Rosebud Prosperity Challenge

Introduction - Welcome to Rosebud!

In a green valley nestled between rocky cliffs lies the tiny town of Rosebud. A farm stretched over the entire valley, but when the old farmer passed away with no heirs, the land was turned into a subdivision. Now, five families have discovered the lush land and are attempting to make a fresh start. The five families are vastly different in culture and composition, yet they all share the desire to begin anew and make the best of life in Rosebud.

The Beaumont family moved to Rosebud when corporate employment and city living failed to satisfy Armand and his wife Adelaide anymore. They decided they wanted to move away to enjoy a slower pace in a place where they could put their full energies into raising their sons, Arnaud and Alain.

The Vinci family had much more tragic circumstances. Brothers Pablo, Enzo, and Salvatore are facing the greatest challenge of their lives: trying to survive without their parents. Mom and Dad Vinci were wonderful parents, providing for their children by running a family pizzeria that their great grandparents started generations back. Tragically, there was a fire after hours one night at the business, and Mom and Dad couldn't escape in time. The pizzeria burnt to the ground, and the Vinci boys were left orphaned within the course of a night. Despite being devastated by the loss of their beloved parents, Pablo and Enzo are determined not to let social services come take away Salvatore and split them up. They learned during their parents' short lives that family means everything, and they won't lose what family they have left: one another.

The Cleary family has also been touched by loss. One night, Mom Cleary and her father went out for a Daddy/Daughter night. In the car on the way home, Mom Cleary's father clutched his chest, obviously having a heart attack. He lost control of the car, and in the ensuing accident, both he and his daughter were killed. The news hit both spouses like a ton of bricks. Roisin Cleary lost her husband and daughter, and Colm lost his wife and father-in-law. Immediately feeling the need to bond together in the face of such a horrible accident, Colm invited Roisin to move in with he and his three daughters...her now motherless granddaughters. Colm's mother Aisling knew that they would need all the help they could get, and so she moved in as well. Now, with the girls' two grandmothers joining their household, Colm is going to try to raise his girls in a way that would make his late wife proud.

The Villalobos family shares a lot of similarities with their neighbors, the Clearys. The parents of two girls and two boys, Catalina, Dorotea, Diego, and Vincente, are also gone. The children think their parents are dead because that is what their guardian and paternal grandfather Santiago has told them. Only he knows that his son and daughter-in-law skipped town one night while the grandchildren were visiting their grandfather, leaving only a few thousand dollars and a note that said they were tired of being parents, and for Santiago NOT to try to find them. Since that day, Santiago hasn't heard a word from them, and he knows he can never reveal this hurtful, damaging truth to his grandchildren, whom he loves more than life itself.

Last but not least, the Tanaka family moved to Rosebud when Mom and Dad Tanaka died in a plane crash, visiting the tiny island from which their parents hailed in Japan. Their tiny island-hopper plane was caught in a sudden storm and went down in the Pacific Ocean. Their bodies were never found. Mom Tanaka's mother, Yuuna, knew immediately that she would take care of the five children, three teens Kimi, Mariko, and Jiro, and the two toddlers Inari and Aki. Family came first, no matter what, and even though she suffered immensely, she kept it inside to be brave for the children. Family was life, and Yuuna won't allow her grandchildren to grow up without a loving home.

Can these five families embrace their similarities and differences to build a successful, thriving neighborhood in Rosebud? We'll see...

References:

Sims 2 Prosperity Challenge Rules (Apartment Life version)
Prosperity Challenge Yahoo Group

[[Author's Notes: A few mentions for the name inspirations. Armand's name is a nod to Anne Rice's angel-faced vampire. Paolo's name is a distant nod to Snow Patrol bassist Paul Wilson a.k.a. Pablo. Enzo's name is a nod to Jason Kay of Jamiroquai's favorite automobile (his self-described "black devil car.") Tara's name is a nod to Amber Benson's character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fiona's name is a nod to musician Fiona Apple. The Villalobos surname is a nod to the character Esmerelda Villalobos, the cab driver in Pulp Fiction, who is played by a woman I ADORE. (Everyone go see the movie Curdled immediately.) Colm's name is a nod to Colm Mac Con Iomaire, the violinist for the Dublin band The Frames. Dorotea's name is a nod to my friend Dorothea, who also has the nickname "Dot." Diego's name is a nod to the yummy Diego Luna. The Tanaka surname is a nod to Mr. Tanaka from my favorite book Memoirs of a Geisha. And finally, Aki's name is a nod to my Japanese neighbor of whom I'm very fond. As for the naming scheme of flowers for the town, I just like flowers. :)]]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Random Thanks:

Liz (of the Silvervale Prosperity) for helping feed my enthusiasm and addiction and for being more aware of simmy things than I am and therefore being able to offer me cool tips and tricks. Also for the inspiration for the table of contents format. And I may also steal your idea of having the family tree in the sidebar with color coding. But don't worry, I'll buy you lunch or something in thanks for allowing me to totally gank your great ideas.

twoflower (of the Apple Grove Prosperity) for showing me how totally rad, hilarious, and absolutely entertaining a prosperity blog can be.

robinaschatz (of the Emerald Isle Prosperity) for having so many great ideas that I had to borrow some of them - splitting the rounds up by season, including OOC "author notes" at the end, and keeping track of the family net worth at the end of each round.

Mao (of loads of stuff!) for inspiring me as a storyteller. I have NEVER seen such amazing stories!

Everyone on the yahoo group for being so wonderful, welcoming, and forthcoming with the game tips and feedback! Play on, lovely simmers.

xo,
S

Hi, Howdy

Hey everybody. I don't know how many people out there are waiting on baited breath for new posts (lol probably none), but just in case anyone is wondering where I've disappeared to, I started my master's degree on the first of September. With a full-time course load and a full-time job, this means very little time for my sim-babies. I haven't given up or abandoned my 'hood, but it might take a while for me to get new posts up, at least until my Thanksgiving and winter breaks.

Hope everyone in simlandia is happy and healthy. :*

The Tanakas (B) - Round 14

Hey, peoples of the internets! So I've been pretty absentee lately, and that's because I recently started my master's degree at University of Maryland. Not only am I working full-time and doing a full-time course load (40 work hours + 9 credit hours), I have to commute 160 miles round trip each day I drive to campus. And on top of that, I've caught the old familiar demon, bronchitis, again. So since I'm hacking up a lung, already woke up at 8 to read a twenty page long hella boring theory of information paper and now feel like playing sims instead of blogging them while enjoying my nice hot mug of tea... you get a slackery update. Enjoy this slideshow, and sorry for the cop-out entry.

I recommend pausing this and clicking through the images since Photobucket's slideshows go so damn fast.

The Tanakas (A) - Round 14

Starring:

Jiro Tanaka, Adult Romance Sim, 2nd LTW Have 20 Simultaneous Lovers

Linda Tanaka, Adult Pleasure Sim, 2nd LTW Become Professional Party Guest

Homer Tanaka, Adult Family Sim, LTW Raise 20 Puppies or Kittens

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Last round at the Tanaka house, Linda and Jiro were by themselves while Homer finished out his college term. They studied, skilled, engaged in hobbies like orchid growing and tinkering, and trained Belle and Sebastian how to do lots of tricks. Linda, bored in her retirement, got a job in the slacker career only to discover that no one wanted a professional elderly party guest. This round, Homer rejoins them in the house, hopefully perking up the place a bit.

The first thing Homer did upon his rearrival into Rosebud was to call up his college sweetie, Zadie Villalobos. It seemed awfully quick to Linda and Jiro, but the two immediately wanted to tie the knot. After all, they'd been together for two years in university, at least. Neither wanted to wait any longer.

Their engagement was quick, and their wedding even quicker.

They didn't even wait for all their university friends to get settled in so they could attend...they had a very simple, lovely ceremony in the backyard with only Homer and Zadie's parents in attendance.

What they truly wanted was to begin their lives together as husband and wife, and as they feasted on one of Linda's meals later that week, it finally sank in with a sense of great satisfaction that they were finally married and ready to start a family.

They got started on that baby-making part right away; two family sims together made for eager and frequent attempts at starting the next generation of children!

Zadie's love for fishing in college inspired Homer to have a small pond put in at the back of their lot, and Zadie spent hours outdoors, thriving while indulging her love for nature.

Of course, it wasn't long before nature took its course with Zadie as well. A few short weeks later she was on the phone to her parents letting them know that a new addition to the family would be forthcoming!

Jiro and Linda were happy to have new life back in the house again. Too much time with just each other and the dogs was starting to make them feel stir crazy. Jiro in particular escaped to his telescope...perhaps one time too often...

Don't knock over the trees!!!

Bye Jiro! Enjoy your trip!

