Tiny Rivals (updated, Feb 5)

[PeregrineTook]

I almost joined Team Damian when I thought he was going to choose Lilith, but then he went with Angela.  Of course, Angela proved the life saver that kept your second dynasty household in the running, so I guess he chose well after all  ;=)  (Though I still favor Lilith, but don't tell Angela that)

[reggikko]

That was close! Good job, Angela (though I also favor Lilith).

[oshizu]

I googled the Pleasant sisters since I'll only be installing Discover University later tonight.
Comparing their traits, I can see why Damian would pick Angela but also understand why Pippin & reggikko prefer Lilith.
Regardless, I'm glad Damian managed--with Angela's pleas--to survive the Murphy Bed.

[MarianT]

@PeregrineTook. @reggikko, @oshizu, originally I was going to have him go for Lilith, and Damian asked her to move in with him. But when the screen came up, I realized that I could move in Angela instead. If I hadn't been playing in a tiny house, I might have moved in both. Anyway, Lilith prefers her freedom, I think. She still keeps in touch.

[reggikko]

Angela’s traits are easier to work with, for sure. I didn’t really play Pleasantview back in TS2, but I always felt kind of bad for Lilith with all of her “grew up badly” memories. What were Daniel and Mary Sue doing that their daughter had such a terrible childhood? Well, we know what Daniel was doing! 

[MarianT]

Angela’s traits are easier to work with, for sure. I didn’t really play Pleasantview back in TS2, but I always felt kind of bad for Lilith with all of her “grew up badly” memories. What were Daniel and Mary Sue doing that their daughter had such a terrible childhood? Well, we know what Daniel was doing! 

As well as who. I played them at the beginning once. Poor Mary Sue with the therapist visiting.

[MarianT]

Milo Klaatu 1

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At school, he had always been called Frogface. So when he saw the ad from the SIA (Sixam Intelligence Agency) for Sixamites willing to colonize Newcrest, and especially the line, Must be willing to assume disguise, Milo Klaatu couldn't sign up fast enough. The SIA gave him an all-purpose translator and some tips on how to blend in.

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Beige and brown were considered to be non-threatening colors, so that was how Milo decorated his home. He originally had a Murphy bed, but an urgent warning from the SIA caused him to change over to something less dangerous.

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The bookshelf he chose seemed to him to be friendly and unthreatening. And if anyone noticed his selfie on the bottom shelf, he could always say that it was an imaginative work.

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Increasing handiness would help him make his bed more comfortable, and he could also sell the items he crafted. The rocketship kit he would need was very expensive.

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But the most important thing he could do was to find a mate. There were other colonists on the planet, other Sixamites in disguise, and it was up to him to find one and marry her. "Real skin hair color same yes?" he asked Yuki Behr.
"I have no idea what you just said," Yuki responded. "But I'm going to get up and walk away and I strongly advise you not to follow me."

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Well, everyone knew that the teal Sixamites were pretty snobbish. Milo decided to try again.
"Real skin hair color same yes?"
"Honey, that's the weirdest pick-up line I've ever heard," said Minerva Charm. "And I might add that I'm old enough to be your grandmother."

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The next day was Wonder Day. "Milo! Bro!" the Flower Bunny greeted him. It turned out he was an old friend from school. "Colonist Newcrest yes?" Milo asked him. "No, I'm Undercover," said the Flower Bunny. "I'm here for the day only -- lots of households to visit, or I'd stay and chat. Make sure you stabilize the landing gear of your rocket ship before you try to launch it," he advised.

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Because Monday had been a holiday, Milo had to wait until the next day to start work. He started with learning how to use the analysis machine.

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Next, he became acquainted with the Invention Constructor. "Enjoy inventions make?" he asked.
"Wow, that was some awful translator they gave you," said the Constructor. "Hand it over and let me look at it." A few minutes later, it handed the device back. "Someone had coded it for the syntax of Latin, where word order didn't matter. Try it now."
"Do you enjoy making inventions?" asked Milo.
"Love it," said the Constructor. "You and I are going to make some beauties together."

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Milo had a little time left after finishing his tasks so he tried a game of Sim Scuffle. No wonder people had such a negative opinion of aliens if they were associated with meteor bombs, he thought. Perhaps he would write a letter to the company.

