The Drifter Chronicles - House 002 (COMPLETE)

[commasplice]

If you're not familiar with the Drifter Challenge, the rules are here. It's sort of a combination of a continual rags to riches and a generational challenge.

The story for House 001 is here.

Now onto the next generation and the second house!

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13

[commasplice]

From: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
To: Robert Holiday
Re:  Drifter House 002

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Drifter Project for No Sim Left Behind. Your endeavors will help advance simkind.

Your overall goals:
•   On the bulldozed lot formally known as Crick Cabana in Willow Creek, you will build a home worth a minimum of $40,000 after depreciation. Said home must have at least two bedrooms and one bathroom. A room is defined as having:
o   At least 4 walls
o   A door
o   Flooring
o   Wall coverings
•   You will marry and THEN move in a “working sim” (mail carrier, pizza delivery person, maid, gardener).
•   You will complete the Outdoor Enthusiast aspiration
o   You may not begin working on this until your heir becomes a child or higher
o   This must be done before your heir reaches young adulthood.
•   You will produce and raise an heir to the young adult life stage
No Sim Left Behind will provide you with the plot of land free of charge. You will need to have disposed of your money by the time you begin this project.
The specifics are here: https://thedrifterchallenge.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-drifter-challenge-house-002-rules.html

By signing this agreement, you are pledging to spend the entirety of your life to this project, and the lives of your heirs.*

Please return the signed agreement by the close of business today. We expect regular reports on your progress.

*While we encourage your heirs to participate, we recognize we have no legal authority to force them to sign on.

From: Robert Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re:  Drifter House 002

I am totally in. My dad said I should tell you about me. I love the outdoors. I’m a bro and romantic. Oh, and Mom said I’m compassionate, responsible, got good manners, was a happy toddler, and I guess I’m a collector too?

Anyhow, looking forward to this!

Peace out,
Robert.



From: Robert Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re:  Drifter House 002 – Progress report #1

So far so good. It’s nice being in a new ‘hood. I miss Mom and Dad, but the desert sucked. Dad says that’s cause we’re a seafaring people. I’m not sure Willow Creek counts as the ocean, not when I can see the factory across the way, but it’s nice having actual grass and stuff.

I just started fishing right away. There is all kinds of crap in the creek, by the way. I fished up more fruit and upgrade parts than legit fish, but I remember Dad saying I could plant the fruit and bring the upgrade parts to the recycling place for simoleons so I did that. I also dug up a bunch of rocks and crystals. The My Sims fanboys scarf up the trophies too.



Mom was worried I’d be dying out here. Not gonna lie. It got really old eating mushrooms all the time and I did have to sleep on the bench in the community garden a couple of nights.



Pretty soon I had a sweet setup going. Got myself a tent (which I think is gonna be real handy when I have a kid and we can go to Granite Falls), a cooler, and a toilet. Couldn’t afford a bin, though, and I can see there being a big trash problem for a while, but I got this.



Dad keeps walking by, but not coming over. When I called Mom she said he was afraid of disqualifying me from the No Sims Left Behind project.

I chased him down. He’s never been a real demonstrative guy so when he hugged me like that, I was kind of shocked. Hope that’s cool. This has been great, but I miss my family.



Oh, and does it matter if my spouse is an older woman? There’s a hot gardener, but she’s like an elder.

Peace out,

Robert

From: Justin Delgato, Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
To: Robert Holiday
Re:  Re: Drifter House 002 – Progress report #1

Your family is free to visit you at any time. You cannot visit them, but you can invite them to your lot and you can go to any of the approved locations with them. If they invite you to a festival or an approved location and you have at least $1,000 simoleons in your possession, you may accompany them.

Regarding your future spouse, it’s fine if the individual is an adult rather than a young adult, but since you need a spouse capable of bearing children, you may want to look at someone other than the elder gardener.


Email from Robert Holiday to Summer Holiday & Orys Baratheon

Hi Mom and Dad,

Things are going good. Dad, I remember you said I shouldn’t wait too long before settling down. Thing is the project says my spouse needs to be a service sim, so like I can go for a mail carrier, a gardener, a maid, a pizza delivery person, but that’s it.

I have met some of the local ladies. The one I really liked who tends the community garden, I guess she’s out because she’s an elder which kinda sucks.

