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

[BallerinaHippo]

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

As soon as I agreed to take on the responsibilities of the heir, my dad became obsessed with helping me find a suitable husband.  Yeah, it was every bit as awkward as it sounds.  I know his heart was in the right place, and he is really good at interviewing people, but still!  The first guy we talked to was a former sweater boy.
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We learned that he is squeamish and hates kids.  Really, Dad?
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Oh, have I mentioned that we still have sweater boys?  Here’s a little collage I put together of the sweater boys from my generation.
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Mr. Hates Children is the one in red.

So then Dad talked to our mail carrier.  Dad found out that he loves the outdoors.  That's fine, but he's also both evil and mean.
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Then my aunts tried to help and even convinced Mom to get in on the act.  They found out that this guy is mean, a slob, and a loner.  Sheesh!
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Finally, Mom said that everyone should just back off and give it a break for a while.  She suggested I concentrate on other things because love has a way of finding you when you least expect it. 

Easy for her to say. 
 
I joined the Tech Guru career which means that playing Blicblock is actually one of my job requirements.
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I have to admit it’s a welcome relief from spouse hunting.

Lib and I found the skill books Grandpa Liam wrote, and we’ve been spending our spare time studying things like handiness and gourmet cooking, just for fun.
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Lib joined the Athlete career so working out is her daily task.  She loves it. 
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She’s been getting promoted super-fast, too.  Lib regularly leaves for work in one uniform and comes home in another.
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Mom told Dad he wasn’t allowed to interview any more spousal candidates so he’s been passing the time fishing with his old buddy, Grim.
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I’ve been trying to heed Mom’s advice and not dwell on my love life- or lack thereof- but it’s hard.  Sometimes, after a long day of work, the pressure really gets to me. 
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I even started thinking that maybe I was being too picky.  Maybe I should just settle for one of the sweater boys from my youth.  Not the one who hates kids, of course, but perhaps I should see how the rest of them turned out. 

And then a fire broke out in our basement. 
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Mom was making some kind of fancy drink, and something went wrong and the whole bar went up in flames.  And Dad was on it.  I mean, Mom says she hadn’t even caught all the bottles she was tossing in the air and Dad was already there with the fire extinguisher.
 
What is the point of this story, you ask?  Well, it made me realize that when it comes to finding a life partner, I don’t want to settle.  I want a guy like my dad who will drop everything to save his wife and his family.  I don’t literally mean that he has to put out fires.  I can handle a fire extinguisher myself if I have to.  I just mean that he’s got to put family first, you know?
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My parents have this great relationship, and it makes me realize I don’t want to settle for anything less.  No matter how long I have to wait.   

Rosemary's private phone conversation:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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Yeah…so do you think you could look around for me?
…mischief would be great, but no one mean….
Yeah, tell me about it…
…ooh…that could work…
…no, that’s okay, I trust you… 
Send him over…it’s worth a shot.

[commasplice]

As a fellow challenge player, I feel your pain when it comes to finding a partner for your heir with halfway decent traits! I love how you wrote up the story!

[oshizu]

Can't wait to see who Rosemary is having "sent over."   Dun dun dun dun dun....

[Tynynounours]

The return of sweater boys make me laugh.

Lot of people are mean nowadays in What-Cheer, despite the gradual improvement your family made. I guess it's from sleeping on those hard mattresses.

[BallerinaHippo]

As a fellow challenge player, I feel your pain when it comes to finding a partner for your heir with halfway decent traits! I love how you wrote up the story!

I'm glad we can commiserate about finding suitable spousal candidates.  It always amazes me to see just how many mean, evil, a child-hating sims the game creates.  Thanks for reading!

Can't wait to see who Rosemary is having "sent over."   Dun dun dun dun dun....

Since the game wasn't cooperating, Rosemary had to pull some strings...

The return of sweater boys make me laugh.
Lot of people are mean nowadays in What-Cheer, despite the gradual improvement your family made. I guess it's from sleeping on those hard mattresses.

I know, right?  This family has done so much for What Cheer!  How can the residents be mean? 
The sweater boys make me laugh, too.  This particular save file is obsessed with that sweater. 

