SB 5.52: Indoor Retreat

Another great day for enjoying outdoor activities!

5.52: Indoor Retreat

Week 17/Monday

Liv: When I’m back from work at 6, we leave for Granite Falls.
Kirtsen stays home since she works from 8 tonight.

First things first. I figure out how we can squeeze in 24 hours so I can harvest Toxic Chamomile.
It’s simpler now since the kids are done with this school this week.
Still, I’m juggling four distinct work schedules and want to avoid missed promotions!

The best approach, I think, will be to spend two 12-hour vacations in here.
That will give us time to go home and prepare for work, too.

The ever-mournful Matthias heads straight to a sofa, prepared to drink a moodlet solver.
Ironically, his “Loss in the Family” moodlet is finally gone.
But life is never smooth for Matthias, who feels tense from the thunderstorms instead.

The twins continue with Artistic Prodigy, which they’d just started at home.
They too are scared of the thunder and lightning.

As you know, unlike human sims, vampires can’t build skills when staying at home.
That’s why Akito has come along with us to Granite Falls.
There’s not much for us to do here in such bad weather, so I offer to mentor him in logic.
I’m happy that Akito and I have finally become good friends.

Matthias needs four more masterpieces to complete his first aspiration, Painter Extraordinaire.
He paints on, despite frequent and inappropriate invitations from our cougar nanny.
Why does she invite Matthias to dinner at Newcrest when we’re on a family vacation?
And, hello? He’s still a teenager!

Lifting my gaze from Akito for a moment, I notice the forest ranger.
Looks like he got struck by lightning.
Why doesn’t he stay indoors on a night like this?

And here I was thinking that nobody could be unluckier than me in Granite Falls.
Is it wrong of me to laugh a little on the inside?

Realizing that nobody’s safe from the bad weather, I decide to take matters into my own hands.
Well, not literally “my own hands,” since I’ve never completed Nerd Brain and can’t insta-upgrade.
Rather, I beseech our watcher to buy a weather machine to place in this rental’s basement.
Then I persuade Papa to insta-upgrade it, not that he needs much convincing.

We were really trying not to go the weather machine route. *sighs
But, whatever, we’ll definitely never be changing the seasons…

Why the basement if the weather machine needs to influence the skies, you ask?
We’ve seen the climbing treadmill, stereos, and other electrical appliances get wrecked in the rain.
We didn’t want the rain to make the weather machine short-circuit as well.
Hey, looks like Papa has succeeded in changing the weather!

Clear skies in Granite Falls, at last!
You’d think the owners of this vacation resort would make more of an effort!
I mean, who in their right mind would visit a resort where it constantly rains and storms?

So much time and energy to enjoy nice vacation weather. Sheesh!
Why can’t the weather be pleasant by default?

Tuesday

As soon as Kirsten gets off work, she joins us at Granite Falls.
Everyone notices that she’s wearing a new career uniform.
I’m secretly relieved–this had been her third shift as a Level 8 Sous Chef.

A little past 5 am, I glance out to the nearest (toxic) chamomile plant.
Guess what? It’s all ready to harvest, though we’ve spent less than 12 hours in the Campground Area.
Do you hear me complaining? Nope!
Does our watcher understand the timing of herbal growth in Granite Falls? Nope.

I finally harvest and identify a Toxic Chamomile plant, completing Milestone III.
That only took 2.5 seasons.
Uh oh, none of my previously captured insects have registered. That’s weird!
Grandma Edamame could count all the bugs she caught or swiped before reaching Milestone IV!

We leave for home immediately.
Arriving back home causes all my previously-caught insects to register. That’s a relief!
Both twins are Llamacorn Scouts now and close to finishing Artistic Prodigy.

And since we’re back from Granite Falls, Kirsten will resume narrating. Take it away, sis!

Kirsten: My husband Takuya brings home another promotion. Only one more level left.
He and Matthias have been struggling to complete Painter Extraordinaire.
They both have the Marketable and Creative Visionary rewards.
Yet it’s taking them forever to paint five masterpieces each.
(I’m sure getting dragged to Granite Falls didn’t help either…)

Akito had started a campaign to represent Liv this morning but he had to leave for work.
When he gets home, he resumes that campaign to promote her job performance.
Congrats on your promotion today, Akito!