Anyhow, I still have some options. Aadhya Lothario seems great. She’s an adult, but that’s still legit because she can have kids. I met her where she was delivering my bills. We hit it off and did some cloud gazing. Downside is she’s married. Do you think that’s an issue?





I splurged and got a pizza last night and met Aisha Hunt. I like her a lot even if she’s a bit of a neat freak. She told me I needed to get a bin for all the trash, like yesterday. And I do mean to, it’s just I have my eye on this model that’s really ecologically sound. Dad, it gives you money for your garbage. She’s an art lover, which I guess is okay? Not really sure. She’s noncommittal, tho, and kind of freaked when I tried to make a move.



What do you think I should do?

Love,
Robert

P.S. Tell Steffon I said he should come by.

Journal entry, Summer Holiday

Robert is going to be the death of me.

After his last email, Orys and I decided we should visit Robert to pound some sense into him. Poor Orys hasn’t been feeling so well so I went alone. I got there to find him pursuing the pizza delivery person. Or rather, another pizza delivery person. This one is called Anya Gupta and I have no idea what my son is thinking.



“Mom, I did the math. I have to complete a whole aspiration as soon as my kid becomes a child. That means a trip to Granite Falls and that’s not cheap. Plus I have to build a house worth $40k. All before the kid reaches young adulthood. I don't want to wait.”

“She’s a self-admitted snob. Robert, you’re living in a tent and there’s garbage everywhere. Surely, she’s going to want someone who can give her a more conventional life.”

He shrugged that off, leaned in and whispered, “Mom, she knows the secret Bro hug. Plus she likes dogs!”

Orys was horrified when I told him. “Those won’t help him at all.”

“He’s your son, through and through. Nothing I said would change his mind.”

I did manage to get Robert to promise to explain the project to Anya before getting her to commit to anything. I can only hope the girl has more sense and drops him to pursue one of the Landgraabs.

[PeregrineTook]

Oh man!  Summer to the rescue  :=)
I love how Robert is so frantic and desperate in his spouse search!  It's hilarious reading!  Can't wait to see which lovely lady gets to enjoy the lovely trash lot with him.

[commasplice]

Report from Pierce Delgato, No Sim Left Behind on Drifter Subject 002

Drifter Subject 002 appears to have chosen Anya Gupta, a young adult sim who is currently employed as a pizza delivery person, as his potential spouse. He has taken her on a series of dates.

Ms. Gupta seemed very unimpressed with The Green Grille, even after learning that it was a special place for his parents.



Drifter Subject 002 followed it up with a visit to the Von Haunt Estate which seemed to go a lot better.



Journal entry, Anya Gupta

I just got back from my second date with Robert. I remain very uncertain about him. Robert is extremely kind, but he also seems unmotivated at least in terms of his life goals. The first time I went to deliver a pizza to his—I can’t really call it a house—place, Aisha elaborated on the directions. “You can’t miss it,” she said. “It’s a tent, a cooler, and a toilet in a field. No walls at all.”

I have imagined my ideal man and future home many times and Robert Holiday and his campsite do not begin to come close to my vision.

But when we did the Bro hug, there was an intensity to it that is unique to anything I have ever felt before.

He took me to Geekcon which puzzled me. I told him of my dreams of becoming a great writer and that I have zero interest in videogames or programming.

“Yeah, but Mom’s gonna be there and I know it didn’t go so great the first time you met her.”

His mother was there. Apparently she’s a cos player. That threw Robert too momentarily, but he shrugged. “My parents are kind of different about a lot of stuff. She’s cool. Just try to keep an open mind.”



His mother still hates me. That much is clear. She’s very polite, but I can see the steel in her eyes every time she looks at me. She glanced at my soda and then at me, and said something very cutting about the amount of sugar in just one drink.

Robert doesn’t seem to mind my curves at all.

Over veggie burgers in the middle of this festival that is completely irrelevant to my interests, he explained “the Project” to me.

At first I was unsure what to make of it all. Robert doesn’t want to work a conventional job, but it’s clear that my impression that he was lazy is incorrect. He’s foraging and fishing multiple hours a day. The trash remains because he is saving to buy an ecologically sound bin that will more than return its initial investment. He has researched how to grow dragon fruit which will be very profitable. And when I said (somewhat snarkily) that I didn’t want to live in a log cabin, he nodded, looked at me with those gorgeous dark blue eyes and asked what kind of a house I did want.

