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_11.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_11.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_11.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />It was getting late, but even though the date had ended, Randy still didn't want to leave...and Jane didn't want him to leave...so she invited him inside. Once inside, they didn't waste much time taking things to the next level between them. They were all over each other as soon as they got inside the door, and entirely heedless of the show they were putting on for the neighbors through the window.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_12.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_12.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_12.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Their passion cemented their friendship, and on impulse Jane asked Randy to move in with her, and he accepted.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_13.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_13.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_13.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /></div><a title="Randy-Stats-Adult.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Randy-Stats-Adult.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Randy-Stats-Adult.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Randy-Stats-Adult.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Randy-Stats-Adult.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />With the money that Randy brought with him, Jane was able to adopt another kitten, a male that she named Barney. She hoped that one day he and Alegra could have kittens together so she wouldn't have to always adopt new ones.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_14.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_14.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_14.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Since she and Randy were financially secure for the time being, Jane decided she wouldn't get a job, but would stay home and raise her kittens, and, hopefully, eventually their children as well. She had many hours to fill while Randy was at work, however, so she decided she'd try her hand at writing novels.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_16.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_16.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_16.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Even though she had yet to publish anything, apparently someone somewhere was taking notice and thought she was doing a good job so far, for a blonde lady in an evening gown came by one night to invite her to a secret lot for Literature and Film lovers.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_17.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_17.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_17.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Things between Jane and Randy continued to progress at a rapid pace, and within a few nights of his moving in, he asked Jane to marry him.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_18.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_18.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_18.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_19.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_19.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">She said "yes" of course, and they proceeded to celebrate their engagement the way many newly engaged couples do. Oddly enough, Jane thought she heard a lullaby playing somewhere nearby just as they were finishing.<br /><br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_20.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_20.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/Stacks-McClelland_Update1_20.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And so ends our brief stay in the home of Jane Stacks and Randy McClelland.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">A few final comments with storyteller mode off; First, I thought it was very sweet the way Randy kept cheering Jane while she was playing. I didn't even have her looking for anyone at that point...I just had her go play piano for a bit to make a bit of extra money. And then, while she's playing, I see Randy cheering away and having constant thought bubbles about Jane, and it piqued my interest. So I had her go say hello to him afterwards, and the rest, as they say, is history between them. And second, yes, Jane is pregnant now after that last woohoo with Randy. She isn't yet showing, however, since that happened only a few hours before the time was up for this lot. They also haven't gotten married as yet, and I'm currently debating whether I'll have them marry before the baby is born or not. I'd like to continue all of the Maxis surnames from the University bunch if possible, but I also kind of like Randy's surname, and Jane strikes me as the traditional sort that would take her husband's name instead of having him take hers. She's obviously not traditional enough to wait for marriage, however....she proved that early on with her bedroom antics with Martin while still at college. So...whenever I get back to this family, I may just have them wait to marry until after the baby is born so it will get the Stacks name, and then have her take Randy's name so any subsequent children will be McClellands.<br /><br />Up next: The brief tale of Brittany Upsnott's first two days as an adult.<br /><a title="Stacks-McClelland_Update1_19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Stacks-McClelland/?action=view&current=Stacks-McClelland_Update1_19.jpg"> </a></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-41794918300514040742009-07-05T13:00:00.000-07:002009-07-05T19:59:41.152-07:00University - Maxis PlayablesWelcome back to Challengeville. For those of you who have been following along from the start, I apologize for the long break in updates here. This round took me far longer to play than I'd thought it would, largely due to time constraints on how much I was able to play Sims 2 during the last few months. That, and University just takes forever when you're running this many sims through, but I probably don't need to tell some of you that. I can't even begin to imagine how those of you who've run 50-70 or more through at a time managed it without going totally insane. But, I did finish it at long last, though honestly the last few semesters for most of them were very rushed, and I admittedly was cheating heavily with grades and semester timers to get them all done and graduated as my patience for playing University was wearing very thin by then..lol. And after all that time spent playing, This isn't going to be much more than a bare-bones facts update about them all, with a few anecdotes thrown in here and there for those that actually managed to do something interesting while at Uni. I'm not presenting them in the order I played them, but in the order that I think will make the most sense for telling the whole story. And so, without further ado, I'll introduce you to the first house.<br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-1-BrightHousehold.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-1-BrightHousehold.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="BrightHousehold-1-BrightHousehold.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-1-BrightHousehold.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-1-BrightHousehold.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br /><br /><div float="left"><a title="BrightHousehold-Allegra.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-Allegra.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-Allegra.jpg" border="0" /> </a></div><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);font-size:180%;" >Allegra Gorey</span><br />Knowledge/Popularity<br />Become Hand of Poseidon<br />Pisces; 5 Neat, 2 Outgoing, 9 Active, 2 Playful, 7 Nice<br />Red Hair, Custom Hair ; Unemployed<br />Hobby: Fitness<br />Major: Biology – Graduated 3.8<br />Achievements: Secret Society, BSOC, Greek House (Freshman House)<br /><br />Allegra is a first semester freshman when you first load this lot. I can't remember if she already had the Biology major or if I changed it to better suit her LTW. Her secondary aspiration, and that of all of the others in this update, was rolled for, using the standard prosperity chart. Besides the achievements listed above, she also managed to max her Fitness enthusiasm and get her plaque for that. She might also have gotten the plaque for Arts & Crafts from spending a lot of time painting in her later semesters, but I don't remember if she got that far with it or not. As with all of the others except the Tri-Var girls, I used ACR to randomly determine gender preferences, and it decided that Allegra likes women. I made a few attempts to find her a future partner while she was in university, and came up with one possibility for her. She met her through a gypsy date, which turned out to be only an OK date, but afterwards they decided they were more into each other than they first thought they were.<br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-4-Allegrasdate.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-4-Allegrasdate.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="BrightHousehold-4-Allegrasdate.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-4-Allegrasdate.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-4-Allegrasdate.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="BrightHousehold-5-Allegraafterdate.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-5-Allegraafterdate.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-5-Allegraafterdate.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />I haven't yet decided if I'll pair them up or not. I may just have Allegra stay single, and either remain childless, adopt, or boolprop her an "in vitro" baby with someone. She did eventually graduate, and moved out into an apartment in town.<br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-6-Allegraagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-6-Allegraagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="BrightHousehold-6-Allegraagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-6-Allegraagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-6-Allegraagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-Martin.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-Martin.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-Martin.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Martin Ruben</span><br />Knowledge/Pleasure<br />Max out 7 Skills<br />Capricorn ; 8 Nice, 3 Outgoing, 2 Active, 5 Playful, 7 Nice<br />Black Hair, Athletic ; Swim Wear<br />Hobby: Cuisine<br />Major: Mathematics – Graduated 3.9<br />Achievements: Secret Society, BSOC, Greek House (Freshman House)<br /><br />Martin is also a first semester freshman when you load the lot. And overall he did very little of interest through most of his college career, except skill. He didn't make it to fulfilling his LTW yet, but he made a very good start on it with at least 4, possibly 5, of his skills maxed out. On the romance front, he and Jane did have a thing going between them for the first several semesters of play, and I'd been intending to pair them up together after college, but then about halfway through her final semester (his 2nd sophomore semester), he met Suzie Santander, one of the cheerleaders, who is a 3-bolt match for him. I decided the 3-bolt match should take precedence, and so dropped my plans for him and Jane. There wasn't any actual breakup in-game between them, but she did graduate shortly thereafter, which largely ended their affair. Once he'd graduated, he moved out to an apartment, invited Suzie over, then asked her to move in with him, which prompted her to graduate and grow up without my ever having had to play her. Here are their graduation/growing up pics.<br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-7-Martinagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-7-Martinagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="BrightHousehold-7-Martinagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-7-Martinagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-7-Martinagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="BrightHousehold-8-Suzieagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-8-Suzieagesup.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-8-Suzieagesup.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />I'm a bit leery of how this household will go, because previous experience with playing a cheerleader that was made playable and grew up showed me that they never stop being cheerleaders. And it gets most annoying. We shall see though...hopefully one of the hacks I have from MATY will prevent that.<br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-Jane.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-Jane.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-Jane.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Jane Stacks</span><br />Family/Fortune<br />Raise 20 Puppies or Kittens<br />Cancer ; 7 Neat, 2 Outgoing, 7 Active, 3 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Unemployed, Mechanical ; Cologne<br />Hobby: Tinkering<br />Major: Physics – Graduated 3.7<br />Achievements: Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Jane starts out as a first semester Junior. And though it was very tempting to change her annoying LTW, I decided I'd leave it and give it a go. Being unsure about how having pets at university would work, however, she didn't start work on it until after she graduated. Overall Jane was fairly unremarkable in college. As noted above, she had a thing going with Martin for most of her time there, but then halfway through her last semester he met someone else, and that left her without a prospective mate going into her adulthood. She is the only one of the three of them that didn't get the Greek House achievement, because it wasn't until after she'd graduated that I decided to have Allegra and Martin join the Freshman Houeshold's Greek House. Here is her graduation picture - and no, I don't know what's up with the medieval gown.<br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-3-Janeagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-3-Janeagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="BrightHousehold-3-Janeagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-3-Janeagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-3-Janeagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Jane moved into an apartment, and in order to preserve the age gap between her and the others, I did play her there for 4 sim days, the equivalent (in my mind at least) of the 4 semesters the other two had left to go. The story of her first few days of adulthood actually turned out fairly interesting, so I've made a separate post about it to give it the space it deserves. You can read about it <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/stacks-starting-out.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Before we move on here, I'll show you one last shot...a composite shot of their various Secret Society abductions. Sorry it's so dark, but it's hard to get good shots of something that only happens at night.<br /><br /><a title="BrightHousehold-2-SSAbductions.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-2-SSAbductions.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="BrightHousehold-2-SSAbductions.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-2-SSAbductions.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/BrightHousehold-2-SSAbductions.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />That's about all I have for general pics from this lot. They were a pretty boring routine of skilling and studying for the most part.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-1-Tri-VarSorority.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-1-Tri-VarSorority.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-1-Tri-VarSorority.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />This household was far more interesting to play overall given the personalities of the girls that lived here. I spent a lot of time dating, and doing outings with them, though didn't really take pictures of it all. This is the only household that I didn't use ACR to randomize gender preferences, and I decided that they all like men. Future mates were largely determined via having them look into TwoJeff's' crystal ball. Even though they're already in a Greek House starting off, I still counted it among their college achievements. I'll lead off here with the composite Secret Society abductions picture, then introduce you to the gals individually.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-2-SSAbductions.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-2-SSAbductions.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Tri-VarSorority-2-SSAbductions.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-2-SSAbductions.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-2-SSAbductions.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-Brittany.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-Brittany.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-Brittany.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Brittany Upsnott</span><br />Popularity/Family<br />Become Cult Leader<br />Capricorn ; 7 Neat, 7 Outgoing, 8 Active, 2 Playful, 1 Nice<br />Red Hair, Black Hair ; Athletic<br />Hobby: Sports<br />Major: Philosophy – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Brittany is a Sophomore starting off, and unlike with Jane, I did use the Sim Blender to change her LTW, which originally was the 20 Pet Best Friends one. I really didn't want to mess with that one. I'd installed a hack from MATY that enables university-related career LTWs, and was kind of pleased when it rolled one of those for her. Should be more interesting than having yet another mayor or business tycoon, or any of the other sorts of Popularity career LTWs. She was quite the social butterfly during college, and while I could probably have found her a mate the ordinary way, I'd already had her gaze into the crystal ball and it found Bruce Rauscher for her. He's already an adult, but that didn't stop them from starting up their romance. During one of their dates, she rolled the want to get engaged to him, so I went for it. She seemed to have second thoughts about it afterward though, and got a bad memory of it.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-3-Brittanyproposes.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-3-Brittanyproposes.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Tri-VarSorority-3-Brittanyproposes.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-3-Brittanyproposes.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-3-Brittanyproposes.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The rest of her college career was fairly uneventful, and in the course of things she graduated.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-4-Brittanyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-4-Brittanyagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Tri-VarSorority-4-Brittanyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-4-Brittanyagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-4-Brittanyagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />She moved out into an apartment in the same complex that Jane is living in, and I played her for a couple sim days there to preserve the age gap. There is a little bit more to tell of that than I want to put in here, so I'll tell the story of her first few days of adulthood in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/07/upsnott-first-two-days.html">another post</a>.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-Heather.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-Heather.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-Heather.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Heather Huffington</span><br />Romance/Popularity<br />Become Rock God<br />Sagittarius ; 1 Neat, 7 Outgoing, 2 Active, 9 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Fitness, Unemployed ; Blond Hair<br />Hobby: Nature<br />Major: Literature – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Heather was quite the busy gal during college, but then Romance sims often are. An early look into the crystal ball had identified Ashley Pitts from the Frat Brothers house as a good match for her, and I hooked them up together almost right away. They went on several dates in their first few semesters, woohoo'd several times, and then largely went their own ways and dated other people for the remainder of their time in college. Heather got around a lot more than Ashley did, however, and by the time she'd graduated, she'd managed to woohoo with 10 different guys, including a couple of professors. She also proved to be highly compatible with almost every guy she met. Normally 3-bolt matches are pretty rare, but Heather has ended up with no less than 5 of them, and just as many 2-bolt matches. It's the first time I've ever seen a sim be so highly compatible with so many different other sims.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-5-HeathersMatches.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-5-HeathersMatches.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Tri-VarSorority-5-HeathersMatches.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-5-HeathersMatches.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-5-HeathersMatches.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Note that Blake Pennington, one of my Challengeville sims, is among her top matches. He, along with his brother Brandon, was one of her early conquests after she started dating around on Ashley. On one particular outing downtown, they were both present, and I sent her to the photo booth to woohoo with Blake to boost the outing score (and maybe to add a notch on her bedpost...I forget now if they'd woohoo'd before that or not, but I think they had). Then, I thought I'd see if I could spice things up more, so just as soon as she'd gotten out of the booth with Blake, I had her invite Brandon in there with her, and she went at it again with him. I'd expected Blake to throw a fit, but nope, he didn't seem to care at all, and he stood there with all the rest of the group cheering them on. Because of the 3-bolts she has with Blake, I debated on having her hook up with him eventually (she only has 2 bolts with Brandon, and he's already engaged to someone else), and thus earn a place in the main neighborhood (all of the Maxis playable sims are being relegated to a sub-hood I've named Townie Valley). But, since Ashley was already a playable, and since I wasn't sure I wanted to stick Blake with a who-, er, likely-to-be-unfaithful wife, I decided to just stick with the original plan of having her pair up with Ashley. Hopefully they'll be less likely to care if the other one has a roaming eye. Heather graduated into a kimono...something I'll change eventually.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-6-Heatheragesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-6-Heatheragesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Tri-VarSorority-6-Heatheragesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-6-Heatheragesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-6-Heatheragesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I merged her into the apartment that Ashley was already living in, but haven't played her/them since then.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-Tiffany.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-Tiffany.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-Tiffany.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Tiffany Sampson</span><br />Knowledge/Fortune<br />Become Criminal Mastermind<br />Aries ; 4 Neat, 5 Outgoing, 4 Active, 6 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Charismatic, Athletic ; Glasses<br />Hobby: Nature<br />Major: Literature – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Finally we have Tiffany, who, while I like her, was certainly the least interesting of the three during college. Like most Knowledge sims, she was largely only interested in keeping her nose in a book, though she did maintain a reasonable social life as well. The early look into the crystal ball identified one Aiolos Robbins as a good match for her, and indeed he is. It's unknown if he has any out-of-town relatives from another planet, but Tiffany doesn't really care if he does, since they have 3-bolts for one another, and though he, like Bruce, is already an adult, she did date him periodically through college to establish and maintain a relationship with him, as well as to give her an aspiration boost when she was needing one. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of them while she was in college, so we'll have to wait to meet him sometime in a future update. When she'd finished college, she managed to graduate into a fairly decent outfit, which I may or may not keep for her, depending on how the mood strikes me in the future.<br /><br /><a title="Tri-VarSorority-7-Tiffanyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-7-Tiffanyagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Tri-VarSorority-7-Tiffanyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Tri-VarSorority-7-Tiffanyagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Tri-VarSorority-7-Tiffanyagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />She moved into an apartment in Townie Valley, but hasn't yet asked Aiolos to move in with her since I was in a hurry to get through everyone by then.<br /><br />I did move a placeholder in before I moved Heather and Tiffany out to keep the lot active in case I ever want to use it again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-1-FratBrothers.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-1-FratBrothers.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-1-FratBrothers.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />So, you'd think a house full of frat boys would be interesting to play, huh? Not so much with this lot. I found myself getting rather bored with them most of the time actually. ACR got to determine gender preferences here, and it decided that Castor and Joshua both prefer men. And while they weren't necessarily attracted to one another early on, eventually they were. Here they all are getting into the Secret Society:<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-2-SSAbductions.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-2-SSAbductions.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-2-SSAbductions.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-2-SSAbductions.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-2-SSAbductions.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-Ashley.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-Ashley.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-Ashley.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Ashley Pitts</span><br />Romance/Family<br />Become Rock God<br />Leo ; 2 Neat, 9 Outgoing, 7 Active, 6 Playful, 1 Nice<br />Formal Wear, Hard Worker ; Fatness<br />Hobby: Sports<br />Major: Literature – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Ashley was the liveliest one of the bunch with his Romance sim ways. Though he was far more sedate with those ways than Heather was, and only woohooed a couple other women besides Heather while he was in college. He doesn't seem to have Heather's super-compatibility either, and she is the only one he has a 3-bolt match with which is part of the reason I decided to keep them together instead of hooking her up with Blake. Ashley did a lot of studying for his future career in college, and was quite shocked while studying Mechanical to discover all the myriad uses for duct tape.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-3-Ashleymechanical.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-3-Ashleymechanical.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-3-Ashleymechanical.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-3-Ashleymechanical.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-3-Ashleymechanical.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />All the studying eventually stood him in good stead come graduation time, though it didn't get him a very good outfit. Not that there's anything wrong with the track suit it gave him...it's just not him.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-4-Ashleyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-4-Ashleyagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-4-Ashleyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-4-Ashleyagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-4-Ashleyagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He moved out into the same apartment complex that Jane and Brittany are living in, and I played him there for a few sim days to keep the age gap. One of the first things I did was send him downtown to get a new outfit.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-5-Ashleysnewlook.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-5-Ashleysnewlook.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-5-Ashleysnewlook.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-5-Ashleysnewlook.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-5-Ashleysnewlook.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He wasn't able to find any openings in the Music field during his two days of play, so he spent his time dating, and managed to get his woohoo count up to 5. Heather was subsequently moved in with him after she graduated, so only time will tell if he ever manages to match her bed count.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-Joshua.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-Joshua.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-Joshua.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Joshua Ruben</span><br />Fortune/Family<br />Become Space Pirate<br />Leo ; 1 Neat, 7 Outgoing, 9 Active, 5 Playful, 3 Nice<br />Mechanical, Good at Cleaning ; Custom Hair<br />Hobby: Sports<br />Major: Literature – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Secret Society, Greek House, BSOC<br /><br />Joshua was a freshman starting out, and by and large was fairly uninteresting. Despite his Fortune primary aspiration, he often behaved more like a Popularity sim, wanting to make friends and best friends. Maybe he was just thinking to start networking early for the future. He eventually paired up with Castor, though theirs has been a fairly low-key romance so far. I believe they only have one bolt for each other currently, though since neither has met anyone else better, I decided to just go with the pairing. Maybe some future tweaking to satisfy turn ons/offs will help get them another bolt. When he graduated, he got a pretty dorky (IMO anyway) outfit, which was later changed.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-6-Joshuaagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-6-Joshuaagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-6-Joshuaagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-6-Joshuaagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-6-Joshuaagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He moved into an apartment with Castor Nova after graduation, though I didn't play them any longer than it took to get them into new clothes and sign a lease.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-Castor.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-Castor.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-Castor.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Castor Nova</span><br />Knowledge/Pleasure<br />Become Education Minister<br />Virgo ; 4 Neat, 4 Outgoing, 6 Active, 5 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Stink, Hats ; Creative<br />Hobby: Arts & Crafts<br />Major: Biology – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Castor was another ho-hum Knowledge sim throughout college. Despite his True Hobby being Arts & Crafts, he took a liking to Games early on when I had him playing chess to raise Logic. He continued to keep rolling Games related wants the rest of the time there. That's one thing that really annoys me with the hobbies...I prefer using the chess set for Logic since the telescope creates its own annoyances if they use it during the day, but the obsession with Games that it gives them is almost, if not more, annoying than having people come over to slap them all the time for being Peeping Toms (or Tomasinas as the case may be). He eventually graduated into a particularly horrible outfit, which got changed almost immediately afterwards.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-7-Castoragesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-7-Castoragesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-7-Castoragesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-7-Castoragesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-7-Castoragesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />As was noted above, he moved in with Joshua after college, with the household bearing his name. I figure Martin can carry on the Ruben name with Suzie. As such, it was Castor that signed the lease on their apartment.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-9-Castorsignslease.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-9-Castorsignslease.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-9-Castorsignslease.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-9-Castorsignslease.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-9-Castorsignslease.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />As you can see, I'd given him a new outfit already. It's a bit on the boring side, but I don't have that many options for men unfortunately.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-Kevin.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-Kevin.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-Kevin.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Kevin Beare</span><br />Family/Fortune<br />Become Captain Hero<br />Leo ; 3 Neat, 5 Outgoing, 6 Active, 5 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Glasses, Unemployed ; Creative<br />Hobby: Arts & Crafts<br />Major: Psychology – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Finally we have Kevin. Who was pretty much as boring as most of his housemates were. As a Family sim, besides studying, Kevin was interested in finding a future wife while at college. He met several women, and dated a few of them, but had a hard time finding someone who was a really good match for him. For awhile it looked like 2-bolt Edith Suwankiri would get to become the future Mrs. Beare, but they later dropped down to just 1 bolt, so she got crossed off the list. Though, really, I still would have picked her if he hadn't found anyone else better. He did find someone else during his last semesters there though, 2-bolt match Amy Peshterianu. And she ultimately won out over Edith as my pick for Kevin's future wife. Kevin managed to get some decent clothes when he graduated, unlike the others.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-8-Kevinagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-8-Kevinagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-8-Kevinagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-8-Kevinagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-8-Kevinagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He leased an apartment in the same complex with Castor and Joshua, and then invited Amy over and asked her to move in with him. She did the graduate/grow up spin, and became...a lumberjack apparently.<br /><br /><a title="FratBrothers-10-Amyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-10-Amyagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="FratBrothers-10-Amyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-10-Amyagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/FratBrothers-10-Amyagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I don't think I took the time to change her clothes yet, but I will in the future.<br /><br />As with the Tri-Var house, I moved a placeholder in before I moved them all out so that the lot would stay active and available for the future if I want to use it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">--------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-1-FreshmanHousehold.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-1-FreshmanHousehold.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-1-FreshmanHousehold.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />And finally we have the Freshman Household. This household is comprised of the various students that were in the sim bin for Sim State University. I originally moved them all into one of the dorms together, and played them there for a bit, but I don't really like playing in dorms, and trying to keep up with 5 of them there was quickly driving me nuts, so I ended up cheating their money and moving them out into their own house. I later had them apply for a Greek Charter in order to quickly and easily get the Greek House memory for all of them. Besides that, they all made it into the Secret Society, though I must have missed getting a picture of it for Jimmy, thus he's not shown in the composite picture here. I think he was the first one to get in.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-2-SSabductions.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-2-SSabductions.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-2-SSabductions.