DD 1.4: The Tricer is Watching You

The Sanada Apocalypse Challenge: Dystopian Dearth

Week 03/Day 016 (Mon)

After chatting briefly with Erika and Tatsuya in their room, I go to congratulate the happy parents.
I find them in the 2nd-floor bathroom, where Satoru is taking a photo together with Jade.
It’s not hard to figure out the source of the children’s heart-shaped faces.

Erika: Mom’s the only one to leave home early today.  Since I aged up late at night, I have today off.
Tatsuya’s using a vacation day to stay home with me! Don’t forget to make the phone call, Tatsuya!
Tatsuya: Yep, I’ll do that right now! Oh wait, we can only use the phone to take or quit jobs!  *shoulders slump dejectedly

Whew, that was a close call there buddy! We need to wait until the eSport Gamer career is cleared!
Tatsuya: Grrr, so what was the point of my doing all that Extra Credit Homework and Studying Hard after I got an A last week, Watchette, huh?
Sowwy. I’ll make it up to you, though. Next Sunday, you can decide all by yourself on one thing to buy, okay?
Tatsuya: Well, okay…

Erika: Dad, what are we going to do today? I have the Social Butterfly aspiration, so you can’t really mentor me, right?
Satoru: True, but it’s important to max your Mental and Creative skills, too, if you have time. I can help!
Why don’t we go outside so you can meet four more sims, then I’ll mentor you until I leave for work at noon.

Erika: Sounds like the perfect plan!  Let’s go! Uh, Dad, do you have to go outside in those skimpy trunks? It’s kinda embarrassing how all the women stare at you…
Satoru: How can you even say that? Last night you were still an infant so you’ve never even been outside before.
Erika: Uh, Tatsuya warned me this morning after he found out he’d have to go to school.

Erika: In the grilling area behind the health club, Dad’s been flaunting his cooking skills.
He woke up feverish this morning and I thought he was feeling better, but he’s been constantly moaning, groaning, and whining about not feeling well.
Because of that outfit and his constant whining, I decide to pretend I don’t know him.

I’m downstream of Dad’s grilling area, socializing like a boss!
That’s when I meet him!  His name is Paolo Rocca and he says he’s a carioca from Brasil.
I feel like we’ve met before—he says he feels that way, too.  It must be (*cues drum roll) destiny!
And….history repeats itself.

Erika: Hey, Paolo, are you pretty familiar with how this game works? I’m new. I was literally born yesterday!
Paolo: Yeah, kinda. I’ve only been around since….let’s see, when did Get Together come out?…oh yeah, I’ve been around since December 2015.
Why do you ask?
Erika: I was just wondering why children never have ankles. It makes my legs look pudgy, I hate it!
Paolo: Sorry, I can’t answer that for you because I was born a young adult.

Erika: Would you hang out with me until family comes home, Paolo?
Paolo: Awww, you’re all by yourself today? Sure. What time is that?
Erika: (lies) My parents won’t be back from work until 5 p.m.
Paolo: Lemme check my schedule. Lucky you! I’m off until tomorrow! What do you want to do?
Erika: Can we just hang out and talk?
Lol, Erika, have you no shame? Good thing Paolo didn’t catch you gazing at him with those puppy-dog eyes!

As their Watcher, I’m fully aware that she’s too young for him (the key word here being “now”), but they are just too cute together!
She so obviously adores Paolo, while he’s acting all cool about the whole “yeah, she digs me, what’s not to like?” thing.

Erika: Ooooh, Best Friends Forever!  *whispers: Can you say “inevitable”?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Jade: Hey, look at us, the Power Couple!
Satoru: You bet. On the same day, you got promoted to Level 7 Vice-President…
Jade: And you got promoted to Level 8 Sous Chef, which means you completed your Master Chef aspiration!
Great job—now any food you prepare will never spoil, ever!
Satoru: Not to cut our celebration short, but I have to be back at work in three hours. Time’s a-wasting…
Jade: I hear you. Let’s go see about our third child, boo!

