The Escapist Life States Speed Run (Complete): Epilogue (6/29)

[Trip]

A little birdy set a vague idea of mine into motion, and boy, is it just what I needed.

You might notice that I have a little theme for my chosen life states. Just because it's a speed run doesn't mean I don't like a good challenge!

Not exactly like I have a huge, epic tale full of twists set out for you guys, but spoilers still apply for the below section.

---

Founder: Joshua Escapist

Life state: Human Statue ghost
Traits: Evil, Commitment Issues, Snob, Flirty, Hydrophobic
One Best Friend: Darren Lott (Werewolf)
Two Career Rewards: Athletic and Logic Certificates (for Criminal career - Evil)
Three Ops: Push It!, French Delivery, Bursting with Energy
Four LTRs: Motive Mobile, Philosopher's Stone, Vacationer, No Bills Ever
Five Wishes: Master Athletic Skill (7,500), Work Out for 12 Hours Straight (6,000), Reach Top of the Criminal Career (9,000), Master Logic Skill (7,500), Discover All Potions (5,000)
Six Skill Challenges: Marathon Runner, Body Builder, Fitness Nut, Celestial Explorer, Teacher Extraordinaire, Master Chemist
Seven Items: Seven Potions (Logic)
Travel Days Used: Seven

Generation Two: Sadie Escapist

Life State: Old Age ghost
Traits: Friendly, Genius, Grumpy, Social Butterfly, Vehicle Enthusiast
Toddler Reqs: Peg Box + Xylophone, Best Friends with both parents
Child Reqs: Honor Roll, Badging Ceremony op
Teen Reqs: Romantic Interest (Dexter Lynn), Level Three of Mausoleum Clerk, Honor Roll
One Best Friend: Aurora Martin (Werewolf)
Two Career Rewards: Fishing and Gardening Certificates (For Science career)
Three Ops: Funny-Looking Fish, The Best Evaporating Dish is a Clean One, A Plumber and a Fisherman
Four LTRs: Collection Helper, Teleportation Pad, Super Green Thumb, Fireproof Homestead
Five Wishes: Catch Every Type of Fish (7,500), Master Fishing Skill (7,500), Be Worth More Than 1,000,000 (70,000), Reach Level 10 of the Science Career (9,000), Master Gardening Skill (7,500)
Six Skill Challenges: Master Planter, Amateur Ichthyologist, Consignment Store Reputation, Consignment Store Sales, Consignment Store Profit, Botanical Boss
Seven Items: Seven Red Berry Coffee Beans
Travel Days Used: One

Generation Three: Tallulah Escapist

Life State: Watery Grave ghost
Traits: Friendly, Heavy Sleeper, Hot-Headed, Brooding, Social Butterfly + Dramatic (Group Influence)
Toddler Reqs: Peg Box + Xylophone, Best Friends with both parents
Child Reqs: Honor Roll, Badging Ceremony
Teen Reqs: Romantic Interest (Tommie Jamison), Honor Roll, Level Three of Mausoleum Clerk
One Best Friend: Chad Luck (Fairy)
Two Career Rewards: Writing Certificate, Honor Trophy (For Writing self-employment)
Three Ops: Walking Bass Line, The Stand-In, Sheet Music Mayhem
Four LTRs: Fertility Treatment, Acclaimed Author, Carefree, Bookshop Bargainer
Five Wishes: Make At Least 10,000 a Week in Royalties (7,500), Master Writing Skill (5,000), Write a Masterpiece (5,000), Make at Least 25,000 per Week in Royalties (15,000), Master Bass Skill (5,000)
Six Skill Challenges: Specialist Writer, Prolific Writer, Speed Writer, Master Bassist, Money Maker (Bass), Metal Collector
Seven Items: Seven Books
Travel Days Used: None

Generation Four: Boris Escapist

Life State: Vampiric Thirst ghost
Traits: Party Animal, Heavy Sleeper, Vegetarian, Natural Born Performer, Neurotic
Toddler Reqs: Peg Box + Xylophone, Best Friends with both parents
Child Reqs: Pile of Permission Slips, Honor Roll
Teen Reqs: Romantic Interest (Giovanni Potter), Honor Roll, Level Three of Mausoleum Clerk
One Best Friend: Abigail Best (Werewolf and niece)
Two Career Rewards: Nectar Making Certificate, Honor Trophy (For Nectar Making self-employment)
Three Ops: Better Mixology, A Big Pick-Me-Up, Merging Towards Overtime
Four LTRs: Inheritance, ExtraordinAIRe-Inator, Always on the List, Clean Slate
Five Wishes: Master Nectar Making Skill (7,500), Make a Bottle of Nectar Worth at Least 250 (15,000), Reach Level 10 of Nectar Making Career (5,000), Create 20 Custom Drinks (6,000), Master Mixology Skill (5,000)
Six Skill Challenges: Mix Master, Flavorful Feet, Master of Nectar Making, Master of Mood, Cool Creator, Poseidon
Seven Items: Seven Nectar Bottles
Travel Days Used: None

