Author Topic: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) Complete (22-May-2023)  (Read 29948 times)

Offline Brian_Z

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 2.3: The Birds And The Bees (28-Apr-23)
« Reply #30 on: April 28, 2023, 03:31:26 PM »
I gave my one suggestion a try, going into CAS and giving a new sim Erratic.  Nothing else greyed out when I did that.
Still, something else I want to try, maybe this evening after work:  Make my sim do yoga, read, fish... all the various things that trigger the Fine moodlet added when they did the Spa Day refresh.  I wonder if it is possible to trigger a self-discovery to remove Erratic, since those calming activities are kind of the opposite of it.

Offline Granny Lawlor

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 2.3: The Birds And The Bees (28-Apr-23)
« Reply #31 on: April 29, 2023, 03:28:26 AM »
I gave my one suggestion a try, going into CAS and giving a new sim Erratic.  Nothing else greyed out when I did that.
Still, something else I want to try, maybe this evening after work:  Make my sim do yoga, read, fish... all the various things that trigger the Fine moodlet added when they did the Spa Day refresh.  I wonder if it is possible to trigger a self-discovery to remove Erratic, since those calming activities are kind of the opposite of it.
Maybe it's only possible to swap a trait out for those blanked out when it's been chosen. In that case swapping Erratic would not be possible and for my other Residents:
Bernard - Self-Absorbed - no blanks
Coral - Evil - Good, Childish (never gonna happen!)
Emery - Socially-Awkward - Party Animal, Outgoing
Flint - Gloomy - Cheerful, Hot-Headed (!)
Julienne - Kleptomaniac - Good
Robyn - Unflirty - no blanks
Sam - High-Maintenance - no blanks

Emery & Flint look the most likely to swap traits, I'll see if Sky Not Blue has more time to focus on them. I'm considering whether swapping out their "unhelpful" trait could be an "Independent Living" requirement as long as they hadn't gained another in the meantime. It does mean making a judgement call on what traits are unhelpful but that could be players choice. You could even have an alternate "training centre" where being Good was unhelpful, lol!
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Offline Rhoxi

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 2.3: The Birds And The Bees (28-Apr-23)
« Reply #32 on: April 29, 2023, 08:32:43 AM »

The picture with Angela gasping in horror is perfectly timed! Haha! Interesting stuff about the traits.

Offline Granny Lawlor

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Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.1: Life's A Beach
« Reply #33 on: April 29, 2023, 08:34:40 AM »
Caretakers Journal Week 2/3 – Saturday to Monday: Life’s A Beach

We were all surprised when the Flower Bunny walked through the door on Saturday morning. Easter had finished at 2am. I’d enjoyed it immensely, Robyn said it had been awful and all the others said it was OK. But why was the Flower Bunny back? I thought she rested the rest of the year.

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This was totally out of the blue. Was it the dancing or the naked showering that swung it for her? Sam said yes, of course.

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Having been accepted as BFF with Sam, FB spent quite a time communing with The Voice. Was she weighing up her rival? Maybe she needs to talk to the Shower. I didn’t leave the cake there too long. A pic of FB being eaten by The Voice was tempting but…I’m Good, remember.

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We got a pop-up about the Finchwick Fair so I thought – why not? It felt….familiar, somehow.

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I talked to the Mayor and asked if she recognised me. She'd never heard of anyone called Sky Not Blue and she thought she would have remembered. She mentioned that cows and llamas would be here in the coming weeks. That sounded familiar too. We’ll have to come back then.

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Flint was in a foul mood when I tried to get him to work on his logic later. Sadly I can’t always work out what everyone’s problem is but this time he took offence at my being too cheerful. I do try to compliment people and put them in a better mood. I guess gloomy-guts Flint just wasn’t in the right place.

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I spotted Julienne staring at the cat life-marker that I brought with me from wherever I was before. I hope she doesn’t start asking me about it.

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Ah! Thank goodness Robyn’s told her to forget it. I know I didn’t have a cat and she wasn’t called Nova and she hadn’t lived 9 lives and she couldn’t talk to me but…sometimes I really think I did!