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It was Aliens' Night at the bar, and Milo thought it would be a good opportunity to meet his future mate. Unfortunately, the only alien he spotted was a young woman he'd known at school, Melisa Louis. She was showing off her levitating ability, in flagrant disregard for the guidelines given the colonists about not showing off talents that the natives failed to possess. Worse yet, levitating was a skill that Milo had never mastered.

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"I'd like to say that it's good to see you again, Frogface," Melisa said as they neebed, "but that wouldn't be true. And don't even try to persuade me to have your baby. I'm not interested."
Dejected, Milo went home. Despite what Melisa had said, there were ways to persuade her. She was a bro, after all, which meant they might become friends. But she was also mean and unflirty -- not someone he wanted to begin a dynasty with.

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Sadly, he consulted the guidelines he'd been given. To his relief he found that although he could not actually set up a club of aliens, he could use the club formation device to screen the people he'd met for known aliens. Neither Yuki Behr nor any of the women he'd met at work turned out to be aliens, but a woman that he'd chatted with at the bar while waiting for someone eligible to show up was one.

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"I had no idea," he said when they neebed.
"Me neither," said Clara Hollingsworth. "Here I was thinking that it was a pity that the cute guy with the gorgeous hair was just a human."

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"Let me give you my contact information," said Milo. He kissed his phone before sending the data. Clara kissed it in return, completing the first step in Sixamite courtship.

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Next, they lay on the grass and contemplated their home planet. "Do you want to go back?" Milo asked her. "For a visit, maybe," she said, "but I like it here. It just gets kind of lonely sometimes."

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Milo knew a cure for that, and Clara moved in with him, bringing her easel. She was creative and loved to paint.

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She made a drawing commemorating their first date, which they hung above the bed.

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Before long, Clara was pregnant.

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Milo proposed, and they got married.

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Clara took a job as a freelance painter so that she could stay home and look after the baby.

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And Milo bought a do-it-yourself rocketship and began putting it together on the weekend.

[PeregrineTook]

I have a favorite!  Go Team Clara!!!  She's lovely!!  And conveniently just happened to be an alien.  Too perfect!
Rather enjoyed how aggressively Melisa blew him off, though.  She might have been a fun option, but Clara is perfection, so definitely went with the right choice  :=)

[MarianT]

If you look at the selfies in the Stats section, you might notice that Clara has the same face as Angela (and Lilith), just a slightly different skin color and eye color.

[oshizu]

If you look at the selfies in the Stats section, you might notice that Clara has the same face as Angela (and Lilith), just a slightly different skin color and eye color.

I'd just looked at the Stats section, but hadn't noticed the similarity between the Pleasant twins and Clara until you pointed it out (I was busy looking at traits).
What an absurd coincidence of similar faces!  But how lucky for Milo! Love what he did with that bookcase; I see he added a photo of Clara on top!

[MarianT]

Emily Dillard 2

From her journal:

Week Two

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If I don't get A's in both my subjects, it will be entirely the Watcher's fault. First of all, she "forgot" that I would have to wait a few days after applying to the University before I could enroll. This meant that my classes would start on Tuesday, and I would totally miss my final exam the following Monday. And I wouldn't get my grades until Monday afternoon. Second, she switched back to Diego and Isaac while I was in class on Tuesday, which meant that I was pulled out of class after about 10 minutes and didn't get any credit for it.
On the other hand, she did make sure that I attended three guest lectures, and she also nagged me into finishing my term paper and editing it when all I wanted to do was curl up with a good book that someone else had written.
My two classes were The Write Expectations and Pride and Prepositions.

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Anyway, Diego and I are very happy together, and I think he looks smashing in his work attire.

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He's a good father, too, cuddling little Isaac when he needs just a hug. I pretty much take care of feeding and diaper changing.

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Diego has taken up painting, partly because it's required for his next promotion.

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He claims that he finds the scenery of Newcrest "intriguing."

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He also painted my portrait. It's not worth much, and Diego thinks he'll try again for a masterpiece when he gets more skilled.

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Sometimes Diego uses the easel to work through his emotions. Was this really the way he felt about living here? I had to ask. He told me that he loves me and Isaac, but yes, the tininess of our house did bother him, especially since we have the money to add on to it.

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When Isaac became a toddler, we did add a patio for his toys and our dining table. I made the discovery that if you enclosed an outside space, that space was added to your footprint, but if you left it unfenced a little, it didn't count.

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Isaac has grown up to have his father's blond hair and gray eyes. I think he's going to look just like him, which means he'll be gorgeous.

