Costa Mishmash Legacy 6.11: Autumn Leaf Piles! (7 Sep '24)

[oshizu]

Your library and bar renovations are such a vast improvement. Strangerville, once redeemed, will be a great place to live.

CoralSango is doing so well - completing Scouts and graduating early. I love the bent-sideways possessed shot, 🤣

Thank you so much for sharing your sim, Coral Odrade, with me! Coral's is doing really well!
Besides Scouts and high school graduation, she's also completed Nerd Brain, Fab Wealthy, Freelance Botanist, and is halfway through Painter Extraordinaire.
It helped that her first home was a Tiny Home.
Sango surprised me when she bent in half while possessed! Too bad we don't have a Gymnast career!

[oshizu]

5.3: Kalo's Renovations, Part I

Kalo: In my previous update, renovation-related screenshots took up 10 out of the 24 total images.
I'd prefer not to spend nearly half of a weeklong update discussing renovation work.
So, I've decided to create this separate post to share before & after shots of the renovations.
This post excludes the 8 Bells and StrangerVille Information Center, which were covered in the last update.


Slip 42, 20x15

Kalo: This is my cheaper version of the original Slip 42 trailer lot.
The fenced-in front yard has been removed.
The exterior materials are darker and cheaper. Lots of trash!


The trailer retains its original dimensions: a 36-tile trailer (4x9) + 4-tile porch.
The floor plan is rearranged for an enclosed bedroom.
Actually, I forgot what the original floor plan looked like. Sorry!
The move-in cost for this lot was §12,891 (vs §16,905 for EA's build).


The new trailer has a cheery white-and-green exterior with window boxes.
It has a total area of 64 tiles, still qualifying for a Tie 2 Tiny Home.
Outside, there's a grill area, lounge chairs, and a garden area.


Sango: This was my first home décor project and, I confess, I lost my head.
I got carried away with upgrading the furnishings until it's no longer a starter home.
With a total lot value of §38,770, it's over three times its initial lot value.
There's a generously-sized master bedroom plus a children's room with bunkbeds.
Kalo says it's fine. He's going to help his 3 team members to move into our first 3 home renos.



Riverside Grove (30x20)

Kalo: This shotgun-style residence was originally the home of Dylan and Jessie Sigworth.
It has to be one of the plainest, most uninteresting home in the neighborhood.
It could certainly use more vibrant colors and some architectural detail. We shall see.
I'd also like to change its footprint to accommodate a second bathroom.


Sango: Inside, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom along a long hallway leading to a living/dinina area.
There seems to be a lot of wasted space, don't you think?
Perhaps Kalo could reshape the entire house to allow more efficient use of its space?


Sango: Perhaps landscaping comes under my supervision?
Anyway, there's not much to say about the backyard.
Its primitive patio deck isn't a welcoming place to invite family and friends for a barbecue!
Its initial lot value is §32,860, and Kalo says we should stay under double that, so §65,000 max.
Maybe aim for a §50k budget? It's so hard not to create a home that we personally would want to live in!


Kalo: Yellow's always a great choice for brightening up a home's exterior.
For Riverside Grove, I go with a yellow-and-green theme for the door and windows.
The new porch has a loveseat, a rocking chair, and various forms of greenery.
The columns and lintels add more detail to this shotgun-style home's façade.


Sango: I did much better with this house than the trailer, mostly because it had more reusable furnishings.
As you can see, Kalo added a nursery and a half-bathroom by increasing the house's width.
I moved the living area to the front to take advantage of the indoor light from the front windows.
The kitchen/dining area is its own space now.


Kalo: The entire house was moved to the side by two tiles to create more space on its other side.
I also shortened it for a slightly larger patio space.
The lot value increased from §32,860 to §49,995, which is less than a 50% difference. Good job, Sango!
Sango: I realized that a house can look good without the spendiest furnishings, haha.

[Granny Lawlor]

Are you enjoying renovating run down houses? It's a different sort of challenge - more for the player to execute than the Sim.

You (plus Kalo & Sango are doing great work.

[oshizu]

Are you enjoying renovating run down houses? It's a different sort of challenge - more for the player to execute than the Sim.

You (plus Kalo & Sango are doing great work.

Yes, I'm really enjoying the renovation projects.  We are not bothering with Fabrication because Fabricated items don't have good Comfort ratings, but Kalo and Sango are crafting woodworked furnishings whenever they wiull fit with the color scheme.  For example, the VAULT kitchen counters were great for Slip 42 but weren't available in the right color swatches for Riverside Grove and Carpophagous Corner.
They also leave 4-5 small or medium paintings in each home, provided there's a color match or sorts.
I love building shotgun-style houses so I'm having the most fun with Riverside Grove and Carpophagous Corner!

