Krow - Week 1 - The Stretch Family
I have a personal rule regarding this particular challenge: I play a week at a time per family, but I cannot move on to the next family until after I've posted about their progress. This will, in theory prevent backlogging on updates and keep me in the spin of the challenge. I really, really want to get on with Omega's Week 2, so! Here comes the Stretch family.
Jack Stretch has started with 23,000 simoleons. I wanted him to live in an apartment (he seems the personality type for it) but that didn't feel appropriate for a fledgling neighbourhood. So he purchased a lot costing 2,900, and I built a house for him.
And here is our lovely Jack, a Romance Sim who aspires to be a Celebrity Chef.
Unfortunately, constructing his home left us with a measley $16 in funds. Lame! For this reason, I decided that Jack would take up the Law Enforcement slot, opened up by the burglary at Jemima's.
The first day of job hunting turned up squat, though, so...
Digging! He found the Three Lakes map, a bone, a rock, and... then hit a pipe.
Jack went from "Oh, that water feels nice," to "WHEN WILL THE WATER STOP WHAT DID I DO?!"
It was briskly filled and then the Welcome Wagon turned up.
Two townies and the other two playables. This is something I find a touch irritating when you expand neighbourhoods - half the wagon is always playables. I would much rather meet townies. :| But I guess there are some advantages.
Being a good host, Jack decided to feed them.
The townie in pink (Marissa, Marrissa? Something like that, you know the one) vanished, and the other (La Shawn Cameron) stood outside for like... an hour. :|
When she conceded to coming inside and joining the meal, Jemima was quizzed rather extensively about a certain townie.
Speaking in relative terms, this was also Jemima's first day in the neighbourhood - she hasn't even met Dongsool yet, lol.
Afterwards, all of them made straight for the computer.
I guess that if it's the only computer in town, it's an object of fascination... but it's more annoying than the bubble blower or piano. :| JUST LEAVE IT ALONE, GUYS.
In the interest of building culinary skills, Jack also made his guests dinner. I may or may not have chanted, 'BURN. BURN. BURN!' I would very much like to have another law enforcement slot available.
It didn't work. :(
Saxo, you are such a mooch.
Not that the others were any better, but at least they left the computer alone long enough for me to get an adorable shot of them all together at meal time.
Jemima, you make me sad. :( I think Jack's computer is going to get thrown out the window if every visitor does this, it's so frustrating.
Meanwhile, outside, Jack and Saxo bonded over catch.
They cleared off and Jack took himself to bed, social bar to the max.
Day 2 failed to turn up any jobs in Law Enforcement, but with the buffer from Day 1's digging, it wasn't much of a worry. No time better to build those body skills, though, so Jack skipped for half the day.
:| Go away lady, I don't want your bills.
Somewhere around here, I ran the ACR randomiser for gender preferences. Jack, it turns out, already had the hots for Jemima Patchwork. :| BAD, VERY BAD. They have two bolt chemistry because Jemima has maxed creativity, which is one of his turn ons.
After Jack refused to skip any longer, I tossed him a cooking book to help build up the skills for his eventual Culinary career. I didn't want him endlessly digging, and he couldn't do anything else 'til he got a job.
I don't think he was very willing, but it kept him quiet for a while.
First bills... $56. Not bad, thank goodness for digging.
Then there came a lot of skipping in the front yard. Lots and lots of skipping. BODY SKILLS. He must have them. A townie appeared just as he stopped skipping - Phoebe coincided nicely with his want to flirt with someone. Fortunately, she also had the hots for him.
I looked away, looked back and they were hugging romantically right after greeting each other. ACR at work, what can I say.
They have three bolt chemistry. Not long after this, Jack got a networking opportunity in the Architecture track. It had to be denied because I need at least 10 lots (residential or community) to unlock a position. :| FRAMMIT.
Ever the romantically orientated, aspiring chef, Jack made her dinner.
He also offered to make her breakfast, but it didn't work. Phoebe went home at some late hour, after saying thanks for the good time.
