Carr Immortal Dynasty (Completed)

[Chubling]

A twist! Go Nio! I love when the sims surprise you with their romances. It's always the most fun. Follow your heart Portia!

[Trip]

I'm screaming! A tiny bit. Nio refused the life of Alvis after all...I don't know if there's a Matrix-esque pill for that.

[starlives]

Oh that was a wonderful chapter, I'm such a silly romantic. I have always been a fan of Nio but I really thought he had let his chance of happiness with Portia slip by him. They make a perfect couple and will have a wonderful nooboo. Thank you for making my heart sing with your story telling.

[hazelnut]

Congrats to newly wed couple! Portia surprised me with her choice but it's a good one.

A twist! Go Nio! I love when the sims surprise you with their romances. It's always the most fun. Follow your heart Portia!

I'm screaming! A tiny bit. Nio refused the life of Alvis after all...I don't know if there's a Matrix-esque pill for that.

I like these unexpected twists as well.  I tend to plan challenge-type games in minute detail and it's fun when the game decides to throw a spanner in the works and forces a complete change to those plans.  Keeps it interesting.

So a typical sim and RL party 

Oh that was a wonderful chapter, I'm such a silly romantic. I have always been a fan of Nio but I really thought he had let his chance of happiness with Portia slip by him. They make a perfect couple and will have a wonderful nooboo. Thank you for making my heart sing with your story telling.

I'm glad you liked it.  It was by far the hardest chapter to write and took a ridiculously long time, considering what a short time it covered in the game.  It doesn't really fit with the rest if I'm honest but making it more of a story felt like the only way to deal with how events developed.

[Beks]

I just caught up on this story and it's truly wonderful. Your Carrs are a delight! And I'm SO happy Portia chose Nio. I secretly hoped it would happen all along (as quite a few of us did, it seems). I'm so excited for the rest of this dynasty and many more Lucky Palms sunsets.

[hazelnut]

Thanks.  I'm glad you're enjoying it  .


Spaghetti Junction

As soon as she'd changed out of her wedding finery, VW hurried down to her lab and cloned the next member of the household.

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Portia and Nio both fell head-over-heels in love with the baby and quickly decided they wanted one of their own.

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Portia saw no reason to stop making nectar just because she was pregnant.  Climbing in and out of the vat was a little awkward but the extra weight probably helped with the juice extraction.  Soon the cellar was completely filled and she had to start selling her earlier efforts to make room for the new bottles.

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Nio was always there to massage away the aches and pains at the end of a fruit-squishing session.

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(I've never seen a Sim give so many autonomous massages.  A truly devoted husband – although I'm not at all convinced Portia should have been lying face-down in her condition.  And what happened to the bump?  Magically absorbed into the massage table?)

Baby Robin had her first birthday and Minnie went back into toddler-training mode.

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Portia went into labour while gardening and Morgan made his entry into the world surrounded by life plants and money trees, which seems quite appropriate for a dynasty heir.

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Portia had avoided a midlife crisis when she'd aged up to adult but becoming a mother seemed to have much the same effect.  She wanted a change.  She sold off nearly half of the nectar in the cellar and maxed her career.  What now?  She'd received an honorary degree in recognition of her contributions to the art and science of nectar making – could she apply her skills to a different field?  She remembered her childhood love of baking.  Nectar was at its best as a complement to food.  Minnie was the best cook in the house but tended to make her own favourite food, spaghetti, as often as she could.  Portia yearned for something classier.   Lobster thermidor.  Foreign food, maybe.  She chatted to Austin about his travels and found that he'd brought back recipes from everywhere he'd visited.  Some were well beyond her abilities at the moment – but she could do something about that.  She took to cooking the recipes she could manage while listening to tabcasts to improve her skill.  Soon the family were feasting on a wide variety of foods – although she did make the odd batch of spaghetti for Minnie. 

