Rival Cowfolks in Newcrest: Whistle While You Twerk [Completed 03/05/2018]

[PeregrineTook]

Laura and her patented portrait method.  Priceless!  She and Poppy are the glorious, unsung heroes of the Serena bloodline. 
It seemed like Makato's childhood lasted about half a day!  Super-quick work there, Watcher!
I noticed you didn't spend much time mourning Lio.  I'm not sure if you have a favorite Zanna, but I'm fairly positive he was your least favorite  ;=)
Bella and Mortimer are finding their way back to each other.  That's sweet.  Not as sweet as the Kendall/Ayato love story, but still sweet.
I can't wait to see the Kendall/Ayato boos!
Another lovely update  :=)

[oshizu]

Laura with her innovative, time-saving portrait strategy, definitely. Poppy hasn't really done anything heroic yet, though she is a courageous complainer.

The Gen5 heir Ruki (Makoto is the vampire bro Masato's son) spent roughly 22 hours being a teen, from 9 am Friday until 7 am Saturday.
He would have been done 2 hours earlier but he set aside the time to make all his good friends.

Considering Lio was Serena's son and Massimo's younger brother, I should have liked Lio more. But he was constantly causing break-ins in community venues.
And I know it was my fault for having Dinero and Soma heirs pick him for their enemy requirement, but he always tried to compel deep drinking when enraged. He was not a gentleman.
My favorite Zanna would be--since I conceal my favoritism so well--Ayato. lol.

As for Kendall's twins (squee!!!!!), you will meet them in Week 9 for sure. I worry endlessly about Kendall not having sunlight resistance so I'm constantly on the alert for her outdoors, hehe.
Thank you always for your comments. They motivate me to continue this challenge!

[oshizu]

9.88. The Home Stretch

Now that the Zannas have completed their eighth week, the Rivals will proceed to play what will become their ninth week.
I'm intending Week 9 to be the final week of my Rival Dynasties Challenge, so I thought I would do a short recap here so that we all have a better idea of what each household brings to the table.

Also, due to the nature of rotational gameplay, I imagine it's difficult for readers to keep track of who's who. My proclivity to encourage non-heirs to produce offspring to satisfy my sims-genetics curiosity doesn't make remembering all this story's sims any easier, I'm sure.

This update is not essential to the advancement of my Rival Dynasties Challenge.
It functions more like an comma-like commentary before we proceed to the final week.
The recap is as much for me as it is for the readers, since it won't make much narrative sense to look back at these last three households once the challenge ends.


The Dinero Line of Mansion Barons

Mint Dinero (Gen4 heir) moved out to the 50x40 Twin Oracles Point lot with her maternal Uncle Jagger, then invited the Goths to move in.


From left to right: Mint Dinero (Gen4 heir), Sage (Gen5 heir), and Alex Goth

Mint will go down in Dinero history as the heir who submitted frogs for her museum collection.
Among the Gen4 heirs, Mint has been blessed with the happiest and least troubled family life.
Except that her mother-in-law gave birth to the Gen5 Zanna heir…

While Mint focuses on her career and bloodline requirements, Alex has adeptly cultivated his gardening and parenting skills. He is the perfect husband.
Alex also restored balance to the rivalry by curing Erina Haas of vampirism so that Satoshi and Erina could start their Week 8 without having to deal with that themselves.

Apart from his green hair, Sage Dinero resembles his father a lot, don't you think?


From left to right: Jagger Dinero, Natasha Goth, Cassandra Goth

The favorite son of Moss Dinero (Gen2 heir), Jagger was initially groomed to be a Zanna helper but got rejected when he aged up with the Klepto trait. He could care less now, as he's deeply in love with Cassandra and their daughter Natasha.
Both Jagger and Cassandra are painters.


Since his wife Bella left him, Mortimer Goth (left) has not been with anyone else except Senior Pollination Technician #3 (right).

Mortimer: Very funny, Watchette. And, by the way, that's a complete lie!
Really? You mean you've been with someone else since Senior..
Mortimer: You know very well that's NOT what I mean!