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Sam had a real go at me for not addressing my own issues. He claimed that I messed with everyone else’s heads by acting as if I'm better than everyone else. That I was using displacement activity. Displacement activity! If I didn’t cook and repair things, no-one else would! Still, he does have a point. Maybe I do need to do a bit more self-discovery.

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I saw Sam giving Julienne a hug – to comfort her? Maybe I really am upsetting people by ignoring my past. Although she’s a Romantic. Maybe they were just having a moment.

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Sunday and it was the first day of Summer and we get a heat-wave. High-Maintenance Sam dressed carefully in his hot weather outfit and went to show it off to The Voice.

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Emery had a go at painting. Just one large painting and his skill level was up to 3. It may not be worth a lot but it’s a really positive step. We didn’t do a lot else on Sunday. We were all a bit hot and bothered so I didn’t push anything.

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Monday and Julienne was sobbing in bed. Her Romantic trait is finally showing itself and she was feeling very unloved. I can’t encourage the others to be affectionate to her and it’s not appropriate to do it myself. Mind you, it would mean we could share the double bed…

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While I had my morning sleep – I take some proper sleep time between 7am and noon each day – Coral suggested that, in the hot weather, a day at the beach would be fun. Bernard quickly put on his beach shirt in support of the idea while Flint searched for the best beach. A day outside was right up his Loving Outdoors street

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Well, it was a really good idea. We all started with a bit of beachcombing, netting 2 shells and 2 bits of treasure. A few of us touched something icky so we stopped. It didn’t stop Robyn who carried on, finding 2 spoilt meals – Yuck! I encouraged Flint to do more logic and he was more open to it at the beach. That’s Bernard in the background, snoozing on the towel. He pays very little attention to anyone else most of the time. Why would it be different at the beach. Besides, there's not much here for him to clean.

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Sam took the only free floater as soon as we’d finished beachcombing. He stayed there all day, sleeping on and off, even though Coral made it quite clear that she’d like a go. The local girl didn’t pay her any attention either. Poor Coral just stood there – for ages!

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Julienne and Emery joined me in a bit of sunbathing. I applied sunburn protection, hoping the others would take my lead. They didn’t. It was a mercy that none of them burnt. Yes, Sam was still out on his floater. Julienne and I chatted about my past and I didn’t shut her down. The sunny beach was helping me relax. Maybe it will all come back to me. Flint even barbequed some hot dogs and didn’t start a fire. Things are looking up.

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Things were going well until Coral flirted with Robyn. Wrong girl! I’d seen Coral and Romantic Julienne share a moment previously but nothing since then. Why would Coral embarrass Unflirty Robyn in public? Oh yes. I forgot she enjoys other people’s misery! You can see Bernard talking to the swings, something about life’s ups and downs, maybe?

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We got home safely after a long day. Flint carried on beachcombing as he trudged off for a nap on the park bench. He's not ready to go indoors.

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Sam hadn't been to the loo all day as there was only the beach huts so he was desperate. He came stomping out and declared that he’d had the worst day ever! Something about Titan's Kiss?

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And Bernard showed The Voice the shell that he’d found and nearly lost his fingers in the process.

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Me? I just glowed! Look at that sun-kissed skin. Things are pretty good from where I’m standing.

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Offline Granny Lawlor

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 2.3: The Birds And The Bees (28-Apr-23)
« Reply #34 on: April 29, 2023, 08:35:50 AM »

The picture with Angela gasping in horror is perfectly timed! Haha! Interesting stuff about the traits.
Just spotted this as I posted my reply - sorry for the overlap :)
I am enjoying the new gameplay with the self-discovery traits. You can switch it off but it's been fun so far.
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Offline Brian_Z

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.1: Life's A Beach (29-Apr-23)
« Reply #35 on: April 29, 2023, 12:18:50 PM »
I saw a mod somewhere that makes ALL outdoor activity cause tanning/burning.  Your patients are probably lucky you don't have it!