[BallerinaHippo]

The Man in Black

Have I mentioned lately that my mother is always right?  It’s true.  As soon as I stopped looking so hard, this guy showed up on our doorstep.
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His name is Cosmo.  He’s a friend of a friend of mom’s, and he’s new in town.  Mom suggested that I take him for a tour of the neighborhood.
 
At first I was nervous because it seemed like such an obvious set-up, but Cosmo didn’t seem to notice.  He was really easy to talk to, and he asked a lot of questions about What Cheer and its history.  We walked all around the neighborhood (several times) and finally sat down on a bench by the playground.   We must have talked for hours. 
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At one point, he shyly slipped his arm around my shoulders, and I think I might have forgotten to breathe.
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Eventually, I remembered my manners and invited him home for dinner.  Cosmo offered to cook and made us grilled cheese sandwiches.
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It was delicious.  The grilled cheese, I mean.  Why am I wearing my bathrobe?  No comment. 
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After dinner, Cosmo did the dishes and cleaned the stove.  I asked him to move in.
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I’m serious.  I asked him to move in, and he said yes.

Then he kissed me, and he was so sweet and shy about it.   
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I know there are those (like my sister) who will think that Cosmo and I are moving way too fast.  But I’ve seen what’s out there, and I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. 

My family’s opinion is important to me, though.  I talked to Mom first.  Her response was to start working on Cosmo’s portrait for the family gallery.  So that’s one vote in Cosmo’s favor.  Thanks, Mom!
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Dad had a few more questions- for Cosmo, not me.  The two of them had a private discussion in the bathroom.  It must have gone well because Dad gave us his blessing, too.
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Lib took a little longer to come around.  Eventually, she and Cosmo bonded over their shared interest in exercise and physical fitness.  Now, they work out together all the time and trade fitness tips.
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Of course, Cosmo got a job as soon as he joined our household.  He was hired as a Felonious Monk, and I’m told he’s very good at it. 
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That’s not the only thing he’s very good at. *wink, wink* 
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You know I just say things like that to shock my Unflirty sister.

Anyway, I’m going to end this by saying Happy Birthday to both my parents and Auntie Grace.  Did you know that Mom used to be four days older than Dad and Aunt Grace?  Now they are all exactly the same age because of Mom’s pregnancy with Liberty and me.  They had their birthday a few days ago, but none of them would let me take a picture of them spinning into elderhood so this picture will have to do. 
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[oshizu]

Cosmos cooks and cleans and has various "talents." Rosemary's bathrobe matches his everyday T-shirt.
And they also have chemistry.
I believe this is a match made in heaven. Thanks, Mother!

Edited to add: I meant to say that Joy's bathrobe matches Cosmo's everyday T-shirt...Joy the daughter, not Rosemary her mother. Sheesh!

[BallerinaHippo]

Cosmos cooks and cleans and has various "talents." Rosemary's bathrobe matches his everyday T-shirt.
And they also have chemistry.
I believe this is a match made in heaven. Thanks, Mother!

Well, Rosemary had to pass through My Library on the way to What Cheer so she knew where to look.   
Thank goodness Liam cleared The Oracle first.  It's been even more useful than I anticipated!

[BallerinaHippo]

The Ups and Downs of a Single Day

One morning Cosmo asked me to meet him in the little park next to our house before work.  I can’t say no to that man so I skipped breakfast and walked over.  Cosmo was already there waiting for me.
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He said he had something important to ask me that just couldn’t wait.  And then he did this:
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He even arranged for my whole family to be there to witness the proposal.  Isn’t that sweet?  See my sister in the background looking shocked?

Of course I said yes.
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And because he knew I still needed to go to work, Cosmo then discussed Cognitive Focusing Methods with me.  He thinks of everything!
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When I left, everyone was still congratulating Cosmo and having a great time.  My parents were so happy.
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But when I returned home from work, everything had changed. 

