Long holiday weekend + rain and snow = plenty of time to stay home and play my Legacy Challenge family. Yes, I have no life. ;-) On with the update!

(I tried not to go overboard with the pictures this time, but since I saved them up from a few days of gameplay yet again, it added up to a lot. I’m just warning you.)

After Bree and Leo’s lovely wedding at Shanley Manor, they went on their honeymoon and returned in splendid moods. They tried for a baby and got pregnant on the first attempt! Bree had a very easy pregnancy — no sickness or foul moods, just the usual fatigue and hunger. I had her continue to study, since all she wanted to do was raise her Cooking and Cleaning skills. She didn’t seem to want a job, so I let her stay home, figuring she could take care of the little ones. Leo continued to work his way up the medical career ladder.

Within days, Bree gave birth to a baby boy, whom I named Devin. Everyone seemed eager to help out with the child, including Grandma Nia, who was still working full time as a Business Tycoon. Around this time I noticed that Nia had the fear ‘Email Someone’ in her aspiration panel — I guess Sim elders are afraid of technology? That cracked me up. It’s an easy fear to avoid since I’ve never seen them e-mail anyone autonomously.

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(Warning: This entry is long, rambly, and full of pics, since I played about three nights’ worth of the challenge before I got around to posting.)

It’s official — I hate Fortune Sims. Perhaps “hate” is too strong a word. They’re just a bit on the boring side. I was hoping that eventually they’d want to do things like write novels and paint masterpieces, but as my Legacy Challenge elders Nia and Sheldon near the ends of their lives, I have yet to see those wants pop up for either of them. Instead it’s like this: buy shrub, buy tree, buy flowerbed, talk to spouse, flirt with spouse, make out with spouse, woohoo with spouse, buy shrub, buy tree, buy flowerbed, etc. It’s getting really old. It’s also turning their backyard into a jungle.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. In my last update, the twins had become teens, and I had failed to get them into private school. It took two more tries, but eventually the headmaster deigned to enter the house and stay for dinner and a tour. Sheldon prepared his lobster thermidor — burning it for the first time ever (he must have been nervous) — while Nia gave the tour. The headmaster was so impressed that he accepted the girls into private school. Huzzah! I also had Sheldon become friends with him because you never know when you might need an NPC to marry into the family (not that he’d be my first choice — he’s so rude!).

While the girls adjusted to their new school, Sheldon and Nia became elders. At some point I actually answered a chance card correctly, and Nia received §5,000. Nothing spectacular, but every penny counts with these Fortune Sims. They also wanted to get promoted (because it means more money, naturally), so I worked on that.

Sheldon eventually made it to the top of his career and became Mayor, which means he acquired new threads and a helicopter for his carpool (would that make it a ‘helipool’?). Eventually Nia made it to the top of her career (Business Tycoon), so she got to ride in the chopper, too. They didn’t like how loud it was — even the gardener would cover his ears when it landed.

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Nothing exciting like twins to report this time, but my Legacy Challenge family is progressing nicely. The twins are both very playful and outgoing, which has made them quite fun to raise (once they got past the diaper stage, that is). About the time that Bree and Kiara grew into children, I had Abjiheet move out — I no longer needed him to help the family, and four people in a house is a more comfortable number for me, at least for this challenge.

In the picture above Kiara (left) and Bree (right) chat on the couch while their parents Nia and Sheldon do some huggy-huggy. I purchased the piano you see in the picture because I planned on inviting the headmaster over and getting the twins into private school. I figured with the expensive sculpture in the yard, the piano, and Sheldon’s exquisite lobster thermidor, the headmaster was sure to be impressed. Unfortunately he was so put off by the “look” of the house (which I’m guessing has to do with the lot’s total worth) that he didn’t even bother to get out of his car. This sent both Sheldon’s and Nia’s aspiration meters deep into the red, but the shrink only showed up for Sheldon.

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Well, I’ve had a great couple of days with my Legacy Challenge family, the Shanleys. Nia married Sheldon (so he’s Sheldon Shanley now — d’oh!) in a very uneventful ceremony. They couldn’t afford any frills like the arch, the cake, or the champagne, but they did invite friends over and use the “Throw Wedding Party” option on the phone. It was such a successful party that the limo showed up to whisk the newlyweds away on their honeymoon. When they got back, their Needs were maxed, so I figured it was a good time to try for a baby. It took a couple of attempts, but eventually I heard the tell-tale lullaby sound which indicated that a baby was brewin’.

I had both Nia and Sheldon go to work the next day because they were in dire need of money (their bed was out on the lawn, for pete’s sake), and I believe they both got promoted. At any rate, I had enough after that to build them a proper bedroom. I also extended the living room, put some siding on the house, and planted a Japanese maple in the front yard. That tree is going to be my “legacy tree” — I’m going to see if I can keep it there for all 10 generations, which shouldn’t be too difficult, unless my lot gets buggy. *shudder* A lot of people seem to be having problems with that, so I’ve been packaging my legacy lot every other time I play.

Here’s the new, improved Shanley residence —

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Just for kicks, I’ve decided to try out the Legacy Challenge posted on the Sims 2 BBS. I’m not sure who posted the original challenge, but Lynda at So Very Posh linked to a copy of the rules, so those are the ones I’m following. The objective is to have the “strongest” family after ten generations of play. In this case, “strength” refers to wealth, “platinum” gravestones, and a host of other criteria. We’re not allowed to cheat, but we can use the Elixir of Life if we so desire. I’m not sure about the other Aspiration Rewards, such as the Money Tree — I’ll have to look into that.

The rules state that you must start with a single Sim, so I created one named Nia Shanley. She has a high score in Outgoing and average scores in everything else. I made her a Fortune Sim and hoped to get her going on the Business track, but hooo-boy, did I have a tough time.

The biggest challenge for me so far has been dealing with the lack of funds. According to the rules, you have to start on a 5×5 lot, which is the largest and most expensive lot. After purchasing it, I had $4,500 with which to build and furnish a residence for poor Nia. Here’s what she ended up with:

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