Chapter 3.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.4

Generation Three: Red

Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style
Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover
Aspiration: Serial Romantic
Occupation: Art Critic
House Goal: 30,000 worth

Settling In… But Not Down

Travelling back and forth to San Myshuno for work tasks is time-consuming, but it’s been fun. It also allows me time to meet lots of new people. And by people.. I mean men, of course. Which.. is fine by me. I have no intention of settling down anytime soon.

Hawea and I went on a late night date to one of the city’s Karaoke Bars, but neither of us was interested in the singing. I vaguely remember some skinny, creepy looking fellow smirking at us while he sang, but neither Hawea nor I was really worried about it.

After a very successful date, I headed home and Hawea headed to his city office for a long night of charity work ahead of him. Slowly, my house was becoming my haven. I especially loved being right on the beach, because keeping one’s scales hydrated is a constant struggle. Especially when you keep having to head back to the city for work.

Speaking of work: I’ve been happy because lately, they’ve been asking for me to increase my skill in the art department, so I bought myself a real easel and some inexpensive paint. The results were.. well, less than stellar, but it gave me a chance at getting some spare funds.

I didn’t have a ton of time for men with work asking for so much in the way of learning, but I did manage to stay social.

I made friends with the leader of the local pod of dolphins, and he comes back to visit me and tell me of his friends’ antics in the paradise of the local oceans. He was always praising my mother’s work, because her conservation efforts had spread goodness far and wide. I was proud of my mother, but sometimes I felt like I should work harder to do something that would leave my mark on the world like she had. It definitely left me feeling a bit inadequate, but I simply couldn’t figure out what, exactly, an art critic could do that would actually make a difference.

On yet another trip to the city’s Art Center, I saw a pretty face I hadn’t met. Yet. Turns out his name was Caleb. He was a mixologist, apparently, and (since the bar didn’t have any customers at the moment) very happy to spend some time chatting with me.

And by chatting – of course I mean flirting. Because that’s what I do! Having spent most of the week working, I definitely felt the need to spend some time with a handsome man on my arm, so after an enjoyable evening talking to Caleb, I invited him back to Sulani for a date at the local bar. He said he’d never even been to Sulani, which – of course – was pretty much sacrilege to me, so I insisted he come meet some of the locals.

I surprised him with a first kiss… and we had a great evening, but he declined staying the night over at my house. This was a bit surprising.. but that was okay. Maybe he wasn’t digging me as much as I liked him. I headed back into the bar to use the computer to check in on work, and was surprised to see a very familiar – and unhappy – face.

It was my dad. He asked me if we could chat, and I cringed. I wondered if he’d heard about my rotating dates and was about to scold me for it.. but apparently that wasn’t the problem at all. He had seen me with Caleb. I couldn’t see why that particular sim was a problem.. until he took me to a quiet table at the bar and explained that Caleb wasn’t exactly your normal “sim”. Rumors and gossip surrounded him, but the general gist of it was that he was a creature of the night. A vampire. Who lived alone with his sister, and rarely ever got out of the house. Definitely a bit on the strange side.. and Dad was clearly warning me off of him. I thought a moment about it, but with as many eligible men as I’d found around the city and Sulani – I ultimately decided that Caleb could make his way through the darkness on his own. Vampires and Mermaids weren’t exactly very compatible, anyway. You know: the whole sun and salt thing .. just doesn’t work well for Vampires.

I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I got home – and the sun was already up. I stumbled back to my home from the water, and vowed to sleep for the rest of the day.

By that evening, I was fully rested, and ready for some more time on the water. I met a curly-haired local that caught my eye on the beach, and spent some time getting to know him. His name was Rua, and “some time” turned into the rest of the weekend.

Neither one of us seemed to be worried about the time or the rest of the world, however. Rua tried not to complain about the lack of .. well.. facilities at my house, but he eventually decided to make do with the bush outside the front door. The cooler of granola, cereal, and yogurt was another point of contention, apparently, though. He couldn’t seem to understand that just keeping a roof over my head was a struggle some weeks, and I wasn’t about to explain why I hadn’t splurged on an actual kitchen or bathroom yet.

By the time he left, I wasn’t horribly upset by the weekend ending… and my new computer and desk had finally arrived. I was fully connected to work and the world now, and my trips to check my email at the local bar were a thing on the past. Work was over-joyed, and quickly found a ton of new projects for me to critique and topics to expand my knowledge on.

Which.. meant some trips to the city, of course. I found Graffiti alley, and learned about painting from a can.. but I wasn’t sure it was something I was really into.

More time in the city did mean more time to meet men, however, and Koji caught my eye pretty early on. I was avoiding the Art Center bar at night, of course, because I didn’t really want to explain to Caleb that I wasn’t supposed to date him anymore because my DAD had told me not to. Koji, on the other hand, was easy on the eyes, and easy to flirt with. He did come to Sulani and spent the night, but after seeing my “house”, he left quickly in the morning. I wondered if I’d ever see him again.

Another conquest of mine, Rohan, didn’t seem to be nearly so worried about the state of my home. His last name was hilarious – Elderberry – and he sometimes made strange gestures with his hands while muttering to himself… but I wasn’t really all that worried about it. It wasn’t like I was planning on marrying the guy!

Now that I had the computer, I had started keeping my journal there, and I hid my childhood journal in the only hiding place I had – my bed. Keeping up with work and the parade of guys in my life was so much easier now that I had my own computer, so I was glad I had saved up long enough to get a good laptop instead of just grabbing any old computer that would work. Even though it meant I was still living in a one room hut with no plumbing or kitchen. That would come. Eventually. I think?

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Bloopers:

That tall, creepy man??

You guessed it.. Hawea and Kali were serenaded by Vlad himself. LOL!!!