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He did inherit my near-sightedness and somewhat curly hair, though. He's independent, so I have to make sure that he decides what he'll have for lunch -- from a range of toddler-appropriate options, of course.

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Isaac is also very bright and has become a topnotch toddler with surprising celerity.

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I had time for only one more cuddle before he aged up to a child.

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Isaac has to complete the Whiz Kid aspiration, but before he does that, he's working on Rambunctious Scamp.

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We took a quick trip to the playground in Oasis Springs, where it was nice and warm. (It's been chilly and rainy all spring in Newcrest.)

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And that night Isaac discovered a monster under his bed. Sigh. The Watcher forgot to put a night light on the wall above his bed.

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Aside from Isaac's toddlerhood and my first two classes, life has been fairly uneventful, but the gremlins did strike one night. The good thing about their visits is that they help me develop handiness, which means I'll soon be able to upgrade our bed. I also discovered that if I research handiness at the library in Britechester, I not only pick up skill in research and debate but in handiness as well, which is good to know.

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Finally, my friend Minerva dropped in, literally, one afternoon. Diego doesn't like her and is afraid she'll put some kind of spell on him. I enjoy talking to her, though. She knows both Damian and Milo, so I can find out from her how they're doing. Sneaky, huh?
Until next time...

[PeregrineTook]

Wow, lots of good notes for playing in that update!  I'll need to send Tavi to do things in the library in Britechester to get extra progress on the Research and Debate skill!
The house burning painting and the commentary on the house was a ridiculously priceless moment!  I love when moments like that happen and create such good stuff for updates!!
Looking forward to more!  Particularly when you come back around to Clara  ;=)

[oshizu]

That painting of the angry sim setting fire to the house was hilarious!
I'm glad to hear handsome Isaac's toddler skilling was a breeze in the Tiny House, both for your sake and mine, hehe.
The timing to apply/enroll in university seems a bit tricky for founders.
At least Isaac will be able to apply for scholarships and schools as a teen, can't he?
I will be following the progress of Emily and heir heirs with much curiosity and eagerness.

[MarianT]

@PeregrineTook, @oshizu, Yes, Diego's painting was purely serendipitous. He has the hot-headed trait, and I had him do an angry painting, but I never expected it to be relevant.

I initially thought that doing R&D research on the computer in the library just got R&D skill, but if you let the Sim complete the action, that is, let the green line go all around the circle, they pick up some skill in the subject they were researching. But it isn't high-lighted in their skill list while they're doing it. (I hope that made sense.)

I've already put my advice for founders in the Rival Dynasties tips section. And yes, teen Sims can apply to university and get scholarships. To get a M-F week of classes, your Sim should enroll between 7pm on Friday and probably 7pm on Saturday, although I suppose earlier on Friday would be okay. 12:01 am on Sunday is too late, though. I had Diego enroll then, and his first class will be on Tuesday.

[MarianT]

Damian Headrick 2

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Damian still has trouble managing his broom.

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As a bookworm, though, he loves browsing through the library in the Magic Realm.

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And he can always get pointers from Simeon. "It's rare that you'll be attacked by more than one spellcaster at a time," Simeon told him, "but if you are, you need to know how to fight back-to-back with an ally."

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On the home front, Angela takes good care of Kennet.

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Finally the day arrives when he can become a toddler.

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And Kennet makes the disappointing discovery that meals from now on will consist of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

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Luckily, Damian's Scruberoo spell works great on high chairs.

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But he still has to give Kennet a scolding.

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Meanwhile, Damian continues to have problems with his curse of Unwarranted Hostility.

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The mail carrier goes after him...

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...and so does a passing alien.

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On Freedom Day, after Damian finishes his act of streaking...

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...he's attacked again.

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This time it's a fellow streaker, Diego Lobo. By now Damian has a bad reputation. People call him up, urging him to become nicer. He even hears from Angela's sister Lilith, who says that she is rethinking her decision to be friends. And Damian hasn't done anything to any of these people except beat them when they attack. It's possible, though, that his other curse, that of Infectious Laughter, annoys them because he does tend to break out in guffaws after winning.

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A visit to the Magic Realm provides him with a new tome, one for the Decursify spell. Damian is free at last from the random attacks, although he still wakes up in the middle of the night to laugh.

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After becoming potty trained and improving his movement and communication skills, Kennet is ready to leave toddlerhood behind.

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He finds a pirate ship to play upon and intends to become a Rambunctious Scamp.