Tatsuya: I’m just minding my own business, playing chess on the second floor.
Dad virtually flies out of the bedroom like the March Hare, yelling that he’s late for work.
Give us a break, Satoru! No one cares if you’re late to work—you have the Pro Slacker trait!

Tatsuya: Excuse me, Watchette? I’m trying to have a convo here with The Tricer…
So, Mom’s in the bathroom, scrubbing the toilet bowl and…get this…smiling!

The Tricer, is it just my imagination or are my ‘rents totes bizarro?
Hello, The Tricer? Hey, why won’t The Tricer talk to me? Why isn’t The Tricer smiling?
Aren’t we friends anymore?  *sniffle, sniffle

The Tricer! Dude, don’t shut me out like this, I’m beggin’ you!
Okay, just be that way. I’m going downstairs to do my homework. Hmmmph!!!

Jade: I wonder what Erika is up to? I haven’t seen her since I came home. Well, I have been a bit busy. *blushes
Since Satoru’s working, I multi-task in the way I enjoy most—chatting with a friend while playing chess.
Remember that my career requires L10 Charisma and L8 Logic? I hit L8 Logic but my Charisma is still only L8.
I spy Paolo Rocca strolling by so I invite him to play chess with me.
My Brazilian friend was a housemate at The Partihause back when I used to live in downtown Windenberg.

I wonder why Tricer’s eyes are open? They were closed just a minute ago!
The Tricer: That’s cuz The Tricer is watching you, lady! You better watch your step!
So maybe Paolo is your Good Friend. But he’s not only Erika’s Good Friend but also her one and only BFF!
Don’t make The Tricer hurt you!  Rawwwwrrr.

Day 17 (Tue)

Tatsuya: Last night, I was sneezing a bit before going to bed. I wake up this morning at 6:53 am, with a one-hour Dizzy moodlet.
Suddenly we get a notification:
Tatsuya Sanada is feeling very much under the weather. Better have him stay home at this point.

I check my School panel and it says: “Taking Sick Day.” Yaaay!  *pumps fist
Dad’s off today, too, so I hope he’ll help me with skilling!
Erika, enjoy your first day of school!  *waves

Day 18 (Wed)

The Tricer: The Tricer isn’t big on watching the Ambitious, Outgoing mother chatting up another young man while her gorgeous husband works.
On the other hand, The Tricer loves watching his amigo Tatsuya being mentored by the Family-Oriented father.

Watchette: Uh, why do you refer to yourself in the third person?
The Tricer: Why are you eavesdropping?

Day 19 (Thu)

Erika: Today, Mom comes home dressed really classy in a gray linen suit and a string of pearls! She got promoted to Level 8 President of the Management career!
Tatsuya: Dad also got a promotion to Level 9 Sous Chef. Way to go, Dad!

Day 20 (Fri)

Jade should have gotten off work at 6 pm and given birth around 6:30 pm this evening.
When Erika stacks drawings on the activity table, though, the game freezes until I notice her queue is stuck and click on her.
At that point, everything starts moving again and Jade immediately comes home, four hours later than normal at 10 pm. Poor Jade.

Jade: As you all know, Watchette had wanted twins for my second pregnancy so I could take a rest with birthing and we could all move forward with this challenge.
But I only gave birth to Erika then.
Well, Watchette apparently prefers to play male sims, so perhaps the outcome this time was destined. Be careful what you wish for!

Folks, meet Kenta (left) and Sasuke (right).
W: I know the Powers-that-Be granted me twins to spite me because I had given up, resigning myself to the path of three single births.
Yet I am grateful. I will deploy one of them to lift the ban of using the dresser! Mwhahahaha

*mutters: If I’d known they’d be twins, I would have given Kenta the name “Naruto” instead.
I light a stick of incense in supplication, fervently praying that that the twins will not inherit Jade’s full lips…

Satoru: Jade and I renewed our marital vows this morning before she left for work.
Since I really want to buy kitchen appliances this Sunday, I do everything I can think of to boost Inspired and Happy before leaving for work at 6 pm.
The twins’  birth near the end of my shift must have given my performance bar a huge push.
Can you believe it, people? I maxed the Chef career tonight!

