Glazey's Ten-Gen Jumble - 5.11 Prepping For the Future (7/21/24)

[GlazeyLady]

4.01 Oliver Takes the Reins


Previously, in our Ten-Gen Jumble . . .

Amber and Oliver embarked on their childhood, making friends and pursuing their aspirations. They really enjoyed their gold-medal slumber party, and excelled at both scouts and school. Oliver was thrilled to finally be able to ride a horse, and raised his horse riding skill to level 6 by the end of his childhood. The Harvestfest gnomes surprised the kids, but they were all appeased quickly. Grim came for Cluckeye, but Cluckeye wasn't ready, so Grim had to give him some time and come back another day. Jasmine visited her Black Widow spouses in their new lives, and found them all happily moving forward.



Jasmine: We celebrated the twins’ birthday with strawberry and chocolate cake, knowing that this birthday officially begins Oliver's reign as the fourth generation heir of the Sandoval Legacy.


Oliver: We’re finally teens! Amber and I are really close, and I seriously hope she’s not sad that I’m the Sandoval heir instead of her. Mom and Dad explained my destiny and my requirements, and I couldn’t be more excited. I need to convince Ginger and Quincy to breed, and the foal will be completely mine to raise and train. I know we’ll be winning competitions together in no time!


Oliver: “Ok, Ginger, I know you love Quincy and he loves you. I really want you to have a foal with him and I promise to take good care of your baby. Whaddya’ say? You ready to be a momma?”


Oliver: I watched the hearts swirl around Quincy and Ginger and I just knew there would be a foal on the way. It’s so exciting!.


Amber: I got an A in high school on Monday, so I took a vacation day on Tuesday to go to GeekCon. I saw my Grandpa Colin and my Uncle Clay there. I’d never actually met them, just seen them in pictures, so I went over and introduced myself.


Amber: Of course I competed in the Hackathon. I was surprised to see Gideon there. I’ve never actually met him either, but Mom told me stories of her first love, and how Dad stole her heart away from him. Grandpa Colin entered the Hackathon too, but I don’t think he was a match for me. It did make me a little nervous when I realized one of the contestants was a werewolf, but he didn’t ever change his form, so it was fine. There was a guy in a robe that kept looking my way. I think he realized I was feeling a little anxious about it, because he came over to introduce himself and said he was a friend of my mom’s and used to live on the ranch with Mom and Dad before they were married. He lives in Sulani now with his partner and their daughter.


Amber: I had such an exciting rocket ride! An alien put a bunch of stuff on my rocketship for me to keep safe for him and didn’t really give me a choice. I almost got caught by the Intergalactic Police, but the alien retrieved his stuff just in time and gave me a rare Fossilized Alien Skull as a thank-you. But the best part was that I returned just in time to hear them announce the winner of the Hackathon, and it was me! On top of that, when I checked my grades on the Hackathon computer, I found I was able to graduate early, so I jumped at that. I wasn’t about to give Mom or Dad, or maybe Oliver, a chance to talk me out of it. I can’t wait to go to university.


Oliver: If Amber could graduate early, I should be able to also. I got an A on Monday, too. So why don’t I have the option? Something’s not right.
Amber: “I wonder if it has to do with the computer. Let’s trade it out for this Immersive Bend PC that I won at the Hackathon.”
Oliver: “Yes! Now I can graduate early! I guess that All-In-One Powerful PC isn’t so powerful after all.”
Amber: “Or maybe it was just powerful enough to block your option to graduate early.”


Devon: “Hey, Jason! Good to see you!”
Jason: “You, too, Devon. How have you been?”
Devon: “Doing great. The new horses are coming along in their training. Are Quincy and Ginger competing today?”
Jason: “Quincy is, but Ginger’s going to be a momma, so she’s not competing right now.”
Devon: “Oh, congratulations! You finally got those two together.”
Jason: “Actually it was all Oliver. He and Amber are teens now, and Oliver is really excited about a new foal in the family. He insists on it being his alone to raise and train.”
Devon: “Well, good for him! I’m sure you’re going to have a champion there.”


Oliver: I was so glad to get the confirmation from the arena judges that Ginger is pregnant. While waiting out the days until her foal was born, I kept myself busy on the ranch. I played with the sheep and kept them sheared.


Oliver: I kept the coop clean and hatched a couple new chicks.


Oliver: I learned to make nectar. It was messy, but productive.


Oliver: I also explored the Dreadhorse Caverns. It was on my list of requirements, and I admit I was a little nervous. It was pretty exciting, fighting bats and spiders and bears. I was lucky I had my mini-sheep Marshmallow with me; if I hadn’t, I wouldn't have been able to get past the locked door. Behind the door I had to go up against skeletons and a Headless Rider. I needed energy nectar to beat the Headless Rider, and didn’t have enough to come out the winner. It left me a bit dazed, but I made it out alive!


Oliver: Ginger’s foal was finally born! I named her Khaleesi. Ginger was pretty protective at first.


Oliver: Quincy stuck pretty close also. Khaleesi’s markings are black like Quincy’s and in the same pattern, but she has Ginger’s reddish-brown mane and tail.


Oliver: Quincy and Ginger let me brush Khaleesi, but they kept a watchful eye.