The Soma Line of Restauranteurs/Retailers

Ever since Megumi Soma (Gen2 heir) decided to wait for Braddon Storey to age up, thereby delaying conception and birth of the next heir by 3 days, the Soma line has seemed constantly behind its rivals.
Although the Soma households appear to be the most sociable, restaurant and retail interactions are not true socials. So, even though they spend so much time interacting with their clientele, they aren't any more popular than the Dineros or Zannas.
The glitching of restaurant management robbed much of the fun out of satisfying the bloodline requirements, but not of the Soma households themselves.


From left to right: Satoshi Soma, Moma Soma, Erina Haas

In retrospect, Satoshi could have avoided a lot of grief by moving out earlier and getting Erina pregnant by the end of Week 7. As it was, he left open a window of opportunity that his rivals quickly moved to exploit.
Lucky for Satoshi and Erina, Alex Goth is a big-hearted fella!
Neverthless, Satoshi has been quite resilient!


The choice of the Bjergsens was a fortunate one for Satoshi Soma…well, except for the part where Sofia got turned and pregnant.
Not only have the Bjergsens been great help at Satoshi's shop, but they've also learned to garden (Bjorn) and paint (Clara and Sofia).
Since Erina moved in with maxed painting, three portrait painters aren't really needed but the shop can always find a use for the extra income generated by more paintings.


Sofia's son Nikolaj shares her deep blue eyes but has silver hair.  Sofia refuses to disclose the father's identity.
By the way, Nikolaj's father is constantly at the house. Constantly!
You never see him, though, because I always crop him out of the screenshots, hehe.


The Zanna Line of Vampires


From left to right: Ayato Zanna, Ruki Zanna, Bella Goth

Bella was moved into the home of the Gen2 Zanna heir (Massimo Zanna) before Ayato was even born.
Despite the Zanna founder's desire to combine Bella's genes with the Zannas', no real affection ever grew between Ayato and Bella.
One thing they share, however, is their commitment to the Zannas' success.
No one can say that Bella hasn't been doing her best to fulfill the role the Zannas assigned her.


From left to right: Laura Zanna, Poppy Zanna, Alfonso Dinero

This is a cadet branch of helpers. Laura is the younger twin of Vitoria (Gen3 Zanna heir), while Alfonso is the younger brother of Mina Dinero (Gen3 heir).
Even if Alfonso's twin Jagger hadn't aged up with the Klepto trait, Laura would have persuaded Ayato to instead move in Alfonso.
Laura is the resident painter, while Alfonso with his maxed Logic/Handiness and Mentor trait is ideally suited to help Ruki complete his Nerd Brain aspiration.
Their daughter Poppy actually gets a lot more attention than she lets on.


Masato Yamaguchi, Makoto Yamaguchi, and Ulrike Faust

When Masato first moved in with Ayato's mother Vitoria and Jung Storey he was a yoga instructor with level 9 Wellness and a Grand Master Vampire.
Since then he's maxed Vampire Lore, Logic, Handiness, and Parenting. An all-around essential member of Ayato's household.
 
Makoto is his son with Ulrike Faust, with whom Masato also has a daughter.
Ulrike doesn't live with Masato and Makoto, so I wanted to at least include her picture here.


Status Going into the "Home Stretch"



Remarks:
   • Total museum worth: The Zannas have a substantial lead which will be hard to beat. I committed a fatal error in having Moss Dinero claim writing as a unique skill but submit paintings for his museum collection. If I hadn't made this mistake, the Dineros would be in a much more competitive place.
   • Gen 4 career: All three young adults only need one more promotion, so no problem here.
   • Other bloodline requirements: Mint Dinero is done and Ayato Zanna only awaits the blossoming of his Deathflowers, but Satoshi Soma will probably need two more full days of shop operation to buy his fifth and last retail perk. They can't hire a nanny to babysit at home while they're at the store, so too bad they can't hire a nanny to babysit AT the store.
   • Momo Soma made up for being born 3 days later than her rivals by skimping on her toddler skilling. She's the only toddler heir in my entire challenge that didn't earn at least the Happy Toddler trait.
   • Ruki Zanna is slightly farther ahead than Sage Dinero for move-out requirements. It only means he'll have that much more time to spend on his museum collection.