And how is Dai doing?

[oshizu]

5.4: Kalo's Renovations, Part II


Carpophagous Corner (30x20)

Kalo: This is dismal place is allegedly a spacious family home with two bedrooms and three bathrooms.
However, even after a good cleaning, its architectural style doesn't fit the rest of the neighborhood.
So, that's something to think about. Hmmm, perhaps a different shotgun style than what we just did.

Note: This gallery download is "Fixer Upper House" by miszialala9955.


Sango: Oh no! Two double beds in a single room does NOT translate to two bedrooms!
The interior structure of this house really needs a lot of work.
And, unlike Riverside Grove, this place has almost no furnishings that we can reuse.
This home is going to cost a lot to refurnish! It needs everything!


Sango: This is the backyard. This house has only one thing going for it: this lovely wisteria bower.
Hopefully, Kalo can restructure the house in a way that lets us keep the wisteria.
Kalo: Uh, I'm not too optimistic about that, Sango…


Kalo: Except for the trailer park and Old Penelope, all of StrangerVille Plaza's homes have the shotgun style.
To match the neighborhood, I tore down the fixer-upper and built a camelback double shotgun house from scratch.
The overall color theme is light blue with dark-brown accents.
Watcher: I've built several one-story shotgun houses before, but the camelback was a first for me.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how much floor area it adds.


Sango: This is the first floor, with the front door at the lower left, opening into the living room.
The adjacent room is the master bedroom with its full ensuite.
Through the living room is a spacious, open-plan dining/kitchen area.
For the younguns, there's a nursery with a full bathroom.
Next to the nursery, a stairway leads up to the second floor.
Watcher tells me babycare is easiest with a first-floor nursery.


Upstairs, there are two bedrooms with a half-bathroom in between.
An Art Studio contains only an easel and an activity table.
I considered adding a Science Table and Chess Table to the landing.
But we've already gone over budget, so we'll leave that up to whoever moves in.
Of course, both the nursery and art studio can be converted into more bedrooms.


Sango: Oh, you used that wisteria bower to create a side patio!
Kalo: Once I added that feature, I wondered if the exterior shouldn't be lavender or pink.
But I lacked the right color swatches, so light blue it is.
Sango: I see a small sheltered garden area behind the house.
Kalo: There's even a small outdoor play area for children.
With a final lot value of §67,773, we more than doubled the initial value of §30,822.
Sango: It couldn't be helped, Kalo. We had to buy all new furnishings and appliances!


Kalo: Omar Ito and I have been friends since before I moved here to StrangerVille.
When we first met, I had no idea that he was a Conspiracy Theorist.
Anyway, I designed the new Carpophagous Corner with Omar in mind.
I added numerous StrangerVille posters and knick-knacks. Hope he and his wife like it!

[oshizu]

5.5: Racing to Find a Cure


Note: The previous two posts showcases Kalo's last three residential renovations.
It includes Before/After shots for the Slip 42, Riverside Grove, and Carpophagous Corner lots.


Sunday, Week 30, Year 3 (late summer)
Kalo: Last Sunday, my infected crush Sango Odrade moved into my Slip 42 trailer.
Working together, we finished renovating 8 Bells on Tuesday and StrangerVille Info Center on Thursday.
Meanwhile, I started investigating the cause for Sango's possession.
Saturday, I unlocked the door to the Secret Lab, then Sango and I moved out of our renovated trailer.
We are now living at Riverside Grove.


Sango: I'm glad we unpacked everything before my work shift started.
Sorry to leave you to plant the garden!
Kalo: Not a problem. How did you like your first day of work yesterday.
Sango: I love Gardening so the Manual Labor job is great.  I'm sure I'll earn my last promotion today.


Kalo: One of my main goals today is to assemble a Hazmat Suit with a Spore Filter.
Without that, I can't go any further into the Secret Lab.
I need to compile Infection Profile Data at the Secret Lab so my friend Lewis can craft me a Spore Filter.
So that's what I do. He says to expect my Spore Filter in the mail soon.


Kalo: Our experience as new StrangerVille residents hasn't been what I expected.
Why aren't we visited by Infected sims? Why do Government Agents keep walking by and ignore us?
Sango: Do you think it's cuz I'm an Infected sim, Kalo?
Kalo: It's just as well. I'm done with restructuring the house, so you can start its interior décor, Sango.



Monday
Sango: I can't believe we're already moving again after 36 hours. We shouldn't have bothered unpacking!
Kalo: Yeah, and I should've checked the house next-door first. I didn't realize it was also yellow.
Sango: It doesn't matter. Our house looks better! I would've loved to stay in this house a little longer!
Kalo: Same here, Sango. But I'm hoping we can move into our final home, Old Penelope, by Saturday.