Apparently, while everyone else was still celebrating in the park, Aunt Faith went back to the house because she wasn’t feeling well.  Grim met her there and took her away.
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It was only when Aunt Hope collapsed in the park that everyone realized that Aunt Faith must already be gone.  It was terrible.
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They were such great ladies.  I can’t believe they are gone.
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Mom and Aunt Grace spent the whole day taking turns consoling each other.
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Cosmo and I talked it over and we decided to say our marriage vows right away, but privately.   We didn’t want to be disrespectful of my Aunts’ deaths or the sadness that everyone was feeling.  On the contrary, the day’s events made us realize how precious and short life is, and we felt that strengthening our commitment to each other was the best thing to do.  We went up to the rooftop just like my parents and grandparents had done before us. 
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It was bittersweet, but somehow perfect for the circumstances.

[BallerinaHippo]

He’s not Mean

Can I just go on record as saying that married life is the best? 
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Cosmo and I moved into the master bedroom downstairs.  It’s not like we kicked my parents out or anything.  They have always shared the smaller bedroom, the one that used to be the guest room. 

Anyway, one morning I woke up feeling nauseous so I took a pregnancy test.  Incidentally, I’m the first one in the family to ever be able to take a pregnancy test.  It was positive.
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I couldn’t wait to share the news with Cosmo. 
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He was just as excited as I was.
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You know, it’s funny because everyone outside of my family always assumes that Cosmo is mean, or evil, or both.
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But he’s not.  He’s a Goofball who also happens to be a Genius and Family-Oriented.
 
I guess it’s true that he often has to be strict with people as part of his job.  You can’t be a member of the Mob and be weak.
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The only reason he joined the criminal career was to help our family.  He hates it that the Mob takes all of our money every Monday and prevents us from accumulating any wealth.  He wants to become The Boss and end that practice once and for all.  And he says that being a member of the Mob is the best way to protect us right now.  When he talks like that it makes me weak in the knees. 
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And besides, Lib yells at people all the time as part of her job and no one says that she’s mean. 
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Look at her!  She’s giving the stink eye to our elderly Aunt Grace.
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But no one accuses Lib of being mean. They just say that she’s such a great personal trainer. 

To be fair, she is a great personal trainer.  And she’s sort of patient with me, probably because I’m so awful at running.
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Fortunately, being pregnant earned me a little break from exercising.  I was so tired, in fact, I often had to take naps just to get through the day.  It didn’t help that I also got sick.
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I had more energy by my second trimester.  Cosmo loved to feel the baby kick. 
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Mom thought she could feel two in there.  Well, we are on a ley line, after all. 
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Mom gave me some good advice.  She said the best way to get through labor was to be asleep. 
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When it came time to push, I had an audience.
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Mom was right.  I had twins.  Patience was born first, followed by her brother Courage a few minutes later.
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The grandparents could hardly wait to hold them.
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[oshizu]

Rest in peace, Faith and Hope!
Wow, while I was checking on the name of the bride, a whole new update snuck in here!
Joy and Cosmos make a wonderful couple. I love the way they look at each other! Congratulations on your engagement and marriage!
It seems like Joy had a rough pregnancy but...Oohhh, twins! I'm so envious! Girl/boy twins seems so rare!

Welcome to the world, Patience and Courage!
I'm really looking forward to watching this family grow and prosper!

P.S. I loved seeing the youthful portraits of Liam and Jasmin! As your house grows, do you plan to display the portraits together so you can walk us back through them again?
      I'm getting ahead of myself (yourself?), I know, but seeing their portraits was such a delightful surprise!

[commasplice]

Two updates at once! So good!

[BallerinaHippo]

Rest in peace, Faith and Hope!
Wow, while I was checking on the name of the bride, a whole new update snuck in here!
Joy and Cosmos make a wonderful couple. I love the way they look at each other! Congratulations on your engagement and marriage!
It seems like Joy had a rough pregnancy but...Oohhh, twins! I'm so envious! Girl/boy twins seems so rare!
Welcome to the world, Patience and Courage!
I'm really looking forward to watching this family grow and prosper!
P.S. I loved seeing the youthful portraits of Liam and Jasmin! As your house grows, do you plan to display the portraits together so you can walk us back through them again?
      I'm getting ahead of myself (yourself?), I know, but seeing their portraits was such a delightful surprise!