Oliver: Khaleesi is feeling tense in this world that’s all new to her. But she seemed to forget that while she played with the horse ball, which is actually almost as big as she is.


Oliver: I love this ranch. I can’t imagine growing up anywhere else. I feel so fortunate. Don’t you think it’s beautiful in the snow? This is the best place for a white Christmas.


Oliver: We all dressed in our Holiday wear and decorated the tree together.


Oliver: With the tree decorated and lit up, we sang carols and just appreciated being together for Christmas.


Oliver: Mom made another fabulous holiday dinner. We set plates for our ranch hand, Jamie and thought he might join us with a guest, but he left just as Mom called everyone to the table.


Oliver: After dinner we opened gifts. Mom got a new London’s Choice stove. It was really nice, but not quite as good as The Schmapple Oven she had, so she replaced the stove in the ranch hand quarters. Dad got a Cock’s Crow Table Accent, which is a fancy way of saying he got a rooster figurine. We put it on the table in the hallway. Amber got a Knotty or Knife Block. She’s not much of a cook, but she put it in the kitchen and said she might use it someday. I really don’t understand my gift. I got an Upright Classic Headstone. I have no idea why. I was going to put it out back, but Mom said she’d had enough of headstones out back. I didn’t understand that either, but I stuck it in the family inventory so she wouldn't have to see it.


Oliver: I went out to check on Khaleesi and gave her a first taste of Prairie Grass. She loved it.


Oliver: Father Christmas showed up later with gifts for us. Amber got a “Shine On Ambitions Award” that gives off an inspiring aura. Dad got a “Wood You Believe Bunny Statue” while I was given a Jazz Catz picture that I liked much better than the headstone. Mom got a new chess table, but isn’t sure where to put it, since we already have one. Overall, it was a good Christmas, mostly because we were all together - Mom, Dad, Amber, Me, Quincy, Ginger, Khaleesi, Marshmallow . . . OH! Marshmallow! I need to get her out of my inventory! I bet she’s hungry.


Progress:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Generation 1(Founder): Leo Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
Generation 2: Rose Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
Generation 3: Jasmine Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
For more information on complete requirements see the Generation Challenge Requirements Post.

Generation 3
The source challenge for Gen 4 is yet to be revealed.

Gen 4 Heir: Oliver Sandoval
Traits: Horse Lover, Loyal, ?
Spouse: n/a
Children: n/a
Challenge Requirements:
Watcher created (toddler through teen):
[✔️] Top-Notch Toddler
[✔️] Complete Slumber Party Animal aspiration
[✔️] Be friends with a mini animal
[✔️] Be a Llamacorn Scout

Source Challenge
[✔️] Live on a ranch in Chestnut Ridge
[✔️] Own at least 2 horses (2/2)
[✔️] Have at least 1 mini sheep or mini goat (4/1)
[✔️] Make Nectar at least once and only with home-grown ingredients
[✔️] Explore Dreadhorse Caverns
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?

[GlazeyLady]

Interlude: A Sandoval Excerpt created by the artificial intelligence engine ChatGPT

The company I work for has been getting more involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and I've been spending a little time educating myself about it. Just for fun, I decided to see what the AI engine ChatGPT would write about my Sandovals. So I input descriptions of the first 7 images of Chapter 4.01 Oliver Takes the Reins into ChatGPT, asking it to write a funny story about them. I thought you might find the results interesting, as I did.

Here's the direction I gave ChatGPT and the descriptions I gave about the images. I didn't actually feed the images into ChatGPT, but rather just gave the descriptions.

My initial direction was: "I will give you a description of a series of images. I want you to write a story about them. The story should include funny dialogue between the people in the story."

ChatGPT replied, "Absolutely! Please go ahead and describe the series of images to me, and I'll craft a story with funny dialogue based on your description."

These are the images I was describing and the descriptions I gave:

	This story will use images from the Sims 4 game and is a story about the characters in the game. The first image is of a family that lives on a ranch. The mother's name is Jasmine. The father's name is Jason. Oliver and Amber are the children who are about to celebrate their shared birthday as they are twins. The image includes a strawberry cake with lit candles for Amber and a chocolate cake with candles for Oliver. When they blow out the candles they will become teenagers. Oliver will be the heir in the Sandoval Family Legacy.
	The second image shows 6 headshots. The first three are Amber as a toddler, as a child and now as a teen. The next three are Oliver as a toddler, as a child, and as a teen. Amber has brown hair and hazel-green eyes. Oliver has brown hair and brown eyes.
	The third image is Oliver as a teen whispering to his horse whose name is Ginger. Oliver is asking Ginger to breed with a stallion on the ranch named Quincy. The two horses, Ginger and Quincy, have grown up together on the farm and have spent much time together.
	The fourth image is Ginger and Quincy with hearts swirling around them, indicating the mating process. It is unknown whether they will successfully breed a foal, but Oliver is hopeful.
	The fifth image is Amber at a GeekCon, which is a festival for programming, rocket-building, space travel, and video gaming. Amber sees her grandfather, Colin, and her grandmother's brother, Clay, at the festival and visits with them.
	The sixth image is Amber participating in a computer hackathon at the GeekCon festival. She is competing against her mother's ex-husband Gideon, her grandfather Colin and a local werewolf. Her mother's other ex-husband, Tory, is walking by. Amber scores a 72% in the hackathon and has to wait to see if that is high enough to win.
	After the hackathon, Amber uses a rocket at the festival to travel into space. She runs into an alien who asks her to hide an item and says he will make it worth her while. Later, when Amber gets stopped by the intergalactic police, the alien arrives just in time to retrieve the item, and giving Amber a reward. The police find nothing suspicious and let Amber go.