“A Victorian. Two stories. And I want a fireplace.”

“That’s totally doable. Look, I know it’s a commitment, but my parents did this and I never wanted for anything. Mom worked, but there’s no reason why you need to. You can write or paint or whatever you want. If it’s too rough, I can get a job, but I bet we can do it just like they did.”

I hadn’t thought ahead to children and I certainly never thought about having a child that would be committed to this way of life.

“Nah,” Robert said when we’d got back to his lot. “They changed all that. If our kid doesn’t want to do it, it’s no biggie. We just see how it all works out.”

“Can we have a dog?”

“Totally. We just have to wait till after I do the Outdoor Enthusiast aspiration cuz I don’t think we want to drag a poor dog to the middle of Granite Falls while I fry up plates of beetles.”

I was about to object to this when he dipped me and planted a kiss on me that took my breath away.



He dropped to his knee and said, “You game?”

Hardly the elegant proposal I’d dreamed of for so long, but I nodded and said yes.

]

And then somehow he scooped me up in his arms and promised me it was going to be everything we dreamed of and more.



From: Robert Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Drifter House 002 – Progress report #2

You guys missed one hell of a wedding. Thanks for the vase and the white flowers. Anya said you have terrific taste and that one day they’re going to look great in our home when we actually have walls.



I thought we could do something casual at the house, but Anya has always dreamed of a big wedding so we went to the Von Haunt Estate. Wasn’t sure how it was gonna work because it’s a historic house and stuff, but Aunt Liberty’s husband, Gavin Richards knows a guy who knows a guy and somehow the caterer was able to use the kitchen and there was a bar for the mixologist. He couldn’t make it, though—Gavin Richards although Aunt Liberty came. She’s super pregnant too. Like really, really pregnant.



“Again?” Mom hissed at her. “How many does this make?”

“Don’t be like that. We have this gorgeous apartment in San Myshuno and we want to fill it with children. Besides they make me feel young. You could still have another. And even if you don’t want to have more kids, you should give some thought to moving to the unit next to us.”

Mom muttered something I couldn’t make out.

Just between you and me, I think Mom had been drinking a bit. She showed up in this dress I have never seen before and kept rolling her eyes at Anya. At one point I thought her muttering that Anya’s mother was a llama, but thankfully Anya was at the other end of the room and didn’t hear.

Dad was kind of quiet. Mostly he stood with Steffon and Aunt Liberty. He said he was proud of me. I just wish he didn’t look so tired all of the time.



There was a cake. Truth is I don’t really remember how it tasted because all I could think of was how I was finally adulting.



Mom came up to me later while Anya was talking to the guests. “You have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, but you’re my son and I love you, so I’m going to give you this advice. Don’t wait too long before you have walls.”

I think I’ve been doing pretty great myself. I have a shower and a woodworking bench and finally the Nanocan Touchless Trashcan!

But I’m thinking Mom might be partly right. Because when we got back home, Anya got all flirty with me and asked how soon I thought we might be able to afford a real bed.



Peace out,
Robert

P.S. We sent you some cake.

[PeregrineTook]

"You game?"  The ultimate proposal line!
Really enjoying Robert's gung ho voice in all of this and how it balances so nicely with the curvy Anya's seriousness.

[commasplice]

Journal entry, Anya Holiday

I feel quite like a pioneer woman. Robert took me fishing the morning after the wedding. I wanted to change, but he said that the hours go by so quick and that the sooner we made some simoleons the sooner we could start building the house of our dreams.

I am proud to say that I caught a tuna worth $85 simoleons. At least, I think it’s a tuna. Who can be sure?



Our wedding breakfast was leftover pepperoni pizza. I balked at that. I knew that with a cooler, our options were limited to granola, cereal, or yogurt, but I thought those would be more appropriate options.

“But this is the pizza that you brought to me the night we first met,” Robert said in a quizzical tone. “I thought it would be romantic.”

I have to keep reminding myself that I knew I wasn’t marrying Cary Grant.



Phone conversation between Summer Holiday and Liberty Lee

Liberty: How are you holding up?

Summer: Not so good. I keep reaching over in the middle of the night and then I remember Orys is gone.

Liberty: Oh, Summer.

Summer: I knew this day was coming. I just thought we’d have more time.

Liberty: How are Steffon and Robert handling it?

