Carr Immortal Dynasty (Completed)

[Trip]

I like how Kia grew up! The teenage face isn't that different from the YA face but it's different enough to make you doubt some sims. But it's nice to know that Evangeline really had the potential to be a babe in a past life.

Was she the first clone to get a non-dynasty romantic interest or was that detail glossed over for others? The perils of being born flirty I guess.

Sports Agent is so easy to blast through as a career, and I both admire and fear Social Networking as a supermax but the switch was probably the right choice for sanity's sake. Ford's not set up to be like Morgan after all with requirements, but he shares half his genes so anything's possible.

[hazelnut]

Get your man Kia! Work that clone magic. Maybe that creepy flirty trait will finally come in handy now that she isn't a child!

It's already causing, um, complications.  I gave her hopeless romantic as her last trait, hoping she'd just home in on her One True Love but it hasn't quite worked out like that.  I'm hoping I've now managed to head off trouble but I'm not sure yet.

Congratulations on Ford's success achieving his LTW and career success. So now its romance time again. Lets hope Ford and Kia have a straightforward leap into married life. I used to dread the appearance of limos in my games, once I had Showtime they always seemed to cause bugs and I used to avoid careers that used them. Good luck with the next stage of this fascinating dynasty.

I'm hoping so.  Just 'more straightforward than Morgan' would be OK.

I've not noticed any problems with limos in previous games.  (*Crosses fingers and hopes not to have jinxed the Carrs.*)

I like how Kia grew up! The teenage face isn't that different from the YA face but it's different enough to make you doubt some sims. But it's nice to know that Evangeline really had the potential to be a babe in a past life.

Was she the first clone to get a non-dynasty romantic interest or was that detail glossed over for others? The perils of being born flirty I guess.

Sports Agent is so easy to blast through as a career, and I both admire and fear Social Networking as a supermax but the switch was probably the right choice for sanity's sake. Ford's not set up to be like Morgan after all with requirements, but he shares half his genes so anything's possible.

I often seem to find that the best-looking Sims are a bit odd-looking as teenagers.  Growing into their features, maybe?  Kia's cheekbones were a bit scary as a teen but I also like the way she grew up.

No, she wasn't the first.  Several heirs, as well as clones, had high-school romances.  Morris and Romeo (I think) kept those relationships going throughout their lives, although they never developed into anything serious.  Igor made it into the story because I really like him and he spends so much time at the dynasty house.  I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up as one of Ford's qualifying best friends.

I've supermaxed social networking exactly once before (in the Household Skills).  It was definitely in the original plan for someone to do it in this dynasty but I'm into 'let's get this finished' mode now and avoiding unnecessary complications seems like a good idea.

[hazelnut]

Lovers' Lane

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Ford and Kia seemed to meet up and chat a lot over the next few days, although it was all on a strictly friendly level.

And then it was his birthday again.

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Amazingly, Ford didn't have a midlife crisis.  I think he's the first since Alvis not to have one.  Maybe he was contented with his life at the moment: he'd just started a new job in politics (although hadn't been to work yet, because of Kia's non-graduation and the weekend) and his dynasty requirements were going pretty well.

A day or two later, with his new career progressing nicely, he took the chance to get a little more romantic with Kia and tell her how attractive he found her.

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With perfectly bad timing, his father walked in on them.

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Thanks, Morgan.  Don't you remember VW doing exactly the same thing to you? .

And, just like that, the would-be lovebirds had naughty reputations.  What, just from saying someone's attractive?  Come on, EA!

I didn't expect reputations to go downhill so fast but I'm still kicking myself.  Well, not so much for Ford – his high-school days were quite a long time ago and I'd almost forgotten about his romantic interest from prom.  He'd tried to invite her over and ask to 'just be friends' a couple of times but she'd had pathing issues and had driven off again without even setting foot on the lot.  I really should have remembered Igor, though .

