The Wood Household Skills Project - updated 25 August

[hazelnut]

The rules for this project can be found here.  My first attempt, defeated by bugs in house 3, is here, in the graveyard.

House 1
Chapter 1: Burl
Chapter 2: A Quiet Life
Chapter 3: Time for a Change

House 2
Chapter 4: Housewarming and Spouse-Seeking
Chapter 5: A Whirlwind Romance
Chapter 6: Adding to the Family
Chapter 7: Beginnings and Endings
Chapter 8: Mostly About Dogs
Chapter 9: Goodbye, Hidden Springs

House 3
Chapter 10: Hello, Twinbrook
Chapter 11: Happy Events
Chapter 12: The Chaos Continues
Chapter 13: Daylight Robbery and Canine Ghosts
Chapter 14: The Man Who Wouldn't Die
Chapter 15: Three Lifetime Wishes, Two Weddings and a House Move

House 4

Chapter 16: Holly Days
Chapter 17: Toddler in the Snow
Chapter 18: The Long Winter
Chapter 19: Ghosts, Zombies and Gnomes
Chapter 20: Goodbyes

House 5

Chapter 21: Benvenuti in Monte Vista!
Chapter 22: Giulia Goes to University
Chapter 23: Children and Careers
Chapter 24: Long-Delayed Events

Family tree

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[hazelnut]

This is Burl.  In a previous life he was the founder of an Immortal Dynasty.



Now he’s moved from Sunset Valley to Hidden Springs and gone down in the world.  Quite a lot.  In his previous existence, he was briefly poor, until he met Agnes.  Now he’s really skint – and his personality has taken a turn for the worse as well.  He’s now inappropriate, a slob and a mooch.  He’s not all bad, though – he’s kept his love of the outdoors and has become a virtuoso.  He’s going to try to supermax guitar (just to get it over with).  He’s done it before but it took him several lifetimes, since music was a hobby then, not a way of life.

In keeping with his new traits and status (and because I wanted to play with some of the new stuff from Showtime), he’s grown his hair, swapped his neat beard for stubble and acquired a scruffy new wardrobe.



His new work outfit fits in perfectly with the rest.



He’s bought a newly-built log cabin but won’t be living there for a while, because most of his money has gone on a tatty old guitar and a sleeping bag.



For now, he’s living in the town square, mooching food from passers by (if he licks the plate as well he can get a full meal), sleeping under the stars and having sponge baths in the men’s loo.



He’s also spent a couple of nights at Redwood Heights Luxury Lodge, to enjoy the free showers, comfortable beds and video games on a wide-screen TV.  It’s too far from the theatre to visit often but the view from the top of the hill is worth the long taxi ride.



Next chapter

[Schipperke]

Hazelnut, I've moved your other story to the Graveyard as you requested.  Good luck with this one!

[Roxanne07]

Great beginning! I really like Burl, and I love Hidden Springs! Good luck with this one, hazelnut. 

[hazelnut]

Hazelnut, I've moved your other story to the Graveyard as you requested.  Good luck with this one!

Thanks, Schipperke.  (I wasn't sure whether just putting the request in the title of the thread was enough or whether I was supposed to PM someone.)

Great beginning! I really like Burl, and I love Hidden Springs! Good luck with this one, hazelnut. 

Thankyou.  I actually prefer Burl with his scruffy look.  The first incarnation never looked quite right as a young man - because I knew I'd have him around for a long time, I created him as an elder in CAS and then aged him down.  I was going to turn him back into 'proper' Burl when he reaches elder this time but I think I might stick with the long hair instead - it suits a rocker, anyway.

Hidden Springs is beautiful.  This is the first time I've played there, apart from a quick test game to look around the town.

[ratchie]

So sorry about your other game good luck Burl,he sounds absolutly lovely  .

Rachel

[RainBeau]

I think the way you assigned traits here is genius, carry on.

[hazelnut]

So sorry about your other game good luck Burl,he sounds absolutly lovely  .

Rachel

The thing is, I'm still very fond of him, even if he is rather revolting now 

I think the way you assigned traits here is genius, carry on.

I don't know about genius but his traits are very useful.  I'm beginning to think there aren't any really bad traits in the game, just some that are less obviously good.

Urgh, I'm turning into Pollyanna...

[ratchie]

I agree I think that all the traits can be useful in some way. That is one of the reasons I like to randomly roll the dice for traits as I think you get some great personalities out of it.

Rachel

[hazelnut]

Burl’s been living a remarkably quiet life for a rocker: no wild parties, no smashed-up hotel rooms, not even a whiff of tabloid scandal (although things might be different if I had Late Night).  He moved into the house after two weeks, although the furnishings are minimal and he still prefers to sleep outdoors.



I had a surprise when he went out to collect his post – as well as the expected bills and his guitar skill certificate, there were two books.  He appears to have inherited the other Burl’s book club membership.  Since he has no time for reading, it’s a useful extra source of income.

He’s met a few female NPCs: the postwoman, a paper girl (a bit young but maybe she’ll age up in time) and two pizza deliverers.



He even had a pillow fight with one of them while I was distracted, wondering why his new Observant reward wasn’t working.  The answer was, of course, that Ria Gade is a traitless Sim.

He still spends most of his free time in the square, performing and playing for tips.









He’s been slower than Lea to progress through his career, since his performance bar got stuck for a couple of days and then he took some unpaid time off to complete opportunities – but he’s now reached the point where the money’s really starting to come in, from work as well as tips. Since he now has the tour bus for transport and he aged up to adult without a midlife crisis, there's more than enough to buy a better guitar.



Next chapter

[ratchie]

Way to go Burl I have my fingers crossed that you supermax guitar.

Rachel

[hazelnut]

Thanks, ratchie.  The finger-crossing worked

[hazelnut]

Towards the end of week 5, everything happened in a rush.  On the Thursday morning, Burl completed the Money Maker challenge.  The next day, he was called to the coffee shop to Raise the Fun(d), which turned out to have been his tenth opportunity.  I missed the moment when he became a Guitar Star, because I had the camera on the theatre, trying to stop him being late for work.  On the way home from the theatre, he stopped off at the bookshop to buy Flamenco Fever, the one piece of sheet music he hadn’t been given as payment for an opportunity – and on the Saturday morning, he finally supermaxed guitar.



Then, to finish off a perfect few days, he started Sunday by achieving his lifetime wish.




House 1 summary

Skill: guitar

Burl (founder)

Traits: Slob, mooch, inappropriate, loves the outdoors, virtuoso
Career: Music (Rock)
LTW: Rock Star
Supermaxed guitar
Building/property: The Enchanted Grill, aka Hogan’s Deep-Fried Diner
Unique rewards:  collection helper, inheritance






With his tasks completed, Burl called the limo and left his little log cabin for somewhere larger and altogether more outrageous.  Somewhere with a comfortable bedroom,



a luxurious bathroom (which he’s already messed up in his slobby way),



a hot tub with a view,



a private stage



complete with elevated walkway for those long guitar solos above the adoring masses (or trees, in this case)



and an overall design guaranteed to annoy the neighbours.



Next chapter

[Roxanne07]

Congrats on the first move, and the guitar house is AMAZING! Well done! 

[hazelnut]

Thanks.  In the previous attempt, I was going to build a guitar house next (the insane twin was going to be heir and take up guitar after she moved).  Then I realised it would also suit an inappropriate rock star   It was fun to build, although getting the music to look right took a while.  The main living space is rather bare at the moment but the plan is to have lots of non-skill-building fun things, like a pool table and arcade games.