Generation Five: Jarboe Escapist

Life State: Fire ghost
Traits: Artistic, Heavy Sleeper, Cat Person, Adventurous, Slob
Toddler Reqs: Peg Box + Xylophone, Best Friends with both parents
Child Reqs: Ballet Recital, Honor Roll
Teen Reqs: Romantic Interest (Abram Green), Honor Roll, Level Three of Mausoleum Clerk
One Best Friend: Craig Elson (Fairy)
Two Career Rewards: Sculpting Certificate, Honor Ribbon (For Sculpting self-employment)
Three Ops: Sculpture for a Friend, Larger Than Necessary Doorstep, Sims on Ice
Four LTRs: Change of Taste, Artisan Crafter, Born to Cook, Dusty Old Lamp
Five Wishes: Master Cooking Skill (7,500), Master Sculpting Skill (5,000), Make a Masterpiece Sculpture (5,000), Earn 20,000 Simoleons Sculpting (7,500), Place 50 Sculptures (5,000)
Six Skill Challenges: Menu Maven, Star Chef, Chiselmaster, Prolific Sculptor, Master Sculptor, World-Class Chef
Seven Items: Seven Sculptures
Travel Days Used: None

Generation Six: Liam Escapist

Life State: Electrocution ghost
Traits: Excitable, Athletic, Mean-Spirited, Loves the Outdoors, Night Owl
Toddler Reqs: Peg Box + Xylophone, Best Friends with both parents
Child Reqs: Pile of Permission Slips, Honor Roll
Teen Reqs: Romantic Interest (Audra Guevara), Honor Roll, Level Three of Mausoleum Clerk
One Best Friend: Richter Steele (Fairy)
Two Career Rewards: Painting Certificate, Honor Ribbon (For Painting self-employment)
Three Ops: Interior Decor, Riddle Away, The Study of Art
Four LTRs: Extra Creative, Stone-Hearted, Flying Vacuum, Jetsetter
Five Wishes: Master Alchemy Skill (7,500), Master Painting Skill (5,000), Reach Level 10 of Painter Career (5,000), Paint Something Worth 4,000 Simoleons (6,000), Master Photography Skill (5,000)
Six Skill Challenges: Excellent Elixirs, Alchemists Anonymous, Master Alchemist, Proficient Painter, Brushmaster, Master Painter
Seven Items: Seven Vials of Bliss
Travel Days Used: None

Generation Seven: October Escapist

Life State: Starvation Ghost
Traits: Evil, Virtuoso, Couch Potato, Loves the Outdoors, Absent-Minded
Toddler Reqs: Peg Box + Xylophone, Best Friends with both parents
Child Reqs: Badging Ceremony, Honor Roll
Teen Reqs: Romantic Interest (Marci Randall), Honor Roll, Level Three of Mausoleum Clerk
One Best Friend: Robbie Platt (Vampire)
Two Career Rewards: Charisma Certificate, Sims' Choice Award (For Film career - Acting)
Three Ops: Lobster Crisis, Set Clean Up, The Spa Restoration
Four LTRs: Observant, Never Dull, Office Hero, Long Distance Friend
Five Wishes: Own Five Venues (5,000), Own Seven Venues (7,000), Master Charisma Skill (7,500), Meditate for 24 Hours (5,000), Meditate for 48 Hours (10,000)
Six Skill Challenges: Personable, Celebrity, Super Friendly, Timber Terminator, Gem Collector, Everybody's Best Friend
Seven Items: Seven Heart-Cut Gems (Martial Arts)
Travel Days Used: None

Finished on Week 40, Day 4

[Trip]

It was Friday in the afterlife, and a few ghosts had to make an important decision.

Who would clean the Infernal Toilets of the Netherworld?

The ghost secretaries squabbled amongst themselves each Friday, as no one wanted to clean the toilets. The higher-ups in the afterlife, such as reapers, loved to trash them, making Friday particularly tortuous for the ghosts who were saddled with the duty.



Joshua Escapist never worried. Even if the former Riverview magician couldn't escape being buried alive during one of his magic shows, he always escaped any cleaning duties. His blackened heart filled with glee when he saw one of his colleagues have to brave the latrine instead. And then he took a nap.

Little did he know that they had enough of his antics that Friday afternoon.



“I think we should go on a rotating schedule instead,” said Francesca as Nina made her rage a little more obvious, “And we're starting with you, Josh. I can't remember last time you cleaned the toilets, dearie.”

“I do enough work around here as is,” said Josh.



“Yeah, deciding where to nap,” said Nina, “I'm not getting my hands dirty again unless you pick up the slack. You're a useless load around here.”

“I can do something you can't. What about a life states dynasty?”

The two women sat for a moment in shock. First, about how stupid of an excuse it was, and then about how genius it was.

“Perfect,” Nina interjected, “We'll set you up in Starlight Shores, since you always wanted to live there. We'll take over the latrines if you can finish it.”

He was sold instantly. Saying his good-byes, Joshua left for Starlight Shores.



After they were sure he was gone, the two had a conversation amongst themselves.

“I did them last week,” said Francesca, “But I don't want you to have to clean them either.”

“We're not cleaning. We're talking weeks of build-up and neglect if we're talking about a dynasty. That bum is going to have a heck of a job whether he wins or not.”

[Ricalynn]

Wow what a great start.   I wonder if your birdie was my birdie.    

Good luck with the speediness.  I'm thinking of doing another one, haha.

[Trip]

Wow what a great start.   I wonder if your birdie was my birdie.    

