Behind the Scenes: Day 60

So I finally got my game up and running. It took me a while to configure all my mods and decide what settings to use. I’m using quite a lot of mods, mainly for greater control over the game and improving immersion. I don’t think I’m gonna post my complete mod list here, unless some of you were really interested. I just wanted to point out a few I’ll be using:

• NRaas Retuner: It is an ultimate hack allowing me to turn off autonomy for any interaction I want while still keeping other interactions unaffected. It also allows to change many tuning values for various stuff in game so it’s one of my must have mods.
• NRaas Relativity: Allows slowing down the game clock so your sims have more time to do stuff. This game I decided to play at 50% speed.
• NRaas Woohooer: Allows certain activities for teens, teen-adult relationships, risky woohoo (I’m using 5% risk of getting pregnant) and getting pregnant even when the household is full (because I have a lot of sims to start with and where would be the fun if no one could get pregnant because of that, huh?)
• No Fridge Shopping: You can’t cook anything you don’t have ingredients for.

I decided to turn free will of my sims to High, which I don’t normally do, mainly because I wanted to give them some freedom interacting with each other to stir some drama. I might regret that decision later, but for now let’s leave it.

Now let’s see the first event of the countdown:

DAY 60
T-12 Threshold: 0 (no rolls)
This day picks up directly from the prologue. The information you have is what has been given to you in the three news broadcasts you’ve already seen. You’ve been instructed to stay In your home; however, at 8:00 AM the following emergency message appears on your television and is announced over the radio:
“For emergency purposes only, the town is allowing residents to leave their home for a brief interval to gather supplies at an emergency outpost established at the local grocery store and bookstore. Supplies are limited so each household may only spend up to $300 at the grocery store and $700 at the bookstore if they so desire. Residents are being released on a street by street basis. Residents on your street are released at 4:00 PM and must be back in their home by 6:30 PM. Streets will be blockaded (impassible) until the indicated times. Anyone not returning in time will encounter the police, have all purchased items confiscated, and returned to their home.”

Note – Any collectables you find can be kept.

Later that evening another emergency broadcast was received notifying everyone that cases of the T-12 virus had been discovered in a neighboring town. Officials recommend that while the virus has not been reported in your town, precautions will continue to be in place and residents should prepare for the worst.

As you can see, there is no risk of catching the deadly virus yet, so no big drama in that matter. We are allowed to make a short shopping trip during specified time to buy precious supplies, which I have to choose carefully as I have a mod that prevents me from cooking any meals I don’t have ingredients for.

The day was proceeding peacefully. Robin was teaching her daughter to walk, Marley was watching TV and reading Logic book, Oldie was teaching his dog some tricks and Carl was playing his guitar. Mazikeen and Dromos kind of kept to themselves, spending time mostly in their room. Since Maze is an athletic sim and has a pull-up bar in her room, i had her work out.

When it was time to go shopping, I sent Carl, Oldie with his dog, Maze and Dromos to walk to the grocery store, which was not very far from their place. They bought some supplies and I had them walk back, only remembering that I was in fact supposed to go to the book store as well, so I had Carl hop in his car and drive there. I only bought cooking recipes and a few comics. I have plenty regular books at home and I don’t think I will need many skill books anyway.

When the food arrived, Robin made some jams and other yummies at the canning station and then cooked hot dogs for dinner. It was then that I realized that with so many sims, hunger might actually become an issue soon, as I’m not gonna have many leftovers.

I will probably have to fiddle with some Retuner settings before I play again, because those pesky sims would constantly go for the fridge, and they won’t leave poor little Rianna alone. That’s why I usually have free will turned completely off. I hate having to watch them like a hawk so they won’t mess anything up.

Anyway, I’ve rolled for the next day random event and boy, we’re going to have some drama! Stay tuned 🙂

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Funny outtakes:

Seriously, Maze?!

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Day 60 summary:

Rolls:
-none

Deaths:
-none

Immunity:
-none

Pregnancies:
-none

Births:
-none

New sims:
-none

Athletic skill:
Robin 0
Oldie 0
Carl 0
Mazikeen 2
Dromos 0
Marley 0

Total deaths so far: 0

Sims currently alive: 7 + 1 dog

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Day 60 story chapter

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<- Prologue| Archives | Behind the Scenes: Day 59 ->

Day 60: Quarantined

“Ma! Wakey!”

“Huh?”

Robin sleepily opened her eyes and squinted at her daughter, who was sitting on top of her, shaking her awake.

“I’m hungwy!”

“Yeah, sheesh… Now scoot!” She got up and checked the time: 5:32 She let out a groan.

“Oh god, you’re killing me…” she muttered and shuffled out of her room to prepare some breakfast for Rianna.

“Here, now gimme a break already.” She handed Rianna a bowl of cereal and went to make some coffee. She heard a sound of flushing toilet and in a bit, Oldie walked out of the bathroom.

“Morning,” he said. “Can you make me one, too?”

