The Pursuers: A Seven Heroes Challenge (Feb 6)

[MarianT]

INTRODUCTION

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My name is Linda Lee Pursuer. I'm the daughter of the Purple Pursuers; you may have heard of them. They left for Alpha Centauri a few weeks ago to see if there were any Sim-habitable planets in the area. Even though I'm only a teen, they left me behind, "to help me develop the skills necessary to carry on in the heroic tradition of the Pursuer family." And because they didn't want to leave Simworld entirely without the protection of the Pursuers.

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Not that I'm much use at the moment.

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They left me at Evergreen Harbor, which has to be the most wretched place in Simworld.

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I mean, it even has rats. And for people who have pet rats, these aren't those kind of rats. These are the bubonic-plague-carrying, creepy-underground-swarming, jumping-out-from-behind-mummies-in-horror-movies kind.

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The house they dropped me off at is a mess, lacking a few necessities, and they didn't leave me much in the way of money. "Darling, if we made it easy for you, it wouldn't be a challenge," Mum explained. Dad slipped me a couple thousand simoleons and winked. I spent most of them on a water collector and a solar power generator. Just because I'm living off the grid doesn't mean I have to do entirely without modern conveniences.

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Nevertheless, my life is pretty grim. I eat upstairs, away from the rats. I don't think they can climb the ladder.

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And after the water shutting off mid-shower a few times, I've started taking showers at a gym. I just need to remember to finish in time to change before going to school. Luckily I was able to do a quick change when I got to school before getting into trouble for not wearing my uniform.
Anyway, if I develop a good character, complete a few requirements, and finish a project (something tells me Mum and Dad really want it to be cleaning up Evergreen Harbor), I'll earn the right to call myself the Blue Pursuer. Oh, and I'm supposed to develop 6 other heroes, adopting them as children and bringing them up to have good characters, complete a few requirements, and finish a heroic project. Mum and Dad  plan to check back in a few hundred years to see how I'm doing.

At the moment, it's not great. I'm a C student, on pace to develop good manners and responsibility, and I've read 2 non-skill books. Also, I'm feeling really depressed because of a mood swing.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Housekeeping
A Cleaner Port Promise
A New House
That was Fast
A Wonderful Boy
Good News, Bad News
The First Hero
Beach House
A Day with a Toddler
The Bat Cave
Monsters

[Metropolis Man]

Good luck, Marian.

[MarianT]

STATS

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Linda Lee, the Blue Pursuer

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Traits: genius, recycle disciple, neat
Character Traits: Compassionate, Responsible, Good Manners
Lifestyles: Indoorsy, Single and Loving it, People Person, Sedentary
7 Emotional Whims: Sad - Blog about feelings, Playful - Pester someone, Focused - Finish book, Tense - Throw tantrum, Happy - Meet someone new, Happy - Send happy text, Happy - Call someone on phone.
7 Collectibles: 7 decorative eggs
7 times as Volunteer: Beach Cleanup, Bake Sale, Nursing Home (2), Soup Kitchen, Walk for Charity (2)
7 Non-Skill Books Read: The Pizzi-cat-o Polka, The First Unicorn, Love in the Time of Sandwiches, Crisis Barn, Reel Her in, Lord of the Swings, Lucas Dark and the Increasingly Unlikely Series of Coincidences
7 Good Friends: Cameron Fletcher, Houda Ferhat, Simeon Silversweater, Marcus Flex, Bjorn Bjergson, Faye Harris, Houda Seddiki
7 Objects: horse, bunny, dragon, elephant, sad sculptures, 2 candles
Level 7 of Skill: cooking
Project:Make Evergreen Harbor the best that it can be -- Done!
    70 Handiness Upgrades: 4

