@wfgodotThe vampires seem to visit even if the sim family has never even been to Forgotten Hollow. Just glad to note that Caleb isn’t creeping around, too. He has responsibilities!
The separate toilet stalls look tacky but minimize embarrassing moments. Since I recently learned how to do roofing (lol, finally), I’m reluctant to build a two-story house for the Benjaminz. If they run out of room, I’d prefer to expand in the basement, even.
It’s hard starting a new game being poor and unskilled, with no mentors! Hah!
@cyclonenicThank you for your kind words and moral support! I hated having to leave Jade while she was pregnant, but at least the heir is a greenboo. (I’ve never had a greenboo or any rainboo before. I’m so excited!)
@FrancescaFiori Stupid me and the music. But yes, I at least still ended up with a boy and girl!
About toddler screenshots, this is how I do it: Set up the shot then click Tab and use the W key to get as close as possible. Then I load the screenshot into photo-editing freeware and (the key point) I crop it to 800x450 with scaling enabled. I crop a lot.
As a watcher, I’m a door-locking fiend! Sadly, I couldn’t lock the Mori household out of the café’s kitchen, which they constantly entered to wash their hands. I might move that sink into an inaccessible room downstairs…
@PeregrineTook I'm glad you're back! I'm not sure what the ruling is on an heir's sibling of an heir marrying into another bloodline. I'd think that would be taboo because the bloodlines would intermingle.
But since Moss is a boy and Akiko's a girl, they're still good to go even though she can't be aged up early. Once Moss moves out, Akiko becomes a townie, though, so then I can cake her up, I think (but I'm not absolutely sure).
1.2 Niches of Newcrest: Mori Lineage/Week 1a
Sunday
Candy: Dude, what did you bring us here for for? I was sleeping!
Travis: And Liberty and I were out partying.
Shota: Well, I wanted us to move here to our new but temporary living quarters at Potter’s Splay.
Summer: Wow, it’s really nice, Shota! It was totally worth camping out for a week…almost.
Shota: Oh, that’s not our home. That’s the front of the café. Our place is in back.
Yuki: But the room in back is completely empty!
We’re getting very low on funds so I had to stop building.
Candy: What the heck do you mean by “we”!? You don’t have to live in that ugly long rectangle thing, Watchette!
Shota: Actually, that’s the unfinished kitchen, dining, and living areas. Our bedrooms are downstairs.
Liberty: Ugh, it just gets worse! Where’s all our original stuff?
Travis: Yeah, like our beds, the kitchen appliances, and my tablet?
Yuki: Where’s my motion gaming rig!?
Shota: Well, as I learned from Ricalynn, your furnishings didn’t transfer because I invited you to move in while on your lot, not mine.
Anyhow, this is only temporary! We’re going to gradually build our real crib in Newcrest as our funds grow.
This café’s worth is already over $50k. When we sell it we can go all out on our own place.
Yuki: In the morning, we make a quick fishing trip to Magnolia Promenade before I leave for school.
Also, I quit my part-time job. Travis and Liberty quit their jobs, too, but Liberty joins the Science career.
Shota: I ensure Travis, Liberty, and Summer reach Level 3 in their respective skills. They need to be able to continue skilling while Candy and I are off dating.
Candy: There’s no getting around it! This place is really ugly…
Shota: At the Stargazer Lounge, Candy and I resume the Soulmate aspiration.
Our dates go smoothly here (no wonder it’s become Watchette’s fave early-stage date spot).
Shota: Candy, you must have known from the start that I didn’t just ask you to move in to be a helper.
I want us to share a life together, raise a family, and live our silver years side by side.
Candy: I feel the same way, Shota. I was a little anxious when you also moved in Summer and Liberty. But then, I began noticing all the little things you say and do around me.
Shota: Will you marry me and stay with me always, Candy?
Candy: I couldn’t imagine a life without you. But only if we could live somewhere nicer…
Candy: That’s my boss from Limelight calling me. Wow, I’m so late for work!
Shota: Why don’t you quit that job, Candy? I’ll earn enough for both of us and our children. All you’d have to do is stay home and paint.
And paint and paint and paint and paint. Did I mention Candy will be painting?
Candy: Let’s just elope, Shota. You need to hurry and buy Connections so you can start your career.
Shota: You’re so understanding, Candy. You know I’ll be making it up to you!
Candy: Don’t panic, Shota. I’m sure we'll eventually become soulmates.
Shota: I don’t have “eventually,” Candy. The Culinary career schedule at Level 4 only works on Monday followed by three days off!
Candy: Okay, okay. Well, what about trying for a baby?
They finally become Soulmates several hours later, but only after I quit, repaired the game, then traveled once after reloading.
s
Tuesday
Candy: Why’d you bring us all back here again to Newcrest? And what’s that building?