“Sure,” she shrugged and went to fetch another cup.

“You’re up this early, huh?”

“Oskar needed to go out. He wasn’t happy when I called him right back though. I hope  this curfew won’t last too long.”

He glanced at the couch, where his faithful husky was resting.

Robin bit her lip and poured the boiling water into the cups. “Sugar?”

“No thanks,” replied Oldie and took his cup.

They sat at the bar and sipped their coffee quietly.

“Um, Robin? Can I ask you something?”

“Hm, yea?”

“You… once mentioned that you used to live in Sunset-”

“Stop it, Oldie,” she snapped, her lips pressed in a thin line. “I don’t care, okay?”

“Sorry. I just figured it might be hard for you to know that your family is out there.”

“It’s not my family! I couldn’t care less what happens to them. They can all go to hell…”

Oldie nodded silently and decided not to bring up the subject again. Robin was frowning and didn’t say anything else either.

They finished their coffee in awkward silence and Robin let Rianna out of the high chair.

“Kiddie-gawden, come momma,” she squealed and pulled Robin’s hand towards the door.

“No, we’re not going to kindergarten today.”

“Kiddie-gawden!” screamed the little girl and started crying.

“Oh, shut up, Rianna! Do you want to wake-”

Before she could finish the sentence, the door behind them opened and furious Dromos stormed out.

“Can’t you handle that obnoxious brat of yours, O’Connor? I was trying to sleep here!”

Robin rolled her eyes. “Gee, sorry.”

She grabbed the screaming kid and dragged her into their room.

Dromos glared at the door for a while, then groaned and went to the bathroom.

“For emergency purposes only, the town is allowing residents to leave their home for a brief interval to gather supplies at an emergency outpost established at the local grocery store and bookstore. Supplies are limited. Please, follow the directions given to you by the emergency personel. Residents are being released on a street by street basis. Please, check the table on screen for your specific release time. Wait for a police officer to give you clearance before leaving your lot. Please, keep in mind that in case of riots or disobedience all citizens may be sent home early. Thank you for understanding.”

The broadcast was repeated several times to make sure everyone saw it.

“We better stock up on smokes,” frowned Mazikeen, watching the screen.

“Guys, the fridge is empty. I think that’s the priority right now,” objected Marley, worried look on her face. “Maybe we should put together a shopping list to make sure we can last through the worst.”

Mazikeen shot her a spiteful glare, but Oldie sided with her.

“Marley’s right. We don’t know how long it will be until we can buy something again. Smokes are nice, but they won’t help us if we run out of food.”

Carl nodded in agreement.

“Fine!” Maze threw her arms in the air, then crossed them on her chest.

“Let’s sit down and figure out the menu for this week,” suggested Oldie and went to his room for a notepad.

“I can cook for us. I’m kinda used to it with Rianna anyway,” offered Robin.

“That would be nice.” Carl smiled at her.

“Yeah, thanks Robin,” followed Marley.

Robin looked at the two most problematic suitemates.

Dromos shrugged. “No objections.”

Maze was still glaring daggers around her, but didn’t say anything, which Robin figured meant no objections either.

“Fine. Let’s do it.”

The shopping trip was short and they were only allowed to buy a specific amount of supplies per household. They eventually had to trim their shopping list to fit in, and it certainly meant no cigarettes for anyone, much to Mazikeen’s dismay.

Oskar was happy to finally be outside. The poor dog was used to long walks and spending almost all day indoors was making him quite miserable.

When they arrived back home, they still had some time left before the curfew hit again, so Oldie stayed outside and played with Oskar some more. Robin took Rianna out for a bit of fresh air too, lighting a cigarette and watching her daughter play with the dog.

It was a nice summer evening and it was a shame they couldn’t spend it in a park.

“All citizens, please return home! No one is allowed to leave their house until further notice! Repeating: All citizens, please return home….”

The voice from loudspeakers was echoing through the streets, making sure everyone knew the curfew has begun.

Robin sighed, dropped what was left of her cigarette and picked her daughter up.

“Momma! I wanna pway with doggie!” protested the little girl.

“Yeah, you can play inside. They’re going with us. Now stop whining, will you?”

“I spoke to Linn. She said the virus still hadn’t come to Appaloosa. They don’t even have curfew like us. So that’s good.” Carl sipped his tea, deep in thought.

“That’s good to hear,” nodded Oldie. “Let’s hope it will stay that way. What about your daughter? How old is she again?”

“Four.” Carl smiled. “She’s a handful. But I really hope she’ll stay safe.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “What about your folks?”

“So far so good,” Oldie sighed. “Mom called earlier today and said Lucky Palms was still intact. We haven’t spoken much since I left, but we still care about each other.” He shot a telling look to Robin, who looked back angrily.

“What?” she snapped.

Oldie slowly shook his head. “Nevermind.”

“Good.” She returned to her work, frowning and avoiding any further eye contact with the two.

Carl gave Oldie a quizzical look.

“It’s complicated,” he shrugged.

