A Distraction (Big Brother)

[PeregrineTook]

Excellent work by Ro to pick a fight!  Surely that won't bode poorly in the future when it comes to eliminations...oh wait...

[starlives]

Much enjoyed seeing the goings on during Week 1.  Your screenshots are so good.  Especially liked the one showing Alys' childish fascination with the mirror and the one of Simon dancing - what an odd style he has!  So Sage avoided eviction just!!  Sorry to hear that he lost his alien powers in CAS as he will have to rely on just his perceptive trait now to build relationships - not sure that any of his other traits will be much help for this but maybe will be for skill building!  Looking forward to developments.

[Alex]

'Give X what for' is from the Proper trait, I think. Go Ro!

(But Team Vish, obviously - not that I'm biased )

[hazelnut]

Excellent work by Ro to pick a fight!  Surely that won't bode poorly in the future when it comes to eliminations...oh wait...

Er, no, of course not  .  Although objecting to Voldy seems entirely reasonable - that is, if he doesn't find a way of retaliating.

Much enjoyed seeing the goings on during Week 1.  Your screenshots are so good.  Especially liked the one showing Alys' childish fascination with the mirror and the one of Simon dancing - what an odd style he has!  So Sage avoided eviction just!!  Sorry to hear that he lost his alien powers in CAS as he will have to rely on just his perceptive trait now to build relationships - not sure that any of his other traits will be much help for this but maybe will be for skill building!  Looking forward to developments.

Thank you .

I always enjoy watching party animals dancing but Simon does seem to have a stye that is all his own .

'Give X what for' is from the Proper trait, I think. Go Ro!

(But Team Vish, obviously - not that I'm biased )

That would make sense, given the 'Terribly English, don't'cha know' phrasing.  (Does anyone really think we talk like that?!)

Vish is keeping very much in the background so far.  It'll be interesting to see how that works out later.

[hazelnut]

Week 2

Several people hang around the sitting area after the elimination and Georgie tells ghost stories.  (Well, she ought to be good at that.)

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At midnight, the swimming pool suddenly becomes accessible and assorted other items of athletic equipment appear around the lot.  It takes Sara about five minutes to notice.

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Everyone else just goes to bed.  Well, everyone apart from Lea and Jake.  They choose to spend the night in the hot tub and don’t go to sleep until after dawn.

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Shortly afterwards, Sara is up again and trying out the driving range in her nightshirt.

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In fact, golf becomes something of an obsession with her over the next few days.  Every time someone else hits a respectable drive, she rolls a wish to set yet another course record and rushes outside.

This week sees far more people trying out the skilling objects.

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The combination of better weather and fun activities tempts almost everyone outdoors.

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Even Alys the couch potato joins in once she discovers that swimsuits aren’t compulsory.  By Wednesday, she’s also become pretty competent at riding the mechanical bull.

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The proper gym equipment is largely neglected.  Only the real enthusiasts, Sara and Diana, take working out that seriously.

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For most of the others, socialising is still more important – and the kitchen/dining area remains the place to be, even when, like Ro, you’re only talking to yourself.

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Amusingly, Grim accuses Ro of impropriety when she’s the only one who’s wearing formals – everyone else is in nightclothes or nothing.  Maybe he thought the polite thing to do would be to join in .

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Alys seems to have slightly odd ideas about endearing herself to her housemates.

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And talking of scary things, You Know Who discovers the joys of skinnydipping.

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I really don’t want to think about that too much.


The Head of House this week is no great surprise.  Sara and Di have been far more devoted to exercise than any of the others and Di has the advantage of her athletic trait.  By Wednesday evening, she has five points to Sara’s four.

Diana Bernal has definite opinions and she’s not afraid to state them.  She nominates Grim and Voldemort for eviction.

And what do the threatened two do?  Well, band together for mutual support, obviously.

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Or not. I love that Lea, India and Terry didn’t let the fight disrupt their girly chat.

They’re not the only ones fighting: India and Ro really can’t stand each other.

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India’s quite extreme in her relationships generally compared with the others, possibly because she spends so much time socialising.  Most relationships are still pretty neutral; India definitely likes or dislikes almost everyone.  I can’t help feeling that this will be a disadvantage if she’s ever nominated for eviction – it won’t matter how many good friends she has if half the housemates hate her.

Di spends far more time in the Head of House’s suite than Simon did, becoming remarkably sedentary for such an active Sim.