Regretfully, I forgot to add that Amber won the Hackathon. Here is the story ChatGPT wrote:

Title: The Sandoval Saga: Twins, Tech, and Tall Tales

Jasmine Sandoval stood in the warm glow of the setting sun, a gentle breeze rustling through the fields of her ranch. Her husband, Jason, stood beside her, a proud smile on his face as they watched their twins, Oliver and Amber, eagerly anticipate their shared birthday. A strawberry cake adorned with flickering candles awaited Amber, while a chocolate counterpart beckoned Oliver. Tonight marked the beginning of their teenage years, and for Oliver, the dawn of his destiny as the heir to the Sandoval Family Legacy.

As the twins leaned in to blow out their candles, the air filled with laughter and excitement. "Make a wish, you two!" Jasmine exclaimed, her eyes shining with maternal pride.

Amber's gaze flickered between her brother and the cake, her mind undoubtedly brewing mischief. "I wish for a lifetime supply of chocolate... and maybe a little extra drama for Oliver!" she joked, earning a playful swat from her brother.

Oliver rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Well, I wish for a ranch filled with happy animals and a sister who behaves... occasionally," he quipped, earning a laugh from the family.

With the candles extinguished, the twins embraced their teenage years with gusto. But as the days passed, their adventures only grew more colorful.

In the second image, Amber and Oliver's journey from toddlers to teens was captured in a series of snapshots, each frame showcasing their transformation. From chubby-cheeked toddlers to mischievous children, and now, to blossoming teenagers, their bond remained unbreakable.

The third image revealed Oliver, the future heir, leaning in close to whisper secrets to his beloved horse, Ginger. "Alright, Ginger, it's time to charm Quincy with your irresistible charm," Oliver whispered, his tone conspiratorial.

Ginger neighed in agreement, her eyes reflecting Oliver's determination. The prospect of breeding with Quincy filled her with a mixture of excitement and nerves.

As the scene unfolded, hearts swirled around Ginger and Quincy in the fourth image, signaling the beginning of their romantic endeavor. Oliver watched with bated breath, hoping for a successful outcome.

Meanwhile, Amber found herself immersed in a world of technology and intrigue at GeekCon. In the fifth image, she spotted her grandfather, Colin, and her great-uncle Clay among the bustling crowd. Eager to catch up with her family, she made her way over to them, her eyes alight with excitement.

"Grandpa! Uncle Clay! What are you doing here?" Amber exclaimed, enveloping them in a tight hug.

Colin grinned, ruffling her hair affectionately. "We couldn't miss the chance to see our favorite genius in action," he replied, his eyes twinkling with pride.

In the sixth image, Amber found herself embroiled in a fierce competition at the hackathon. With her family's legacy of innovation fueling her determination, she dove headfirst into the challenge, facing off against formidable opponents, including her mother's ex-husband, Gideon, and even a local werewolf.

As the competition reached its climax, Amber's fingers flew across the keyboard with precision, her mind ablaze with code and creativity. With a final keystroke, she submitted her entry, her heart pounding with anticipation.

When the results were announced, Amber's eyes widened in disbelief as she saw her score: 72%. Would it be enough to secure victory?

But Amber's adventures were far from over. In a twist of fate, she found herself face-to-face with an alien in the depths of space, tasked with a mysterious mission that would test her cunning and courage.

As the intergalactic police closed in, Amber held her breath, hoping against hope that her newfound ally would arrive in time to save her from certain capture.

And just like that, with a flash of light and a sprinkle of stardust, the Sandoval saga continued, weaving tales of family, friendship, and the boundless wonders of the universe.

[Granny Lawlor]

Oh my life!
It's very clever, isn't it. You'd put a lot into the description and you could see how it built on that. Did it have access to the rest of your story?
Thanks for sharing the results. Very interesting. My other half has been looking into AI as part of his sabbatical alongside the aboriginal and Maori story-telling, comparing attitudes to faith, truth, theories and oral history. ChatGPT has come up within that.

[oshizu]

First, your main update:
The twins have grown up so well, which should not be surprising given their superb genetic lineage.  What handsome children!
I love every shot of Oliver: his earnest look as he encourages Ginger to mate with Quincy, the gentleness he exudes whenever interacting with the mini-animals, and his coy smile as he stomps grapes,
Oliver's horse training sounds like it will involve so much time and effort, but we have the luxury of sitting back and watching Oliver and his Watcher showing us how it's done!
Amber had a blast at GeekCon and it really shows! "I Was an Alien Mule!."
The Sandovals went all out for Winterfest--I was impressed that they all changed into holiday outfits!