“No, it’s not!” Robin barked over her shoulder. “I DON’T CARE ABOUT THEM! They’re not my family anymore. End of the story. And I would appreciate if you stopped sticking your nose into my damn business.”

Oldie sighed, picked up his cup and headed to his room.

“Such a lot of drama,” commented Mazikeen, emerging from the shadows of her room. “Is the dinner ready yet? I’m starving!”

“Just a minute,” grumbled Robin, pouring ketchup on the last couple of hot dogs.

“Good.” She strode across the room, grabbing a plate and taking a seat at the couch. “Hey Drom, dinner is ready!”

Soon, everyone was seated and munching on hot dogs, and Marley turned on the TV to see the latest news.

“…University confirmed the T-12 virus was present in blood of the two students admitted with suspicious symptomes earlier today. All classes were immediately cancelled and the students have been required to stay in their dormitories until further notice. The University management is workig closely with authorities to figure out an emergency plan. Meanwhile, desperate parents are looking into ways of getting their family back home. However, the campus is quarantined as of now, so no one can get in or out yet. We will be closely monitoring the situation and bring you updates as frequently as possible. Let’s get back to our studio now, where we have an expert virologist Laura Dean, explaining why all the precautions are necessary…”

“The University? That is close,” commented Marley, scratching her chin.

“Looks like we have the virus at our doorstep, huh?” said Robin flatly and looked nervosly towards her daughter, playing with her blocks, oblivious to the imminent threat to her life.

“They should just shoot all the infected. Problem solved,” Mazikeen threw in her two cents.

All others, except for Dromos, stared at her in disbelief, but no one wanted to argue with her.

“Well, God help us,” concluded Carl. “We have some rough times ahead.”

Robin was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Little Rianna was already fast asleep, probably dreaming of princesses and unicorns. Or pirates. One never new with a girl like her.

She took a deep breath. Everything was so oddly quiet. Without hundreds of cars rushing around, honking of horns and drunken laughter from the bar across the street, the night felt almost surreal. Like it was all just a dream and not a grim reality looming over them, threatening to destroy everything.

Once again, Robin’s thoughts wandered off to Ian. What was he doing? Did he still hate her?

It was hard to even remember his face clearly after all those years. She hoped he made it out of Sunset Valley before the virus hit, and travelled somewhere far away. Unless he lost the trial and really ended up in prison.

She clutched her fists in anger. Such a cruel punishment for a bit of love. For making her life tolerable for a change.

She hoped her grandparents will burn in hell for what they did. And her brother too. That tretcherous piece of shit.

A stray tear escaped her eye and she quickly wiped it from her face. It is said that twins have a special bond with each other. So how comes that her twin decided to destroy her life? She shook her head. Wrong train of thoughts, she reminded herself. It doesn’t matter anymore. They live in Sunset Valley. They’re all probably dead now. Serves them right…

She sighed and reached for her phone. It was almost midnight. She plugged the headphones in and found her favorite chillstep playlist.

This was better than the odd silence of the city under curfew. And it made her mind focus on better things than her shitty past and the people she hated so much.

She let herself get lost in the beats and finally drifted off to dreamless sleep.

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Day 60 behind the scenes

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<- Prologue | Archives | Day 59: Ghosts of the past ->

Prologue

Once upon a time, in the city of Bridgeport…

Near the junkyard, just across the street from a criminal hideout and a seedy dive bar, there stood an old, shoddy apartment building. It housed many desperate souls not fortunate enough to afford a better place.

One of the apartments was inhabited by a particularly interesting assortment of tenants.

Young Robin who ran away from home when she was only 16. She changed her looks and lived under the radar until she reached legal age. After that she claimed back her identity but refused any contact with her former family. After struggling in some not-so-respectable occupations, she finally landed a bartender job just across the street. The place was awful, but it paid her bills and it was actually better than what she was doing before. Robin had a 3 years old daughter Rianna living with her. Although Robin did have some idea of who the father was, she didn’t care to tell him and decided to raise her daughter alone.

Oldřich (or ‘Oldie’, how they liked to call him) was something of an anarchist. He frequented various anti-government protests, spray painted murals all around Bridgeport and volunteered in a soup kitchen on his off days. He worked a warehouse job downtown and played in a mediocre punkrock band. Police probably had a pretty thick folder with his name on it. Oldie also owned a husky named Oskar, whom he considered his best friend.

Carl used to live in the country. He was an architect and probably half of Apaloosa Plains houses bears his trademark. He used to be married and had a little daughter, but he wasn’t a particularly faithful type, which eventually led to his wife filing for a divorce. That’s how he ended up living in a cheap shared apartment and most of his money were going into alimony. Carl was a nice guy, he loved to work on his fixer-upper car and had some mad guitar skills. He even used to play in a jazz band, but that was back in Apaloosa.