Meanwhile, the twins have completed Artistic Prodigy and start on Social Butterfly.
They’re going to make their adult friends by getting mentored, which is our usual m.o.
Uncle Hakuto or Akito for Logic, and Uncle Ikura for Violin.

Omu: A shout-out to my girl Roisin, even though her watcher likes Negi better!
I take a page outta your book, Ro, and give Izabella Green a gift of simoleons.
And, whaddya know?
The gift tipped us into the friend zone (in a good way since I’m still a kid)!

Akito never completes his campaign to represent Liv in time cuz his computer breaks down..
He’s canceled that campaign, though, since Liv’s so close to maxing Botanist now.
Instead, he’s started a new campaign for Takuya.

By the way, Liv discovers that our 8 money trees are all normal or nice quality.
They were planted by Grandpa Jaxton. Have you never fertilized them, Liv?

Kirsten: I use various means to keep my sister awake until her energy drops into the red zone.
We don’t want her waking up before getting a full night’s sleep now, do we?
Happy tent sleeping, Liv!
Liv: *mumble, grumble

Wednesday

Omu: When I’m about to finish Social Butterly, a weird thing happens.
This little red ghost appears out of nowhere and throws up, right next to my feet. Ewww!

Jaga: Nooo, don’t scare him away! That’s my ole pet, Ragnar the Raccoon!
I brought his gravestone here from our cemetery the other day. *mops up the vomit

Omu: Why is he red, Grandpa?
Jaga: He’s angry, Omu. Ragnar, don’t you go bothering Negi’s friend!
Tell me what’s wrong.

Negi: Are you sure giving him catnip is safe, Omu?
Omu: Yeah, Grandpa says Ragnar isn’t feeling well and should go to the vet.
Negi: Can we even take a ghost pet to the vet?
Omu: Even if we could, we can’t tonight. Auntie Liv is doing her tent sleeping thing, remember?

Negi: What can we do for a sick ghost pet, Grandpa?
Jaga: I don’t know, Negi. I bought an exam table but I can’t treat Ragnar.
Omu: Is Ragnar always going to be sick when he visits?
Jaga: Good question…Poor Ragnar! Unlucky in both life and death!

 

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Household Career Stats
Jaga (6 days to elder, Gen4 heir): Politician 10 (retired)
Liv (12 days to adult): Gardener/Botanist 9
Akito (YA vampire): Startup Entrepreneur 10; Public Relations 8
Takuya (YA vampire): Patron of Arts 9
Kirsten (YA vampire, Gen5 heir): Chef 9
Matthias (1 day to YA): Scouting 5
Negi (1 day to teen): Scouting 5
Omu (1 day to teen): Scouting 5

Overall Career Stats
*When Kirsten/Takuya and Liv/Akito max their current careers, we’ll have done:
– 20 out of 23 careers (missing Critic, Entertainer, Secret Agent)
– 23 out of 37 career branches (missing a bunch!)
*Kirsten and Liv’s younger brother Matthias will handle one career, leaving 13 careers.
*Vampires Kirsten/Takuya can each do a second career, leaving 11 careers for the last 4 generations.
Or, they can have a vampire daughter who does 1 career, leaving 12 careers.

Final Thoughts on Seasons + Outdoor Enthusiast
If you don’t want to change seasons:
*Go to Granite Falls in spring to harvest/store unidentified versions of all 8 plants.
*Return in summer to do the same thing for Chamomile/Toxic Chamomile.
* Store the unidentified herbs until you roll Outdoor Enthusiast.
*If you’ve stored all 10 herbs in their unidentified state, the rest of Outdoor Enthusiast   can be completed any season except winter.
If you don’t mind changing seasons:
*Just use the weather control machine to switch to summer, then take your Outdoor Enthusiast sim to Granite Falls.
*In summer, all 10 herbs can be both harvested and identified.

SB 5.53: Our Own Fairytale