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(Portia seems to have acquired her husband's knack for staying cool in clothing that's not ideally suited to a desert . )

Robin learned all of her toddler skills and Romeo took over from Minnie, making an early start on his successor's art training.

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Now it was Morgan's turn for cake.

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His eccentricity started to express itself in his clothing choices.  (He'd also have the proper trait if Supernatural was switched on.)

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Now that Minnie had largely taken over her son's care, Portia applied for a job at the bistro.  Thanks to her impressive skills, she was soon progressing rapidly through a second career.

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Some randomness to end the chapter: the teleporter broke and VW, despite her level ten handiness, failed spectacularly at fixing it.

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Fortunately, Nio kept his head and called the fire brigade, while Portia just stood and stared at the flames and Austin had a panic attack.  Then Nio grabbed a fire extinguisher.  By the time the fire engine arrived, he'd almost put out the blaze and was congratulated by the firefighters.  (Which makes a nice change from the usual fine for a false call-out.)  Then he called the local handyman.

Romeo seemed astonished by Morgan's birthday cake.

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Just after that screenshot was taken, he went into full-on yelling-at-the-sky anger mode.  No idea what was going on there.

And VW has become a beetle collector at last.

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It's not a great screenshot but there are ten different beetles over to the left.

I'd  hardly used the 'change of taste' reward before but it's seeing a lot of use in this dynasty.  As soon as  anyone has 5000 points to spare, their favourites are changed to match their personalities.  There was something very wrong about Portia liking hot dogs and kids' music.
 
Robin is another supposedly perfect clone with the neurotic trait.  It's completely inexplicable this time: I know her donor (who ought to be easy to guess) had five traits and certainly wasn't neurotic.  A glitch, presumably.  Robin's other birth trait was ambitious.  It's weird seeing a toddler with a 'failure to progress' moodlet .

[Trip]

The perfect clone traits are crazy! I got a flirty baby out of it and I'm simply not comfortable with that. Also sims swarm to the massage table like flies. I think it's weighted towards couples but who knows. I hope Morgan got Nio's eyes, only because I was sad when I thought his genes would be put to waste.

[hazelnut]

The perfect clone traits are crazy! I got a flirty baby out of it and I'm simply not comfortable with that.

Perfect clones are supposed to have two of their donor's traits.  According to the game code, good clones are given artistic, good, flirty and/or attractive.  Mercedes benefitted from that: she was a good clone and was born with the good trait and the attractive LTR.  But yes, what were EA thinking of?  A flirty baby as a good outcome?!

Bad clones are supposed to get evil, couch potato, coward and/or childish.  (A childish baby is bad?)  Romeo's absentmindedness must have just been random.  Maybe the cloning didn't fail badly enough to get a 'bad' trait, just to get two traits that Clark didn't have.

Also sims swarm to the massage table like flies. I think it's weighted towards couples but who knows.

They're all keen on it but Nio far more so than the others.  I suppose they're quite short of distractions: I've been meaning to build a games room under the second garage but keep not getting round to it.  They've mostly been pretty busy with dynasty requirements up to now but there are going to be increasing numbers of Sims doing nothing much.  I probably should finish off the house at the weekend.

I hope Morgan got Nio's eyes, only because I was sad when I thought his genes would be put to waste.

Morgan definitely has Nio's eye shape and colour, although the Nita jawline's still going strong.  I'm hoping he'll also inherit Nio's build.  In the end I decided to go with the natural genetics rather than using a body sculptor, partly because I noticed that Nio is average-sized and has muscles under that trenchcoat.

[hazelnut]

Classic Carr

Warning: this is one of those chapters that consists almost entirely of birthdays.


Robin grew up into a serious-looking child (because of that neurotic trait?)

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She spent most of her spare time either at an easel or in the sandpit.

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Nio had just completed yet another sculpture of his small son when he wandered off into the corner and started sparkling, cheered on by Romeo.

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The following day, it was Morgan's turn for a birthday.  An impatient, foot-tapping queue assembled by his cot.

