Plus, there was a small case of just being bored/fedup with the Prosperity Challenge in general. Even with my alien hood, I was tired of the same thing, over and over. As the neighborhoods got bigger, I noticed the redundancy… and I guess I just wasn’t creative enough to overcome it. Normally I make up stories in my head, because it’s how I like to play games… but even then, it just wasn’t working.

So, I’m done with the Prosperity Challenge. I love reading about other folks trying it out and the great stories they come up with in the process. I don’t comment, but I’m a lurker and I can’t help it. It’s a bad habit and I can’t seem to break it! I’d just be echoing what everyone else says, anyway.

It was a lot of fun, but with everything that is currently popping up in my life… it couldn’t have been destroyed at a better time. Geeze, that sounds so awful! Doesn’t mean I am done simming, though. I made a neighborhood that I will devote souly to trying out random challenges. Hopefully that will rekindle my interest and break the monotony. I’m finding the I’m Surrounded By Idiots (ISBI) challenge to be a LOT of fun. I’m tempted to blog about it in a not-so-serious way, since I have “serious” way ADHD. Sigh. If I do, it’ll end up here until I figure out what I want to do about a domain situation and whatnot.

So R.I.P. Proudmoore Valley(Dec 12, 2005-July 10, 2006). Sorry that my overabundance of hacks, CC, and whatnot caused you to explode into a firey ball of doom. Some of you I’ll miss, others not so much.

Lila continued to be the center of attention at the bachelorette pad. When Kitty wasn’t fussing over her, Serena was. Serena found herself to be getting on in years, far too old to be out on dates. So now she spent quite a bit of her time at home. As she became closer to Lila, her conscience kicked into overdrive and she felt as if she had to make up for what she’d done.

Time was not on Serena’s side, however. One afternoon, while playing with Lila, her time came. Grim arrived with a tropical drink in hand, ready to take Serena to the other side. While she felt bad for exposing poor Lila to even more death, she was happy to leave. She would finally be free of the guilt over what she’d done. With a smile, she waved goodbye to Lila and crossed over to the other side.

Lila was silent the entire time. She didn’t cry. When Kitty came in several minutes later, she was shocked to find Serena had passed. She embraced her daughter and cried. Lila was the one who had to comfort her mother.

Things were going well at the 2nd Derico house. The airs of tragedy had finally lifted and Vincent and Sadie were ready to enjoy the rest of their years together. Their birthdays were looming and soon they’d don silver hair and wrinkles they never knew they had.

Young Vasco was also concerned with love, though not quite the long-term kind of his parents. No, he was looking for love in many forms… preferably in the form of a 1st date. It became common practice for random women to fall out of the sky and onto the Derico lawn.

It was a little odd, though, when Serena Derico popped up. Both were quite confused and tore into the Matchmarker for her stupidity. They were related! She was much, much older… he was much, much younger! That was just… just wrong! Serena stormed off in a huff and Vasco shooed the Matchmaker off.

That didn’t stop him, however. The next day the Matchmaker was back and women were falling from the sky. This dating thing wasn’t too bad… as long as you didn’t end up with a relative!

…And not a Proudmoore’s girlfriend. What was this Matchmaker thinking!? The two parted ways without a word. What was she doing in the dating pool if she was taken?

Of course, it wasn’t all about dating–well, okay, 95% of the time, it was–Vasco would also take time and hang out with another relative. There were tons of Dericos in Proudmoore Valley and therefore, tons of networking opportunities for the future. Maybe they could hook him up with some more dates!

While their son was lost in a dating storm, Vincent and Sadie became elders and had a wonderful Golden Anniversary party. Sadie couldn’t have been happier, it was her dream come true. She only hoped Vasco would give up his erratic dating scene and find a nice girl to fall in love with.

Sadie fulfilled LTW (Golden Anniversary)

I forgot I had the Inteenimator(I like the birth and committed relationship functions) installed and it resulted in amusing dates. They never actually had dates, because adults and teens is just a tad creepy to me.

Poor Katy Derico wasn’t having much luck when it came to her career of choice. She wanted nothing more than to be a prestigious chef, but fate had other plans. She found herself kicked out on her can, the cooking world laughing in her face.