Regarding the part generated by ChatGPT

I was so impressed by the results of your feeding image descriptions into the AI.
The AI (has it named itself) promised funny dialogue but I actually found the writing to consist of highly literary language.
Well, except for the part about Ginger breeding. That made me wonder if ChatGPT reads romance novels in their spare time.
I couldn't help but laugh at the personification of Ginger's attitude toward breeding:
"The prospect of breeding with Quincy filled her with a mixture of excitement and nerves."
The AI promised to give you funny dialogue.  Was the previous line supposed to be ironic"

Anyway, I quite enjoyed your sharing the results of your experiment. Oh, and the AI-generated title (Twins, Tech, and Tall Tales) was super cool!

[GlazeyLady]

4.02 Hoofbeats and Hellos


Previously, in our Ten-Gen Jumble . . .

Amber and Oliver aged up to teens and raced through high school as fast as possible, both graduating early. Oliver had a chat with Ginger suggesting she and Quincy have a foal together and before long Khaleesi was born. Oliver explored Dreadhorse Caverns, cared for the ranch animals, and learned to make nectar. The family celebrated Christmas together and prepared for the New Year.



Oliver: I’m glad I can ride Ginger, but I’m really excited to ride Khaleesi when she grows up enough. I love Ginger, but she’s not mine, you know what I mean? I’ll be the only one riding Khaleesi, and we will be the best of friends.


Amber: This new gem station is really intriguing! I’m excited about cutting my own gems and making my own jewelry. It’s a nice break from the computer.


Oliver: Khaleesi finally aged up! I can start riding her and training her! It seems like I’ve been waiting forever for this day.


Oliver: “What do you say, girl? Are you ready to go out for your first ride? I sure am!. Let’s go!”


Oliver: I spent a couple days training Khaleesi, and then the whole family went to town to compete. Dad entered Quincy, Mom entered Ginger, and I entered Khaleesi. Amber cheered us all on.


Oliver: All the horses won gold medals!. We’re so proud of them!


Oliver: After the competitions, Amber and I went out to ThrifTea. We graduated so early we never really got a chance to meet other kids our age. Amber heard that ThrifTea is the main teen gathering site around, so we decided to check it out. I met Amira (redhead) and Margaret (blonde) outside. I started crushing on Amira almost immediately, but I think Watcher favors Margaret.


Amber: I have good compatibility with Kendall Blanco, but he’s a goofball and honestly it was just too cold to stay outside and chat with him. I tried to get him to “chat here” inside, but he didn’t want to come in.


Oliver: I didn’t develop a crush on Miracle Robinson, but Watcher thought she was pretty cute.
Amber: Watcher isn’t alone! I got a crush on Miracle as soon as I met her. I’ve always pictured myself with a husband, not a wife, but we have good compatibility so who knows what the future may hold.


Oliver: Watcher seemed intent on making sure I met all the blondes in the place. I don’t have any particular compatibility with Kaci Miller, but that didn’t stop me from getting a crush on her. I’m pretty sure she didn’t feel the same though.


Oliver: We decided to throw a Black and White party for New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, Watcher was so busy nosing into our business and making sure we talked to everyone and checking to see if we were developing crushes on anyone, that she failed to get any good pictures. This one was during the countdown. There’s Amira, my first crush, with purple streaks in her red hair. And you can see my crush Kaci with her long blonde braid. The redhead beside her is Madalyn Redman. I also have a crush on Madalyn, and flirted with her at the party. She seemed interested and flirted back, but I don’t think she has a crush on me or anything. Actually, the only one with a crush on me is Amira, and she's a Lazy Kleptomaniac. She probably thinks I like her best, but really, I've just been keeping an eye on her in case she tries to swipe something.


Amber: Watcher put Romance lights all over the place! Could she be more obvious? I chatted with everyone at the party, but in the end, my only crush was still Miracle, and every time I tried to talk to her, she listened for a minute and then walked away. So, I’m pretty sure she’s not feeling it.


Oliver: I train the horses every day in the field next to our ranch. Khaleesi (on the left) is practicing Barrel Racing to raise her Agility and Ginger (on the right) is working on her Jumping skill. Meanwhile, Quincy (center) is trying to con an apple out of me, which nearly always works. It isn’t just about the treat though. All social interaction raises the horse’s Temperament skill. The final skill, Endurance, is raised by taking the horse out riding. We love to go out riding together, but we also raise all these skills by sending the horses for training at the arena. Now that Dad has completed all the competitions he needs for the Championship Rider aspiration, I take all the horses to the arena each day, and send two for training while I compete with the third. Then I rotate so each horse competes and attends two training sessions per day. It takes most of the day, but hey, this is what I do. And I love it.


Oliver: You can see how the training is paying off. The horses have won so many competitions, our trophy nook is filling up. And this isn’t even all of them.


Oliver: We hung some of them out in the horses’ bed areas to remind them of how awesome they are. Quincy has won golds (1st place) in all the events. See the difference in them? The first is for Barrel Racing, the second is for Endurance Racing, the third is for Show Jumping, and the fourth is for Western Pleasure. Ginger has gold in all the events as well. Khaleesi has gold for Barrel Racing and Endurance Racing, bronze (3rd place) for Show Jumping and Silver (2nd place) for Western Pleasure. There are four levels for each of the events: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert and Master. Ginger and Quincy have won in most of the Expert levels and are moving up to Master, while Khaleesi has just started entering at the Expert Level. Once they each place in all the Master races, they can enter the Ultimate competition.That’s the big one that really tells the world what champions they are.