Mazikeen and Dromos were a strange couple. No one really knew where they came from or what they were doing for living. They were regulars in the Casino and The Grind, but while at home, they mostly kept to themselves. They weren’t particularly friendly and Dromos especially disliked Rianna, so Robin had to take a good care to keep her from bothering him. They had this aura of danger around them so no one wanted to risk earning their ire.

And finally Marley Grimmes. A shy, and some might say neurotic girl, she worked at a quiet little bookstore and spent most of her days watching TV and blogging about the shows, her favorite being The Walking Dead. She also loved cosplaying and never missed an opportunity to join the local cosplay community for various events.

——————–

It was a nice and sunny summer day. Everyone was going about their business when all TV and radio stations switched from their scheduled broadcasts to a breaking news bulletin:

“This is Bob Newbie reporting to you live…”

“…with late-breaking news right here in Sunset Valley.”

“A few moments, ago, Dr. Morgana Wolff, Chief of Staff at Sacred Spleen Memorial Hospital…”

“…held a press conference regarding the discovery of a life threatening virus.”

“Over the past 24 hours, twelve cases of this virus were reported at the emergency room.”

“If you experience nausea or fever, report to your local emergency facility immediately.”

“Until further notice, the town of Sunset Valley is considered quarantined and police officials are not letting anyone in or out.”

“Channel 6 will provide any updates as information becomes available.”

“Thank you and good evening.”

Everyone was feeling uneasy about the news. If they quarantined an entire town, this must be serious.

——————–

Later that evening, the whole household gathered in the living room around their small, decades old TV and waited for another update regarding the outbreak. But what they were about to hear would shake them to the core.

“This is Channel 12 reporting to you live from Bridgeport. Please be advised that a state of emergency has been declared in the town of Sunset Valley. A wide spread virus has devastated the town’s population with 37 cases currently reported. The virus has claimed 28 lives at the time of this broadcast and 7 of the remaining 9 are in critical condition. Medical and science teams have joined forces to combat the infestation threatening to destroy this once serene town. The disease is reported extremely lethal. Due to the risk of potential spread, Bridgeport has implemented a mandatory curfew requiring all citizens to stay in their homes until further notice. If you believe you may have contracted the virus or if you need other emergency assistance, contact the emergency response service at the number on your screen. Thank you.”

——————–

The night has fallen upon Bridgeport and its streets became unusually quiet. No people laughing and chatting on their way from one bar to another, no taxis speeding around, no people rushing everywhere. Only accassional police patrols making sure that everyone is at home.

What will the next morning bring? Will they, too, succumb to the new deadly virus, or were the precautions taken just in time to prevent the worst? How long will they have to be stuck at home before the situation calms down? And what will this epidemy mean for the civilization as a whole?

——————–

Bridgeport, 6:17 AM:

“Good morning, further events concerning the virus that ravaged Sunset Valley have unfolded. Martial law has now been declared on the streets of Sunset Valley. The death toll continues to rise and citizens are resorting to desperate acts of crime to survive.
Scientists have reported that the virus is strongly believed to lie dormant in hosts who contain a genetic resistance to it. Anyone who comes in direct contact with the host becomes a carrier who must either develop antibodies to force the virus back into dormancy or their bloodstream is poisoned leading to organ shutdown and death”

The survival rate in humans
is 1 out of every 12 infected.
Scientists are calling it the T-12 Virus,
but survivors in Sunset Valley are rumored
to have given it a very different name:

‘THE DOOMSDAY VIRUS’

*The news reports are direct citations from Doomsday Challenge rules. All credit goes to MistyDW of ModTheSims.

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<- Back | Archives | Day 60: Quarantined ->

The last sim has arrived: Marley Grimmes

And we have a winner of our casting call! The sim was kindly donated by Suretha (SSSue1106).

Please welcome Marley Grimmes – a geeky bookstore clerk, blogger, cosplayer and The Walking Dead fan. She might be a little on the shy side, but her wits are unmatched. Will she survive?

Name: Marley Grimmes
Traits: Neurotic, Shy, Unlucky, Night Owl, Genius
Favorites: French, Waffles, Purple
LTW: The Tinkerer

You can also check out her room  on The Apartment page.

I’m gonna make some last touch ups in my game and start playing! You can expect the first post very soon!

Coming soon: Doomsday Challenge (+casting call!)

Once upon a time, in the Sim city of Bridgeport…

Near the junkyard, just across the street from a criminal hideout and a seedy dive bar, there stood an old, shoddy apartment building. It housed many desperate souls not fortunate enough to afford a better place.

One of the apartments was inhabited by a particularly interesting assortment of tenants.

Young Robin who ran away from home when she was only 16. She changed her looks and lived under the radar until she reached legal age. After that she claimed back her identity but refused any contact with her former family. After struggling in some not-so-respectable occupations, she finally landed a bartender job just across the street. The place was awful, but it paid her bills and it was actually better than what she was doing before. Robin had a 3 years old daughter Rianna living with her. Although Robin did have some idea of who the father was, she didn’t care to tell him and decided to raise her daughter alone.

