'Tis Always The Season - A Room Challenge (COMPLETE)

[Nevermore]

LOL, before anyone makes any "Christmas in october" jokes, I had to. The festive season is my happy place, and as soon as I noticed the Holiday package, I had to include it. After reading through @Granny Lawlor's Rapunzel Grounded room challenge, I've become obsessed with the challenge, and had to try it out myself.

This is my first time properly playing The Sims 4, as I'm used to playing Sims 3. Bear with me if I get things wrong or misunderstand how stuff works. Because I'm not used to it yet, I thought it best to make a YA sim instead of a teen one.

- I'm playing on PS4 console, so it's no expansion packs except the Holidays pack that came bundled with it. No mods, no CC, just bare basic base game.
- Ageing is off.

Now, on with the show! Or challenge, lol.

• Intro: (this post)
• 1. Christmas Cracker Blues
• 2. Of Computers & Pancakes (part 1)
• 3. Of Computers & Pancakes (part 2)
• 4. Carrots For The Reindeer
• 5. In The Right Mood
• 6. Decking The Halls
• 7. Skill The Week Away
• 8. Jolly, Jolly Christmas!
• 9. Kitchen Drama
• 10. That's All Folks

---



"Hi there. My name is Briar-Rose Christmas. I know, it is a little early in the year to be decking the halls, but for me, the holidays never end. So, I got the first sleigh out of the North Pole, and wound up in Willow Creek. I'll miss Mother, Father and the elves terribly of course."



"Just like any other Christmas, I love a good feast, and it is my goal in life to be the best chef there is. Put on a banquet so good, people will remember the holidays forever."



"As far as my personality goes, I'm always on the Nice list, neat as a pin, and really enjoy stuffing my face on the finest foods there are."



"You see, I'm not trying to ditch the holidays. I signed myself up for some experiments. Isolated away in a tiny house, making my fortune void of any face-to-face interaction. It isn't all bad. I get this slice of heaven as my home from now on. If I do a great enough job, I get to keep it."



"It has all the essentials I could ever want and a dash extra."



"If I ever had any doubts--I don't!--it is too late now. The second I walked through the gate, it vanished."

[Nevermore]

Christmas Cracker Blues

The first thing Briar-Rose did was buy all three cooking skill books and started to read them. For her Lifetime Wish, or aspiration or whatever that is, she does need to create excellent dishes.



After gaining a skill point, she took an interest in the Christmas cracker on her desk.

Briar-Rose: "Oh!! I wonder what is in this!!"



Then pouted like a moody madam when it turned out faulty and broke.

Briar-Rose: "Grrr! Why does this tragedy have to happen to me?!"

Also, the computer isn't on fire. That is the first light of the Menorah on the other side of her desk.



She needed to start earning money, as funds were pretty low. The holidays (or longing for the festive season) puts me in a creative writing mood, so Briar-Rose can do the same. She started writing a Children's Book, then did nothing but cry and sulk while she did it. I dread to think what depressing holiday story she is writing.



Some neighbors came as the welcome wagon, and naturally, Briar-Rose couldn't go out and meet them. They talked for a while, stomped off in a huff claiming they are "not wanted" but remain on her social panel... Sims! LOL.



Hoping to raise Briar-Rose's spirits, I turned the stereo in the kitchen onto the holiday's station, and that actually worked. She stopped crying and focused on writing.

Briar-Rose: "This song is a classic! Rudolf the red nose reindeer! I miss Rudy. As long as Blitzen keeps off the hooch, and Dancer stays off the North Pole they should be okay."



After finishing her first book, it was back to studying cooking.



It seems she couldn't do anything with the gardening pots in the corner, so I sold them and bought a treadmill instead, to shed them holiday pounds she will no doubt gain with all the cooking and eating she will do for her aspiration thingy.



And this... I got the giggles. She needed the toilet, took the skill book WITH her and continued to read it on the can. So, the extremely low bar I have for Sims 4, that is brilliant.



Apparently reading on the can (or she had a shower without me noticing, either likely), seemed to inspire her, and she was suddenly hungry. So, best to start cooking! Straight away she gained a skill point.



Then the wall started thinking... only in sims. Moving on!



Briar-Rose decided to stand there in the kitchen eating. I wondered if the festive candles on the table had something to do with that. I moved them over to her desk instead. We will see if she uses the table on her next meal.



Her social mood started to dip, so she applied for a pen-pal. We will see what becomes of that.



A fix, for now, was chatting in a chat room. It raised her fun drastically, but not so much social need. Looks like she might have to call those crouchy jerks from earlier tomorrow.



At the end of her first day, Briar-Rose went to sleep. For once she didn't have to leave out milk and cookies.

--------
Starting score: 100
Day points: 0 (Only progressed the first day)
Skill points: 0
Aspiration points: 0
Mansion Baron Progress: 0/4
Ending score: 100

[Granny Lawlor]

Yay! You're doing it. Love the Christmas theme. All the best for Briar Rose.

[Nevermore]

Thanks @Granny Lawlor . Thanks for checking this out.
I hope you enjoy the story in future. (I have played ahead, and have 2 chapters ready. LOL, I'm terrible for having more pics than I put in one post.)