Fortunately for Katy, she wasn’t one to sit around mulling over defeat. She decided to take the fight to them, the only way she knew how. By utilizing her marriage. She had never thought such a union would be useful until that moment. It didn’t take much to talk her in-law’s into giving her the money. They seemed to be quite impressed by her willpower… and found themselves wishing she’d apply some of it to the parenting of poor neglected Jade.

It wasn’t long before Katy’s bakery opened. She boasted a fine array of sweets, treats, and cakes… all baked with amazing skill and precision. Word spread fast and soon a chef of her own reknown came to check the place out. She was quite impressed and used her string pulling to get Katy back into the world of cooking.

She already had a fine business and great skill, now all she needed was the title to go with it.

Meanwhile, Jade continued to grow. Damian and Alice were there for her as much as they could possibly be, never letting the poor girl realize how little attention she got from her real parents. It seemed to work, as she blossomed into a well-adjusted young girl with a happy disposition and a care-free attitude.

It was then that Randy finally interacted with her. Alice and Damian thought it a bit eerie how much the two were alike. Neither seemed to care that they knew little about one another and had never really had a relationship prior. They only cared about the moment and the silly dances or jokes they exchanged.

Katy, unfortunately, was still nowhere to be seen. She was far too busy balancing her business, career, and lovers to bother with family matters. She made no motion to hide that fact, either.

When they weren’t fretting over their daughter-in-law or playing with Jade, Alice and Damian enjoyed the golden years of their life together. They spent a lot of time talking about the past, even making jokes about the awkward college years. No one dared say it, but they all knew Damian’s time was coming. Alice did her best to be strong, but her resolve was faultering. It was just too hard to realize that she’d spent the better part of her life longing for someone that would never be hers and ignoring the one who loved her most.

Soon, the time came. Damian went with a smile on his face, happy with the life he had made for himself. He had a beautiful wife and a lovely family. He just hoped Randy would prove to be a good choice for carrying on the family name. Maybe fatherhood would change him for the better… then again, probably not. It was Randy, after all.

Maybe he should’ve left the house to Jamie…

Alice fulfilled LTW (Have 6 grandchildren)

I’m still in classes. Ugh. All upates thus far have been stuff I played mooonths ago. So it’s a little hard to distinguish exactly what happened aside from the big details. Plus I’ve been playing a full Alien neighborhood Prosperity style (it was an experiment with OfB)…and I’ve grown attached to them, so they take my time away. I’m still trudging along with this though, albiet it slowly. Thank goodness for backlogged updates!

With things finally taking a turn for the better, Loraine couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about her current position in the crime world. She hadn’t expected some of her relatives to step up to the challenge of thwarting her evil ways. So she stepped down from her criminal podium of power and resigned herself to something a little less… malicious.

Instead of building machines of ultimate destruction, Loraine scaled it down and built tiny machines of somewhat less destruction. With the Proudmoore money backing her, she opened up P.M. Robotics. It was quite a smash hit with the locals, all of which were happy to have robots doing what they normally had to pay for, for free!

Aiden also got involved. He would be leaving for college soon and Loraine hoped to at least give him the stepping blocks he needed to someday take over the business or even start one of his own. It also gave them a chance to bond and hopefully patch up the old wounds.

Meanwhile, back at home, Petra’s birthday had come and gone. She was quite a cute little toddler and Louis was happy to have a little girl to lavish his attentions on. Aiden was still being very cold with him and while Louis didn’t blame him, he couldn’t help but feel that maybe his son was being a bit too judgmental. At least Petra was too young to point fingers.

Petra didn’t stay little for long. Soon she was blossoming into a lovely young lady… with a horrible personality. Due to being born at the later stages of her parent’s life and acting as the bridge over the gap between them, Petra was quite spoiled. She also had quite a mean streak, something she likely inherited from her mother.

Thankfully, Aiden had since gone to college and wasn’t around to see what an imp his sister turned out to be.

Being a Proudmoore, Petra got the best of everything, just like Aiden. She wasn’t fond of the Academy’s stuffy uniform, claiming that it stifled her individuality. However, she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Loraine insisted that it was the best education money could buy and Petra would just have to deal with not getting her way for once. She tried pouting to Louis, but there was nothing he could do.