Oliver: Amber and I went back to ThrifTea to see if there were any new faces there. We saw mostly the same people. It was Comedy Night, so I decided to take a turn at the mic. No one paid attention except Amber and some random guy trying to impress Amber. But the girls I was crushing on never even looked my way. That was disappointing.


Amber: I met Shaun Grove, blonde, cat lover, foodie. He was nice enough, but no sparks for either of us. I chatted a little with Alexis Robinson (Animal Enthusiast, Loner) and he started flirting. Watcher says he has a crush on me, but this time I’m the one not feeling it.


Oliver: Amber suggested that since we’d already graduated from high school, maybe we should also move up from the high school hangout to the pub near the university. I’m so glad she thought of that! Meet Nylah Hardy! She’s active and loves the outdoors. We have good compatibility and we talked all evening and really got to know each other.


Oliver: We flirted a lot with each other and when I blew a kiss at her she gave me a look that nearly stopped my heart! I know the only reason we aren’t crushing on each other is that our feelings are way beyond crush level. We’re going out tomorrow and I’m going to ask her to be my girlfriend.


Amber: Have you ever seen a dreamier dreamboat than Ayaan Datta? He’s a Creative, Self-Assured Dance Machine, and I could not take my eyes off him. And that seemed to be mutual. He’s a University student also, but he’s at Britechester while I’m at Foxbury.


Amber: Watcher assured me that Romantic was not among his traits, but you could have fooled me!


Amber: We’re going out tomorrow. I hope it’s the first date of many. Maybe he’ll ask me to be his girlfriend!


Amber: Oh, I got so caught up in my new relationship I forgot to share my fabulous grades! My first two terms I've gotten A+ in every class! I wonder how many terms Ayaan has left?


(L to R): Ginger, Jason in front of Khaleesi, Oliver, Quincy, Jasmine, Amber


Progress:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Generation 1(Founder): Leo Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
Generation 2: Rose Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
Generation 3: Jasmine Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
For more information on complete requirements see the Generation Challenge Requirements Post.

Generation 3
The source challenge for Gen 4 is yet to be revealed.

Gen 4 Heir: Oliver Sandoval
Traits: Horse Lover, Loyal, ?
Spouse: n/a
Children: n/a
Challenge Requirements:
Watcher created (toddler through teen):
[✔️] Top-Notch Toddler
[✔️] Complete Slumber Party Animal aspiration
[✔️] Be friends with a mini animal
[✔️] Be a Llamacorn Scout

Source Challenge
[✔️] Live on a ranch in Chestnut Ridge
[✔️] Own at least 2 horses (2/2)
[✔️] Have at least 1 mini sheep or mini goat (4/1)
[✔️] Make Nectar at least once and only with home-grown ingredients
[✔️] Explore Dreadhorse Caverns
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?
[    ] ?

[oshizu]

I was astonished how hard Oliver works everyday with the three horses, rotating them through one competition and two training classes each.
I'm glad he had time to go partner-hunting with Amber.
How many competitions does Oliver need to win as an heir requirement?
Congrats to Amber on two stellar academic terms so far!
Oh! That means the teens are pretty close to their YA birthdays!

How cool that they both met someone at Pepper's Pub (forgot the exact name of that bar in Gibbs Hill).
Good luck to both of them on their first dates!

[GlazeyLady]

I was astonished how hard Oliver works everyday with the three horses, rotating them through one competition and two training classes each.
I'm glad he had time to go partner-hunting with Amber.
How many competitions does Oliver need to win as an heir requirement?

The aspiration requires 15 competitions for the Sim, but also requires placing in the Ultimate Competition.

For a horse to be able to enter the Ultimate, they have to have placed at the Master level in all four types of competitions. In order to enter at the Master level of any type, they have to have placed at the Expert level of that competition type. To enter at Expert, they have to have placed at Intermediate, and to enter at Intermediate they have to have placed at Beginner. This means that the horse has to place in 4 different types of competitions at all 4 levels - 16 competitions total. So 17 competitions counting the Ultimate. It doesn't have to be the same rider for all of those competitions, and I suspect that is why there is a separate task of the rider completing at least 15 competitions.

Each type of competition (except Ultimate) focuses on two of the four skills - the combination is different for each type. When you go to enter each competition, the game tells you the recommended skill level for the two relevant skills as well as the recommended Horse Riding level for the rider; my horses and my Sim have always met the recommended levels, and they have placed in every competition. But they don't always get gold - they typically only get gold if both horse skills and the rider skill are above the recommended levels.