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />I'll introduce you to the students here individually in a moment, but it was the group story here that was more interesting overall. In particular, I used them for Garden Club practice, both getting into it, and getting the Wishing Well. I'd re-read ASimWen's wonderful guide since the failed attempt at the Ursa Major House with Brandon Pennington awhile back, but it took me about three attempts to get the Well. The first attempt, I had Jimmy call, and while he got accepted into the club, he didn't get the well. They didn't like the unraked leaves in the back that had pretty much just fallen and I hadn't gotten a chance to rake them yet (actually I didn't even see them until too late since they were back in the opposite corner of the lot from the garden). They also thought it needed more decorative landscaping. I then had to wait awhile to try again, since first it wouldn't let me have the garden inspected again for a few days, then all the plants matured to harvest stage so I had to replant and wait for the new ones to grow enough. Then I made sure that all leaves were raked, all weeds pulled, etc., then had Jared make the call to invite the Garden Club lady over and ask for an inspection. Then made him stand on duty ready to pull any weeds that sprang up while they were there. Like Jimmy though, he didn't quite make it for the Well.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-4-Gardenattempt2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-4-Gardenattempt2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-4-Gardenattempt2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-4-Gardenattempt2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-4-Gardenattempt2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Another round of waiting, and replanting, and waiting some more...and the installation more ordinary flowers and shrubs and garden lights along with other landscaping, and eventually I was ready to try a third time. Sam got to do the honors this time, and was the one that was finally successful.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-5-Gardenwin.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-5-Gardenwin.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-5-Gardenwin.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-5-Gardenwin.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-5-Gardenwin.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Here's an aerial view of the winning lot.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-6-Winninglotaerial.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-6-Winninglotaerial.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-6-Winninglotaerial.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-6-Winninglotaerial.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-6-Winninglotaerial.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The extra flowers and such seemed to be what put it over the edge, so I guess you really do need quite a bit of them to make the cut. The little Oriental shrine statue thing was sold off after the successful inspection, and the Wishing Well was put in its spot. Although Sam happened to be the one I had make the call on the final attempt, the garden had really been a group effort, and in actuality Erik and Jared had been the ones who worked on it the most. Sam was just the most convenient one to have make the call at the time since she didn't have a class coming up soon, and hadn't yet gotten into the club.<br /><br />And now, some notes about the individual inhabitants here.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-Jared.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-Jared.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-Jared.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Jared Starchild</span><br />Family/Romance<br />Marry off 6 Children<br />Libra ; 1 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 2 Active, 8 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Underwear, Blond Hair ; Full Face Makeup<br />Hobby: Nature<br />Major: Art – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />Jared was a pretty laid-back kind of guy for the most part throughout college. He studied some, when I made him, though he wasn't overly interested in studying or skilling for the most part. He did spend a fair bit of time making friends, and working in the garden a lot to feed his Nature hobby. He dated around a little, but didn't find the right woman until his later semesters, when the crystal ball finally found Cara Kim for him. It's only a 2-bolt match I think, but it was the best one he had going, so she'll be the lucky one to make it out of towniedom to marry him eventually. Here he is at graduation, managing to get an OK outfit, though it'll probably get changed because I hate that sweater it put him in.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-8-Jaredagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-8-Jaredagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-8-Jaredagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-8-Jaredagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-8-Jaredagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I was in a RL time crunch the evening I finally got them all graduated and moved out, so I didn't yet get him moved in anywhere, though he'll be getting an apartment in Townie Valley like the others, and will ask Cara to move in with him when he does.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-Erik.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-Erik.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-Erik.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Erik Swain</span><br />Family/Pleasure<br />Reach Golden Anniversary<br />Aquarius ; 2 Neat, 3 Outgoing, 8 Active, 5 Playful, 3 Nice<br />Creative, Athletic ; Stink<br />Hobby: Sports<br />Major: Art – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Secret Society, Greek House, BSOC<br /><br />Erik was about as non-descript as Jared was thorugh college. His secondary aspiration of Pleasure tended to dominate his wishes, along with Nature-related wishes since I also had him tending the garden a lot with Jared. I think both of them managed to get their gold badges in Gardening while in college, which tells you how much they were doing there. Like Jared, Erik dated around a little, but eventually met Ichelle Woodrow, a 3-bolt match. It was a low-key romance during college, but should prove to be a good pairing eventually. Here he is at graduation:<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-7-Erikagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-7-Erikagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-7-Erikagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-7-Erikagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-7-Erikagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He moved into an apartment in Townie Valley, then invited Ichelle over and asked her to move in. She got a very practical looking outfit when she grew up.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-12-Ichelleagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-12-Ichelleagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-12-Ichelleagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-12-Ichelleagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-12-Ichelleagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not really sure why the Nature lady was there. I was in such a hurry to get people moved in that night that I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on with them outside of the few tasks I needed them to accomplish before I moved on to the next one. So, I suppose he might have been birdwatching or something and it put him over the edge for getting a plaque (I'm fairly certain he'd gotten the membership card a long while back). I'll have to check that whenever I play him next.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-Sam.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-Sam.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-Sam.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Sam Thomas</span><br />Popularity/Knowledge<br />Become Celebrity Chef<br />Aquarius; 4 Neat, 4 Outgoing, 5 Active, 5 Playful, 7 Nice<br />Black Hair, Athletic ; Full Face Makeup<br />Hobby: Arts & Crafts<br />Major: Philosophy – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Greek House, Secret Society, BSOC<br /><br />The thing I remember most about Sam was that she was a pretty busy gal in college. And by "busy" I mean you'd think she was a Romance sim the way she kept hopping into bed with guys, mostly her roommates. I think Jared is the only one of the guys she didn't sleep with at some point, and she bedded the others several times apiece I believe. All at the instigation of ACR...I never directed her to go to bed with any of them except Jimmy. Jimmy is the one I'd picked to match her up with, since they have 2 bolts for each other, though she has 2 bolts with Ty and Erik as well. But since they both had better matches, and Jimmy didn't, he's the one I chose for her. They had a rocky romance in college though, mainly because of the way she kept fooling around with the others. He caught her flirting with Erik once, and it made him furious with her for a long while. They eventually patched it up between them, though, and at the end were very much in love again. Funny thing is, neither Erik or Ty ever seemed to care if she was flirting with or sleeping with one of the others, and I'm pretty certain there were several opportunities for them to have caught her "cheating" if they were going to care about it. I guess the game though Sam was going hiking right after graduation, given the outfit it put her in:<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-10-Samagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-10-Samagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-10-Samagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-10-Samagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-10-Samagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I didn't get a chance to change her into something else yet, as she and Jimmy were one of the few that I didn't get moved into an apartment due to lack of time that evening.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-Jimmy.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-Jimmy.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-Jimmy.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Jimmy Phoenix</span><br />Popularity/Fortune<br />Become Rock God<br />Sagittarius ; 3 Neat, 6 Outgoing, 4 Active, 5 Playful, 7 Nice<br />Grey Hair, Good at Cleaning ; Full Face Makeup<br />Hobby: Arts & Crafts<br />Major: Literature – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Secret Society, Greek House, BSOC<br /><br />Jimmy really lived up to his Popularity aspiration throughout college, always wanting to meet new people and be friends and best friends with them. He was an easy one to get into the Secret Society and one of the first of all of the sims in this round to get the Big Sim on Campus memory.<br />Aside from that, there's not really much to tell about him aside from his on again-off again-on again romance with Sam that I detailed above. At graduation, he went from the nerdy-preppy sweater over untucked shirt to a retro disco look.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-9-Jimmyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-9-Jimmyagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-9-Jimmyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-9-Jimmyagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-9-Jimmyagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Needless to say, he'll be getting different clothing at the first opportunity.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-Ty.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-Ty.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-Ty.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >Ty Bubbler</span><br />Popularity/Pleasure<br />Become Captain Hero<br />Libra; 4 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 1 Active, 7 Playful, 5 Nice<br />Hats, Great Cook ; Logical<br />Hobby: Cuisine<br />Major: Psychology – Graduated 4.0<br />Achievements: Secret Society, Greek House, BSOC<br /><br />And last but not least, we have Ty. Who...really wasn't any more noteworthy than most of the others in this house unfortunately. The Popularity/Pleasure combo meant he wasn't much interested in classes or schoolwork, but I made him do them anyway. And aside from his casual friends-with-benefits relationship with Sam, he didn't have much luck in the romance arena for awhile. He did eventually find Alexis Glass, however, via the crystal ball. It's not necessarily a match made in heaven (only 2 bolts I think), but it was good enough that he apparently rolled the want to get engaged to her during one of their dates, and apparently I indulged him in it.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-3-Typroposes.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-3-Typroposes.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-3-Typroposes.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-3-Typroposes.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-3-Typroposes.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I actually had completely forgotten that he'd gotten engaged to her until I was going through the pictures later on. I just hope she cleans up to look a bit better once I can get her out of that tennis dress and fix her hair and makeup. Ty's going to need some wardrobe help in the future as well, because apparently they gave him a shirt that's too small for him when he graduated.<br /><br /><a title="Freshman-11-Tyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-11-Tyagesup.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Freshman-11-Tyagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-11-Tyagesup.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/Freshman-11-Tyagesup.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Ty is another one that I didn't get moved in anywhere yet, though he will be getting an apartment with Alexis just like all the others.<br /><br />A placeholder was moved in before the 5 of them moved out so the lot will be available. I especially wasn't about to "lose" this lot after all the trouble I went to in order to get the Wishing Well for it. Most likely this will be the main Greek House that any future Maxis playables will use when they come to college.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">--------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And that about wraps it up for this round. I did spend just a short bit of time with Blake Pennington in the midst of playing through all of these houses, and got him accepted into, and moved into the Ursa Major House Greek House that his brother Brandon started with Skip Roper and Anne Chovie. I then finally got them moved out of college and into houses back in Challengeville. Or at least...Skip & Viola and Brandon & Allison got houses. Anne was moved into an apartment by herself for now. I'll wait to show their pictures when I get to their lots in the rotation, however. My playlist is a bit of a mess at the moment, but I think their collective turns will be up after about 4 more lots. Unless I decide to play some of the other Maxis playables from Bluewater and the sim bin first. I'm just so very glad that I won't have to play University again for awhile.<br /><a title="Freshman-1-FreshmanHousehold.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=Freshman-1-FreshmanHousehold.jpg"> </a><a title="FratBrothers-1-FratBrothers.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=FratBrothers-1-FratBrothers.jpg"> </a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><a title="BrightHousehold-8-Suzieagesup.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Maxis%201/?action=view&current=BrightHousehold-8-Suzieagesup.jpg"> </a>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-52693263173983327392009-04-18T13:59:00.000-07:002009-04-18T15:52:11.106-07:00Shi, Round 1 - Promotions GaloreWe first met the Shi family in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/shi-introduction-backstory.html">Shi - Introduction and Backstory</a>. I had played through Sue's challenge prior to starting this blog, so this family is now in "free play" mode. They are a nice family, but necessarily all that exciting, and their week was fairly a fairly uneventful run of normal family life this round. So, while I've been trying to start doing these entries in a more storytelling manner, this time it's going to just be a straight "here's what happened" approach again, because no story for them really comes to mind this time. But before we start with what happened for them this week, here's a refresher look at the family:<br /><br /><a title="ShiFamily1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=ShiFamily1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="ShiFamily1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=ShiFamily1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/ShiFamily1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Thomas had just been born when I stopped playing their lot before, and Tanis and Terrance had only grown up to Child a day or so before.<br /><br />After playing the Rhodes family, with their somewhat troubled marriage, the first thing I see Sue and Shea doing when I loaded up their house and unpaused it was this:<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Clearly, this three-bolt couple isn't having any marital problems. They're actually rather mushy about one another.<br /><br />After they'd had their fun, I noticed that the garden was needing tended, and some of the plants were ready to harvest, so I sent them outside to work on it. While they were doing so, Shea got his Silver badge, and Sue got her Gold. Yay, now Sue can talk the plants up to thriving before harvesting them.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-3.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-3.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Shi-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-4.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The next day, Sue went to work and came home with the first of many promotions for the week.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">That night, she and Shea helped the twins learn how to do their homework.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-6.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-6.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The following day brought more promotions, first Shea, and then Sue.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-7.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-7.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-7.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Shi-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-8.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">While Sue and Shea were busy chatting up the friends they'd brought home from work, the Games lot guy showed up to give Terrance a membership to the Games secret lot. He'd run out to meet his parents when they got home, and was still caught in the mini-traffic jam of people milling around by the front gate. It took a minute for the games guy to catch up to him.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-9.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-9.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-9.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Before I knew it, it was time for Thomas to transition to Toddler. Shea did the honors in the small nursery room.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-10.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-10.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-10.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Shi-1-11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-11.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-11.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Shi-1-12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-12.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-12.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">He turned out pretty good I think, and thankfully is not a clone of either of his siblings like I've had happen on other lots. I really need to start remembering to roll the dice when I start the game to fend off the firstborn effect. I don't remember if he was born in the same play session that Tanis and Terrance were or not.<br /><br />With Thomas grown to Toddler now, so began the toddler training drill. Luckily aspiration wasn't much of a problem for Sue or Shea, so Thomas got lots of smart milk to help. First Shea taught him how to talk...<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-13.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-13.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-13.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Then Sue got him potty trained...<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-14.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-14.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-14.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And finally Sue taught him how to walk. The smart milk glow wore off while they were working on it, so he didn't have it for the picture, but he did have it when they first started.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-15.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-15.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-15.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The next day saw more promotions for Shea and Sue. Sue was really zooming up the career ladder now that she was done having kids. Unfortunately, family life and their careers weren't leaving them much time for keeping in contact with all of their friends.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-16.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-16.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-16.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Shi-1-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-17.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-17.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">To round off his toddler skills, Sue sat down with Thomas and taught him a nursery rhyme. I'm not sure if this skill really counts for much besides giving them more toddler animations to do, and I don't always bother with it, but I do when things aren't too hectic on a lot just because I think it's cute. Definitely is my last priority for toddler skills though.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-18.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-18.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-18.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Around this time I finally remembered that I'd been wanting to try out the new solar panels that came with Mansions & Gardens. I'd meant to install some in the Rhodes house, but...then the quads came...and things got rather hectic...and I forgot to. And before that, Uncle Chovie simply didn't have enough money to be able to afford them. But the Shis had plenty of money for them, and things weren't so crazy here, so I finally remembered to find them in the catalog and put some up on the roof. I think I put in 4 of them, and it paid off for them. Will be nice to see the money rolling IN twice a week instead of going out to bills.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-19.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-19.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-19.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The next day brought another promotion for Sue. I'm not sure if there was ever a day this week that she didn't come home with a promotion.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-20.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-20.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-20.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It was also the twins' birthday, but I'd been so wrapped up in something that was going on outside, probably Sue coming home, that I almost missed it. I didn't even realize they were doing the spin until the window popped up asking me to choose Tanis's aspiration. I did manage to kind of catch a shot of them with their "grew up well" icons over their heads in the background of something, so I spliced it in here with the shots of what Tanis and Terrance rolled for their aspirations. Afterward, I also went ahead and rolled secondaries for them. Also, the text for Terrance's LTW was glitched, so I edited in the correct career field for him based on the icon. I forget what the top level job for Gamer is called.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-21.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-21.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-21.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Shi-1-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-23.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-23.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Shi-1-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-24.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-24.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The game was warning me that Sue only had a day or two left before she'd become an Elder, and while I try to resist the urge to keep the sims I like young, there is a rather large age gap between her and Shea, and the kids are all still fairly young, so I had her go over to the genie lamp that was sitting unused in the living room and wish for a long life. It gave her an extra 5 days as an adult. Not sure if I'll extend her life more next time or not.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-22.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-22.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-22.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The next day Sue came home with her final promotion of the week, and the one that put her at the top of the Law career and fulfilled her LTW. Her new LTW is to Become General (Top of Military career), though I didn't get a chance as yet to switch her to that career field.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-25.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-25.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-25.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Tanis also came home with a promotion. I don't usually have my teens get jobs, but since she's a Fortune sim I figured I'd let her have one so she'd be making money to keep her happy, and hopefully get the Overachiever memory too.<a title="Shi-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-26.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-25.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-25.jpg"> </a><a title="Shi-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-26.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-26.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Terrance doesn't have a job yet, and not sure if I'll make him get one or not. I just might, if only so he'll get the Overachiever memory to match his twin's (since I'm pretty sure that Tanis will manage to get it).<br /><br />The last thing of any note that happened this week was that Thomas transitioned well to Child. I had sent Shea out to buy more clothes for the kids prior to all the birthdays, and while I had Tanis and Terrance change into the new ones, I decided that I liked Thomas's outfit well enough that I think I'll just stay with it.<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-27.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-27.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-27.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I think Thomas's birthday came in the early evening on the last full day of the week I was playing them for, but nothing else of any note happened the rest of the night before I left the lot early the following morning. Here's a look at how the family looked at the end of the week:<br /><br /><a title="Shi-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-28.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Shi-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-28.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/Shi-1-28.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">So...sorry this update probably wasn't that exciting, but, well, some sim weeks/lots just aren't :p Maybe Terrance's secondary aspiration of Romance will help spice things up for them more next week. Or maybe one of the others will start doing something interesting. We'll see I guess.<br /><br /><br />Before I wrap this update up, I wanted to add a few notes about a few changes in approach I've done with this neighborhood, which mostly involves all of the "townie" families....not the true townies, but the Maxis lots in Bluewater and the University that are playable, as well as the Maxis sims that were in the sim bin. Awhile back, I'd added a second "shopping district" subhood that I called Townie Valley and installed all of the sim bin sims in houses there. When I did so, I'd not really intended to play them at all...I just wanted to get them installed in houses with phones so they'd be callable since some of the sims in my main hood were bringing some of them home from work or meeting them on community lots and such. Beyond that I intended to just treat them like townies and only pay attention to them if they happened to hook up with one of the sims from the main 'hood. Now though, I've changed my mind, and have decided that I'd like to keep those families aging and progressing along with the ones in the main 'hood. It will also give me a chance to experiment and try out some things in the game that I haven't really done before, without having to worry so much if I bork things up with beginner's mistakes :p So...I'll be playing through all of them in the various subhoods in between rounds at the main houses. I won't be doing full blown blog entries for each family though, and probably won't be taking a lot of pictures like I do for my main families, but I will post brief summaries about them with at least portrait type pictures and maybe other ones as well if something particularly interesting happens, to at least be providing something of a backstory for them as I go along in case any of them end up joining one of the main families in some fashion. So...with this plan in mind, I've already begun playing the Maxis lots at University, so the next update will be about them. Currently there's the two Maxis Greek houses, the Bright house, and a dorm I dubbed "Townie Dorm" where all the kids in the sim bin got housed. Given how little time for playing the game I've had lately, it may well take me a few weeks to get through them all and get them graduated. Wish me luck.<br /><a title="Shi-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-26.jpg"> </a><a title="Shi-1-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Update%201/?action=view&current=Shi-1-24.jpg"> </a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-56166887963792656752009-04-06T19:57:00.000-07:002009-04-06T21:47:17.275-07:00Rhodes, Round 1 - How Many Are in There?The Rhodes are basically a new family to Challengeville in so far as I hadn't really played them yet in this neighborhood, though I did post a short introduction to them along with a few pics of when I actually did their challenge <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/rhodes-introduction.html">here</a>. As a refresher, here's the members of the household, shown here with pictures extracted with SimPE before I gave them all makeovers.<br /><br /><a title="Sunny-Stats-Adult1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=Sunny-Stats-Adult1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Sunny-Stats-Adult1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=Sunny-Stats-Adult1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Sunny-Stats-Adult1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Rainee-Stats-Adult1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=Rainee-Stats-Adult1.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Rainee-Stats-Adult1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Dusty-Stats-Child.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=Dusty-Stats-Child.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Dusty-Stats-Child.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /></div>Before, I had to have Dusty have a miserable childhood. This time I wanted to give him a good one to make up for it. With this basic thought in mind, and expecting to have a quiet week of normal sim family life, I loaded up the lot and started playing them. They had a few surprises in store for me though. Read on to see the tale of their week, which turned out to be a rather busy one...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Life had fallen into a routine for the Rhodes family. Sunny and Rainee, though seemingly happy and content with their lives, often wondered why had gotten married since neither felt any particular attraction to the other. But they both very much wanted a family, so once Dusty had arrived, they'd settled into being parents and pursuing their careers, and hadn't really given their marriage much more thought. They would eat dinner as a family when they could, but it was often a quiet affair, with one or the other of them talking with Dusty but not much with each other.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Woody had recently decided to leave his career in business to pursue his dream of teaching, and eventually becoming the Minister of Education. He wanted to be close to his son, so when Dusty started elementary school, he took time out in the evening to help him with his homework.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And the help was paying off, for Dusty started getting good grades almost right away. As a reward, his parents let him get a womrat, and as he put the little creature in it's cage the first time, he discovered that he was really interested in Nature.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-3.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-3.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Playing with Pooky, the name he'd given his womrat, made him happy, though it quickly became apparent he wouldn't be able to keep the cage in his room since the sound of Pooky running on his wheel would keep Dusty awake at night.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-4.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-4.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Meanwhile, Rainee had been working hard at her security guard job, and finally earned a promotion and the chance to attend the Police Academy. She was excited, for it brought her one step closer to her dream of becoming Captain Hero.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Despite their occassional daytime troubles, in the bedroom things had still been going fine between Sunny and Rainee, and shortly after coming home with her promotion, Rainee discovered that she was pregnant again. She was somewhat disappointed that she wouldn't be able to start at the Academy right away now, but happy about having another child.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-6.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-6.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Sunny had also been working hard after making the change to the Education field, and quickly began earning promotions as well.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-7.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-7.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-7.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Rhodes-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-8.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />He continued helping Dusty with his homework at night, and it wasn't long before Dusty had become an A+ student. He was very excited the day he brought home his first A+ report card, and ran in to show it to his mother, but she was too busy talking with one of her friends on the phone to pay much attention to him.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-9.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-9.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-9.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The days flew by, and before she knew it or was quite ready, Rainee went into labor just as she was getting ready to go to bed.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-10.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-10.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-10.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Though she had done this before with Dusty, she was totally unprepared for the long ordeal that she was about to go through, or for how many more children she would have when it was all over.<br /><br /><p align="center"></p><div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w225.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/a96b51b9.pbw" width="480" height="360"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=a96b51b9.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a></div><p></p><br /><br /><br />She and Sunny quickly arranged to have more cribs delivered to the house to accomodate the quads, and together they spent the rest of the night taking care of them. Sunny had to go to work the next morning, but Rainee opted to use one of the extra vacation days she'd been given to stay home with the babies. She did, however, have Dusty call and hire a butler to come help them before he left for school. She was simply too busy feeding babies and changing diapers to be able to make the call herself. That afternoon, Sunny came home with another promotion.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-27.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-27.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-27.