Summer: Steffon freaked out. The only good thing is that after he went over to Robert’s he must have stopped at a hair salon. The blond dreads and pink eyebrows are gone thank God. I don’t think he remembers what happened exactly. He said something about MC Command Center and the Creator hating the look.

Liberty: Uh, well, everybody has to grieve in their own way? And Robert?

Summer: [silence]

Liberty: You haven’t gone over there yet, have you? Go. He’s your son. He needs you. You need him.



From: Robert Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Drifter House 002 – Progress report #3

Thanks for the card and the flowers you sent to Dad’s funeral.



I’m doing okay. I guess it helps that Anya’s pregnant. I was kind of thrown. We were gonna wait a little bit, but we got all flirty and I guess it was risky woohoo. Anyhow, we should have our heir pretty soon. We went to the Romance Festival to celebrate.



Steffon was there too. He’s kind of subdued. We talked about Dad most of the time.



I just wish he could have made it to meet my heir.

[PeregrineTook]

We knew Orys would be gone sooner or later, but it's still sad.  Poor Summer.  Poor boys.
Glad to see that Robert and Anya are doing well.  I thought the pizza thing was sweet.  Cary Grant?  No.  But sweet?  Yes.

[commasplice]

Journal entry, Anya Holiday

I am sorry I ever called Robert unmotivated. Unmotivated sims do not fish eight hours a day so that they might build a two-story home.



Unmotivated sims don’t garden constantly so that they can outfit a nursery.



It is Robert’s casual manner that fools one into thinking otherwise.

“I’m in my third trimester and I am tired of sleeping in a tent. We are going to sell this thing and buy a proper bed even if it is that very uncomfortable ModPod Sleeper,” I called up the stairs where he was working.

“Hey, can you come up? I thought we’d eat lunch here.”

Unmotivated sims don’t save up to buy their wives the latest Modern Colonial Bed in pink on pink stripes because they noticed that said wives are fond of the shade.



Text conversation between Robert Holiday and Steffon Baratheon

Robert: Anya’s in labor.

Steffon: Dude, that’s great!

Robert: Freaking out. Dr said this was her first time delivering babies.



Steffon: Chill. It’s gonna be good. Want me to tell Mom?

Robert: Pls.


From: Steffon Baratheon
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: I’m an uncle!

Hey, my brother and his wife had a kid. Healthy sim, has all his fingers and toes. Robert wanted me to let you know. My sister-in-law said to tell you they’re registered at Nooboos R Us.

Oh, and they’re naming him Eddard.



****

Journal entry, Robert Holiday

Being a dad is so weird. I can’t believe I have a kid. Half the time I totally feel like a teenager myself. But here I am, legit adulting. I crafted a bunch of planters for the garden and did calculations on whether or not to rip out the apple tree—if the goal is to make money, there’s not much percentage in an apple tree.

Anya hasn’t said anything, but I think she’s freaked out by parenthood too. I had bought Anya a desk and a computer so she could start writing, but all she does on it is troll teh forums. “I just don’t have anything to say,” she told me when I asked her.

Eddard is great, but he cries all the time and we’re run ragged taking care of him.

Anya’s been weird and tired and when I can get her out of the house, all she wants to do is paint.

I didn’t know what else to do so I called Mom.



Phone conversation between Summer Holiday and Liberty Lee

Liberty: Where have you been? I’ve called and called.

Summer: At Robert and Anya’s with my grandson.

Liberty: Is everything okay?

Summer: It is now. Anya is suffering from post-partum depression.

Liberty: Oh no.

Summer: It’s all going to be all right now, but they needed some help.



Liberty: Well, of course. Do they even have a roof over their heads? We could put you all up at the apartment if you all wanted to come here.

Summer: It’s against the project rules, but thank you. Besides, I have to say the house is coming along even if Eddard has the only room in the house with a proper wall and floor covering. He’s absolutely adorable.



Liberty: Is Anya getting the help she needs?

Summer: Yes, thank goodness. She’s been up and about now and the doctor is happy with her progress. She’s even taking care of the baby now.



Liberty: How long does it take to recover from something like that?



Summer: Oh, I think she’s well on her way. She’s already told me that my outfit and hair are too youthful and I overheard her sweetly suggesting that Robert move the treadmill out from downstairs in case people saw it and got the wrong idea.