Good luck with the speediness.  I'm thinking of doing another one, haha.

Who knows? Thanks for the kind words! Speed runs are truly magical.

---



Joshua seemed like an unlikely candidate for a speed run. He looked suspiciously normal, aside from being a ghost. Absolutely fabulous according to himself, and Lucky Palms reject at worst according to most others. Or at least that was their guess. He was quite invisible, after all. He brushed himself off after landing in town and hoped for the best start.

And he hit the ground running!



Except it wasn't the ground. Unfortunately, if his dynasty was all about speed, Josh had to speed up.

Even though he was a performer in his previous life, it seemed very inefficient to bring evil into the world via sleight of hand. Josh cut to the chase and joined the seedy Starlight Shores underground.



So he needed to run and run, no matter what else happened.



Some things were unavoidable though. Those bright lights were too tempting, and Josh found himself on the bad end of an alien's probe.



Three days later, his most evil plan was finalized. If he could make another sim feel the same way he did when delivering Teqeq, why, that would be the evilest thing imaginable!



He thought about leading Kirsten, his boss, into the scheme, but she would know too much. She was too evil, and in terms of life state, too normal.



Instead, he caught up at the elixir shop with a gold digger's dream.



Her name was Madeline Buckshot, an aging old celebrity with a Margaret Vaguester in her pocket and years piling on quicker than she would have liked. Joshua didn't mind. Her riches and age set his plan into the speedy motion he dreamed of.



From good-byes...



...To welcomes back.

Ah yes, gold-digging. It seemed so evil! Unfortunately, being the Emperor of Evil also meant preceding it with some good.



Helping Lydia Best with her chemistry homework...



...Aiding the top astronomical minds in mapping the stars...



...Josh hoped that his contributions to undermine The Bella Beneficiary would make up for that. He needed that red glow.



It might have been befriending evil werewolf Darren Lott that made it happen.



Josh glowed!



With the fruits of his labors in a room that was secretly in his favorite color, there were a couple things left, but they were pretty easy in comparison.



Madeline regained her youth.



And Starlight Shores braced itself for a haunting.

---

I spent a sim-week seeing what would happen when it came to getting a spouse for Josh. My original plan was to capture a witch and wait to see if they'd die of a haunting curse backfire, but then I realized that this is a speed run and that's too much waiting for my tastes. Madeline seemed perfect because she was rich (I didn't know about her Vaguester until after I moved her in, though), elderly, and she reminded me of Beck from my Ironstar dynasty with the big eyes/tiny nose/big mouth/Diva trait combination. Little did I know that Madeline would age down to have truly terrifying cheekbones, but she gave me a nice car and a life state to work with (I gave myself a "no changing facial features, no matter how awful" rule this time around, so I had to live with whatever Madeline gave me). So all is forgiven.

[Trip]

The next heir was Sadie, a perfect little old age ghost like her mum. This was done first try, right?



As dear Moya here indicates, not really. They first had a set of twins, both human statue ghosts like Joshua. Sadie was in a set of triplets, with both of her sisters also being human statue ghosts. All four girls got some ambrosia.



As did Madeline, soon after Sadie was born. Joshua always thought she was a natural blond.



He also wanted to be a good father, but there was something wrong each time he tried to snuggle Sadie. Between all the fussing and crying and his red aura going off every time he tried, he soon learned that friendly Sadie already hated him as the Emperor of Evil, and each snuggle distanced them further.

It was a hard choice, but Josh had to quit his job for Sadie's sake.



Even a speed run couldn't stop the family from enjoying Sadie's toddler cuteness. She fortunately ended up with a majority of her features from Joshua. Josh realized very quickly that he didn't want to look at the skull-like face of Madeline much longer.



Once Sadie completed her requirements and enjoyed some cake, Joshua brought in a quick divorce, kicking Madeline and the four spares out. He didn't need them any longer. He was an ex-Emperor of Evil, able to care for himself.



He already proved to be a great teacher, quickly getting Sadie on the honor roll at school.



Sadie instantly was attracted to the sciences, wanted to become a Creature-Robot Crossbreeder when she grew up, and took up scouting and fishing, with Madeline's old garden eagerly waiting for her. One badge later, and it was time to grow up again.



She pretended to like a babysitter, spent time working in the mausoleum, and still did well in school thanks to her dad's tutoring genius.



After spending all that time in the cemetery, Sadie grew up again and knew exactly what she wanted. There was one especially handsome ghost that sometimes haunted. Hopefully she remembered his name right as she said the incantation.



Yes! Terry Moldano was bound to the household. He was at least as handsome as Sadie remembered.





Of course, Sadie had to spent time tending the garden she inherited from Madeline and fishing in the ponds around Starlight Shores, but she knew how to have fun.



Unlike Josh and Madeline, who interacted solely out of necessity, Sadie felt that she truly loved Terry. Not enough to immediately marry him, but his kisses were great.



Sadie always wanted to be a scientist, but she was steadfast in refusing to touch handiness, which was required for the job. Thank goodness her boss, Aurora, was easily swayed when Sadie asked for a promotion anyways. Aurora was a werewolf too, which knocked out another requirement for Sadie. They were thick as thieves, after all.