Coming next: Week 9 with the Dineros

[PeregrineTook]

Thanks for the recap!  Given that I totally mixed up Makato and Riko...Rodney...Robby...kidding!  I know it's Ruki.  But considering I so easily swapped names is simply testament to how many wonderfully interesting characters you have in this dynasty!
So...are you going to eventually reveal the father of Sofia's baby?  Her pregnancy started during a Zanna week, so I have to imagine it was one of their household.  I think.
Not looking forward to having no more updates of this lovely dynasty to read, but very excited to see you ascend to HoF status!

[MarianT]

Just finished going over the recap, which is very helpful. I can't help feeling sorry for Bella, though. Consigned to the basement because she keeps eating toddler food, lol. If you had left her in Ophelia Villa, she wouldn't have done that. I don't think she ever touched the toddler food there.

[oshizu]

@PeregrineTook
Considering all the sims involved in a rotational gameplay file, I should probably have stuck to an easier-to-remember naming scheme. One update, I referred to Victoria Zanna as Serena every single time and only noticed my mistake at the last minute.
Thank you very much for the kind words. Part of me wants to take my time playing the last week for each household and another part wants to be done quickly so I can "study" the Cats & Dogs expansion pack videos, haha.

@MarianT
I agree with you that moving Bella in was the worst mistake in my challenge story. She never really adjusted to the roles of gardening and parenting, though she ended up becoming highly skilled in both. I'm not sure whether always heading for food in the Baker's Cousin Display Case is a result of Bella's "attitude," or the high attraction level of the display case itself.
I've never played a vampire so attracted to the case before. Bella was already acting out while she lived with the Gen3 heir, so I regret now that I didn't move her back to Ophelia Villa when the Gen4 heir moved out.
You'll be happy to know that she's been out of the basement less lately, though. I just have to be more vigilant about watching her or maybe just get rid of the case altogether...

[oshizu]

9.89.  Mint Dinero (1/3): Friending Frenzy

Week 9/Sunday

Our final week begins somewhat inelegantly with Sage Dinero and Cassandra Goth standing outside with dire bladder issues.
Seriously, folks! Just start a club gathering and rally the troops!


Sage: I'll need to max Charisma for my Friend of the World aspiration.
I'd rather be socializing than using the mirror, but it's rather late to go out now.

You can see Mama behind me, practicing on her electric keyboard.
She only needs one more promotion for her Musician career!


Mint: By the way, Alex, I heard an odd rumor at work earlier tonight so I phoned Grandpa Moss to confirm it.
Alex: Really, what does the rumor mill have to say about your grandfather?

Mint: I'd heard that he worked as a vegetarian caterer for the Soma household last week.
Alex: Really? I didn't even realize your grandfather could cook!

Mint: Apparently, he just wanted to check up on our rivals. That's what he said, anyway.


Mint: Alex, darling, why do you have a two-day Sad +5 "Witnessed the death of a friend" moodlet?
Alex: I slept overnight at Desert Bloom Park on Friday, and my friend Lio Zanna fried to death yesterday morning.

Mint: What!? You were friends with that creep?
Alex: I felt so bad for Lio! For one thing, he wasn't as handsome as his brother Massimo.
But also, because a teen can fight another teen but not another adult, the Dinero and Soma heirs always targeted Lio as their Zanna enemy.

Mint: That's my Alex! Champion of the Underdog!


Jagger: Sage posed for us last Saturday, so Cass and I have already started on his portrait!
Cassandra: I rather resent having to paint all the time instead of spending time with Natasha.

Jagger: Sweetheart, when one of us paints one portrait worth $10,000+, we can coast the rest of the week!


Sage: Around 9 am, I'm out getting to know Arun Bheeda when I suddenly suffer a mood swing.

Mint: I'm about to rush over to Offer Mental Relaxation Tips when we remember that teen mood swings don't lead to mood-induced deaths.
 