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He was thrilled about being able to teach at Dusty's school now, though he knew Rainee would be glad that he'd be off the next few days now since it was the weekend. Rainee was glad, for despite having some help from the new butler, her day had been really hectic taking care of 4 newborns. She laid down to finally take a nap when Sunny got home, deciding that it was his turn to look after them for awhile. When she awoke later that night, she did what many women do when they're stressed...she went shopping. First she went by the bookstore and bought cell phones for herself and Sunny, and also one for Dusty since she knew it wouldn't be long before he'd be a teenager and wanting a phone of his own.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-28.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-28.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-28.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />While she was there, she met Jan Tellerman, and proudly told her about the new additions to her family.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-29.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-29.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-29.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Then she headed over to Nerissa's Clothing Store where she bought herself a new outfit and gave herself a bit of a makeover in the bathroom there. She decided that wearing her hair down would likely be easier for now, since she wouldn't likely have much time for styling it in an elegant french roll like she had been doing.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-30.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-30.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-30.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Then she headed over to the BV General Store, where she got some groceries, tried some Pineapple Surprise at the Polynesian food stand there, and hung out for awhile to play some pinball.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-33.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-33.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-33.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-33.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-33.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />She struck up a conversation with one of the men there that she found herself quite attracted to. Much more attracted than she really was to Sunny at least.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-32.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-32.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-32.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />She simply chatted with him for awhile before saying goodbye, for she knew that now was not the time to be endangering her marriage. She had four new infants who needed their parents to look after them. Finally she headed home, for it was getting rather late now, and she was beginning to feel guilty about leaving Sunny all alone with the quads for so long while she had fun.<br /><br />Dusty meanwhile was finding ways to keep himself occupied while his parents' attention was consumed with his new brothers and sister. He would play on the monkey bars and slide in the back yard a lot, but had also started trying to paint using the old easel that they had upstairs. One night, a strange blonde lady came into their house and gave him a membership card for a secret artist's lot. He wasn't sure if he'd get to use it for awhile, since he knew his parents would be much to busy to take him there, but maybe once he'd gotten older he could.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-35.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-35.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-35.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-35.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-35.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />As any parent can tell you, babys grow up far too quickly, and in what seemed like no time at all, it was time for the quads to become toddlers. Nightfall on the evening of their birthday found Sunny as the one "on duty", so one by one he helped his babies to make the transition.<br /><br /><br /><div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w225.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/5039a9b1.pbw" width="480" height="360"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=5039a9b1.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a></div><br /><br />And so began the next phase of their parenting life, one that proved to be even more hectic as they set about trying to teach their children the skills they would need in life. They had gotten some smart milk to help them learn, but it didn't take long before their stress levels rose so much that they found it was all they could do to manage to get them regular bottles from the fridge, and so most of the special milk went unused. The first to learn a skill was Delana, who had been one to have the advantage of one of the bottle of smart milk early on, and so learned how to use the potty by herself much faster than her siblings.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-46.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-46.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-46.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-46.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-46.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Next to master the skill was Dalton, who had also gotten some of the smart milk early on.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-47.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-47.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-47.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-47.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-47.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />In the midst of all the commotion of trying to teach the toddlers their skills, Dusty's birthday went largely unnoticed by his parents. Taking it in stride, however, Dusty made the transition on his own and grew up well due to attention they had given him before his siblings were born.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-48.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-48.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-48.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-48.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-48.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He decided to devote his life to knowledge and the arts, deciding that he wanted to join the Sim City Ballet company eventually.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-49.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-49.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-49.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-49.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-49.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Rhodes-1-50.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-50.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-50.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />When they weren't being taught a skill, the quads would play with the various toys that Sunny and Rainee had bought them. Delana became particularly interested in the little xylophone.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-51.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-51.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-51.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-51.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-51.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />When Sunny had to go back to work on Monday, Rainee decided to try something a little less physically demanding and sat down with Darren to teach him how to talk.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-52.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-52.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-52.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-52.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-52.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />That day, Sunny earned yet another promotion. He was amazed at how quickly he was managing to climb the career ladder, and though he was pretty tired and stressed from helping take care of the quads, he was still happy about it, especially since it meant he could now get special bookcase for his family that would help his children learn all of their skills faster as they continued to grow.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-53.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-53.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-53.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-53.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-53.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Now that Dusty was a teenager, he really began to notice how hard his parents were having to work trying to teach his brothers and sister all of their skills. So he decided to help them out some, and sat down with Delana after school and taught her how to talk while Rainee helped Darren on the potty.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-54.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-54.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-54.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-54.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-54.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />It wasn't long after Delana spoke her first words with Dusty's help that Darren finally learned how to use the potty on his own.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-55.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-55.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-55.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-55.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-55.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Later that evening, Damien finally mastered the skill as well.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-56.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-56.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-56.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-56.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-56.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Due to the constant attention they received from their parents, and from the butler, the quads were by and large happy and healthy children. They got along well with one another, and from time to time a couple of them would pull themselves up on wobbly legs and huggle one another.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-57.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-57.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-57.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-57.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-57.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Though they didn't know if they'd manage to teach all four of the children all of their skills before they became children and figured things out on their own, Sunny and Rainee were giving it their best shot, and as they frequently took time to tickle and snuggle the babes, they felt fairly confident that they would all grow up well at least. But only time could tell.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Author's notes: I initially wasn't all that excited about playing this family next, since I really expected it to a rather boring routine of eating/sleeping/skilling/etc. for them. And it did start out that way for the most part, though with the birth of the quads, things definitely got interesting in a hurry. And with as much trouble as I was having keeping up with all of them all the time, I'm sure I'd fail miserably at the Toddlermania challenge. I'm sure many of you reading that have done that challenge are familiar with inhabitant bars that look like this:<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-36.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-36.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-36.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />That's a lot of dirty diapers.<br /><br />Also, you'd think that a day after having quads, the last thing Rainee would want would be to have more babies. But nope, this is what she rolled as one of her wants almost right away after the birth. Sunny started rolling the same want as well a day or two later. I haven't yet decided if I'll let them go for it or not...maybe I will eventually, but not until the quads are a bit older and don't require so much attention from the adults.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-31.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-31.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-31.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Though despite the want, they certainly don't look happy about having all the babies on the lot loading screen.<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-34.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-34.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-34.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I forgot to take note of the toddlers' personalities, but I'll be sure to include their stats when I make it back here for their round 2. Finally, here's a look at what they all looked like at the end of the week after I left their lot:<br /><br /><a title="Rhodes-1-58.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-58.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Rhodes-1-58.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-58.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/Rhodes-1-58.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Thanks for reading. Next up is the Shi residence, with Sue and Shea Shi (say that 5 times fast).<br /><a title="Rhodes-1-50.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Update%201/?action=view&current=Rhodes-1-50.jpg"> </a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-12366098060166730752009-04-04T10:42:00.000-07:002009-04-18T15:53:16.938-07:00Chovie, Round 1 - Oh please, not again...We haven't really seen Uncle Chovie before now, but I did post a short intro about him <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/chovie-introduction.html">here</a>. Here's a quick look at his stats again:<br /><p align="center"><a title="Uncle-StatsPortrait-Adult.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/?action=view&current=Uncle-StatsPortrait-Adult.jpg"><br /><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Uncle-StatsPortrait-Adult.jpg" border="0" /><br /></a></p><br />In trying to decide what to do with him, since playing another single male household sounded too boring, I decided to use him to try Skuld Lunrix's <a href="http://forums.sims-community.com/showthread.php?t=65259">Xenophilia Challenge</a> which I'd been wanting to do. For those unfamiliar with it, the basic idea of the challenge is to take a single male sim and, using a hacked telescope, get him abducted as often as possible until he has 7 alien children which he must raise on his own...no moving anyone in, no maid or butler, and the nanny can only be called in when he has to get abducted again so the social worker doesn't take the kids because they were left alone. Initially I'd thought to use Sonny Day for it, but I didn't think he'd be as well suited to it being a fortune sim. But Uncle seemed like a perfect candidate...single male, family aspiration, yeah he'll hate the abductions but he'll get over it. He should love having lots of kids around at least. Thus decided, I set about building him a new house that would accomodate the large family he was about to start having since the house he was in just wouldn't have been big enough. I also went in to his lot and reset his age days so he'd be at the beginning of the adult stage. He was only a couple days into adulthood anyway, but I didn't want to short him any days if I didn't have to since he'd likely need those days for getting pregnant and raising children. I also decided that to keep him significantly older than Ann (since he's supposed to be her uncle, not her brother) I'd play his lot for two sim weeks instead of just the usual 1 week I've been doing for the rounds. This also allowed more time to get further into the challenge, i.e. have more babies before I had to leave him for awhile.<br /><br />In a departure from my usual "here's what happened" narrative style, I'm going to try telling this one as more of a story. We'll see how it goes.<br /><p align="center">------------------------------------------------</p>After his niece Ann headed off to college, Uncle Chovie looked around his now empty house and decided that it was time for him to make some changes in his life as well. Though he had always wanted a family of his own, he had put off finding a wife and starting one. First it was to focus on his career, then later it was to devote himself to raising Ann after his brother died and there was no one else in the family left to care for her. But he had long since reached the top of his career and was growing tired of it, and Ann was now grown and gone to start her own life. Now, if ever, would be the perfect time to finally start devoting himself to achieving his own dreams of getting married and having a family. A house across the street from him that had much more room to house a large family like he wanted had just gone on the market, and he jumped at the chance. With thoughts full of marriage, he made the call to the realtor to purchase the house and to put his current house up for sale.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The purchase went through very quickly...apparently the former owner was so anxious to be rid of the house that they were willing to take the first offer given. And so, later that same day, Uncle found himself walking up the path to his new home.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-3.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-3.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He brought nothing with him since the house was fully furnished...apparently the former owner had simply walked away from it for some reason, leaving everything behind. Uncle then decided he'd make a completely new start on everything, and so the first thing he did after walking in was to go to the phone and call his producer to let him know that he was quitting.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-4.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-4.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />It took some negotiating, since he was still under contract with the Yummy Channel to do at least one more season of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cooking with Uncle</span>, and he had to talk with the network head as well to get them to let him out of it.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />In the end though, he managed to talk them into buying out his contract, almost easier than he though he would be able to. As he hung up the phone, he wasn't quite sure if he should be relieved or upset that they were so willing to replace his show with <span style="font-style: italic;">Jammin' in the Kitchen with Roxetta</span>. He was still happy about the deal he'd arranged, however, for the money from the contract buyout would allow him to pay off the rest of the mortgage on the new house and, with the residuals he'd still be getting from sales of his cookbooks, would give him enough to live on for awhile without having to find another job right away. Excited, he called Ann to let her know about all that had changed for him in such a short time.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-6.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-6.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Then he headed to the back of the house to try out the weight bench. He'd only recently managed to shed the extra pounds that the life of a chef had put on him, and he was determined to keep his trimmer body, and perhaps even get fully fit, so as to be more attractive to women.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-7.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-7.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-7.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /></div>While he was working out, the doorbell range. Apparently even though he'd only moved just across the street, the neighbors still felt the need to send a welcome wagon committee by for a housewarming visit. One young lady in particular caught his eye among them, perhaps just because her bright gypsyish clothing. He'd seen her around, and thought her name was Misty, and she lived just around the corner at the Wieser house. Privately wondering if she might be the woman who would have his babies, he went to introduce himself.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-8.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-8.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-8.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He visited with the neighbors for awhile that afternoon until evening came when he said goodbye to them and headed up to his bedroom to relax for awhile. Looking out through the french doors to the balcony, he discovered that the former owner had also left behind a rather expensive looking telescope that was an odd shade of neon green. Curious, he went outside to inspect it, and to have a peek at what the stars looked like through the telescope. With a few vague thoughts of maybe taking up astronomy as a hobby, he was totally unprepared for what happened as soon as he looked through the eyepiece...<br /><br /><div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w225.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/fc50650b.pbw" width="480" height="360"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=fc50650b.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a></div><br /><br />Afterwards, he tried to put the horrible night out of his mind -- and really he didn't remember a whole lot anyway aside from a few odd phrases that he chose not to dwell on -- but it didn't take long for him to discover that the experience had had...consequences...and that he wasn't ever going to be allowed to forget about it.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-20.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-20.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-20.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Too embarassed by his condition to show his face in public, and not wishing to end up as headline news in the tabloids at the grocery checkout counter, he hid in his house for the next few days, not really doing much except eating and sleeping. He did continue to call his niece every day, but he said nothing to her about the abduction or pregnancy. He knew she'd have to find out eventually, but he wasn't yet ready to talk about it, so he just kept the conversation light and let her tell him all about her life at Sim State University. His self-imposed exile soon came to an end though when he was awakened in the middle of the night with sharp cramps in his belly.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-21.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-21.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-21.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He quickly realized that he must be in labor, but before he could even really begin to wonder how he was going to manage to give birth to it since his male anatomy didn't include a birth canal, the strange alien birth was underway.<br /><br /><div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w225.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/e5ad37e4.pbw" width="480" height="360"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=e5ad37e4.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a></div><br /><br />When it was all over, he looked at the strange green child with serpent-like eyes that lay in his arms, but instead of being repulsed by it, his heart melted and he was overcome by a fierce protective feeling of love for his newborn son. He named the boy Vachel, and the next day was spent in a bemused state of wonder as he played with, and cuddle his son.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-32.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-32.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-32.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Chovie1-1-33.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-33.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-33.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />As evening fell, however, he began to feel a strange pull from the telescope on the master balcony, as though it was beckoning to him, urging him to come look through it once more. Frightened, he fought against the compulsion, staying downstairs, watching TV and drinking coffee.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-34.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-34.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-34.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />But with each passing moment, the compulsion grew stronger, harder to ignore. Finally, when he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out against it much longer, he went upstairs, changed his son's diaper, and then held him close, not wanting to leave him for even a few hours.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-35.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-35.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-35.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-35.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-35.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Putting Vachel back in his crib so he could sleep, he heaved an inner sigh, and then went out to the phone in the hallway to call a nanny service he'd seen advertised that promised to always have someone on call and able to come at a moment's notice if needed.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-36.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-36.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-36.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />He managed to ignore the pull of the telescope until the nanny arrived, though when she did, he only barely murmured a "hello" and a "thanks" to her before he gave in to the inevitable and headed upstairs to the balcony, hoping against hope that he'd be spared another galactic joyride. His hopes were in vain, however, and once again he had no sooner put his eye to the scope before it all began once more.<br /><br /><div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w225.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/63b757d6.pbw" width="480" height="360"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=63b757d6.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Meanwhile, Nanny Gast made herself at home, puttering around cleaning a bit, checking on Vachel now and then, and taking him downstairs to feed him a bottle when he woke for his late night feeding. When she heard the commotion out front, however, she all but dropped Vachel on the floor next to the refrigerator to run outside and see what was happening. And when she saw Uncle land so unceremoniously on his face on the curb, she began to laugh.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-49.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-49.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-49.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-49.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-49.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-51.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-51.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-51.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Once he'd dusted himself off, Uncle hurried over to her to pay her for the evening, and to implore her to keep what she'd seen to herself, tipping her a fair amount over her standard fee to help convince her to do so.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-52.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-52.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-52.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-52.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-52.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Nanny Gast thanked him and, still chuckling to herself, agreed to keep quiet before calling the agency to come pick her up. As she waited outside for her ride, Uncle went into the house to check on Vachel. Finding him on the floor where the nanny had left him, he scooped him up and cuddled him close, glad that the experience was over...at least for now.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-53.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-53.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-53.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-53.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-53.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The next morning, he located the paints and brushes that went with the easel in the family room and started working on a painting. Though he had painted a lot in college to raise his creativity, he was a bit rusty at it. He hoped he would still be able to get a decent price for it however, since he'd realized it wouldn't be long before he'd need more money coming in than the cookbook residuals if he was going to be able to support his children. For though it was too early yet for it to show, he knew he was most likely pregnant again now after last night. Later that day, he was proven right as his belly popped with the first stage of his baby bump.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-55.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-55.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-55.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-55.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-55.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Though it seemed unbelievable to him, the next evening was Vachel's birthday already, so he whipped up a cake for him quickly then brought the infant down to it and blew out the candles before tossing him the air so he could make the transition to toddler.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-56.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-56.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-56.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-56.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-56.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-57.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-57.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-57.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><a title="VachelPersonality.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=VachelPersonality.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="VachelPersonality.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=VachelPersonality.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/VachelPersonality.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /></div>That night, he woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Vachel screaming to be let out of his crib in the next room. Before he could go get him though, he felt a tingling in his abdomen and his belly popped out some more. He knew now that he'd only have another day of this before his next child would be born.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-58.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-58.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-58.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-58.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-58.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Getting Vachel from his crib, he took him into the bathroom to continue the potty training he'd begun earlier in the evening. And this time it didn't take long before he could tell that Vachel had finally caught on and would know how to use it by himself from now on.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-59.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-59.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-59.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-59.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-59.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Knowing that he'd soon have another child to take care of, he devoted that day to teaching Vachel some of the other skills he'd need to know, beginning with teaching him how to walk.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-60.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-60.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-60.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-60.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-60.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-61.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-61.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-61.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />As evening fell, he let Vachel have some time to just play with the activity table while he fixed himself some dinner. No sooner had he sat down, however, than he felt familiar sharp pains stab through his belly. As before, it was all over rather quickly, and he soon found himself holding his newborn daughter, whom he named Varisse.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-62.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-62.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-62.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-62.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-62.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Chovie1-1-63.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-63.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-63.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />The following day, while Varisse was asleep in her crib, he spent some more time with Vachel teaching him how to talk. His heart almost melted when his son's first word was "dada".<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-64.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-64.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-64.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-64.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-64.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-65.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-65.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-65.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />As had happened after Vachel's birth, as evening fell on the night after Varisse was born, he began to feel a pull from the telescope again. Odd how he never felt any particular desire to use it any other time. Though he tried as he had before to ignore it, the compulsion proved just as impossible to ignore this time as it had been the last, and almost before he knew what he was doing, he called the nanny service to send someone over, and once Nanny Gast had arrived, he was heading up to the telescope and then taking another ride around the galaxy.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-66.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-66.jpg"> <img alt="Chovie1-1-66.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/th_Chovie1-1-66.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-67.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-67.jpg"><img alt="Chovie1-1-67.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/th_Chovie1-1-67.jpg" /></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-68.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-68.jpg"> <img alt="Chovie1-1-68.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/th_Chovie1-1-68.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-69.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-69.jpg"><img alt="Chovie1-1-69.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/th_Chovie1-1-69.jpg" /></a><a href="http://flock.com/"><span></span></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-69.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-69.jpg"> </a><span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><a title="Chovie1-1-65.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-65.jpg"> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-63.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-63.jpg"> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-62.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-62.jpg"> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-61.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-61.jpg"> </a></p>As she had last time, when Nanny Gast heard the commotion outside, she came running, then stood by the mailbox laughing at him. And, as before, Uncle paid her promptly and included another tip to help buy her silence.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-70.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-70.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-70.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-70.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-70.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-71.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-71.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-71.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />He worked with Vachel through the day, trying to teach him a nursery rhyme, but it was slow going, and they had to take several breaks to rest or take care of other needs, or so he could attend to Varisse. He had just gotten Vachel out of his crib that evening after a nap when his belly gave him confirmation that he was indeed pregnant once more.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-72.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-72.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-72.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-72.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-72.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Pregnant or no, however, he was determined to finish teaching Vachel the nursery rhyme before his next birthday, so he sat down with him again, and sang with him some more. He was happy to see that they were making progress.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-73.