So Petra did her best to “shake” the Academy up as best she could. There were several letters home and visits to the Principle. She’d been caught picking on a girl by the name of “Lila Prescott”. Lila was older, but Petra’s personality was powerful. Aside from phoning her parents, Petra wasn’t punished.

Happy with her bustling business, Loraine aged with dignity. She continued focusing on her robots and kept in contact with Aiden at college. Her only contact with Petra was buying her things in an effort to make her be quiet. Louis had spoiled her to a ridiculous extent and Loraine found herself wanting to slap her foolish husband silly for it.

Louis wasn’t far behind Loraine. He aged not-so-gracefully, still dealing with regrets of the past. He still couldn’t get the gnawing sensation out of his mind that something was wrong, terribly wrong. He was missing something and he couldn’t seem to figure out what. In an effort to distract himself, he lavished attention on Petra.

Despite her parents being older, Petra had a very good life. She was rich and spoiled, plus she had a good name to back her up. She was quickly gaining popularity at her Academy, becoming the ‘it’ girl, despite how young she was. She had teachers wrapped around her fingers and danced on the line of expulsion. She’d never trip, though. The principal wasn’t stupid enough to send a Proudmoore packing.

She made a hobby of picking on Lila Prescott. She didn’t know why she harbored hatred for the small girl; maybe it was because she was pretty and had a friendly personality… and the fact that she was just… annoying! She didn’t belong at the Academy and Petra was determined to make her realize that.

Louis fulfilled LTW (20 Best Friends)

Jamie and Lorrie Derico were quite the contented couple. They were swimming in promotions and had recently welcomed a son into their lives. Alice was finally off their back about giving her a grandchild and they could enjoy the rest of their adult lives, never having to worry about pregnancies or babies again! They loved Cody dearly, but their first priority in life was their careers and money.

Lorrie carried a little something extra with her after the pregnancy. She’d put on a lot and weight and was worried over it. She didn’t have time nor motivation to exercise; her career and Cody both battled for her attention as it was. The balancing act was quite stressful and she found herself actually eating more.

Jamie was supportive. He reassured her that she was still beautiful. In fact, he actually preferred her this way. Rail-thin waifs weren’t exactly his forte, though he had never said this when she had been fit in fear of upsetting her. Women were always so volatile when it came to weight.

Eventually Lorrie found herself falling into a routine that seemed to fit. She didn’t dread the time Cody took away from her career and she no longer felt guilty when she got into her car pool and drove off. There was nothing wrong with being a career woman and a mother at the same time! Both parents did their best to make a healthy balance and it seemed to be working.

There was no escaping the need for a nanny, however. They both worked during the day and couldn’t take days off. So they enlisted the help of an elderly woman to care for their son. Thankfully, she was nothing akin to the horror stories they’d heard. The only thing she’d done that was moderately awful was leaving food out. That wasn’t too bad. At least she wasn’t neglecting poor little Cody!

Time passed and soon ‘poor little Cody’ became ‘poor slightly bigger Cody’. He grew into his mother’s dark hair and his father’s blue eyes. He was an outgoing and creative little tyke. It was hard to keep him out of trouble and Lorrie entertained thoughts of taking a temporary sabbatical from work to try and corral her child. That was, until, she was contacted by Rex Derico himself.

His amusement at her ambition made her want to work all the more to get his butt kicked out of the position she so dearly coveted. That vampire was going down and her foot would do the moving.

Lorrie continued to work hard, but Jamie eventually beat her to the punch. He took over his company with and sweeping and charismatic assault. It was a surprising blow and business magazines were all over it. He spent several months undertaking interviews and doling out tips and hints to other hopefuls.

Cody was making his own successes. He grew into a well-adjusted child with a creative streak a mile long. He idolized his motivated parents and hoped to someday have the same sort of drive they did. He did his best to hone his painting abilities. Perhaps some day he’d have his own sort of business… selling his paintings!