Thank you again @HelenP for sharing that invaluable data!


Sage: In fact, Auntie Cass quickly runs out and gives me a moodlet solver.
And, you know what? My 8-hour Embarrassed +50 Mortified moodlet vanishes like a summer shower!

Making new friends around a hookah is definitely more fun than talking to myself!


Alex: Wow, congrats on completing the Bestselling Author aspiration, Father!
Mortimer: Yes, I'm very pleased with my achievement, if I do say so myself.

Alex: So, what now?
Mortimer: I'm going to write a Book of Life for Sage, then I'm going to reward myself.
Would you mind terribly if I invited your mother over? She wants to meet the grandchildren…


Sage: We can't leave the neighborhood until my portrait is done, so I'm just cruising around meeting whoever's nearby.

Akira: Nice to meet you, Sage. I'm a Tech Guru and I live in San Myshuno.
Sage: Since you're a techie, maybe you'll be interested in my new mobile app!

Akira: Cool! Did you know I was on the design team for that app, Sage?
Sage: So tell me. Why's a good-looking guy like yourself never starred in your own challenge story?

Akira: I dunno. I think simmers all avoid me because of my Jealous trait.
I ask you…is a little jealousy worse than hating children?!


Bella: It's been really hard for me living with the Zannas, Mortimer.
Serena and even Vitoria are such divas! And the Zanna men--heartbreakers, each and every one!
Hmmph, once this challenge is over, I'm sure nobody cares what I'll be doing.

Mortimer (internally): My Bella looks as ravishing as ever…even more beautiful than before, if that's possible.


Bella: So, Mortimer, what are your plans after this challenge?
Mortimer: Well, the kids want to stay in this house, but I'm thinking of moving elsewhere.

Bella: By yourself?
Mortimer: Not if you'll come with me. Bella, please tell me you never remarried!

Bella: Can you believe Ayato never even proposed to me? Let me think about it, okay?

Bella (internally): Leaving him really damaged our relationship. Can we still work things out?


Sage: My Great-Great-Grandfather Salim! Why have I never even met you before?
Salim: Your mother never bothered to come meet me, although she's managed to become a friend of Caleb Vatore.

Sage: But didn't my mother grow up right across the street from you? And we're next-door neighbors now!
Salim: Strange, right?


Mint: While everybody's off doing their thing, Alex works off his sadness doing yoga.
And I play dolls with Natasha who will be ageing up in two days.


I can't wait to see what she looks like!


Bella: Since living with the Zannas, there's one thing I've come to deeply appreciate about Mortimer.
He always made me feel as if I was his beloved queen. I really miss being cherished that way!

Mortimer (internally): What I wouldn't do to have Bella back!


Sage: Meet Paola Pizzazz, my soon-to-be 14th of 20 required friends and the woman who has forever changed my life.

Paola: Yeah, I'm languishing all by my lonesome in a house with Vitoria Zanna and her hubby Jung.
So, if you have any better ideas…
Sage: Do I ever!!!


Mint: Oh Alex honey, it hurts me to see you trudging around, all slouched over and moping!
Alex: I can't help it, Mint! I witnessed Lio burning to death right in front of me!

Mint: Maybe if you would stop sleeping overnight on park benches…
Alex: You aren't helping me feel any better.


Sage: A little past 8 pm, I spot a lovely lady in blue with indigestion.
I need 20 friends and Level 10 Charisma for my aspiration, so I go introduce myself.


Kendall: …and that's how I met Ayato Zanna, yada yada.
Sage: Wow, your pregnancy lasted almost an entire week? But you had twins?

Kendall: Yes, it was a pretty miserable week. I'm pretty sure everything about me is glitched. *sighs
My nooboos, however, are perfect!
Sage: Well, you know that I am Friend of the World. I think I can help you out, Kendall.


Ayato: Really, Sage? You would do that for Kendall and me?
You would become good friends with our twins tonight then age them up?
Sage: That's the idea.