Jack tried in vain to have a second dinner before bed, and experimented with combining the two.
I SEE YOU THERE. STOP IT.
Day 3 did not offer a Law Enforcement job either, but the appearance of this stray gave me an idea... or, well, reminded me of a strategy. Pet = job = income. Jack went to make friends.
The game then granted me a second stray. Two pets = two jobs = two incomes. And since one was a female and the other a male, if Jack could adopt both of them, there would be babies! Genetics! Whee! Therefore, MORE FRIEND MAKING.
With this strategy a priority (alongside a proper job, since I can't use burglar and smoke alarms until the slot is filled), Jack was made to get out of bed every time one of them appeared... even at 1am.
Day 4 kicked off with pancakes and a fresh failure in job hunting. Still no Law Enforcement.
Jack... are you making a booty call to Phoebe? :|
ACR, you make me lol.
As they were going inside, Joe Carr wandered by. He did that shuddering, "no attraction" gesture that sims do when they see someone they have zero attraction/chemistry to another sim.
Jack stopped and stared at him when he did this, as though to say, "What is wrong with you." I lol'd everywhere, I wish I'd gotten a photo of it. He was so indignant.
Then he remembered why Phoebe was there and scurred along inside.
I never use this underwear...
I didn't realise it came with shoes, lol. Anyway, they had fun, reached best friend status (lol) and then Phoebe left after he fell asleep. True booty call, y/y?
Day 5, still no law enforcement job. Jack did all job hunting via the computer, not the newspaper, in order to get a wider range. No dice!
So I made him go and dig, instead.
That evening, that pretty townie stopped by.
Her name is Kendal Kopur, if I haven't mentioned yet. Jack has zero attraction to her, which I find kind of nice, actually. I think it would be tedious, not to mention more than a bit creepy if he hit on/was attracted to every girl who came past his door.
Day 6 was a day for SUCCESS.
Law Enforcement, WHOOOOO. It only took six days. :| To celebrate, Jack was made to build his charisma.
I have no idea if charisma will be required for Law Enforcement but memory says it might come in handy. Plus, charisma really helps with community businesses... so there's that.
My plan at this point is to work in law for a few weeks until Jack has the $$ to get a community lot, which will probably be a tiny little cafe-bookstore kind of thing, to help with his culinary skills. It'll have a restaurant aspect to fulfil the challenge requirements, which will be very interesting - I've never run one before. @_@ I have no idea how it will turn out.
Anyway, after the restaurant is successful (because it will be, dangit!), Jack can finally get into the culinary career. His income will be (hopefully) supplemented by the income from two dogs in Show Biz.
Rover joined the family, hurrah! Alabama (that white wolf-type canine from earlier) is next.
That evening, Jack headed off for his first night of proper employment as a security guard.
Don't get fired, dude. :| I have to deal with all chance cards that occur, so DON'T. DO IT.
Sigh, Rover needs house training.
They always do this when my sim is not home, which means there's a week of peeing inside before the dog learns that such things should be done outside.
Jack got promoted to Cadet! :D This gave us a bit of money for Day 7 - building day! I added a back door and a yard.
Once Jack has two dogs, after winter they'll have a kennel outside. I find that a sectioned area is the fastest way to encourage friendship between the dogs, which is a requirement for any attempt at breeding.
Jack headed off to work that morning, after a mere snatch of sleep from his security shift the night before. Just like real life for some people. :/
He lost a body skill from a chance card, which was quite annoying. Without it, he no longer qualified for a promotion. Bah.
I SAW YOU, ROVER. I SAW YOU.
That night, Rover learnt to play dead until he was too exhausted to continue. Luckily he already knew the command 'speak'. If I'm lucky, by this time next week Jack will have two dogs in employment and a community cafe. I thought I had a photo of this but it's vanished in ~mysterious circumstances~.
With his new family member in company, Jack settled in to sleep. Being single is not the same as being alone, and ... pets are good at helping you with the second one.
And so, with week 1 at an end for the Stretch family, the Omega household approaches Week 2.