Author Topic: Landgraabs to the Max. Superlative, satisfactory, maximalist super-sims?  (Read 46061 times)

Offline Heart Foam

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@oshizu  Oh I'm fully caught up with Prince, read the whole thing, and knew about his struggles with followers before posting that. It's definitely odd.

Some time back I did the Unlucky Chef scenario in 8 days, from scratch with a blank slate sim. I think that's as fast as it can be done legitimately. I used the mixology certificate to start at level 6, Easy Street fame (Judith Ward moved to a 20x15 in Willow Creek), and a tiny home for skill gain. There too, mixology was level 10 long before my sim (I forget his name, I liked his shoes) had the certificate. And he moved on to charisma or whatever else was useful. Sigh. It's just a pity. I wanted teens with a university qualification before finishing high school, just for the craziness of it.

But! They've been taking a particular skill class for a particular purpose. :) So it's not been a waste. It's been very efficient, in fact. For the Particular Purpose.
It is a little thing of my own. I call it "Heart Foam". I shall not publish it. Farewell! Patience, Patience, farewell!

Exit Bunthorne.

Offline oshizu

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Wow, you got a blank-slate sim from Fame 0 to Fame 5 AND maxed the Mixology career in just eight days!?!
That's incredible for the ordinary simmer but not totally unexpected where you're concerned.
Still, eight day!  Color me taken aback! Color me impressed!

Oooooh, I can't wait to hear what that Particular Purpose entails!



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Offline Granny Lawlor

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Oooooh, I can't wait to hear what that Particular Purpose entails!
Me too!
Find all my challenges over on the Completed Stories board,
including my most recent: Makey MishMash Legacy

Offline Heart Foam

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Landgraabs to the Max. Two Good.
« Reply #138 on: May 26, 2023, 06:38:19 AM »
Chapter 2. Part 8.

In this ordinary episode: Phoebe checks her phone, Rosalind thinks about stationery, and Janelle is involved in a workplace scandal.   

High School, week two is upon us! Yes! Eventually! But first! A trip to The Solar Flair! (I might have changed the name.)



While selecting potential venues for those weekend parties, I noticed this lot's type was "generic". That's because I've played here once or twice in the distant past, but the NAPs include "sharing is caring", and a lot of the necessary items for functioning have been, no, not stolen, reappropriated.

The reason the Solar Flair is here at all, not Oasis Springs, is 1. because of the view and 2. because I often revamp the Oasis Springs high street with Chez Llama, bowling alleys etc. In StrangerVille, this is a bar not a lounge because the StrangerVille mystery sends a sim to a bar a few times, and a sim can now go here and meet army people and so on. I was just in the neighbourhood to fix this up, and then go back home.

In all the festivals, partying and Starlight Accolades (in that order), apparently we arrived at 7:50am, Monday morning having not done any cheer leading practice. And I feel it's somewhat important to stay on schedule and for the twins to get their promotions today.





The practice just before school only took them to 75%, and not wanting to leave anything to chance and knowing that "complete" was very close the practice mats were moved outside the front of the house so they could finish as soon as they came home from school. Ros and Phoebe were duly promoted to captain of the cheer squad (co-captains?) and promptly signed up for new activities, because a supersim can complete two on normal lifespan. And if they can, they should. This is something Maxine could have done but I didn't plan properly.

Janelle returned from work at 5pm Monday with a promotion.





And so did Herbert.

Rosalind, left, lazy, straight black hair (the one who had a brief fling with another Landgraab but is now enamoured with Kyle Kyleson), is on the computer team. Phoebe, right, frizzy brunette who dumped Riku, is on the chess team. This is a Tuesday in autumn, a more romantic word than fall.



Chess and computer schedules are in sync, so Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. It's next level planning. It takes 4 days to get 2 promotions. Here they are on Thursday, getting simultaneous promotions.