While Sadie didn't lift a finger with fixing appliances, Terry gleefully took that job.



She was still so behind on requirements, though. Sadie needed an answer.



A local sculptor wondered why she had such an order, but there was a method to Sadie's newfound madness.



She took shortcuts to mastering gardening, with only a few things left.



Aurora was still her closest friend.



The family mausoleum was all set with Sadie's contributions.



Sadie and Terry finally tied the knot.



And it felt like just the right time to start on that big family that Terry always wanted.

---

I forgot to mention that I had Madeline make ambrosia (and get all the ingredients; I was bored waiting for Josh to finish up his requirements) and buy a food replicator. Gotta resurrect those spares somehow!

Oh, Sadie. She was by far my hardest heir, even counting Josh. At first, everything went well. Then she never popped the wish to marry Terry (I married them because Terry wanted it). And then she maxed the science career, but didn't get the wish to max gardening. I had to use "Be Worth More than 1,000,000" on her, and I almost had to use "Own 5 Venues" until she popped the wish to max gardening out of the blue.

However, her ops went especially well. I wasn't expecting any career ops from her since Starlight Shores is largely made up of combined rabbitholes, but then the bug unexpectedly fixed itself with patch 1.55. Apparently, anyways, since she got plenty of career ops! Generation four was able to get business career ops too (again, from a combined rabbithole), so I'm almost as happy as I would be if they fixed story progression.

Terry was an awesome dynasty spouse. He upgraded all of the appliances that needed upgrading because of his handy trait, and in spite of being evil, he's a very amiable and sweet sim.

[Trip]

After delivering Raven, another old age ghost, Sadie was relieved when Tallulah came out as a watery grave ghost. And two little girls was all Sadie wanted.

However, Terry wanted three more.



So that's what happened. All of the non-heiress Escapist girls were resurrected, made-over, and kicked out with Raven made as their legal guardian. (From top-left: Raven, Dana, Victoria, Shamandalie).



Though little Tallulah was always the center of attention.



Terry found himself resurrected too. Unlike the other spouses, he stayed for a bit after Tallulah's child birthday, saying something about just needing to see her as a teen.



Tallulah followed in her mother's footsteps as a scout, showing off her badge to her aunt Simone.



Of course, schoolwork and scouting still left Tallulah with lots of free-time, since her parents and grandpa Josh were busy sleeping. She instead struck up a conversation with a frequent visitor to the Escapist property.



With Tallulah's teen birthday past her, Sadie said her good-byes to Terry. He could talk with her any time he liked, but the household needed to keep every slot possible freed up.



So Tallulah did her required duties as a teen.



And she read.

Her young adult birthday couldn't come soon enough. Tallulah was a girl with a plan, and the plan was sitting near Josh's bedside.



One visit to the Philosopher's Stone later, and Tallulah found herself romantically-involved with her ghostly childhood friend: Paul Best.

Paul died of thirst when Joshua had a thing for throwing parties in his younger days. He never considered the possibility of being a future spouse; when Tallulah bound him to the household, most of his own grandchildren were gone from old age. But the deal was done, and Paul quickly accepted his new role. After all, he always wanted to re-marry.



Tallulah spent most of her time writing. Although not being an athlete thanks to grandpa Josh invalidating it, Tallulah had a knack for writing sports books. Who is Garciaparra?, Big League Chew, Curse of the Bambino, and Tom Brady: A Name topped the best-seller lists. And there was Walking on Glass, her non-sports masterpiece.



It turned out that Tallulah also had a big interest in bass. She brought up her performance count by playing for the machines that made her extensive bass knowledge possible.



With most things all set, Tallulah decided that it was time to give into Paul's desire to get married.



She didn't really care when he drank one of Josh's young again potions, though. There were more pressing issues.



As if dropping his hat in the water wasn't bad enough, Tallulah urged Paul to forsake his vampirism. He didn't understand; why wouldn't Tallulah accept his vampirism? He kind of liked the taste of blood after all that time.

But Tallulah was well-read and stumbled across a dynasty rulebook. She couldn't risk having an heir that was a watery grave ghost like her, but still an heir due to vampirism. Paul could still be a ghost anyways. So he accepted.



It was cool to play in the sunlight again.

And yes, he got Sadie to fish his hat out for him.



All that was left for Tallulah were two challenges. For the first one, she commissioned a subway station to be placed at La Laguna Park (which Sadie owned from some dabbling in real estate), but it wasn't an ordinary subway station; it led to Platform 9 and 7/8th, which led to a magical realm where bass players got tips by the thousands. She exited with 25,000 simoleons in tips.



For the next one, Tallulah begged Raven to sell her every metal the consignment store offered.



After catching up with her old buddy, Chad Luck...



...Everything was in place. Proof of her skill, profits, and six sports books plus her for-fun trashy novel, 101 Nights with Freddie Classic.



It was time to put Paul's family-oriented trait to good use.

---

Paul carried out a proud tradition in my life states dynasty attempts of "marrying an old guy with grandkids for an awesome extended family," with a bit of my immortal dynasty tradition of "trick an old man with lots of artistic talent into joining the dynasty." It was all down to luck and coincidence, though. Story progression made Paul a vampire, and he just happened to die of thirst before anyone else did. Thank goodness he did! Paul was an excellent dynasty husband.