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-73.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-73.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-73.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-73.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The following day, Vachel finally learned it. And just in time, for when 6pm rolled around, it was time not only for his next birthday, but for Varisse's birthday as well. With Uncle helping Varisse, they grew up together, Vachel becoming a child, and Varisse becoming a toddler.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-74.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-74.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-74.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-74.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-74.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-75.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-75.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-75.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="VarissePersonality.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=VarissePersonality.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/VarissePersonality.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-77.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-77.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-77.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Uncle started right away with her potty training, despite his near-constant fatigue from the repeated pregnancies. After a few bottles of smart milk, she finally learned how to use it by herself.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-78.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-78.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-78.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-78.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-78.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The next morning was Vachel's first day of school, and Uncle cooked up a plate of pancakes to help his son get his day off to a good start. He had to pause on the way to the table with them though as his belly started to tingle, and then popped once again.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-79.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-79.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-79.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-79.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-79.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />While Vachel was at school, Uncle worked with Varisse, teaching her how to talk. He was a little disappointed when her first word was "teddy" and not "dada"<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-80.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-80.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-80.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-80.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-80.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />When Vachel got home from school that afternoon, he was desperate to have some fun. Though he was anxious to try the playground equipment out back, he was curious about the painting easel and decided to try it. He discovered it was really pretty fun to paint.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-81.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-81.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-81.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-81.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-81.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />After Vachel had enough time to enjoy himself at the easel, Uncle sat him down in the study and helped him do his homework before dinner.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-82.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-82.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-82.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-82.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-82.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />As he was putting dinner on the table for them, a strange lady wearing a chef's outfit walked into their house and congratulated him for his enthusiasm for cuisine and handed him a membership card to a lot that few people knew about. Uncle couldn't help but wonder why he'd never been invited in all the time he had his own cooking show on the Yummy Channel, but he thanked the woman and took the card anyway.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-83.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-83.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-83.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-83.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-83.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Later that night he was woken from his sleep by the now-familiar pains labor pains. He wondered if he would ever get a full night's sleep again without being awoken in the middle of the night by belly pains or crying children. Within moments, his second daughter, whom he named Valda, was born. But even as he held her and gazed into her newborn face, he could tell that something was different this time. His stomach still didnt' feel right. He carefully laid Valda down on the floor lest he drop her by accident, and before he quite knew what was happening, he found himself spinning around...and then he was holding up second infant, another daughter. Looking at her in wonder, he decided to call her Vanora.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-85.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-85.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-85.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-85.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-85.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Uncle wondered how he was going to manage to take care of the twins by himself and still have enough time to spend with Varisse to teach her how to walk. He supposed he would just have to manage it somehow. Maybe if that telescope would just let him be for awhile...<br /><br />But it was not to be. For sure enough, the next evening after the twins were born, he felt the now familiar urge to go out and use the telescope again. Though he despaired at the thought of having to take care of Varisse and the twins by himself while once again pregnant with another alien spawn, he knew by now that it was useless to try to fight it. And so, once he had gotten the children fed and changed, he called the nanny service and asked them to send Nanny Gast over for the evening. When she arrived, he once again went out to his balcony, stepped up to the telescope, and once again got whisked away.<br /><br /><span><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-86.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-86.jpg"> <img alt="Chovie1-1-86.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/th_Chovie1-1-86.jpg" /> </a></span><span><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-87.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-87.jpg"> <img alt="Chovie1-1-87.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/th_Chovie1-1-87.jpg" /></a></span><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-87.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-87.jpg"><span></span></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-88.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-88.jpg"> <img alt="Chovie1-1-88.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/th_Chovie1-1-88.jpg" /></a><br /><br />When he returned, Nanny Gast was out front to welcome him back with laughter as usual.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-89.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-89.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-89.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-89.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-89.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />But this time, instead of lingering outside to keep laughing at him till he paid her, she headed back into the house after just a few minutes and set about feeding the young ones bottles and changing their diapers. Finally he was able to get her attention long enough to let her know she could go home now, and to pay her, though he didn't offer her an extra tip this time. As she was leaving she told him she'd make sure to be ready to come over again in a few days when he'd be needing her again, and then laughing, went out to meet the van that had come to pick her up.<br /><br />The next day Vachel worked some more on his painting, but also spent some time just drawing with the crayons at the activity table. While he was doing so, a blonde haired lady came into the house, praised him for being so interested in the arts, and gave him a membership card to a secret place just for artists. Vachel told her that he'd see if his daddy would take him there sometime.<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-90.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-90.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-90.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-90.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-90.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And with that, Uncle Chovie's second week in his new home had come to a close. He may not have found a wife as he'd wanted, but he was well on the way to having a large family. He'd given up by now on finding someone to marry, devoting himself instead to raising his children. Though as he waited for the results of his latest galactic tour to manifest, he couldn't help but wonder just how many more times he'd be forced to repeat the trip.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Author's Notes: Things were fairly easy with this household and challenge to begin with. His pregnancy with Vachel went pretty smoothly without any major needs crises, though each subsequent one got a little tougher. The nanny really did go out to laugh at him every time he returned. I saw it the first time he came back. I'd been watching her feeding Vachel a bottle in the kitchen when the cinematic of his return started playing, and when it finished, Vachel was on the floor and the nanny was nowhere to be seen. I paused the game and went looking for her, thinking that she'd probably run out to watch Uncle's return. I'd exected her to be horrified like most sims are, but instead, when I zoomed in on her, I realized that instead of being shocked and horrified, she was laughing her ass off at him. The first few times she hung around outside long enough for him to get over to her and dismiss her and give her a tip, but the last time she did just head right back into the house...and I had to have him chase her around the house, upstairs, then down, then up again, etc., for at least a sim hour before she finally stood still somewhere long enough for him to dismiss her. She was actually being (mostly) useful and was too busy taking care of the infants and toddler, one after the other, to pay any attention to him until then. Also, I should note that Valda and Verona really are natural twins. I do play with the Triplets & Quads hack installed, but I use the version that lets you choose every time, and while my general rule in this neighborhood is to choose the random number of babies option, with this house I always chose "Originial Number" so that he'd only have however many the game had given him without the hack. So, I was surprised when he had twins, because even though he is a Family sim, he doesn't yet have the fertility bonus from Freetime.<br /><br />Another thing I found odd while playing Uncle was that he only rarely rolled Family type wants. Mostly his want bar stayed full with wanting to call someone (usually Ann...I think every morning when he woke up he'd roll the want to call Ann to chat), or to become friends or best friends with someone. Until Vachel was born I was letting him socialize and make friends, at least over the phone, but after that he rarely had much time for phone calls other than a quick call to Ann now and then to satisfy that want. He did roll the "have a baby" want on his second and third pregnancies, and a couple wants regarding teaching a toddler a skill, but mostly he acted more like a popularity sim than a family sim. I think once he has enough aspiration points I'm going to give him Popularity as a secondary aspiration. Maybe he'll even find time to at least talk on the phone with his friends more once Vachel becomes a teenager, which will happen next round. He was already halfway through the child stage when I left the lot, so only has 4 more days until he's a teen. Hopefully Uncle won't have twins again. Here's a parting look at the lot (and no I don't really have any idea which baby is which, but I figured it wouldn't really matter how I labeled it)...doesn't Uncle look thrilled to be there?<br /><br /><a title="Chovie1-1-91.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-91.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Chovie1-1-91.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-91.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/Chovie1-1-91.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div></div></div><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-87.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-87.jpg"><span></span></a><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-88.jpg" title="Chovie1-1-88.jpg"> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-77.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-77.jpg"> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-75.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-75.jpg"> </a><a title="Chovie1-1-71.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Update%201/?action=view&current=Chovie1-1-71.jpg"> </a>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-25773048659484589142009-03-09T12:31:00.000-07:002009-03-09T14:13:03.885-07:00Day Round 1 - Cards Anyone?<div style="text-align: center;"><a title="SonnyStats-Adult.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Portraits/?action=view&current=SonnyStats-Adult.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Portraits/SonnyStats-Adult.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />We haven't really seen Sonny Day before in this blog as I didn't have a whole lot to say about him in his <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/day-introduction.html">Introduction</a>. When returning to his lot this time, I discovered that I must have only played him for a couple sim days instead of a sim week or so as I'd thought, so this will be pretty much the true beginning of his story in Challengeville. Prior to now, about all that had happened with him is I got him a job in the Business career track, and he'd gotten a couple skill points. Here's a look at the lot info as it was when I began play with him this time.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />After considering various challenges that I could impose upon him this time around, I decided to just go with the challenge of trying to achieve his LTW of 5 top level businesses. I've never managed to complete that one before, and indeed, I rarely even do player-owned businesses anymore. And I'm not sure if I've ever run one without using motive hacks or cheats. So, this will be my challege for Sonny. Upon loading his lot the first time, I added on a "garage" to his house to give him a space to open up a home venue business. I figured this would be the easiest one to start with. I kept it pretty basic and plain, as he didn't have a whole lot of money to build with at this point, but it turned out fairly decent I think. I did have to kaching him once to have enough funds to put enough basic items in for a business.<br /><br />It was Wednesday evening when I loaded up his lot, so after building the addition on his house, the first thing I had him do was go to the phone to start a home business.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-2.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Day-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-3.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Day-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-2.jpg"> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And with that, business #1 of 5 was off and running. A few customers showed up right away, and after greeting them and selling them admission tickets, Sonny sat down to play cards with them.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-4.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-4.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I didn't take a picture of it, but it didn't take very long for the venue to reach Rank 1. And after attending to the business the first night, Sonny mostly left it to run itself after that while I had him concentrate more on getting promotions in his job and trying to find him a wife. I did send him out there to make sales to people occassionally, but other than that it was mostly a hands off venture.<br /><br />I forget how Sonny spent the next day...it must not have been very memorable, but the following evening the business reached Rank 2.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />On Friday, Sonny came home from work with a promotion, and a friend who immediately went and became a customer at the venue.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-6.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-6.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The business continued to grow fairly quickly on its own, and within another day or two had gotten 2 more ranks.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-7.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-7.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-7.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It was sometime during these first few days that I had Sonny look into TwoJeff's crystal ball to find someone that would be well-suited to him as he hadn't had much luck finding anyone on his own. He didn't really get a chance to talk to her when she spawned, however, as she immediately headed toward the business, and then simply left the lot before he got a chance to talk to her. I let it go for the time being, but he did catch up with her eventually, though more on that in a bit.<br /><br />The following day at work, a hobby related chance card popped up for him giving him the choice to play poker with some co-workers or not. I chose for him to go play with them, and it netted him a membership card to the Games secret lot.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-8.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-8.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-8.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />He came home early that day because of the chance card, and with another promotion.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-9.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-9.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-9.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I hadn't ever gotten the stock market aspiration perk for a Fortune sim before, but after seeing it in action in <a href="http://veilsmilliondollarchallenge2.blogspot.com/">Veil's Million Dollar Challenge</a> blog I decided to see what it could do for Sonny. As most of his wants since opening the business were business-related ones, it was easy to keep him in platinum, so he had the necessary bonus points to get it in no time. It didn't pan out for him so well right away though.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-10.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-10.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-10.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />With an unexpected half-day off, Sonny worked on his sales skills a bit, and the business climbed to Rank 5.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-11.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-11.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-11.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />After cleaning up and changing clothes, he went back to it later and finally got his bronze sales badge.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-12.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-12.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-12.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Later that evening, the lady that I had my eye on for him, Alyson Lee, happened to show up at the business, so I had him greet her and ask her on a date. It should be noted that he had spent some time with her on the phone prior to this, so they were already friends and she readily accepted his offer of a date. Things were going well with it until I made the mistake of giving in to their mutual want to play cards together.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-13.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-13.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-13.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />This ended up being disastrous for the date, because Alyson refused to get up from the table after she'd sat down, no matter how many other actions I queued up for Sonny to try to draw her away from it. The date timer ran out eventually, and it ended as only an "okay" date.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-14.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-14.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-14.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />She did finally get up from the table when it ended to give him a hug, and I immediately had him ask her on another date, which she accepted. This time I didn't let them play cards and things went much better. I let them slow dance together despite the lack of any music, and Sonny discovered his passion for Music & Dance.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-15.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-15.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-15.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />After lots of hugs, backrubs, kisses and making out, the date reached Dream Date status for them. The bonus to having the dates in his home venue was that she gained customer loyalty stars as well since she had bought an admission ticket before he asked her for the first date.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-16.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-16.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-16.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />By that point, it was late, and Sonny had to work the next day, so I sent him back into the house to go to bed. Alyson hung around and played cards with the other customers, and the business gained another rank.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-17.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-17.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-17.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Though he did have one good day on the stock market, mostly he continued to not have much luck with it. I guess Challengeville's stock market is being hit by the recession as well.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-18.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-18.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-18.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The next night, Alyson came back and left him a karaoke machine as a gift for their great "outing". There wasn't really room for it in the current venue, so it went into his backpack for now for possible use at a future business.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-19.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-19.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-19.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Despite his relative inattentiveness to it, the venue continued to thrive, and Sunday night, or maybe it was Monday night, had reached level 7.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-20.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-20.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-20.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Day-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-21.jpg"> </a><a title="Day-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-20.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The next day while he was at work, he was awarded the Best of the Best Award for the venue. I had been trying to keep an eye out for reporter types all along, but had never noticed this one being there, so it was a surprise to me when it popped up.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-21.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-21.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-21.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />On Tuesday, Sonny got another promotion, though I didn't get a very good picture of it with him in it.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-22.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-22.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-22.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Sonny's week was quickly coming to a close, and I wanted to get him and Alyson fully hooked up together before it ended, so I had him invite her over that night. When she arrived, with a friend, they headed straight for the business as seemed to happen with all visitors to the lot. Undaunted, Sonny went out to greet her and asked her to move in with him. She agreed, bringing a large amount of money with her. This was quite welcome as it gives him the funds he'll need to start a second business the next time.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-23.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-23.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-23.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Once she'd agreed to move in with him, Sonny popped the question, right there in the middle of his poker hall.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-24.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-24.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-24.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Day-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-25.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-25.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The engagement was good for their relationship, though the other customers didn't even seem to notice what was going on. I guess they were too absorbed in their poker games to pay attention to Sonny and Alyson.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-26.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-26.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-26.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Despite her seemingly enthusiastic response to his proposal, Alyson apparently wasn't really sure she'd made the right decision and got a bad memory of it. Sonny, on the other hand, was quite happy about it.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-27.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-27.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-27.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Even though it was the middle of the night by now, Alyson's energy level was still pretty high, so I sent her to do some late night shopping at Nerissa's Clothing Store down the street, where she got herself a few new outfits and a makeover. I think she turned out relatively pretty, though there was only so much I could do to camoflage her extremely wide jaw, and not very much I could do about her enormous lips. Hopefully thier children will take more after Sonny for those traits.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-28.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-28.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-28.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />As the clock was ticking down the last hours on this lot, I woke Sonny up early on Wednesday morning, and he and Alyson were married without fanfare in their bedroom with Sonny still in his pajamas. At least they were both happy about it this time.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-29.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-29.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-29.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Day-1-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-30.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-30.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />All in all, I thought the week was a fairly productive one for Sonny. His first business is doing quite well, and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before it reaches Rank 10. With only about 10 days left as an adult now, however, he's going to have to get busy starting more businesses soon if he's going to make it to 5, though I suppose there's always elixir if I need it for him. I might end up elixiring him some anyway just to get his and Alyson's ages more equal, because right now she's considerably younger than him. I guess I'll have to see how things go when I make it back to him again. Maybe I'll even be able to get him to lose the gut next time as well. Here's a final look at the state of the lot as I left it.<br /><br /><a title="Day-1-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-31.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Day-1-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-31.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/Day-1-31.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Next up on the Challengeville play list: Uncle Chovie. Will the single Family oriented guy be able to find true love and start a family of his own now that his niece Ann has grown up and gone through college and is ready to start her own life? Stay tuned to find out.<br /><a title="Day-1-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-30.jpg"> </a><a title="Day-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Entry%201/?action=view&current=Day-1-25.jpg"> </a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-62135868097226853902009-02-14T12:29:00.001-08:002009-02-14T15:50:56.200-08:00Pennington1 Round 1 - Which Witch?<a title="BlakeStats-Teen.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=BlakeStats-Teen.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="ArlinaStats-Adult.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=ArlinaStats-Adult.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/ArlinaStats-Adult.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="BlakeStats-Teen.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=BlakeStats-Teen.jpg"> </a><a title="BlakeStats-Teen.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=BlakeStats-Teen.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/BlakeStats-Teen.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a title="BethanyStats-Teen1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=BethanyStats-Teen1.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="BethanyStats-Teen1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=BethanyStats-Teen1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/BethanyStats-Teen1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />We last saw Arlina Pennington and her two younger children in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/pennington-introduction-backstory.html">Pennington - Introduction and Backstory</a>. Her oldest son, Brandon, has since gone through University. You can read that story <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/01/university-pennington-roper-chovie.html">here</a>. Of the two teenagers still at home, Arlina had recently turned Blake into a neutral warlock, and Bethany had just transitioned to teenager. Life on this lot had pretty much settled into a fairly predictable routine. Let's see what they're up to now.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-2.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-2.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Arlina has started following her passion for Tinkering by learning how to build robots. While it can be a bit of an expensive hobby given their limited budget, the money they get back from selling them after she makes them (either from the table or from inventory) nets them a decent additional income.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-3.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-3.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Blake continues to work on painting. The masterpieces he sells form a large portion of the family's income.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-4.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-4.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Bethany paints, but she also has a passion for video games. Here she is playing The Sims 3.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-5.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-5.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />A brief aside here to show you the picture of Alfred's ghost that Arlina painted awhile ago. Not sure how well this picture shows it, but in game it turned out pretty well.<br /><br />One of the first things I decided to do with this family was to get Bethany turned into a witch now that she's a teenager. So, in order to get some nice pictures of it, I drug Bethany away from her video game so she'd be standing up, then had Arlina start to cast the spell...<br /><a title="Pennington1-2-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-6.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-6.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />But her spell fizzled. And in the time it took me to figure out why Bethany wasn't changing, she'd gotten bored and gone back to her video game. So I had Arlina try again, though I didn't bother making Bethany stand up this time just in case it failed once more.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-7.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-7.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-7.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />It worked this time, however, and once the spell had landed, Be<a title="Pennington1-2-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-8.jpg"> </a>thany stood up and changed. Arlina watched from her seat on the couch.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-8.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-8.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-8.jpg" border="0" /></a><a title="Pennington1-2-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-8.jpg"></a><a title="Pennington1-2-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-9.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-9.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-10.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-10.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-11.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-11.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And this is where I realized just how much Bethany looks like her mother. With both of them in the neutral witch outfit, they were kind of hard to tell apart, though Bethany's skintone is a bit darker than Arlina's. I had Bethany start working on studying the ways of the light though so she could get up to Good Witch status and make it easier to tell the two apart.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-12.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-12.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Meanwhile, Blake's painting eventually maxed his Arts & Crafts enthusiasm and he got his plaque for that.<a title="Pennington1-2-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-13.jpg"> </a><br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-13.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-13.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-13.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And then I had him start to work on becoming a Good Warlock.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-14.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-14.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Since there wasn't room in the house for everyone to have their own podium and cauldrons out, the kids had to share Arlina's to begin with.<br /><br />Winter had arrived, and since the compost bin was full, Arlina decided to skip raking the last of the leaves and just make them disappear.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-15.jpg"> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-15.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-15.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-16.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-16.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Blake's studies paid off first, and he was the first to reach Good alignment. I was kind of disappointed that there isn't really animation for this transition...their clothes will just suddenly change while they're<a title="Pennington1-2-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-17.jpg"> </a> studying.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-17.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-17.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-17.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Since Blake's teen days were rapidly coming to an end, I decided I should start getting him aquainted with the people in the Greek House on campus so it would be easier to get him in there once he goes. So I had him call up Brandon and invite the household over. Everyone had a good visit that night. Blake chatted up his future sister-in-law Allison and became friends with her...<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-18.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-18.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-18.