Offline Granny Lawlor

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.1: Life's A Beach (29-Apr-23)
« Reply #36 on: April 29, 2023, 04:25:54 PM »
I saw a mod somewhere that makes ALL outdoor activity cause tanning/burning.  Your patients are probably lucky you don't have it!
That sounds like too much realism! I'm still mod-phobic. No mods used ever. One day I'll get my head round them but not yet.
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Offline Granny Lawlor

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Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.2: Life's Ups & Downs
« Reply #37 on: April 30, 2023, 09:48:06 AM »
Caretakers Journal Week 3 – Mon-Tues: Life’s Ups & Downs

Monday evening and Robyn’s overly-close connection to me continues to be an issue as she disregards the need for personal space and bathroom privacy.

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My friend Angela (yes I have friends) came to call again and was quite pleased to see Emery wasn’t naked. Or was she pleased that he was still in his beach-wear? Either way, she was pleased.

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My friend Angela added her encouragement to that of Robyn and Sam as I reinforced the fridge door. It was the best second-hand fridge I could buy at the time and the food in it always smells funny but that’s no reason to not have a reinforced door.

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Flint came back from his beachcombing in the park and did some washing up while I played chess with Sam. We had a chat about his issues with loo-splashback and he explained that the only thing that calmed him down was to have a shower. He’d come to accept the need to share it and was next in line after Coral had done. That’s personal growth, right there!

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My friend Angela found Flint in his bedroom and asked to fill in a few details on the sketch she started the previous day when he was, ahem, showering. He seemed quite happy about that. I think there might be something going on there!

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Tuesday: Coral called me into the bathroom. She’d managed to break the shower. Not until she’d had hers first, of course. Oh dear, and Sam was waiting so patiently! It was now 4am on Tuesday.

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The beds were free so I went for my morning sleep. The weather was shaping up for another heatwave and I wondered what we would do to keep cool. While I was asleep, Flint had a eureka moment.

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This was wonderful. He is now capable of Independent Living having removed the Gloomy trait that had brought him here. It was considerate of him not to wake me immediately to sort out his departure but I might have been able to stop what happened next.

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I was still asleep when Sam cornered Coral about breaking his precious shower. All his personal growth went out the window in the sweltering heat as he let her have both barrels. You can see in the pic, even Evil Coral was cowed.

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The very next moment, Sam was gone and his urn appeared.  I can only imagine that he died of overheating – he was still in his everyday outfit – or of anger. No Grim Reaper appeared. I think I remember Grim coming at other deaths that I’ve witnessed. I remember that he was friendly. I wonder why he didn’t come for Sam. Flint seems oblivious, full of his new self-discovery and planning for his future.

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When I got up, I immediately went and mourned my friend Sam. Yes, he was my friend. Eventually Coral came and mourned too. No-one else. Not even Emery who counted him as a friend. I think the Residents will be more sad when they find out about the penalty issued for Sam’s demise. One bed and one seat will be taken. How will we manage?

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As the other Residents seemed unmoved by Sam’s death, I agreed that we should go ahead with a leaving party for Flint. As someone had dug up a Kava bowl while beachcombing on Monday, a Kava Party seemed appropriate. I invited all my friends: Marcus, Dominic, Summer and Angela plus a few others including a new friend Tomax. The guy in the stripey top? That’s Kash Alley. He appeared on the doorstep to be our new Resident almost immediately after we lost Sam. I was a bit stunned but Kash needs help with his Lazy trait and I think our fitness and dancing regime could do that. We all toasted Flint, of course.

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I hadn’t moved Sam’s urn but everyone just ignored it. I’ll move it next to the cat grave later, when I’m rearranging furniture according to the penalty terms. It’s going to be tough but we’ll just have to make it work. I think I’ll see if the rugs and curtains can be organised a bit better – matching things in one room for example. One nice thing the Facility owners have promised is that we'll all get another set of sleepwear and sportswear as we spend so much time in each. It will be good to have some choice.

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Flint couldn’t stop himself tidying up. It’s amazing he didn’t develop the Neat trait in here. He thanked me for the party and for helping him through his Gloomy period. He’d wanted to gift us a tent as he Loves Outdoors so much but even the smallest sleeps 2 and wasn’t allowed. Instead he’s gifted us another single bed. Having had to swap the double bed for a single wasn’t such a bad thing as only one person ever slept in it at a time but losing one of the benches for a single seat had reduced the nap-options. An extra single bed will be a real help.