Another thing about Paul that made me giddy was the success with forsaking his vampirism. Some people know that my game is hopelessly glitched when it comes to curing vampires (they never fully cure, retaining their vampire skin/eyes and motives that can't be filled while the game considers them human). I feared the worst when it came time for Paul to forsake his powers. Having a vampire-ghost hybrid as an heir would be too much trouble between the fast-skilling, inability to live outdoors, and risking the heir having to be another watery grave ghost. And I didn't want to deal with a glitched half-vamp, but I needed to risk it so my heir wouldn't be a vampire. However, Paul ended up being completely cured of his vampirism. His motives returned to normal, he looked like a normal human when I resurrected him, and he could live outdoors with the rest of the family. Thanks for not glitching-out, Paul!

Tallulah doesn't get too many footnotes because she was easy yet boring. That's the magic of supermaxing writing! I don't know much about sports besides what I hear from living with two men and enjoying baseball to an extent, so pretty much all of Tallulah's sports books were just references to New England sports because I don't know much else.

[Ausette]

but it wasn't an ordinary subway station; it led to Platform 9 and 7/8th, which led to a magical realm where bass players got tips by the thousands. She exited with 25,000 simoleons in tips.

That is adorable  . I'm really enjoying this so far, Trip. You must be super-excited about getting to use all those original townies in ghost form! I was surprised you married Paul Best in (I was hoping you'd use that lovely Lydia at some point) but it sounds like he was a fantastic choice for Tallulah. I'm eager to see what the next heir is like and which spouses get picked in the future.

[Trip]

That is adorable  . I'm really enjoying this so far, Trip. You must be super-excited about getting to use all those original townies in ghost form! I was surprised you married Paul Best in (I was hoping you'd use that lovely Lydia at some point) but it sounds like he was a fantastic choice for Tallulah. I'm eager to see what the next heir is like and which spouses get picked in the future.

Yeah, the ability to dig up anyone for a spouse is awesome. Lydia died of old age sometime around Tallulah's birth and her tombstone went missing, which was a bit of a shame, but Paul certainly has some good genes on him to make up for it. The fact that he was a very convenient new life state to work with helped too (Lydia was a witch thanks to story progression, which I could have legally used, but it would be much more work trying to integrate it into an all-ghost dynasty).

Thanks for the kind words! The pool for Starlight Shores ghosts is pretty small, so guessing future spouses is quite easy. Paul was the only one who wasn't meticulously planned from the start and really couldn't be.

---



Tallulah was mildly disgusted by her watery grave ghost, Marvin. But she had Boris, a vampiric thirst ghost like Paul.



And Kerry, another one. But she was dead-set on Boris being the heir.



The two other boys were aged up, resurrected, and made-over, according to protocol. (Kerry is the left)



Paul also cheered at the thought of being in the flesh again.



After Boris aged up into an adorable toddler, he became the first Escapist heir to formally learn how to talk. He played with peg boxes and xylophones too, with Talluah and Paul close-by.



As usual with the Escapists, Paul had to move out with the spares after Boris's child birthday. While family closeness was important to Paul, he realized what the dynasty needed. He'd make sure to call.



It wasn't like Boris needed extra attention. Sadie adopted a dog named Max, and temporarily returned to her garden. She already saw that little Boris was a bit of a party animal and he would need all the help he could get to make the best party drinks. Max's contributions were a little weirder, but Boris already knew that he was important.



After the honor roll and an op were out of the way, Boris age up into a handsome teen and started getting serious about his skills. First came nectar, made good thanks to Sadie's cache of life and flame fruit.



He also had regular teen duties to attend to. He worked hard in school and at the cemetery without any notable deviations, but as a natural born performer, he had to do something with flair. So Boris had a teen romance, with a different flair.



Boris saw his parents though, and they were more devoted than Boris and his small fling with a babysitter. Upon his young adult birthday, he had to get a little more serious.



Kimberly Durk entered the picture. She was in desperate need of a makeover, but Boris saw something great in her.



She took the metals and gems that Max hunted, cut and smelted them, and produced a bottle of nectar worth over 50,000 simoleons. However it happened was of no concern, as it still launched Boris to the top of his career.



Before giving up Max for adoption, Boris played with him in thanks. What a good dog.

But Kimberly—darn, was she the right one for Boris. He felt like he was forgetting something, though.



Unfortunately, Kimberly got word that he never officially broke things off with the babysitter, Giovanni.



Thanks to the LTHP of his grandpa Terry, Boris had a way to make sure that Kimberly forgave him. He also got Clean Slate just to be sure that the whole town forgot about that Giovanni kid.



Boris also needed to learn a new skill. He loved nectar making, and mixology was close enough.



Some of the products of it were great, such as his new drink, The Soledad.



Though his initial idea for another cocktail, PANTS, needed some work.



He soon found bartending quite stressful, but he also had a unique way to de-stress that no one else in the household understood.

After naming a drink after the elixir shop clerk to bring his spirits up, poor Boris was stuck for his very last requirement. Where could he get his last op?



He joined business, and after the first day, he stayed overtime, sleeping under his desk as to not get too friendly with Darren Lott. All that was successful, and Boris had little else to do.