Living on Potter’s Splay wasn’t working. We need more space. You need separate skilling areas.
Shota: You don’t like the new house, folks? Living at the restaurant didn’t work for our big household.
Summer: Still no wall or floor coverings?
Nope…
Yuki: What happened to my garlic plants? You sold them by mistake!?
Travis: Liberty takes a day off work so we can spend all day at Granite Falls, except for Yuki who's got school.
Liberty: We’re gonna be rolling in dough before long.
Shota: Watchette, I don’t think I like what you’ve done with our Focused Room!
Behold, my unsightly solution to the household’s overwhelming obsession with woodworking: fencing with a locked gate. Mwahahaha!
Yuki: Awww, so unfair! Just because Travis and Liberty can craft camping mascots?
Wednesday
Candy: Where’s Liberty, Travis?
Travis: After getting into a Very Focused mood for work, she walked out the door about an hour ago.
Suddenly it happens! Out of the corner of my eye, I see a notice about Liberty finishing a sculpture. Whaaat?!
Unbelievable! She gets as far as changing for work then turns back around to craft a bunny sculpture? *weeps
Liberty: I’m 70 minutes late for work, but crafting that bunny sculpture was totes worth it!
Shota: Since Liberty’s so close to getting a promotion, I decide to open my café for several hours. Opening day!
Candy: Have your named your café yet, Shota?
Shota: Nope, I’m still thinking. Got any suggestions?
Shota: First things first, I inform our hostess that she’ll be undergoing Basic Training and praise her. I do the same for the cook and waiter.
Summer: Awww, we only have two sets of customers this afternoon!
Candy: I didn’t expect to have to wear a maid’s outfit!
Travis: There’s the waiter, taking Jade and Salim’s order! Why are they here?
Shota: Yeah, and I heard Jade was pregnant again but she must have had the baby already!
I’m so tempted to have you visit to find out if it’s a boy or girl and whether it's green...
Shota: In back of the café’s right side, we have one table that seats eight.
Travis: Hey, I’m liking this butler’s suit!
Waiter: Dude, don’t take that butler outfit so seriously! Cleaning up is my job!
Travis: Relax, bro! No one’s trying to take your job away from you.
The waiter never took an order from Alice’s table, probably because Candy"s welcoming the diners disrupted his timing. Not sure.
Candy: We didn’t open the cafe again at dinner time because I knew I’d be going into labor.
I brought Shota along but he was so tired, he just slept on a sofa the whole time. I'm not sure it that's better than playing BlicBloc or not.
Shota: Twin girls! We give them food names, because I'm a foodie.
Candy: I’m holding the Gen2 Heir, Murasaki. It means purple and is the sushi aficionado’s slang for soy sauce.
Shota: I’m holding Tamari, also a type of soy sauce but, unlike usual soy sauce made from fermented soybeans, tamari is a by-product of producing miso.
Shota: I have to say that it’s so weird to think that we’ll only be an active household until Murasaki moves out.
Candy: I guess that’s why our watcher is unwilling to give too much thought to the areas of the house unrelated to skilling and income.
Shota: Well, the twins have taken over the back bedroom!
Liberty: And where do the helpers go after being evicted from our lovely bedroom with the huge windows?
Liberty: Why am I not surprised? A dreary, windowless attic, of course.
Shota: Oh c’mon, Lib! You know you’ll only go there to sleep! We still need to leave room on this lot for the Mori Museum!
What about a basement bedroom instead?
Liberty: *sighs
Author’s Notes •
Chapters: When I started this challenge, I planned for each update to cover one sim-week because (1) I’m still trying to figure out the challenge rules, and (2) I find myself constantly eager to play the other households.
For this update, however, I spent more time building than playing: first, the café and its back room, then downsizing the back room and building a house in Newcrest.
So I’ll be continuing Shota’s last three days of the week in another update.
•
Income-Generation: I initially overspent on the café, but the household income has stabilized. Travis and Liberty craft camping mascots, Candy and Summer paint, Yuki gardens, and Shota? Well, he’s the supervisor. (Actually, he works on his career and skill requirements.)
•
The Café: I’m shocked that only two tables got filled on Opening Day! The hardest part of the Restaurant option will be 3 days at a 5-star rating.
•
Living Quarters: One thing I only realized belatedly is that this challenge can require lots of building, even more so if choosing the Retail option.
It’s no secret that I avoid building whenever possible and don’t really enjoy it. But maybe I’ll improve by doing my own builds.
At the same time, each house structure is only active for one-fifteenth of the overall challenge time… *rationalizes my laziness about interior décor
Thankfully, no more building for the rest of Shota’s week! And twin toddlers…
