Sunday, March 28, 2021

Family Jewels Name Game, Chapter 1-14

 

When we left off, newly aged-up Quartz was canoodling with her husband on the couch here. Good to see the romance isn't dead yet. They've got five YA children and three teens, and we need to Get. Those. Teens. Grown. Up. so we can get to the heir poll and points. This chapter is a little longer than I've been doing with this challenge because stopping at the natural break point would have left a really stumpy next chapter, so I just smooshed it all together. Read on...

When we check in, Zircon has topped the barista career and I am once again unsure what he should focus on.

Zoi has maxed piano and is awaiting enough royalties to move on with her aspiration.

And Topaz has almost finished gourmet cooking. Our fridge is SO stocked, you guys.

So the kids are all hard at work, but what are the parents doing?

Enjoying their elder years for once! Quartz still has a job to top for her aspiration and plenty of upgrading left to do, but that doesn't mean she can't slow down with Declan now and then.

The afternoon doesn't last forever, though, because we were getting ungodly numbers of little bits of simoleons added, and then I remembered we had a basement which had been totally taken over by dust. The work never ends. It was shortly after this, I think, that I finally turned dust off. I know they just patched it, so hopefully it's not so bad anymore.

The kids return home from school very moody, but things aren't about to get better quite yet...

Because that evening, the time has finally come for Declan.

Look at this freaking ominous picture with Grim looming in the background. Geez. Anyway, the whole family that was still in the house plus visiting Ru were there to see Declan off. He will be missed.

I finally built a proper graveyard for him and A Rock.

Declan was the first father of this legacy and a great partner to Quartz, whom he loved with his whole being. He was father to eight children, a gardener extraordinaire, a dog lover, a lover too of all toys, and a not entirely effective dust buster. (I also forgot until I got a few pics past this one that he was also a diamond agent, because he's been retired forever, but yes, he was a top secret agent too.) He brought great genetics and an innocent, joyful energy to the challenge, and we will miss him terribly.

(I remember a story I read back in Sims 2 days where the writer always did memorial photos in black and white, so I'm trying something a little like that with this old photo filter.)

Quartz has to head off to work the next day feeling terrible, but she does it nonetheless.

I wanted to do something nice for her, so I decided to let her adopt a puppy. I put this lot down with a random sim and called it Plumdog Rescue (which I thought was cute), and stocked the family with various puppies from the gallery. The way it works is that she'll find one she likes, then I'll transfer it to her family at the same time I transfer an "adoption fee" of a few hundred simoleons to Plumdog Rescue. Makes sense to me!

Of course Theo the random sim decided the grieving woman just trying to pick out a puppy was a good target for a flirt. Ugh.

Quartz: "I'm sorry, but I just lost my husband yesterday."
Theo: "So is that a no?"
Quartz: "Uh, yeah. That's a definite no."
Theo: "I'd treat you right, baby. You'll forget all about him."
Quartz: "It just shot up to an unconditional no."

Theo, singing badly: "Oh I'm a...nice guy...but she don't have no time...for me. I'm a...nice guy..."

#notallsims

Anyway! With that unpleasantness behind us, we brought home a floofy little pupper named Zoey. She's a mixed breed, so I have no idea what she'll grow up like.

Quartz seems taken with the puppy at first.

But even a new puppy can't ease the sting of loss.

Plus, the image of the new pup in A Rock's bed is a stark reminder that she has her own big shoes to fill. Life will adjust, but it's an awkward time.

Part of smoothing it over will be really accepting this puppy into the family, so she needs a new name. Zoey became Bijou, which is an adjective that means fancy and elegant, but as a name and from its archaic meaning it means 'jewel,' so it continues our gemstone-themed names. Bijou is playful, a couch potato, and smart, so she's got a really great personality. Welcome to the family, Bijou!

In other happenings, I sometimes relate a lot to Zircon because he's always trying to catch some Z's but never seems to make good on his sleep debt.

Less relatable is his habit of putting dishes up here on the wall for some godforsaken reason. 

He's also going through a major mood swing of being loud, and it says he wants to play instruments, so I think I've figured out what to do with him. No, not play instruments. I already said he wasn't destined for that after his violin misadventures as a child. You'll see.

With Declan gone, it takes all three kids to keep up the garden now. I also heard they just fixed plants reverting to seeds when they're tended, which is fantastic because it's made gardening SO HARD and frustrating anymore.

It was soon Night on the Town and Quartz was still feeling bummed, but the kids were okay. I decided to send them out with all of their siblings. Topaz had to do the inviting since the Z's didn't know all the other children. I sent them to a vegetarian restaurant in the same neighborhood as Plumdog Rescue, and there was actually seating for all eight of them, which was a nice change from our past restaurant adventures. Axi immediately whips a guitar out for some reason and starts jamming while we wait for someone to take our order.

