A Townie Dynasty with Zest, Completed

[Joria]

While living with Olivia you had issues because of the size of the house.  Why didn't you just do some remodeling?  I'd had simply removed the stairs to the third floor and bring down things that were needed for use like the piano.  That house is an easy one to rework.  Also, isn't that something you can do with apartments etc. to make them more livable if they are small?  Since you aren't stuck in one house forever but each heir moves in with someone else why not have the quarters set so they are more useful?  I'm going to pm you with a question that could be a possible ploy so shouldn't be posted here or in the challenge board thread.

[MarianT]

Actually, Joria, I didn't have that much trouble with the house, certainly not as much as I had on previous occasions. Putting in a dishwasher helped. And I didn't do remodeling because I'm not that fond of remodeling. But certainly anyone else who marries into the Spencer-Lewis-Kim household is free to remodel the interior.

Also, you can ask most questions in this thread. It's not like the tournament challenges where you don't want to give other players ideas. The more ideas, the better, and if you come up with something good, put it in the Tips thread.

[oshizu]

Wow, only three days between free days!
I'm sure it's a combination of the watcher getting more competent about the challenge as a whole and figuring out how to best use Lewis.
I'd thought he would be hard to play but you've managed to "squeeze" so many satisfactions points from him!

Your two heirs are having only one child each. Is that because multiple births make the challenge harder or because your heirs have moved into relatively large households?

[MarianT]

Wow, only three days between free days!
I'm sure it's a combination of the watcher getting more competent about the challenge as a whole and figuring out how to best use Lewis.
I'd thought he would be hard to play but you've managed to "squeeze" so many satisfactions points from him!

Your two heirs are having only one child each. Is that because multiple births make the challenge harder or because your heirs have been moved into relative large households?

Actually Ojo had 3 children with Olivia. Mike and Johanna just didn't get much attention. Johnny had only the one child because of space -- the apartment didn't have much room. And Lewis -- well, with "hates children," trying for baby makes him tense.

[MarianT]

Chapter 14 -- The Fourth 10 Points and Free Day

Some temptations are impossible to resist...



"Watcher, what's happening!?"
(You're being abducted. Sorry, I shouldn't have had you set up the satellite dish while it was still set to contact aliens.)
"But you said the only other thing I had to worry about was having the satellite dish cause people to bladder fail."
('Bye, Lewis!)



Later...
"I think I'm pregnant."
(Nah, hardly anyone gets pregnant from abductions anymore. It's probably just a little nausea from space travel. That happens sometime.)



(Happy birthday to you...)



(...and also to you...)



(Happy birthday, happy birthday, and now we are through!)



Houser has grown up to resemble his father a great deal. He inherited the brown hair and eyes from his mother, but nose and mouth definitely came from Lewis.



He went right to work on his studies, extra credit, too.



Hazel got a promotion at work and now gets to wear the pink herringbone suit with the ruffly lavender blouse. Oddly enough, neither of her sisters wants to borrow it.



"Honey, I know I'm not one to talk, but you need to do something about that paunch. Maybe try working out a bit?"



"Watcher, now do you agree that I'm pregnant?"
(Nah, you just have been eating too much birthday cake. A few hours on the treadmill will do wonders.)



"I'll be honest with you, Watcher. I think if I try to drink anything, I'll explode."
(Okay, maybe you should go to the hospital.)



At the hospital, Hazel went from panicking mode to searching for food mode.



"Is this hospital entirely staffed by ghosts?"
"Yes. In fact, if you stick around long enough, your dad might show up. He still has to deliver a baby to get promoted."
"No, that would be too weird. I'll go with you."



"Doc, I realize you don't need a heart anymore, but it's still something I consider necessary."
"Sorry about that. I'll put it right back."



And here's Alicia.
"You knew I was pregnant all along, didn't you, Watcher."
(Yeah, I was messing with you. Are we still friends?)
"Well, maybe if you get me a present to make up for all the suffering I went through..."



"Now that helps deaden the pain. Thanks, Watcher."



Meanwhile, Houser is making rapid progress at school.



Baby Alicia has remarkable powers, maybe because she's an alien. Becoming good friends with her was the last point Lewis needed before a free day, so he went to work by himself.



On their free day at home, Norah spent her time raising her cooking level by watching TV.



Amber improved her skill on the guitar.



And Hazel raised her follower count to 500. "Anything to get promoted and out of that suit," she said.

Lewis picked up his next 10 points by becoming good friends with the Invention Constructor, his sister-in-law, Amber, and his daughter Alicia, by gaining another two levels in mixology, by gaining another 1000 satisfaction points, and by getting promoted to level 6 at work. Hazel, Norah, and Amber were also promoted to level 4 of their jobs.

[oshizu]

Oh right, I completely forgot about Johanna and Mike!
Haha, what a sneaky Watcher! And you just wrote that Lewis gets tense from Try for Baby because he hates children!
He's already good friends with the magical Alicia, so that Hates Children trait seems very selective...

I enjoyed all the shots of Lewis growing bigger while he remains clueless about what actually happened on that spaceship.
You got that globe bar, though, Lewis, so definitely worth it!
MarianT, you've turned Lewis into a much more entertaining heir than I'd anticipated.  Thank you!

[FrancescaFiori]

Yay for abduction pregnancies! A very nice twist for a guy who hates children and trying for baby.

Houser turned out really cute! I'll look forward to his generation.

[Joria]

So you get to keep alien nooboos?  Was she levitating in that shot with her Dad? 

[MarianT]

So you get to keep alien nooboos?  Was she levitating in that shot with her Dad? 