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I asked Flint if he’d made arrangements for accommodation. He’s going to stay with my friend Angela and her sister Lilith for a while. They’re just getting to know each other and they want to see if it’s going anywhere. He’d not got close to any of the others in the house but he said he would miss me. I hope he’ll come visit sometimes. Someone called Matias Herring is about to arrive. He’s a Gluttongot a problem with compulsive eating.

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Offline Rhoxi

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.2: Life's Ups & Downs (30-Apr-23)
« Reply #38 on: April 30, 2023, 11:04:44 AM »

What an exciting update - both a death and a successful move out! Those high-maintenance sims can be quite difficult, and they do get angry pretty easily. I bet Lazy will be much easier to trigger a trait change, not sure about Glutton.

Offline GlazeyLady

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.2: Life's Ups & Downs (30-Apr-23)
« Reply #39 on: April 30, 2023, 02:54:35 PM »
Congrats to Flint - such good progress! First in sharing the shower, then in swapping the gloomy trait, and finally in a new living arrangement! Sam's demise was sad - he did add color to the house. But two residents will be fun to get to know.

And congrats to Sky Not Blue on her first successful rehabilitation and move-out!

Offline Granny Lawlor

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.2: Life's Ups & Downs (30-Apr-23)
« Reply #40 on: May 01, 2023, 02:04:05 AM »

What an exciting update - both a death and a successful move out! Those high-maintenance sims can be quite difficult, and they do get angry pretty easily. I bet Lazy will be much easier to trigger a trait change, not sure about Glutton.
If Sky Not Blue has time, I'll try another High-Maintenance Resident. I think you're right about Lazy vs Glutton  so Maria's may have to do achieve Independent Living by skilling which is Coral's only route. No way is she going to swap from Evil to Good!
Congrats to Flint - such good progress! First in sharing the shower, then in swapping the gloomy trait, and finally in a new living arrangement! Sam's demise was sad - he did add color to the house. But two residents will be fun to get to know.

And congrats to Sky Not Blue on her first successful rehabilitation and move-out!
I was a bit stunned by the loss of Sam tbh. I was enjoying his various interactions and thinking I was going to miss him when he moved out. Then, bam, he'd gone! Without the compensation of the scoring and Leaving Gift plus the penalty!
His loss did prompt me to declare Flint's trait swap as a valid Independent Living requirement as I was undecided until that point, lol!
I am enjoying playing a challenge where the Growing Together trait swaps are very pertinent.
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Offline Granny Lawlor

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Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.3: Kash & Matias
« Reply #41 on: May 01, 2023, 03:08:25 AM »
Caretakers Journal Week 3 – Wed-Thu: Kash & Matias

After Tuesday (was it really only yesterday?) the Facility needed to adjust to losing 2 friends, friends to me at least, and gaining 2 more Residents. Kash, having been here all of 6 hours, felt able to explain the set-up to Matias. Matias was annoyed that Kash had been to the Kava party and he hadn’t so he was already in a bad mood when he tried our dancing therapy. He quickly decided that he didn’t like dancing which will make it hard to engage him in the future.

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I asked Matias what he did like doing and he said he likes Research & Debate. I showed him where the only mirror is but he hasn’t made use of it to date.

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Seeing Kash start the Pennies From Heaven routine, I think both lads will fit right in. Robyn’s comment “Been there, done that!” to Kash didn’t seem very welcoming. I hope everyone gets on.

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The Voice had taken advantage of yesterday’s kerfuffle to lure someone in to his nefarious trap. I couldn’t decide whether it would be better for it to have been a Resident of one of the guests. As it was, I got the essence of Bernard’s confidence when I milked it. Poor Bernard. He must have cleaned himself up before we even noticed.

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Flint popped over. He’s thinking about signing up for a degree as he’s living with 2 students in Britechester. Julienne asked why he hadn’t flirted with her while he was in the house but I didn’t hear the answer. That girl is always looking for love.

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Matias is always happy when there’s food around. This chilli came out of the fridge but he’ll finish off any half-eaten plates lying around. I really hope he develops his fitness to off-set the calories.