Oldřich (or ‘Oldie’, how they liked to call him) was something of an anarchist. He frequented various anti-government protests, spray painted murals all around Bridgeport and volunteered in a soup kitchen on his off days. He worked a warehouse job downtown and played in a mediocre punkrock band. Police probably had a pretty thick folder with his name on it. Oldie also owned a husky named Oskar, whom he considered his best friend.

Carl used to live in the country. He was an architect and probably half of Apaloosa Plains houses bears his trademark. He used to be married and had a little daughter, but he wasn’t a particularly faithful type, which eventually led to his wife filing for a divorce. That’s how he ended up living in a cheap shared apartment and most of his money were going into alimony. Carl was a nice guy, he loved to work on his fixer-upper car and had some mad guitar skills. He even used to play in a jazz band, but that was back in Apaloosa.

Mazikeen and Dromos were a strange couple. No one really knew where they came from or what they were doing for living. They were regulars in the casino and The Grind, but while at home, they mostly kept to themselves. They weren’t particularly friendly and Dromos especially disliked Rianna, so Robin had to take a good care to keep her from bothering him. They had this aura of danger around them so no one wanted to risk earning their ire.

——————–

It was a nice and sunny summer day. Everyone was going about their business when all TV and radio stations switched from their scheduled broadcasts to a breaking news bulletin:

“This is Bob Newbie reporting to you live with late-breaking news right here in Sunset Valley.”

“A few moments, ago, Dr. Morgana Wolff, Chief of Staff at Sacred Spleen Memorial Hospital, held a press conference regarding the discovery of a life threatening virus.”

“Over the past 24 hours, twelve cases of this virus were reported at the emergency room.”

“If you experience nausea or fever, report to your local emergency facility immediately.”

“Until further notice, the town of Sunset Valley is considered quarantined and police officials are not letting anyone in or out.”

“Channel 6 will provide any updates as information becomes available.”

“Thank you and good evening.”

Everyone was feeling uneasy about the news. If they quarantined an entire town, this must be serious.

——————–

Later that evening, the whole household gathered in the living room around their small, decades old TV and waited for another update regarding the outbreak. But what they were about to hear would shake them to the core.

“This is Channel 12 reporting to you live from Bridgeport. Please be advised that a state of emergency has been declared in the town of Sunset Valley. A wide spread virus has devastated the town’s population with 37 cases currently reported. The virus has claimed 28 lives at the time of this broadcast and 7 of the remaining 9 are in critical condition. Medical and science teams have joined forces to combat the infestation threatening to destroy this once serene town. The disease is reported extremely lethal. Due to the risk of potential spread, Bridgeport has implemented a mandatory curfew requiring all citizens to stay in their homes until further notice. If you believe you may have contracted the virus or if you need other emergency assistance, contact the emergency response service at the number on your screen. Thank you.”

——————–

The night has fallen upon Bridgeport and its streets became unusually quiet. No people laughing and chatting on their way from one bar to another, no taxis speeding around, no people rushing everywhere. Only accassional police patrols making sure that everyone is at home.

What will the next morning bring? Will they, too, succumb to the new deadly virus, or were the precautions taken just in time to prevent the worst? How long will they have to be stuck at home before the situation calms down? And what will this epidemy mean for the civilization of Sims?

——————–

Bridgeport, 6:17 AM:

“Good morning, further events concerning the virus that ravaged Sunset Valley have unfolded. Martial law has now been declared on the streets of Sunset Valley. The death toll continues to rise and citizens are resorting to desperate acts of crime to survive.
Scientists have reported that the virus is strongly believed to lie dormant in host sims who contain a genetic resistance to it. Anyone who comes in direct contact with the host becomes a carrier who must either develop antibodies to force the virus back into dormancy or their bloodstream is poisoned leading to organ shutdown and death”

The survival rate in humans
is 1 out of every 12 infected.
Scientists are calling it the T-12 Virus,
but survivors in Sunset Valley are rumored
to have given it a very different name:

‘THE DOOMSDAY VIRUS’

 

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Hi everyone! I am almost ready to start playing my newest challenge. I decided to give another go to the Countdown to Doomsday, an awesome challenge created by MistyDW from MTS. This challenge is actually the first part (out of 4) of her Doomsday series and I have played it once before and had a lot of fun. This time I wanted to change it a little and test some tweaks I made up to make it even harder and more interesting.

For those who don’t know the challenge and don’t want to read through the rules – this challenge follows a household of sims during 60 days in which a deadly virus swipes through the sim world, being gradually stronger and more contagious. They strive to avoid getting infected, survive the breakdown of society and endure the ever worsening conditions under which they have to exist. There are certain events every few days, plus in my version also some funny (and not so funny) random events to add into the mix. There is a lot of rolling for infection and unfortunate deaths. Whether someone survives to the very end, no one knows ahead.