Chapter 3.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.4

Chapter 3.1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.3

Generation Three: Red

Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style
Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover
Aspiration: Serial Romantic
Occupation: Art Critic
House Goal: 30,000 worth

My New Home

The next major town party came none too soon. I felt like I had been working way too hard, but the payoff was showing in the promotion I had gotten, and the increase in my paycheck. Add to that the bounty of shells I found the other day, and I had a nice little nest egg. Not a lot, mind you.. but enough. Without me even asking, a local handyman had approached me asking whether I would need help getting my new home built, and offering his services at a fraction of the cost a big company would charge. Of course, I jumped at the offer, because the skies were darkening each day, and the winter monsoons were definitely on the way. Sleeping in the ocean was okay – even wonderful – but for some reason, doing so with lightning coming from the sky seemed like a poor idea. Even mermaids conduct electricity. But – I digress. The party.

I tried out fire dancing for the first time, and was surprised by how easily it came to me. It helped catch the attention of a few of the island men, too… which was a topic on my mind, since the guys I’d spent time with lately were still teenagers.. and therefore, were off-limits. I casually put the fire away, secured myself a plate of delicious island food, and “wandered” towards the nearest picnic table.

Before long, one of those handsome bronzed men made his way to my side and introduced himself. … Again, as the case may be. He was apparently one of the bears I’d met at the bar the other night, although I certainly had had no idea he looked like THIS under that fluffy costume. His name was Hawea, and he was a Charity Organizer from San Myshuno, but he based himself mostly here in Sulani. When I mentioned who my mother was, his eyes twinkled. Her work repairing the islands was well-known, apparently, and he’d worked with her in the past for donations during things like Turtle Hatching Season. We chatted for what felt like forever, and I hoped I wasn’t reading the signals wrong… and I leaned in a bit closer.

His smile widened, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Clearly, he was into me… and I wasn’t going to pass up on an opportunity like this.

He was a bit surprised… but he certainly wasn’t slow on the uptake.

Ignoring the sideways looks from some of the others at the party, I accepted the deepened kiss, and wasn’t sorry I did. Man, the guy could kiss! With a sly wink, I took his hand and mentioned my new home. I mean… it wasn’t much, but it was private.. and .. would he like to come over??

He accepted easily, and we snuck out of the crowd assembled, and left the party. I noticed my parents were in and among some of the new faces showing up at the party, and smirked to myself. At least they didn’t seem to have noticed me.

Hawea didn’t seem to mind that the floor was still concrete and the walls were barely dried drywall… and I wasn’t going to make a big issue of it, either. I had other things on my mind. We barely noticed when the skies opened up and the thunder started. My home had been “completed” just in time, it seems.

Afterwards, we cuddled a bit, turned the lights out, and decided staying in for the rest of the night was the best choice. I certainly wasn’t about to complain. And round two turned out to be even better than the first one.

The next morning, he excused himself early, and I made my way to the bar to sign in on the computer to get the day’s work done. By the time I got home, my house was transformed. I brought home some decorations and a large cooler of food (since I didn’t really think I should be eating out all the time with my limited funds).

I curled up into bed that night alone… but happy. Even with it being stormy again (as it so often is in wintertime here in Sulani), I felt comfortable and safe in my little hut, and I slept soundly.

The next evening found me at the bar again, working away on the computer, hoping for a break in the storm before making a dash for home. I wasn’t paying attention, so I was a bit surprised when the chair next to me was suddenly occupied, and Hawea’s smile lit up the dreary evening. I wrapped up the column I had been working on, and happily shared a drink or two with him while we watched the rain. When there was a break in the rain, I excused myself and headed towards home. I hadn’t invited him home, and he certainly didn’t ask.. which was okay, because I had another full day of work tomorrow.

When I had gotten almost all the way home, I ran into a face I didn’t recognize. And wondered what a child was doing out and about in the area at this hour. I wandered over, and asked him if everything was okay. To my surprise, he immediately recognized me and handed me a package. It was a gift from my uncle and aunt! Inquiring the lad’s name, and how he came to be in possession of this, his face lit up. His name was Justin, and apparently he had just been adopted by my uncle Austen and his wife, Meilani. How exciting! I congratulated him, gave him a huge hug of welcome, and as quickly as I could – sent him home. It was already dark, and I could feel another storm coming, so I wanted him to get home safe. He skipped off into the distance, and I smiled to myself, heading home with what I soon found out was a house warming gift. They had sent me some produce, and a cake (NOT made of fruit, thank goodness!) .. and a note. Looks like I knew what was on the menu for dinner tonight!

The next day dawned gloomily over the horizon, and I blearily greeted the day with a refreshing swim as I always did. Then, suddenly, I remembered what day it was. Winterfest!! I hurried home, and pulled out the decorations I had brought home. The lights looked perfect on my little red hut, and – with the day off of work – I spent the rest of the day cavorting in the waves and collecting seashells to sell.

Father Winter apparently hadn’t forgotten me, however… and despite the rain that had set in once the sun had gone down, he had poofed in from who knows where to drop off my Winterfest gifts. They weren’t much, but that was okay.. since I didn’t have much of a home to put them in.. but they were welcome none the less. I waved goodbye and headed inside to set up the desk he had brought me. Perhaps soon I would be able to afford a desk chair and a computer to go with it!

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Author’s Note: Hello again! I was able to carve out some time to write this chapter tonight – and I have another couple in the works after it. At least I have the pictures to prove I’ve played ahead, and they’re just waiting for Kali to whisper in my ear what to say to go with them. If you have been reading along on my home page, you’d have noticed that both my Drifter Challenge and my Master Simmer challenge are back on “rotation,” as well… so I’m hoping for some spare time this weekend to work on them, too. Enjoy!

Chapter 3.1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.3

Chapter 2.17 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.2

Generation Three: Red

Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style
Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover
Aspiration: Serial Romantic
Occupation: Art Critic
House Goal: 30,000 worth

When in Doubt: Swim

Well, here I am. Standing with two suitcases of clothes, one of other stuff, and me. On a very barren stretch of sand .. as long as you don’t count the mailbox. I can see the beach I visited a lot as a child just down the beach in one direction, and in the other – some more homes and a fishing dock. This was my chosen “home” – but I can assure you, other than these three suitcases and what I’m wearing – there is nothing I have that will help me build a house. Spying some thick bushes near my “homestead”, I drag my suitcases there and hide them in the brush. I look over them, and can see the corner of one peeking out – but it will simply have to do. The only other thing I could do is bury them in the sand – and I’m NOT doing that. Feeling overwhelmed, and thinking that I probably should have actually had a bite of that birthday cake before jetting out the door… I decide to do the only thing I can think of: hydrate. When in doubt: swim…. right?