Sango: Our Carpophagous Corner home is a true fixer-upper. What does its name even mean? *googles
Okay, it's an adjective from Greek, meaning "fruit-eating." Erm, how does a corner eat fruit, though?
Kalo> Huh. Anyway, the majority of this hood's home are shotgun style.
Down the street, I see a brown-and green one and, beyond that a white-and-black one,
So I'm definitely building a shotgun house here but using a different color combination.


Sango: This house doesn't have many reusable furnishings but it has lots of odds and ends we can sell.
The kitchen's a complete wreck! There's a gutted stove and no fridge. The counters need replacing!
Let's clean this place up, put anything reusable in household inventory, then sell off the rest.
Kalo: Great idea! We need to see what we're working with here, so I can start rebuilding!
By the way, when my Spore Filter arrives today, I'll be making another trip to the Secret Lab.



Tuesday
Sango: When are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend?
Kalo: I don't know, Sango. You've been unreasonably angry with me since Saturday night.
Sango: Of course, I'm angry! You didn't invite me to Prom!
Kalo: One, I'm not in high school so I can't invite you and, two, I was at The Secret Lab Saturday night.
You know I've been doing all I can to find a cure for your possession.
Sango: Well, I can't help it!  Even though you apologize to me several times a day, I'm still mad!


Kalo: My Spore Filter arrives in the mail, so I'm ready to go deeper into The Secret Lab.
What I find behind the last door is… *shudders
Luckily, I gathered more Spore Clusters yesterday, so I'm ready to mix some Experimental Vaccines.
Where are those Infected sims when I need them?


Kalo: I have the bright idea for Sango to create a club with Trait: Infected as its admission requirement.
But I learn that the Experimental Vaccine can only be tested on actively possessed sims. Darn!
This can still work if they're in my club. After 1 am, I can click on their club portrait and "Focus on Sim."
(I know, I know. I should wait and look for them. But I'm in a rush to cure Sango, okay?)



Wednesday
Kalo: I try convening the club and two of the Infected sims arrive sane but turn possessed.
I test them with the Experimental Vaccine then test a third I find running around town.
Time to make the real-deal Infection Vaccines so I can vaccinate and recruit my crew!
Hey, I'd made an extra Experimental Vaccine and I can actually convert it to a normal Vaccine!


Kalo: Sango, we're done with this house.  I stashed our garden in inventory to check its lot value.
Its lot value is currently around §67,000, which is over twice its starting value of §30,435.
Sango: It ended up a huge house with 3 bedrooms, a nursery, and an art studio! Are we moving today?
Kalo: I'm eager to move into Old Penelope, but I think we should cure you and StrangerVille first.
And I can't take nice shots of this house because it looks green, not light blue, due to the sky's weird color.


Lewis: That Infection Vaccine was the worst, but helping Kalo out is so worth it. I'm living at Slip 42 now.
Mae: Yeah, I was homeless before, too. But my husband and I moved to Riverside Grove last night.
Kalo: Okay, I've recruited you three as my team to go kick butt, but first I need to go to Moonwood Mill.
Omar: Moonwood Mill? Whatever for?
Kalo: Uh, my father phoned me yesterday and I promised to visit him today. I'll be back as soon as I can!


Lou: You kept your promise to visit us today! I've missed you so much, Kalo!
Kalo: I've missed everyone here and Moonwood Mill a lot, too! Uh, this is my housemate, Sango.
Kaci: Hi, I'm Fenris's wife, Kaci. So, you live with Kalo but you're not even his girlfriend?
Kalo (whispers): Shush, Kaci! I haven't asked her yet. She's been sick and we're trying to cure her first.
Sango: Wow, you and Fenris got married the day after your teen birthdays?!
Kaci: Girl, looks like you need some tips on handling the Costa men. You can text me anytime!
Kalo: *nudges Kaci hard with his elbow


Kalo: All right, team. Let's do this!
Omar: Are we going to…
Kalo: Sshhh! No spoilers in case any of our readers hasn't solved The StrangerVille Mystery yet.
Suffice it to say that we solve the heck out of The Mystery and I'm now The Hero of StrangerVille!



Thursday
Kalo: Sango!
Sango: Kalo! What?
Kalo: You're cured now and this is our last move, so I can finally say this: Will you be my girlfriend?
Sango: Yes, of course! I've been dying for you to ask me!


Several hours later
Kalo: I moved the plane wreck and bunker to the left corners of the lot to make room for our house.
So far, I've laid out the ground-floor rooms and stairs, then bought a few furnishings and appliances.
Sango: Oh, a gray Victorian, because gray's your color, with white or white-and-dark brown accents.
Kalo: The colors aren't  final, Sango. The two-tone windows look fussy, but plain white's boring.
Anyway, we can figure out the second floor later. For now, we can sleep in the ground-floor nursery.


