Week 27/Day 183 (Sunday)
Sara: The day seems to be passing so slowly! With Jade and Makoa both working today, the rest of us need to stay at home.
Yet, there’s not much left for us to do. I spend an hour or two in the pool.
Makoa: I have a few hours before work, so I dance a little. Who knows? The Dancers might meet one more time for a grand finale.
Kyle just needs to get a little more meat on those scrawny bones!
Kyle: I heard that, Makoa!
Tao: Albert drops by this afternoon and I find himself upstairs doing his homework so I help out.
Mitch: Because I really have nothing better to do, I’ve started baking.
I’m not sure what to do with all the breads and bagels I’ve baked so far.
Maybe I should buy a cupcake machine so I could at least sell what I bake.
Tao: Albert doesn’t stay long, so I go chat with Kyle who’s trying to build his charisma.
Of course, it’s simpler for Kyle to just talk to a mirror, but I’m teaching him to use various socials to build other skills as well.
Like “Discuss gourmet dishes” or “Discuss fitness techniques.”
There you go, Mitch. Knock yourself out! *yawns
Mitch: This is actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be!
Go: Looking behind the house, I see that the pirate gym is over-run with pirate princesses.
There’s Kyle’s daughter Hana in the crow’s nest and Maia navigating.
And that’s Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis in the pink tee-shirt.
Go: Would any of you like to hazard a guess regarding the identity of the pretty little girl in braids?
Go: I realize that Kyle has already completed his career-related skilling, but I can’t simply stand by and not help him gain more skills.
Kyle: I’m very grateful, Uncle Go! Dad’s been helping me as well. Auntie Sara, too!
As everyone knows, more skills mean more aspiration points, which means more reward traits.
And more reward traits mean, of course, that my life will be more comfortable and relaxed!
Day 184 (Mon)
Jade: Did I already share with you that I earned the Level 7 promotion Sunday afternoon and joined the Master of the Real branch?
I work in only eight more hours, but I’ve stayed up to wait for the Negotiate Bonus: Painter option to reappear on my phone.
I’ve completed my daily task and I’m feeling Very Confident, so wish me luck!
Another successful negotiation!
And my boss liked what I had to say, gave me a small cash bonus, and pushed my performance bar almost one tick to the right!
Makoa: I’m currently Level 8 of the Author career.
By the time Jade is done negotiating, it’s 3 a.m. but I don’t work Monday so I stay up to negotiate a bonus as well.
I also negotiate a bonus successfully!
I missed the shot of Makoa giggling after his successful negotiation (because I’d been waiting for a different reaction), so here’s a close-up of Makoa instead.
Kyle: I’m so close to maxing the Barista career that I don’t need to do anything special before work today.
So Jade and I work out for an hour in the early morning hours.
Gned the Gnome: Good morning, Kyle! You ready for your last day of work?
Kyle: You bet, Gned! As much as I love artisan coffee, this working from 5 am is for the birds!
Tremain the Trashcan: Have a great day, Kyle!
Mel the Mailbox: Don’t break too many hearts today, Kyle!
Kyle: Uh, Mel…I’m only a teenager!
Mel: That certainly didn’t stop Naoto! I mean, never mind, forget I said anything. *cough
Wow, you two are certainly up early!
Makoa: I haven’t been able to get to sleep yet.
Tao: I got up early to see Kyle off then I thought I’d help my nephew Makoa with the gardening.
Watchette, do we even need both sides of this rooftop garden anymore?
Not really. We only really need the vegetable and fruit plants, but it’s faster for all of you to level Gardening with more plants, right?
Also, the view from the rooftop garden over the river is very nice!
Gned the Gnome: Congratulations, Kyle! You did it!
Mel the Mailbox: You are awesome, Kyle! You maxed your career in just three two-hour shifts!
Kyle: And now I’m going to quit and never wake up at 4 am to work again!
By the way, Gned, what kind of gnome are you? Do you have a full title?
Tremain the Trashcan: Gned is the Strictly Business Gnome, Kyle!
Gned: Yep, that’s me! Excellent work, son!
Sara: I’m not sure what Jade’s deal is. She doesn’t have the Slob trait, but she often passes gas while she’s getting a massage.
I felt bad for Jade because her mother has fallen out of favor, but I think I’ll ask Go to either massage Jade himself or teach his daughter some manners!
This isn’t funny at all, but Jade is laughing! She’s even pushing the smell over my way! Ugh!
Jade: To my complete surprise, I earned a promotion to Level 8 in a single day!
I really need to express my thanks to Uncle Tao and Auntie Sara, who took the time to massage me this morning before work!
Also, I thought you would get a kick out of the fact that I’m wearing a new career uniform.
You’d think that since I’m a painter, I would get to wear a more aesthetically pleasing uniform, right?
Jade: This is my second attempt to paint a portrait of Kyle. The one I painted on Friday evening turned out fuzzy for some reason.
Jade: I definitely prefer tonight’s portrait (left) over the one I painted before (right). What do you think?
I’m glad all the portraits are done! Now I need to decide how to display them all!
The portraits had been hanging downstairs for a while now, so I clean out the room, add lighting, and provide a small archway so that the household can come view the portraits if they wish.
You can see the portrait of Jade Rosa through the arch!
The portraits mostly hang from the southern wall of the room. I wonder if any sims will visit this room to remember family and friends.
Career recap
Makoa Kalani: Writer/Author, Level 8/10
Jade Sanada: Painter/Master of the Real, Level 8/10
Kyle Kaneda: Teen/Barista, Level 3/3 (cleared)
Another Burning Question for the Readers
I’ve noticed that when one of my painting sims creates a Painting by Reference work for the first time, they acquire the Photography skill (if they don’t already have it).
Many of my sims’ portrait paintings come out looking fuzzy and blurred. Would a painting sim produce more detailed, higher-quality portrait paintings if I had them max Photography first?
Yes, of course, I could test this myself by having two sims with Level 10 painting produce portraits, with one sim possessing Level 5 Photography.
However, I’m hoping to complete this challenge soon so I’m justing throwing out this question for general consideration.
As always, thank you so much for reading!
I have a feeling that Makoa and Jade will be completing their careers in another sim-week or so.
We will celebrate in several ways once the final careers are finished.
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