#ts4 globetrotter

Round 7: City Living with Noisy Neighbors

In a detour from the original structure of the Globetrotting challenge, Ruby and Paolo moved into a one-bedroom apartment in San Myshino’s Spice Market because that’s my favorite one. It’s so fun!

As you can see, they furnished the apartment largely with Ruby’s crafted furniture and got a TV upgrade! By the end, they splurged on a talking toilet, too. Because who doesn’t like to get a massage or watch the news while they poo?

With her loving husband’s help, Ruby was able to complete BOTH CL collections: the posters and the snow globes. 

The aspiration required Ruby to visit all four festivals, too. Which was so much fun! Paolo and Ruby both joined the Jokesters at the Humor and Hijinks Festival and won! 

During the Romance Festival, they renewed their wedding vows. It was very romantic. You may recall from this random post that Paolo likes to (autonomously) serenade his lovely Ruby despite hating singing. And she is so smitten by him! It’s no wonder that when Ruby asked about her current relationship, the Guru said, and I quote:

A match made to last the ages.

I literally do not think I’ve ever had a sims couple so in love. I usually end up just getting them together, having babies and then they never talk again or something. But with Ruby’s outgoing nature and busy lifestyle, her social need decays quickly, and Paolo is always there to pick her up.

Ruby picked up a couple new skills in San Myshuno! Sure, she needed the singing skill for the aspiration, but she didn’t need to win 2 separate karaoke contests! Mic drop.

She also picked up the guitar and became slightly famous. On the right, you can see her in her party outfit that she never gets to show off. She put it on to entertain fans at the Arts Center. I think I have those boots…

Paolo started painting because he didn’t have much to do. Turns out, he loves it! He helped out tremendously when the aspiration wanted Ruby in an apartment worth 100,000 simoleons. 

Ruby also picked up some more programming skill to compete in the GeekCon Hackathon. She went a total of 3 times. We really had to extend the time in the city, since the second GeekCon got rained on, destroying the computers. You can see the rain didn’t damper the Roccas’ romantic spirit, though. ;) 50-mile high club!

I also converted the rooftop bar at the Uptown gym into a little spa. Ruby got some face masks, a pedicure, and both she and Paolo got massages! 

TBH, that was my first time using the Spa Day gameplay items. It was exciting. 

It was a long aspiration to complete because of weather, and there was hardly any walking room when we finally filled the apartment with enough valuables to make it worth 100k, but boy, was it fun!

What adventures await our lovely couple?

The challenge gives the following options: GlimmerbrookorForgotten Hollow. 

Round 6: Evergreen (and black, white, yellow, blue, houndstooth, red, grim, and orange) Harbor

Perhaps Ruby’s first foray into the more creative arts got off to a bumpy start. The blizzards in Evergreen’s winter kept her from getting too much done at first. She used her archaeology skill to make some money at first, selling off fake relics.

The Rocca home in Conifer Station was a bit sparse at first, and they couldn’t quite afford a fabricator yet. Trough dumpster diving and selling less than amazing artifacts, the funds trickled in. 

Fun educational fact: “Conifer” is basically another word for “evergreen” when referring to trees. It’s derived from Coniferophyta or Coniferae, which is another (or rather, 2 other) names for the taxonomical Pinophyta division of the Plantae kingdom. 

Another fun fact: IRL, I have masters degrees in Education and Library Science, so it’s near impossible to resist the urge to include educational tidbits. :p You’re welcome.

Ruby essentially furnished their home (what wasn’t already long part of their inventory) with fabricated furniture.

Ruby still had to use a public recycler for a little while, but she eventually voted to turn that community space into a marketplace. 

Ruby learned a lot from trying to sell her stuff. For one, be careful how you put your candles on display. They will melt. 

Ruby likes the carved candles the best. Especially the mood ones! 

Happy New Year! Ruby managed to get an extra resolution in, too, since she was so close already to completing an aspiration milestone. 

This one took a little longer than the challenge’s timeframe, but we kept at it. It’s amazing, considering Ruby is Never Weary, thanks to all her aspirational success. But she started greening up the neighborhood a bit, too. 

Thankfully Paolo was there to help out with little things like tending to the creepy crawlies and the plants, even when he wasn’t feeling up to it. Ruby is so glad to have run into him on that beach in Sulani.

What’s next? The challenge says Forgotten Hollow or Glimmerbrook, but there’s one more pack I have that has a location-based aspiration I want to try. I can’t remember if I’ve ever completed it.

Round 5: Selvadoradan Secrets

Ruby brought Paolo along again on this adventure. He has been a supportive companion through her journeys, increasingly helping with some of the less appealing and/or more repetitive tasks. For example, when Ruby was hacking her way through thorny vines and dodging spiders and plasma bats, he made sure the garden at the rental didn’t rot away. 