So Ford and Kia stopped almost-flirting and invited over their respective unfinished businesses.  Kia successfully broke up with Igor but whatever-her-name-was got stuck again as soon as she'd got out of the taxi.  Fortunately, social networking came to the rescue: Ford used the relationship transmogrifier app to change them from romantic interests to friends.

Too tired to do anything else that evening, Ford collapsed in front of the telly next to his mother.  Opal was tired, too.

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Very, very tired.

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"Mum, are you OK?  Mum!"

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Grim appeared and the family gathered to mourn.

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Opal was content to go.  She'd seen her son grow into full adulthood, with a potential spouse almost locked in.  She'd have liked to have seen her grandchild but knew that was impossible at this stage in the dynasty.  So she shook Grim's hand.

"I really could do with a good, long rest."

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It was a terrible time to start throwing parties but Ford had reached the point in the political career when fundraisers were needed.  All of the invitees to his first were close friends or family.  They should understand.

Of course, the only family members not already part of the household were his robotic half-siblings.  Kia reacted particularly badly to the sight of these potential in-laws.

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But then, Carmen wasn't too impressed with her human half-brother, either.

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(No idea why Ford was also freaking out there.)

Finally, everyone settled down and the SimBots got into the party spirit (or reading, in Carmen's case.  She appears to be very near-sighted.  Maybe her optic sensors need an overhaul.)

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I thought the Simbots were playing tag but then noticed the electrical discharges around Carmen's neck and torso.  How had she managed to short out at a party?  Had someone thrown a drink?

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Fortunately, her creator was around to fix her.

Hang on, where was Morgan?

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Oh dear! 

Pretty sure that was all Kia's fault.

I sent Morgan off to fix his robotic daughter and found that Kia was already apologising.

"I'm sorry, Ford.  I just like flirting."

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"You know that you're the one I love."

And she kissed him.

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Less than a day later, Morgan became a level 8 jock and qualified for an extra trait.  I toyed with the idea of making him grumpy, because he probably ought to be, but settled on unflirty to head off further trouble.  Which worked – at least, until I narrowly stopped Kia from inviting Austin out to look at the stars a few days later.  At that point, I spotted that she had enough lifetime happiness points for a personality change and she became friendly instead of flirty.

It seemed a good time to give Ford and Kia's relationship a nudge.  He invited her out to the bistro for a romantic meal.

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The sun had just set as they finished eating, so they walked across the terrace to admire the view across the town.

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Kia knew which view she preferred.

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It was a clear night, perfect for stargazing.

"See there, the bright star on Orion's shoulder?  That's Betelgeuse."

Then they gazed into each other's eyes instead.

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And what was Ford thinking there?

Exactly the same thing that Kia was  .

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They drove back home and found their way into the heir's suite.

"Ooh, there are stars in here too."

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"Kia, are you OK with this?"

"I certainly am!"

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[Chubling]

Well that was some exciting drama! Kia seems to like herself a Carr man!

I love that only after he had his heir did Morgan decide he wanted to flirt and have kids. Opal was a saint and no wonder she was ready to go!

Hopefully there are some good looking ghosts still around town for you! You are getting so close!

[hazelnut]

Well that was some exciting drama! Kia seems to like herself a Carr man!

She certainly does.  I suppose they are around the most but Ford's been throwing quite a lot of political fundraisers, so there have been plenty of opportunities to throw herself at other men.

Hopefully there are some good looking ghosts still around town for you! You are getting so close!

I'm not sure who will father the final generation.  It could be a Lucky Palms ghost but there are also the WA worlds and University as potential sources of interesting genes.  I'll see how things play out when the time comes.

[hazelnut]

Clearway

After that, Ford and Kia apparently saw no reason not to carry on as best friends but nothing more.  Time for another nudge.

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"So, um, would you like to be my girlfriend?" asked Ford, not even slightly spontaneously.

Apparently he can take a hint if it's forcible enough.  A few hours later, he rolled this wish:

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After work that evening, they went on a date, ending up on the cliffs by the bistro.  It ought to be the perfect spot for a proposal.  After all, that view had worked for them before.