Jason is also working on the Championship Rider aspiration - he has completed more than 15 competitions (because he was competing with both Quincy and Ginger before Oliver was old enough to compete). So far, only Quincy has a gold at a Master level competition, and he only has 1. Although he can enter at lower skill levels, the horse and rider will need level 10 to win gold at the Master level.* Even with level 10, a gold isn't guaranteed, so it could take more than 4 races at Master level to be able to enter the Ultimate. Quincy and Ginger age up to elder in 11 days, and they won't be able to compete after that. Also a horse can only compete once per day, although the rider can compete multiple times in a day with different horses. I don't expect Ginger to enter the Ultimate, but I do hope Quincy will place in that before Jason and Jasmine move out - when they move out, Quincy and Ginger will go with them.

*EDIT - You don't actually HAVE to have level 10 - the Master level requires at most Level 9 (and some skills lower), so potentially you could get a gold at only level 9. I didn't, but it's probably possible.

Oliver is doing all the competitions with Khaleesi (meaning no one else enters her in competitions) but he also participates in competitions with Quincy and Ginger.

I know that's a long answer to a short question, but I hope the information is helpful, especially if you decide to play with horses in the future!

Congrats to Amber on two stellar academic terms so far!
Oh! That means the teens are pretty close to their YA birthdays!

Amber thanks you. She is quite proud, especially given that Watcher is so often in the field with the horses. Watcher doesn't actually HAVE to stay in the field while the horses race the barrels and jump the gate, just like she doesn't HAVE to wait outside the arena for the splash telling her how the competition went. She just likes to, which means Amber doesn't get a lot of attention and if she drops a queue to do her schoolwork, she has to make that up at all hours and locations. She often finds herself reliant on Rally the Troops.

Oliver and Amber went to ThrifTea on Thursday and to the pub on Friday. They both have a New Year's Resolution to have a Significant Other by end of day Saturday. They age up to YA on Sunday.

How cool that they both met someone at Pepper's Pub (forgot the exact name of that bar in Gibbs Hill).
Good luck to both of them on their first dates!

It was quite lucky that they both met someone at the pub. That was not a Watcher-created thing, but Watcher admits to being a little nervous about the timing of those resolutions!

I was mostly looking for someone for Oliver, because the timeline I'm trying to work on would ideally have his heir being born  . . .  soon . . . certainly before the end of 2 more weeks. I was really happy to see that Nylah Hardy had grown into such an attractive teen - we haven't seen her since she was a child and didn't really know her then. I was even happier to see that she and Oliver have good compatibility as I was hoping for a blonde or redhead for Oliver.

It was extra lucky that I Amber met someone that I she found so attractive also there that night.

[oshizu]

Thank you for such a detailed answer about the Champion Rider aspiration.
Your choice of this aspiration is very helpful for the rest of us, teaching us how much time and effort it requires.  A LOT!
It has confirmed my decision to never attempt that aspiration! 
I'd like my sims to have a mini-goat, yes, but horses, no.

[Granny Lawlor]

Wow - looking after 3 horses is hard work. And all those competitions. Congratulations on the progress so far.

[GlazeyLady]

4.03 Romantic Revelations


Previously, in our Ten-Gen Jumble . . .

Oliver’s foal Khaleesi aged up to adult and began her training and competitions. Oliver and Amber visited ThrifTea to meet some other teenagers. They hosted a Black and White Party for New Year’s Eve and invited their new friends. Oliver developed several crushes, but only one was reciprocated. Amber developed only one unreciprocated crush. After two trips to ThrifTea, Amber suggested they try the university pub. It turned out to be a great idea, as Oliver met Nylah Hardy, a beautiful green-eyed redhead with great traits. Amber met dreamy Ayaan Datta, a university student at Britechester who also has great traits. Both Oliver and Amber left the pub looking forward to dates with their new romantic interests.


Jasmine: “Amber! I left a necklace for you to wear tonight out on the charging pad. It’s ready to go. It’s the Alcron one with the Fire Opals.”
Amber: “Thanks, Mom. What does it do?”
Jasmine: “It increases success with romantic socials and dates. You’re going to the Romance Festival with Ayaan tonight, right?”
Amber: “How did you know that? He hasn’t asked me, but I was about to call him.”
Jasmine: “Put on the necklace first.”


Oliver: I called Nylah while Amber called Ayaan. We invited them to the ranch and then we could all go to the Romance Festival together. They both said they’d be right over.


Oliver: Shortly after we got to the Romance Festival, I got a call about Prom! Where did that come from? Amber and I graduated before our first Saturday as teens, so we haven’t been able to go to Prom either of the last two weeks, and now suddenly, at the end of our teen days, I get the invite. Weird. We’re not going, of course, since it conflicts with the Romance Festival.


Oliver: This looked like a good place for a First Kiss. Nylah responded well to that, so I asked her to be my girlfriend and she seemed pretty excited when she said yes.


Amber: I can’t help but think Ayaan has a hidden Romantic trait. First the rose when we arrived, and then he recited love poetry to me! Oh, he does make me swoon!


Oliver: We all went to dance and somehow got all tangled up!


Amber: Once we untangled, I tried to show off my moves by dipping Ayaan. I can’t believe I dropped him! He was pretty surprised as well.


Amber: I guess that got him over the desire to dance, because he suggested we get tea.


Amber: We consulted the Romance Guru, and I felt a little better after hearing what she had to say.


Amber: I guess he wasn’t too upset about being dropped on the ground, because he still asked me to be his girlfriend.