It’s the middle of a day on a weekday, so I’m pretty much the only sim in the water – and definitely the only mermaid, so I stretch out my fins and enjoy the water sliding past my scales. I put on a brave face to mom and dad, but it was just that: a brave face. I have no earthly idea what I’ll be doing with that stretch of beach behind me… and I have even less of an idea how to go about getting a roof over my head before winter’s monsoon season.

…. “Just keep Swimming.” ?? Maybe that old song is useful. At least: it gives me something to do. While splashing around, I notice a debris pile on the beach across from my “home” (I really should stop using quotes for it.. it IS my home for better or worse!) .. and I head over there, an idea slowly growing in the back of my head.

Perhaps I can find some shells so that I can sell them. Then, at least I would be guaranteed dinner at the bar just down the road. I luck out, and under some beach trash, I find a couple of nice shells. Selling them gets me enough money that I don’t feel quite so useless. … Which then reminds me.

.. I needed to check the job forums, to see what I could find. I knew I wanted to do something artsy, but being a painter seemed too… possibly hard to guarantee a paycheck on any given day. Not that I knew much about the painter career. But it just seemed like it might be tough, you know? I scrolled past those postings, and scanned what else there was. Cooking.. heck no. Engineering… didn’t you have to go to school for that?? Acting… not my thing. Bartending, no way. Although meeting new sims might be fun? Then I spy a notice in the corner of the page. It’s from the city, but it does mention that the job can be done mostly online, and from home. (I remembered not to use the quotes!) … A chance to visit the city on occasion wouldn’t really be a bad thing. I do like traveling, and I don’t really mind the bus. Taking a deep breath, I dial the number. A bored-sounding receptionist answers, and quickly ferries my call to the right person. After a whirlwind phone interview, I find myself just standing here – staring at my phone bemusedly.

I had a job! As a critic. I could, apparently, choose between specializing in food or art – and I bet you can guess which one I’ll be going for. Even better, they started me out with a couple promotions, and an assignment. I had to raise my skill in writing, and do a small practice column for them. Guess I should find somewhere that has a computer so I can log in and get started.

I swim across the water, back towards home, wondering where I could go. I didn’t EXACTLY tell my new employers that I was virtually homeless and without a computer – I figured I could find a way. Somehow. While I was still pondering everything in my head, a familiar figure stopped in front of me, and started talking excitedly. My cousin – or whatever he was – Grayson. If I recalled correctly, he had ended up moving from the city where he’d been born and moved here to Sulani with his wife.. who was also my distant relative. Weird… but apparently they were far enough apart for it to be okay with the marriage authorities.

He waved a hand in front of my face. Oops. I had been wool-gathering, and hadn’t heard a word he’d said. He asked (probably again) how I was doing, congratulated me on my birthday, and mentioned that his wife was expecting, and that they lived just down the road. His wife wasn’t coming over today (apparently she felt ill), but Grayson was playing the “welcome wagon” and had brought me some fruitcake from her. I accepted it graciously, deciding not to mention that the thought of fruitcake made ME feel a little ill, too. I gestured to my mailbox, and my lack of anything else, and thanked him and his wife for thinking of me. I excused him early from the “party” .. dubiously shoved the fruitcake and paper plate into the trashcan at the beach next door to my mailbox, and started walking towards the bar.

I noticed a very handsome sim wandering down the beach, and stopped to say hello. Turns out he was an ex-classmate of mine, and still a teenager. (Darn. … Well, I suppose I can wait, right? He IS a senior in school…) He showed off some photos on his phone, and I played along for a while, enjoying the conversation.. until I noticed the sun was starting to head for the water again. That.. and.. well, to put it delicately.. I was starting to notice a problem.

I had to pee. Quite badly. Remembering that the town gathering spot had a public bathroom, I waddled that direction. Turns out, there was a celebration in the works. Gotta love Sulani. Any excuse for a party – and people turn out en masse. I sneak past them, use the facilities (which, lucky for me.. are free!) .. and then wander back out to say hello.

Some thoughtful being had cooked a feast in the community pit. I snatched up a plate and started mingling. Free food! No way was I passing THAT up. I was nearly done eating when some strange man in cat ears mentioned that he had to work the next day, and needed to head home. I ruefully mused that I needed to find a computer to do my daily work task, and he perked up. Apparently they had a laptop at the bar that was connected to the internet that people were welcome to use, so long as they were paying customers. I thanked him VERY much for the information, thanking the heavens that I had been able to sell that little cache of shells for some cold, hard cash – and headed down the beach again.

To my surprise, it was bear night. And apparently alien night, too – the bartender was … um…. very blue. She certainly wasn’t hiding her differences. I purchased myself a drink (woohoo! I was old enough to buy them on my own now!) and settled at the computer at a table, watching the bears wander by bemusedly. Some of them said hello, other just watched me curiously, but I was busy.

Apparently the cat eared guy from the party either wasn’t THAT worried about work in the morning, or he was enamored with me.. because he showed up without a bear costume to spend some more time flirting with me. I mostly ignored him…. and kept working on the mock column for work. I was nearly done with it when a welcome face suddenly appeared next to me. I’m not sure what mom was doing at the bar – and quite frankly, I forgot to ask – but man, was it good to see her. She didn’t ask many questions, sensing in her own “mom” way that I wasn’t ready to be grilled about my new situation, but she gave me a huge hug and congratulated me on already landing a good job. I bit my tongue on the questions of how to get a roof over my head at my beach – I was still too proud to ask something like that… and simply asked after the family.

