This is not a house. This is barely even a hovel. No privacy. Not even a basic audio system. I was told this was part of a reclamation project, and I was told to expect primitive, but this - this is not to be borne.
I am expected to somehow create an entire educational system from scratch, and I am not even sure that there are even rudimentary schools. There's no more supplies of the nutrients needed to stave off bone deterioration and senility, there's a significant and dangerous criminal element, and to cap it all off the military have imposed some harsh travel restrictions - we're rationed only enough gasoline to make emergency trips, not even enough to make it to and from work. I was denied the university education I was promised, apparently because the university hasn't been built yet.
This is a nightmare.
I am expected to somehow create an entire educational system from scratch, and I am not even sure that there are even rudimentary schools. There's no more supplies of the nutrients needed to stave off bone deterioration and senility, there's a significant and dangerous criminal element, and to cap it all off the military have imposed some harsh travel restrictions - we're rationed only enough gasoline to make emergency trips, not even enough to make it to and from work. I was denied the university education I was promised, apparently because the university hasn't been built yet.
This is a nightmare.
This is the second of my blogs for the Feburary 2016 Sims 3 Apocalypse Challenge tournament. If this is your first time reading one of my S3AC blogs, welcome! But you should probably start with my Ectosplasmic blog as I'm going to skip a lot of the identical set up details.
This time around I'm playing with base game + Generations + Seasons (I need Seasons for aliens, and Generations makes some of my handicaps easier). I'm using the handicaps Prestige occult (alien), We don't need no education, Walk to work, and It's hopeless, for a total of 100 handicap points. I have chosen no advantages.
My set up for this attempt is essentially the same as the Ectoplasmic blog; I've made a different park my festival grounds so that I can still use Central Park as my big park, and I'm using 299 Skyborough Lane again with the same network. My founder is Ambitious, Athletic, Genius, Schmoozer, and Slob. For her job, I roll 3 - Education, Science, or Gamer. In my opinion, this is no choice at all - Education is the clear winner.
The reason for this is that Education enables me to choose traits. With a bunch of Slobs, Culinary is greatly defanged, and Medical becomes less important. So Education it is; I throw together a house (choosing to go above ground this time), and get started. This is going to be rough - Education with the base game method for a founder is brutally hard.
This time around I'm playing with base game + Generations + Seasons (I need Seasons for aliens, and Generations makes some of my handicaps easier). I'm using the handicaps Prestige occult (alien), We don't need no education, Walk to work, and It's hopeless, for a total of 100 handicap points. I have chosen no advantages.
My set up for this attempt is essentially the same as the Ectoplasmic blog; I've made a different park my festival grounds so that I can still use Central Park as my big park, and I'm using 299 Skyborough Lane again with the same network. My founder is Ambitious, Athletic, Genius, Schmoozer, and Slob. For her job, I roll 3 - Education, Science, or Gamer. In my opinion, this is no choice at all - Education is the clear winner.
The reason for this is that Education enables me to choose traits. With a bunch of Slobs, Culinary is greatly defanged, and Medical becomes less important. So Education it is; I throw together a house (choosing to go above ground this time), and get started. This is going to be rough - Education with the base game method for a founder is brutally hard.
But perhaps I should back track a bit. This is, after all, for posterity. I am a member of the Glorious Green Dawn, a somewhat controversial organisation that believes in spreading our civilisation to new colonies. A thousand years ago our ship took off from Sim Earth, headed for this M class planet. Robots were sent ahead to construct the necessities.
On cue, as the ship landed, it decanted the frozen embryos and used forced growth techniques. I have never been a an infant, a toddler, a child, or a teen - this is all I have ever known.
We're not sure exactly what happened. What remains of our ship was salvaged to provide the pitiful materials we have access to. Most of the robots are non-responsive - certainly they have not constructed everything they were supposed to construct. The atmosphere is toxic - the terraforming process was halted barely after its inception, and we were awakened centuries too early. We were the only viable stock - there is nobody coming, we are on our own, and the current colony leaders are incompetent, corrupt, stupid, or all three.