The problem with narrating in first person is that the narrator usually doesn't have a chance to say their own name!  To help with that, I'm going to post a part of the family tree both here and on the front page.  I don't want to spoil anything from the next generation, though, so I cut it off at gen3.
I've been lucky with twins in this challenge, and I've actually had two sets of boy/girl twins.   Except for Jasmin's first pregnancy when she ate a few wild strawberries, my pregnant sims have not done anything that would influence gender.  I wonder if that makes a difference in getting boy/girl twins?  The combination that I haven't had yet in this challenge is boy/boy.  Go figure!
I'm glad you liked seeing Jasmin and Liam's portraits.  I'll definitely make some kind of gallery at some point.  Right now, Liam and Jasmin's are in the main living area and all the rest are in the basement.  Once I can expand beyond 8x8, I'll figure out what to do with them.

Two updates at once! So good!

Thanks!  I got a little ahead in game play so I've got a few updates pending.

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[BallerinaHippo]

Life Goes On

I knew this day was coming, but it’s the kind of thing that one can never be truly prepared for. 

I was downstairs taking care of my babies when I heard the ominous music above me.
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I put Patience in her crib and turned toward the stairs.  I wanted to run and hide, but I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other.  One foot in front of the other.  All the way up the stairs.
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The scene that greeted me was every bit as awful as I had imagined.  I will spare you the details, but this is what it looked like after.  All three of them—Mom, Dad, and Aunt Grace-- gone within minutes of one another.
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 Grim—who is an old friend of Dad’s—was as courteous as he could be under the circumstances.  He kept a respectful distance and turned so I would not have to look at him.


I’m not very good at writing about my grief so I hope you will forgive me for jumping ahead a bit. 

We soon received birthday notices for Patience and Courage.  As you can see, Courage got the Murray red hair while Patience has her father’s dark locks.
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Cosmo and I found ourselves on opposite schedules at work.  He was home with the kids during the day and worked nights.
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And I worked during the day and was home at night.
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The downside to this arrangement was that Cosmo and I didn’t see each other as much as we’d like.  Obviously, we had some time together because this happened again. 
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Lib helped out as much as she could.
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Unfortunately, Cosmo could not be there for my labor and delivery this time around.  He had just received a promotion to Getaway Driver, and he had to work that night.  It was okay because I had Lib there with me.
 
Around 10:15pm on a Saturday evening, these two beauties entered the world.
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Yes, twins again.  That’s Honor on the left and Miracle on the right.
 
By the way, it’s a really good thing that Cosmo went to work that night because he came home with another promotion after only one shift as a Getaway Driver!  He worked hard, got a really good chance card, and had the mood burst from the twins being born.  All of that combined helped him advance to Safe Cracker in record time.
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And that’s not even the best part!  The work assignment for Safe Cracker is “Upgrade Objects.”  That means Cosmo can upgrade our low-quality plumbing even though the Interstellar Smuggler career has not been cleared. 
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Just when I think this man can’t get any more perfect, he goes and proves me wrong.

Meanwhile, Lib helped whip me into shape after my back-to-back pregnancies.
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And she’s making quite a name for herself as a professional bodybuilder.  I don’t know how Lib manages to make that work outfit look good, but she does. 
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Then, in the blink of an eye, it was time for Honor and Miracle to become toddlers.  The nooboo stage just goes by so fast!  I aged-up Honor first while Cosmo got one more cuddle in with Miracle.
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And here are my two youngest love-bugs fresh from their makeovers.  That’s Honor on the left and Miracle on the right. 
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As you can see in the background, their older siblings are still toddlers as well.  You can find out how Cosmo and I handled four toddlers at once in my next update.

[oshizu]

Oh, so many deaths lately, it seems! I'm such a wuss about family members dying.
(I might have prioritized the Diamond Agent unlock so family members could move out and live forever...)
All four toddlers are so beautiful and their names, of course, are great.

I'm glad, after all, that Courage inherited the red hair.
Not that red hair must necessarily be passed on from the founder, but it's still a nice touch and the visual variety is nice.
Four toddlers at once, huh? I see you are getting mighty serious about tackling all the career unlocks!

YES! I'm very much looking forward to reading about Joy and Cosmos raising their four toddlers as well as celebrating the first twins' birthdays!