The last remaining Best, Abigail, was always a close friend to Boris and a werewolf to boot. He gave her a makeover in thanks for her friendship.



His mausoleum was in place.



And that meant that it was time for Boris and Kimberly to experience the floaty-float of little spectres.



It was quite clear that the family needed something to boost their spirits, especially poor Sadie.

[Trip]

Kimberly did her job and delivered a little fire ghost named Jarboe. Jarboe had a twin sister named Austra, who was also a fire ghost, but Jarboe was immediately picked as the heir.



Austra aged up looking like Kimberly, but with the ever-persistent Moldano nose.



As for Jarboe, she became the first Escapist toddler to learn how to use the toilet like a big sim.



And she enjoyed her xylophone too.



Once Jarboe was a child, Boris let Kimberly eat some ambrosia and find a new house for her and Austra.



Even though she would have rather painted or adopted a cat, Jarboe ended up enjoying the little oven her family bought her. Nothing said childhood like desserts!





But unlike some Escapist kids, Jarboe was allowed to have plenty of fun.



As a teen, she could finally cook to her full potential, but it seemed like she had more of a thing for sushi and sandwiches than muffins.



There was also a nice boy named Abram who lived across town. He wasn't a babysitter or news carrier that the other Escapists dated. He even had known parents. Most dynasties would consider him winning the lottery or close enough to it, but the Escapists weren't just any dynasty family and Jarboe knew that.



She instead bound the last non-Escapist male ghost in Starlight Shores to the household upon reaching her young adult birthday, and immediately started on the compliments. His name was Jimmy Lemmon, and he loved compliments.

But there was something unusual about Jimmy when compared to the other Escapist spouses.



He ran errands instead of sleeping from 7 AM to 6 AM, retrieving all of the Escapist family tombstones, and one Yolanda Lemmon.



Oh, he was different. Even the maid took note of Jimmy's good nature.



Jarboe thought he was cute and sweet, but she was too engrossed in her newest hobby: sculpting.



Of course, she was pretty wet-behind-the-ears with the precautions she had to take, but it was extremely lucrative: the world still found ghostly artists to be a novelty and marked up the price on her sculptures by the thousands.



And she was somewhat oblivious to what trouble Jimmy got himself into. It turned out that Yolanda Lemmon wasn't a relative, but Jimmy's ex-wife. Joshua knew that fully, but evil peach that he was, he kept his mouth shut and slept all day so no one could ask him.

Because of the Escapists' outdoor-living approach, Jarboe might have fully known that Jimmy was involved with a different ghost behind her back, but she couldn't care less. It seemed to keep him happy, anyways. And no matter what, the next Escapist would have the family name by default.



Jimmy still wanted to be an active contributor to the family, so when Jarboe needed fifty sculptures, Jimmy found himself wielding large blocks of clay and getting quite good at it.

That was enough for Jarboe.



After catching a quick hug with her fairy friend, Craig, there was really nothing left for Jarboe to do.



Her own mausoleum pieces were in place, anyways.

And it was time again for new Escapist nooboos.

---

Argh, I hope I'm not sick of sculpting by the time I start a new immortal dynasty. I deliberately planned for Jarboe not to do Ice Personality just because I want to save that for when I really need it. Thank goodness cooking had three challenges to make up for it!

Yeah, I kind of felt bad using Jimmy unless I could reunite him with Yolanda in some way. Yes, I had Josh befriend her early in the game so I could retrieve her tombstone and keep it around for when Jimmy joined the household.

Oh, and I should explain the little quip about most spouses sleeping from 7 to 6 the next day. Actually, everyone does it except for active heirs. I can't keep ghosts contained in retirement pods because they'll just go through anything, so after I got tired of having my ghosts sleep normal 8 PM to 6 schedules after their requirements were done and plop them in front of the TV for the rest of the day, I got on the schedule of loading them into the motive mobile at 6 AM, getting them to bed an hour later, and dragging out the action until 6 the next morning. They wake up hungry, and in Sadie and Tallulah's cases, socially deprived, but the motive mobile takes care of that so they can go to bed happy again.

It's also necessary because my ghosts route-fail if they try to use a mini-fridge.

[jsiberian]

Love the speed run idea almost as much as I love the fact that combined rabbitholes were fixed (HYPERVENTILATE).

[Trip]

Love the speed run idea almost as much as I love the fact that combined rabbitholes were fixed (HYPERVENTILATE).

Both are such great gifts to my simming time. Thanks!

---



Jarboe held little Liam in her arms. He was just what she needed. It wasn't like she didn't love Clifford the fire ghost either, but dynasty protocol called for lots and lots of cake. And ambrosia.

But Clifford couldn't eat it. He just shrugged his shoulders and threw it away.



It was so strange, since Jimmy got a plate and resurrected himself just fine.



Either way, the family was still in good shape, definitely enough to raise a toddler. Liam did the usual Escapist skills, and looked incredibly cute while doing it.



So cute! But no one expected his childhood trait to be what it was.



Jarboe and Jimmy were on great terms, even considering that Jimmy's heart was a mess because of his past romances. Jarboe held his hands and told him to do whatever made him happy and to raise Clifford well outside of the house.



Liam was just mean to his dear dad when he visited, though, and he didn't have the excuse of knowing that Jimmy smooched another ghost while romantic with Jarboe. Liam was just mean.