Sango: Kalo and I build a greenhouse for our garden then do landscaping around the house.
When I peek at our Mansion Baron tasks, I'm shocked to see our progress! Our home's worth §295,026!
Kalo: Well, we still have that underground bunker. Do we want to keep it?
I got a bit carried away. The house has three bedrooms, a nursery, Art Studio, and six washrooms…
Sango: We can decide about the bunker later. For now, let's start crafting furnishings!
(Note: You can see the bunker entrance right behind the greenhouse.)



Friday
Mae: Thanks for inviting us to lunch at this fancy Italian restaurant in Tartosa!
Omar: And the three of us even moved into the three homes you recently renovated!
Kalo: You know what that means? We not only saved StrangerVille together but we're also neighbors!
Sango: Kalo, let's pay each of them a visit to meet their spouses, so we can invite them over.


Sango: I don't know about you guys, but I've never had lobster and wine for lunch!
Lewis (Scientist): The Lobster Tortellini is amazing, but shouldn't it be paired with white wine, not red?
Kalo: I remembered you're a Foodie, Lewis, and asked about that in advance.
The Sommelier recommended a light red wine. How is it?


Sango: It's no surprise that Kalo the Spice Hound passes the Spice Contest, but look at me!
Sadly, though, I'm still not a Spice Hound. *pouts
Kalo introduces me to his Grandpa Thyme, who is a very handsome Adult!
It's hard to say who's better-looking, Grandpa Thyme or Papa Lou.



Saturday
Kalo: I demolished the bunker yesterday because our house provides enough space.
Then, I built a patio space in our side yard for throwing parties.
Today, I have a special reason for hosting a Neighborhood Potluck.
I've invited the Gen2, Gen3, and Gen4 heirs and their spouse plus my StrangerVille Team.
Sadly, none of my team's spouses show up, even though I visited each of them yesterday.


Sango: That's Kalo's Grandpa Thyme with his Great-Grandpa Edgar. They look a lot alike, don't they?
You can see where Kalo gets his good looks!
Night (whispers to Lou): Why does Sango ignore me whenever she talks about Kalo's great genes?
Lou: Um, maybe Sango prefers brunettes?


Kalo: Sango, I've invited all the people here today who mean the most to me, so they can witness.
Will you be the nail to my hammer? Oh, that sounds terrible.
Um, do you watch the "Fixer Upper" TV show? Yes, then will you be the Joanna to my Chip?
Sango: Absolutely! I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you!


Kalo: Oh, no! Prom starts before I'm done proposing! What will Sango do?
 I've moved mountains to cure your Infection ASAP, Sango, and save up to build the house of our dreams.
Sango: I don't care! I still resent you for not inviting me to Prom, even though I know you can't invite me!
Kalo: Look, I'm sorry, okay? (Thank the Fates that we age up next Tuesday! I can't take any more of this!)




Gallery Download
*Carpophagous Corner (30x20): "Fixer Upper House" by miszialala9955. §30,172.
   A two-bedroom (?), 2.5-bathroom house that is intentionally a wreck.
   It required so much fixing that Kalo decided to demolish it and rebuild.

*Rifugio dei Pirati (30x20): "Italian Restaurant" by SimCubeez.
  I've used LilSimsie's Garden of Olives restaurant in Tartosa for the past 2-3 legacy challenges.
  So I've replaced it with a home, then downloaded SimCubeez' restaurant to a smaller lot instead.

The Gen5 household
Home: Old Penelope, StrangerVille Plaza
Kalo Costa (Gen5 heir) - Teen (3 days to YA)
Traits: Music Lover, Self-Assured
Fiancee: Sango Odrade

Sango Odrade (Gen5 fiancee) - Teen (4 days to YA)
Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Maker

Progress: End of Week 30

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Gen5 heir:  Kalo
Completed
🛠️Skills: Photography, Charisma, Handiness, Painting
🛠️Aspirations: Creative Genius, Nerd Brain, Painter Extraordinaire,
                      StrangerVille Mystery 4/4, Mansion Baron 4/4
🛠️Leave home with §20k, move into Slip 42, then flip it. (Start §16,891-->§38,800).
🛠️Renovate the 8 Bells bar. (§29,295-->§56,196)
🛠️Renovate the StrangerVille Info Center. (§32,342-->§61,940)
🛠️Flip the Riverside Grove fiver-upper. (§30,860-->§49,995)
🛠️Flip the Carpophagous Corner fixer-upper. (§30,822-->§67,733)
🛠️Befriend an Infected sim in StrangerVille (Sango) and cure them.
🛠️Renovate Old Penelope and make this lot your home. (§27,940-->§350k+)
Remaining
*Marry a sim in the Manual Labor career with a passion for woodworking
*Name all children with the same first letter.
*Career: Interior Decorator (not yet)
Ongoing
*Upload photos of your latest project to Simstagram daily
*Dress to impress for every Interior Decorator gig (not all the time, this is StrangerVille yo!)