While thinking about what sims should I use for this run, I decided to make it a sort of community project and created a big shared apartment with 5 rooms with an intention of having different people create the tenants. I made a single mom with a toddler, my husband made a guy with a dog, my brother-in-law shared his favorite sim from his longest running game and finally my best friend created a couple inspired by Lucifer TV series.

But there is still one empty room waiting for the last sim. And that is where YOU, my dear readers, come in. Would you like to be a part of this madness? Would you enjoy watching if YOUR sim of all would make it through alive? Do you have an idea what character would add nicely to the little community of roommates?

Well, say no more and create a sim for me. I will have a look at all the promising candidates and choose one (un)lucky sim to live with my squad. I will do my best to follow the character’s traits and backstory and of course will blog the game both as a story and as a “behind the scenes” report from a player’s perspective.

Guidelines:

• 1 sim
• No pets (we already have one large dog, that’s enough)
• No supernaturals
• Realistic human-like sims, please! (no berry skins etc.)
• Teen-Elder (the lifespan is set to Normal so adults may die early and elders surely will)
• Some backstory and characteristics (don’t have to be too elaborate)
• CC is fine

Send me pictures and some info about the sim as a comment here or on my Facebook page or as a private message.

The deadline for your entries is 15th September.

I will announce which sim I’ve chosen shortly after.

 

Thank you and happy simming! ❤

The Siren’s Call 1.3 – The beginning of the end

Scarlett was absorbed with her studies when the class was interrupted by sudden feeling of shaking. It was barely noticeable but looking into her fellow student’s cup she indeed could see ripples on coffee surface.

Many other students stopped taking notes and looked around with startled expressions. Even their teacher paused in her speech, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Can you feel it?” asked someone behind Scarlett’s back.

“Dude, that’s an earthquake or what,” another voice replied.

For a moment no one knew what to do.

“Do not panic, it’s very weak,” the teacher regained her composure and tried to calm her students down and continue the lesson, although she was not sure herself of what to expect. She had never heard of an earthquake in this area before. The university was fairly away from any known tectonically active zones and there were no volcanoes nearby. What could have happened that might have caused this?

The same questions were swarming in Scarlett’s mind as she stared into her laptop screen and checked for any news that could shed some light on the situation.

It was everywhere! The news of Aurora Skies destruction were flooding her news feed with terrifying images of what once was a beautiful environmentally-friendly northern city. Now it was… gone.

Destroyed by the earthquake and the remains washed away by a massive tsunami that followed shortly after. Estimated casualties were counted in hundreds. Scarlett scrolled down the page and saw headlines of another towns from nearby islands and even the closest edge of the mainland being damaged by the quake. Evacuation efforts have been launched attempting to get the survivors off the island.

A quick glance told Scarlett the other students were doing the same as her, not paying much attention to the teacher and instead checking their phones vigorously.

“Oh my God!” a girl next to her cried out, utter shock covering her face as she stared at her phone with wide eyes.

And suddenly, Scarlett saw it too. The newest video update showed the Aurora Island filmed from a drone monitoring the rescue operations, when suddenly – BOOM! A massive explosion torn the whole island to pieces, sending them flying into the air, followed by a burst of lava and black smoke shooting high into the sky, piercing the clouds above as the shockwave sent the drone spinning down to the sea. There the record ended.

Aurora Skies was no more. The whole island ceased to exist as the raging supervolcano bursted into life.

Scarlett was shaken to the core. The Apocalypse was approaching. It was happening right now. The ash will cloud the sky, locking the planet in many years of perpetual winter. The cold, lack of sunlight, toxic fallout and acid rains will devastate and poison the water and flora. Most animal species will go extinct. And humans? What will become of them? Can at least some of them survive, or will their entire civilization become history? What was going to happen to her?

Scarlett felt totally helpless. How she hoped this was just a bad dream, but she knew it wasn’t. Right now most of her classmates weren’t quite aware of the full extent of the disaster. They still viewed it as something too remote to have a direct impact on their lives, and were only moved by fate of poor Aurora Skies citizens who had no chance to save their lives.

In the wake of recent events in Aurora, the class was ended early and the students were released from their duties for the rest of the day. Scalett headed straight back to the Sorority house to catch on some more news. She could still feel the light tremor fading in and out during the afternoon – so strong the eruption was.

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The Siren’s Call 1.2 – Trouble in the north

“I don’t think Scot is right about his theory,” pondered Shannon, thinking out loud.

“No, he is not. He fails to recognize the importance of Henderson–Hasselbalch equation and its limits in that matter,” agreed Scarlett while the two of them walked towards caffeteria. It was a long and tiresome morning in the lab and both young women were looking forward to finally sit down and have a sandwich. And a coffee or two, of course.

“I wonder why he can’t see that his values are likely not fitting the bracket,” Shannon shook her head. “Anyway, have you seen Amil lately? Liz told me she had seen him with that Yuki girl yesterday. Would you believe it?” she chuckled. “Our good old Amil finally got a girlfriend.”

Scarlett raised her brow. “Isn’t he a bit too old for her?”