And no, Jimmy didn't like it either.



As a teen, Liam found a means of release through alchemy, and he was quite good at it. Some might even say that he was a nice guy because he stockpiled vials of bliss.



However, he then went steady with one of his classmates, Audra, just because breaking up with a steady girlfriend felt that much more mean than asking a romantic interest to just be friends. Liam also burned any pictures of them being romantic.



After his young adult birthday, it was possible that Liam could make exceptions. He got quite friendly with the last ghost in Starlight Shores: JoAnn Norman.



Friendly enough to throw vials of bliss at her feet and only vials of bliss; no flasks of bees in sight!





Unlike other Escapist romances, theirs was very slow. Liam was still engrossed in alchemy and alchemy recipes, and JoAnn seemed like nothing more than a willing test subject.



Until they were at Buckshot Lake one day, and JoAnn looked different. And prettier.



It then escalated from there.



Liam still had a lot of work to do as an heir. He took up painting on the advice of his mother, who assured him that his paintings were seen as more valuable thanks to his spectral nature.



He also dabbled in photography, mostly through the brain enhancing machines that helped every heir since Sadie. And Liam then learned what Jimmy likely felt like when he first died.



However, painting was still his strongest point, and Liam regularly made paintings worth over 3,000 simoleons, sometimes even 4,000 simoleons, which completed his final wish. There was just an op left.



Armed with his new toy that really wasn't just for witches, Liam joined the police force as an undercover cop, borrowing Josh's outerwear jacket that he never used. Little did Liam know that it was in hot pink.

And Liam got his op. It was another painting op, making his law enforcement job pointless. He quit immediately.



Liam's old friend, Richter Steele, invited him to a party in celebration of his requirements being completed, and the two caught up and remembered how close of friends they were.



He also threw a jar of discord at Holly Robins, true to his character.



He and JoAnn wed, not by the ocean or at a pond, but in front of the abandoned Buckshot mansion that made the dynasty possible.



And so it was all done.



They thought that making an heir would be as easy as the right woohoo.

---

I ran into a weird little bug where my playable ghosts couldn't eat ambrosia unless they were actually hungry, even if I directed them to. I didn't realize this until well-after I kicked Clifford out, so I'm unable and unwilling to get a decent picture of him. Just imagine a male Jarboe, okay?

And yes, Liam ended up getting Josh's outerwear coat as part of his career outfit. It's really hot pink underneath, and it spawns on a lot of men in my game. Josh can pull off hot pink just fine, even as a human, but not every man can.

As for the last picture, that's confirmation that a tiny bit of the house is indoors. In the basement, to be precise. I built that room when I first bound Paul to the household since he couldn't live outdoors until he forsook his vampirism. I just never bothered to delete it afterwards. Plus, it holds all of Boris's leftover nectar.

[Trip]

They did not get an heir on the first try, with Lulu coming out as an electrocution ghost like Liam.  Same thing happened with Eleanor, and Melinda. They weren't having great luck with heir-making.



The three girls were systematically aged up, resurrected, made over, and kicked out, which was a shame because they were perfectly fine girls otherwise. (From left: Lulu, Eleanor, and Melinda)



Heir-making wasn't a lost cause, though, and they got it right on the fourth try with October, a little starvation ghost like her mom, and evil like Kimberly, Terry, and of course, Joshua.



Despite her unorthodox methods, October was a little virtuoso from the start.



And because October was the heir and JoAnn's work was finished, JoAnn could finally get a plate of ambrosia for herself, just so the world could see those fabulous turquoise eyes.



Because October was the very last Escapist toddler, everyone woke up for her birthday.



There wasn't much that she could do as a child after Joshua worked his tutoring magic, so October took the time to have fun.



She also made a friend very early on in Robbie Platt; one of the last original townies of Starlight Shores. Paul or Jimmy threw a Fountain of Youth elixir at him one day, which contributed to his longevity when so many other original townies had passed on. The vampirism helped too. One of Liam's vampiric sunscreens allowed Robbie to enjoy the trampoline for a few hours.



Unfortunately, Robbie was both an adult and required for October's best friend requirement, so any romance had to wait until the dynasty was over. Marci Randall was the next best thing, though.



In spite of being a couch potato, October took up martial arts, albeit the most sedentary part of it. It helped pass the time between school and work, at the very least.



But October was a lazy ghost, and in the end, she took the same shortcuts that her entire family did when it came to skills, especially for charisma. October had some plans for her adulthood, after all.



She couldn't marry while the dynasty was still active, but October was excited for her young adult birthday all the same. In adulthood, she could follow her dream of being an actress. Unfortunately, the once-glitzy Starlight Shores wasn't fertile ground for fame, making her dreams of film fame slower-coming. But it would have to do until she was allowed to catch a flight to Bridgeport.



And to celebrate, she meditated more.



October then went around fulfilling her friend requirements for charisma.



And showing off her new belt in front of her beloved brain-enhancing machines.



Her challenges, wishes and ops came quick, and her hours at the film studio were limited. Robbie took a job as a food vendor at the Summer Festival, but he got out at night and joined October for club-hopping and karaoke nights. After a few glasses of juice, they didn't sound half-bad.



So for October, it was mostly a matter of waiting. Undermining charity and waiting.