Notes
*Renovate Old Penelope: Kalo will consider this task done when he completes Manion Baron.

*Lovestruck expansion pack: In case you're wondering, I'll be buying the new pacik by September 5th (in time for the free gifts).
  I'm hoping my next heir (Gen6) will be ready to roll out by then.
  I have around 17 real-life days to help Kalo max his Interior Decorator career and raise his next heir to a teen.
  But I may wait to start playing the pack if it requires a hotfix or two around that time.

[Granny Lawlor]

Strangerville is a great place to live once the mystery is solved. Warm and mainly dry. But you've made it even better - great renovating,  Watcher. And I like that you moved Kalo's team in.

That "angry about" Prom is a real problem for early graduates who fall in love. I guess it's not actually a bug but a gameplay issue and I suppose people do have irrational resentments but...it seems to be inevitable, not just random. I'd say it needs a fix!

Are you increasing the value by just furniture?  Or will you get Kalo painting?

Looking forward to the next stage.

[oshizu]

Strangerville is a great place to live once the mystery is solved. Warm and mainly dry. But you've made it even better - great renovating,  Watcher. And I like that you moved Kalo's team in.

That "angry about" Prom is a real problem for early graduates who fall in love. I guess it's not actually a bug but a gameplay issue and I suppose people do have irrational resentments but...it seems to be inevitable, not just random. I'd say it needs a fix!

Are you increasing the value by just furniture?  Or will you get Kalo painting?

Looking forward to the next stage.

Once the StrangerVille Mystery has been solved, StrangerVille is one of my favorite towns.
Besides the warm climate, the StrangerVille pack has great Build mode assets for building two of my favorite types of houses: shotguns and Victorians.

I didn't have Kalo and Sango do any flirting, but they have good compatibility and they crushed on each other.
The Bitterness about No Prom invite definitely needs a fix! Especially when both of the teens involves can't offer a Prom invite.
There's a mod that allows us to schedule a Prom only when we want, but I'm not that desperate yet.  But getting there, lol!

Regarding Mansion Baron, Kalo & Sango already completed it early Sunday morning. Demolishing the bunker dropped the lot worth by about $20k.
In addition to the large two-story house, they also had a greenhouse and patio area.
They crafted all the kitchen counters/islands, end tables, night stands, beds, baby stuff, foyer tables, and dining chairs.
Buy expensive flooring and wall coverings really help, since they never depreciate.
They bought the rest of the furniture.  After that, they added (goes in game to count) 10 paintings, ranging in cost from $7k to $10k.
For me that $5k worth of landscaping ia  always a pain...

[oshizu]

Old Penelope


Kalo and Sango's final home showcases their talents as architects, builders, and decorators.
Their grand two-story Victorian is more than large enough to accommodate the needs of a growing family.
The wraparound veranda encloses two sides of the house.  There's a back door at the back left of the house.


On the left side of the lot, you can see a downsized version of the original "Old Penelope" in the foreground.
The side patio is set up for social events.  Besides the greenhouse, there's an incomplete playground area near the back door.


The entrance foyer leads to the living room on the right or a family room straight ahead.
To the right of the family room, there's the kitchen and dining room.
At the back of the house, you'll find two full bathrooms and a nursery.


Upstairs are the master bedroom, two smaller bedrooms, an Art Studio, and three bathrooms.
A balconly runs along the right side of the second story.
For now, the left room has a double bed in anticipation of stayover guests.


The house ended up much larger than we initially expected.
We designed the ground floor first so there's a bit of wasted space perhaps on the second floor.
But Kalo, Sango, their children, and their stayover guests willd definitely have all the space they...and more!
What can I say! I'm a simmer, not an architect...

[Granny Lawlor]

You sell yourself short - you definitely have architect skills. It's a great makeover and I like that you've kept Old Penelope in there.

Lots of room for Gen 6! I'd better go find out what's happening to my gen 5! 😆

[GlazeyLady]

Such great makeovers! And solving the Strangerville mystery as well and all while still teens! Kalo and Sango have certainly been busy and they are off to to such a great start to their life together!

[oshizu]

Such great makeovers! And solving the Strangerville mystery as well and all while still teens! Kalo and Sango have certainly been busy and they are off to to such a great start to their life together!