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Minnie, asserting her rights as matriarch, won and carried her great-great-grandson to his cake.

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Neither Morgan nor Robin was keen on schoolwork – which didn't stop Morgan from rolling constant wishes to earn an A/get on the honour roll/stay on the honour roll.  I thought Robin was the ambitious one?

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As the first athletic member of the family, Morgan let off steam by working out in front of the TV.

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He'd also inherited his mother's love of dancing, although he didn't yet seem entirely sure of what to do with his feet.

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And, like both parents, he loved to dress up and play pretend.  (I also spotted Robin dressed as a purple astronaut once or twice but failed to get a screenshot.)

Sim childhood is so short.  Soon there was another birthday – the first triple birthday of the dynasty (although entirely cake-free, because of a number of things getting in the way of formal celebrations).  First Robin, who was modelling for Nio, started spinning and sparkling.

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(I'd always thought her DNA donor would look better with a softer hairstyle and no make-up.)

Then Romeo burst into sparkles at his sculpting station.  He lost most of his pretty hair but seemed unfazed.  He knew he looked good anyway.

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And finally, Portia, who'd hurried off to the children's room to tell her son a story after her shift at the bistro, was also hit by birthday sparkles.

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She became a distinctly dignified elder.

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"Veteran Carr!" yelled Romeo, rather unkindly.
"No, vintage", said Nio, smiling at his wife.

Portia knew about vintages.  She smiled back.

But Minnie was the car expert.  Don't you lot know anything?  I thought I'd brought you all up better than that.  Portia's far too young to be vintage or veteran.  She's a classic.  Hors concours."

[hazelnut]

Classic Carr (cont'd)

The weekend rolled around and Morgan took the opportunity to make an early start on his supermax.

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There was still plenty of time for play, though.  He really takes after his parents

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What?  You've never seen a king digging through a junk pile before? 

Robin started sculpting…

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…and went to Prom, where she was voted queen but completed avoided fights and romance, and had a pleasantly uneventful night.  This may be a first.

After three cakeless birthdays, everyone was determined to do things properly for Morgan.

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Oh dear!

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Yet another fire in an area with no alarm  .

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Fortunately, Nio and his extinguisher were on hand.  Although even he couldn't do anything to help VW, whose ageing bladder suffered an unfortunate failure in the stress of the moment.

Morgan was left to grow up on his own by his inventing bench.

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Portia and Romeo's relationship had been gradually improving.  After work that night, she met him in the hall and chatted about art.  (Maybe it's just me but Romeo looks as though he's thinking that he's way better than Leonardo  .)

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It was enough to make him her sixth best friend.

Portia went off to shower and change but was intercepted by Minnie on her way to the kitchen.

"Portia?  You know that room you were always trying to get into to do your homework?"
"Yes!  I was so sure there was a table in there."
"Yes, there's a table and… other things.  You've earned the right to go in now.  Here is your key."

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Following Minnie's instructions, Portia pressed a few buttons on the golden machine in the corner of the room.

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This was an odd way to make food.  And the dish didn't look all that appetising.  Well, maybe if she added some herbs and spices it might be palatable.

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It was surprisingly good, in fact…

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…and Portia joined her forebears in immortality.


Portia

Traits: good, loves the outdoors, snob, green thumb, vehicle enthusiast, natural cook (from honorary degree)

Lifetime wish: Bottomless Nectar Cellar
Career: Nectar Maker
Supermax skill: nectar making
Other maxed skills: gardening (supermaxed) and cooking

Building: Imagine That! Theatre
Property: Perfect Paradise Pool

Unique lifetime rewards: Super Green Thumb, Honorary Degree, Speedy Cleaner

Unique best friends: Nio Carr (né Lee), Boxer (her car), Romeo Bellamore, Zachery Mark, Frances William, Latonya Huerta

Unique opportunities: A Just-in-Time Harvest, Corporate Dining, Burgers for Sims in Uniform, Peppers on Parade, Falafel Portfolio, Learn a Recipe
(She also completed the omniplant chain but I'm intending VW to do that as well.)