[Nevermore]

Of Computers & Pancakes (part 1)

Briar-Rose woke up on her second day and promptly started cooking breakfast. She really doesn't like that microwave, and after eating sulked about it. I watched her pretty close to see if moving the candles solved the problem of her not eating at the table....



She did! Problem solved.

Briar-Rose: "This food is gross! Microwaves are cursed boxes of poor taste."

Well, don't eat it then! LOL. Or eat it and shut up complaining. Her mood dropped right after taking this pic.



While she sulked over her meal, I had her study a cookbook. It seemed weird she as getting no benefit from it. But vol.2 was the lowest level cookbook on her shelf, and I assumed this was like Sims 3, where they won't let sims read skill books above or below their current skill capabilities. I found the book she should have been reading about 10 minutes after this near the toilet... MOVING ON!



Her social need was getting pretty low, but not yet critical. Just in yellow. I had her phone one of the welcome wagon sims, Eliza Pancake, I think. All Eliza did was, as it seemed, cuss her out. They argued for a while.

Eliza: "HOW DARE YOU IGNORE US!! YOU ARE SO RUDE!"
Briar-Rose: "Well... I don't have a gate, and I'm fenced in here..."
Eliza: "THAT IS NO EXCUSE! I made the effort."

Sending Eliza a text after seemed to do something. No idea what.



She got all tense and ranted to herself for a while. I didn't manage to catch it, but she almost cut her fingers.

Briar-Rose: (mumble, mumble) "When I get back to the north pole, she is going straight on Father's naughty list..." (mumble, mumble)



She needed a boost in fun, so I sent her to the computer to play some video games.

Briar-Rose: "Playing video games in my PJs... this experiment must be affecting me... who does that? Ha!"

Oi. Dump on my life style choices again, and I'll add you to my naughty list and make life very difficult for you.



I also learned that you can look up recipes online, so I did that. More food to cook will be good for her.

Briar-Rose: "Ooo! That looks tasty!"



Now she is inspired, back to writing! I think I'm doing something wrong, because she isn't making any money from it at all. Even after I figured out she had to "send" them through the mailbox, she still didn't get much from it. Probably about 50 simoleons max, over the 4 books she wrote since the beginning.



She checked on her pen-pal application, and seems she has one in Lucky Palms now. So Briar-Rose typed up an email. (At least, I hope so. I hope I haven't screwed up again, and failed not to send it through the mail box.)



Briar-Rose is making great progress on her aspiration thingy, and achieved one of the goals! It seems like being inspired is a really easy mood to get.



The following morning, it seemed that Eliza Pancakes had extracted her head from her butt, and was actually quite friendly on the phone to Briar-Rose.

Briar-Rose: "Wait... you're not descended from the original maker of pancakes? Woah!"
Eliza: "It's just a name. Like you're not Father Christmas' daughter, but Christmas is your family name."
Briar-Rose: "Actually...."



After her morning routine of eating, bathroom, and so forth, it was back to the computer for some more writing.



Then it was time to finally play that violin that has gone ignored. She really needs to work on some more skills to earn points for having skills maxed.

Briar-Rose: "It sounds terrible..."

It wasn't a delight for me in my headphones, Sugarplum.

---------
I actually played enough for two chapters worth of screencaps in this sitting, and took notes for my challenge points accordingly, so I'll add my points stats after the next chapter.

[Brian_Z]

You can order seeds from the computer, which you can then plant in your garden pots.  Once she reaches a certain level in Gardening, she can gain Social by talking to the plants.  Talking to plants works just as well as talking on the phone.
She'll make more money from writing once she gets farther along, and can Sell to Publisher.  That pays quite a bit more than self-publishing.

[Nevermore]

Thank you for the tips, @Brian_Z I'll try that out.

[mpart]

I'm so glad you have decided to post a story on Carls, Nev!!! This place is wonderful to write on and I know you are going to love it! I love, love the Christmas theme. Fall is my favorite season but I now have the urge to listen to Christmas music...hmm. It's a little early, isn't it? Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with your story and I'll be reading! Briar-Rose seems fantastic. 

[Nevermore]

Thank you, @mpart! LOL. It's never too early. I was listening to Michael Buble's christmas album only a few days ago. 

I wish I could figure out how to work out the terrain PS4 controls, and if there are any particularly white sand, then I could make it look more snowy on the lot. Briar-Rose is fun.

[Brian_Z]

Her Tense mood-- it was from reading a skill book that's currently over her head.  If you mouse over the moodlet icons, it will tell you more about the moodlet.  It was a coincidence that it happened after the conversation-- something else wore off, and then Tense became the strongest moodlet she was feeling.
Interesting, reading a story by someone who isn't familiar with this particular Sims game, and is figuring it out as they go!

I haven't had a console since the PS2, but it's my understanding that the newer ones have USB ports, and you can plug in a mouse and keyboard if you want?

[Nevermore]

Her Tense mood-- it was from reading a skill book that's currently over her head.  If you mouse over the moodlet icons, it will tell you more about the moodlet.  It was a coincidence that it happened after the conversation-- something else wore off, and then Tense became the strongest moodlet she was feeling.