This means if all goes well and they don't forget to practice, they'll be done on Tuesday week 3. This leaves three whole days in their last week to try get to the top of drama club. It would be nice to pick up a drama trophy. (From past experience they seem to keep their progress, so hopefully, fingers crossed, they'll start at level 3.)

Thursday, as you see top right, was also Harvestfest. A beautiful cozy day with a grand meal, and a dusting of snow.





And a rainbow!





The girls also did another project session. These have happened on Thursday evening because there's no after school activities to worry about. Ros doesn't have the rocket science her sister does, and that's not fair.



Liker her sister, Rosalind maxed rocket science. It's worth saying Ros is the slightly less skilled of the twins. Maybe that's the lazy trait, maybe it's just how it's impossible to be completely even in how one manages them. During this week they were doing relentless skill classes for the certificate they can no longer get, and under similar conditions Phoebe did seem to get a little more skill per class.

On Friday, the twins both aced their exams and again are both said be on the way to valedictorian.



Janelle got promoted to CEO and Herbert promoted to Wardrobe Wiz. They were in step, at the same level of each career, but Herbs fell behind by one. He had the required level 6 painting skill, but there seemed to be some glitch and the game wasn't fully convinced of his skill. But restarting fixed it.



That is her sleepwear outfit, and she wasn't wearing it when she left. Um?!?!?!

We've seen a lot more of Ros this week, so here's Phoebe (and Janelle) to bring the dear readers up-to-date on super-alien-sim progress.



That displays 37 traits, but is cutting off the two regular CAS traits all teen sims have, taking the total to 39 as of Friday evening. Both twins have Chopstick Savvy, neither twin has Spice Hound.

Janelle and Herbert have been dealing with burnout and brain fog, and this is the double-soothing solution. The hot tub is fully upgraded with aromatherapy (which can solve a variety of negative moodlets), and there's incense. For destressing, this is very effective.



Other stuff that's happened? Um. Ros made a small effort to get rid of her lazy trait with some laps in the heated pool. No luck.



There was also a bit of illness going around this autumn. Phoebe and Jenelle definitely had it. In this house we go to the science room to decontaminate. 



There are potions of immortality here, of slimify, need fixers. You can even clone a soul scrap. Maybe if you clone 10 scraps you should be able to reassemble a whole soul! Thoughts for the devs? Yeah? No?

This room was built as a rocket bunker, and is underneath the fountain. It's very easy to return it to active rocket service. No, I'm not hinting. This is not the Particular Purpose of the skill classes -- besides, the girls maxed rocket science with projects. That's not what they were learning. 
It is a little thing of my own. I call it "Heart Foam". I shall not publish it. Farewell! Patience, Patience, farewell!

Exit Bunthorne.

Offline oshizu

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I like your Solar Flair renaming. Do you remember back in the day when the Solar Flare in Oasis Springs was always deluged with elders?  Good times!
So, you placed your Solar Flair "bar" on the hill in Strangerville?  What have you done with unbecoming, original 8 Bells bar.  Pray tell.

Two after-school activities in 3 weeks per twin? Sir, you are a glutton for punishment.
I've been trying to think of handy mnemonics to help me deep the twins apart.  Frizzy Phoebe is hardly alliteration and is not exactly appealing. :(

Hmmm, no clues yet regarding the Particular Purpose. Uh, cloning the dearly beloved Herbert?
Speaking of, I've been plotting and conniving over how to encourage my game to generate a new Father Winter.
MCCC moved Clement into a residential lot but I checked his hidden traits and he's still the only Father Winter.
Maybe I can give him a makeover that includes Change Sim.  Hmmmm, that's a thought, since I don't want to delete Clement...

Hah, I just realized that Herbert joined the Stylist branch, not the Trandsetter Branch.
I'd been looking forward to seeing him head off for work in those wacky Trendsetter outfits.  Oh, but only Stylist gives the gold jacket? I see.

Offline Heart Foam

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I like your Solar Flair renaming. Do you remember back in the day when the Solar Flare in Oasis Springs was always deluged with elders?  Good times!
So, you placed your Solar Flair "bar" on the hill in Strangerville?  What have you done with unbecoming, original 8 Bells bar.  Pray tell.