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Somehow, everyone else has now become aware of the delights to be found behind that locked door and there are almost continuous traffic jams in the corridor outside.

The housework seems to be being neglected this week, possibly because mechanical bulls and moaning about locked doors are more fun.  The men’s bathroom is particularly grimy…

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…and Grim somehow takes a wrong turn when trying to find a shower that’s fit for use by someone of his delicate sensibilities and has to be teleported out.

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Sunday evening rolls around again and everyone gathers for another voting session.

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The result is much more clear-cut this time.  Despite their reluctance to name one of the candidates, nine out of thirteen vote him off.  Surprisingly, Terry is quite fond of The One Who Must Not Be Named and Lea likes both of them but slightly prefers His Lordship.

LV takes out his phone, calls the estate agent…

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…and walks out, appropriately enough, into a raging thunderstorm.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that he doesn’t take eviction as calmly as Burl did.  He stands outside the gates for the next hour or two, cursing everyone (and particularly Vish, for no obvious reason).

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(Sorry about the screenshot quality, by the way.  It was a dark and stormy night...)

Then, as the rain eases off, he starts patrolling around the boundary fences, apparently trying to find a way back inside.

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Eventually, he gives up and just stands there by the pool, looking pathetic.  I never thought I’d feel sorry for Voldemort but his despair is oddly appealing…

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…especially when he contemplates the lovely view he’s being forced to leave behind.

Maybe he’ll become a reformed Sim in future – although I rather doubt it.

[Alex]

'Voldemort evicted' -> 'Cold revived totem'  (Or 'Covert deviled Tom', which is presumably what you get if you sneakily cook a Voldemort with spicy seasoning and serve him up as a tasty appetiser.)

[KRae]

The state of the men's room almost made me vomit in my mouth a little. Now I need to eat ice cream to settle my stomach.

[starlives]

So two males gone.  I wonder who the first female to be evicted will be (or are they all secretly colluding to make it an all female finale?)!  Yet again great screenshots.  The ones of LV at the end made me feel almost sorry for him too.  Impressed by the athletic levels reached by Diana and Sara of 5 and 4 after only 3 days.  Alys again makes me smile this time with her childish stalking and bull riding (or not).  I hope she stays around for a while.  I don't have the mechanical bull and golf game so it was interesting to see them in action.

[PeregrineTook]

Hold on!  Is this India character daring to engage in fisticuffs with my Ro?!?!?  That is not acceptable!
Actually, India was my second favorite based on looks and backstory, though I couldn't seem to locate an actual story with her prior to this.
Another lovely update and some delightful shots of the shenanigans!
Team Ro!

[hazelnut]

'Voldemort evicted' -> 'Cold revived totem'  (Or 'Covert deviled Tom', which is presumably what you get if you sneakily cook a Voldemort with spicy seasoning and serve him up as a tasty appetiser.)

You're bonkers!   (Anyway, I thought you were vegetarian.  Spicy Voldemort?!)

The state of the men's room almost made me vomit in my mouth a little. Now I need to eat ice cream to settle my stomach.

Ice cream is always good .

To be fair to the men, one of the ladies' loos was far worse, although the rest of their bathroom was spotless.  It looked as though it was growing things - all green and sludgy.  I've just noticed (early week 4 in-game) that someone has finally cleaned it, although I have no idea who the saintly person was.

So two males gone.  I wonder who the first female to be evicted will be (or are they all secretly colluding to make it an all female finale?)!  Yet again great screenshots.  The ones of LV at the end made me feel almost sorry for him too.  Impressed by the athletic levels reached by Diana and Sara of 5 and 4 after only 3 days.  Alys again makes me smile this time with her childish stalking and bull riding (or not).  I hope she stays around for a while.  I don't have the mechanical bull and golf game so it was interesting to see them in action.

I think it was all the fun activities that led to the rapid skill gain.  Oh, and having good food and half-decent beds - they'd never have done that well on The Island.  (Incidentally, there was also hopscotch, hidden away in a corner of the grounds, but it was totally ignored.)

The bull and golf both come from Showtime.

Hold on!  Is this India character daring to engage in fisticuffs with my Ro?!?!?  That is not acceptable!
Actually, India was my second favorite based on looks and backstory, though I couldn't seem to locate an actual story with her prior to this.
Another lovely update and some delightful shots of the shenanigans!
Team Ro!