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Bruce Wayne Pursuer

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Traits: good, proper, self-assured
Character Traits:compassionate, good manners, responsible
Lifestyles:People Person, Outdoorsy, Single and Loving it
7 Emotional Whims:Embarrassed -- Share Insecurities, Embarrassed -- Hide from Everyone, Embarrassed -- Give yourself a Pep Talk, Inspired -- Talk about Dreams, Confident -- Tell Unbelievable Story, Energized -- Do Sit-Ups, Energized -- Send Energized Text
7 Scouting Badges: Scholarly Attitude, Sociability, Outdoor Adventurer, Civic Responsibility, Arts and Crafts, Young Scientist, Good Deeds
7 Fish: cichlid, tetra, minnow, perch, walleye, yellow perch, tuna
7 Collectibles: mosquitoes, hypnofrog, sunflower frog, eggplant frog, turquoise, pre-historic hoofprint, eggplant whirl frog
7 Odd Jobs: Paid beach clean-up (2), Frogs for Research, Box Packing, The Cave of Wanders, Photos for Publication, Moving Furniture
7 Objects: 6 classic paintings, 1 confident painting
7 Good Friends: Linda Lee Pursuer, Cameron Fletcher, Nobuya Matsuda, Tina Tinker, Alex Moyer, Mia Slack, Sakura Morita
Project: Max Detective career ( and lock up 7 felons (7)

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Dick Grayson Pursuer

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Traits: child of the island, cheerful, loves the outdoors
Character Traits: compassionate, responsible, emotionally controlled
Lifestyles:
7 Emotional Whims: Focused -- Read something, Embarrassed -- Give yourself a pep talk, Playful -- Send playful text, Embarrassed -- Share insecurities, Embarrassed -- Hide from everyone, Happy -- Chat with someone, Playful -- Tell a joke
7 Objects: 7 Health potions
7 Scouting Badges: Scholarly Aptitude, Good Deeds, Young Scientist, Outdoor Adventurer, Sociability, Civic Responsibility, Give Back
7 Volunteer Activities: Walk for Charity, Beach Clean up (3), Bake Sale, Nursing Home, Soup Kitchen
7 Good Friends: Bruce Wayne Pursuer, Linda Lee Pursuer, Yuka Fukida, Jeb Harris, Makoa Kealoha, Leinani Tanielu, Tane Ngata
7 Collectibles: eyes of Sulani, abalone shell (2), fingers of Sulani, scallop shell, sea urchin shell (2)
7 Odd Jobs: Paid Beach Cleanup (2), Sand Sculpture Judge, Photos for Publication, Hiking Buddy, Needing NomNoms, Making Proof
Project: Conservationist (3)

Betty Kane Pursuer

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Traits: charmer
Character Traits:
Lifestyles:

[PeregrineTook]

Rushing off to school in a towel.  I think several of us have had that nightmare before  ;=)
Best of luck on the new dynasty!

[MarianT]

Rushing off to school in a towel.  I think several of us have had that nightmare before  ;=)
Best of luck on the new dynasty!

Thanks! The great thing about the Sims is that you can live the nightmare.

[ratchie]

I am looking forward to this.

Rachel

[MarianT]

HOUSEKEEPING

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I'd never realized how difficult it was living in a eco-friendly home. The water collector broke down -- in the middle of a rainstorm, naturally, so I had to fix it so it could collect more rain for me. And don't get me started on the solar panels, which need to be cleaned every other day. No, the rain doesn't clean them off for me.

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But the worst is the trash. I didn't realize that I had to interact with it, besides pulling out the recyclables, I mean. I first noticed flies buzzing above the wastebasket.

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And then I saw the cockroaches. Ugh. They're worse than rats. Nobody keeps a cockroach as a pet.

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So I made a practice of taking the trash from the wastebasket down to the trashbin, and then discovered that got flies and roaches too.

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It was enough to upset anyone, and I ranted and raved a bit. That took me back into the red on my emotional control, so I ranted about that, too.

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But downstairs, I found a small package with notes from Mom and Dad.  The package contained a small bottle of green liquid, a journal, and a set of earbuds. Dad's note was taped to the bottle: Drink this when you're feeling really upset. The earbuds are so you can have some fun while doing non-fun things like homework and cleaning.
I put in the earbuds and turned on some baroque music -- instant peace. And the moodlet solver Dad sent me helped a lot.

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Mom's note was a little longer:
Sweetie, I forgot to tell you that you should try to eat healthy, which means not too many sweets and quick meals. You don't want to turn into a junk food junkie, do you? All you need is a refrigerator to make salads. Your father is sending you a moodlet solver, but I hope you'll try to use that only in an emergency.
I hope you're remembering to greet people respectfully, as that will help you develop good manners. So will setting your table and washing the dishes afterwards instead of just throwing them away. Doing your homework, repairing things, taking out the trash, and even brushing your teeth will help with developing a sense of responsibility. And doing volunteer work will make you more empathetic. Writing in the journal will help you develop emotional control, as will going for a jog.
Your father and I are very proud of you, and hope that all goes well. We love you very much, Mum

I had a short sniffle and then sat down to write back to them. I didn't know how the letter would get to them, but decided that whoever sent them off in their spaceship could figure it out.