A few hours later, the aliens returned their human guinea pig more or less unharmed. Jiro was fascinated and horrified, but at least he was too old for the aliens to impregnate.

After all, one preggers person in the house was enough, despite the fact that Zadie seemed like the happiest pregnant lady that ever lived. She was the type that glowed with health and the new babies inside her.

Not long after, good luck struck both of the newlyweds. Zadie found a job in her chosen career path, and Homer found a well-paying job in the business field that would help support his new family. Zadie, of course, couldn't start until after her children were born, but at least she'd secured the position.

In preparation for the new family, Zadie and Homer spent some of their own money to improve the kitchen of the home and make some other small decorating changes to upgrade old appliances. After all, if this was to be their house someday, they wanted it to constantly be improved.

Sonny and Cher, the two puppies of Belle and Sebastian, grew up into adult dogs, raising Homer's goal total to four.

It also meant it was time to say goodbye to the little pups, and Homer gave them up for adoption...just in time it seemed.

After all, the house was about to get much more busy.

Oh, you just look sooooo pleased with yourself, don't you, Zadie?

Zadie, was, indeed, happy with herself...happier than she'd ever been. That night, the Tanaka family welcomed two new members into their home: a boy named Kenji and a girl named Kata.

The one bit of misfortune that the births of Linda and Jiro's grandchildren brought was that it seemed to anger Yuuna, who up until now had been resting peacefully in the back yard. She began haunting them with a renewed vengeance.

Fortunately, she seemed to avoid the nursery, and everyone loved to be in that baby-powder scented room, cuddling the new additions.

Ultimately, after a particularly terror-filled night for all the adults in the household, it was decided that long-lost Yuuna was to spend her eternity with the other elder generations of Rosebud, in the Wildflower Cemetery. Bye, Yuuna. :'( It's time for a newer generation to take over, and don't worry...I'm sure Linda and Jiro will keep up the haunting once it's their time to go.

[[Author's Notes: I never anticipated pairing Homer and Zadie, but the way they glued themselves to one another in college made the decision for me. I'm hoping that their features will mix well, though I have NO clue if they will or not. I haven't mastered the art of predicting genetics in this game yet. The twins were a surprise, though a pleasant one. Both Homer and Zadie are family sims, so they're falling all over themselves with happiness at having not one but TWO babies to take care of. On a side note, I felt like I got some really neat shots this round, though it had nothing to do with me. While editing these pics, I was particularly impressed with the angles of the alien abduction shots, which seemed different to me than most of the pictures from abductions prior. Also, I don't know how I got it, but I LOVE that shot of Zadie holding Kenji after he was first born. I don't remember ever seeing that expression during the birth cinematic before. Regardless, I was pleased with how the shots turned out this round. Handful of bloopers for you!

Bloopers:
You know, Linda, somehow I don't think your hobby advice is sinking in at present. // Nice, Jiro. Real nice. // Yup, this is pretty much how I imagine most thoughts in Jiro's head. ]]

The Villaloboses (A) - Round 14

Starring:

Vincente Villalobos, Elder Romance, 3rd LTW Have 50 First Dates

Taye Villalobos, Adult Fortune Sim, 2nd LTW Become Hand of Poseidon

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Last round at the Villalobos house, Taye moved in with his Uncle Vinnie. Though he didn't know his Uncle Vinnie very well, they quickly formed a close bond. Vinnie, in his retirement, continued his womanizing ways, and Taye got a job in his chosen career path, quickly achieving his lifetime want of becoming a business tycoon. That wasn't the only victory in Taye's life, though. He also met a woman he found immensely attractive: Angelica Eich. Will Vinnie stick around for another whole round as an elder? Will he continue to get along with his nephew despite his nephew's uninterpretable desire to be monogamous with only ONE (admittedly beautiful) woman? We'll see.

Having achieved his greatest lifetime desires when he became a business tycoon, the first thing Taye wanted to do was quit his job. He was fresh out of college! It was time for him to start enjoying life a bit, and the whole job thing was really cramping his style.

His new true passion was oceanography, but he thought it might be fun to play professional sports for a while, if he could hack it. After all, he was still young, and all his time spent playing with the soccer goal in the back yard of his childhood home couldn't have hurt him too much, right?

Vinnie, on the other hand, was getting older and had achieved his lifelong desires. Sometimes, when he played piano, he could still feel the heat of the spotlight on him, even though his days as a music god were over.

His love of music didn't end with his piano, though. It was starting to infect the whole house. Sometimes, when none of his old girlfriends were available, Taye agreed to dance with him, just to make him happy...no matter HOW weird it felt.