After finishing my juice, my conversation, and my column… I headed home, feeling very tired, and more than a little bit overwhelmed. I nearly tripped over a pile of shells. Looking around, I notice that there really wasn’t anyone around. So the shells had just been abandoned here? Hesitating only for a moment, I started picking them up. Some were pretty valuable… and I was desperate enough in my living situation that I wasn’t too proud to look a gift… er.. shell in the mouth. (Wondering briefly about where that statement about gift horses ever came from?) .. I collected all I could carry, toted them home, and hid them under the bushes. I could sell them tomorrow. Meanwhile, my eyes were definitely trying to close. I needed to find somewhere to sleep. Tomorrow was most definitely another day…. but this one was overdue to end.

… “Just Keep Swimming”… I chuckled at my little song, and floated in the glowy water. Before long, I was sound asleep… and my concerns were forgotten. The joy of the ocean lulled me into a deep, happy, RESTFUL sleep… and it wasn’t until the sun came up the next morning that I again opened my eyes. Another day was here. Time to get back to figuring stuff out.

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Author’s Note: Yes, I’m back!! And as much as I want to dive straight back into some of my more difficult challenges (like my Decades War) – I figured starting with some of my older, simpler challenges to get back into the “swing” of posting things was a good idea. I can’t honestly say how often posts will be coming out – I mean, I HOPE they’ll be daily or every other day – but we’ll see how far the muse takes me. Meantime… welcome back to Sulani. *smile* And I hope you’ll like Kali Naiades as much as I’m starting to!

Chapter 2.17 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.2

Chapter 1.7 | Chapter 1.9

The Diversity Experiment – Chapter 1.8

We start our triumphant return to posting more than just build and CAS posts with finally bringing out the last saved pictures I have for my Rebuild save. I’ve been missing these guys so much, so I’m excited to get back to playing them.

Anyway, our header image is McKenzie once again trying to catch Aleki’s eye, this time with a rose. To both McKenzie’s and my surprise, he accepted it.. so I pushed the issue.

… And McKenzie ended up with her first kiss and her first real crush. Who knows, maybe it’ll also be her last. Because at this point, I’m pretty much thinking she’s out of the running for heir.. and I’d like her to be happy when she moves out, you know?

Here’s where things get a little crazy in this post.. because I have McKenzie romancing her new beau on one side of the map.. and little Luke trying to finish his Social aspiration up on the other side of it. I remember I was going a little bit insane at the time trying to zoom back and forth in between the two of them.

Luke was being dramatic and telling stories to this lady, and she was going to be the last friend he needed to make.

Meanwhile, the closet was definitely rocking. I love the way the hearts roll out from under the closet door.

I then sent her and Aleki off for some more tame fun on the family’s new ping pong table.

I’m not sure who won, because the game went on forever, and I had them just give up on it. McKenzie was definitely on a roll, though, and decided they would be the first ones to actually try out the deck hot tub.

Aleki looks like he’s as into McKenzie as she is into him. He’s definitely giving her the side-eye in this photo.

… Zoooomm… and Luke finally gets that aspiration complete with some Stargazing. I love that interaction, even if it seems a little bit cheaty because it’s so overpowered.

… More Zooming… and there’s more hearts popping in the air. Aleki then runs off to go home for the night, and Luke trudges home for bed, making it there after everyone else has gone to bed.

Harvestfest arrives the next day, and poor Iris gets shocked while trying to redeem the family from the failure with the Grim Reaper gnome (and he’s breaking everything in the house because of it!)

The next day, Iris is busy making a cake for Luke (you can also see that she has already finished the grand meal of ham on the other end of the counter…) Nobody seemed to want to wait for the meal, though, and they’re all snacking – well, Luke is being a good boy and doing his extra credit.

So, Aiyden tries instead.. and he, also fails. Adrian is blithely also snacking before the big dinner, as well.

Never fear, little Kassidy is still around. And still very cute.

Luke keeps talking up his fun times in scouts to his little brother Jaron (and no, I have no idea why they’re in their big sister’s room.)

I finally give in and let Jaron join scouts as well, because he seems like the sort that would definitely do that.

He immediately begins work on his badges, while his little sister Kassidy plays happily behind him.

McKenzie finds her guitar, and, despite being horrible at it, is jamming away. (Note that her terrible playing finally got rid of her little brothers, though..)

Aiyden takes some time out to play with his youngest, and she’s completely thrilled about it. Also.. I love the boat in the background of this photo…

Practicing the super secret Scouts handshake (omg this interaction is so cute!)

And, somehow, the cake that looks like it took forever to make with all the pictures in between when she started it and now… is finally done. Luke gives one last hug to his little brother, and then turns to become a teen.

3…. 2…. 1…. spin.. and…

Err… well, if he wasn’t completely out of the running with the Dog Lover trait.. that wild roll of randomness definitely doesn’t help him out.

… *Dies laughing* .. Nope. Nope Nope. That haircut is NOT going to work, Luke!

Post- makeover outfits. He still looks particularly worried in every shot.

Luke’s upgraded look. He’s not sure about it, but I definitely think he looks better.

Dinner. And everyone who snacked before dinner still shows up and enjoys the grand meal.

Especially our resident glutton, McKenzie. I really had forgotten she got that trait until she was busy scooping her dinner in like she’s got a shovel instead of that fork.

Even little Kassidy is enjoying her dinner.. which reminds me, they’re going to need a bigger dinner table… but we’ll get to that another time.

After the grand meal, I finally get around to giving Luke his room makeover. It’s not as drastic as some of the others have been, but I still like it.

Then, Since Adrian is the next to age up, I try to get him through some of his Mental aspiration, despite the glitchiness of never finishing games. Spoiler.. I get at least one of them done here.. so maybe there’s hope?

Luke gets going on his hobby of Vampire Lore.. and he looks like he’s shocked by what he finds. His fish, however, ignores whatever horrible fact he’s found out and just keeps swimming.