Oliver: I heard that sometimes the Romance Guru didn’t give the best answers, so I snuck off to check with her alone. I didn’t want Nylah hearing something that would make her think we aren’t meant to be together because I know we are. And, this is a good answer, right?


Oliver: As the Festival was coming to a close, we ran into Grandma Rose. A bit earlier I'd gotten a message that Great Grandpa Leo's spirit was drifting away. Amber asked Grandma Rose if it would be okay for us to come over after the Festival to strengthen his ties to the world, since he and Great Grandma Lily are buried at Rose's house. She said it was fine, and since Nylah and Ayaan had both left the Festival while we were talking to Grandma Rose, we headed straight to her house.


Amber: Only one of us could complete the strengthening ties, so I did it. We couldn’t strengthen Great Grandma Lily’s. I guess hers are already as strong as they get.


Oliver: When we got home, Mom and Dad weren’t there. It was odd because it was late. Then we found this picture and a note that said, “You’re both adults now and it’s time for you to have the ranch. Mom and I bought ourselves a smaller place and moved this evening, along with Ginger, Quincy, and the chickens. You have your hands full with Khaleesi, but if you decide to get more horses and want a hand with them, I'm happy to help out. We love you both and you know you’re always welcome at our new place. Love, Dad.”


Jasmine: Watcher helped us find this great ranch called Canter Cottage by SakuraLeon. It has three horse beds, so one more than we need. We might remodel one into a nectar-making area one of these days. Quincy is already making himself at home in the stable while Ginger is having a look around.


Jason: We knew the ranch included three mini animals left from the previous owner. Poor things! I can’t imagine why those Sims would leave these little ones here to fend for themselves! We were happy to keep them, but somehow, I ended up with three from our ranch in my inventory. I don’t know how that happened. I picked up the chickens on purpose, but I specifically didn’t take the mini animals. Yet, here they are, so now we have six. We’ll have to check with Oliver and Amber and see if they want them back. Right now they just have Marshmallow, the little white sheep Oliver has been so attached to since his toddler days.


Jasmine:  I think the chickens really like this cheerful green coop. It’s a more open area too. I wonder if we should build a little covered area though, so they can have shelter other than the coop in the rain?


Jasmine: The house is perfect for Jason and I. It’s a three bedroom, with the master, a child’s room, and toddler/infant room upstairs. Can you tell we’re looking forward to grandchildren staying over?


Oliver: With Mom and Dad gone, the place seems kind of empty. So Amber and I agreed to ask Nylah and Ayaan to move in with us.  Nylah seemed a little surprised, but enthusiastically agreed. Aayan was . . . . enthusiastic . . . as well.


Oliver: I started up a Sandoval Family Club gathering and when Mom arrived, I asked if she was willing to turn the Sandoval Family Club over to me since they’ve moved out. She agreed and then asked me to go ahead and take her and Dad out of the club. They didn’t want to be woken up late at night to come over if we happened to start a club event after their bedtime. So I took them out and added Nylah and Ayaan.


Oliver: Nylah is an Active, Family-Oriented Sim who Loves the Outdoors. She aspires to be a Freelance Botanist, but I think she might like Fitness even more than she likes Gardening. She’s pretty graceful, so I was surprised to hear that she was offered an opportunity to become clumsy. I’m glad she turned it down. Seriously, who would want that?


Amber: I got home from class and found Ayaan at the grill. I’m so glad! Mom was our best cook. Nylah and Oliver are both level 1, and Ayaan and I are level 4, so I’m really happy to see he’s willing to help out. Maybe I’ll suggest a cooking class to Nylah, since she’s the only one who’s home all day.  I wonder if she’ll change her aspiration to a more family-oriented one when they have kids?


I met Gideon Jansen at Duke’s Hall across from the Horse Competition Arena today. I was hanging out there while Khaleesi was in training at the arena. Gideon seemed almost as if he already knew me when he first introduced himself. We talked a bit, and eventually he let something very interesting slip out. He used to be married to my Mom!


Oliver: I could hardly wait to talk to Amber about Gideon. When I told her, she asked me if I remembered my childhood friend Natalie Abrams. Of course I remembered her. We exchanged friendship bracelets, so it’s not like I’d forget her. Apparently, at that slumber party we had, Natalie told Amber that her stepdad, Harley, used to be married to our Mom. Natalie said it was before her stepdad died, so of course Amber thought she was just being weird and making stuff up, but what if Mom really was married to her stepdad? Then Amber said Mom once said something about when she was married to Devon. When Amber questioned her, she said she meant when Devon owned the ranch and was married to Camilla. But that’s not what she said. Amber and I are going to need to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.


Progress:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Generation 1(Founder): Leo Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
Generation 2: Rose Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
Generation 3: Jasmine Sandoval - Requirements are complete.
For more information on complete requirements see the Generation Challenge Requirements Post.

Generation 3
The source challenge for Gen 4 is yet to be revealed.