Jagger: Wait, why am I here? You brought me here so I would invite Ayato over?
Sage: Not just that. There are twins, so you and I will each befriend one nooboo each, duh.
Plus, it's easy to befriend them in the bassinets since they don't get stranger danger, hehe. It just takes time.


Sage: I befriend the little boy. Ageing him up, I see he has Ayato's green eyes and olive skintone.
Jagger: Meanwhile, I befriend the little girl. As a toddler, she now has her mother Kendall's deep-set eyes.

Since I can't control the toddlers, I have Sage and Jagger click each armchair and choose "Put [toddler's name] here."


Sage: I try to "Get to Know" the boy but can't learn his trait.
I do spot him later doing that Independent pose!


Jagger: I also try to "Get to Know" the girl and learn that she's Fussy. Uh oh!

Sage: Feeling bad that the toddlers have no beds to sleep in, Jagger and I leave the children to their delighted parents.


Sage: Back home, I decide against talking to myself in front of a mirror all night.
Instead, I call a gathering of Knights of the Hedge and we play Don't Wake the Lllama for several hours.

Our friendship bars climb very slowly and my Charisma level doesn't budge at all. Hmmmm….


Sage: It's getting light out but I change the game from Don't Wake the Llama to Cards.
Since cards lets me chat while playing, I can build both friendships and charisma.

Sadly, the game doesn't recognize these three sims as my friends. Wait a minute!
When I travel with the trio to the empty lot across the street, their relationship status switches to Friends. Yay!

And now off I go to my first day of high school!




Gen4 Heir: Mint Dinero
*Incomplete bloodline requirements:
   Career: Entertainer/Musician (Level 9)

Gen5 Heir: Sage Dinero
Traits: Inquisitive; Cheerful, Self-Assured
Toddler skills: Happy Toddler (L5 Imagination and Thinking)
Childhood aspiration: Social Butterfly (done)
*Completed move-out requirements:
  Good Friends: Daniela Dinero; Krishna Bheeda, Masato Yamamoto, and Max Villareal 
*Incomplete move-out requirements:
  Teen job: Retail Employee (Level 2)
  A grade in high school: B
  Portrait:
  Aspiration: Friend of the World (Tier IV of IV)
  Unique skills: Charisma (Level 7) and ?
  Collection:
  Enemies: (Soma and Zanna)

[PeregrineTook]

I loved that you managed to give us a peek at the twins even though it wasn't a Zanna week!  Of course, getting them aged up as well makes it even better  ;=)
Poor Sage and Cass starting the week in the potty dance pose.  Kinda funny, but still sad for them.  And funny.
Jagger and Cass with the painting conundrum was quite amusing.  Loved the "once we hit $10,000+, we can just kick back and relax" conversation!  Way to motivate your Sims!
Bella and Mort are trying to patch things up.  It's sweet, though that's a whole lot of red in their romantic relationship bar!

[oshizu]

@PeregrineTook
For some reason, Sage Dinero ended up the Gen5 heir with the lightest load so he had the time to visit Kendall's home after she coincidentally strolled by Sage's house.
Also, since Sage is still leveling his Charisma, spamming Kendall's nooboo with socials actually boosted him to Level 7, haha.
Mostly, though, I couldn't wait to see what the twins looked like.

I'm about ready to give up on the "museum-worthy" portrait. The Dineros aren't going to tie another rival, so... *shrugs
Mortimer is oh-so-diligently working on is relationship with Bella. We can see Bella's bar but I don't know what Mortimer's friendship and romance bars look like.
Do you have any idea how that works? I'll just wait to wait until the Zanna week, I guess.

[oshizu]

9.90.  Mint Dinero (2/3): Mascot Madness

Week 9/Monday

Alex: Father, Mint, and I have been putting in extra time to help teach Natasha.
Only one level in Movement to go, Natasha!
You can do it!


Sage: This is it, folks! I'm only two shy of  20 friends for Friend of the World!
After school, I reconvene Knights of the Hedge for more cards.

From left to right, that's me (red) plus my last two friends: Jung Storey (green), and Grandma Mina (yellow).