Homework party!! (While McKenzie is still eating…lol)

Oh! Guess what?!

We did it! Aiyden actually made it to the end of his aspiration without getting killed by the cowplant!!

Meanwhile, the teen that Luke brought home from school decides she wants to meet said cowplant. Luckily, it wasn’t hungry.

Luke starts his grand romance plan with a casual scary movie with his new friend, (I had to load the game back up just to figure out what her name was) Anika.

I leave this update with a close-up picture of Anika – who is adorable, and would very much make for some fun genetics. Which reminds me, I really ought to see about adding MCCC into this save so that the kids can have extended family when they move out. I’ll have to see about that next time I play…. which, hopefully will very soon, because I’m dying to get back to this family, and now that I have caught up with all their saved pictures, it’s time to play more! (I also need to remember to officially pick their family skill. I was leaning towards Logic because of the microscope print collection we got, but Knitting is also a possibility – because I just love knitting. I just need to stop waffling about it and PICK. What do you guys think?)

Chapter 1.7 | Chapter 1.9

Chapter 1.6 | Chapter 1.8

Time for another update!

Luke heads off to scouts while Jaron plays with his food on the couch. Hopefully he doesn’t make a mess. At this point, Luke only has three badges yet to go, but I think all but one will have to be done as a teen. He’s not doing so well on his aspiration because my game doesn’t seem to be spawning kids for him to be friends with. Hopefully his little brother aging up will help him out on that one.

I have never really messed around with this thing, and have been having fun with letting the kids play against each other. Unfortunately, it also seems to be bugged like chess at the moment, and doesn’t want to let them complete the game. (GRRR EA!!)

Still no last Microscope print…

… But we did get this! Now Aiyden and Iris won’t have to take turns on it. It also means that Iris will get her last promotion when she has work next.

Just barely finished this one in time. I got her birthday notice and realized she was just half a point of creativity away from getting it complete, so I made her play with the dolls for a while. She didn’t seem impressed.

Time to see her all growed up. *grin*

Not terrible traits.. but I can’t say I’m a fan of the Mansion Baron aspiration. At least her hobby matches her trait!

Outfit tour. She had a short hairstyle, so I stuck with that idea, but went for some color for her. Then followed the hair color with her outfits colors. The white dress for party outfit was her idea, and I liked it so much I kept it.

Not sure I’m a huge fan of her genetics.. but I do have to admit, by the end of this chapter, she’s growing on me. Still haven’t decided whether she’s in the running for heir or not, though.

Her room makeover:

I gave her a guitar. We’ll see if I ever remember to have her use it.. LOL.

OMGosh, Aiyden.. I’m so sorry I forgot you were making candles! Poor fella didn’t make it to the bathroom in time, and I got the “no excuse” achievement for a bladder fail on a lot with 5 or more toilets. HAHA!

Jaron is so cute. He’s always getting attention from his parents and siblings, so I doubt social skill will ever be an issue for him!

After Luke gets home from Scouts, we have him take a trip to the Willow Creek park (that doesn’t really exist right now) .. but at least the fishing areas are there.. and there’s frogs to find. He finishes his Outdoor badge easily and heads home with his froggies.

It’s time! Silly little Kassidy…

… Is so adorable. Those big eyes and black hair instantly make her stand out from her siblings to me. We’ll have to see how she grows up.

Proof that we got the very last microscope print … finally! Aiyden found it for his wife, which means her aspiration is now complete.

For those with a squeamish trait: skip this next pic…

Apparently the meat walls can get infested with bugs and still be at “Normal” quality. EWWW. Spray those things quick, Iris!

I’m not sure what they were talking about here, but McKenzie’s expression was so funny I had to capture it. Jaron is, once again, inserting himself in “adult” conversations like he owns the place. (And Luke is cleaning up the dishes all by himself. What a kid!)

This is Aleki, the kid Luke befriended for his aspiration. He grew up, and I just had to see whether he and McKenzie would get along. They made friends quite quickly…

… But it seems he’s not ready to jump into a relationship yet. Poor McKeznie is so embarrassed about it, too.

After Aleki leaves, she drowns her embarrassment in learning to cook. Let’s be honest, though, she’s really not very good at it yet. I let her make her little brother’s cake.. and… well, let’s just say I wished @debjameswhite ‘s Lia was around!

.. Because it turned out AWFUL! Even Jaron looks a bit concerned.. and I didn’t let anyone eat it – for obvious reasons. Ew.

He’s perfect for Eco Lifestyle!

I went with a green theme for his outfits – and he picked the hair cut. I tried others on him, but this one just looked the best.

He gets the third floor room, which had been set up as a “guest room” until now, since the last person to stay in it was Iris back when she and Aiyden weren’t seeing eye to eye.

I like the way it turned out. It’s a nice getaway up there from the hectic family below.

Kassidy is trying to learn her skills, but with as crazy as five kids is.. I don’t know whether she’ll actually get to Happy Toddler like all her siblings. We’ll see!

Poor Aiyden is completely over me making him work on his Logic skill. He’s really unamused with me at this point.

… But at least he got results! Now he just needs to finish up fabrication skill for his aspiration. He (and me) are pretty tired of making candles.. but he’s only got a half point of skill left to go.

I leave you with a picture just proving that Aiyden is still grumpy. Especially in the mornings. (But it’s rare that the angry moodlet gets through all the other positive ones from having a happy family.)

Chapter 1.6 | Chapter 1.8

Chapter 1.5 | Chapter 1.7

Yay! It’s time for Chapter 6 of my Diversity Experiment! Let’s see what trouble the Greenes can get up to this time.

Upon loading the game, I notice that it’s Love Day and Iris and Aiyden have yet to celebrate it. So, I rectify that immediately.

Luke and McKenzie spend some time chatting on their own while their parents are… otherwise occupied.

This family is so cute and loving with each other, I swear. That’s McKenzie in the background loving on her little brother Adrian.

It’s time for the next toddler reveal! (And, he’s a Charmer. I love that trait!)