On cue, as the ship landed, it decanted the frozen embryos and used forced growth techniques. I have never been a an infant, a toddler, a child, or a teen - this is all I have ever known.
We're not sure exactly what happened. What remains of our ship was salvaged to provide the pitiful materials we have access to. Most of the robots are non-responsive - certainly they have not constructed everything they were supposed to construct. The atmosphere is toxic - the terraforming process was halted barely after its inception, and we were awakened centuries too early. We were the only viable stock - there is nobody coming, we are on our own, and the current colony leaders are incompetent, corrupt, stupid, or all three.
As you can, very minimal design. After buying the gardening books I have only $6 left. But I do have a car, a chess table (you can just see one of the chairs in the bottom left), and a computer - which I'll need, because the only income I can get is from writing books. Walls and the like will have to wait. I couldn't even afford lights.
Furiously writing, I managed to make just enough to pay my bills on Monday, and give the mob precisely nothing. Nada. Not a sausage. Bugger all. Zilch. Zero.
That'll teach 'em.
Of course I can actually just get a part time job at the bookstore, but I want to move some skills along first - I can't quit a job once I take it, so I will ideally take it when I'm ready to have the first kid.
Furiously writing, I managed to make just enough to pay my bills on Monday, and give the mob precisely nothing. Nada. Not a sausage. Bugger all. Zilch. Zero.
That'll teach 'em.
Of course I can actually just get a part time job at the bookstore, but I want to move some skills along first - I can't quit a job once I take it, so I will ideally take it when I'm ready to have the first kid.
Wait. I still haven't introduced myself, have I? For all I know my name has vanished from the records - know this, then, descendants of mine: I am T'Pol. I was given increased melanin for what was supposed to be a very sunny environment, even though I can't remember the last time I saw the world not covered with snow. The perverts that pass for in charge have banned us from forming close attachments, saying that the women have to breed with as many partners as possible to maintain genetic diversity. I find that prospect disgusting, but I do need descendants.
But it's all politics here. Because I refused an advance from one of the city councillors, I've been denied any assistance with my assigned task. If you're reading this, then I hope I succeeded anyway, that will show the pig.
I'm getting ahead of myself again.
But it's all politics here. Because I refused an advance from one of the city councillors, I've been denied any assistance with my assigned task. If you're reading this, then I hope I succeeded anyway, that will show the pig.
I'm getting ahead of myself again.
As soon as she's home, it's novel writing time.
Her first week is spent mainly writing. Once she has enough to buy a stereo, she works out too - and occasionally jogs to the park to repair her Social metric. Fun is no problem thanks to snow angels. I end up giving the mob $8 at the end of the first week, during which time T'Pol has the skills Athletics 6, Handiness 1 (including a repair of the computer and a repair of the toilet), Painting 1, and Writing 6. I am able to partial enclose the bathroom, but I still need enough for a double bed. She took an opportunity to write a biography, but the subject died before she finished; that doesn't matter, she can (and did) still finish the book. A second biography opportunity crops up after that, and this one is completed nicely, with a bit of a cash bonus.
Week 2 is much of the same; she ends with Athletics 7, Handiness 3 (2 electrical repairs, 2 plumbing repairs), Painting 1, and Writing 7. Now the bathroom is enclosed, I have a double bed, and the second story is underway.
Week 3 is again, much the same; she ends with Athletics 8, Handiness 4 (5 electrical, 3 plumbing), Painting 1, Writing 9 (2 best seller Non Fiction). At this point the adjudicators had a discussion; we decided to drastically reduce the Painting and Handiness requirements. The wiki contains our consensus. This was obviously good news for T'Pol, as otherwise she was looking at abandoning this and pumping out babies.