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Bethany got to know Ann Chovie<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-19.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-19.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-19.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Arlina hung out in the front yard with Skip and Viola<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-20.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-20.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-20.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And Brandon ended up having to amuse himself on the computer<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-21.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-21.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-21.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Later that night, or maybe it was the next day, Bethany's studies paid off and she joined the ranks of Good Witches.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-22.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-22.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-22.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Now that Blake and Bethany were both Good, I realized they would need to have their own podium and cauldron now. Luckily they had enough money for a small addition on the second floor so I could build a Good Magic Room on top of the Neutral Magic Room downstairs. Currently it opens off of Bethany's bedroom, so she was the first to put it to use.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-23.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-23.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-23.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Arlina continued to have a passion for Nature, rolling wants to hunt bugs, birdwatch and go hiking every morning when she woke up. I decided to indulge her with the bug hunting in hopes of being able to fill her bug box eventually. Here she is showing her dedication to the task by hunting bugs while it's snowing.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-24.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-24.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-24.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I'm generally pretty bad about remembering to let my teenagers date or have much of a social life, but since Blake's LTW is to have 50 dream dates I figured I would get started on it. He brought a female friend home from school one day, and I had him ask her on a date. I forget who she is, though I think it's Sophie, the default townie teen.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-25.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-25.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-25.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />The date progressed well, and Blake got his first kiss from her.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-26.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-26.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-26.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And eventually it ended as a dream date for him. 1 down, 49 to go.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-28.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-28.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-28.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Meanwhile, Arlina had been blogging about Nature on the computer, and finally maxed her Nature enthusiasm and the gal in the plant outfit came and gave her a plaque for it.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-27.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-27.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-27.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Bethany rolled the want to Go Out that night, so I let her. She and Arlina have a good relationship, so Arlina readily agreed.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-29.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-29.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-29.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Arlina was now only a day or so away from becoming an elder. She's permaplat from fulfilling her LTW (though I think I'd had her get lifelong happiness from the Genie prior to that), and had a bottle of Elixir by her bed, so I sent her upstairs to take a few swigs of it.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-30.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-30.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-30.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-31.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-31.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-32.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-32.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-33.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-33.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-33.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Being a witch doesn't mean these teenagers don't have to do their homework<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-34.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-34.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-34.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />I hadn't tried out the spectral pets yet, so I had Arlina summon one. He's kind of hard to take pictures of sometimes since he's semi-transparents and sparkly, but meet Argyle, Arlina's Familiar.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-35.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-35.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-35.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-35.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-35.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Arlina and Argyle quickly became friends, but I also had her spend some time painting so she could get her Arts & Crafts plaque. Despite all the time she'd spent painting in the past, she'd never quite maxed her enthusiam in that hobby to get it, but finally she did.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-36.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-36.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-36.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Bethany took to Argyle quite well also, and would play with him when she had time to.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-37.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-37.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-37.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-37.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-37.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Argyle made himself at home. I decided not to discourage him from being on the furniture and let him have full run of the house.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-38.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-38.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-38.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-38.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-38.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />With Nature and Arts plaques under her belt, I decided it was time to have Arlina focus more on her True Hobby of Tinkering, so set her to working at the robot station more. After a dozen toy robots or so she got her bronze badge.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-39.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-39.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-39.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-39.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-39.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Her robot making also earned her a membership to the Tinkering secret lot. Halfway there to a plaque in it.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-40.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-40.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-40.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-40.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-40.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Blake and Bethany had a snow day one day, and I sent them to the Good Witch's lot to work on their magic skills. They worked on making reagents to have on hand, and hung out with Daisy Siew the NPC Good Witch to build up their relationship with her more.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-41.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-41.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-41.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-41.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-41.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-42.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-42.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-42.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />When they got back home, Bethany made a snowman.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-43.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-43.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-43.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-43.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-43.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Then it was time to get down to work on other skills. Bethany worked on her logic skills playing chess, and got a membership to the Games lot in the process.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-44.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-44.jpg"> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-45.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-45.jpg"> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-44.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-44.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-44.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Blake worked on getting the last few points of Body skill he needed to get a scholarship for it, and earned a membership to the Fitness lot.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-45.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-45.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-45.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-45.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-45.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />By Thursday, it was time for Blake to collect his scholarships and head off to college before he transitioned to Adult and lost the chance to go. All his studying paid off in the form of several scholarships.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-46.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-46.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-46.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-46.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-46.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Arlina and Bethany waved goodbye to him as he called the cab to take him off to campus.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-47.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-47.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-47.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-47.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-47.jpg" border="0" /> </a><a title="Pennington1-2-48.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-48.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-48.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Later that evening Arlina got her silver badge in robotics.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-49.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-49.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-49.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-49.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-49.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />And with that, it was time to leave this lot. They are running on a Friday-Friday schedule for rounds, and Arlina's badge was the last thing of any note that happened on Thursday night. Bethany still has about 5 days before she'll become an adult, so will likely have to leave for college in the middle of the week next time I play them. I loaded University long enough to move Blake into the dorm so he'd still be callable, but will save the few pictures I took of his arrival there for whenever I do the next University update. I'm not sure yet which of the other teenagers in the neighborhood will be joining him there.<br /><br />Here's a final look at the lot as it was when I left it.<br /><br /><a title="Pennington1-2-50.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-50.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Pennington1-2-50.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/?action=view&current=Pennington1-2-50.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Entry2/Pennington1-2-50.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />Stay tuned in a few weeks' time for the next update, which should feature Sonny Day.<br /></div></div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-5007964687489943702009-01-24T11:45:00.000-08:002009-01-24T16:08:26.208-08:00University - Pennington, Roper & ChovieThis session was a continuation of <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/details/id/23">Skip Roper's Challenge</a>. We last saw Skip in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2009/01/roper-growing-family.html">Roper - A Growing Family</a> which covered the early part of the challenge. At the end, he was ready to head off to college and only had three objectives left to fulfill: Go to College, Join a Greek House, and Graduate Summa Cum Laude. Two other teens in the neighborhood, Brandon Pennington and Ann Chovie, were ready to go to college as well so I sent them along with him. You can read about Brandon's story to date in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/pennington-introduction-backstory.html">Pennington - Introduction and Backstory</a>, and a little bit about Ann in <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/chovie-introduction.html">Chovie - Introduction</a>. Here's a quick re-introduction to all of them:<br /><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Portraits/?action=view&current=MiniPortrait-Skip-Teen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Portraits/MiniPortrait-Skip-Teen.jpg" alt="MiniPortrait-Skip-Teen.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Skip Roper</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Knowledge<br />LTW: Max out 7 Skills<br />Personality: Virgo - 9 Neat, 1 Outgoing, 9 Active, 1 Playful, 5 Nice<br />Turn Ons: Makeup, Red Hair; Turn Off: Hard Worker<br />Hobby: Science</span></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=MiniPortrait-Brandon-Teen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/MiniPortrait-Brandon-Teen.jpg" alt="MiniPortrait-Brandon-Teen.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Brandon Pennington the Warlock</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Popularity/Knowledge<br />LTW: Have 20 Simultaneous Pet Best Friends<br />Personality: Aries - 9 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 6 Active, 4 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Turn Ons: Fatness, Fitness ; Turn Off: Formal Wear<br />Hobby: Fitness</span></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Portraits/?action=view&current=MiniPortrait-Ann-Teen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Portraits/MiniPortrait-Ann-Teen.jpg" alt="MiniPortrait-Ann-Teen.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Ann Chovie</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Fortune<br />LTW: Become Space Pirate<br />Personality: Aquarius - 4 Neat, 6 Outgoing, 3 Active, 6 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Turn Ons: Underwear, Blond Hair ; Turn Off: Creative<br />Hobby: Cuisine</span></p><br /><br />Brandon was the first to arrive at University, and the only one to get the full cinematic for it since I'd sent them all via the menu in the University menu instead of using the phone on their home lots so they'd all be grouped in a single household. Interestingly enough, he was dropped off not by his mother, Arlina, but by<a title="Uni-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-1.jpg"> </a> his father, Jihoon Hsu, whom he's never lived with, though they are BFFs and had a high current relationship, so maybe that had something to do with why the game chose Jihoon instead of Arlina.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-1.jpg"> </a><a title="Uni-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-2.jpg"> </a><a title="Uni-1-1.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-1.jpg"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-1.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-2.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-2.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-2.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />He grew up well, but his appearance didn't really change much, and of course he stayed in the default warlock clothing.<br /><br />Ann was the next to arrive. She came alone in a taxi and grew up once she'd gotten out<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-3.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-3.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-3.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />The outfit was one of the first things I changed for her, which you'll see in a moment.<br /><br />Skip arrived last, alone in a taxi like Ann had been. He grew up well, though it didn't improve his somewhat deformed cheeks much. In fact, I think it made them worse. He also got new clothing as soon as was possible.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-4.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-4.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-4.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />They all moved into one of the dorms on the Sim State University campus so they'd have a chance to meet people and save up the funds to get their own house so they could start their own Greek House on campus. As I usually do, I wanted to choose majors for them right away, but Ann was the only one with a career related LTW to guide the choice of major, so I had her declare first. She chose Literature to help her prepare for the Adventurer career once she graduated. The others I decided to wait until they rolled a want for something before I had them declare.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-5.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-5.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-5.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Since Skip and Brandon hadn't yet rolled any wants for a particular major, I decided the next order of business was to get Ann and Skip into some better clothing, so I sent them down to one of the clothing stores on campus. Ann got a makeover as well, and wasn't very happy with my choices.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-6.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-6.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-6.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Skip was happier about his new duds.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-7.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-7.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-7.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />They also met Ralph Okuma, a member of the Secret Society while at the store. You can kind of see him behind Ann in the last picture. Once they returned back to the dorm, they discovered that he was living there as well, as were several other members of the Secret Society (though I didn't realize that until later). Upon returning, Skip also soon rolled a want to major in Mathematics, so that's what I had him declare as.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-8.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-8.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-8.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Their first semester passed rather uneventfully after that. They worked on their grades, and on making friends with the others in the dorm. Though it wasn't specifically part of the challenge, I'd decided I wanted to get him Big Sim on Campus status, as well as membership into the Secret Society, if for no other reason than I'd never done either before with a university sim. I set the same goals for Ann as well. At the end of the semester, Ann and Skip had their finals at the same time, so they arrived back at the dorm at the same time. As they were standing on the sidewalk together, ACR kicked in and they shared their first kiss together.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-9.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-9.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-9.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />It turned into quite a makeout session for them, and was the beginning of a casual romance between them that continued through most of their time at college. They only had one bolt of attraction for each other, so I didn't really want to pair them up, but I let them have their little ACR induced fling as much as was convenient figuring it wouldn't hurt.<br /><br />Brandon took awhile to come up with any wants for a major, not rolling one until well into the last semester of Freshman year, or maybe even the first semester of their Sophomore year. Eventually, though, he rolled up the want for Political Science.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-10.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-10.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-10.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />I had him start working on writing novels to make some money for the group during this time, and it eventually got him enough Film & Literature enthusiasm to be given a membership to the secret lot. The lady that came to extend the invitation couldn't get in to see him, however, since I'd locked his dorm room door (I always lock their doors cause it drives me nuts having other dormies wandering in and using their stuff all the time).<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-11.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-11.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-11.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Shortly after that, Skip had increased his Science enthusiasm enough by looking through the telescope out back, to receive a membership to that secret lot. Ann happened to be outside as well at the time working on her Creativity.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-12.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-12.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-12.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Again, life went on for them in the dorm relatively uneventfully. They continued to keep up with their skills and grades, and to make friends with their dormmates. Eventually Brandon managed to have his first kiss with one of the gals there. They didn't have any particular attraction between them, however, and it was pretty much a one time kiss for them, so I never bothered to take note of what her name was.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-13.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-13.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-13.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />By the start of their second semester of Sophomore year between the money they got for their good grades, and Brandon's novel writing, they finally had saved up enough money to get the house I wanted for them to form a Greek House in and I was finally able to move them out of the dorm.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-14.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-14.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-14.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Almost immediately, ACR seized upon the new opportunities afforded by the double bed in one of the bedrooms upstairs and sent Ann and Skip up there to take their romance to the next level.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-15.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-15.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-15.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />While Ann and Skip were busy upstairs, Brandon got on the phone to apply for a Greek charter for them. And thus the Ursa Major House was founded. They had so many friends between them already that the Greek House started out at top level.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-16.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-16.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-16.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Ann soon developed something of an obsession for painting, or rather, for gaining Creativity points. She kept rolling wants to get the next point every time she'd gain one. Before long she had gained enough Arts & Crafts enthusiasm to get her membership to the secret lot.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-17.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-17.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-17.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />A few nights after they moved in, it happened. A big black limosine pulled up out front of the house and a blonde guy in a suit came in and put Skip in handcuffs and drug him off to be initiated into the Secret Society.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-18.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-18.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-18.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-19.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-19.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-19.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />The next night, they came again, only this time it was to take Brandon away to their lair.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-20.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-20.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-20.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><a title="Uni-1-21.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-21.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-21.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />In the above picture, Allison and Viola become relevant to the story here later on. Annie does too in a way, but more on all of them later.<br /><br />Last, but not least, a few nights later they came for Ann.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-22.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-22.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-22.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-23.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-23.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-23.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Life resumed for the three once all had been admitted to the Secret Society. Not too long after, Brandon had gained enough on his Lifetime Aspiration meter that he reached permaplat status. Yay, this means I don't have to do his LTW (not that I'd intended to anyway). The event that seems to have put him over the top was losing his virginity with Allison when he invited her over one night.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-24.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-24.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-24.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />He was so taken with her, despite her being rather fashion challenged, that he proposed to her shortly after they got out of bed.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-25.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-25.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-25.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />She was happy enough to say yes when he asked her, but she ended up getting a bad memory about getting engaged. Go figure.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-26.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-26.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-26.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />He asked her to pledge to the Greek House, and in due course of time she became a member. After that happened, he asked her to move in, and she accepted.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-27.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-27.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-27.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />A makeover for her was the first order of business after she moved in. I opted to skip buying her new clothing and just had her wear her Secret Society outfit for her everyday wear.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-28.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-28.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-28.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Here's a look at her stats:<br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/?action=view&current=Portrait-Allison-YA.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portraits/Portrait-Allison-YA.jpg" alt="Portrait-Allison-YA.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Allison Wilson</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Popularity<br />LTW: Become General<br />Personality: Aries - 5 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 6 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br />Turn Ons: Fatness, Charismatic<br />Turn Off: Cologne<br />Hobby: Music & Dance</span></p><br /><br /><br /><br />Since she had a career related LTW, I chose a major for her based on that instead of waiting for her to roll a want for one. She then got put on the fast track program via the College Adjuster to get her caught up to Brandon and the others on University Progress.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-29.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-29.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-29.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Ann continued to be obsessed with painting and gaining Creativity points, and eventually she'd maxed out her enthusiasm in Arts & Crafts and received her plaque.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-30.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-30.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-30.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />This was followed by Skip receiving his membership to the Music & Dance lot (he'd been playing the piano and I'd just had him stop that and start studying Cleaning when the lady finally made it in to him), and then his plaque for max Science enthusiasm. He was too busy chugging hot chocolate trying to warm up from being outside so long looking through his telescope to pay much attention to the guy that came to give it to him however.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-31.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-31.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-31.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-32.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-32.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-32.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Once the season had turned to Spring and the snows seemed to have ended, I had Brandon and Ann start planting a garden out back. Brandon earned his silver Gardening badge in the process.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-33.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-33.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-33.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Skip had been getting to know Viola Reamon from the Secret Society in the meantime, and discovered that he had two bolts of attraction for her. So he asked her to pledge the Greek House, and once she'd hung around long enough to become a member, he asked her to move in.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-34.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-34.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-34.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Here's a look at her stats:<br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Portraits/?action=view&current=Portrait-Viola-YA.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Portraits/Portrait-Viola-YA.jpg" alt="Portrait-Viola-YA.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Viola Reamon</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Family<br />LTW: Graduate 3 Children from College<br />Personality: Cancer - 6 Neat, 3 Outgoing, 6 Active, 4 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Turn Ons: Creative, Hats<br />Turn Off: Charismatic<br />Hobby: Tinkering</span></p><br /><br /><br /><br />I didn't get a picture of it, but she rolled a want to major in Psychology, so that's what I chose for her. She also got put into the fast track College Adjuster program to get her caught up, especially since all of the others were into their Senior year by now.<br /><br />Getting the garden set up also earned Brandon an invitation the Nature secret lot, though he wasn't interested enough about it to pay much attention to the lady that came to extend the invitation.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-35.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-35.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-35.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Since they were into their Senior year, I started thinking about how I was going to keep the Greek House going for future college kids from Challengeville, and I decided I'd use Annie Day from the Secret Society as a placeholder. Allison asked her to pledge, and she became a full member of the House in due time. I've rethought how I'll handle the transitions (more on that in a bit) but I might still use her, so I took a picture of her when she was over one night to give you all a better look at ther.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-37.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-37.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-37.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Ann helped Brandon keep the garden up, and eventually earned her bronze Gardening badge.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-38.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-38.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-38.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />At some point I'd noticed that Brandon already had a lot of best friends, so I decided to try for his IW of having 30 best friends, mostly through having him talk on the phone to people a lot. It took him a bit to get ahold of a few of his friends to push them over into being best friends, but one morning he managed to get ahold of the final one he needed and his IW was fulfilled.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-39.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-39.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-39.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />The garden continued to take up a lot of their time in between classes and friend making, with Ann and Brandon being the main ones that worked on keeping the weeds down. Eventually it earned Ann an invitation to the Nature secret lot, and Brandon his gold Gardening badge.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-40.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-40.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-40.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-41.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-41.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-41.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Skip helped out with the garden as well, though mostly I kept him busy working toward his LTW of maxing all skills to keep him busy until graduation when his challenge would be complete. I did give him enough breaks from the books to work on his relationship with Viola, however, and eventually he proposed to her. As a Family sim, this made her quite happy, and they even got a rousing cheer from the llama after she accepted Skip's proposal.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-42.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-42.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-42.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-43.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-43.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-43.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Shortly before their last semester was due to end, Allison managed to work up her Music & Dance enthusiasm enough to get an invitation to the secret lot. She really liked working out with the ballet barre.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-44.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-44.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-44.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />As you can see in the background on that last picture, I had them paint portraits of each other along the way, though I prefer using the Still Life option instead of the Portrait one to do them. The picture doesn't show it very well, but Brandon's turned out kind of neat since I managed to catch him in a still frame of working at his cauldron when I had one of the others (I forget if Ann or Skip did the portrait) choose the Paint Still Life option on the easel to paint his picture. The others are mostly just posed against a wall for theirs....not so interesting. The intention is to have a portrait on the wall of every sim that ever lives in the Greek House.<br /><br />Finally, after what seemed like forever, the time for their last final exams arrived and they were finally finished with college. They all graduated Summa Cum Laude, and Skip's challenge was officially completed.