Quite honestly, I haven't been looking forward to Kalo joining the Interior Decorator career.
Thankfully, he's completed all his requirements except that career. 
Kalo's completed two gigs in two days and each gig required considerable effort and time, at least for this Watcher.
But since it's a gig-based career, he can always not accept a gig at certain points in their family life, like while raising infants.

I can't wait for the nooboos!!!

[oshizu]

5.6: We're Adulting Now


Sunday, Week 31, Year 3 (early autumn)
Kalo: Last week was so productive!
Sango and I finished renovating Riverside Grove and Carpophagous Corner.
Wednesday, my three-sim team and I cured the mysterious infection and saved StrangerVille.
Thursday, Sango and I moved into our final home at Old Penelope.
To thank my team, I helped them moving into my other three renovated homes in StrangerVille Plaza.
Saturday, I invited close friends and family to a Neighborhood Potluck so I could propose to Sango.


Our week officially ends every Sunday at 8 am.
This morning around 7 am, we complete the Mansion Baron aspiration.
Now, my main remaining heir requirement is to max the Interior Decorator career.
But, obviously, I can't join that career until I'm a young adult.  Soon.


Sango: I never pegged you for a gym rat.
Kalo: I’m not, but earning the Long-Lived trait will add 45 days to our lives.
Don't you want to meet your great-grandkids?  I know, I do!
Sango: Okay, that's worth working out for!



Monday
Kalo: I'm so disappointed with the railing on the foyer's stairs.
Why can't the railing only be on one side instead of poking through the exterior wall?
This is so ugly! I guess I'll have to remodel the foyer to move the stairs away from the wall. *sighs


Kalo: So, shall we have a big wedding, Sango?
Sango: Hmmm, I don't want the fuss of a big wedding but I don't want to simply elope, either.
Kalo: I know! We can travel to Tomarang and get married at the Botanic Gardens.
See this wedding arch?  This is where my parents got married!


Sango: I realize your birthday's tomorrow and my birthday's the day after, but you know what?
Kalo: What?
Sango: Let's age up today. I love that I'm your one and only crush and I want to keep it that way!


Kalo: So that's exactly what we do!  We rush home, age up, and join careers.
I join the Interior Decorator career.
Sango: I'm joining the Culinary career until I'm a L8 Chef.
And then, naturally, we try for baby!


Kalo: Papa Lou phones to wish me a happy birthday.
Sango's often going on about my resemblance to Grandpa Thyme.
But I'm pretty sure I take after Papa Lou the most.
What do you think?



Tuesday
Sango: I want to max Fitness, but Dreaming Big at a basketball hoop doesn't work like it used to.
So, instead, I buy a bicycle and ride around the neighborhood for a few hours. Level 10 Fitness ftw!
Since we don't live in a Tiny Home, we could use two Plumbite gemstones for babycare.
Maybe if I read a Gemology skill book now, I can continue learning Gemology while Kalo's at his gig.


Kalo: My first gig is an office renovation for the werewolf Wolfgang Wilder in Forgotten Hollow.
A Gloomy Bookworm, Wolfgang lives with his wife and their three teen children.
His writing space is dark and depressing, so I lighten it up in gray and white shades.
Wolfgang and his daughter Nikita dislike Brown and Purple, respectively.


Wolfgang likes Writing, so he of course loves his new office!
I got him a better desk & chair, a new computer, a bookcase, and some décor.
Nikita is an Evil Child of the Islands, so I don't know why her preferences matter.
But she's the only one with a décor preference, Queen Anne, so that's the style I use.



Wednesday
Sango: Thanks for building me a fishing pond so I don't need to travel to fish! Do you have a gig?
Kalo: Yes, I have a Room Renovation gig at the Costa founder's home in Evergreen Harbor.
The budget's only §2,205 so I'll probably remodel an easy room. When's your  due date?
Sango: Tomorrow, so please take the day off and stay  home with me all day, okay?


Kalo: Today's gig was the worst!
Renato lives with his wife, their grandson, his wife Asena (my sister), and their three kids.
Renato shares that he likes Gardening, Cooking, and Handiness. Phoebe dislikes Yellow. WTH?
Not much I can do with such a small budget. I replace the bar stools and hang a Gardening Wreath.
Also, I add a Stand Mixer, Knife Block, Herb Dyer, Spice Rack, and Stove Hood.  *sighs


When it's time for the Final Verdict, I need to introduce myself to Dan & Asena's 3 grade-school kids.
What's the point? They didn't even have preferences?
Renato's the only one to express positive preferences but he doesn't look ecstatic, does he?
It doesn't matter. The Well granted me a guaranteed promotion yesterday to Level 6.