You have to keep alien nooboos. Not levitating -- I was just starting up my game, and I think she was resetting.

[reggikko]

I am so jealous of your alien baby! You're really just cruising right along with the challenge.

[MarianT]

Chapter 15 -- The Last 10 Points and Free Day



It was soon time for Alicia to emerge from the bassinet and become a child. Lewis assisted her and was happy to report that he had zero feelings of anger or tension.



Alicia changed into her disguise and immediately applied herself to her homework.



Lewis gave her a hug before going upstairs to get ready for work. "Be good for Aunt Amber and Aunt Norah, now."
"But they aren't really my aunts, are they?"
"Blood relations or not, I expect to hear a good report when I get home."
(You look a lot more comfortable hugging her than you did Houser. Getting used to children?)
"I do love Houser, but it's different when they've been a part of you for a while. Alicia's like a piece of me out there walking around -- it's magical."



Lewis was so elated that he attempted a back flip.
(Maybe not the ideal outfit for that particular move, huh?)



"I thought I'd lose all the weight once the baby was born, but about ten pounds stayed with me."
(I think there's a meeting of the New Mother Fitness Group at the gym this evening.)
"You're pushing it, Watcher."



(Congratulations! You are now a Laboratory Leader.)



"Hazel, I want you to know that I think you're beautiful just as you are, and that this might not work, so if you want, I can take it first and then make another slimify serum for you..."
"Did you say 'slimify?' Hand it over."



"Ooh, I feel ten years younger, too. Let's go celebrate!"



Later...
"Shake it up baby, now (shake it up, baby). Twist and shout! (Twist a-and shout!) Come on, come on, come on, come on baby now (come o-on, baby). Work it on out (work it on out)."
(Lewis, as soon as you reach the next level of mixology, you'll be done -- do you hear?)
"Whooo! Yeah, Watcher, I hear."



"I have to say, though, I'm a little worried. Is the kid up to it? He's still just a teen.



"And have you seen the way he tries to throw a basketball? It doesn't inspire confidence."
(I might point out that he beat you that time.)
"Only because there was a stiff breeze when I attempted my 3-pointer."
(Skill in basketball is not really a requirement...)



"And do you know what Houser said when he met Harper Bjergsen? 'Hey, aren't you in my Simlish class?' Lame, really lame. And social skills are important."
(Says the man who started out as a loner who hated children.)
"Yeah, well, I never hated my own. Or babies."
(Aw, Lewis, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were sorry to be finishing up your part of the dynasty.)



(Houser is going to do just fine. He's already taken on the task of repairing the plumbing.)



(It seems like everything has broken down, and of course, the gnomes are nowhere to be found.)



"Okay, he does seem to have an aptitude for plumbing -- which I showed him how to do, remember."
(Of course, I remember. And he  remembers, too. Look, go get some sleep -- you've earned it. And I won't leave without saying good-bye.)



Let's see how some other members of the family are spending their free time. Alicia, who loves music and has the social butterfly aspiration, is playing on the pirate ship.



She's also making a few friends. I think she's going to look like her Aunt Johanna when she grows up, or rather, her disguise will.



Amber asked Lewis for one of his magical slimify serums, which actually worked.



Unfortunately, the snake oil serum he gave her did nothing to cure her case of Itchy Plumbob. She was able to order some medicine from the computer, though.



Alicia and Lewis did a father-daughter dance together.



Afterwards, Lewis decided to show off some of his moves.



(Nailed it! Oh, Lewis, I'm so proud of you. We had our ups and downs, but you did a great job, you really did.)
"Thanks, Watcher. Can you leave now, before I start crying? And I'm really going to be cross if you blow all my work by sticking around when you should be with Houser. I said it before and I'll say it again -- I want to be alone."
(Gotcha.)

Stats for the Second Heir, Lewis Zest
Skills: dancing -- 4, mixology -- 5
Promotions: Lewis -- 5; Amber -- 4; Norah -- 4; Hazel -- 3; Houser -- 2
Satisfaction Points: 9
Good Friends: 10 -- Houser, Molly Edmondson, Kaydence Guinn, Olivia Zest, Norah Houser, Masami Sujita, Invention Constructor, Amber Houser, Alicia, Marcel Edmondson
Maxed Skills, Aspiration: 6 -- dancing, cooking; The Curator
Negatives: Fire -- -2, Lewis

[oshizu]

Congratulations on a job well done, Lewis!
I was surprised to note that, despite being a Loner, you made 10 good friends!

I'm somewhat glad that Houser is still only a teen. I'm not ready to leave little Alicia behind yet...
Great job on passing the torch to your third heir, MarianT!

[FrancescaFiori]

Awww. The Lewis farewell was a sentimental one, after all! Nice dance moves, too!

I chuckled at Lewis not being able to lose the baby weight. I hear you, buddy!

On to the next one! How exciting! Here's hoping Houser came up with some better lines for next time he encounters Harper Bjergsen.

[Joria]

While Lewis was not my favorite Sim, he certainly did his family and dynasty proud and had a very fine farewell.  Great dance moves there Lewis.  Now to see how Houser matches up.  Have to wonder what will happen with Alicia.

[MarianT]

@reggiko, I tend to use Speed 3 when the controlled Sim is sleeping. And I'm trying to move quickly to get as far along as possible before the 2017 tournament starts.

@oshizu, I gave Lewis the Incredibly Friendly reward early because I thought he'd have trouble making friends.

@FrancescaFiori, Difficult Sims tend to be more fun to write about, although more difficult to play. No clubs and hardly any outings for Lewis -- crowds made him tense.

@Joria, Not much is going to happen with Alicia, although I might save her to use later.