“Yeah! Crazy, huh? I bet she’s at least fifteen years younger than him.” Shannon rolled her eyes and opened the door as they reached their destination.

They both grabbed their favorite sandwiches and a large cup of organic maui slappucino and claimed an empty table near the counter. Then they proceeded to eat their lunch, continuing the gossip about recent events on the campus.

“Holy shit! You have to see this!” exclaimed Shannon after reading something on her smartphone, shoving it into Scarlett’s face. Scarlett shot her a quick disapproving glance, but looked back at the phone to see what it was about.

The longer she read the more serious her expression was. Finally she raised her eyes and stayed silent for a moment.
“This is not good,” she said eventually. “Not good at all.”

What she had just read was a news report about a series of massive earthquakes in Aurora Skies. They were so strong that pretty much everything there lied in ruins now. The ground was torn apart at several places and the huge cracks swallowed people, cars and sometimes whole houses. Yet the ground was still shaking. People were urged to retreat to the hills as a danger of tsunami wave flooding the whole town arose.

Scarlett knew something about that area because she used to be interested in volcanism and geothermal energy and read a lot about it. There were theories about a massive supervolcano slumbering deep underground, causing all sorts of geological activity in the area. It was never confirmed, although some markers did point to the possibility of it being true, which was rather unsettling.

If it was really true, it could mean the supervolcano is awakening and threatening to erupt. A shiver ran down Scarlett’s spine when she imagined what such an eruption could mean. A large scale devastation. A cataclysm mankind have never experienced before.

“Those poor folks really have it bad,” Shannon said with sympathy. “I can’t imagine being there, or my family.”

“You might not even need to,” muttered Scarlett.

“What do you mean?” asked Shannon, confused. Scarlett looked down at her crimson red fingernails and bit her lip before answering.

“Have you ever heard about Aurorian supervolcano?”

“Not really,” replied Shannon and gave her friend a surprised look.

Scarlett took a few sips from her cup and explained everything. Shannon scratched the back of her head nervously.

“Bullshit,” she finally dismissed the idea, but looked somewhat shaken.

“I hope so,” sighed Scarlett. “I really do…”

The girls then finished their lunch and parted ways to take their classes.

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The Siren’s Call 1.1 – Prologue

Once upon a time a child was born into a wealthy Strontium family. Evan was a renowned scientist working on government-funded top secret projects. Lena was an heiress to an old aristocratic family of Diors. They were living a dream, surrounded by luxury and influential connections. And now they were having a baby girl, who was no ordinary child, as they soon learned.

Scarlett was exceptional. She could read and write and do basic math at the age of two. When she went to school, she was already several grades ahead with her knowledge. Her parents quickly recognized her talents and paid handsomely to let her attend the best private schools to ensure she could properly develop them.

Little Scarlett seemed to have an insatiable hunger for learning. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge is absorbing water. The more she learned, the more she wanted to know. She took part in dozens of competitions and won them all. She was a real prodigy. A miracle child. Her parents were proud.

She was admitted to a prestige Simlius College at the age of 14 to study Science and Medicine under supervision of some of the greatest minds of her era.

At the age of 16, Scarlett earned her first degree, graduating with highest honors.

It was still not enough for her however, so she jumped right back into the academic life and enrolled to study Technology to expand her already very extensive knowledge even further.

Again, she graduated with highest honors just two years later.

Bright future was laying before the young woman. Scarlett was not only exceptionally intelligent, she was also beautiful and witty and didn’t stay away from social gatherings. She definitely wasn’t the socially awkward geeky type, living in a bubble of her own fantasies. On the contrary – despite her busy schedule, she always found time to hang out with fellow students and was a true gem of every company.

After getting her second degree, Scarlett decided to remain at the university and work in their elite research team for developing new medicaments. She also worked part time as a teacher in Science & Medicine major, and to give herself some meaningful break from all the scientific stuff, she enrolled to study Communications just for fun.

Scarlett’s life was as awesome as could be. Before the unthinkable happened…

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Escape to Nowhere – pt.1: Out of the frying pan…

…into the fire.

That was what came to Asla’s mind for at least the hundreth time today. She and her three kids were standing on a sidewalk in front of a small grocery store in a city they had never seen before. She had to pull a bus ticket out of her pocket to remind herself of how that place was even called.

Bridgeport.

She stuck the ticket back in and wondered if it was really a good idea to get themselves stranded in a strange city with barely 500 simoleons left and no clue what to do next.

It all started when her husband got into trouble with law like many times before. Becca was just a little toddler back then and Asla was working part time in a bar not far away from their home. Jay had always been like that. He was a member of some gang and they were constantly causing troubles in the neighbourhood. She didn’t know what exactly were their activities – and in fact, she didn’t want to know. That day, though, they must have done something worse than usual, because he eventually ended up in prison for two months.