Chopping blocks to pass the time.



Schmoozing her uncle Clifford for another promotion after the shooting of Yes, Another Teen Movie.



And of course, more nights with Robbie.



Things were still officially platonic between the two friends, but October sneaked in an amorous letter to Robbie when all that was left was waiting for the Sims' Choice Award ceremony. After this crazy plan is all finished, I want to live forever with you. They have LTRs for that.



And award night was the last night of the dynasty. October won the Sims' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress, noted for her excellent work as Dr. Livermore in All My Frozen Kidneys. She stored the award in the basement, and in an instant, it was all finished. The Escapists did their greatest mission.

She screamed at the top of her lungs upon arriving home. It even roused the heavy sleepers of the household. They knew what that scream meant, and everyone grabbed a chair and pushed it to the front for the final photo shoot.

---

Doing the film career without celebrities enabled wasn't my best idea, but October made it through.

For anyone wondering why I did martial arts for October when it raises athletic and therefore would jeopardize Josh's requirements, I chose only one challenge that would raise athletic (Timber Terminator), and I knew darn well that Timber Terminator could be done without maxing athletic or even coming close. October finished that and broke plenty of space rock blocks on top of it with two skill points in athletic by the end. Josh was safe.

As for Robbie and October, I didn't know if you could count someone as a best friend if you were romantic with them, so I really kept things platonic between them. Aside from the love letter, but that didn't make them romantic interests.

Group shot and epilogue coming soon!

[Trip]

The Escapists

From top-left: Joshua, Sadie, Tallulah, Boris, Jarboe, Liam, October
Finished: Week 40, Day 4 (Started on June 17th, so 12 real-life days)

Josh kept the picture so he could properly say “I told you so!” to the ghosts back in the afterlife. But there was one thing left for everybody, even him to do: an ambrosia party.



Everyone rushed to the alchemy cabinet where seven plates of ambrosia were waiting, suspended in time, and grabbed a seat.



It made sense for the other ghosts to be thrilled over the prospect of being in the flesh for the first tie, but even Josh scarfed his meal down with glee. It had been so long since he was alive, and he even forgot quite how he looked. He knew that he was fabulously handsome underneath his spectral state, but the details were nice.



And it started. The seven ghosts soon became flesh.



“We need another picture!” exclaimed Josh as his feet hit the ground for the first time in ages.



The infamous ghosts of Starlight Shores were just seven infamous humans posing for photos after that night.



“I guess this is a good of time as ever to ask,” said Sadie, “Why did we take on something so big?”



“Will you kill me if I said it was just a dare with some friends?” said Josh. Everybody shook their head “No.” They liked the things they did, enough to let a silly excuse like that slide.



Josh rose from his seat, suspended in the air as if he was a ghost again. “Unfortunately, I have to go back to the netherworld to report back,” he said, “I'll keep in touch with you guys. I'm proud to call you my family.”



And Joshua was gone in a beam of light, fleshy but back to the afterlife. Six humans were left to deliberate their own futures.



“I guess we can do anything now,” said Tallulah.



“I can't believe it. I can paint and have a cat now!” said Jarboe.

“And I can go for a jog. At freakin' last,” said Liam with a sigh.



“And I can just party all the time,” said Boris.

Five of the former ghosts were excited to leave and start new lives wherever they landed, without the restraints of the dynasty holding them back. Within an hour, Starlight Shores was nearly-empty of Escapists. The only one left was October. She was filled with unfinished business.



“Hey Robbie,” she said, “I know it's kinda late, but how about coming over?”

As a creature of the night, Robbie was there in an instant.



Whether they were romantic or not no longer mattered to the two. October instantly looked her best friend in the eyes with her longing gaze.



And they capped off the night with a quick smooch, until October had an even bigger idea.

“Turn me,” she whispered to him.



Robbie stroked her cheek, noting the soft and new flesh of his love. “You'll make for a fine drink,” he said.



October was in a stupor afterward. The doors opened wide for her and Robbie, and as the transformation very slowly took hold, there weren't any limits left for October.

“Come on. We can catch the next train to Bridgeport if we're quick enough,” she said.

Meanwhile...



“Miss me yet?” said Josh when he met Nina again.

“Hardly.”



“Well, I finished in 40 weeks, and you two better get cleaning now.”

“Good. You should know where the brush is,” said Nina.

“That's your job now, right?”



“We're not prepared to make anyone shirk their responsibilities, Joshie,” said Francesca, “Once you left, we decided to leave the toilets alone for 40 weeks.”

“What?”



“Well, we also introduced the entire afterlife to Taco Bell and sixteen-bean soup,” said Francesca.

“Let's cut to the chase. We're not stupid enough to not pursue sweet, sweet revenge" said Nina after a hearty yawn, "You know what to do."

Joshua was duped, and he could hardly believe it. How could he believe that his annoyed colleagues would let him lounge around for a dynasty and let him do the same in the afterlife?

So that day, Josh learned about the importance of responsibility, especially when his co-workers had the power to get some extreme revenge.



Sigh.

[azokka361]

Congratulations on finishing!

I absolutely loved the ending. So nice to have a dynasty that ends with both a moral and flame traps!

[jsiberian]

Congrats on finishing. I love October's happily ever after.