I did wonder about that. The moods are so drastic to what I'm used to with sims 3. If it was the book, that would explain it. That makes a lot of sense, when she loses the inspiration mood, and suddenly has one that has nothing to do with her needs. That explains so much.

Interesting, reading a story by someone who isn't familiar with this particular Sims game, and is figuring it out as they go!

Yeah, it is all trial and error. I did play this second chapter and the (yet to be posted) third one in one sitting, it's not until chapter 4 I start doing all the great advice you gave me, @Brian_Z. I hope it's not frustrating for people who know the game well, when I don't get stuff. 

I haven't had a console since the PS2, but it's my understanding that the newer ones have USB ports, and you can plug in a mouse and keyboard if you want?

Yes, PS4 does have a USB port. I use it to transfer screencaps and videos over to my laptop via a USB key. You probably can plug in a keyboard and mouse. I've honestly never tried it. I only have a laptop, and no spare keyboards and mouse to try it. If I could though, I would so do that. I find playing with a controller so frustrating for sims, because I played Sims 3 exclusively on a laptop, which died a couple of months ago.

[Brian_Z]

Oh!  I meant to mention the microwave.  I have never had a sim actually enjoy anything they got of the microwave, so I never put them in any of my houses anymore.  Even fully upgraded, they get a "cold in the middle" uncomfortable moodlet.  I do suggest sticking to making salads until they gain a level or two!  They tend to set the stove on fire at level 1.

[Nevermore]

Of Computers & Pancakes (part 2)

Then time for another phone call to Eliza Pancakes. They're still not friends yet, but I'm determined to get them there.

Briar-Rose: "Mmm, Eliza Pancakes!"
Eliza: "Ho, ho, ho, Briar-Rose Christmas!"



Then it was back to the computer to continue writing. Writing really isn't profitable at all at this stage. I probably have no chance at meeting that 350,000 simoleons worth of stuff goal.



While she was sleeping, I sold that microwave she complained about so much for a stove, and guess what she did? Complained. She didn't even use it to cook breakfast.

Grrr.... ungrateful!



After eating, and giving the kitchen a scrub, Briar-Rose sent a quick text to Eliza Pancakes. If it wasn't for the fact that Eliza is married, this would be one hell of a love story. And the only other man she knows is Eliza's husband. No idea what his name is.



Then killed my eardrums again for a while with the violin. At this point, I decided not to wear headphones during her practise times. OUCH!



While Briar-Rose headed to the mailbox to sell some books, I decided to do a little re-arranging  of the main living space, and sold a counter, and put in some island counters instead. I also sold the treadmill because she never used it, and brought and easel and a bonsai tree. I figured I could give gardening another try. Her first attempt went wonderfully.



Who am I kidding? It was a disaster. She didn't even seem to gain any gardening points from it. I sold it and used the money to buy a few other things. Moved the easel, then brought the wreath over here.



After Briar-Rose made something to eat, I faced a problem. She achieved one of her  Aspiration stage thingies... and her next one required her to cook for a party. There is no way she could do that.



After checking the challenged rules twice, I found that I can change the aspiration under this circumstance with no punishment. After checking all the "stages," she can easily do this one and already has the computer and some skills as a start to do that. So now, she is an Aspiring Author. Maybe when the challenge is over and I continue playing her, she can get her old aspiration back.



Another attempt at making money, as she still isn't comfortable enough to buy new things outside of her living space and is more or less swapping things for new things, I thought why not get started properly on painting?



Then it was back to writing. I'm really feeling like I'm playing this challenge wrong. She's just got so little money.

I also wish I could figure out how to put things up on those shelves.



I realised I'd accidentally sold her stereo when I rearranged things, so I bought one again. Then sold that second bar stool, because she only needs one. Briar-Rose is also on her second painting! Still spending more on canvases than she is earning back on selling them.



Briar-Rose: "Ahh! Nice comfortable bed..."

Briar-Rose climbed into bed at the end of her 5th day.

--------
Starting score: 100
Day points: - 4 (first day didn't count)
Skill points: 0
Aspiration points: +5
Mansion Baron Progress: 0/4
Ending score: 101

[Nevermore]

Oh!  I meant to mention the microwave.  I have never had a sim actually enjoy anything they got of the microwave, so I never put them in any of my houses anymore.  Even fully upgraded, they get a "cold in the middle" uncomfortable moodlet.  I do suggest sticking to making salads until they gain a level or two!  They tend to set the stove on fire at level 1.

Oh! That makes sense. Briar-Rose does have a stove now and (thank goodness) no fires yet. But I'll remember that one. After this, I do plan to remake a household I had in sims 3 of a teen, a child and a toddler. That can come in really handy for them. It was a self made challenge I never got to finish.

[Granny Lawlor]

I echo what @Brian_Z says about the microwave - I've never had a Sim be happy with food from them. It lets kids cook a "proper" meal but even then...

btw I have "Christmas" as one of my distant family lines irl - don't think I'm descended from the man himself tho!

I love your decor - I'm so focussed on cheap & cheerful that my houses end up very plain or odd. Your Christmas theme is lovely.