The Drifter Chronicles - House 003 (COMPLETE)

[commasplice]

From: Eddard Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Drifter House 003, Progress Report 003

I know it’s been a while, but I wanted to update you on where I’m at. As you can see from the photos, I’ve got the start of a house.  That’s Valeria Lentz and we’re talking about marriage.



Right now I’m mostly growing blackberries and dragon fruit as I think those are going to bring in the most money. No cow plant yet, but I’m fishing a lot and Dad says that he finds them that way all the time.

Journal Entry, Valeria Lentz

Anya and I had a long talk. She’s understandably concerned about how I will handle being married to a Drifter, but I tried to reassure her I was fine with the whole Drifter Project thing.



She said it will be harder than I think. I told her I was ready for anything.

Eddard’s Uncle Steffon came by and I met him and it was weird. Not Steffon. He seems nice enough, even if he’s got some dubious taste in clothes. It was Eddard. He got all funny and grumbly and went out fishing.



Later he came back and we got to know each other a bit better. I told him I’m romantic by nature.

“I get jealous. It’s something I’m working on, but it flares up now and then.”

I wanted to tell him about Father and all my half-siblings, but I wasn’t sure how he would take it. I mean it weirds me out and I grew up with it. But I did tell him that my father hadn’t been faithful to my mother and how I could never ever do that to him.

“Rationally I know that. Emotionally—look this has nothing to do with you or your traits. This is 100% on me. What I’ve learned to do is to go off and be by myself for a while and it’ll go away.”



From: Robert Holiday
To: Pierce Delgato, Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Eddard

Yo Pierce,

I wanted to let you know. I was at the doctor’s and he doesn’t think it’s going to be too much longer now. Anya and I have made our peace with the situation. We haven’t told Eddard yet. He told us he was going to propose to Valeria. We’ll tell him after they get married.



You’ve been a true friend. I know you’re starting to scale back, but bro, I’d appreciate it if you could help Eddard anyway you can.



Peace out,
Robert

[oshizu]

I'm such a fan of Eddard's self-awareness!
Crossing my fingers that Grandpa and Grandma live long enough to meet their grandchild.

[commasplice]

Email from Anya Holiday to Steffon Baratheon



It’s too bad you couldn’t make the wedding itself. If I had known they were planning on having the ceremony right after the proposal, Robert and I would have given you a lift. I know how happy he was that you made it after the ceremony.



Valeria looked so happy when he proposed.



It was odd how none of her family was there. I tried asking her about her parents. The father is alive, but I got the impression they’re estranged. There are siblings, but she kept changing the conversation every time I asked. Did she say anything to you about them?



From: Eddard Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Drifter House 003, Progress Report 004



Thanks for the wedding present. Valeria really loved it. So far I’m liking married life, although like Margaret, Valeria is a neat freak. If she’s not mopping the grass (seriously, who does that?) she’s scrubbing the new desk.



But unlike Margaret, who turns out to be her half sister?! Valeria isn’t so obtrusive about it.

We went to Sylvan Glade for a mini honeymoon and I caught a cow plant!



Dad keeps telling me not to put off kids, but Valeria is so excited about her career (she got a promotion!) so we’re going to wait a little. I want a more finished home before we have a baby. Right now, I’m thinking it’ll be a one-story ranch. Neither of us wants anything too big. Don’t worry, though. I foresee no problem with the value of the house being $40k.

[oshizu]

While reading this update, I completely forgot that Eddard has the loner trait.
He and Valeria seem to be getting along famously!
Since Eddard can't control her, is having Valeria work the best means of earning extra cash in the early stages?
(Or did she already have this job?)

I love one-story ranch homes, so I'm looking forward greatly to Eddard's!

[commasplice]

While reading this update, I completely forgot that Eddard has the loner trait.
He and Valeria seem to be getting along famously!
Since Eddard can't control her, is having Valeria work the best means of earning extra cash in the early stages?
(Or did she already have this job?)

I love one-story ranch homes, so I'm looking forward greatly to Eddard's!

Well, there are a few houses in the challenge where you can control the other sims or where they have to quit, but for this one, if the spouse/partner is already in a job, he/she can keep it. Kind of like Summer was in the culinary career already? I can get creative to influence to gain the skills they need (e.g. invite the non-controlled sim to cloudgaze, to play chess, etc. Stock the bookcase with skill books, and so on), but that's it. I also can't direct the sim to quit the job/join a job etc.