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-45.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-45.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-45.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-46.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-46.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-46.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-47.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-47.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-47.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-48.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-48.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-48.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-50.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-50.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-50.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />Their other accomplishments included all of them being in the Secret Society (though Allison and Viola were already in it as townies), and all of them but Brandon were Big Sim on Campus. For some reason he never got the memory of it despite all of his many friends. I think the reason must have been that he already had 12 or more friends when he got to University so he didn't get the memory for it. Ann did meet a guy that I intend to pair her up with eventually. I put one of TwoJeff's Find me a Mate Crystal Ball objects in the house to be more expedient than the matchmaker for finding long term mates and Ann had a date with a guy named Jace Macarevich from that. They have two bolts for one another, but he's already an adult, so I left their romance on the back burner while she finished college. She'll catch up with Jace once she moves back to the neighborhood.<br /><br />Viola had been several hours behind the rest of them for when her semester ended, so while I was waiting for her to finish, I decided to have them make a stab at getting a Wishing Well for the lot to help out future generations. They already had a fountain out front that one of them had gotten as a date gift from someone along the way, and I'd planted flowers around it and put out bushes along the front of the house, all of which were attended to by the gardener that day. I also had a pricy sculpture sitting in the yard out front, and some trees around, and had Brandon working away in the garden while the Club people were there. The weeds had gotten a bit out of hand over the last day or so, and a few of the plants were still drippy from several days worth of rain that they'd had earlier in the last semester, but enough were recovered that I hoped it would be good enough. I had Skip place the call, and greet the Club President when she arrived and request the inspection. While things went ok, they didn't manage to get the well, though Skip did get a membership to the Garden Club out of it.<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-49.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-49.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-49.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />I don't think any of the inspectors ever went around front to see all the flowers there, or the fountain and sculpture. If they did, they never commented on them, nor did they make any comments about all of the garden lights that were around the vegetable garden and orchard trees. Ah well, I'll try again when the next group of students is living here. I guess I'll have to put some more flowers and stuff out back where the garden is so they won't be as far away on the lot and the inspectors might take notice of them more. If anyone has any other suggestions for what would help, feel free to leave them in a comment on this post.<br /><br />Here's one final look at our intrepid band of college students<br /><br /><a title="Uni-1-36.jpg" href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/?action=view&current=Uni-1-36.jpg"> <img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/University/Session%201/Uni-1-36.jpg" border="0" /> </a><br /><br />I left them all on campus for the time being. I'll probably move Skip and Viola out either when the next group of students arrives or when I'd want to play them in the rotation of other lots, and possibly Ann as well. Brandon and Allison will probably stick around long enough to try to get the next group into the house, though if they run out of time I'll have them get Annie Day to move in as a placeholder to invite the other new kids. I belatedly realized that I probably should have had them get more pledges and members than they did, but ah well. This was my first time at running a Greek House that I'd created so I was bound to make a few mistakes I'm sure.<br /><br />The next update might take awhile, as I still have to play the 'hood again to have more material for an update. The plan now is to do a Prosperity-style rotation through all of the households that have been included in the blog so far before I start on another challenge. After that, I'll alternate between doing a challenge and doing a rotation through the neighborhood to keep everyone aging and progressing until I've gotten all of the households that have been placed in the neighborhood incorporated into the rotation. I reserve the right to change my mind about this plan, however, depending on how it all goes. But for now, farewell, and I'll see you again in a week or few with an update on Arlina Pennington's house hopefully.Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-82370937607083497342009-01-01T13:54:00.000-08:002009-01-01T19:04:37.392-08:00Roper - A Growing Family<p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=MiniPortrait-Woody-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/MiniPortrait-Woody-Adult.jpg" alt="Woody Roper" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Woody Roper</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Family<br />LTW: Become Education Minister<br />Personality: Aries - 5 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 6 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br />Turn Ons: Glasses, Great Cook ; Turn Off: Fatness<br />Hobby: Music & Dance<br />Badges:</span></p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=MiniPortrait-Daphne-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/MiniPortrait-Daphne-Adult.jpg" alt="Daphne Roper" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Daphne Roper</span><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Family<br />LTW: Graduate 3 Children from College<br />Personality: Aquarius - 6 Neat, 2 Outgoing, 4 Active, 7 Playful, 6 Nice<br />Turn Ons: Swimwear, Logical ; Turn Off: Hats<br />Hobby: Arts & Crafts<br />Badges:</span></p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=MiniPortrait-Skip-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/MiniPortrait-Skip-Child.jpg" alt="Skip Roper" align="left" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Skip Roper</span><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Aspiration: Grow Up<br />LTW: <span style="font-style: italic;">N/A</span><br />Personality: Virgo - 9 Neat, 1 Outgoing, 9 Active, 1 Playful, 5 Nice<br />Turn Ons: <span style="font-style: italic;">N/A</span> ; Turn Off: <span style="font-style: italic;">N/A</span><br />Hobby: Science<br />Badges:</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/?action=view&current=rule.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/rule.jpg" alt="Rule" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />When I left off with the Ropers before, they were a family of 3, with one on the way. The only one of the <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=23">challenge objectives</a> that had been met was for Skip to get an A+ report card.<br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=SkipAplusReportCard.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/SkipAplusReportCard.jpg" alt="Skip A Report Card" border="0" /></a></p><p>Play began this time on the day that Skip was due to have his Teen transition. That afternoon, Woody came home with a promotion to High School Principal and enough bonus money to buy furniture for the nursery they'd added on.</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=WoodyHSteacherpromo-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/WoodyHSteacherpromo-1.jpg" alt="Woody HS Teacher" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Later, the family gathered around in the kitchen as Skip transitioned to Teenager and acquired some rather unfortunate cheeks.</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=SkipGUWteen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/SkipGUWteen.jpg" alt="Skip - Teen birthday" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Usually anymore I've taken to choosing their aspirations via some random fashion such as rolling a die or using a random generator program. For this challenge, however, it was recommended to give Skip the Knowledge Aspiration, so that's what I did.</p><br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=SkipAspiration.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/SkipAspiration.jpg" alt="Skip's Aspiration" align="center" border="0" /></a><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p></p><br /><p>He didn't immediately get a LTW, but I checked it later and was fairly pleased with what it gave him:</p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=SkipLTW.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/SkipLTW.jpg" alt="Skip's LTW" align="center" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Later that night, Daphne went into labor. I chose "random babies" from the Triplets & Quads popup, and luckily got only one child, a girl that I named Stephanie.</p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=NewbornStephanie.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/NewbornStephanie.jpg" alt="Stephanie - Newborn" align="center" border="0" /></a></div><p></p><br /><p>ACR got ahold of Woody and Daphne the next day and Daphne became pregnant again. Woody had been working on his skills in the meantime, and he came home with another promotion that day as well.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=WoodyUniGuestLecturer-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/WoodyUniGuestLecturer-1.jpg" alt="Woody Uni Guest Lecturer" align="center" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>They had already arranged for the headmaster to come to dinner that night to try to get Skip into private school to satisfy another of the challenge requirements, and thankfully the scenario went off without any complications, and Skip was accepted.</p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Sims2ep92008-12-2600-22-39-40.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Sims2ep92008-12-2600-22-39-40.jpg" alt="Skip - Headmaster visit" border="0" /></a></p><p>Daphne wasn't yet showing, but she had her first belly pop later on that evening. Stephanie's infancy passed quickly in the meantime, and before they knew it, it was time for her Toddler transition, and I got my first look at her personality.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Sims2ep92008-12-2600-56-30-34.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Sims2ep92008-12-2600-56-30-34.jpg" alt="Stephanie - Toddler Birthday" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Sims2ep92008-12-2600-58-09-06.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Sims2ep92008-12-2600-58-09-06.jpg" alt="Stephanie's Personality" border="0" /></a></div><p></p><p>They got right to work on teaching her toddler skills, and it didn't take long before she was potty trained and learned to walk.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stephaniepottytrain.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stephaniepottytrain.jpg" alt="Stephanie PottyTrain" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stephaniewalk.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stephaniewalk.jpg" alt="Stephanie Walks" border="0" /></a></p><p>While Daphne had been busy working with Stephanie, Woody had been working on his skills for another promotion, and within a day or two he got it.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=WoodyHSteacherpromo.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/WoodyHSteacherpromo.jpg" alt="Woody HS Principal" border="0" /></a></p>He brought Samantha Ottomas home from work with him that day, which disproved what I'd read about sims that were still in the sim bin not showing up in the game. Actually, I've had her and others come home with my sims from work or school in the past as well. Since I wanted Woody to be able to keep in touch with her to keep the friendship going, I added on another shopping district sub-hood that will serve as a holding place for extra playable sims from the sim bin, and possibly townies that become playable from using them as placeholders at university or such. I have everyone there installed in a house with a phone and a computer so that they can be called and chatted with online, but I don't intend to play them. When I start playing the main hood in rounds, I may go in and age everyone up by the same number of days as passed in the main hood to keep them in sync, at least the ones that have formed relationships with sims in the main neighborhood. I will also consider those of them that aren't currently married as available for my sims to marry, in which case I will start to play them normally with whatever household they marry into.<p></p>Later that night, Daphne went into labor with her third child. Again, I chose random, and again it gave me just a single child, a boy that I named Stevan.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=NewbornStevan.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/NewbornStevan.jpg" alt="Stevan Roper" border="0" /></a></div><p></p><p>With only a day or so to go before her Child transition, Woody took some time out from his skilling to help with teaching Stephanie her toddler skills. Here he teaches her how to talk:</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stephanietalk.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stephanietalk.jpg" alt="Stephanie Talks" border="0" /></a></p><p>He hadn't been neglecting his own skills though, and it wasn't long before he got another promotion.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=WoodyCollegeSeniorProfessor-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/WoodyCollegeSeniorProfessor-1.jpg" alt="Woody College Sr Professor" border="0" /></a></p><p>He brought another friend home with him that day (I don't remember her name offhand), and she was around for Stephanie and Stevan's birthdays that evening. She had been playing chess with Woody upstairs, and when she came down for the cakes, her arm had gotten stuck in the chess playing position. First Daphne helped Stephanie to blow out her candles and Stephanie grew up:</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stephanienewchild.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stephanienewchild.jpg" alt="Stephanie - Child birthday" border="0" /></a></p><p>And then Skip brought baby Stevan to the cake and helped him transition into a Toddler.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stevantoddlercake.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stevantoddlercake.jpg" alt="Stevan Toddler Birthday" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stevannewtoddler.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stevannewtoddler.jpg" alt="Stevan Toddler Birthday" border="0" /></a></p><p>I was afraid he might end up being a clone of Stephanie since I was pretty sure I had forgotten to "roll the dice" to prevent the firstborn effect before he was born, but luckily, he is not:</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=StevanPersonality.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/StevanPersonality.jpg" alt="Stevan's Personality" border="0" /></a></p><p>And so another round of toddler training and other skilling commenced. As soon as was possible, Daphne potty trained Stevan.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_b661bfb3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_b661bfb3.jpg" alt="Stevan Potty Train" border="0" /></a></p><p>Then, after her first day of school, Woody helped Stephanie with her homework and she learned how to study.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stephaniehomework.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stephaniehomework.jpg" alt="Stephanie homework" border="0" /></a></p><p>The next day, Daphne sat down with Stevan and taught him how to talk.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_b6629826.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_b6629826.jpg" alt="Stevan Talks" border="0" /></a></p><p>At some point during the spring, as soon as the snow seemed to have stopped, I had Daphne start a garden out at the side of the house, and added an apple tree because Daphne had rolled the want for an orchard tree. While the plants often went neglected because everyone was so busy, Daphne still found time enough to work the garden and before long had earned her bronze badge.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_76629bfd.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_76629bfd.jpg" alt="Daphne - Bronze Gardening" border="0" /></a></p><p></p>The next day she taught Stevan how to walk.<p></p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_76629fe2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_76629fe2.jpg" alt="Stevan Walks" border="0" /></a></p><p>While she was doing that, Stephanie came home with her first A+ report card and ran to tell her mother about it. Daphne was busy with Stevan, but she did cheer for Stephanie once she had finished.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=StephanieAplus.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/StephanieAplus.jpg" alt="Stephanie - A Report Card" border="0" /></a></p><p>It was about this time that invitations to some of the hobby secret lots started coming in for the Ropers. Woody had already received a membership to Games of Glory for his gaming enthusiasm, gained mainly while playing chess to work on his logic skills for promotions. Skip had also received a memberhip to Sue's (Secret) Kitchen for cuisine enthusiasm gained while working on his cooking skill for the challenge. The next membership he received was for Games of Glory, and then Daphne received a membership to Peerless Park for her nature enthusiasm from working the garden.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_9662a14d.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_9662a14d.jpg" alt="Skip - Games Lot" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_5662a1ba.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_5662a1ba.jpg" alt="Daphne - Nature lot" border="0" /></a></p><p>Sometime during all of this, Skip managed to get both his cooking and his charisma skills up to at least 5, thus satisfying two more challenge objectives. The bookcase that Woody had gotten as a career reward from Education with one of his promotions helped out a lot.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Sims2ep92008-12-2703-22-27-85.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Sims2ep92008-12-2703-22-27-85.jpg" alt="Skip's Skills" border="0" /></a></p><p>His next achievement was earning his bronze gardening badge while helping with the garden one day.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Skipbronzegardening.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Skipbronzegardening.jpg" alt="Skip - Bronze Gardening" border="0" /></a></p><p>Soon it was time for Stevan to transition to Child. Woody had brought Samantha Ottomas home from work with him again that day, so she was there for the cake. Stevan grew up well.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stevannewchild.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stevannewchild.jpg" alt="Stevan Child Birthday" border="0" /></a></p><p>The next day after his first day of school, Daphne taught him how to do his homework.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_b663c5a5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_b663c5a5.jpg" alt="Stevan Homework" border="0" /></a></p><p>During Stevan's infancy and toddlerhood, ACR kept trying to get Daphne pregnant again, but the random rolls always failed. I'd held my breath every time it sent them into the bedroom together, then was relieved when she didn't get pregnant as the three children seemed like enough to me. Eventually though, Daphne and Woody both rolled the want to have another baby, and so I took pity on them and had them try for one. This time Daphne did get pregnant, and shortly after Stevan started school, she started to show. The weekend was coming up, and it seemed like a good time to try to get Stephanie and Stevan into private school with Skip, so I had Woody call and arrange for the headmaster to come over on Saturday. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as well as they did when I got Skip in. The scenario played out alright, but in the end they came up 4 points short of success despite numerous attempts on Woody's part to schmooze for a few extra points, and they were turned down.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Failedheadmastervisit.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Failedheadmastervisit.jpg" alt="Headmaster visit" border="0" /></a></p><p>I'd kept Stevan and Stephanie busy all day playing chess together to work on their logic skills and to keep them out of the way while the others were cleaning house and such to prepare for the headmaster's visit. While they were at it, Stephanie maxed her logic skill, and both of them gained enough games enthusiasm that they received memberships to Games of Glory.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_f663cf2b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_f663cf2b.jpg" alt="Stephanie - Games Lot" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stevangameslot.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stevangameslot.jpg" alt="Stevan - Games Lot" border="0" /></a></p><p>The next day, while waiting for another visit from the headmaster that never happened, Skip worked on his body skill in hopes of getting a scholarship for it, and gained enough fitness enthusiasm that he was given a membership to the Platinum Gym. Of course the guy waited until Skip had finished on the bike and was heading for the shower to show up and give him the card.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_5663d01b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_5663d01b.jpg" alt="Skip - Fitness Lot" border="0" /></a></p><p>After cleaning the house, Daphne had gone out to work on the garden, which was very overgrown at this point again, and she earned her silver gardening badge.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_7663dcf4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_7663dcf4.jpg" alt="Daphne - Silver Gardening" border="0" /></a></p><p>Skip went out to help her after his workout and shower, and while he was out there he received both a membership to Peerless Park and his silver gardening badge.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=SkipNaturelot.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/SkipNaturelot.jpg" alt="Skip - Nature Lot" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Skipsilvergardening.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Skipsilvergardening.jpg" alt="Skip - Silver Gardening" border="0" /></a></p><p>I'm not sure what happened, as I'm pretty sure I'd had Woody call to invite the headmaster again on Sunday, but when 5pm rolled around, the headmaster never showed up. So, I tried again, having Woody make the phone call to invite him, and this time I made sure that I saw he'd accepted for the next evening, which was Monday. Meanwhile, since he was close to becoming an adult and would thus be going to college within a day or so, I had Skip apply for scholarships. He was already set for the two that he needed for the challenge, but he'd also gotten his skills up enough to earn a few more as well.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Skipscholarships.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Skipscholarships.jpg" alt="Skip - Scholarships" border="0" /></a></p><p>Sunday night, Daphne went into labor, and soon delivered her third son, and likely her last child, Samuel. Again, I'd forgotten to "roll the dice" to prevent firstborn syndrome (this was a different play session from when Stevan was born), so he might end up being a clone of either Stephanie or Stevan. I'll have to wait unitl he becomes a toddler to find out. It's possible Daphne could have another child still if ACR rolls don't go my way, but as she's only about 6 or 7 days from Elder now it's unlikely.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Sims2ep92008-12-2817-52-59-37.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Sims2ep92008-12-2817-52-59-37.jpg" alt="Samuel and Mommy" border="0" /></a></p><p>The next day, while Samuel slept, Daphne cleaned the house and then worked some more on her sewing. She'd been working on making curtains for the house for awhile, and during this session the work finally paid off and she got her silver badge.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=snapshot_16603180_1663f013.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/snapshot_16603180_1663f013.jpg" alt="Daphne - Silver Sewing" border="0" /></a></p><p>That afternoon, Woody came home with another promotion just about the time the headmaster was due to arrive.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=WoodyDeanofStudents-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/WoodyDeanofStudents-1.jpg" alt="Woody Dean of Students" border="0" /></a></p><p>I should note here that scheduling the visit for that day had been rather poor planning on my part, as Skip and Stephanie were both due to have age transitions that day. Skip would have become an adult, which meant I had to get him sent to college before he could transition, and Stephanie was due to become a teenager. But the visit was already scheduled, so in order to prevent them aging in the middle of it, and especially to keep Skip from aging to adult before I could get him to college, I set their age days back a few days. Neither of them got any extra benefits from this, and in the end I was able to work it so that the transitions happened pretty much on schedule. But more on that in a moment.</p><p>The headmaster arrived at the same time that Woody was getting home from work, so I had him greet him out front and then give the tour. Though I didn't have him try to schmooze, somehow he managed to earn them a few schmooze points just during the greeting. Then the tour began, and went well, though they lost a couple points for the kitchen as I'd neglected to clean up a baby bottle from where Skip had fed Samuel earlier that afternoon. And for some reason, the headmaster never sat down at the table with them after I had Woody call him in to dinner when the tour had finished, but they still got the meal points. Overall, this time they were successful and Stephanie and Stevan were both accepted.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Successfulheadmastervisit.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Successfulheadmastervisit.jpg" alt="Headmaster Visit #2" border="0" /></a></p><p>After the headmaster had left, I got a cake and sent Stephanie over to it. As all the birthdays had been, it was just a small gathering in the kitchen instead of a party, but she still grew up well.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Stephanienewteen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Stephanienewteen.jpg" alt="Stephanie - Teen birthday" border="0" /></a></p><p>I rolled for her aspiration since she isn't part of Skip's challenge and had no aspiration requirements.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=StephanieAspiration.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/StephanieAspiration.jpg" alt="Stephanie's Aspiration" border="0" /></a></p><p>Pleasure seems to come up a lot for me lately, so I wasn't really happy to get that one, but it could be worse I suppose. I forgot to check if she had been given a lifetime want before I left the lot.</p><p>And that is where I ended my play on this lot for now. I didn't have Skip call to go to college since I plan on sending him from the college neighborhood screen along with Brandon Pennington and Ann Chovie so I can have them all together on one lot. Skip hasn't met Brandon yet, though he has met his sister Bethany when she came home from school one day. Here's a shot of them tossing a football in the snow.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Sims2ep92008-12-2523-46-15-98.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Sims2ep92008-12-2523-46-15-98.jpg" alt="Skip and Bethany" border="0" /></a></p><p>He has met Ann Chovie, as she came home from school with him on another day about the time that Daphne discovered that she was pregnant with Samuel. You can see her sitting on the couch in the picture above of Daphne teaching Stevan how to do his homework. He's built his relationship with her up to friend already, so at least he knows one of the people he'll be going to college with. When next I play this neighborhood, I'll be continuing Skip's challenge in college. But before I end this post, here's a look at how the family the way there were when I left them.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=LotInfo081228.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/LotInfo081228.jpg" alt="Lot Information on 12/28/08" border="0" /></a></p><br /></div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-19957398152998179862008-12-25T17:17:00.000-08:002008-12-25T17:50:26.756-08:00Roper - Introduction & Backstory<p>The Ropers are part of the TSR <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=23">The Most Excellent Education</a> challenge. Skip Roper is the target sim for it, and the objectives involve various achievements during his education from child up until he graduates from college. I have played them for a little while so far, but so far have only completed the requirement that he get an A+ report card, so there is still a lot left to go for them. But first, let me introduce you to them.</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Portrait-Woody-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Woody Roper" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Portrait-Woody-Adult.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Woody Roper</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Family<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become Education Minister<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Unknown<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Glasses, Great Cook<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 5 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 6 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span><br /></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Portrait-Daphne-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Daphne Roper" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Portrait-Daphne-Adult.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Daphne Roper</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Family<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Graduate 3 Children from College<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Arts & Crafts<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aquarius<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Swimwear, Logical<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Hats<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 6 Neat, 2 Outgoing, 4 Active, 7 Playful, 6 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span><br /></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=Portrait-Skip-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Skip Roper" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/Portrait-Skip-Child.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Skip Roper</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Grow Up<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Unknown<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Virgo<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 9 Neat, 1 Outgoing, 9 Active, 1 Playful, 5 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span><br /></p><p><br />Skip starts out as a child in this challenge, and I haven't yet played them long enough for him to transition up to teen. He's only a day away though, so he'll grow up the next time I play them. So far things have been pretty much the normal childhood routine for him of going to school, doing homework, and painting or playing with friends to have fun in between. He has gotten his grades up to A+ so far and I'll have to make sure he keeps them that way. Shouldn't be too difficult.</p><p>One of the first things I did with Woody, besides giving him a makeover, was to have him switch careers to the Education field to work toward his LTW. As with Skip, things have been pretty much just the normal routine of going to work and skilling to get promotions, interspersed with spending some time with his family and starting to make a few friends. He's gotten a promotion or two so far and is currently up to Elementary School Teacher. The salary raises and bonus money have been much needed by them so far to expand their house to allow for a larger family</p><p>Daphne so far has been unemployed, and has been spending her time keeping the house clean, making friends to help Woody with his career, and sewing to work on her hobby enthusiasm. She's also been studying Cooking to raise her skill to improve the chemistry between her and Woody. In order to make her LTW possible, I had them Try for Baby, and she conceived. She's currently still pregnant, and due to give birth within a day or so once I play them again. They'll need to have at least one more child after this one, assuming she doesn't have twins (or more) this time.</p><p>Here's a look at how things stand on their lot currently</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/?action=view&current=LotInfo081220.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Lot Information on 12/20/08" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Roper/LotInfo081220.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>I plan to play their lot next and work on finishing the challenge. Stay tuned for an update or updates on their story, hopefully in the near future.</p>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-49907345733343879052008-12-25T15:38:00.001-08:002008-12-25T17:01:48.732-08:00Druff Estate - Introduction & Backstory<p>The Druff house is an offshoot of the <a href="http://challengevilletales.blogspot.com/2008/12/wieser-druff-introduction-backstory.html">Wieser household</a>, and most of their story to date is told there. This post will follow up with the Druffs on their new lot as they start their own household separate from Bud Wieser's. I didn't play them for very long after moving them to their new house, but there is still a little more of their story left to tell. But first, a recap of the residents here.</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Portrait-Dan-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Dan Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Portrait-Dan-Adult.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#663300;">Dan Druff</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge/Family<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: <del>Become Chief of Staff</del>; Become Mad Scientist<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Sports<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Gemini<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Fitness, Vampirism<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 7 Outgoing, 8 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Silver Fishing</span></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Portrait-Misty-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Misty (Cupp) Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Portrait-Misty-Adult.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Misty (Cupp) Druff</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become City Planner<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Sports<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Gemini<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Fitness, Vampirism<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 7 Outgoing, 8 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span><br /></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Portrait-Nathan-Teen.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Nathan Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Portrait-Nathan-Teen.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Nathan Druff</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Pleasure<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become Game Designer<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Fitness<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Gemini<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Creative, Good at Cleaning<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Makeup<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 2 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 10 Active, 6 Playful, 7 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span><br /></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Portrait-Neville-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Neville Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Portrait-Neville-Child.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Neville Druff</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Grow Up<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Fitness<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Scorpio<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 10 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 10 Active, 4 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span><br /></p><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Portrait-Norris-Infant.