Two after-school activities in 3 weeks per twin? Sir, you are a glutton for punishment.
I've been trying to think of handy mnemonics to help me deep the twins apart.  Frizzy Phoebe is hardly alliteration and is not exactly appealing. :(

Hmmm, no clues yet regarding the Particular Purpose. Uh, cloning the dearly beloved Herbert?
Speaking of, I've been plotting and conniving over how to encourage my game to generate a new Father Winter.
MCCC moved Clement into a residential lot but I checked his hidden traits and he's still the only Father Winter.
Maybe I can give him a makeover that includes Change Sim.  Hmmmm, that's a thought, since I don't want to delete Clement...

Hah, I just realized that Herbert joined the Stylist branch, not the Trandsetter Branch.
I'd been looking forward to seeing him head off for work in those wacky Trendsetter outfits.  Oh, but only Stylist gives the gold jacket? I see.


My reading around suggests both branches unlock all outfits. I'm okay without the wild trendsetters.

The original bar is still there I think. Once upon I time I found the most gorgeous diner for that lot (bowling allley downstairs). But apart from unloading some family members here, I've not done much in StrangerVille. I'm pretty sure 8 Bells is undemolished.

Clone Herbert? So Janelle's song would be "can't get enough of you baby".

Whenever we kiss I get a feeling like this
I get to wishin that there was two of you


It is a little thing of my own. I call it "Heart Foam". I shall not publish it. Farewell! Patience, Patience, farewell!

Exit Bunthorne.

Offline Metropolis Man

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Clone Herbert? So Janelle's song would be "can't get enough of you baby".

Whenever we kiss I get a feeling like this
I get to wishin that there was two of you




Whenever we kiss I get a feeling like this
I get to wishin that there was two of you



[/quote]

Smashmouth! I love that song. They were not on my radar until I took the kids to Shrek way back when and heard their cover of I'm a Believer.



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Offline oshizu

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Clone Herbert? So Janelle's song would be "can't get enough of you baby".

Whenever we kiss I get a feeling like this
I get to wishin that there was two of you


Haha, the hilarious movie "Serendipity" starring Michael Keaton came to mind. ;)
On second thought, two of Herbert would be sensory overload...

Offline Heart Foam

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oh, @oshizu in week 3 I've obviously got Winterfest coming up, so I'll make note of who Father Winter is. I'll move Gerard Regan (the previous FW) into a house somewhere, and my prediction is that a different man will appear. I don't have MCCC. This test is a basic, vanilla, unmodified benchmark.

So whether Gerard does show up again, or someone else, it'll feature in the next update.

@Metropolis Man So many good songs on the Shrek soundtrack! (I have 1 and 2), and yup, also where I found a few other Smash Mouth songs. And like "I'm a believer" it's alo a cover of something from the '60s. I only listed to the original "can't get enough of you baby" for the first time yesterday before I posted here, just to make sure I had the correct song.
It is a little thing of my own. I call it "Heart Foam". I shall not publish it. Farewell! Patience, Patience, farewell!

Exit Bunthorne.

Offline oshizu

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oh, @oshizu in week 3 I've obviously got Winterfest coming up, so I'll make note of who Father Winter is. I'll move Gerard Regan (the previous FW) into a house somewhere, and my prediction is that a different man will appear. I don't have MCCC. This test is a basic, vanilla, unmodified benchmark.

So whether Gerard does show up again, or someone else, it'll feature in the next update.

Thank you for testing! Yes, moving the current FW into a residence usually kicks him from the Father Winter role, but that doesn't work with MCCC which has an auto-population feature.  I shall attempt to give Clement a drastic makeover in CAS and see what happens.

Offline Heart Foam

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Landgraabs to the Max. Aliens Resolve Conflict.
« Reply #145 on: May 28, 2023, 06:18:15 PM »
Chapter 2. Part 9.

