Population Controls is a player's choice, they say. Well... I chose poorly.
While setting up the game, I enthusiastically switched celebrities off, but didn't opt-out active household. I thought of it as an extra challenge -- because surely I can control whom my Sims are socializing with, and prevent them from befriending celebs, right?
Well... not quite, as it turns out. Reuben, 2 Gen. Immortal's sibling, chose to work as a designer. He was running back and forth down Appaloosa Plains, making some renovations. (I think it's a legitimate way to change other people's houses... isn't it?) Suddenly, his relationships with former clients (even those who got very cr*ppy remodelings) started to boost up on an ongoing basis, without him doing anything for it. Before I know it, he got those nasty friends and became a celebrity. Now he knows three one-star Sims (one of them is listed in his relationships panel as "stranger" -- go figure), and Reuben himself is a two-star celebrity.
Needless to say, his life was completely ruined by this; he can no longer interact with the family, cause I don't want them to catch his disease, and he will not be one of six best friends for his immortal brother. I had such expectations for him, and now this
Well, the lesson was learned the hard way. No more Ambitions' active careers in my challenge, and next time I'll opt-out active household -- better safe than sorry.
---
On unrelated note, do we get a list of allowed-to-redesignate lots for Monte Vista? There is at least one small park - Sunlit Stride Park at 19 Via Veronaville - and possibly some undesignated lots as well.