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Matias developed a bit of gardening skill by trying to befriend the suspicious Voice. Does it look quizzical to you. I’m sure it could speak if I paid enough attention but that sort of thing got me in this place.

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Kash is settling in well. He’s identified all the napping opportunities.

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He’s easily able to drop off in the single chair so I didn’t need to worry about that.

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Kash is the 3rd Resident to dabble in painting. Robyn suggested it was a self-portrait which I don’t think it was. She seems determined to undermine him.

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I resorted to getting Kash and Robyn cooking together with me. I believe it is how Emery and the late Sam became friends. Let’s hope it has worked for these 2. This is when I realized that I was a Perfectionist and our chilli turned out excellent. I'm considering rearranging the kitchen to make it more suitable for group cooking. It could be our new therapy and would definitely interest Matias.

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Later on Wednesday we took a trip to Willow Creek park in the continuing heatwave. Kash started fishing but gave up fairly quickly. Emery, Robyn and Julienne all netted a good few fish but no surprises. Coral manage to cook Asado with no fire.

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I was so pleased with Coral but she didn’t get much sleep and passed out twice. She’s taken to mourning at Sam’s grave at every opportunity. I am concerned for her well-being. Note to self: Kash is dozing and Matias is eating. Hm....

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Robyn is really building her gardening skills and spent the evening doing research. In fact, although she has only just mastered (mistressed?) dancing behind nearly everyone else, she has skills in nearly everything that anyone else has. I guess that makes her a Jill of all trades.

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Thursday and the heatwave looks like it’s here to stay. We all struggled to keep cool so the swimming pool in Windenberg was the obvious answer. Doesn’t Brytani look like she’s having a peaceful time?

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Shame, tee hee! She got out pretty smartish muttering about reserved time for celebs when we all jumped in. Actually, not all of us. You can see Kash finding time for another nap.

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Brytani was very interested in our Emery but you know Emery. He just muttered to himself and backed away. Poor Emery. I don’t think he realizes just how attractive he is.

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After Matias splashed some other pool visitors with the most spectacular belly-flop (that's got to smart!), we headed home, 4 of us having increased our fitness.

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Offline Rhoxi

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.3: Kash & Matias (1st May)
« Reply #42 on: May 01, 2023, 11:00:53 AM »

Huh, so Lazy sims can sleep sitting up in chairs? I didn't know that, but then I've never played one. Sky Not Blue's new perfectionist trait sounds useful. Those excellent dishes should help put everyone in a better mood - especially Matias!

Offline GlazeyLady

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.3: Kash & Matias (1st May)
« Reply #43 on: May 01, 2023, 03:06:48 PM »
I also didn't realize lazy Sims could nap sitting in chairs - maybe that will be helpful given the low number of beds. I like the pool scenes - I don't play much with pools because I felt like the Sim's actions are so repetitious. But now I'm wondering if more were added with Island Living and I just didn't notice. Or maybe I haven't been patient enough to give them time to do different things. At any rate, I'm sure they enjoyed the pool on such a hot day.

Offline Granny Lawlor

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Re: Sky Not Blue (Asylum Challenge) 3.3: Kash & Matias (1st May)
« Reply #44 on: May 02, 2023, 05:53:22 AM »

Huh, so Lazy sims can sleep sitting up in chairs? I didn't know that, but then I've never played one. Sky Not Blue's new perfectionist trait sounds useful. Those excellent dishes should help put everyone in a better mood - especially Matias!
I kinda wish I hadn't accepted the Perfectionist trait for Sky Not Blue. I forgot that it will make anything creative take longer and sometimes she just scraps decent (not excellent) paintings - drat!
I also didn't realize lazy Sims could nap sitting in chairs - maybe that will be helpful given the low number of beds. I like the pool scenes - I don't play much with pools because I felt like the Sim's actions are so repetitious. But now I'm wondering if more were added with Island Living and I just didn't notice. Or maybe I haven't been patient enough to give them time to do different things. At any rate, I'm sure they enjoyed the pool on such a hot day.
The pool is quite a social activity. I think the gym in Del Sol Valley is the one with a pool as well. On our outing there, half the Residents disappeared off to enjoy the pool. I decided it was the safest way to build Fitness in the heatwave that's lasted days!
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