In this climactic blood-pumping episode: Janelle thinks hard, Phoebe thinks hard, and a man stands in front of a door.

When Janelle doesn't change into a towel at work, this is what she looks like. She's level 10 in business.



Herbert has not yet obtained the height of fashion which Janelle had painted her imagination with. Mrs Landgraab was quite melancholic on Monday evening. --This according to the laundry maid who, putting a high price upon herself, could be persuaded to elaborate upon the lives within the big house for the low remuneration of a 5-figure sum. And she might have had some success here were it not for her own retelling of too many of the details when under Liquor as to make such a deal worthless to any journalist, as it would only retell the best-known details. Gossip outstrips print.
     Among the patrons (of the Solar Flair for example), it is not anticipated that Herbert should need another week to obtain the gold jacket of stylistic excellence, but -- and one does not indulge upon gossip lightly -- it has been said in confidence that Miss Phoebe Landgraab, but more especially Miss Rosalind Landgraab, object to the jacket on account of it's colour. Rosalind in particular has harboured a strong suspicion gold ever since the episode at the Mt Doom involving the diminutive, spindly man and a singular ring which seemed to cause much trouble and inconvenience that is not to be borne in polite society. It must be cautioned that Rosalind has never verified the detail of the nobleman with the ring, nor indeed located the site of the mountain in question, but her suspicion of gold and of magic has nevertheless persisted. Phoebe just thinks her dad will look silly.



Do not be puzzled! Herbert needs a helmet indoors to contain his powerful thoughts. They're sometimes doing puzzles for wall decor.

Tuesday was a very big day. Both Phoebe and Ros earned the Spice Hound trait at breakfast.



At school, Phoebe had to mend fences.





And then she wiped Hinaka's memory, and did an insta-friend greeting...





... and they're best friends now! Maybe? That's a suspicious look if ever I saw one. Yes, it feels really weird to do that. To the folks at home, and to all the ships at sea, don't wipe someone's memory of you. That's manipulative. The normal way to manipulate people is with gifts, and that's more socially acceptable.

Career Day happened. Prepare to be underwhelmed.





After school, the twins got promotions in their respective after-school activities.

Now they needed to sign up for a side hustle. Looking at the schedule, streamer seemed the best option. They both start at level 2, only needing one promotion. Sadly, it conflicts with Drama Club (for no good reason it seems), and thus made it impossible to return to that. Wednesday was Winterfest, and the kids couldn't go streaming, and then they needed both Thursday and Friday to get that promotion.

Last year's Father Winter was invited over. He joined the household, then was moved out to join Clement Frost.



Ros used Winterfest to volunteer and raise her empathy and emotional control.





That is indeed a new Father Winter, and I've got quite a collection of them now. 

One more rocket science project, this time combined effort, and to everyone's relief it's excellent quality so we can stop making these. :)



Then, on Friday morning -- I never take the "work from home" option, I always send sims off int the void -- the twins both reached streamer level 3, and completed Goal Oriented.



That wraps up the aspirations that we were trying to get, on the final day of high school. If I ever figure out the circumstances to trigger the Live Fast party invite, I'll aim to do 4 on another sim. If it's something that pops up for teens that don't have an afterschool activity (and I've seen that suggested), I'm not trading my trophies and traits from those activities to get it.

On a dull winter afternoon, Ros and Phoebe come home from high school for the last time.





Ros destressing in the hot tub was rather careless with the game controller. It would... stop working. So the twins both aced their exams, obviously (and you'll see that moodlet shortly). Or you can just imagine the pop-up yourself as they stride purposefully toward the house. This must mean one of them will be valedictorian, right. RIGHT?!

Friday is a night on the town, which always seems like a San Myshuno event to me because it's a chance to learn more City Living recipes for free. (This is important when your sims make only $500k a week in interest, and have maxed out funds.) Unfortunately, winter is cold.