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px" alt="Norris Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Portrait-Norris-Infant.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Norris Druff</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Grow Up<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Games<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Sagittarius<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: N/A<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 2 Outgoing, 8 Active, 10 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span><br /></p><br /><p>After Misty had been eaten by her cowplant a second time, Dan decided enough was enough. There was a newly renovated old Victorianesque house around the corner that was up for sale, so he quickly purchased it, packed up himself and his 3 sons and moved them there, leaving Misty's grave and her cowplant behind. He didn't want to risk losing any of his sons to the nasty thing as well.</p><p>Meanwhile, back at the Wieser house, Bud decided that it was worth bringing Misty back from the dead once more so that his friend Dan's family could be complete. He made the call, but this time when Misty came back, she had no memory of Dan whatsoever. She did remember her children, however, and when one of them called she eagerly accepted the invitation to come over to their new house as she was anxious to see them again. She was at first puzzled about who the man was they were living with, but once he began talking to her and took her into his arms to give her a kiss, it all came flooding back. She happily accepted his invitation to move in with them. And so, the family was once again whole.</p><p>Shortly after moving, their oldest son Nathan had his transition to teen, followed a few days later by their son Norris transitioning to toddler. They decided that it was time to see if they could get Nathan and Neville into private school, and so they called up the headmaster and invited him over for dinner. Things with the dinner went rough for awhile*, but in the end the headmaster agreed to accept the boys into his school and told them that they could start the next day.</p><p>* Actually, it took me about 4 attempts at the headmaster scenario, leaving without saving in between each one, before I could get it to work. Each time I kept either being glitchy, or I simply messed up on it since I hadn't attempted it for a long time and had forgotten how to do it all. In the first attempt, Norris wanted to transition to toddler right in the middle of it, which distracted everyone from what they were doing with the headmaster. And from there it was just a disaster. They were rejected and Misty promptly went into aspiration failure since, as a Knowledge sim, she had a fear of her sons being rejected. Dan was already permaplat by this point from achieving his LTW, so it didn't affect him so much. For the second attempt, I had Nathan grow Norris up ahead of time and then kept Norris busy playing with one of his toys up in the nursery, flagrantly cheating his needs up to max so no one would get worried about him being hungry or anything and interrupt what they were doing with the headmaster. I'd planned for Dan to make a sparkly fish dish for dinner, but the butler had made hamburgers before then and everyone had filled up on those. Traffic in the smallish kitchen got jammed up, I had to keep fighting everyone to keep them on task, and again, it was a disaster. Third try, I turned free will off temporarily so they wouldn't keep trying to wander off on their own. I cheated motives up to max ahead of time to keep the butler from preparing a meal that wasn't on the agenda, then pulled them back down when it was time for dinner so they'd eat and not end up fat. But again, I couldn't figure out why the headmaster wouldn't come when I used the "Call to Dinner...Guests" on the plate of fish. Eventually I figured out I had to use the "Entertain...Call to dinner" option instead to get him to sit down, but by the time I did, time had pretty much run out and it failed again. So, exit, try again with free will still turned off for the lot. And the 4th time was a charm. Tour went great, as it had all of the previous times pretty much since I gave them a pretty nicely furnished house, I got him to come to dinner alright and it got high points on the scenario. In fact, between the tour and the dinner of sparkly fish it scored something like 101/90, and the scenario ended in a success well ahead of the time limit. I'll have to practice with this some more in other households so I can get the hang of it better. I think that dismissing the butler early that day, if there is one, might help, since he seemed to just get in the way. I'll also not attempt it on a day that someone in the house is due to have a birthday, especially if it's a baby that requires help to grow up.</p><p>I left off playing this house after the headmaster scenario had finished and they'd been accepted. Before I close this post, however, here are a few more pics of them:</p><p>Norris as a toddler playing with his xylophone</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Playingwithmusictoy.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Norris plays the xylophone" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Playingwithmusictoy.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>A screenshot of the lot info on the neighborhood screen the way it looks currently</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=LotInfo081220.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Lot Information on 12/20/08" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/LotInfo081220.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-5555837150122007912008-12-24T21:32:00.001-08:002008-12-24T23:39:18.469-08:00Wieser-Druff - Introduction & Backstory<p>After playing the Ball lot and all that happened there, I decided I should probably go ahead and play the Wieser lot and do their challenge before any of them got any more tangled up in the lives of the others in the neighborhood. The challenge for this lot was <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=24">The Supernatural Challenge</a> which focuses on Bud Wieser, and involves his friends Dan Druff, Misty Cupp, and Luke Warm. When you first load the lot, Bud, Misty and Dan are there, and Luke is a tombstone on the front lawn. Along the way they get to experience zombies, vampires, a cowplant and aliens. Before I get started on their story, let's meet them.</p><p><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/?action=view&current=Portrait-Bud-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Bud Wieser" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Portrait-Bud-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Bud Wieser</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become Education Minister<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Leo<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Music & Dance<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Vampirism, Black Hair<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 10 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 0 Active, 0 Playful, 5 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Portrait-Dan-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Dan Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Portrait-Dan-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Dan Druff</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge/Family<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become Chief of Staff (achieved!)<br /><strong>New LTW</strong>: Become Mad Scientist<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Gemini<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Sports<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Fitness, Vampirism<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 7 Outgoing, 8 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Fishing - Silver</span></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Portrait-Misty-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Misty (Cupp) Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Portrait-Misty-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Misty Cupp Druff</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become City Planner<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Gemini<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Sports<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Fitness, Vampirism<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 7 Outgoing, 8 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table></p><p>Notice that Misty is labeled as being Misty Druff on her picture? Well, that's because almost as soon as I'd started playing the lot after renovating and furnishing the house, ACR got ahold of her and Dan, and before I knew it they were in bed and I heard chimes. This immediately threw a bit of a kink in the plan I'd had to have Dan move in with Crystal to help raise their triplets once I'd finished this challenge. Misty was slated to get eaten by a cowplant at some point to satisfy the requirements of the challenge, so a relationship between them at this point didn't really matter, but for Dan to move in with Crystal, he'd have had to leave his child with Misty behind, and I'd hate to split up a parent and child like that. But I went along with it and figured I'd sort it out later. Then - and this is where I messed up and made the challenge uncompletable with the original sims, more on that later - I decided that if Dan was going to have a kid with Misty, I wanted it to have his name, so I had them get married. Just an informal exchange of rings, nothing fancy. A few days later, Misty gave birth to their son Nathan. He grew to child while they were still on the lot, though was close to becoming a teen by the time they moved. Here's a look at how he progressed - I'll introduce you to him more completely in a future post.</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Nathan-InfanttoChild.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Nathan Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Nathan-InfanttoChild.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>Meanwhile, all of them got jobs. Bud got a job in the Paranormal field to start working toward the grim phone reward that he would need to resurrect Luke as part of the challenge, as well as a position as UFO Investigator which was another requirement for him. Misty got a job in the Natural Science field to start working toward getting the cowplant that would cause her ultimate demise. She of course didn't get to start right away due to her pregnancy. Dan had no particular career requirements for the challenge, so I got him a job in the Medical field to work toward his LTW. Once Nathan was born, their work schedules were all spread out such that there was always someone home, so a nanny was never needed for him. Misty hadn't been back at work very long when thanks to ACR, she got pregnant again, thus further complicating the plan to have Dan move in with Crystal when this was all done. At least she was getting plenty of time to work on her skills so she'd be all set for promotions while she was on maternity leave. Shortly after Nathan had transitioned to toddler, she gave birth to their second son, Neville. By the time they moved, he'd become a child. Here's a look at how he progressed - as with Nathan, I'll introduce you to him better in a future post.</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/?action=view&current=Neville-InfanttoChild.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Neville Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Druff/Neville-InfanttoChild.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>While Misty and Dan were busy filling the house with babies, Bud was working on his skills and friendships to get promotions. By the time Neville was born, or shortly thereafter, he had gotten the promotions he needed to unlock the grim phone reward. He collected his reward, set it up in the study, and made the phone call to the Grim Reaper to bring Luke back to life. Since the challenge required that Luke be resurrected as a zombie, however, he didn't pay very much even though they could have afforded it. And with that, I had my first ever zombie, with the typical zombie personality.</p><br /><p><table><tbody><br /><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/?action=view&current=Portrait-Luke-Zombie.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Luke Warm" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Portrait-Luke-Zombie.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Luke Warm</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Max out 7 Skills<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Leo<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Games (maxed)<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Underwear, Vampirism<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 0 Neat, 4 Outgoing, 2 Active, 1 Playful, 0 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table></p><br /><p>I wasn't sure what to expect with Luke the Zombie, but I found out they're not really all that bad. His needs were all near critical at first, of course, though it didn't take all that long to get him into better shape. I learned that his needs, some of them at least, deplete a lot faster than normal sims, so he takes a bit more maintenance. He also reminded me pretty quickly of why I don't let very sloppy sims take a shower - they can't seem to do so without flooding the bathroom and making a huge mess that they whine about when you make them clean it up. Luckily I'd also put a bathtub in the house, so most of the time I can direct him to use that instead of the shower. Overall, however, he made a pretty good addition to the household. I didn't make him get a job, so he was always at home to serve as a live-in nanny of sorts for Nathan and Neville. He did pretty good at it too, and at times I think he was doing more for the kids than their parents were. When he wasn't taking care of the kids, he spent most of his time playing chess to work on his Logic skills and to cater to his love of Games.</p><p>Once he'd resurrected Luke, Bud got to work on one of the next requirements of the challenge and went downtown to try to meet a vampire. He got lucky, and was able to meet Contessa Angel Tellerman and get to know her fairly well.</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/?action=view&current=Portrait-ContessaAngelTellerman-Vam.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Contessa Angel Tellerman" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Portrait-ContessaAngelTellerman-Vam.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>He didn't immediately work their relationship up high enough for her to bite him, but he continued to call her and work on the friendship. In due time, they were best friends, and one night when he was off work, he invited her over. Prior to this, however, I'd had him call up the gypsy woman and have her come over so he could buy a few bottles of the vampire cure potion. He gave one to Dan as a gift, to give his relationship with him an extra boost and so Dan would have one in his inventory, then kept the other two. Once they were both set up to be able to change themselves back quickly after being bitten, I had Bud invite Contessa Angel over. Within minutes of her arrival and Bud greeting her she was working her spell on Bud and then bending him over to have a drink. Bud was thrilled to become a vampire, and immediately went inside to nibble on Dan. Then, once Dan had turned, I had both of them chug their potions. And voila, three of the challenge requirements met within a couple sim hours. Bud pretty much ignored Contessa Angel after this - eventually she either left on her own with dawn came, or he said goodbye to her, I forget which it was. Since she'd served her purpose, and their chemistry wasn't really high enough for her to be a good romantic match for him, I didn't make any direct efforts for him to stay in contact with her after that.</p><p>Next on the agenda for Bud was for him to get abducted by aliens. This is where the Freetime aspiration rewards came in handy - with the Summon Aliens ability he got from the Knowledge line, he had no real trouble getting himself abducted. I did learn that the ability only really works at night, however. When I sent him to the telescope to Summon Aliens during the daytime, he just stood there swinging it back and forth and up, and murmuring something along the lines of "Here alien, alien, alien" but nothing ever happened. When I sent him to do it after dark, he got abducted almost immediately. And soon, baby number 3 for the household was on the way. Luckily Nathan had aged up to child by this point, or was close to it, so I didn't have to get any extra cribs, not that buying one would have been a problem for them. A few days later, Bud gave birth to his son Castor who by the time I finished with this lot had aged up to toddler.</p><p><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/?action=view&current=Portrait-Castor-Toddler.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Castor Wieser" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Portrait-Castor-Toddler.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Castor Wieser</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Music & Dance<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 8 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 5 Active, 1 Playful, 10 Nice</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></p><p>Now, the only thing left for Bud to achieve for the challenge was to Drink Misty Cupp. Misty eventually had managed to stop being pregnant long enough to go to work and get a few promotions while everything else was going on in the house, and so not to long after this she was able to get the cowplant reward. For reasons I don't quite remember now, I didn't feed her to it immediately upon getting it, though I did within a few days. Her husband and kids were understandably devastated. But, not to worry, we have a grim phone in the house, and we have lots of money now, so we can get her back easily and as good as new. I had by this point given up on the idea of moving Dan in with Crystal and had decided instead to have the Druffs move out to their own place once the challenge was finished. So, once Bud had gone out to drink Misty from the cowplant, I had him resurrect her. He paid top dollar this time, so she came back perfectly. And as a bit of a surprise, she was still married to Dan. Nothing had changed with any of her relationships that I could tell. Not sure why this was, but I'm guessing it had to do with how quickly she was resurrected - it was within sim hours of her death. At this point I thought I was done with the challenge. I exited the game and ran the challenge wizard to be sure though before moving the Druffs out, and...I wasn't. It hadn't registered that he had Drunk Misty Cupp. Hrm. I went back into the game to check his memories, thinking maybe resurrecting her so soon somehow negated it, but no, he still had a memory of "Drank Misty". Huh. Well, we'll try again.</p><p>Unfortunately, I wasn't able to try again right away, because just after Misty had been brought back to life, ACR had its way with her and Dan again and she once again was pregnant. Quite the fertile woman is Misty. This forced me to wait until she'd had her baby, since while I was perfectly willing to kill her again for the good of the challenge, I wasn't willing to kill the baby as well. So, I waited, and a few days later she gave birth to her third son, Norris. Then, almost immediately after she'd given birth to him, I sent her back out to the cowplant. It gobbled her up, then I sent Bud out to milk it and drink her. I checked his memories, and now he had two "Drank Misty" memories in his panel. This time I held off on resurrecting her and exited to check it with the wizard to see if it had completed. It hadn't. Still didn't register a completion for the "Drink Misty Cupp" requirement. *sigh* So, all I can think of at this point is that there must be something in the code that knows he drank Misty Druff, not Misty Cupp, even though the memory just says Misty with no last name, and it must be making a difference to the challenge wizard being able to recognize it as completed. So...while I could have just called it finished at this point, I wanted it to get officially marked off as completed, so I decided that I'd just have to create another Misty Cupp to feed to the cowplant, which I did. Here she is:</p><p><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/?action=view&current=Portrait-Misty-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Misty Cupp" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/Portrait-Misty-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Misty Cupp</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become Head of SCIA<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Cancer<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Science<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Blond Hair, Logical<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Cologne<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 6 Neat, 5 Outgoing, 5 Active, 4 Playful, 5 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table></p><p>I did goof a little though, and moved her onto the lot before I'd resurrected the original Misty again, and once I had, the lot was full and it wouldn't let me resurrect her. So I had to have Dan go ahead and move out with his boys to the house I'd already gotten ready for them. Once they had gone, I was able to resurrect Misty Druff with no problems. This time, however, she came back unmarried, and she didn't even know Dan at all now. He was missing completely from her relationships window. She still knew all of her children though, and her relationships with them were unchanged, even baby Norris who she'd only just given birth to when she died. Her not knowing Dan was bothersome, but I figured I could fix it easily enough by having one of the boys invite her over once I'd finished with things in the Wieser house.</p><p>Now that I had the original Misty Cupp, who was now Misty Druff, back and mostly ready to go and start a new life with Dan once I got the relationship issues straightened out, it was time for the new Misty Cupp to meet the cowplant. Like a trooper, she went marching right out to its pen at my command and soon she was a tombstone by its pot. I sent Bud out to have his 3rd drink of cowplant juice, checked the memories to make sure "Drank Misty" was there for a 3rd time, and exited. And, hooray! it worked. The challenge was now complete, and I was free to go follow the Druffs to their new house and work on getting their family back together. Stay tuned for a follow up report on them in the next post. For now, I'll end this post with a look at how things stand with the Wieser lot currently:</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/?action=view&current=LotInfo081220labeled.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Lot Information on 12/20/08" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Wieser/LotInfo081220labeled.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left">Future plans for the Wieser household involve getting Bud and the new Misty Cupp together as a couple. Perhaps they'll have some kids together so Castor won't be an only child. I'll most likely keep Luke with them in the house. Always nice having a live-in nanny for the kids. And might be kind of cool seeing him get to know subsequent generations of Wiesers without ever changing himself.</p>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-2608052649189558432008-12-24T19:25:00.000-08:002008-12-24T21:14:24.038-08:00Ball - Introduction and Backstory<p>After finishing Sue Shi's challenge, I decided to give the <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=36">Chewy Ball: Stunt Double</a> challenge a try. The target for this challenge is a dog, Chewy Ball, who lives with Crystal Ball. The objectives involve getting him getting him a pet job in the Showbiz career and getting him promoted to Stunt Double as well as teaching him a few specific learned behaviors. I had tried pets a little bit after the Pets expansion came out, but hadn't really done anything with them since then, so I thought I'd give them another try. Before I get into their story, let me introduce you to them.</p><br /><p><table><tbody><br /><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Portrait-Crystal-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Crystal Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Portrait-Crystal-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Crystal Ball</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Max out 7 Skills<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Sports<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Fitness, Swim Wear<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Stink<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 5 Neat, 6 Outgoing, 6 Active, 5 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Gardening - Gold</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Personality-Chewy.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Chewy Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Personality-Chewy.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Things were easy enough on this lot for awhile. Crystal didn't have any trouble finding a job for Chewy in the showbiz career, and since she didn't work herself, and had plenty of money for the time being, she had plenty of time to teach him the commands he needed for promotions and to train him in learned behaviors. Once he had achieved the top of his career, which didn't take very long, I decided to try out having some puppies while I was working on finishing his other training, so I had Crystal call the pet adoption agency and adopt Lulu to be a mate for Chewy.</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Personality-Lulu.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Lulu" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Personality-Lulu.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Chewy and Lulu got along well, and within only a day or two I was able to send them to the doghouse to make some puppies. When Lulu gave birth, she had 3 puppies: Dewey (female), Huey (male) and Luey (male). Here's a look at their personalities:</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Personality-Dewey.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Dewey" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Personality-Dewey.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Personality-Huey.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Huey" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Personality-Huey.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Personality-Luey.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Luey" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Personality-Luey.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Things in the house got interesting in a hurry with 2 dogs and 3 puppies to keep up with. It was around this time that I built the first expansion to the house to create a bigger room just for the dog bowls and some chew bones behind the kitchen, since it quickly became apparent I was going to need to have several bowls to make sure there was always one filled and available when dog or puppy got hungry. Housebreaking was a very hit or miss affair, mostly miss, as I didn't always see the "accident" occurring to know which one did it and scold them for it to try to get them all trained to go outside. In fact, by the time I finished playing this lot I still hadn't gotten them all fully housebroken, though they were doing a lot better by that point. Here's a group collage of all the dogs after the puppies had all grown to adult. I should note that all of the pups grew up looking exactly like Chewy, so I eventually had to change their appearances and add markings to them so I could tell them apart. I tried to stay with colorations that would be reasonable given the parents though.</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Groupcollage.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Chewy, Lulu and pups" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Groupcollage.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>It was around this time, when the puppies were still puppies, that I decided that Crystal could probably use some sim companionship too instead of only having the dogs for company. Since she didn't have a lot of time or energy to go out looking for someone, I decided I'd take the quick route and had her call the matchmaker for a blind date. I was hoping to get someone who'd be a good husband for her, but instead the gypsy set her up with Dan Druff who was already part of another challenge I had yet to do and so could not be moved away from the lot he was on. I'll be telling you more about him soon in another post, but for now, here's a quick look at him:</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=DanDruff.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Dan Druff" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/DanDruff.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Crystal has a 2 bolt attraction for Dan, so their date went well. They got along so well that it wasn't long before ACR was taking hold of them and sending them to the bedroom where fireworks were seen...and chimes were heard. A few days later, Crystal went into labor, and I chose the "random babies" option on the Triplets & Quads screen. Up comes the screen that told me that TWO new babies were on the way. Ouch, twins...well, ok, we can handle this. Crystal proceeds to have the babies, delivering the first, setting it on the floor and holding her belly before spinning and delivering the second. But then, instead of the name choosing screen coming up, she proceeds to put that baby on the floor. Um, what? Oh no. Yep. Moments later she's giving birth to baby number 3, and I'm just praying she doesn't immediately lay that one down. Thankfully she didn't. All of the puppies had grown up to adult in the meantime, so I now have 5 dogs, triplet infant girls and one adult sim on the lot. Let the fun begin.</p><br /><p>One of the first things I did after adding more cribs to the nursery I'd built, was to call a nanny over to help with the babies. For the first day or two I kept a nanny there almost around the clock to help out, or to mostly leave the baby-care to them, but there were periods where one nanny's shift would end and it would take me a bit to get another one called over. After a couple days of this, however, I decided to give it a go to see if Crystal could manage on her own, and it turned out she could. Once the girls all grew up to toddler it got a little bit easier...and a little bit crazier. With all the dogs in the house, there was always dog food down at least that the girls could eat if they were really hungry, though I did my best to keep them fed with bottles and smart milk instead of leaving them to eat kibble all the time. There were also plenty of pet beds around that they could crawl onto to sleep when they got tired enough, and since their energy refreshes a lot slower when they're sleeping on a pet bed, it helped to space out when one of them would need the potty, or fed, or some time with mommy to learn the toddler skills. I believe I managed to teach all of them all of the toddler skills, though I don't think I made it to doing the nursery rhyme.</p><br /><p>I think it was around the time of playing this lot that I started having trouble with trying to teach a nursery rhyme...the parent would be singing, and the progress bar would be over the kid's head, but the progress would never go up, or would only go up very very very slowly. So I sort of gave up on that one for now until I can figure out what the problem is. It was sometime during their toddlerhood, or perhaps it was earlier, I forget, that I finally managed to get Chewy fully trained to not use sim beds and officially finished the challenge. I was having fun with the house though, so I kept playing them for ahwile after finishing it. I wanted to at least get all the girls through the crazy toddler years so I wouldn't have that to come back to in future.</p><br /><p>As all toddlers do, the girls did eventually grow up to child. Here's a look at them now:</p><br /><p><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Portrait-Darice-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Darice Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Portrait-Darice-Child.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Darice Ball</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Pisces<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Unknown<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: Neat 5, Outgoing 7, Active 8, Playful 3, Nice 8</span></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Portrait-Darla-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Darla Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Portrait-Darla-Child.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Darla Ball</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Unknown<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 6 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 6 Active, 5 Playful, 3 Nice<br /></span></td></tr><br /><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Portrait-Doreen-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Doreen Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Portrait-Doreen-Child.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Doreen Ball</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Virgo<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Unknown<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 10 Neat, 1 Outgoing, 8 Active, 8 Playful, 1 Nice<br /></span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table></p><br /><p>And a peek at how they looked along the way:</p><br />Darice<br /><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Darice-InfanttoChild.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Darice Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Darice-InfanttoChild.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Darla<br /><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Darla-InfanttoChild.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Darla Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Darla-InfanttoChild.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Doreen<br /><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=Doreen-InfanttoChild.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Doreen Ball" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/Doreen-InfanttoChild.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>That's pretty much where I left off with this lot, with the girls all just grown up to child, all of the dogs employed and bringing in decent money, and with things hopefully to soon get a lot less chaotic around the house. Maybe Crystal will eventually get enough time to be able to work toward her LTW of maxing all her skills. I'd like to breed further generations of the dogs, to keep Chewy's line going, but I'm not sure yet how to handle that. There's currently not room enough on the lot to add another unrelated dog for one of Chewy and Lulu's "kids" to have a mate and be able to breed. I could add another dog (I think) but then there wouldn't be any room for them to be able to have puppies. I imagine I'll eventually have to give a couple of them away, even though I don't really want to. I don't think Chewy or Lulu will die before the others are too old for one of them to have pups of their own, but maybe some kibble of life would help that. Or something. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment on this post about it.</p><br /><p>Here's a final look at the lot the way it stands now</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/?action=view&current=LotInfo-Ball-081220.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Lot Information 12/20/08" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Ball/LotInfo-Ball-081220.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-82477014757590089592008-12-24T14:13:00.000-08:002008-12-24T15:37:29.680-08:00Shi - Introduction & BackstoryFinally I've gotten back to a lot that I've actually played for a fair bit, and one that had a few interesting happenings. Sue Shi is the target sim of the TSR <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=45">Here Fishy Fishy Fishy!</a> challenge. The challenge is fairly easy, though takes a little while to complete all of the skill gains necessary for it. I took a little bit longer than some might as I decided to let Sue have a social and family life along the way.<br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=Portrait-Sue-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Sue Shi" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Portrait-Sue-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Sue Shi</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Popularity<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become the Law<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Scorpio<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Nature (maxed)<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Fitness, Underwear<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Fatness<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 7 Neat, 6 Outgoing, 6 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Gardening - Silver, Fishing - Gold</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><br />Sue starts out as an adult in the Politics career, though with pretty much no skills. The objectives of the challenge include getting her a promotion to Campaign Manager and maxing out her Cooking skill and earning a gold badge in fishing, while learning to make a few different fish dishes along the way. Pretty simple objectives, and one of the first that I set out to achieve was the promotion, which didn't take her very long to get. Once she had achieved it, I had her switch to the Law career to match her LTW. She hasn't gotten very far with that career so far due to lots of maternity leave, but more on that in a minute.