When I get home, I accept a Bathroom Renovation with a §9,064 budget for the Landgraabs.
The Well grants me a full promotion to Level 7.  I'm not ashamed to accept it!
After tomorrow's gig, I'll be taking several days off until our babies age up to toddlers.
Hmmm, who should we invite for our first stayover?



Thursday
Kalo: This renovation was pretty easy so I only used half the budget.
Preferences: Likes Blue, Fitness, & Violin; Dislikes Modern & Industrial décor.
The Décor preferences showed up when I used the Friendly "Discuss Décor tastes" social.
But I received nearly twice the initially agreed-on payment.


Kalo: When I arrive home, Sango's already gone into labor so we leave for the hospital immediately.
Sango: We'll introduce our babies to our readers once they're infants but what about their names?
Kalo: Let's name the first two after Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa, two of Watcher's fave Brazilian singers.
Sango: Great! Following the "G" theme, what if we name our second daughter for Gisele Nascimento?
Kalo: Hmmm, I'm going to take an easy gig and be home in time for the babies to age up tomorrow.



Friday
Sango: Since we have triplets, Kalo and I had planned to let our newborns age up naturally.
But then, we forgot that we'd decided that and stayed up all night befriending them.
We manage to become good friends with all three of them before Kalo leaves leaves for work at 9 am.
Gilberto and Gal are green-eyed brunettes, while Gisele is a violet-eyed redhead.
Gilberto's the only one without pointy ears.


Kalo: Today, I have a Living Room & Ikitchen Reno gig with a §9,000+ budget.
This is that huge house in Wakaba-mori, Mt. Komorebi where the Ito family formerly lived.
The Sterling family live here now.  Their preferences are easy to work with.
Likes Gray, Green, and Yellow. Likes Violin. Likes Basics and Industrial décor.


Gray walls, arm chairs, kitchen counters/islands, and rugs.
Two green accent walls, two green sofas, and yellow flowers here and there.
My gig doesn't mention renovating the dining area, so I just add a vase of yellow flowers.
It's quite a different look from its original, sleek style. I wonder if the Sterlings will like it.


The Sterlings loved it! I even got a grateful hug from every member of the household.  A first for me!
I'm getting the hang of picking the right gigs, I believe.
Yesterday's Bathroom Reno at the Bailey-Moon Mansion had a §9k+ budget.
Today's reno of specific rooms also had a big budget.
Without help from the Well, these two jobs boosted my Rep and earned me my Level 8 promotion.



Saturday
Kalo: I got home after yesterday's gig at around 6 pm.
From then until this evening, all I've done is help our newborns earn milestones.
Sango is working tonight, so I'm looking after the babies with the help of my grandparents and Masa.
Grandma Kelsey never changes. Gisele is the last to earn 10 milestones at nearly 9 pm.
Grandma Kelsey kept putting Gisele to bed even though she wasn't sleepy.

I've had quite enough of Grandma Kelsey, so I cancel the current stayover.
Then I start a new one with my Grandpa Thyme and my fathers.
I hope my fathers won't rampage and scare the babies.


Kalos: Here are our triplets after their makeovers.
With Sango's red hair and my violet eyes, Gisele seems the best choice for the next heir.
I would have loved a redheaded son, too, but triplets is enough work for Sango and I, tyvm.


Kalo: If I luck into four good gigs next week, I could possibly max my Interior Decorator career.
If I do that, will Sango and I still be able to age up our toddlers early?


The Gen5 household
Home: Old Penelope, StrangerVille Plaza
Kalo Costa (Gen5 heir) - YA
Traits: Music Lover, Self-Assured, Ambitious (+Foodie, Family Oriented)
Plus Compassionate, Emotional Control, Empathy, and Good Manners
Spouse: Sango (Odrade); Children: Gilberto, Gal, Gisele

Sango (Odrade) Costa (Gen5 spouse) - YA
Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Maker, Family Oriented (+Foodie, Perfectionist)
Plus Responsible and Spice Hound!

Gilberto Costa (Gen6 child) - Toddler
Traits: Wiggly/Charmer (Top-Notch Infant)
Infant quirks: Frequently Sneezes, Gassy
Infant milestones (10): Gross Motor/2, Fine Motor/2, Social/2, Firsts/4

Gal Costa (Gen6 child) - Toddler
Traits: Sunny/Independent (Top-Notch Infant)
Infant quirks: Feeding Tinkler, Frequently Hiccups
Infant milestones (11): Gross Motor/2, Fine Motor/2, Social/3, Firsts/4

Gisele Costa (Gen6 child) - Toddler
Traits: Wiggly/Charmer (Top-Notch Infant)
Infant quirks: Early Riser, Hates Being Held, Self-Soother
Infant milestones (10): Gross Motor/2, Fine Motor/2, Social/2, Firsts/4