No, I don't think India's been in a story, other than a brief reference in the 4x4 when I named another Sim after her.  She dates back to the time when I was lurking on forums but hadn't plucked up the courage to actually post anywhere.  I played India for ages (and have returned to her a few times since).  She became an International Superspy and Seasoned Traveller, completed all of the WA adventure challenges and maxed at least a dozen skills without really trying.

I have no idea why she and Ro dislike each other so much.  It's a shame - I'm really fond of both of them.

[hazelnut]

Week 3

Early in the third week, the news comes through that His Lordship has joined the criminal career.  Maybe he’ll achieve his lifetime wish before the end of the game.  Burl started work at the theatre shortly after he left but there haven’t been any pop-ups about promotions.  He seems to be concentrating on his personal life instead – he and Dixie are now engaged.

Back in the house, there’s a new skill that he’d probably have enjoyed: drumming.  I’d wondered how many drum kits to put out and settled on four – I can always buy more if necessary.

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It isn’t.  Nobody appears to notice the drums are there, even when they have to detour around them.  Eventually, on Monday afternoon, Lea sits down behind one of the kits, picks up the sticks and plays for long enough to reach a high level two.

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Several of the others stop what they’re doing to watch her but no-one’s inspired to join in.

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And then we’re back to the invisible drums.

Finally, well into Wednesday afternoon, when it looks as though Lea is going to win by default, Sara  walks over to a drum kit…

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…and plays…

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…and plays and plays.

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At midnight, and the end of the skilling period, I have to forcibly stop her.  By then, she’s reached a solid level three and become the new Head of House.

Being shy, she’s not formed strong relationships either way but two of the bars are slightly red instead of slightly green and so Jake and Georgie find themselves up for eviction.

The housemates may not have been impressed by this week’s skill but, with the kitchen and pool still available, several have made progress in cooking and athletics.

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Sara’s enjoying the big TV and video games as much as Di did and only emerges from the HoH suite for food.

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Otherwise, the level of interaction has noticeably increased this week. With Jake and Georgie unexpectedly nominated by Sara, I find myself concentrating on them in the second half of the week.  Jake is one of the keener hot-tubbers but is also starting to chat more on dry land, especially with Lea and Vish.

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Georgie, surprisingly, is usually on the periphery of groups.  I’d have expected her flirty trait to push her into socialising but it’s not had that effect at all.  Maybe she’s just not attracted to anyone in the house.

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Unlike India, who’s really started using her irresistibility.

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I think she’s been flirting with Di as well.  Di’s certainly rolled a wish to kiss India and I don’t think she’d have done that without some encouragement.


Another Sunday evening, another vote…

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…and Georgie becomes the first woman to be eliminated, by eight votes to four (although by a small margin in nearly every case).  She takes it a lot better than Voldemort.

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“Hi…  Yes, I’m out…   OK.  Meet you at the gate in half an hour?”

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Given all of the extra skilling that’s been going on this week, I’ve had a look at everyone’s journals to see what levels they’ve reached.

(Visible) skills at the end of week 3

Sara: athletic 4, cooking 3, drums 3, social networking 2
Lea: athletic 3, cooking 1, drums 2, handiness 1*
Georgie: athletic 3, cooking 2, social networking 1
Fluellen: athletic 2, cooking 3, handiness 1
Grim: athletic 1, cooking 1, handiness 1
Diana: athletic 6, cooking 2
Ro: athletic 3, cooking 2
Simon: athletic 2, cooking 2
Alys: athletic 1, cooking 3
Teresa: athletic 2, cooking 1
Sage: athletic 1, cooking 2
Jake: athletic 3
Vish: cooking 1

India is the only one without any skills, which is a major surprise compared with her previous existence.

*I’ve mostly been replacing broken plumbing and appliances but there have been a few wishes to fix leaky showers.  If it’s outside the skilling period for the week, I’ve granted the wish and directed them to do the repair.

Celebrity status

Jake, Terry, Di, Alys and India have two stars each; Fluellen, Sage and Lea have one.

Simon continues to change his personality, incidentally, with two or three new traits per week, although it’s mostly one slot that keeps changing.

[Alex]

Does this

Grim: athletic 1, cooking 1, handiness 1

*I’ve mostly been replacing broken plumbing and appliances but there have been a few wishes to fix leaky showers.  If it’s outside the skilling period for the week, I’ve granted the wish and directed them to do the repair.

mean that somewhere you have a picture of Grim fixing a toilet?