While Rosalind gets asked for a selfie at the Stargazer Lounge, Herbert got his promotion to Persona Re-Imager! Joy! This is where you can see proof of Ros' "aced the exam" moodlet.





Next time will wrap up this super-teen raising exercise, and Herbert needs a new look with a new jacket. The Landgraabs have a lodge on top of Mt Komorebi that no sim has been to in generations. I've never climbed the mountain honestly, with rock climbing, because that skill took too long to raise. That's the skill class Phoebe and Ros were taking, and it's been much faster. Normally I have a spellcaster just fly up to the next level on a broom, or teleport. But no! The twins will climb it properly, and it provides another trait. No prom. We've done that. I'll never have a better prom photo than Riku and Maxine, I don't want to compete with that. New Years' Eve, if they can climb fast enough, will be spent up on the peak. Peak simming. ;p

It is a little thing of my own. I call it "Heart Foam". I shall not publish it. Farewell! Patience, Patience, farewell!

Exit Bunthorne.

Offline oshizu

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Terrific job on getting in range for the character values, ladies!
Are they at the Stargazer Lounge for their Night on the Town?  What an eerie shot with the snow and the white sun. (That's not the moon, right?)
Noooo, you are making us wait for the next update to savor Herbert in his newly-rewarded gold jacket!

Aha! The Particular Purpose is the Mt. Komorebi Excursion.
My sims do a combo of skill books (with that for-reading lot trait) and skill classes for Mountain Climbing.

Oh? Moving FW in and out of the active household can also kick him from that special role!  I'm off to try that right this instant!
I am eager to see your build on the Mt. Komorebi Summit!

May I ask you a tremendous favor? Would you please repost the photo booth photo of Maxine and Riku.
I'm dying to see it again but I don't remember which update it was in.  Plus, I'm lazy.

Offline Granny Lawlor

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So much achieved by our lovely teens but it's like seeing that I'm near the end of a book. Desperate to know the end but not wanting it to finish.
Ah, reading and skill classes to get climbing. Brilliant. This is why I read all these stories besides the fun. But why do I never remember the strategies when they would help me? Brain-fade!
Find all my challenges over on the Completed Stories board,
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Offline Heart Foam

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Are they at the Stargazer Lounge for their Night on the Town?

Yes, the unmolested original. If I had a tiny bit of forethought I could have swapped it for something better built, but the weather was terrible anyway.

Quote
What an eerie shot with the snow and the white sun. (That's not the moon, right?)

Not the moon, that's the sun through the snow.

Quote
Noooo, you are making us wait for the next update to savor Herbert in his newly-rewarded gold jacket!

Am I? That's horrible of me! He adds a totally new everyday look. Different hair. Different shades. Very flamboyant.

Quote
May I ask you a tremendous favor? Would you please repost the photo booth photo of Maxine and Riku.
I'm dying to see it again but I don't remember which update it was in.  Plus, I'm lazy.

And so it was that Laziness was rewarded. ;p



They're in front of the photo wall, but it's actually "take photo with..." and a romantic pose. I feel any picture with Ros and Phoebe together at the prom would lack that impact. It wouldn't be as good.

@Granny Lawlor Thank you for reading along. As the person relentlessly pushing these sims, it's just nice to relax a bit, and not have the next project, or school activity. I'd say university is easier than managing two teens like this, by the final uni week a sim is in cruise mode. With teens, the Parenthood traits in particular keep a player on their toes all the way to the end.

I'm also learning about reading skill books for rock climbing! I didn't think there would be one.
It is a little thing of my own. I call it "Heart Foam". I shall not publish it. Farewell! Patience, Patience, farewell!

Exit Bunthorne.

Offline oshizu

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I agree with you that the shot of the helpless Riku in the arms of a relentless Maxine swooping in for a suave kiss is quite incomparable.
Thank you so much for finding that image and sharing it with us!  <3

Squeeee!!! I am impatiently awaiting Herbert's entrance in his newest look, exuding debonair flamboyance!  *bites fingernails

 

anything