It was a hard time for Asla, but it passed quickly between all the work and other responsibilities. Unfortunately, it changed everything. When Jay was finally released, he quickly grew obsessed with an idea that Asla had been cheating on him while he was in jail. He started to interrogate her, he kept checking her phone, he followed her on a street. He was also fired from his job and struggled to find a new one, so he started drinking way more than usual. And then the beating started.

Their arguments were always wild, but since he returned from prison, he always ended up beating Asla and humiliating her with extremely nasty words. He eventually calmed down a little after finding a new job, but his shifts were long and the money was pitiful so he soon returned to drinking and beating his wife to let off steam.
Poor Asla tried to speak up once and threatened to leave him, but it didn’t end well. Dark brown bruises on her neck from his fingers were a good enough reminder for her not to ever bring that subject up again.

“You will try that, you bitch, and I will kill you,” Jay hissed into her ear while she was helplessly gasping for air under his strong hands.

Despite his threats, she never stopped thinking about running away. The problem was she had nowhere to go and she couldn’t leave her children behind. She couldn’t turn him to police because those goons from his gang would surely make her pay for it.

Eight years later, after another bad beating, Jay headed to work and Asla was crying in their bedroom. She could hear her oldest daughter, Edna, shouting at her dad as he was passing around her, calling him “sick bastard” and “disgusting son of a bitch”. Edna was a stubborn, fearless girl, who always went ahead to tell her father what she thought about his ways. Needless to say it usually resulted in her being beaten as well, though it never stopped her from doing it again next time. A loud sound of slamming door told Asla that Jay was probably finally out and soon the bedroom door opened and Edna walked in, angrily rubbing her cheek and hateful sparks in her eyes.

“Mom, can’t we just leave already?”

“But where should we go?” asked Asla, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Anywhere. I don’t care. As long as it’s far away from here.” Edna’s hazel eyes were fixed on her mother’s face.

“I am… not sure, honey,” Asla mumbled, unable to look in her daughter’s eyes.

“Look, mom, I can’t take this anymore. You will either get us out of this hell or I’m leaving alone. I’m done with this life. And you should be too.”

Asla finally got a hold of herself and looked at her daughter. She was nearly seventeen and her eyes were burning with determination. Asla knew she was right. They shouldn’t be living like this. Her kids deserved more. She deserved more. But she was so scared to make a leap of faith and run away into the unknown.

“Okay,” she finally decided. “Go pack your stuff. We’re leaving.”

Edna nodded silently and went to her room. Asla didn’t waste any time. She grabbed her old hiking backpack and stuffed some clothes in it. She proceeded to the bathroom to gather some more necessities and then gently knocked on children’s bedroom. Edna was nearly done with packing her belongings. Becca, her younger daughter, was sitting on her bed in her pajamas, staring on her older sister in confusion. Oddly enough, Simon, the youngest of Asla’s children, was still soundly asleep.

“We… are leaving dad, aren’t we?” Becca asked quietly after seeing her mother with a large backpack. She slowly began to realize what was going on.

“Yes, we are,” Asla admitted. “Please, get dressed. I will help you pack your things.”

Becca didn’t say anything, but did what her mother told her. In less that thirty minutes they were all ready in their living room, waiting for a cab. Asla grabbed all money she could find. She even cleaned out Jay’s secret stash. She didn’t have any regrets. The bastard owed her for all the ill treatment he had been giving her and their children. Edna had a little money, too, and even Becca had some in her piggy bank. It was not much, but it will have to do.

The cab driver honked his horn. Asla carefully checked both sides of the street, worried someone from her husband’s gang could see them, but it was still very early in the morning and the street was empty. They quickly got into the cab and headed for a bus station.

“Excuse me, where does this bus go?” Asla asked a driver of the first bus that stopped by the platform they were passing.

“Bridgeport,” the driver replied.

“Uh, right. Thank you. And how far is it?” she asked nervously. The driver gave her a strange look.

“Very far. All the way to the west. Is that all, ma’am? People are waiting.”

“Oh, sure, sorry. Can I have four tickets, please?”

…

The ride was long and uncomfortable. It took nearly five hours and they were all hungry and stiff from sitting too long. Simon slept through the first half of it, but he was very unhappy for the last hour and other passengers must have hated them for his constant crying. Then finally they reached their destination and found themselves on a sunlit street of a really big city. Skyscrapers were tall, the traffic was thick and the streets were busy. There must have been thousands of sims living in that jungle of concrete. Everyone always rushing, minding their own business. People didn’t know each other. It was, in a way, a perfect place. There was no way Jay could find them here.

Edna sighed and looked at her mother. Simon was fussy in her arms and she was all sweaty from standing in the sun for too long.

“So, what now?” she asked. Asla sighed, too, and snapped out of her thoughts. The deed was done, there was no turning back.

“Let’s buy something to eat. And I will ask around for a job and a place to stay.”

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Hello again

Yeah, I’m still alive. I am officially terrible at keeping the blog running. Sorry 😦 I am determined to fix it a little, as I have a new story to share. I hope I will be able to eventually share those old ones, too. Who knows. Now let’s get to work.