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Dear Mum and Dad,
This is the bridge I made for school. I kind of enjoyed working on it, so I plan to become a Civil Designer.

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You're right about the healthy eating, Mum. I did get a refrigerator (no stove yet, and I set the grill on fire -- no biggie, I put myself out so only my clothing got a little singed), and I ordered the spinach and mushroom quiche when I went to the Sunny Side Up Diner for a free meal. Duane Talla came with me; he's from Sulani and in my class at school.

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Saturday I went to the Snow Festival on Mt. Komorebi and had a lot of fun, not just working on my snowpal but also listening to music on my new earbuds. But I spent most of the rest of the weekend doing volunteer work. I got lost during a walkathon and went home early because I felt embarrassed and then I beat an elder at cards too many times, but on the whole, I did well enough to improve my empathy.

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And the grand result is that I'm now a compassionate, responsible, and well-mannered young adult. I'm also neat. I figured if I was going to spend so much time cleaning with elbow grease in order to save water, I might as well enjoy it.
Hugs to both of you, LL

[reggikko]

Great start, Marian. I almost went for improving Evergreen Harbor, but I wound up going in a different direction. Your poor Sim, though! I am hopeful that things improve for YA Linda Lee.

[oshizu]

I love Linda Lee's little smile in the Stats post. She's such a cutie.
Evergreen Harbor is possibly the most difficult starting point. I wonder.
Looking forward to where Linda's future takes her!

[ratchie]

Way to go Linda. I can't wait to see where she goes from here.

Rachel

[PeregrineTook]

I enjoyed how the update was framed as a letter to mom and dad.  It gave some nice insights into Linda as responsible daughter  :=)

[MarianT]

I enjoyed how the update was framed as a letter to mom and dad.  It gave some nice insights into Linda as responsible daughter  :=)

It's interesting the way story ideas develop. A set of earbuds showed up in Linda's inventory -- very welcome, as she was always struggling with her fun need. And I had to give her a moodlet solver because she was very angry about the roaches and grungy from low hygiene, and hungry and tired. So those things came from Dad. And then I got her a refrigerator because quick meals lead to the junk food lifestyle. Advice from Mom. And since they wrote to her, she had to write back.

[GlazeyLady]

Awesome start Marian! Can't wait to see how Linda handles Evergreen Harbor - I'm thinking of doing that one, but it seems like such a big one so I'm not sure. Maybe Linda will persuade me on that. Loved seeing Duane show up - he'd just become Aubrie's love interest when I read your story. 

[simfulicious]

I love your story name, and your founder running around town in a towel is hilarious to me! 

[MarianT]

A CLEANER PORT PROMISE

To my surprise, my parents' strongest reaction was to the picture of me with Duane. "Doesn't he have an undershirt?" Mum queried. While Dad thought he needed a haircut -- maybe even a dozen haircuts. But they did congratulate me on attaining young adulthood. These are some of the things I told them in my return letter:

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The neighborhood looks a lot better now that all the trash is gone. I know that some people consider it realistic, but I'll take clean and healthy (and rat-free) over realistic any day.

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With that done, I turned my attention to the community lot. This is its "before" picture.

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And this is our new garden center. Once the plants get going, I'll go and take another picture.

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And here is my house, the picture taken on one of our rare sunny days.

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My job is going well, and I've taken up candle-making to develop my fabrication skill.

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Thanks to all the salads I've made, I've achieved level 7 of the cooking skill. And here are my seven objects -- five sculptures and two candles.

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I've had bad luck with holidays. Love Day was a disappointment. I gave away a couple of flowers, but I don't have time for dates and romantic interactions. And the next day was Brawl Day. My friend Cameron agreed to have a fight with me, but now I feel hurt that he agreed so quickly. Was there some hidden hostility he wanted to express?

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Anyway, with my seven requirements completed, I'm turning my attention to the future. My project will be to transform Evergreen Harbor. And I've adopted a little boy -- Bruce Wayne, a good child (note that he's doing his homework).

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He brought his favorite stuffed animal with him from the orphanage -- a stuffed bat named Alfred.