The Murray Apocalypse Challenge: That's a Wrap (Completed Oct 15, 2018)

[BallerinaHippo]

The Story of Rosemary

John and Claire Baker knew that their eldest daughter, Rosemary, was something special the moment she was born.
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This is a common sentiment among new parents, but we will allow them the indulgence. 
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In Rosemary’s case she really was something special, not just to her parents, but also to an underground, fly-by-wire, perpetually underfunded, covert operation called the Wonder Child Project.   The WCP’s purpose was to send humanitarian aid, in the form of actual humans, to the devastated region formerly known as Glassbolt.  Unfortunately, the WPCs methods were a bit like ordering a cup of coffee and waiting for the barista to hike to Brazil, hand pick the coffee fruit, de-pulp the fruit, dry the beans, mill and roast the beans, hike back to the coffee shop, grind the coffee, brew the coffee, and then…well, you get the idea.  You might get a great cup of coffee in the end, but chances are you lost interest long before the barista ever cleared customs in Brazil. 
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Where was I going with this?  Oh, yes, so Rosemary was like that cup of coffee.  Exquisite in every way, but most people had long since forgotten about the Glassbolt Meltdown that occurred during halftime of the Superbowl years and years and years ago. Fortunately for those who now lived in the area that was formerly known as Glassbolt, a few people at the WPC still remembered and they were determined to send Rosemary there and hopefully she would have maxed both Cooking and Gourmet Cooking skills. 

That seems like a lot to ask of a kid, doesn’t it?
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Well, lo and behold, Rosemary did max both her Cooking and Gourmet Cooking skills (as well as a dozen others) all before her Young Adult birthday.  And the most amazing thing was, that when she was finally told about the WPC and the city formerly known as Glassbolt, she didn’t laugh, or run, or run away laughing.     
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She actually felt that it was her destiny to leave her comfortable life in Willow Creek, travel to the town that was now called What Cheer, and enter the Culinary Career.
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And as she steadily worked her way up in her career, Rosemary fell in love…
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Got married…
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And gave birth to two beautiful girls.
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Of course, even though she was busy raising a family, she still reached the top of her career before her Adult birthday.  In doing so, Rosemary earned the right to purchase a stove and a fridge.  And everyone could now cook meals other than grilled fish.  It didn’t matter that the fridge and stove were the lowest quality, everything Rosemary made came out excellent.   
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The first thing Rosemary cooked was a cake for her husband and his twin sister on their birthday. 
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And then she made strawberry pancakes for her girls’ first day of school.
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And just in case you were thinking that Rosemary sounds too perfect, and therefore unrelatable, let me tell you a little secret. She is a huge fan of the genre known as ‘B-movies’.  Really bad horror flicks like Sims of the Dead and Moonlight Massacre III are her favorite.  The cornier the better. 
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Rosemary, the town of What Cheer will forever be in your debt.
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[oshizu]

What a great backstory for Rosemary--I was beginning to think Rosemary originally came from Brasil, não é?
Her daughters look so delighted, sitting there with their strawberry pancakes!
Loved that last shot of her and Ernest watching one of her horror flicks. Ernest's thumbs-down critique is hilarious.
Excellent work, Rosemary and her Watcher, reaching the top of the Cook career during the YA stage!

I like how you are introducing your characters and their career unlocks on the basis of your story, rather than the chronological point when they lifted a career restriction.
And I'm obviously really looking forward to reading the story of Ernest, the chronicler.

[Shewolf13]

Aww, love Rosemary and Ernest ^^ I love the analogy of the coffee; that was brilliant lol

[commasplice]

The coffee thing was brill. I loved her love of horror films!

[BallerinaHippo]

What a great backstory for Rosemary--I was beginning to think Rosemary originally came from Brasil, não é?
Her daughters look so delighted, sitting there with their strawberry pancakes!
Loved that last shot of her and Ernest watching one of her horror flicks. Ernest's thumbs-down critique is hilarious.
Excellent work, Rosemary and her Watcher, reaching the top of the Cook career during the YA stage!
I like how you are introducing your characters and their career unlocks on the basis of your story, rather than the chronological point when they lifted a career restriction.
And I'm obviously really looking forward to reading the story of Ernest, the chronicler.

I remembered after I wrote the coffee bit that Rosemary had been a barista as a teen.  I searched my screenshots, and luckily I had one of her in uniform.
I'm glad the order of the stories makes sense.  I thought about doing them in order of career unlock, but that would put Rosemary ahead of both Ernest and Grace which might have been confusing.  So I decided on sisters, then Rosemary, then Ernest.  Gen 3 will go back to a more familiar format, but I've enjoyed doing something different for this generation.
Ernest is next...he can't put it off any longer!

Aww, love Rosemary and Ernest ^^ I love the analogy of the coffee; that was brilliant lol

Thanks!  Full disclosure: I am NOT a coffee drinker.  Haha.  I had to google "how is coffee made?"  If there are errors in the process I wrote out, it's google's fault.   