<br /><br />She didn't have a lot of time to work on her fishing skill before winter came and her pond froze over and made fishing impossible. So she started to work on her cooking. And on meeting men. One of the first men she got along well with was Sonny Day, with whom she has 2 bolts of attraction. They had a Dream Date together, but I didn't really want to combine their households, so I had her keep looking. And maybe a good thing that I did, as not to long after she met a Townie named Shea with whom she has 3 bolts. I forget what Shea's last name was originally - They had a date not too long after meeting, which turned out to be a Dream Date, and they got engaged and then married in pretty short order, and I had him take her name so that the challenge wouldn't get messed up by a name change for her. And it's a good thing I did, since I later ran into trouble with one of these challenges because of changing someone's name via marriage. Here's a look at Shea, now Shea Shi:<br /><table><tbody><tr><br /><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=Portrait-Shea-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Shea Shi" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Portrait-Shea-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Shea Shi</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Popularity<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become Hall of Famer<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Leo<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Fitness<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Custom Hair, Charismatic<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Formal Wear<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 4 Active, 4 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Toy Making - Silver, Gardening - Bronze</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><br /><p>Almost as soon as the date had ended, and they were now married, ACR sent them to bed, and after the fireworks were over, I heard the chimes. A few days later, Sue gave birth to twins, a girl and a boy. I don't remember now if they were natural twins or twins I got via "Have Random Babies" with the Triplets & Quads mod, but I know they weren't cheesecake twins. They are children now, and here are their stats:</p><table><tbody><tr><br /><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=Portrait-Tanis-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Tanis Shi" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Portrait-Tanis-Child.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Tanis Shi</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>:<br /><strong>LTW</strong>:<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Gemini<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Sports<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>:<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>:<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 6 Shy, 9 Active, 4 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: </span></td></tr><tr><br /><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=Portrait-Terrance-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Terrance Shi" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Portrait-Terrance-Child.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Terrance Shi</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>:<br /><strong>LTW</strong>:<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Sagittarius<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Fitness<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>:<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>:<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 1 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 10 Active, 10 Playful, 4 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: </span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><br /><p>Realizing that they were going to need some help with the twins, and with keeping things up around the house and yard since they were both busy with jobs and kids now, I had them hire a butler. I hadn't tried out the butlers yet since getting AL, and it seemed the most cost effective choice. I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on them - they want to cook too much if you let your sims get the least bit hungry, and he doesn't help out with the gardening as much as I'd hoped.</p><br /><p>Life for the Shis became fairly routine, with Sue spending as much time as she could working on her fishing badges now that they had help watching the kids and cleaning the house. I didn't get a whole lot of pictures of them, but I did manage to capture some pictures of their birthdays along the way at least:</p><br /><p>Tanis transitions to Toddler:</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=TanisToddlerTransition.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Sue blows out the candles for Tanis" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/TanisToddlerTransition.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=TanisToddlerTransition2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Tanis just grown up to toddler" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/TanisToddlerTransition2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Terrance just after becoming a toddler (missed the cake picture with him):</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=TerranceToddlerTransition.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Terrance grows up to toddler" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/TerranceToddlerTransition.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>An attempt at doing cakes for their transition to childhood. I managed to get Tanis out to the cake in time...</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=TanisChildTransition.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Starting the grow up wiggle" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/TanisChildTransition.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=TanisChildTransition2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Tanis grows up" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/TanisChildTransition2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br />...but Terrance grew up on his own inside the house before I could get him out to his cake <p></p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=TerranceChildTransition.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Terrance Grows up Well" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/TerranceChildTransition.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>There were a few other things of interest happen along the way. It started with one of the first people that Sue met when she started to go out and about. This was Barbara Kimbrell, who was a clerk at the local bookstore:<br /><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=BarbaraKimbrell.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Barbara Kimbrell" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/BarbaraKimbrell.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Barbara came home with Sue from work one day - and then nearly every day after that. Anytime Sue brought someone home from work, it was Barbara. I'd hoped to try to have Sue get promotions via work friends, but it seems that Barbara is a hobby friend, not a work friend, so she's of no use to help string Sue along. And Sue still doesn't ever bring anyone else home with her. Most annoying.<br /><br />The other anecdote to tell involved Shea. The day after he and Sue got married, I sent him down to Nerissa's Clothing to buy himself some new clothes, as I didn't much care for the Townie outfit he came in. While there he met Camryn Lee:<br /><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=CamrynLee.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Camryn Lee" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/CamrynLee.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Despite having just been married to a three bolt love, Sue, he rolled the want to ask Camryn for a date. Normally I probably would have just ignored the want - he was a married man now after all - but this time I figured, what the hell, and let him have a date with her. It ended up as a Great Date, and she brought him a flower later on that night. Not sure how he explained that one to Sue. After their date, I'd been semi-hoping to have a bit of intrigue with him seeing Camryn on the side, but he hasn't continued to roll any wants regarding her, other than a few platonic ones, so I've let it be. I guess it was just a final fling on his part before he settled down into married life and fatherhood.<br /><br />Sue did help out with teaching Tanis and Terrance their toddler skills, despite spending much of her time working on fishing, and they both had learned all of the skills by the time they transitioned to child. While they were still toddlers, Sue got pregnant again, and the maternity leave gave her plenty of time for her fishing without taking too much time away from the kids, and she eventually got her gold badge, caught a rainbow trout and learned how to make Stuffed Rainbow Trout, and the challenge was complete. I kept playing a little while longer, and shortly thereafter she gave birth to her second son, Thomas.<br /><table><tbody><tr><br /><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=Portrait-Thomas-Baby.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Thomas Shi" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/Portrait-Thomas-Baby.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><br /><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Thomas Shi</span></strong><br /></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br />Here's a shot taken just after Sue, following apparent sim tradition, gave birth to Thomas in their little bathroom</p><br /><p><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/?action=view&current=ThomasBirth.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Newborn Thomas" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Shi/ThomasBirth.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>And that is pretty much where I ended my playing of this house for the time being, just after Thomas had been born. I think the twins had just transitioned to child the same day as well, and haven't even gone to school yet. I had fun with this family, and will look forward to playing them again sometime.</p>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-52787488770945937202008-12-21T20:16:00.000-08:002008-12-21T20:58:40.789-08:00Rhodes - IntroductionThe Rhodes are from the <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=27">TSR Failure is not an option...</a> challenge. As with Sonny Day and Ann Chovie's challenges, I did this one several months ago in another neighborhood but included them in this one just because. I rather liked the family back then, and have since wanted to replay them, letting Dusty have a better child and teenhood than he got to have doing the challenge. So far I haven't played their lot this time really. I did go in and renovate their house quite a bit because the house they come with is rather limited on growth potential. I didn't play the family at all though, not even to give them makeovers yet. As with the Chovie household though, I'll go ahead and introduce you to the family.<br /><br />I forgot to go back into their lot to get all of their stats, so I'm just including the ones I could get with SimPE for now. I'll fill in the blanks later once I can look them up in game. Dusty of course won't have some of the stats listed until he becomes a teenager.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=Portrait-Sunny-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="Sunny Rhodes" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Portrait-Sunny-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Sunny Rhodes</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Family<br /><strong>LTW</strong>:<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Music & Dance<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Grey Hair, Hard Worker<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Good at Cleaning<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 5 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 6 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>:</span> </td></tr><br /><tr><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Rainee Rhodes</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Family<br /><strong>LTW</strong>:<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Cancer<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Tinkering<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Full Face Makeup, Logical<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Hard Worker<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 6 Neat, 3 Outgoing, 6 Active, 4 Playful, 6 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>:</span> </td><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=Portrait-Rainee-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="Rainee Rhodes" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Portrait-Rainee-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr><br /><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=Portrait-Dusty-Child.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="Dusty Rhodes" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/Portrait-Dusty-Child.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Dusty Rhodes</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>:<br /><strong>LTW</strong>:<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aquarius<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Nature<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>:<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>:<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 3 Neat, 0 Outgoing, 6 Active, 10 Playful, 6 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>:</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br />When I played this challenge before, I took them up to the point that Dusty went to college. It wasn't until he got there that I was able to finally get the option for him to start a fight with someone so that I could finish the "Lose a fight" requirement for the challenge. The option never came up before then for him no matter how furious he made other people or how furious they were with him.<br /><br />Also, when I played the challenge, Rainee had another child, a girl named Wendy. She was a real cutie, probably one of the cutest toddlers I've ever had. I did actually take a few pictures of her and found this close up shot of her in my files:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/WendyRhodes.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/WendyRhodes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I also found this shot of Rainee teaching Wendy a nursery rhyme. I think it's the same shot that I cropped the closeup of Wendy from.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/?action=view&current=NurseryRhymeTeaching.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Teaching Wendy a Nursery Rhyme" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Rhodes/NurseryRhymeTeaching.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left">I'll miss Wendy this time around, though perhaps they'll manage to have another daughter that's just as cute. Given that they're both Family sims, I'm sure they'll be wanting to add to their family when I make it back to their lot to play them.</p>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-40698232476444466242008-12-21T17:00:00.000-08:002008-12-22T16:24:57.777-08:00Chovie - Introduction<a href="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/LotInfo-Chovie-081220.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 547px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/LotInfo-Chovie-081220.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />As the picture above indicates, this lot was for the <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=9">TSR Food, Glorious Food!</a> challenge. I did the challenge awhile ago in another neighborhood, but as with Sonny Day, I decided to go ahead and add in all of the completed ones as well for completeness. I won't be playing the specific challenge through again with Ann, instead they will be in free play mode now when I get to them. I haven't really played the lot this time around, only for a couple sim days to get Ann up to the point of going to college (she was only a few days away when you start with them anyway). I forgot to get a shot of the scholarships she has, but I think it's only the one for good grades. So, while there isn't much to tell on this lot so far, I will at least introduce you to the residents.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Portrait-Ann-Teen.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Portrait-Ann-Teen.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Ann Chovie</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Fortune<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become Space Pirate<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aquarius<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Cuisine<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Underwear, Blond Hair<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Creative<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 4 Neat, 6 Outgoing, 3 Active, 6 Playful, 6 Nice</span></td></tr><br /><tr><td><a href="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Portrait-Uncle-Adult.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Portrait-Uncle-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Uncle Chovie</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Family<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Graduate 3 Children from College<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Unknown<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Jewelry, Mechanical<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Athletic<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 5 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 6 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/?action=view&current=Portrait-Billy-Adult.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="Billy Chovie" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Chovie/Portrait-Billy-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Billy Chovie</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Billy was Ann's father, and presumably drowned in his pool sometime before the challenge starts (hence the blue ghost image I gave to his pic). He isn't actually present on the lot, even as a ghost (no tombstone for him on the lot), but he does show up on the family tres for Ann and Uncle in the game, and I was able to dig up info about him in SimPE, including the picture. Included here just because.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I have no immediate plans for Uncle or this lot, though I'll likely be playing Ann at college at some point. I'll most likely send her and Brandon Pennington to college whenever I get to the point of needing to send someone else there for a challenge.Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-45358325986104018052008-12-21T14:48:00.000-08:002008-12-21T18:12:49.934-08:00Day - Introduction<a href="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Portrait-Sonny-Adult.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Day/Portrait-Sonny-Adult.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Sonny Day is the target sim for the <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/view.php?id=20">TSR Introduction Challenge</a>. I did this challenge several months ago in a different neighborhood, but decided to put him in the new neighborhood along with a few of the families from other TSR challenges I'd already done. When you download his lot, he's an elder, and the challenge is designed around that somewhat, but since I wasn't going to be doing his challenge again, I decided to age him down to adult so I'd have more time to play with him.<br /><br />His stats are:<br /><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Fortune<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Own 5 Top-Level Businesses<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>Hobby</strong>: Unknown<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Formal Wear, Great Cook<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Hats<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 5 Neat, 8 Outgoing, 6 Active, 3 Playful, 3 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None<br /><br />I have played his lot a little bit in this 'hood, but only for about a sim week or so before I decided to move on to other families, so there isn't really much to tell about him at this point. Stay tuned for updates on his life at some point in the future.Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-67010444497847589872008-12-20T23:26:00.000-08:002008-12-21T21:15:24.183-08:00Pennington - Introduction & BackstoryThe Penningtons were the first family I created in this neighborhood, and for a long time, they were the only family in it. I started the family up along the lines of the <a href="http://forums.sims2community.com/showthread.php?t=29252">Starving Artist challenge</a>, where you start with an Adult and a Teen, then promptly kill the Adult off after you move them in, leaving the Teen to manage on their own. While I never really intended to follow the rules of the challenge too closely, I am using a few of the core rules to it, with one or two of my own twists, namely:<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><li>No one may ever be moved in from outside. To join this house you must be born into it.</li><br /><li>No one living in the house may hold a job outside the house. All money must be earned via other means such as painting, novels, selling produce from the garden, etc. No valid means of making money from within the home is prohibited except for they cannot open a home business.</li><br /><li>The "heir" must always be an heiress, preferably the first born daughter. The current heiress/head of the household must keep having children until she gets a daughter. If the first child born is a daughter, any additional children are optional.</li><br /><li>Every blood member of the family must become a witch/warlock. This includes spares and their descendants that move to other lots. Alignment will be determined based on Nice points: 1-3 Nice points = Evil, 4-6 Nice points = Neutral, 7-10 Nice points = Good. Spouses (of the family members living outside the main house) may optionally become witches/warlocks as well and will follow the same rules for alignment.<br /></li></ul><p><br />I think that covers the rules I've established for this house for the most part, so on to telling you about the family.<br /><br /><hr width="80%" /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=ArlinaDad.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Arlina&amp;Dad.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/ArlinaDad.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />The family started in Challengeville when Alfred Pennington and his daughter Arlina moved into the first house built there. Sadly, no sooner had the cab dropped them off and pulled away, then a swarm of boolprop flies descended upon Alfred and reduced him to dust. Arlina mourned her father for a time, but then picked herself up and got on with her life. There was enough money in the bank for her to live comfortably, if not extravagantly, and she gradually began to add to it with money earned from selling paintings. Her teen years passed in something of a blur of studying, painting, and socializing. Indeed, she was quite the social butterfly during this time despite being a Knowledge sim, and not a Popularity sim. Of the many people she met on her forays to the few community lots in town, two of them were the good and evil witches, whose names I can't remember offhand right now. She befriended them both, eventually becoming best friends then BFF with both until she was ready to make her decision about which she wanted to ask to make her a witch. Eventually, she decided to ask the good witch, who was happy to oblige her, and thus Arlina Pennington became Arlina Pennington the Good Witch. She wasn't quite Nice enough to sustain the goodness, however, and eventually her studies took her into the Neutral range of magicks. Here's a look at what she looks like currently:<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portrait-Arlina-Adult-1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portrait-Arlina-Adult-1.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Arlina Pennington the Witch</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Knowledge<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Max 7 Skills (Achieved!)<br /><strong>New LTW</strong>:Marry off 6 Children (not going to happen)<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Cancer<br /><strong>One True Hobby</strong>: Tinkering<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Blond Hair, Creative<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Hard Worker<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 6 Neat, 3 Outgoing, 6 Active, 4 Playful, 6 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Gardening - Gold, Fishing - Bronze</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />But I've gotten a little bit ahead of the story I think. While Arlina did meet the witches as a teen, she was well into adulthood before she asked to be changed. Once she'd become an adult, she first set about finding a man, or men, to be the father(s) of her children. She thought that man might be Talin Depiesse, but when she invited him over with the intention of asking him for a date, he instead offered to set her up with a friend of his that he was sure she would get along with. Out of curiosity, she accepted his offer of a blind date with his friend. The friend was Jihoon Hsu, and it turned out that Arlina had 3 bolts of attraction for him! Needless to say, they hit it off famously right off the bat, though it was just a little bit creepy the way Talin lingered around in the living room watching them as they had their date and pawed all over each other. One thing led to another, and after Talin had finally said goodbye and left, they headed upstairs to the bedroom. Chimes were heard. And a few days later, Arlina gave birth to her first son, Brandon. Brandon is currently a teenager and only a day away from becoming an adult. I plan to send him to University.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=Portrait-Brandon-Teen-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portrait-Brandon-Teen-1.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Brandon Pennington the Warlock</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Popularity<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Have 20 Simultaneous Pet Best Friends (sorry pal)<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Aries<br /><strong>One True Hobby</strong>: Fitness<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Fatness, Fitness (he's not very picky about weight apparently)<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Formal Wear<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 9 Neat, 10 Outgoing, 6 Active, 4 Playful, 6 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Gardening - Bronze</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Brandon has worked hard on his skills, helped greatly by the bug that makes skilling super fast once they've learned Physiology. It's helped him to get a number of scholarships for college, which is good since they don't have a lot of money.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=BrandonScholarships.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Brandon's Scholarships" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/BrandonScholarships.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br />While Arlina was crazy about Jihoon, she also knew that she couldn't marry him, so she tried to distract herself from him by getting friendly with other men. One of these other men was Troy Go, and when Brandon was still a toddler she got pregnant by Troy with her second son, Blake. Blake is currently about halfway through his teenage years. He will be going to college, but not for awhile yet. It was sometime during his toddlerhood I think that Arlina finally became a witch.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=Portrait-Blake-Teen-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portrait-Blake-Teen-1.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Blake Pennington the Warlock</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Pleasure<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Have 50 Dream Dates<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Cancer<br /><strong>One True Hobby</strong>: Science<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Cologne, Charismatic<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Black Hair<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 9 Neat, 3 Outgoing, 6 Active, 8 Playful, 7 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: None</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Blake has only just been made into a warlock by Arlina, thus he is still of Neutral alignment like her. He will be working his way up into Good alignment due to his 7 Nice points.<br /><br />As her boys started growing up, Arlina devoted herself to them and to her magic studies. While she felt that two children were plenty for her, still she felt the need to produce an heiress, and so, lacking time to get to know any other men well enough now, she called up her old lover, and Brandon's father, Jihoon. An afternoon quickie, helped along with a bit of boolpropping, left her pregnant with her daughter Bethany. Bethany had just had her transition to teenhood the last I played their house, so all three of them are now teenagers.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=Portrait-Bethany-Teen-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portrait-Bethany-Teen-1.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><strong><span style="color:#663300;">Bethany Pennington</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aspiration</strong>: Pleasure<br /><strong>LTW</strong>: Become a Professional Party Guest<br /><strong>Zodiac</strong>: Cancer<br /><strong>One True Hobby</strong>: Tinkering<br /><strong>Turn Ons</strong>: Custom Hair, Good at Cleaning<br /><strong>Turn Off</strong>: Glasses<br /><strong>Personality</strong>: 8 Neat, 2 Outgoing, 8 Active, 8 Playful, 8 Nice<br /><strong>Badges</strong>: Gardening - Bronze</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I haven't yet had the chance to have Arlina turn Bethany into a witch. When she does, Bethany will work her way up to being Good given her 8 Nice points.<br /><br />I know I haven't said much about what all happened while the kids grew up, but really there's not a whole lot to tell. Life for the Penningtons was fairly routine for the most part, especially once all of the kids were in school. The kids are the ones primarily responsible for keeping the money coming in with paintings that they sell (all are maxed in Creativity now), as Arlina rarely seems to have the time to paint. I had her spending any spare time she had working on her magic skills. And tending the garden. I also never really took any pictures of them along the way, but I started poking around in SimPE and found various snapshots of all of them. It's been my main source of portrait pictures so far. Most of them only had a current picture, but Bethany's file had a few of the earlier snapshot pics in it too. Here's a look at what she's looked like along the way:<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=AgesCollage-Bethany1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="AgesCollage-Bethany1.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/AgesCollage-Bethany1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Here are the kids' fathers:<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=Portrait-Bethany-Teen-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 200px; height: 200px" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portrait-JihoonHsu-Adult-1.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=Portrait-TroyGo-Adult-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 200px; height: 200px" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/Portrait-TroyGo-Adult-1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br />Jihoon is Brandon and Bethany's father, Troy is Blake's father.<br /><br />Here's a family tree I put together to show the relationships<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=FamilyTree1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Arlina's Family Tree" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/FamilyTree1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>And finally, here's a group shot of them from the lot information screen:<br /><center><a href="http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/?action=view&current=LotInfo-Pennington1-081220.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="LotInfo-Pennington1-081220.jpg" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd185/ndayeni/Challengeville/Pennington/LotInfo-Pennington1-081220.jpg" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Sadly, I likely won't make it back to playing them for quite awhile now, except perhaps for playing Brandon at University. Stay tuned for any updates to their story.<br /></span></div>Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193914543337286904.post-33466533585910724092008-12-20T22:48:00.001-08:002009-01-01T13:51:50.306-08:00Welcome! First, a little bit about the 'hood and the blogWelcome to Tales from Challengeville! This is where I intend to document the happenings in my Challengeville Sims 2 neighborhood. Updates may not always be very frequent as I don't get much time to play The Sims 2 lately, but I'll do my best. But first, a few words about what this neighborhood is about.<br /><br />Challengeville is the unimaginatively named neighborhood that I created to run small challenges and tests in. Most of the playable lots in the 'hood at the moment are downloaded lots for some of the <a href="http://www.thesimsresource.com/challenges/">TSR Challenges </a>that I've decided to try. The neighborhood isn't exclusively for those challenges, though, and will contain other lots for other small challenges, or ones that I create families for on a whim.<br /><br />I've been playing this 'hood off and on for awhile now, and much has already happened in it. I've completed several of the challenges already, though others are still untouched. Some lots have been played for over 40 sim days, others for only a few sim days or not at all. Eventually I hope to start playing it Prosperity-style with equal length rounds played on each lot to keep everyone aging the same. This is something for the future, however, and for now I'll likely work on completing the challenges for the lots that are already in while the rest of the 'hood remains in a sort of frozen time limbo.<br /><br />To get the blog going, I'll try to catch things up with the lots that have already been played, telling their backstory, and throwing in a few pictures of the sims that live there so you can get to know them. Most posts will likely be rather lean on pictures compared to other blogs, because I'm not really much one for taking pictures while I'm playing. I get wrapped up in what's going on in the game and just don't think to hit the snapshot key. But I'll do my best to include enough to at least put faces to the characters I'm talking about.<br /><br />Oh, and a few words about the CC and hacks I have installed. I've been trying to cut down on the amount of CC I have since I hate having to wait forever for the game to load. I've cut it down a lot from what I used to have, though still have quite a bit...though often I end up not using a lot of it. If you see anything in pictures that you like and want to know where it came from, feel free to ask, and I'll try to remember where I got it. Aside from ordinary CC, I do have a few hacks still in the game, mostly some of TwoJeff's hacks which are available at <a href="http://www.simbology.com/smf/index.php">Simbology</a>. Of his, I have ACR installed, to add an element of randomness to Sims' romantic relations and pregnancies. I also have his Triplets & Quads mod in, though I use the version that gives me the option to go with the original number of babies, pick how many babies, or just get a random number of babies. Mostly I've been choosing the random option, though at times I'll just select the original number if I really don't want to have to deal with multiples just then on that lot. Aside from those, I'll be using the LotSync Timer from <a href="http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/">MATY</a> to help keep track of how long lots have been played. I haven't had it installed on any of the lots so far, but I intend to start using it on the played lots. Unplayed lots I'll likely wait and play through their challenge "off the clock", then install it for the lot once finished. Then everyone will start from Day 0 at whatever point they're at then. I reserve the right to change my mind on this though and start the clock running for everyone when next I play ;)<br /><br />So, enough of my babble for now. On to writing about the families and stories going on in Challengeville.Ndayenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05119246192383422954noreply@blogger.com2