Jamie Derico - LTW Business Tycoon

After months of neglect, I have only one thing to say; college sucks. ;b

I’m glad OfB isn’t as easy as the previous two expansions. It’s just going to take a little getting used to and figuring out how to correctly apply it to the way I play the game. I do love the few new interactions they’ve added, though. The children dancing with adults is adorable… and hooray for the New Wave station!

The addition of baby Nicholai was a well-celebrated one. He was a sweet baby that rarely cried and never once felt the need to toss his milk remains on those who played with him. Davina took over most of the nanny duties due to Rex’s slumber during the daytime and Jenna’s job as Captain Hero. She was very busy these days. Apparently some supervillian had become quite the thorn in the Valley’s side, causing all sorts of criminal activity.

Despite this, Jenna still managed to change her sleeping schedule around a bit so she could see Rex. Slowly, but surely, she was getting adjusted to his vampire ways. It wasn’t always easy. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about Rex’s ‘change’ and Jenna had to toughen her skin quite a bit. The only one who supported her actions had been her mother, Jania. Jenna had always been a ’special’ little girl, so it was no surprise to the wizened Jania that she married a vampire. Jania was gone now, and while Jenna mourned her mother’s passing, she knew her mother would prefer her to enjoy the time she had.

Astra did her best not to feel slighted by the new baby, but she couldn’t help but feel a little put out. After all, Nicholai was the result of both Rex and Jenna… whereas Astra was just some freak occurence that happened on a space ship.

The half alien spent a lot of her time with Spooky. She was too busy sulking to realize that the only reason she was being exlcuded was because she did it to herself. If they couldn’t find her then how could she possibly be included?

Nicholai was an agreeable toddler. He didn’t see anything about Rex as weird or unusual. Jenna was a little worried that Nicholai would be frightened by the fangs, but anytime Rex showed them, he merely giggled. It had become a face he would make to cheer the small tyke up.

One definite good thing about Rex’s vampire change was that it also changed his personality quite a bit. Perhaps it was because he had finally achieved what he wanted out of life and didn’t feel so pressured anymore. Whatever it was, it made him much better company.

Such good company, in fact, that Jenna was soon giving him news that there was another on the way. He was surprisingly pleased with the news, despite not being fond of the children prior to the toddling stage. Jenna was beside herself with joy. She finally had the family she had always wanted. It wasn’t nearly as drama-ridden as her brother’s. She felt for him, she really did… but in the end, he kind of did it to himself. Plus, something about Loraine irked Jenna. The last time she visited, all Loraine acted very oddly… it had been going on like this since Jenna took the mantle of Captain hero.

While the two adults were wrapped up in baby-topia, Davina made sure to include Astra. She decided that teaching the young girl to play chess would be a nice start. At first, Astra was apprehensive. She was the playful sort and didn’t like the idea of sitting still and moving pieces on some wooden board for hours on end. However, she agreed for her great aunt’s sake. It turned out to be a good bonding session between the two of them. Every day when Astra came home from school, she would sit down and play chess with Davina until dinner time.

Besides, it wasn’t like they had a TV or anything. Anytime someone mentioned it, Rex would mumble that television fries your brain and makes you stupid.

Soon little Cynthia joined the household. She was a cute little girl with her father’s eyes and hair. Jenna didn’t get completely slighted, for Nicholai shared her facial structure and it seemed that little Cynthia might also. Jenna was delighted to have a baby in the house again.

Unfortunately, Cynthia was nowhere near as agreeable as her brother or Astra had been. She was terribly fussy; always wailing about and crying. Davina was beside herself as to what to do. It didn’t matter who cared for her, she was always throwing a fit. She didn’t have any illnesses. Perhaps it was just a personality flaw. Maybe Katie’s DNA had finally reared its ugly head.

It was a lot easier, however, when Nicholai had his birthday. He was more capable of caring for himself, though he’d much rather spend his days playing with his new best friend and 2nd cousin(?) Jeremy Love. The two got on famously, their personalities very similar.

Eventually Cynthia’s fussy baby days were over and she grew into a walking terror. It became a constant hassle to keep her from busting something or playing in the toliet. Rex was normally the only one quick enough to catch her. One more bonus to being a vampire. Gotta love those vampire reflexes.