Her first week is spent mainly writing. Once she has enough to buy a stereo, she works out too - and occasionally jogs to the park to repair her Social metric. Fun is no problem thanks to snow angels. I end up giving the mob $8 at the end of the first week, during which time T'Pol has the skills Athletics 6, Handiness 1 (including a repair of the computer and a repair of the toilet), Painting 1, and Writing 6. I am able to partial enclose the bathroom, but I still need enough for a double bed. She took an opportunity to write a biography, but the subject died before she finished; that doesn't matter, she can (and did) still finish the book. A second biography opportunity crops up after that, and this one is completed nicely, with a bit of a cash bonus.
Week 2 is much of the same; she ends with Athletics 7, Handiness 3 (2 electrical repairs, 2 plumbing repairs), Painting 1, and Writing 7. Now the bathroom is enclosed, I have a double bed, and the second story is underway.
Week 3 is again, much the same; she ends with Athletics 8, Handiness 4 (5 electrical, 3 plumbing), Painting 1, Writing 9 (2 best seller Non Fiction). At this point the adjudicators had a discussion; we decided to drastically reduce the Painting and Handiness requirements. The wiki contains our consensus. This was obviously good news for T'Pol, as otherwise she was looking at abandoning this and pumping out babies.
I not only had to design a curriculum, you understand. All of our precious knowledge was junk - data crystals that were just not-very-sparkly-paperweights. I had to create all of the text books. The plan was for us to be decanted with a knowledge transfer that taught us the skills we'd need, but of course that was completely broken as well. Kludging together a typewriter from whatever spare parts I could borrow or steal, I taught myself to become an author, line by tedious line, often teaching myself the subject of my latest text book even as I was writing it.
Week 4, Day 3, the last best seller is written. (Maxxing Writing is no problem from here). I took a short break here to get a point of Charisma and Cooking.
And then, the next night:
And then, the next night:
My sleep was interrupted shortly after I finished the last of my text books. It appears that this planet has natives! I'm not at all sure how to explain this - my knowledge of biology is necessarily incomplete - but their generally humanoid, bifurcated appearance suggests that something went horribly wrong with the spaceship. What don't I know? How could this native look so similar to a human? A nasty suspicion grew in my mind, and I resolved to test the theory at my earliest opportunity; I gave Phog my spare communicator, and a copy of my children's reading books, so that he could learn our language.
A genuine alien! (I was worried I was going to have to switch this to prestige human). After introductions, it turns out he's already an elder. I wanted to immediately put the moves on, but unfortunately he buggered off shortly after the introduction. As it is a Wednesday, I have to wait a full day before I can war dial him; hopefully he'll live a while longer. To pass the time I go jogging.
I decided to give myself a birthday present. If I'm right, then I should now be pregnant. Certainly Phog's ... "equipment" ... seems to be standard issue.
Pregnancy achieved.
Twins. I do not have any genetic analysis devices, of course, but they certainly seem to be healthy.
This can only mean that the natives share a considerable portion of our own DNA. Just how long was our ship here before we were decanted? Who else knows about this? Will my children breed true, or are they mules?
If you're reading this, my descendants, I suppose we know the answer to at least the last question, but I urge you - discover the answers to the others as well. If there is a conspiracy, uncover it. Spread the word. Reclaim your birthright.
Between looking after Delenn and Teal'c, I basically had to invent the entire concept of physical fitness again. It's not ideal - it won't do anything to offset the muscular deterioration that some of the other members of the community have already suffered - but it is a start; others can take my work further than I will be able to.
The final steps was to actually set up the school. I was permitted to use the back of what may eventually be a book store for my experimental classes - always closely monitored.
This can only mean that the natives share a considerable portion of our own DNA. Just how long was our ship here before we were decanted? Who else knows about this? Will my children breed true, or are they mules?
If you're reading this, my descendants, I suppose we know the answer to at least the last question, but I urge you - discover the answers to the others as well. If there is a conspiracy, uncover it. Spread the word. Reclaim your birthright.