Awwww! Those big eyes are so cute!

Later that day, McKenzie and Luke get home from school – and McKenzie is proudly sporting an “A” grade now!

Both Iris and Aiyden need Logic for their careers, so they take turns trying to get that very last microscope print I’m missing for Iris’ collection complete aspiration.

Oh yeah.. and it’s Monday – so it’s school project time. I love that they can chat when they’re working on them. This also reminds me that I have this HUGE unused open space on the second floor that I don’t know what to do with. *starts contemplating madness*

*drumroll* (While Aiyden looks horrified that yet another of his little babies are growing up.)

Geek? Hey, I don’t mind that at all. That puts him solidly in the running for heir, methinks.

His outfit tour. I did not change his hairstyle, despite the fact I was tempted. I wasn’t sure it looked “right” on him, but he did pick it. And the blue theme – was “his” idea. Most of his aged-up outfits were that baby blue color, so I went with it.

Iris is talking to her plants yet again….

… But it was all worth it in the end.

A close up of Adrian, whose first action was apparently to find the doctor playset in his sister’s room. Which reminded me I needed to give him his “big boy” room. And here’s where the madness really began. Instead of using the empty third floor bedroom like I had intended, I used that big empty space to throw in another bedroom for Adrian.

It’s all geeky and messed up, and of course – blue to match his outfit theme. I like the way it turned out.

What was the madness? .. Well, now that I have an extra bedroom…

… Iris announces she’s expecting again. Silly me!

Aiyden appears thrilled. Even Iris still seems enthused about the whole idea. We’ll see how happy they are when they end up with yet another toddler stage to go through.

Aiyden!!! NO! Do not eat the cake when I didn’t expressly TELL you to!

… Whew. At least he didn’t have the drained moodlet. So he’s safe. For now.

Homework party! Although Luke appears to be daydreaming instead of working. Can’t say as I blame him.

In an effort to work on Luke’s Social aspiration, I send them to the Community Garden to meet some more people. He then, of course, needed a BFF… and the closest relationship to that was his big sis.. so they’re now best of friends.

It’s time!! (I admit.. I sped through those last couple days because I was so excited for another nooboo, so I barely took any pics.)

Welcome to a little girl – Kassidy! On that note, I’m going to save the second half of the pictures I have for a second update. Which means I’ll actually have another update for you guys tomorrow!

Chapter 1.5 | Chapter 1.7

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Current Score: 110

All these kids are hard work! We start with an age-up. I’ve chosen to let Betty be our female Bad Apple, so the only things I’m going to know about her are the pops ups and pictures I take. I can’t click on her at all. (Which is a lot harder than I expected!)

Maybe Inquisitive will help her learn skills?? (Spoiler: it doesn’t…)

Betty: “But why, Mommy?”

Proof of Brycen’s toddler skills, +15 for three maxed skills. I don’t have a cake picture, because, as you can see, I was desperately trying to get him to all three maxed skills, and he aged up on his own.

Here’s his rolls.

… And a not-so-great photo of him.

Finally, a useful promotion for Brett. He’s actually starting to make decent money… which we can always use!

Brett sleeps through the baby again. Becca’s totally got this under control, though.

+30 for baby boy #2

Good boy, studying like he should be. Way to go, Brycen!

More toddler time! .. Apparently I didn’t think to take a picture of him at this point, but don’t worry, you will see him before he ages to child.

Both Brett and Brycen rolled whims to play in the leaves, so I had to buy some deciduous trees and make them rake leaves for the afternoon.

Time for Bridget to grow up!

Only two skills maxed, so +10 points.

Apparently, I’m forgetting all sorts of pictures, so I went back in to get her skills….

.. And a good picture of her as a child. She’s very pretty!

Proof that I grew a cowplant. I immediately put in in the family inventory. No way am I dealing with that. LOL.

Working on little Betty’s skills. Also: finally, a picture of her without her hat.

Time to start working on painting skill so we can get paintings of everyone on the wall.

Brett looks like he’s absolutely DONE with all these kids. Poor guy, if only he knew what was coming!! Also, Vlad stopped by, so I was working on Becca’s relationship with him.

Brycen and Betty working on their friendship.

Finally: the promised picture of Beckham as a toddler. Betty doesn’t seem to like him all that much.

Betty and Brycen are now best of friends! I then send them to the park so they can meet some other kids.

While there, we try out this skating thing.

I invite all the kids in the area to skate, and we have quite a party. Nobody’s very good at it, though, and I have a feeling everyone went home with bruised egos and backsides.

Can you find the toddler?? Betty has escaped. I have no idea where she was going, but luckily she came back soon after.

Brett’s Adult birthday…

Not time to go immortal yet. I’m still waffling about whether I’ll try for getting him to as old as possible before he goes immortal. And whether he’ll be a vampire or a spellcaster. Tough choices.

I get the notice that it’s Betty’s birthday, and I age her up ASAP. Because then she can take care of herself!

There’s her first trait and aspiration. Not that she’ll get anywhere on the aspiration, though, since she’s unplayable.

I had to go back in to get a decent picture of her, too.

Getting her to work on her homework with influencing. So glad for the Parenting pack!

Guess what?! Here we go again, another nooboo incoming!

Becca makes the family a Winterfest Grand Breakfast to wake up to. Everyone seems to enjoy it.

Then, everyone helps with decorating the tree (Except Betty, who is still choosing to sit at the table).

She’s apparently all-in on present time, though. LOL. Typical kid.

Note the smoke behind Betty. This will come into play by the end of this day.

Someone got coal … and she’s NOT happy about it.

Presents from Father Winter.

Poor Betty won’t get one. But Bridget does.

While everyone is filing off to their beds… Father Winter decides to fix the radio. … Why the radio, Santa?? Why not the house’s ONLY toilet that’s four steps away from you??

Becca finally gets a better present. Although I have no recollection of what it was. I probably sold it.

Naughty freezing toddler! Get your waddling rear end back in the warm house!!

