The Greening of Newcrest - an Apocalypse Challenge (Nov 5th 2018) COMPLETE

[HelenP]

Out with the Old ...

I have, at last, managed to put in enough play time to make it worth posting.  So, in order of importance, not chronology:


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Cadeo maxed his career, we can now visit other lots (although not libraries) and move people out.  It is therefore time to say goodbye to Abigail, Bakari and Cadeo.  I've changed my mind about Avani, she is going to stay to write books of life, mentor and provide wellness interactions.

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Dinara has moved into the Secret Agent - Villain branch.  She is grumpy because she is a 'good' Sim and doesn't like her watchers choice.

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Etsuko became an adult

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She and Salim flirted, kissed and got engaged.

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Then they went skinny dipping together.

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Feoras gained an A grade in High School

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Abigail got sent to do some singing because she was getting in the way.  In fact, singing practice has become my default action/punishment for sims who insist on using the woodwork bench or offering massages that make others drop queues.

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Oh and as a bonus, a rare shot of Bob Pancake doing some exercise.

[oshizu]

Congratulations to Cadeo on maxing the Diamond Agent career.
One aspect of the Apocalypse Challenge that I really like is that, because we're allowed to disable aging for unplayed households, once the Diamond Agent career is unlocked, we can move household sims out and they stop aging and never die.

Pretty soon your family can kiss those mob payments goodbye--you must feel very excited about that.
Finally, happy birthday to Etsuko! May she and Salim find happiness together.

Love the shot of Bob Pancakes exercising! Hahaha.

[HelenP]

Mob payments is a criminal career, Dinara is aiming to remove the 8x8 space restriction - can't wait to rebuild the house again.  At the moment, with 1 retired elder and 6 working young adults/adults we have over £40,000 per sim week coming in, which I can't get even close to spending so the mob payments are not a problem.

[oshizu]

Oops, sorry for the mistake! That's what I get for posting without checking the career restrictions first. *blushes

Rebuilding your house will feel so sweet! Can't wait till you do so we can enjoy your screenshots!

[HelenP]

... In With The New

My limited playing time, the fact that friends and I started a new server in Ark:Survival Evolved and the forum tournament challenges means I've not played much with my apocalypse family, but the Sotelo's are doing fine.

First there was the big group outing where the whole family made a trip to San Myshuno.  They went to the gym for Etsuko's aspiration and watched some of the street entertainers,
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but the grand finale was Etsuko and Salim's wedding.
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Back home Dinara said a fond goodbye to her siblings as Abigail, Bakari and Cadeo moved into the house next door.
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The house became emptier than expected though as Avani died without seeing the birth of her Great Grandaughter.
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RIP Avani, you were a great wonderchild and a trouper of a founder. You maxed your career, gave birth to 5 children, wrote 9 Books of Life and gave countless massages and wellness socials. You will be missed.

Yes, while Avani was still alive Etsuko became pregant by Salim and Avani wrote a 10th book of life which will never be used.

So please welcome Gzifa, the 7th child born in this apocalypse household.  Her name comes from Africa (or maybe Afganistan) and means 'Peaceful One'.
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She has the honour of being the first child with no book of life (a rather dubious honour I admit) but also the much greater honour of being the first Sotelo toddler.  *Warning: Toddler spam follows*
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She quickly learned to climb the stairs, thankfully she comes down them backwards.
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She also quite likes playing with Etsuko, but not too much as she has the 'independent' trait.
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She's quite friendly with Saffee the bear though.
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Although Salim has maxed Journalist I haven't cleared Retail yet so while baths and showers are unlocked I can't buy them until Sunday.  The same goes for toddler furniture and toys.
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Thankfully toddlers can nap anywhere. Usually she naps on the couch but this time she found a warm and sunny spot.
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In other news, Feoras got his first promotion as an astronaught,
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Grim stopped by after Avani died to pratice his yoga,
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And politicians in my game also have silly shoes.
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[oshizu]

It must have been hard to bid farewell to your founder!
Rest in peace, Avani! Your descendants are thriving--you have left your household in capable hands.

Congrats to Etsuko and Salim on their wedding and their first child and your apocalypse household's first toddler.
Gzifa is too adorable!

A big high five to Salim on maxing the Journalist career!
whispers: Is Ark: Survival Evolved a fun game? I guess it would be since you and your friends started a server...

Great progress on your apocalypse challenge. Don't neglect this, please.

[FrancescaFiori]

The politician shoes strike again! How funny!