Mortimer: With all that's been going on lately, I'd never expected to advance much in my career.
Imagine my surprised delight when I'm actually given the chance to become an Author!


Krishna: So, we're working on your project, homework, then handiness?
Sage: That's the plan, Grandpa Krishna!

Krishna: Great job getting within range to earn the Good Manners trait! How'd you do it?
Sage: I'm pretty sure it's all the Heartfelt Compliments I've given to raise my Charisma.


Sage: Looks like our household won't be needing The Well anymore.

Thanks for the Level 3 promotion to Customer Support (Retail Employee)!


Tuesday

Alex: Now that you're going to be a Top-Notch Toddler, Natasha, it's time to learn some manners.


Alex: Not long after, we get Natasha's birthday notice. Father does the honors.
Farewell, my darling little toddler!


Mortimer: Natasha ages up into a charming young lady who resembles her mother.

Natasha: I look like my mother? Where are my parents anyway?


Cassandra: So, Watchette, Natasha ages up yet we are confined in this Inspired Studio?
You will be "released" after you finish this set of portraits, Cassandra.

Jagger: Only Cassandra? Why?
Because she's been wanting to spend time with her daughter.
(But mostly because her portraits have been worth less than $3,000. *coughs


Oh, I see that you're using Laura Zanna's patented portrait strategy!

Jagger: Hello!? Laura is my sister-in-law, remember?
In fact, the Gen5 Zanna heir is my wife's half-brother. Does that make him my half-brother-in-law?


Sage: And I'm off to my second--and most probably my last--day of high school!


Mint: Thanks for the massage, Alex darling!
Alex: Go get that last promotion, tiger!


Sage: Mama doesn't finish work until 9 pm, so I guess this is one of the advantages of being obscenely rich.
*Learns woodworking schematic

Alex: Eh, some of us had been looking forward to going with you to Granite Falls!


Mortimer: This afternoon, during breaks between novels, I've been socializing with Bella.
I've sent her two "Love emails," which I'm only allowed to write hourly.
And we've chatted twice online.

Now it's time to start pushing her romance bar back into the pink!

Since Mortimer's been taking all the initiative, Bella's red bar is almost gone.
Does that mean that his romance bar toward Bella remains very red?


Krishna: I'm really starting to hate the new earbuds!
I understand that Watchette's trying to keep Sage's fun high while he crafts.

But Sage's been standing there, bobbing his head, for the past half hour.
I better text my wife to tell her I'll be home later than I'd thought. Sheesh.


Alex: Congrats on maxing your career, sweetheart!
Mint: I could never have done it without you, Alex darling!


Wednesday

Sage: It's harder to craft a camping mascot worth $4,500 than I'd realized.
I'm, like, about 15 minutes from maxing Handiness.
But, so far, I've only crafted two worth slightly over $4k.

Well, it's not as if I'm going to miraculously shoot up to second place!
I'd just like to avoid an embarrassingly large gap between second and third, y'know?

Natasha: You forgot to add that the space print is thanks to me!


Sage: My museum collection's still incomplete, but I want to finish Friend of the World today.
That's why I'm phoning in to take a vacation day from school.

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to move out before Saturday night, don't you agree?
Hmmm…I need to start thinking about housemates.



Gen4 Heir: Mint Dinero
*Completed bloodline requirements: All
   Career: Entertainer/Musician (Level 10)

Gen5 Heir: Sage Dinero
Traits: Inquisitive; Cheerful, Self-Assured
Toddler skills: Happy Toddler (L5 Imagination and Thinking)
Childhood aspiration: Social Butterfly (done)
*Completed move-out requirements:
  Good Friends: Daniela Dinero; Krishna Bheeda, Masato Yamaguchi, and Max Villareal 
  Teen job: Retail Employee (Level 3)
  A grade in high school: A
*Incomplete move-out requirements:
  Portrait: in progress
  Aspiration: Friend of the World (Tier IV of IV)
  Unique skills: Charisma (Level 7) and Handiness (Level 10)
  Collection (3/7):
  Enemies: (Soma and Zanna)