[PeregrineTook]

So glad things are going well for the family.
Welcome to the family, challenge, and forum, Eddard  ;=)  Out of curiosity, Eddard as in Eddard Stark?

[commasplice]

So glad things are going well for the family.
Welcome to the family, challenge, and forum, Eddard  ;=)  Out of curiosity, Eddard as in Eddard Stark?

Yep!

[FrancescaFiori]

This is so fun. You're giving me itchy project-starting fingers! I've got too many unfinished Sim stories going as it is, though, so I'll try to control myself and just enjoy reading about yours. I really love the sort of documentary style of your writing and the wonderfully distinct personalities of all your Sims!

So glad Anya's gotten some help with the PPD. That can be tough! And glad to see she's gotten some of her spunk (and snark) back. Can't disagree with her about Summer's youthful outfit!

Excited to see what comes next!

[commasplice]

This is so fun. You're giving me itchy project-starting fingers! I've got too many unfinished Sim stories going as it is, though, so I'll try to control myself and just enjoy reading about yours. I really love the sort of documentary style of your writing and the wonderfully distinct personalities of all your Sims!

So glad Anya's gotten some help with the PPD. That can be tough! And glad to see she's gotten some of her spunk (and snark) back. Can't disagree with her about Summer's youthful outfit!

Excited to see what comes next!

Thank you so much! I love reading epistolary stories and this just seemed to lend itself to that format.

I normally try to make sure the my sims' outfits are age appropriate, but somehow I forgot to change Summer's stuff before Robert moved out of the house.

[commasplice]

Journal entry, Anya Holiday

My entire life I’ve wanted to be a writer, but somehow every time I sat down at the computer, the words wouldn’t come. But every time I get inspired, my fingers itch until I have the paintbrush in my hand.



Robert keeps buying me art supplies. He said as long as I’m happy, he’s happy. He’s fishing a great deal, but between his catches, the produce from the garden, and my painting, we’re building up the money we need to finish the house and for us to go to Granite Falls.

I finally feel like the clouds are lifting. Robert may not be the most elegant man, but I would not have come through this without him.



From: Robert Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Drifter House 002 – Progress report #4

Hey Pierce and Justin,

Was sorry to hear about Brant’s passing. He seemed cool the few times I spoke to him.

Thanks for asking about Anya. Things are good now. My mom is helping out a ton. Anya’s doctor suggested she stick with the painting as it seems to be therapeutic. Gotta say the paintings are bringing in a lot of money. I had no idea she was this talented. She’s working out a lot too. I don’t need to encourage her to do anything. She even started watering the garden unprompted.



I’m fishing pretty much non-stop and my hope is that I’ll be able to start doing more construction work on the house.



It’s funny. Anya was the one who wanted to be the author and I’m finding I’m doing way more writing than she is.



My family has been great. Steffon stopped by yesterday. He says he’s glad we’re working stuff out with Mom. Aunt Liberty and Uncle Gavin want her to move to San Myshuno with them, but she won’t go.



I kind of wonder if Aunt Liberty being pregnant again has anything to do with it.



From Pierce Delgato, Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
To: Steffon Baratheon
Re: Checking in

Hi Steffon,

I realize this is a bit of a departure, but we wanted to make sure your mother was doing all right. We’ve attempted to reach out to her directly, but our messages have gone unanswered. Your involvement with the project has only ever been voluntary. If she and you wish to sell the house, you are free to do so. The profits will be yours.

Pierce

From: Steffon Baratheon
To: Pierce Delgato, Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Re: Checking in

Yeah, she knows. I know too. But it’s our home and honestly, I don’t know that Mom is cut out for San Myshuno.



Besides she’s having the time of her life being a grandma.



I think it drives her nuts the way Robert and Anya live—frankly, I think it drives Anya nuts too, but they’re all getting along now.



She and Robert are back to how it used to be. We’re all good. Thanks for reaching out.

Steffon

[KTK10]

I'm am so enjoying this story and this challenge, you are doing to well! You have made all your sims so likeable

[FrancescaFiori]

It's so interesting to see what uncontrolled Sims will do autonomously. Why painting but not writing? Why gardening? Why do mine always watch the kids' channel on TV? Anyway, another good chapter, and I love how the house is shaping up! I really like seeing how it improves slowly. It looks like it will be a real beauty once it's finished.