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Kia said yes.  And, just like his father, Ford immediately wished to get married.  I was hoping that Kia, as a hopeless romantic, would also want to make things official.  Certainly she dreamed of little else but she never actually rolled the wish.

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The wedding would have to wait for few days anyway because of work commitments and opportunities.  Kia was only too happy to congratulate her man on each step he took up the political ladder.

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In the evenings, he continued to work on his writing and completed his twentieth book (a romantic novel inspired by recent real-life developments).  That was the last challenge for his supermax.

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Kia, I should point out, had also been making steady progress in her career as a self-employed painter, and was now close to level ten.  She'd supermaxed the skill a while back.

The wedding day dawned bright and sunny (not at all surprisingly, given that Seasons is disabled).

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Kia walked down the aisle to join Ford under the arch and they exchanged rings.

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And, as the heart-shaped confetti fell from some mysterious source above, the last newlyweds of the dynasty smiled soppily at each other, oblivious to their audience.

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Which was just as well.  Even by Sim-wedding standards, the guests were spectacularly disorganised.  Hardly anyone sat down to watch the ceremony and the father of the groom had changed from formalwear into swimming trunks for no obvious reason.

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Unfazed, the happy couple walked over to cut the cake.  Some of the guests even followed them.

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As the day faded into evening, Kia discovered that her new husband was ticklish.  Leaving everyone else in the garden, they went indoors to continue celebrating in private.

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And, soon after, Kia discovered that she was pregnant.

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She and Ford both wanted a boy.  Sorry folks, not in this generation.  Instead, Kia found herself compelled to gorge on watermelons almost constantly.

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After a pleasant pregnancy (if you ignore the excessive watermelon intake), with lots of spa treatments and relaxation at home, Kia went into labour in front of the TV, while Ford and Portia carried on looking for something new to read.

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(I think that glare says it all.)

And soon baby Lotus joined the family.

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I was wondering whether to include the screenshot of Ford's supermax.  Originally I was only planning to do it for skills that were unusual and/or challenging, at least for me.  But then I decided that all of the immortals' skills ought to be equally worthy of screenshotting.  (Is that a word?)   I've also gone back into earlier saves, extracted the equivalent pics for Minnie and Austin and edited them into their chapters.

[hazelnut]

Clearway (cont'd)

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Three days later, there was a double birthday: Ford's last and Lotus' first.

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Kia put her adored baby daughter down on the terrace, worryingly close to the steps down to the newly-installed hot tub…

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…and joined her husband for a cake breakfast.

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Ford went off to regrow his hair yet again and sort out his elder wardrobe…

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…while the immortals watched Lotus become a toddler.

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Like father, like daughter, it seems.  I wonder whether she's also going to lose her hair every birthday?  I thought to start with that she was also a redhead but that turned out to be an effect of the birthday sparkles.  She actually has black hair like her mother – although I discovered when I sent her off to the mirror that it's not Kia's standard black but the darker random colour.

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Later that week, Ford emerged from City Hall as Leader of the Free World.

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As soon as he got home, he changed into his new work uniform and rushed off to tell Kia all about his latest promotion.

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Then Lotus woke up from her afternoon nap and Kia hurried off to give her a cuddle and a bottle.  So Ford turned to Minnie instead.

"The thing is, I'm not sure whether I want to carry on with politics.  I'd like more time for writing – and reading."

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"That's OK.  As far as I'm concerned, you've done more than enough to prove your worth as an heir.  You've set up a good system.  Retire and leave it to your underlings."

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So he did.

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And then he made his way down to the ambrosia room for the first time.

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Ford

Traits: couch potato, friendly, bookworm, good sense of humour, vehicle enthusiast (jock influence), charismatic

Lifetime wish: Super Popular
Careers: Sports Agent and Politics
Supermax skill: writing
Other maxed skills: charisma and social networking

Building: Lucky Llamas Stadium
Property: Grand canyon Community Library

Unique lifetime rewards: Jock Influence, Acclaimed Author, Carefree

Unique best friends: Kia Carr (née Finch), Prefect (his car), Lukas May, Igor May, Lincoln McNamara, Kristina Goode.
He had 28 best friends altogether, including all three SimBots.  These were all 'natural' best friends – no social networking involved.