[PeregrineTook]

Aww, Natasha's such a cutie pie!  How nice that her mom will get to spend time with her simply because of the kindness and gracious care of her Watcher and not at all because her paintings aren't worth a lot  ;=)
Wow, Sage has really made some great progress!  I mean, he's still going to lose to Team Serena, but kudos o the progress for second or third place  :=)

[oshizu]

@PeregrineTook

Sage's is a very good place in terms of his move-out requirements but his camping mascots will flail weakly in their effort to beat Momo Soma's painting collection.
Who knows? Maybe Sage will get lucky and Momo will paint like Cassandra (that is, produce paintings ranging between $2.5k and $3k).

Anyway, Sage will have lots of extra time to consider who he wants to live with him after he moves out...we have some ideas.

[oshizu]

9.91. Mint Dinero (3/3): Sagely Success

Week 9/Wednesday

Sage: I end up working on my museum collection all day so that Uncle Jagger can paint my portraits.
By evening, everyone's suffering from cabin fever, which gives me the idea to throw a dance party.

Considering I'm a Friend of the World, I don't really know that many sims.


Sage: Kendall shows up without Ayato. She's looking pretty happy to be expecting.
Shouldn't she have given birth by now, though?

I hope she's not going to have another week-long pregnancy.


I'm glad Paola Pizzaz could make it.
I'm wondering if she's someone I'd like to get to know better.

All I learned tonight is that she's cheerful and creative.


Thursday

Cassandra: Young lady, you're grounded for making a mess in this room!
No games or toys for the rest of the day!

Jagger: Natasha doesn't look like she's taking you seriously at all.
Maybe we should take away her phone for a day, too?

Natasha: Noooooo, not the phone!


Jagger: Folks, we have a winner!
Our unforgiving watcher has finally accepted this portrait that I painted yesterday.
It's worth $9,760--pretty darn close to $10k!

And now I free range for the rest of this challenge.


Boy: Hello, nice to meet you, too. My name's Nobuya Yamaguchi.

Sage: Oh, you must be related to Masato and Makoto Yamaguchi, who live with the Zannas.

Boy: If I had a dollar…but, nope!


Sage: In the evening, I invite Jade Rosa and Ayato Zanna to hang out at our place.
Jade shows up in a flirty mood and totally hits on Ayato while ignoring me completely.

The situation isn't helping my charisma skilling, so I have Papa ask Jade to leave.
Why don't I ask Jade myself? No point in burning any bridges, right?


Sage: With Jade gone, I become good friends with Ayato Zanna.
When he leans in to whisper, I anticipate hearing some juicy gossip.

Instead, he shares his vampire knowledge. That's useful, too, I guess.


Mint: Now that I've maxed my career, I can relax.  Let's renew our vows, Alex!


Jagger: Now that I'm done with portraits, I can relax. Come on, Cassandra!

Bet y'all didn't even know we have a bedroom downstairs!
This is the first time we've been down here this week ourselves!


Mortimer: Oh ye of little faith! See how Bella's feelings toward me have blossomed!
The wonders of information technology!


Friday

Sage: While chatting with Ayato last night, I went from Level 8 to 9 Charisma.
But it takes me most of the night to earn that final level!

When I finally finish my aspiration, the sun's already risen. It's done!


Natasha: I'm already done with Whiz Kid and Artistic Prodigy. That's enough for me!
Our week ends tomorrow night, anyway, so I might as well just take it easy!


Mint: So this is what it feels like to do whatever I want!
Natasha: Are you sure Watchette hasn't just stopped caring about us?

Mortimer: Frankly, I didn't mind the constant reminders to send Love E-mails to Bella.


Saturday

Sage: Around noon, I head over to the Founder's home with my museum items.
Here's one last look at the Dinero Museum from the outside.

In retrospect, all three museums are much too small!


Sage: I'm really glad that I remembered to bring portable tables.
My display space was completely bare except for an unsightly lamp.
 
Combined with Uncle Jagger's portrait, my total museum contribution comes to $40,225.
I know, right? I surprised even myself!