Satoru—my cheerful, art lover, family-oriented sim—adores time with his family. He looks fabulous in clothes, too!
Jade: Why all the shots of Satoru tonight? I’m the one who gave birth?
Yes, but Satoru’s age bar is bubbling green now. You don’t age up to an adult for another 11 days.
So we’re just taking a few moments to commemorate the Wonder Child’s beauty, I mean, achievements! *coughs

Jade: Tatsuya and Erika aren’t so happy about meeting the twins.

Tatsuya pops a four-hour Sad +2 “New Sibling (From Meeting New Sibling)” moodlet, which explains that “Tatsuya is in tears from meeting a new sibling he didn’t want.”
Erika pops a four-hour Angry +2 “Unwanted Sibling (From Meeting New Sibling)” moodlet, which explains that “Erika just met a sibling she didn’t want at all.”

Fortunately, they are both so happy for other reasons that the two negative moods never surfaced.

Day 21 (Sat)

Tatsuya: Today’s big event is my birthday, though it’s pretty overshadowed by the twins’ births last night!
Also, Dad maxed the Chef career but we can’t go into Buy/Build mode except on Sundays (Teen Retail restriction), so I’ll miss having a birthday cake by one lousy day.
Satoru: Sorry, son. Your next birthday, I will prepare you and your friends a fabulous feast, I promise!

Before my birthday, a friend of my Dad’s named Candy Behr comes over with her younger sister, Yuki.
Miss Candy says she needs to talk to Dad in private and sends the rest of us away.
Because Mom and Erika go off fishing, I stay behind to keep Yuki company. I’m a gentleman that way.
Yuki’s pretty cool and we’re friends in no time. Look, we’re even wearing matching pants. Well, almost.

Tatsuya: The Behrs leave and everyone’s back in the house.
We’re all pretty sure I won’t age up until around 6:45 pm, because… math.

Well, Dad, you returned from work at 6 pm without ageing up. How’s that supposed to work?
So without a cake, I just wait until I age up automatically like you’re supposed to?
Satoru: Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on. My age bar’s been bubbling since Friday. I wonder how long it bubbles for a non-elder birthday.
My birthday should be coming along soon, though, unless the “Days to age up” info is a false friend that only indicates when my age bar will start bubbling.

Satoru: After ensuring that the babies are fed and changed, we all take off to the riverside for some evening relaxation.
At Level 9 Charisma now, Jade continues to work on maxing her Charisma this weekend. Tonight she tells group stories to captive passers-by.
Meanwhile, after realizing that Fishing can also level the Mental skill (I guess this is a new thing), Erika has become a fishing freak.

Once I’m done grilling for my daily task, I mentor Tatsuya in Violin.  I hope to pass on each of my mentor-able skills to one of the children.
Around 10: 20 pm, I suddenly age up to an adult. *sparkles
Well, that was an unexpectedly long wait!

Satoru: Soooo, it seems that Tatsuya will be ageing up around the same time as the twins Sunday (tomorrow) evening.
In my dynasty, I caked up my sims as soon as they got the “celebrate with a rockin’ birthday party” notification, so I completely forgot (or perphaps never knew) that notification arrives 24 hours before a sim would automatically age up. Is that correct?

Jade: Anyway, we all can’t wait to see how the three of them grow up!
Satoru: But since I maxed the Chef career on Friday, we’ll also do a major renovation of our home tomorrow, adding a kitchen (at last!) and making room for three more sims (yes, three!).
So sorry, but no images of Tatsuya as a teen or the twins as children this time!

Come back next time to see the many transformations!

DD 1.5: An Eyesore No More, Eeyore!