He gets back in just in time for his birthday, and Betty’s nice enough to sing him a song while he ages.

Here’s proof of his skills. +15 again.

Here’s his rolls.

And his birthday pic.. that I apparently actually DIDN’T forget. Amazing.

Caleb does the whole vampire knock on the door thing, and I have Brett spend some time with him. Just in case I decide to go vampire, you know.

And, finally, the next baby is here. (Crossing fingers that it’s not twins!)

I know, the name is kinda similar to Beckham’s name. But it is the first one that came up and made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean. So I went with it. +30 for Boy #3.

New Points Total: 230
This includes parent milestone points, too.

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

First thing I want to go through is the Sims 4 scoring, and the mini challenges I’ll be attempting since deciding to keep score is why I restarted the challenge for the third time…

Now that all that is attended to, I went in game and made two new founders with backstories:

I set the season to start at as Spring, and then absolutely could not decide on where to live, so I made my hubby choose. He picked Windenburg, and of the two big lots, I chose Dresden House. Kicked out the family and bulldozed the lot.. then moved the Braxtons in.. dropped their funds down to the 1800 Simoleons for a “Legacy Start” and we were officially ready to start.

First order of business: Have Becca quit her story-mode-given Culinary job. I plan on her being the stay-at-home parent.

I wasn’t really expecting the Teacher career for Brett, I was planning on going Tech Guru – but perhaps this will work out after all. So I have him start learning Research & Debate for work.

… And it begins. One of Becca’s first wishes was for a Bee Box, so there it is. Then she wants to water a plant. Which is a little tougher because .. it’s RAINING! We’ll have to wait and plant something quickly when the rain lets up.

After a while, one of them rolls a “Try for Baby” whim.. so we give it a try. (Spoiler.. it takes three tries to get the first baby on the way!)

Finally, baby success. She’s in her swimsuit because she wished for a pool. Took me a while to afford one, but she now has a 1 by 1 pool to satisfy her whim. Apparently it’s the new favorite place to eat meals and have conversations.

Geek Fest shows up, and, while Brett is at work, we have Becca go try to win a computer. She gets third place for 250, which isn’t too bad since she has no programming skill, but no computer.

The game contest gets her fun up, but she won’t be winning that one, either.

Ok, car that just went by: please come back and take away this half naked vampire!!

Uh-oh. Brett didn’t fix the toilet fast enough and Becca had an accident. Poor sweetie!

Yes, I got them a couch so they’d stop sitting in their suits at the pool so often. It only partially worked. Oh, and yes, I waited until the game gave us a bassinet for her to give birth in.

+30 Points! (Our first points!) Welcome, Brycen!

Yep, that means there’s another nooboo on the way. Also, if you’re looking very closely, we have our first roofed area: the baby’s room. I felt too bad having him out in the rain and cold.

Yay!! That Wild trait should be interesting, at least. Oh, and – It’ll be a bit before you get a good picture of him, since it’s pretty much always dark or raining. I do manage to buy them lights before he grows up, though.

The season changes, a thunderstorm hits, and we need a greenhouse to keep making money. So I enclose the plants, and send Becca and Brett inside to chat. Brycen apparently thinks it’s appropriate to talk to the bear during the storm, however. The stereo, the umbrella stand, and the bulletin board were all from whims.

Brycen: “Hey Mom, what are you doing??”

Becca: “ARRRGGGHHH!” (or something close to it.)

Also: the big circle on the wall is the thermostat that Becca wished for. Apparently she was getting cold. (Then stop getting in the pool, silly!!)

+30 more points. And welcome to Girl #1, Bridget.

Our last dark photo… because shortly after this, I finally get lights in the house! The highlights: Becca is pregnant again, the shower is filthy and Brett is still trying to get himself clean – and both Brycen and Bridget are sound asleep in the nursery. (For now.)

Finally. Meet Brycen! He’s working on his thinking skill.

Inquisitive isn’t too bad. Maybe it’ll help her skill faster?

Poor little girl is filthy and not happy about it, though. I have one of the parents fix that asap.

Nooboo # 3 incoming. And Brett sleeps through the entire thing. Which means he’s running around like a fool in the morning getting ready for work, which was hilarious.

First B name that was offered to me. I guess it’ll work. Perhaps I’ll make her the female bad apple?.. Or should I wait for a better house to do that in.. HMM

Oh, yeah.. and Becca is pregnant again.

We leave you with a picture of the three current kids in the “living room”. (Well, it’s more of a whole house room, but whatever. At least the parents finally have their own bed and aren’t out in the tent anymore.) We did manage to get through the tent phase with only one big scare – lightning hit the tent with both of them in it and burnt the tent to a crisp, but neither were harmed. Thank goodness. Took a while to replace the tent because we were out of money.. but that’s how this whole thing works!

Total Points currently: 110
90 from babies being born, 20 from parent aspiration milestones.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Chapter 1.4 | Chapter 1.6

Welcome back to the Diversity Experiment and the Greene household. We left them in the middle of Winterfest (not sure why I quit then.. but okay, lol).. so I immediately sent the family to open their gifts (except for poor pregnant Iris, who was in desperate need of a nap.)

McKenzie puts on a happy face – she loves her new doctor playset.

Luke is so cute. Look at how excited he is!

Later, after that much needed nap, Iris meets up with Father Winter for her present. Most of them were sold for family funds, but I think the kids’ presents were both saved for them in inventory.

Flying Luke! Iris and Aiyden are constantly tag-teaming with the kids, although Aiyden seems to be doing the bulk of it now that Iris is about “ready to pop”.

Speaking of.. she has a little boy at home, and I chose the first name it suggested, because I liked it. This is Adrian. I did not think of how close it was to Aiyden until later, when I kept trying to call the poor boy his dad’s name. Oops. Too late now!

Then, it was time for the first child birthday. Poor McKenzie looks very worried about it.

However, she didn’t need to be worried. She got a good trait.