Museum

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[Trip]

The childhood versus teenhood time always bugged me. When I'm not in dynasty mode, I make both stages equal in length and in the real world, you're not a teenager for that long at all...feeling like one is a different story!

Morgan ended up really cute, even though he went from 4 to 40 with his birthday. We broke free of Minnie's good looks at last (I still think Portia looks a little like her great-grandma) and into someone else's.

[hazelnut]

Yeah, I also tend to play them as equal lengths in most games.  In fact, all of my non-dynasty recent games have used a tweaked lifespan that's more like real life throughout (apart from the 3-year pregnancy .)

Morgan is adorably old-fashioned and nerdy.  If you look up Morgan cars, you'll see why.  And yes, it's good to have some different looks at last.  Pretty sure he's not going to grow up thin and spindly, as well .

[Nella]

Congrats on another immortal!

[hazelnut]

Thank you

[hazelnut]

Assembly is the Reverse of Disassembly

Morgan moved into the heir's suite and redecorated it to suit his own tastes, which were very different from the rest of the family's.

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Now that he didn't have to stand on a stool to reach the workbench, he spent most of his free time inventing.

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Unusually, Morgan wasn't taught to drive by Minnie.  VW had always been close to her grandson, possibly because he was the only one to share her interest in non-vehicle technology, and rolled a wish to teach him as soon as he aged up to teen.  He was bought a car as soon as he had his licence and posed on the drive with his father and Robin, who'd missed out on their own new-car screenshots.

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Portia reached the top of the culinary career (another missed screenshot).  She caught fire on her very first day in the top job and had to be put out with the garlic sauce.  Uncomfortable, embarrassing and smelly.

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Once she'd showered off the mess, she went to relax in the newly-installed sauna.

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(Somehow, I don't think mud baths can be good for phones.)

VW is becoming increasingly erratic.  I've been having to keep a close eye on her to make sure she actually goes to work instead of getting out of the car halfway there.  In the end I decided that there were too many other demands on my attention and she retired.  As an ambitious Sim, she won't be happy – but maybe she can take up some new hobbies.

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On the subject of new hobbies, Nio has recently taken to the dance studio in a big way.  I'm not sure what was happening here: an epic failure with a new move or just taking a rest?

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His life bar is full now and I'm mostly leaving him and Portia on free will.  They spend as much time as possible together, still as enthusiastically romantic as they've been since their wedding.

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"Excuse me!  Can you give us some privacy here?"

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I suppose Nio, of all people, would be aware of what's going on behind the fourth wall  .

Robin aged up in the sculpting studio again…

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..and Morgan had a cake a few days later.  That really isn't fair – I must buy Robin a cake for at least one of her remaining birthdays.

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(He looks worryingly as though he's about to sneeze on the cake rather than blow out the candles.  Also, does anyone else feel weird about the whole concept of blowing out candles these days?)

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Shooting up those last few inches really messed up his hair  He hurried off to the mirror to comb it into submission.  On the other hand, the boiler suit might not be his usual style but was well suited to what he wanted to do next.  Digging through junk piles was so inefficient.  Now he was old enough to use explosives, he was going to celebrate his birthday in style.  Nio followed along out of curiosity and to record the moment for posterity.

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Morgan threw the detonation pack and they both retreated to a safe distance.

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Wow!  That's the biggest explosion I've seen in a while – although the citizens of Lucky Palms seemed remarkably undisturbed by the blast.

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Maybe that wasn't a safe enough distance after all…

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Nio wasn't impressed… or was he?

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However he really felt, he ran out of the junkyard, summoned his car and drove straight home for a shower.  (Incidentally, I wish you could summon cars like that in real life.  It'd be so handy for one-way walks.)

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Morgan stayed behind to gather the scrap – and to blow up the two vehicles parked at the scrapyard.

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Most unCarrlike behaviour.  I'm sure Minnie would disapprove  .