Congrats on the new arrival and on raising a toddler in an apocalypse house. Thank goodness you can bathe her soon! That shot of Gzifa napping on the grass is precious.

[vancanuckfan86]

Haha - those politician shoes!

[oshizu]

@HelenP

Hello!?  Now that you've turned in your score for the Baby Boomer Challenge, I'm expecting an update here any day now.   
Don't make me sic The Dancers on you, girl!

[HelenP]

If I do update, will I get The Dancers anyway? *swoons at the thought*

[HelenP]

Playing Catch-up

When I left you there was 1 toddler, now it's toddler heaven with 3 delightful little people in the house.  Across the back row we have

          Feoras                    Etsuko                                                                     Salim                     Gzifa
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Jyri                                                              Hassun                                  Ionna                                               Keilani                                   make up the front row.


Feoras has just moved into the Smuggler branch. This will allow us to upgrade all the appliances in the house.
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Estuko and Salim are using up family leave and vacation days to look after the kids, and are still very much in love after all this time.
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Beautiful Gzifa is working through the Friend of the World aspiration and will enter the Business career to clear Investor.  Finally we will be able to sell excess stuff.  If she manages it in time, then Salim will be able to finish Writer aspiration and write books of life, but I don't think he's got enough time left.

Thankfully Dinara cleared Secret Agent - Villain before the family got this big so the house was expanded in time. It now looks like this:
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The top floor is bedrooms and bathrooms
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The 1st floor is the creative space and access to the rocket
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The ground floor is large with work prep and focused skilling, toddler/child skilling and the TV
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1st basement has the pool and exercise equipment
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while the 2nd basement has the teleport only room holding random stuff I don't want them to access.
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You've probably notice the huge number of bathrooms and toilets, but there are still queues occasionally!

Gameplay wise it has been the usual round of work, skilling, aspiration tasks and managing needs. Still haven't managed a 'Top-notch' toddler although Ionna will come close with 2 skills at 5 and maxed Potty.  There is a small chance she will max a 3rd skill before she ages but it's already her birthday so won't make all 4.

Phew, up to date at last. Thanks for reading.  Comments and questions always welcome.

[oshizu]

Wow, so much has happened in your game!
Three more children without a nanny?! They're all so cute!

Woot, woot! You cleared Villain! I went back to look at your 8x8 house again.
Did you release a hugh sigh of relief when you started expanding your house?
I lol'ed at the woodworking table locked away in the no-access room.
I thought the last patch was supposed to fix our sims' obsession with woodworking--mine still fight over that table, so I put a lockable fence around it, hah!

Wow, Feoras is already a Level 8 Interstellar Smuggler--he's doing so well.
Are some of the kids going to work on the teen careers?
You've done so well, HelenP, toddlers and all! Are you still enjoying this challenge?

Great update! You must be about halfway done now! 

[FrancescaFiori]

Wow! A full house, and three of them toddlers! The house itself is looking great, though. Thank goodness for the maxed villain career!

The teleport-only room is great. That's exactly the right room for a woodworking bench! And I love the numerous bathrooms as well. I really like your wedding arch area with the flower petals, too. I forgot for a moment that everything still has to be inside, but it's lovely and doesn't look out of place at all.

You're really making great strides with this!

[HelenP]

@oshizu Well I *was* going to start on the teen careers, but ...

Everything Changes

First there was a rash of birthdays, well maybe not a rash but 2 on the same day anyway, as first Keilani aged up to child then Hassun up to teen. 
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Then I had to take this sequence 
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The next news was happier,
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and I had a playable ghost for the first time, very helpful he was too.
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With as much upgrading of appliances done as I could manage, Etsuko made her feelings known
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and the happy couple, along with Feoras, moved out of the family home to a neighbouring house, leaving behind 2 teens and 3 children.

While all this was going on, Gzifa reached level 9.5 in charisma and has nearly complete 'Friend of the World'; Hassun hacked his way to an A grade and is working through 'Computer Whiz'; Ionna finished 'Social Butterfly' and changed her mind about her future career; Jyri finished 'Artistic Prodigy' and is building his violin skill; and Keilani has been working steadily through 'Whiz Kid'.  They all have 'A' grades in school.

Let me leave you with one last picture
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See you next time 

[oshizu]

Wooo!
Congrats to Feoras on maxing Interstellar Smuggler!
And how wonderful that Etsuko resurrected Salim so they could live on agelessly in your Apocalypse Challenge!

Great job!