They also had help in the form of the newly teenaged Astra. She had her birthday and grew into a lovely young lady with dreams of a family of her own someday. Playing a more active role in the family has helped rid of her bitterness. She now treats Nicholai and Cynthia as her siblings.

Astra Deric0
Family (Golden Anniversary)
Sagittarius (4, 3, 10, 10, 10)

Diana Love awoke with a large yawn, thankful to have a morning where she wasn’t face down in the toliet. She was pregnant again, that much had been clarified by her doctors, she just hadn’t started showing yet. Diana couldn’t wait for it to be over and done with. Being pregnant kept her from her work and it just made her feel generally miserable. Plus, she wanted a baby to cuddle and fuss over again. Alex was growing like a weed!

While Elle was done with being pregnant, she still had children to raise. She did her best to be as active as she possibly could in her children’s lives. Brendan was a good boy, but he still had a long way to go as far as manners went. Elle was always having to remind him to say “please” and “thank you”. He would grumble and roll his eyes, but she was adamant on her quest for well-raised children. Their house may be a bit of a zoo with all of its residents, but the kids didn’t need to show it with her mannerisms.

Diana and Alan weren’t near as strict with Alex. He was a pretty laid-back kid who did normal kid things. Alan believed he needed room to experiment and Diana was just too soft to put her foot down. Plus, she was pregnant and showing now. She and Alan were still getting along famously. Alan was a step away from becoming Mayor, meager technicalities keeping him from his goal.

It wasn’t long after that Jeremy Love joined the family.

Meanwhile, Alex made the house his playground. He got on well with his cousin Brendan, oftentimes following him around and mirroring the things he did. The boys were rarely apart, despite the differences in their age. It was rather sweet they way they bonded, though that time would soon come to an end. Brendan’s teenage birthday was fast approaching.

Emma wasn’t far behind her cousin Alex. She wasn’t as outgoing and untrammeled as her brother. Instead, she was mostly quiet and studious, enjoying story books over games of cops and robbers. She got excellent marks in school which made Cale very proud. He hoped that she would follow in his footsteps and become a very knowledgeable young woman.

Despite their differences, the three children were inseperable. Brendan was obviously the leader of the pack, while Alex was the comedic relief, and Emma was the brain. They were always up to something, though often Emma was reluctant to partcipate in the boy’s schemes.

Soon it was Jeremy’s turn to age. Being the only toddler this time around, he spent a lot of time with his toys and got extra attention from his family. Even the children, especially Emma, enjoyed playing with him. He was the last of the toddlers, so everyone did their best to enjoy it.

Brendan’s birthday followed not long after. Thanks to his mother’s constant prodding, he turned into quite the budding gentleman. He also got his life’s ambition from his mother. He wanted nothing more than to happy, tight-knit family like the one he grew up with. It made Elle proud. Cale was a little dubious, now placing all his hope in Emma to pursue more practical goals.

Along with becoming a teenager comes the surge of teenage hormones. Brendan soon found himself noticing girls, one in particular. Her name was Abbey and she had the most amazing red hair Brendan had ever seen. He had no idea how to act around her so he did what he would do to Emma as a child. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work in his favor. Abbey became upset and stomped off, completely embarassed.

Eventually Brendan wore down his defenses. Especially after a talk with his Uncle Alan on how to approach the ladies. Abbey granted Brendan his first kiss. He was hoping to ask her out, but was extremely hesitant due to his fear of rejection. Sure, they had kissed… but when you’re teenagers, that doesn’t mean much. Maybe she did it out of pity.

Jeremy soon joined his brother Alex and cousin Emma in childhood. He was a cunning child and while he did not have Emma’s booksmarts, he could work people. It was a trait he had acquired from his father. Diana would oftentimes tell him that he was a “mini-Alan”. It only proved to fuel his idolization of his father, much to the amusement of everyone else. He loved playing with Alan’s teleprompter.

Diana achieved LTW (Captain Hero)

Brendan Dallas
Family (Graduate 3 Kids)
Virgo (10, 1, 6, 6, 5)

Life in the bachelorette pad was going surprisingly well. Kitty devoted herself entirely to Lila. She was still jobless, but Serena assured her that it wasn’t an issue. Kitty wasn’t entirely sure what Serena did for a living, but she wasn’t going to question a free ride. She intended on getting a job, but Lila needed extra care, being a child with only one parent.