[FrancescaFiori]

What a sweet proposal and wedding! It makes me really happy that Robert was right there for it. Valeria does look really happy.
I love Anya the snobby mother-in-law sniffing around Valeria's parentage. I get the feeling she would not like it if she knew the whole story.
Oh, boy! The cowplant berry has been obtained. *cringe*

[commasplice]

What a sweet proposal and wedding! It makes me really happy that Robert was right there for it. Valeria does look really happy.
I love Anya the snobby mother-in-law sniffing around Valeria's parentage. I get the feeling she would not like it if she knew the whole story.
Oh, boy! The cowplant berry has been obtained. *cringe*

Sigh. Yeah, the cowplant. My least favorite thing I have had to do for this whole challenge--and I'm on house 006.

[commasplice]

Journal Entry, Anya Holiday

Robert died last night. I went over to Eddard’s with the news. He took it well. I’m glad Robert was able to call him before and let him know what the doctor had said.



Something was off and I knew it had nothing to do with Robert. Valeria was being awfully quiet and had her head in a book when we went inside the house, which is coming along really nicely. They bought a computer and there’s a chess table. 





I’m less enthused by the security fencing in the back yard. I couldn’t see inside, but I know he has to grow a cow plant for the Project.



“We’re going to have a baby right away after all,” Eddard said.



“I thought—”

He sighed. “Risky woohoo. It’ll be okay. We were just hoping for some time by ourselves for a while.”

“Eddard, you cannot have a child and a cow plant on the lot at the same time.”

Valeria started crying.

Eddard got that look Robert would get sometimes. “It’s locked. Only I can go inside and I only do that to water it. I have a lot of aspiration points and I’ve been doing the reading. I have a strategy. If I do this right, I can get all five unique essences before Valeria has the baby. The minute I get all five, it’s gone.”

We sat there for a while. Eddard tried to cheer up Valeria with a chess game. It worked. Eventually, she dried her eyes. “It’ll be all right. We wanted a baby. Just not this soon. With the bonus I got for my promotion and the dragon fruit harvest, we can have the nursery finished in time. We can handle one baby.”



From: Eddard Holiday
To: Evangeline Hecking, Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Drifter House 003, Progress Report 005

I hate the cow plant. Can I just say that? I hate it more than having to force myself to socialize with strangers.

Every other aspect of gardening is fine. I suck at splicing, but I did what I needed to in order to advance.

But my God, I hate that cow plant. It freaks Valeria out and even though I keep reassuring her (and Mom and Uncle Steffon and well, me), it is awful.



I have taken that stupid cake 3 times now. The only reason I’m not dead is because of moodlet solvers. Have you ever been eating by a cow plant? Lemme tell you, Evangeline, the result is you being filthy in a way you’ve never been filthy before.



Like one time I peed myself and I thought that was gross.

It does not begin to compare.

So far I have essence of confidence, happiness, and energy.

Valeria is huge and I’m racing against the clock to get this done before we have to go to the hospital.



Phone conversation between Valeria Holiday and Tobias Lentz

Valeria: [crying]

Tobias: Val? What happened? Is it the baby? Are you okay?

Valeria: [crying] We wanted to finish up the nursery and we thought it would be good to find out if it was a girl or a boy.

Tobias: Are you okay? Answer me. Should I come over there?

Valeria: I’m having triplets.

[oshizu]

Rest in peace, Robert. You were a great father, patient husband, and loving son.

Um, the sight of the cowplant locked away behind security fencing like it's radioactive made me giggle. I couldn't help it.
Eddard is such a gentleman--taking that cake all by himself every time without subjecting Valeria to it even once.
And he's honorable--he doesn't do anything underhanded like lead the mailman there, leaving him to starve after placing enabled elements inside the fencing.
Of course, I'm actually describing the virtues of his watcher, kind and honorable.

Oh dear, triplets! I had my first set of triplets ever in my first generation of the Ten-Gen Townie Dynasty.
Having a smaller house size makes life easier. But, Eddard, life just isn't cutting you any breaks, is it?

Best wishes to you, Watcher, and your sims. You will survive with a full head of hair intact and the triplets will be adorable. *pats shoulder

[FrancescaFiori]

Oh, my! I read, “we can handle one baby,” and gulped. Famous last words. And, sure enough, triplets! A full house for the loner. Poor Eddard! He and Valeria seem like a strong couple, though. I’m sure they’ll manage. I’ll be rooting for them.
And farewell to Robert! I really enjoyed his time as narrator. He was a real solid dude.