Sage: My final move-out requirement is to declare two enemies.
While standing in front of the house waiting for my first prospect to come over, Caleb Vatore stops by.

I'm not sure how I've become so friendly with the Zanna vampires.
Does it truly all trace back to my great-grandfather Moss Dinero and Massimo Zanna?


Sage: Luckily for me, Caleb runs off before my Soma victim arrives.

I gotta say that I never tire of seeing that super-speed run. It is the coolest.


Sage: Becoming enemies with Satoshi takes forever!
Not only does he keep trying to be friendly but we froze, too.

Satoshi and I spend at least an hour doing nothing but bobbing our heads and going, "Uh huh, uh huh."


And the moment I've been awaiting comes at last and I declare him my enemy.

By this time, I'm enraged but I invite over my next prospect anyway.


Laura: It's not bad enough that I developed acne as a teen that's persisted into my adult years?
I also have to be mocked and belittled by my one and only nephew?

Sage: That's not true! Ayato Zanna is also your nephew!
Laura: Details, details!

Sage: I'm about 30 minutes into this fight when it happens.
Yet another mood swing hits me with a Sad +50 moodlet. Just great!


Laura: But why me, Sage?
Sage: Massimo is off limits, Serena and Vitoria are scary as heck, and Ayato is my good friend.

Laura: I see! Since I'm not a vampire, you're not afraid that I'll try to drain you afterward.
Sage: Sorry it had to be this way, Auntie Laura. I didn't make the rules!


Sage: I age up with the Good Manners trait. Darn, I should have tried for Responsible, too!
Natasha: Like it matters anymore.

Sage: Whatever. I add the Vegetarian trait like all Dinero heirs do.


Sage: I move to the 40x30 Avarice Acres, the only vacant lot remaining in south Newcrest.
What a heady feeling!


Sage: I invite two sims to move in with me into a hastily built house, which is even more hastily furnished.

Which two sims? I guess you'll have to wait and see, won't you?



Final Week 9 status: Dinero line

Gen5 Heir: Sage Dinero
Traits: Inquisitive; Cheerful, Self-Assured, Vegetarian
Toddler skills: Happy Toddler (L5 Imagination and Thinking)
Childhood aspiration: Social Butterfly (done)
*Completed move-out requirements: ALL
  Good Friends: Daniela Dinero; Krishna Bheeda, Masato Yamaguchi, and Max Villareal 
  Teen job: Retail Employee (Level 3)
  A grade in high school: Yes
  Portrait: $9,670
  Unique skills: Charisma and Handiness (both Level 10)
  Aspiration: Friend of the World (done)
  Collection (7/7): $30,555 (camping mascots x7)
  Enemies: Satoshi Soma and Laura Zanna

[PeregrineTook]

...I don't like Sage anymore.  He was mean and hateful to my Laura.
I am curious to see who he invited to be his housemates...even though he's a horrible Sim and I don't like him.
Laura looked lovely even while being unfairly harassed.  Why, oh why, did Lio have to pass away.  He was the perfect hate target.
It's so sweet that Jagger and Cass finally got some time to be a couple rather than just paint slaves.  They're really cute together.  I mean, they're not Serena or Laura sort of cute, but still cute  ;=)
Okay, all of my silliness aside, another lovely update.  You've really done a great job on this dynasty!

[oshizu]

@PeregrineTook

I'm really sorry that Laura Zanna had to become the Lio substitute, really I am. It was just the logical choice. I will treat her to something nice during Zanna week to compensate for her unpleasant experiences.
Haha, I know. Lio was really perfect for the Dineros and Somas. Not only did nobody particularly like him but he was not very handsome, either, lol. I've since learned, of course, that the teen tuning accounts for his uncontrolled drinking while enraged... still.

As for Jagger and Cass, they spent the whole week together in the painting studio but were actually only "together together" after Jagger painting the winning portrait.
A hard-earned victory, indeed!
And if it seems like I've been posting more than usual these past few weeks, I have. I'm trying my best to complete this challenge before the release of Cats and Dogs, LOL.