Between looking after Delenn and Teal'c, I basically had to invent the entire concept of physical fitness again. It's not ideal - it won't do anything to offset the muscular deterioration that some of the other members of the community have already suffered - but it is a start; others can take my work further than I will be able to.
The final steps was to actually set up the school. I was permitted to use the back of what may eventually be a book store for my experimental classes - always closely monitored.
And here are the infants. T'Pol, in traditional fashion, put down Delenn in the snow.
A couple of interesting things about aliens, the weirdest of the occults. They do not have a special coloured border in the relationship panel, and they can have only a subset of the full alien powers; they can be hybrids, in other words. Which means you ideally want to have a constant injection of new alien DNA into the family. Since it's easier to befriend and breed with an alien you meet than it is to hope for abduction and male pregnancy, it's also generally easier for an alien prestige occult to be a matriarchy.
At the end of week 4, T'Pol (now an adult) has Athletics 10 (Fitness Nut), Writing 10 (with all best sellers done), Charisma 3, Painting 1, Handiness 4, Cooking 1. With 18 days to go she just needs to clear the Athletics challenges and the Bookstore Clerk requirement.
At the end of week 5, T'Pol (with 11 days until she is an elder) has picked up Body Builder for Athletics, and has 64km to run for the Marathon Runner. She is now a Cash Register Specialist (Book Store level 1); the kids are children.
A couple of interesting things about aliens, the weirdest of the occults. They do not have a special coloured border in the relationship panel, and they can have only a subset of the full alien powers; they can be hybrids, in other words. Which means you ideally want to have a constant injection of new alien DNA into the family. Since it's easier to befriend and breed with an alien you meet than it is to hope for abduction and male pregnancy, it's also generally easier for an alien prestige occult to be a matriarchy.
At the end of week 4, T'Pol (now an adult) has Athletics 10 (Fitness Nut), Writing 10 (with all best sellers done), Charisma 3, Painting 1, Handiness 4, Cooking 1. With 18 days to go she just needs to clear the Athletics challenges and the Bookstore Clerk requirement.
At the end of week 5, T'Pol (with 11 days until she is an elder) has picked up Body Builder for Athletics, and has 64km to run for the Marathon Runner. She is now a Cash Register Specialist (Book Store level 1); the kids are children.
It is difficult to prove my methods under these conditions. Even my own children are rarely permitted to attend, with the officials citing "snow day" as if that is a decent reason to keep them at home.
The only remaining requirement is the Book Store Clerk. She has 11 days until she is an elder, so she should be fine. I'm having her play chess to see if she can clear the LTW as well.
Another native arrived; in broken Standard, he said he wanted to see the "star children". Delenn seemed to take a fondness to him, and managed to make him laugh several times. As crude as it is to observe - Delenn is not even a teenager yet - we may need a regular infusion of pure native DNA to keep our line fertile.
Another elder unfortunately, so the chances aren't great that he'll still be around when Delenn is a YA. But worth a shot; I've noticed alien elders have lived very long lives in the past.
Finally, the moderators agreed that my lesson plans were valid. Based on my work, teachers across the colony are now running schools for both children and teens. I managed to make sure that there were special provisions for children with "deformities"; Delenn and Teal'c will not face undue prejudice.
There were still improvements to make, but my role gradually transitioned from innovator to management, as I grew older. I sense that the premature senility will not spare me, and I hope dearly that my descendants - you, my readers - have found a solution to this problem also.
There were still improvements to make, but my role gradually transitioned from innovator to management, as I grew older. I sense that the premature senility will not spare me, and I hope dearly that my descendants - you, my readers - have found a solution to this problem also.
Education lifted! T'Pol has 8 days until she is an elder, so that worked out OK; with Logic 6 there is even an outside chance she can still get her LTW.
It appears that the native DNA of my babies has given them some highly unusual biological traits. This smacks of experimentation - of purpose. My research is incomplete - perhaps Delenn will find the missing pieces.
The alien twins are teens. And that's a good point to switch off.
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