[commasplice]

Rest in peace, Robert. You were a great father, patient husband, and loving son.

Um, the sight of the cowplant locked away behind security fencing like it's radioactive made me giggle. I couldn't help it.
Eddard is such a gentleman--taking that cake all by himself every time without subjecting Valeria to it even once.
And he's honorable--he doesn't do anything underhanded like lead the mailman there, leaving him to starve after placing enabled elements inside the fencing.
Of course, I'm actually describing the virtues of his watcher, kind and honorable.

Oh dear, triplets! I had my first set of triplets ever in my first generation of the Ten-Gen Townie Dynasty.
Having a smaller house size makes life easier. But, Eddard, life just isn't cutting you any breaks, is it?

Best wishes to you, Watcher, and your sims. You will survive with a full head of hair intact and the triplets will be adorable. *pats shoulder

The cowplant being behind fencing was as much for me as it was for the protection of my sims. I hate the look of it.

While the rules of the challenge allow you to take control of anyone to feed it to the cowplant, a) you can't do it with pregnant sims and b) since you need to collect 5 different essences, it seemed like more work to get random passersby to be in the right mood than it did to just make Eddard do it. So I'm not sure how much of this was about me.

The triplets almost killed me more than my sims as you will see!

Oh, my! I read, “we can handle one baby,” and gulped. Famous last words. And, sure enough, triplets! A full house for the loner. Poor Eddard! He and Valeria seem like a strong couple, though. I’m sure they’ll manage. I’ll be rooting for them.
And farewell to Robert! I really enjoyed his time as narrator. He was a real solid dude.

Thank you so much!

[commasplice]

Journal Entry, Eddard Holiday

I don’t think I can do this.

I don’t think Valeria can do this.



We were planning on one child. One. It’s bad enough that it happened so soon, but now we’re looking at three.

I called Mom and Uncle Steffon. I don’t think Valeria was happy about this, but I didn’t know what else to do.



Text message from Steffon Baratheon to Pearl Munch

I’m sorry I had to bail on lunch. Family crisis.



Phone conversation between Anya Holiday and Steffon Baratheon



Steffon: That was so weird. He was almost manic. Of course, you’d be peeling me from the ceiling if I found out my partner was expecting triplets.

Anya: I called No Sim Left Behind. We can’t finance a nanny, not without getting them kicked out of the project. All we can do is go over there and help out when we can.



Steffon: Anya, you’re not in the best of health and I live clear across town. They need more than the occasional babysitter.

Anya: She has family, but they’re not close, I don’t think.



Steffon: I’m more worried about that monstrosity in the backyard. Mom always talked about how Dad grew one. It was gone before I was born, but I think she nearly divorced him over it.

Anya: I don’t know what else we can do.

From: Eddard Holiday
To: Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Drifter House 003, Progress Report 006

I’m done with the cow plant. Five essences, way too many moodlet solvers. Last two were essences were playfulness and focus. It’s over. I killed the thing last night.



From Evangeline Hecking, Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
To: Eddard Holiday
Re: Re: Drifter House 003, Progress Report 006

Thank you for informing us of your progress. As we told you, you could have done it over a longer period of time.

From: Eddard Holiday
To: Evangeline Hecking, Drifter Board of Directors, No Sim Left Behind
Re: Re: Re: Drifter House 003, Progress Report 006



My wife had triplets last night. I needed it to be over with. We didn’t even make it to the hospital.

[oshizu]

Congrats on being done with the cowplant so early!
I'm crossing my fingers that you roll good traits for the toddlers!

[FrancescaFiori]

Oh, dear. Poor Eddard. He sounds petrified. And five cowplant essences in a week is  . . . a lot. Perhaps after that, triplets will seem easy by comparison . . . maybe?
I certainly hope Anya and Steffon make good on their promises to stop by and help out!

[commasplice]

Congrats on being done with the cowplant so early!
I'm crossing my fingers that you roll good traits for the toddlers!

Thanks! I hated the cowplant so I wanted it done as soon as possible. Also, I was worried somehow my heir would get in there and get eaten.

Oh, dear. Poor Eddard. He sounds petrified. And five cowplant essences in a week is  . . . a lot. Perhaps after that, triplets will seem easy by comparison . . . maybe?
I certainly hope Anya and Steffon make good on their promises to stop by and help out!

I love this challenge because it's made me do different kinds of gameplay than I normally do, but I loathe everything about that stupid cowplant and forcing Eddard to get it all done was as much for my sake as it was for his.