Nice to see Brian again

[hazelnut]

Does this

Grim: athletic 1, cooking 1, handiness 1

*I’ve mostly been replacing broken plumbing and appliances but there have been a few wishes to fix leaky showers.  If it’s outside the skilling period for the week, I’ve granted the wish and directed them to do the repair.

mean that somewhere you have a picture of Grim fixing a toilet?

No, the toilets are all unbreakable.  I'm pretty sure it was a shower that he mended - I'm not confident in anyone's ability to cope with a broken hot tub or dishwasher.  He does clean the loos a lot, though.  I'll try to get a screenshot for you .

Edit: Well, that was easy.  I opened up the game and Grim went straight into a bathroom-cleaning frenzy.

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[starlives]

So a female eviction this time! Goodbye Georgie, haven't really seen much of you but you don't seem overly put out at having to leave.  Perhaps not your thing!

Looking at the skill list everyone (except Jake) has learnt cooking.  I guess the good stove has prevented them from setting the house on fire!

Love the screenshot of Simon and his plate of food.  Whatever his changing traits have been they haven't prevented him from enjoying his food and increasing his waistline in the process!

You appear to be having mostly good weather.  I have had to turn rain, fog and lightening off in all of my games because it just became ridiculous!  Am seriously thinking about turning off snow too but it would be such a shame because it is so lovely and I enjoy all the snow activities but in some of my games it just is too excessive extending through spring and autumn too.

Drums have never been a favorite in any of my freewill games either.  Guitar and piano always win if there is the choice. I actually enjoy bass the most.  I just love the goofy expressions sims do when playing it. 

[hazelnut]

You appear to be having mostly good weather.  I have had to turn rain, fog and lightening off in all of my games because it just became ridiculous!  Am seriously thinking about turning off snow too but it would be such a shame because it is so lovely and I enjoy all the snow activities but in some of my games it just is too excessive extending through spring and autumn too.

If I do, that's because the Weather Gods are on my side.  Or possibly because I've switched all weather off now that they're definitely into summer .   I agree, the snow's great but it lasts way too long in Sims.


Week 4

The skill for Week 4 is science.  I’m hoping this will work out OK: I have seen Sims spontaneously use science stations a few times, and the big science project thingy is definitely regarded as a fun item.  My only slight reservation is that the only space on the lot that’s both large and flat enough to accommodate it is the area at the corner of the lot overlooking the city, opposite the pool.  So far, that part of the garden has been totally ignored by the Sims.  It kept its original picnic table and grill for the first week and has subsequently had a hopscotch court and a set of drums.  None of them has been used.

I needn’t have worried.  Soon after dawn on the Monday, Jake moseys over in an old-cowboyish fashion (and his combs) and switches on the blue magnatomic pulse array.

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Plenty of others follow.

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In fact, the science project becomes the biggest skilling hit so far, with at least one Sim using it almost all of the time.  I’d expected the Flower brothers to like it, and they do…

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..but so do Sara, Grim and Ro.

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Meanwhile, the science stations are completely ignored by everyone except Lea, who tries vainly to sabotage them.

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And then, in the most astonishing development of the week, Lea decides that the science project isn’t really technology at all.

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Of course it isn’t.  Technology is hateful.  This is wonderful!

And at midnight on Wednesday, the two who have to be stopped from further pursuit of their scientific research are Fluellen… and Lea.

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And, amazingly, the Sim with the most skill points this week is Lea, who’s just short of level 5.

I’d been slightly worried about what would happen if technophobic Lea ever became Head of House: would I have to put all of the electronics into the family inventory and maybe give her a waterslide as compensation?

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As it turns out, she’s fine – perfectly happy to read and listen to music while keeping everything that might annoy her switched off – although she also falls prey to the Curse of the Head of the House, repeatedly drinking coffee instead of going to bed, until she passes out from sheer exhaustion.

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Lea likes most people in a quiet sort of way, but has hesitantly nominated Sage (again) and Vish for eviction.

Vish reacts by continuing to critique the artwork in the house…

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…but also makes the effort to socialise a little.  Sage, on the other hand, takes to staring out of windows to an extent that I’ve only previously seen in neurotic Sims.

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Maybe he really wants to be kicked out.