And then Ulex has a violin.

And then Quetzal joins in on the guitar. Who is giving you all these instruments???

Anyway, I finally got everyone sitting in time for food. I was smart this time and only ordered a drink for Qusong so she wouldn't get sick. However, I forgot that, unlike at the last restaurant outing, Ulex has also since picked up a withered stomach, so she got ill right away. Oops.

Ru started flirting with an elderly server. This neighborhood must have some wild NAPs going on, because it's kind of bonkers here.

Adding to Ulex's misery was that I dearly wanted all the kids to know each other, but Ulex is a B-lister, so this is how the Z twins greet her. They kept doing it all night long and it never worked out in anybody's favor, so they'll just have to meet officially when they're all in the same house again.

After dinner, it was time for some karaoke with all the kids! We stopped at a pride-themed karaoke bar that was really colorful and fun. The youngest duetted with the oldest.

Qusong and Zoi were absolutely on fire for some reason.

And Topaz and Ru, who are actually close from Ru caring for Topaz as a little one, sang a soulful duet.

Meanwhile, Axi kept herself entertained, channeling her dearly departed father.

And Ulex moped around. I actually wanted Topaz to sing with her but Ulex didn't come up in the picker for some reason, so she had to be in the audience with this woman who appears to be trying to buy the couch. It was a fun evening and refreshing after the grief of the last few days.

At home, playful Bijou has discovered A Rock's extensive collection of toys and is joyfully squeaking them. He would be so proud. *sniff* She's settling in nicely. I'm curious if she'll grow up before we get to the next generation or not.

The right amount of royalties finally came in for Zoi, so she got to mentor Zircon, who is still horrible at instruments for the record, and complete Musical Genius. Because she was such a good Social Butterfly as a child, I gave her Friend of the World next, but I'm not going to work on it any before she grows up.

Instead, she quickly finished her scout badges, meaning she's the only sim in this generation that finished a "part-time job" and an aspiration. Next she got to work on maxing guitar, which seems like it should be easy for her now that she has Scouting Aptitude.

Topaz maxed gourmet cooking.

Her next skill is baking, in case you can't tell. 

Quartz is feeling more like herself, resigning herself to getting the house the most ready it can be for the next generation.

As for Zircon? Well he finally did something productive. He's still loud, he still wants to play instruments, and he is singing, which helps him not at all. I'm so kind, haha. It also doesn't help Dana because he's really terrible, but I thought I set computer security on those computers anyway, so I'm honestly not worried if she's distracted.

Zircon, I thought I told you to bathe the puppy.

Zircon: "I tried, but she just went limp and started sleeping when we got to the bathtub."

Are you really the type of person to be manipulated by a puppy?

Zircon: "Yes?"

When Bijou decided to stop feigning sleep to get out of her bath, she finally got clean.

Topaz has maxed baking, making her the first sim in this challenge to max three adult skills. She was also the first to max three child skills. She's a skilling powerhouse.

And just in time, too, because it's her birthday.

Still with the baby face, but she looks great.

Topaz adds Recycle Disciple to her personality. I considered keeping her around and working on Master Chef since we don't need space in the house, but the twins grow up in only a few days so I decided not to.

Her picture gets added to the wall, and she moves out to join her older sisters in their musical, free-lovin' neighborhood.

When I got back, this is what Quartz's portrait was doing. You...ok...there, Quartz?

Quartz: "I can touch my nose. Tee hee."

Quartz: "Ah, that really does a number on my old woman obliques."

Maybe leave the M.C. Escher yoga to the younger folk, eh?

Now that she's feeling better, she still channels Declan in joining the dog in listening to Zoi play. It's the little things that warm my heart. Zoi maxed guitar, and up next is violin, if I can get it in before her birthday.

Meanwhile, when he's not sleeping from his permanent sleep deficit as an early-morning barista, Zircon has been locked away behind heavy doors to sing his terrible songs, in the hopes of completing his first skill. You can see who the real overachiever in this pair of twins is.

Now that she's not as much in a haze of grief, Quartz has been really bonding with Bijou. This is them becoming companions.

While locked away behind a *different* set of doors, Zircon tops his first and probably only skill.

And Zoi finishes violin. Their birthday is tomorrow, so all that's left to do now is play through the rest of this turn.

Zircon: "Did you just call me even though you're at the house, Ru?"
Ru: "Sure did. I have something that important to tell you: hot gossip."
Zircon: "Uh, ok. What is it?"
Ru: "Your twin got in trouble for hacking computers at the school just now."
Zircon: "Isn't it like six in the evening? And she's literally in the other room playing with the puppy?"
Ru: "That's what makes it so scandalous!"

This game is so buggy, haha.

Fast forward to the next day, and it is also Harvestfest in addition to being the youngest twins' birthday. We get everyone good on their traditions, and then it's off for another outing.