Unique opportunities: To Boldly Go, Charity Game, Add a Little Drama, Foreign Affairs, Meet and Greet, A History of the Times

Museum

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[Chubling]

The last wedding! And Ford managed to only inherit a little of his father's aversion to romance! He and Kia make a sweet couple and I look forward to seeing how Lotus turns out!

[starlives]

Lovely wedding screenshots. Warm welcome to little Lotus. I wonder what her goals in life will be?

[hazelnut]

The last wedding! And Ford managed to only inherit a little of his father's aversion to romance! He and Kia make a sweet couple and I look forward to seeing how Lotus turns out!

Ford's a pretty involved dad as well - not at all like his own father.

Lovely wedding screenshots. Warm welcome to little Lotus. I wonder what her goals in life will be?

Thanks .  Knowing that it was the last wedding, I took a silly number of screenshots and chose the best for posting.

Her name is a bit of a clue...

[starlives]

Then my guess would be Martial Arts!

[hazelnut]

And you'd be right

[hazelnut]

Lotus Seven

Kia had aged up to adult the day after Lotus was born and, in contrast with her husband, had a dramatic midlife crisis.

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She rolled so many wishes I had trouble keeping up.  Apart from wanting to divorce Ford (twice), they were all easy to grant and she ended her crisis with a big positive moodlet.  Oddly, considering that she was a couch potato, a lot of her wishes were to become fitter and stronger.  In between workouts and fretting over her wrinkles, she was threatening to become an obsessive parent, rolling repeated wishes for Lotus to learn skills and age up successfully.  She was equally keen to teach all of the skills herself.

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Now that he was retired, Ford was only too happy to help out…

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…but Kia soon barged in and took over again.  At least it gave Minnie a break.

Once Lotus had learnt to walk, talk and use the potty, Kia relaxed a little and everyone else had a chance to spend time with their littlest relative.

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Even Morgan rolled a wish to make another crafted toy, which quickly became his granddaughter's favourite plaything.

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Soon it was time for another birthday.  Naturally, Kia helped Lotus to blow out her candles  .

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Not to be outdone, Ford autonomously congratulated his daughter on her birthday and then played tag with her.

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Probably not the ideal occupation for an elderly couch potato  .

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Nevertheless, he agreed to join in with a game of catch as well.

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As an athletic Sim, Lotus soon found her way down to the ballet studio.  Before long, she'd reached level 3 of the child ballet skill, despite not going to the after-school club, and was able to show off her moves to bored adoring family members.

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She showed no interest in most of her toys, preferring to run around outside.  It wasn't all action, though.  The Carrs were tending increasingly to gather around the TV as a family whenever they were left to their own devices, and Lotus was happy to join in.

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And she still loved Morgan's mechanical toys.

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As for the rest of the family, Morgan continued to train anyone who couldn't find an excuse to be elsewhere.

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Kia, despite her trait change, still tried to flirt now and again, without much success.  Even in front of her husband and daughter (who, to be honest, seemed more bothered about their view of the screen being blocked than by the flirting itself). 

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And VW is still determined to clone Portia.  I didn't know that Sims could take DNA samples autonomously.

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Another Sunday, another cake…

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…and Lotus became a teenager.

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[starlives]

Nice screenshots of a happy family. Lotus is an attractive looking sim and I like her black/white costumes and slightly punk rocker look now she is a teen. Seems like this dynasty is progressing smoothly at present, hope it stays that way for you. Enjoying the read.

[hazelnut]

Thanks

The game's going smoothly at the moment in terms of the Sims behaving themselves but it's getting worryingly buggy, especially since Lotus will have to travel for her supermax.  (Although I am holding street art in reserve as an alternative just in case.)  It's crashed to desktop three or four times in the past week .