Progress: End of Week 31

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Gen5 heir:  Kalo
Completed
🛠️Skills: Photography, Charisma, Handiness, Painting
🛠️Aspirations: Creative Genius, Nerd Brain, Painter Extraordinaire,
                      StrangerVille Mystery, Mansion Baron
🛠️Leave home with §20k, move into Slip 42, then flip it. (Start §16,891-->§38,800).
🛠️Renovate the 8 Bells bar. (§32,342-->§61,940)
🛠️Renovate the StrangerVille Info Center. (§32,342-->§61,940)
🛠️Flip the Riverside Grove fiver-upper. (§30,822-->§49,823)
🛠️Flip the Carpophagous Corner fixer-upper. (§30,435-->§67,733)
🛠️Befriend an Infected sim in StrangerVille (Sango) and cure them.
🛠️Renovate Old Penelope and make this lot your home. (§27,940-->§350k+)
🛠️Marry a sim in the Manual Labor career with a passion for woodworking
🛠️Name all children with the same first letter ( G)
Remaining
*Career: Interior Decorator 8
Ongoing (completed upon maxing career)
*Upload photos of your latest project to Simstagram daily
*Dress to impress for every Interior Decorator gig (not all the time, this is StrangerVille yo!)

Notes
*Eco Footprint: I've disabled Eco Footprint Gameplay in Pack Settings.
  According to the game, Eco Footprint gameplay doesn't apply to StrangerVille.
  Even so, Kalo & Sango receive daily messages about Eco Footprint changes. Why?

*Marry a sim in the Manual Labor career…: When Kalo married Sango, she was in that career.
  After he completed that task, she quit to temporarily join the Culinary career.

*Children of Gen6: are all named after popular Brazilian singers or singer-songwriters.
 Note that a syllable-ending "l" is pronounced as "u" and the final "o" as "oo" (like "too").
 So their names would sound like Gi-u-behr-too and Gau, but Jih-zeh-lee.
  - Gal Costa (1945-2022): I love this artist.
    Listen to her sing the bossa nova classic Chega de Saudade by clicking here].
  - Gilberto Gil (b. 1942): I saw his concert in Tokyo back in the day.
    To listen to him sing Aquele Abraco, click here.
  - Gisele Nascimento (b. 1983): a considerably younger performer who I'd never heard before.
    But I needed a second Brazilian girl's name starting with G, so I chose this popular singer.

[Granny Lawlor]

Welcome Gen 6! And you're knocking those decorating gigs out of the park! It puts my poor attempts to shame.

I'm so jealous of your success with the wishing well. I've given up using it. It gives me a promotion maybe one in four times. Even with a luck potion, +ve mood and a smiley well face, I can get a demotion just as often so net gain is zero.

[oshizu]

Welcome Gen 6! And you're knocking those decorating gigs out of the park! It puts my poor attempts to shame.

I'm so jealous of your success with the wishing well. I've given up using it. It gives me a promotion maybe one in four times. Even with a luck potion, +ve mood and a smiley well face, I can get a demotion just as often so net gain is zero.

About the renovation gigs, I believe it is really random whether we get easy-success renovation gigs or not.
My only bad result so far was Renato Costa's Room Renovation with its $2,000+ budget.
It just wasn't enough cash to really make a difference in the kitchen plus the preferences he gave me were trash.
From now on, I'm sticking with Bathroom, Kitchen, or Living Room Renos with big budgets, if possible.
The last time Kalo looked, 80% of his gigs were room additions of some sort. I read that the game doesn't allow us to add tiles so that we'd have to visit the home from Manage World/Build mod (not Live mode) to add the tiles/walls in advance. Why hasn't that been fixed yet?
Anyway, no more  low-budget "Room Renovation" gigs for Kalo!

Wow, your sims have been unluck with the Well! My sims only very rarely get full promotions but guaranteed promotions are quite common.
I never use the Well for promotions at grade school or high school. The family can just do an extra school project or two.


Starting Monday, Kalo used the Wishing Well three consecutive evenings. He got two guaranteed promotions followed by a full promotion to Level 7 on Wed evening.
Kalo bought a new Well and was the first to use it this generation, so maybe that helped with his luck?
(After Kalo's 3 wishes, Sango tried it thrice: she got one guaranteed promotion, one demotion, and one nothing.)
Kalo doesn't want to push his luck, so he didn't use the Well for Thursday and Friday but was lucky to get two great gigs.
He'll probably give the Well a rest for the following week.
Can you tell me?  Does working alone at a gig for 12 hours (ugh!) give a 25% increase in the performance bar?

We're torn about when Kalo should work on his last two promotions.  Maybe the toddlers could sleep while he's at his gigs or something?