Gen 4 Heir: Oliver Sandoval
Traits: Horse Lover, Loyal, ?
Spouse: n/a
Children: n/a
Challenge Requirements:
Watcher created (toddler through teen):
[✔️] Top-Notch Toddler
[✔️] Complete Slumber Party Animal aspiration
[✔️] Be friends with a mini animal
[✔️] Be a Llamacorn Scout

Source Challenge
[✔️] Live on a ranch in Chestnut Ridge
[✔️] Own at least 2 horses (2/2)
[✔️] Have at least 1 mini sheep or mini goat (1/1)
[✔️] Make Nectar at least once and only with home-grown ingredients
[✔️] Explore Dreadhorse Caverns
[    ] Each horse you own must fully develop their skills, even if you sell them or move them out later (2/3)
[    ] Breed at least one time and raise a horse from foal to elder (Khaleesi is 35 days to elder)
[    ] Win every horse competition available (12/17)
[    ] Complete the Championship Rider Aspiration
[    ] ?
[    ] ?

Notes
I've revealed a few more requirements in the spoiler section, including that all horses in the household must max all four skills; I spent a lot of time training them in the field by the house before realizing that sending them for training is faster. It's still a slow process, though, and partway through I downloaded a mod to make horse training faster. (Thank you to @oshizu for telling me about that mod.) Even with that, it takes a concerted effort and many days. I'm not sure the Championship Rider aspiration could be completed on Short Lifespan without the mod (not positive even with the mod).

Canter Cottage is the default name of the 30x30 lot in Chestnut Ridge. The build by SakuraLeon keeps the name and has been downloaded, modded and re-uploaded by several different builders. The only change I made to it was adding the chicken coop - in the original build, that area was a faux garden - it had debug plants that look like a lettuce patch.

[oshizu]

So many changes during this update at the old ranch!
It's great to see Oliver and Amber settling down, but without so many ranch animals to look after.  Does the ranch hand still live there?

Jasmine mentioned the grandkids staying over but I wish we could send household members away for stayovers sometime.
I guess our household could travel to another lot, then travel back home while leaving the kids there.

Can't wait to meet the babies!!!!
At the Romance Festival, it looks like Ayaan has his kneeds locked around Oliver during that bizarre kiss sandwich.
Since Oliver's a rnacher, I guess the burning donkey is a good romantic metaphor for him?

I can't remember: Will Amber be starting her final term now?

[Granny Lawlor]

I love how carefully you're setting up Jasmine & Jason in their "retirement". You really do look after your Sims

I've never seen the dip-dropping before. That was funny.

Oh dear, Oliver's finding out about his Mum's complicated history. That's going to be an awkward family gathering!

[GlazeyLady]

So many changes during this update at the old ranch!
It's great to see Oliver and Amber settling down, but without so many ranch animals to look after.  Does the ranch hand still live there?

Jasmine mentioned the grandkids staying over but I wish we could send household members away for stayovers sometime.
I guess our household could travel to another lot, then travel back home while leaving the kids there.

Yeah, the kids staying over was more for the story - I think the only way I can make it happen is to switch to play Jasmine and Jason's household and invite the kids, but I'm not sure what would happen when I switched back. Not sure I'm going to try that. I do think not being able to send your kids for a stayover at Grandma's is a big missed opportunity.

Can't wait to meet the babies!!!!
At the Romance Festival, it looks like Ayaan has his kneeds locked around Oliver during that bizarre kiss sandwich.
Since Oliver's a rnacher, I guess the burning donkey is a good romantic metaphor for him?

I can't remember: Will Amber be starting her final term now?

That dance sandwich was pretty funny - I used "go here together" for the group and then queued up them dancing - they weren't on top of each other when I queued that up, so I don't know why they went to exactly the same spot to dance. And then Amber dropped Ayaan. 😂

That Romance Guru prophecy was one of those . . . "Thank you . . . . I think . . . " kind of things. I haven't had that one before. I wonder if it's new with Horse Ranch.

Amber is starting her final term. But Ayaan is only in his second term. He had 4 classes first term, but only 3 second term, so he will need this one and two more. I plan on Amber and Ayaan staying in the household until he's done.

I love how carefully you're setting up Jasmine & Jason in their "retirement". You really do look after your Sims

I've never seen the dip-dropping before. That was funny.

Oh dear, Oliver's finding out about his Mum's complicated history. That's going to be an awkward family gathering!

I do get attached to them and need to make sure they are in a good place when their gen is done.
I don't think I've seen a dipped sim get dropped before either. It was pretty funny. I love the look on Ayaan's face . . . He's like "I'm okay!   I think . . . "
Yes, Oliver and Amber know about 4 of 5 now . . .

[oshizu]

That Romance Guru prophecy was one of those . . . "Thank you . . . . I think . . . " kind of things. I haven't had that one before. I wonder if it's new with Horse Ranch.

The burning donkey prophecy isn't new to the Horse Ranch pack. It's been around for years.
Oh yeah, the dance sandwich, not the kiss sandwich. (whispers: Looks like they're kissing, though)

[GlazeyLady]

@oshizu I realized I didn't answer your question about the Ranch Hand. Jaime is still around, but doesn't live in. As far as I know, the only way to have him live in is to make him part of the household or use For Rent functionality.

Thanks for the info about the burning donkey - I don't think I've seen it before, but maybe I have and it's just been so long I don't remember.