The coffee thing was brill. I loved her love of horror films!

Thanks!  See disclaimer above about coffee.      Also, I thought it was funny that Rosemary loved the movie, and Ernest clearly did not.   

[BallerinaHippo]

The Story of Ernest


I’ve put it off for as long as I can, but now I guess I have to tell my own story.
 
I am the third of my parent’s four children and the only boy.
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I’m also the only one who did NOT aspire to be a Social Butterfly.  I wanted to be a Whiz Kid instead.
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I earned good grades in school, but I was definitely not popular like my sisters.  I’m naturally clumsy, for one thing.  And I was a little pudgy in grade school which made me self-conscious.
 
My mom helped me out a lot with both of those things.  She mentored me in fitness, and she taught me how to laugh at my clumsiness.  She’s clumsy, too, so she understood.  It still hurts when you slam your face against the treadmill, though.
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Eventually, I discovered that I didn’t need to be witty or funny or tell outrageous stories in order to make friends.  It seems that I am a really great listener so all I have to do is get people talking about themselves.   
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And I really enjoy it.  That’s why I became a journalist.  I believe everyone has a story to tell, and I love uncovering them. 
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I’m really lucky that I had my dad to mentor me in writing.  To be honest, I never really understood his hand signals, but he was still a great teacher. 
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Eventually I became the Editor-in-Chief of the What Cheer Chronicle.  Not long after that, some of my stories were featured in National publications.  That, in turn, led to me being named the Scribe of History.  It was such an honor.
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Reaching the pinnacle of the Journalism career allowed us to obtain showers and tubs.  Also, couples could now woohoo without trying for a baby and women could take pregnancy tests. Anyway, I can’t tell you how awesome it felt to take a bath for the first time ever.
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 Gaining a wider audience for my work led to some amazing opportunities.  For example, I was able to obtain an interview with the Grim Reaper.
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Of course, he wanted to meet Rosemary.  Her story is his favorite.   
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As you’ve no doubt figured out from the previous two chapters, Rosemary is my wife.
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And I am the father of two beautiful girls.
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All things considered, I’ve led a pretty charmed life.
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[oshizu]

Imaginative use of Ernest's journalist career to mold your portrayal of the second generation.
It must have been so difficult to keep your images sorted for each sim's story as you played through your careers.
But your efforts were well worth it because the chronicles turned out wonderful!
Gratz on all the career unlocks! One never truly appreciates the Journalism career until playing an Apocalypse Challenge!

[Tynynounours]

Congrats on every achievement.

I like Ernest's caring side showing up even through his story. It's like he doesn't dare be his own topic, but it seems to make him a great journalist.

[Caterina]

I have been lurking around on the forum for about a week now.  I have been reading stories and trying to find inspiration for my first project back, after a year away, into the world of sims.  The apocalypse challenge is by far my favorite.  You seem to be a natural at it.  The bunker is great, I like the idea of spending as much money as you can so the mob doesn't get as much, and your format for telling your/their story is perfection.  All that being said, I am left feeling a bit sad.  Unless I missed something or my math is off, you have already reached the point in your story where one or more of your sims have passed.  R.I.P.   I look forward to reading more.

[BallerinaHippo]

Imaginative use of Ernest's journalist career to mold your portrayal of the second generation.
It must have been so difficult to keep your images sorted for each sim's story as you played through your careers.
But your efforts were well worth it because the chronicles turned out wonderful!
Gratz on all the career unlocks! One never truly appreciates the Journalism career until playing an Apocalypse Challenge!

It's true, the hardest part about writing Gen 2 this way was sorting through pictures.  Mostly, I was trying to make sure that I didn't use the same picture twice.  And I agree completely about having a new appreciation for the Journalism career, especially with toddlers in the house.

Congrats on every achievement.
I like Ernest's caring side showing up even through his story. It's like he doesn't dare be his own topic, but it seems to make him a great journalist.

Thanks!  I'm glad you like Ernest.  I think a lot of writers are that way and don't want to be their own topic.   

I have been lurking around on the forum for about a week now.  I have been reading stories and trying to find inspiration for my first project back, after a year away, into the world of sims.  The apocalypse challenge is by far my favorite.  You seem to be a natural at it.  The bunker is great, I like the idea of spending as much money as you can so the mob doesn't get as much, and your format for telling your/their story is perfection.  All that being said, I am left feeling a bit sad.  Unless I missed something or my math is off, you have already reached the point in your story where one or more of your sims have passed.  R.I.P.   I look forward to reading more.

Welcome back!  I only discovered the forum earlier this year, and it's been a great source of information, inspiration, and support.  And yes, you are correct.  At this point we have lost Liam and will soon lose Jasmin.  Losing the Founder is always the hardest part of any challenge for me.  I have to admit that one of the advantages to doing Gen 2 this way was that I could avoid writing about Liam's death.  That's really wimpy of me, I know.  Good luck with whatever challenge you decide to tackle.  Will you be writing a story, too?