With it being the end of the generation and with the loss of Declan still drawing the family closer, I thought it was important that they all spend this holiday together. I wasn't about to let Ulex swipe something from the house though, so we turned an old house into an event center for the occasion. I'd like to decorate it better, but for the time being, we just adapted what was already there for a Harvestfest dinner. Everyone came and actually made it into the dining room.

The venue choice was a good one because Ulex immediately tried to steal the pumpkins and was caught by Zoi. I hadn't even had time to turn headlineeffects off yet.

Ulex: "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids."
Zoi: "If not me, it would have been someone else. You're literally in a room with your whole family, you dolt. Makes me regret asking for your autograph the other night."

So normal. :,-)

We brought a tofurkey and several other vegetarian delights for the dinner and called everyone to dinner.

I knew this would also call my vampires, but I was willing to chance it for a good pic. Of course, I didn't get a good pic because not everyone could find their chairs before other people finished eating.

Predictably, this led to urgent bathroom visits. It's just not a Cabochon meal unless a vampire pukes.

Anyway, while everyone is dressed up nice, I thought we'd take this opportunity to revisit the living members of the family, of course not forgetting the contribution Declan made to all of them. Think of this also as a bit of a preview of the heir poll.

Quartz is our founder, and she's been very successful in life. We're grateful to her for founding such a fun family, and she's grateful to be surrounded by family on this holiday.

Quetzalcoatlite is our first born, and she's thankful that she has such a terrible personality that, fate and voters willing, she will not have to have fifteen pregnancies.

Qusongite is her twin, a master vampire and all-around cool person. She's thankful that she wasn't the one who got sick today for reasons that only the game knows.

Ulexite is the third child, our gorgeous intellectually-challenged intellectual. She's thankful that she just swiped a candelabra on the way back from the bathroom. Yes, I saw.

Axinite is the cool-as-a-cucumber fourth child who's always flown under the radar despite being the lone cat lover in a family of dog lovers. She's thankful today that she doesn't have to walk Bijou.

Rubellite is the fashionable fifth child with something fishy about her. She's thankful that she was positioned so that she got to live with all seven of her siblings, as she's really just a big family softy.

Topaz is the sixth child and the first sim born after the skin patch, resulting in a new level of paleness from Quartz's genetics. She's a skilling superpower and a very accomplished home cook. She's thankful that soon she'll be able to enter her dream career.

Zoisite is the seventh child and the most accomplished sim in this generation, with three maxed skills, an aspiration completed, and a part-time career completed. She's thankful she finally gets a day off from practicing instruments.

And that leaves Zircon, baby eight and the only boy. A slow skiller and a perpetually tired barista. He's thankful I let him call in sick today.

Don't forget the newest member of our family, Bijou! She was there too, though the family was so busy socializing that I don't think any of the old guard got to meet her yet.

With the table cleared by our teens, it was time for the final birthday of the generation. Happy birthday, Z's!
Quetzal escaped but everyone else was there. After this, Zoi played the piano and Zircon tended bar for his siblings until the party wound down. It was a great holiday and a wonderful party for everyone. I'm really glad I did this. I think it capped off the generation wonderfully. Now let's tie up loose ends and get to the final bits.

Zoi looks just as beautiful as ever, and she adds Maker in honor of her mother.

And Zircon forgot to pick a trait beforehand, I guess, so he copies his sister and also adds maker.

Back home, we took the portraits and added them to the wall.

And that's this generation wrapped!

Quartz is very happy with the family she and Declan raised, and she thinks the challenge is off to a great start. So do I.

We got great variety this generation, and I'm really pleased with all of the kids. Your choice is really cut out for you. You can vote in the heir poll at Boolprop here. Choose whoever you like best, as long as that person is not Quetzal! That goes double for you, Haleigh! :P

And, finally, here are the points for the generation. We had two Q children, two Z children, and one each of A, R, T, and U. Quartz and Declan both topped unique careers, and Quartz (Master Maker) plus Qusong (Master Vampire), Ulex (Bestselling Author), Axi (Painter Extraordinaire), and Zoi (Musical Genius) all topped aspirations. Counting child skills, we topped 29 skills, 17 of which were unique. All ten portraits were recorded. We got most of the toddler skills but missed one thinking point on three kids and an imagination point (by accident) on Quetzal. Everyone got their childhood and teen A's, and six of the kids topped teen careers. Finally, this is going up for a public vote, and that brings me to a total of 272 points. I want to thank MeadowThayer for the wonderful automated Excel scoresheet she gave me, which I used to generate this.

And that's the end of the first generation of Family Jewels Name Game: Maximum Brood. If you're enjoyed the Cabochons, be sure to drop a comment and an heir poll vote at Boolprop. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope to be back with more soon! If you've enjoyed my writing, check out my other stories in the "Other Stories" tab at the top. Bye! <3





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