I had initially been thinking of making McKenzie identify as a boy, but after perusing the outfits she had “chosen for herself”, I completely ditched that idea. She was very clear to me on the fact that she’s female – and she loves colors and her collection of bright shoes. *grin* So here’s what we went with. I have to confess, it’s one of the few times I’ve actively put a hat on a sim, instead of taking it off immediately.

McKenzie was NOT impressed with baby Adrian, however. Hopefully he’ll grow on her.

Here’s her room all made over:

I put a lot of thought into it, and I like that it reflects her personality. She is an art lover, after all.

Playtime with the Greenes. Little Luke is still unsure about the slide, so mama was helping.

It’s that time again… only this time, as I was editing the pictures, somehow I COMPLETELY missed taking any pictures of poor Adrian. He’s not being neglected, I promise! I went back into the game and got a shot of him to stick here:

.. He’s really quite cute. I have elected not to give the toddlers makeovers, they aren’t toddlers for very long, after all.

McKenzie decides to be the first Greene to pick up Knitting, and she seems to really enjoy it.

She comes home from school Monday with the traditional weekly school project, and Iris gives her some help. (While Adrian plays with the dollhouse in the background. This is apparently the only shot I actually took of him during gameplay.)

Surprise!! I couldn’t resist. I changed the walk in closet that never made sense to me on the first floor into a bedroom and shrunk the size of the master bath to make room for it. I have to wonder, though, if Aiyden is as “into” the idea as Iris and I were, though, his reaction was clearly mixed.

This is what happens when I try to make my sims make school friends. This is Aleki – and he ends up playing quietly by himself while poor McKenzie crashes. She was too tired to play for more than a few minutes.

Uh-oh. As much as I love Luke, that Dog Lover just might disqualify him from heir-hood. I really had no plans to get a pet for the next generation.

However, I LOVE his style. He’s adorable… and he could change my mind if he keeps up the cuteness.

I pretty much spent all the rest of the money they had saved up on decorating his room, though.. so it’s definitely time for Mom and Dad to get back to work. They’ve both finally got their skills up to par and are getting promotions, though, so money shouldn’t be too bad of an issue.

Look at this cutie! How can I resist?!

Aiyden takes the chance to present one of his ideas to his pregnant (and hungry) wife. She didn’t seem impressed, but it gave him his daily paycheck.

Yes, I had Luke join Scouts. And he’s playing with the block table before bed on his own, which is so cute. Usually my sims completely ignore block tables.

We finish this update with a nooboo. (Hopefully just one!) … and I was lucky. We get a little boy that is named Jaron.

Iris then makes herself a coconut cake (since SOMEONE – points at Aiyden accusingly – stole a piece from the fridge. I immediately told him I hoped he munched on a candle. =P ) and ages up to adult. I didn’t want to “forget her birthday”.. and she was quick to taste the frosting. Perhaps she knew I was going to take the cake away for a later date immediately after the birthday. Maybe Aiyden will even leave it alone. Maybe….

Chapter 1.4 | Chapter 1.6

Chapter 1.3 | Chapter 1.5

The Diversity Experiment – Chapter 1.4

So… we ended the last chapter on the two of them sitting by the pool reading.

… We start this one.. with Harvestfest bringing us an invasion of garden gnomes. We appease all of them because Iris can always use new seeds.

I decide we should save up an essence for the next time it wants us to drink one for work. Little Moo doesn’t seem to mind the meal.

Iris decides to get all flirty, so she drags Aiyden to the bathroom to help her clean up.

I then realize they have some 15k in the bank, and I haven’t done any building in a while… so I do some upgrading. Here’s their new open plan dining area. (They’re eating a grand meal for harvestfest – it seemed appropriate to get them an actual table to eat it at!)

The living room gets a facelift, as well, with some color changes.

The breakfast nook becomes an impromptu garden area.. because why would they need two tables to eat at?

Oh yeah… and there were consequences to the shower romp. *wink*

With his new job, Aiyden gets the ability to “grow” meat. Weird, but.. okay then. The “Massage” interaction is one of the creepiest things I’ve seen in game.

Upgrading the dryer for safety reasons. We don’t need any fire accidents.

Despite being lazy, Iris seems to actually be a good mother. She is almost always the first to make it to the bassinet when McKenzie starts crying. (Also: I realize I spelled McKenzie’s name wrong in my last chapter. Sorry, sweetie!)

Flying baby!! (Screenshots of baby age-ups crack me up… I had to include it.)

Inquisitive, huh? Nice.

Squeee! OMG She’s adorable!

Proof that Iris actually cleans on her own sometimes in my save. Also: I adore that kitchen shelf.

Poor Iris. This pregnancy has been really rough on her. I find her in the bathroom after nearly every meal.

Aiyden lets me know it’s that time. But since I don’t want to leave McKenzie home alone or send her to daycare, I have him stay home for the birth. Iris assures him that she’s got this.

Iris? You going to wait for the doctor to get in the room? .. Nevermind. I guess not.

Welcome baby Luke! I had the hardest time picking his name. I randomized for about 15 minutes before I just picked my own name that was a variation on one of the ones that had popped up while randomizing.

We arrive home.. to snow? .. Okay then. Everyone has to run outside to “react to first snow”, which always amuses me.

I find McKenzie reading all by herself in her room after a nightmare. Apparently she didn’t think waking up the parents was necessary. (Immediately after this photo, she starts chewing on the book. I was so startled I didn’t think to take a picture. I’ve never seen a toddler do that in the sims before. I guess that’s one way to be inquisitive? LOL!)

Winterfest arrives, and Iris and Aiyden move the coffee table in favor of a traditional tree.

The night before, Aiyden rolled the “Try for Baby” whim, so I indulged him. This was the result.

Welcome to toddlerhood, little Luke!

Based on that smile, he’s definitely a Charmer, alright.

First thing he does: head out to the back porch nobody uses to play in the snow. Too funny.

He then runs stumbles back inside to give his big sister a huge hug. Next time: Father Winter … and another baby on the way. Wonder what it’ll be?!

Chapter 1.3 | Chapter 1.5