[BallerinaHippo]

A note from Ernest:  I have now finished documenting the stories of Generation 2.  However, I feel that I cannot put down my pen until I have properly introduced you to Generation 3.  Therefore, my final chapter will cover the childhood of my darling daughters.  I will then hand over the reins to whichever of them chooses to accept the task. 


Rosemary’s Babies: The Childhood of Liberty and Joy

I will never forget the day I found out that I was going to be a father. 
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My lovely wife was such a trooper.  She never complained even though she suffered from nausea throughout most of the pregnancy.
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Finally, the big day arrived, and we got to meet our beautiful baby girls.
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We chose to continue the tradition started by my parents and gave the girls virtue names.  On the right is Liberty, our firstborn.  On the left is Joy.
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The girls never suffered from a lack of attention.  They entered a household that included three loving aunts, a doting grandmother, and their adoring parents. 
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When the girls became toddlers, we discovered that they both inherited the Murray red hair.  That’s Liberty with me, and Joy with her mother.
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Liberty was our Wild Child.  Her sister was more thoughtful and inquisitive.
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In many ways, their early years resembled those of any other child.  However, growing up in What Cheer did present some challenges.  For one thing, the layout of the bunker necessitated numerous stairs. Five sets of them, in fact.
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And the lack of bathtubs meant that the girls became increasingly grubby.  If only I could have reached the top of my career while the girls were still toddlers!
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Even so, Liberty and Joy not only survived, they flourished.

The personalities we observed in the girls as toddlers became even more evident as they got older.  Our wild Liberty blossomed into an Active child who wanted to be a Rambunctious Scamp.
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Inquisitive Joy grew up to be a Genius who naturally desired to be a Whiz Kid. 
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Both girls continued to benefit from a house full of mentors.  They each easily completed their childhood aspiration.
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We cannot yet switch aspirations, even once completed. Thus, Liberty and Joy had plenty of time to just be kids.
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Then, my baby girls became teenage girls complete with all the facial expressions.  Thank the Watcher for their mother and three Aunts! 
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[BallerinaHippo]

Accepting Responsibility

Okay...so...umm...where do I start?     

Well...let’s see...the other day Dad said he wanted to have a talk with my sister and me. 

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No, not the woohoo talk, thank the Watcher!  Just a talk about our family and our future and our responsibilities.  Stuff like that.  He told us a lot about our family history and my Grandpa Liam, in particular.  And he described the restrictions that had been placed on Glassbolt What Cheer a long time ago when the nuclear meltdown occurred.
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Most of it I had already heard before.  He said that each of us would need to reach the top of a career in order to lift one of the restrictions (knew that).  Then he said that only one of us could move in a spouse and have children (did NOT know that).  That person would be the unofficial Murray heir.  Unofficial because we are not a legacy or dynasty family with strict succession laws.  The only requirements of being the “heir” are to have kids and record our family history.
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Well…as you can imagine, I could think of little else for several days. I had always kind of assumed that my three aunts had simply never wanted to get married.  It never occurred to me that they couldn’t get married.
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What if my twin sister and I both wanted to be the heir?  What if neither of us did?  Would I be a good heir?  Would I make a better spare?  Dad said it was okay to just wait and see, but that didn’t feel right either.  Finally, I talked it over with my sister, and whew…what a relief!  She and I were in total agreement.  She felt strongly pulled in one direction, and I felt equally drawn the other way.  Together we made a plan to be carried out on our young adult birthday.
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We sat on either side of our birthday cake.  Sis blew out the candles first and chose Unflirty as her third and final trait.  Then it was my turn, and I chose Family Oriented. 
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Now, the only thing left to do was tell Dad.
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And that’s how I, Joy Murray, became the unofficial heir.  Now it’s up to me to carry on the family name and document our family history along the way.  Oh, what have I gotten myself into?
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[commasplice]

That image of her aunts is everything.

[oshizu]

Oh! I had entirely forgotten the age difference between Ernest and his sisters were that much older than he was!
How do some challenges manage to make us feel that an eight-sim household just isn't big enough!?

Good luck, Joy and Liberty, with your generation!
Such lovely sims!

[BallerinaHippo]

That image of her aunts is everything.

Aww!  Thanks for the sweet comment. 

Oh! I had entirely forgotten the age difference between Ernest and his sisters were that much older than he was!
How do some challenges manage to make us feel that an eight-sim household just isn't big enough!?

Good luck, Joy and Liberty, with your generation!
Such lovely sims!

Your memory is just fine.  Actually, Ernest and Grace are twins.  The picture of the three aunts all as elders is just slightly out of order, but it's the only one I had of all three sisters together.  At this point in the story, Ernest and Grace are maybe 2 days away from elder.  Faith and Hope are probably halfway through elderhood.
There are definitely times I wish I could have more than 8 sims in a house, but it's probably best for my sanity that we can't!