Serena didn’t mind Lila. She was about as active in the small girl’s life as she had been in Rex’s. She just wasn’t much of a kid person. They were cute and fun for five minutes, but then it was on to bigger and better things. Like ‘grown up stuff’. Serena’s devotion to her life goal finally paid off. She accumulated many, many, many dream dates… showing her dating prowess. She was proud as punch. It wasn’t going to stop there, though. She’d date until she was six feet under! It was just too good a life to give up.

Plus, it took her mind of things. Things she’d rather not think about this late in her life. It wasn’t the time to mull over regrets.

With the care of her mother, Lila grew into a lovely little girl. She looked a lot like her father, something that both broke Kitty’s heart and comforted her. There was some worry that her true parentage would be revealed once she started school. Those eyes were a giveaway and now her face… it was just too much to bare. Kitty wished she could just keep her home forever and ever, safe from the world and the truth.

In an effort to better seclude Lila, Kitty invited the headmaster of the academy over. Serena helped with the schmoozing. Everything went well until the headmaster asked after Lila’s father. There was some silence before Serena finally spoke up.

“He’s dead, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that.” He replied, though not phased by the response. “However, you must understand… a broken family does not help our reputation…”

Serena quirked a gray eyebrow, “You’re telling me that you’d deny a smart girl like that just ‘cause of some weird politics? Boy, if only you knew whose kid you were talkin’ about… you’d be a singing a whole different tune.”

Kitty shot her aunt a glare before smiling sweetly at the headmaster, “I understand, sir. But I only want the best for my daughter. I don’t think she should be penalized by her father’s death. Hasn’t she suffered enough? She’s quiet, won’t cause a fuss…”

“I will make an exception this one time, Miss. Prescott. Rest assured, however, if any problems arise… I will have to take action.”

The rest of the dinner went well, Lila acting the very picture of a well-behaved young lady.

Even though she was getting older, Lila enjoyed every second spent with her mother. She didn’t care to play with the kids her age or bother with after-school activities. She wanted to come home and be with Kitty. It was sweet and warmed Kitty’s heart to no end, to finally be loved unconditionally. There was nothing that could sever this bond between mother and daughter. Kitty only hoped that Lila’s school years would be kind on her pysche. The academy was filled with superficial children of high stature, though of a lesser density than public school.

When Kitty wasn’t with Lila, she was out with friends. Now that Lila was older, she could finally pursue her dream of being popular. Friends were her second priority next to her daughter, and she had plenty of them. They’d often go out to dinner and then hit a club. Sometimes Kitty wouldn’t get in until late. When this happened, she’d often find Lila curled up in her bed. She felt bad for abandoning her daughter, but eventually, their dependency on one another would have to be broken. Life was cruel in that way.

Then the day that Kitty had been fearing finally came. Lila returned home from school with tears in her eyes. She ran into her bedroom, ripping off her uniform and hurriedly throwing on some normal clothing. When Kitty called after her, Lila ran into her arms, sobbing.

She related the tale of what had happened. Someone had found out that she didn’t have a father and proceeded to pick on her about it. They teased that Marcus hadn’t been her real father and that Kitty was a woman of ‘questionable morals’, only in not-as-nice words. Kitty did her best to comfort her daughter, unable to reassure her that they had been lying.

Instead, Kitty decided to distract Lila by reading her a story. It was Lila’s favorite, a tale of a lovely young lady who rose above the stigma and became a truly memorable hero. Secretly, Kitty also enjoyed the story, too. So anytime Lila asked her to read it, she wasn’t very hesitant.

And so, mother and daughter spent the rest of the evening in a world of their own, safe from the terrible truth that surrounded them. Kitty knew that eventually Lila would find out. Someday… she’d run into a Proudmoore and the truth would hit her like a brickwall. As much as Kitty wanted to protect her from it, she knew that in the end, it was impossible. So for now, she’d do her best to make Lila’s world as perfect as she could manage. It was the least she could do.

Serena Derico fulfilled LTW (50 Dream Dates)