Vinnie, forever motivated by his...well...nether regions, used his skill in his old age to his advantage. He was a frequenter of the local music and dance shop, always putting on his best clothes and playing beautiful addaggios for all of the lonesome ladies who might be in attendance.

The ploy always worked for Vinnie. Women seemed charmed by this cultured older man who could both cook them a five-star meal AND play them a concerto at the same time.

This method seemed to work well for Vinnie...

...VERY well.

Occasionally, one of his old flames would pop up looking to get revenge on "the new girl," but Vinnie was ultimately unharmed, and that was the important thing, to him. He'd never exactly been one to understand the jealousies of "love."

And apparently, his somewhat questionable methods of "wooing" seemed to still be effective.

Very effective.

Even when, in the midst of a date, Death showed up, it didn't hurt his romantic pursuits.

Vinnie and Taye cried heartily for the passing of Santiago's last puppy as he hopped to the giant doggie heaven in the sky.

Of course, Vinnie needed some serious comfort after that. Women liked a man who wasn't afraid to show his tender side.

Taye, somewhat surprisingly, seemed to follow Vinnie's lead in the aftermath of their loss...only he sought solace in the arms of his one twoo wuv, Angelica Eich, in a hot tub across town.

So, while Vinnie vascillated between meaningless sex and alcoholism to ease his pain, Taye made a life-altering decision.

He decided he wanted to begin his life with Angelica and promptly dropped to one knee right on the sidewalk in front of the Villalobos house.

She accepted, of course, and moved in to join the family. (Our first Silvervale sim to become a playable, YAY! :D)

Angelica's Stats:

She was a well-rounded and lovely individual for a criminal! Though being a criminal was a pretty good preparation for being a politician, she thought...

Unfortunately, the puppies-of-the-past seemed to be having a bit of territoriality about their new roommate:

Just for good measure, Pequito gave Taye a scare too...to pay him back for bringing a stranger into the house.

Angelica, after recovering from being scared nearly to death, decided to put her energies toward making a career switch, and she lucked out by getting an entry level position right away.

Vinnie's most recent date conveniently left another hot tub so the soon-to-be-newlyweds and Vinnie+1 didn't have to share a hot tub for their romantic escapades.

Vinnie was delighted to have Taye and his new fiancée in the house. It made him feel less lonely, and while Angelica certainly wasn't hard on the eyes, he also found her intelligence and drive to be infectiously appealing. It was possible Vinnie may have found himself his first true female friend...and one he had absolutely no desire to bed, only to have the pleasure of knowing.

[[Author's Notes: YAY! Angelica moved in, and I can't wait for she and Taye to get married and start having gorgeous babies! As for the dogs... I have NEVER seen such a mass-scale haunting directed at one person in my history with this game. It really was like the dogs were angry that someone new moved into the house. ALL of those scares happened in a single night. Poor Angelica nearly dropped dead. If the ghostly doggies can't behave in the future, they're going to get shipped off to the cemetery to enjoy their dirt nap with Santiago, because I refuse to have vengeful ghost dogs in the house when I have a pregnant woman there. Recipe for disaster, that. Also, I wanted to share something I thought was really interesting. Check out Angelica's friends:

From L to R: Tabitha Devivio, Lindsay Wade, Vinaya Devivio, random townie, random townie, Julio Eich.

L to R: Taye, Vinnie, Mariko, Janet Devivio, random townie, Brad Devivio.

When I saw this, I remembered I moved all of the packaged Silvervale sims into a single lot when I was giving them makeovers before transforming them into townies. This turns out to have been an excellent decision because now I can summon via phone sims I NEVER see in my 'hood, like darling Julio, who has been in oblivion since the day I installed him...perhaps hiding in a dark corner of a downtown gay bar somewhere. Regardless, hooray! This made me happy. Few bloopers for you!

Bloopers:
That's very fickle of you, Taye. // I'm sorry, Catalina moved out something like 80 years ago and is now the living dead in another house down the street. Really, get with the program. // Did anyone else know you can get a body skill point for this? O.o I had no idea. // Ooooh, ~~shiny~~ fuzzy! // Lol, twinz. The maxis premade dogs are fairly homogenous. ]]

Introduction - Welcome to Rosebud!

Hi, Howdy

The Tanakas (B) - Round 14

The Tanakas (A) - Round 14

The Villaloboses (A) - Round 14

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