I rebuilt the smallest lot by the bar and museum into a studio house not unlike the little trailer in Strangerville. I don’t care that the eco roofing doesn’t really affect anything on a vacay lot. The more eco, the merrier! 

Ruby’s outdoorsy nature was a boon for this chapter in her journey. She thrives under the open sky, whether skiing, rockclimbing, fishing, or hacking vines and digging in the dirt. 

All her skills and preparations did not guarantee she’d be safe from the jungle’s dangers. An encounter with a scorpion sent her to the marketplace to get an antidote!

Ruby got a little sciencey again with her archaeological digs and artifact analyses. She unearthed dozens of clumps and artifacts, with some help from Paolo <3, and even maxed that Archaeology skill!

She easily finished her aspiration before the season was over, but in order to find a new temple she hadn’t already visited (oops?), she and Paolo had to pop back to Strangerville to schedule another vacay!

She got about halfway through the Jungle Explorer aspiration before it was time to change her home address from Strangerville to Evergreen Harbor. 

I’m pretty sure Ruby and Paolo will be back. Paolo loves music, and I’m sure they would both love to learn the Rumbasim.

Ruby’s on her way to being a WonderSim! 

Next adventure: Dumpster Diving!

Round 4: Summer in Granite Falls

This is basically how I garden irl. I just look at the plant. lol 

Ruby, being an outdoor enthusiast, loved the Outdoor Enthusiast aspiration. She and Paolo popped a tent up near the A-frame “cabin” on their campsite and lived in simplicity. He even helped her collect some plants and icky, disgusting, creepybugs!

I have to say, Ruby has had the worst weather luck during her adventures! First it was cold in Sulani, then it was raining and storming almost every day in Granite Falls!

She even got struck by lightning twice! So did Paolo! 

Ruby did a lot of bug catching and plant harvesting. That was probably a good 30% of her trip (the other 70 being sleeping, getting struck by lightning, fishing, and enjoying Paolo’s company). 

It seemed to take forever, but she was able to max the Herbalism skill by the end of the trip. Silly me, I could have helped her out if I had thought of helping her get focused. Guess I could have used that help, too!

Finally, the last full day in the forest was nice and clear. 

Ruby was able to get some fishing in by the hermit’s house and caught some rare specimens! She mounted the mountain lionfish so she would always have proof of her fishing mastery, which she did, incidentally, master during this camping trip. Level 10 Fishing! Woohoo!Yay! 

And another aspiration complete! Also yay!

Next up: Selvadorada! Hopefully Ruby and Paolo can dry off!

Round 3: Strangest-ville

I get it now. These creepy housewarmers are why it’s called Strangerville. They came every day and never left. It was always a different bunch, but they were always there. With the fruitcake. Creepy.

Ruby and Paolo moved into the little house that almost looks like a trailer. It was perfect for their needs; they just lowered it to the ground. He continued his part-time job as a lifeguard that he took after he joined Ruby’s household. In fact, he slow-ran his way to the top!

If you do not have Strangerville but intend to get it or haven’t played through the “adventure” yet, you may want to skip this one.

Thankfully, I had done this gameplay before. I mostly just bought the pack for the Victorian build mode items. 

Ruby got started talking to the townspeople right away! She found plenty of evidence, even learned some programming skill to hack into the Secret Lab’s computers. She planted bugs on a few military personnel and a couple scientists, and she listened to them from the listening station she set up in her… garden. And yeah, Paolo likes working out under the sun…

This weirdo town got Ruby doing some things she never thought she would do.

Like wear a hazmat suit. “Babe, does this make me look smexy?” He was into it. Weirdo.

And science. Ruby scienced a lot more than she ever had. And saw some pretty freaky things. She thought that constant welcoming party was creepy… Man this stuff is getting scary. Why did Ruby get herself involved in this?

I mean, come on! If it’s locked, it should stay locked! For Pete’s sake, Ruby!

But she managed to defeat the ultra-weird giant sentient alien plant, with the help of some recruited townsfolk. 

They laud her as a hero now, but I still think she should have left it alone.

At least Ruby was able to do some normal things during that spring. 

She did get to go fishing in a little pond up on the ridge. 

And she caught a what!?

Next adventure: Camping! Oh goody. Bugs. Bleah!

Round 2: Sifting Sands in Sulani!

Ruby was certainly surprised by the cold in Sulani. She expected even in winter to be able to be able to hang around in short sleeves. Sadly, that was not the case most days.

Fun fact: You can place windows and doors on roofs if the roof is tall enough. Ruby opted for an eco-friendly power-producing roof. 

There was plenty of room in her little roof-hut for a bathroom (concealed by bamboo fencing), a kitchen (@rvsn’s beautiful counters and barstools), a sitting area, and a double bed (kinda hidden back there behind the tall lattice-like fencing).

Another thing Ruby did not expect to find in Sulani: love. She met the handsome young Paolo Rocca, and her “Single and Loving It” lifestyle was instantly upended.

I wish I knew why Paolo didn’t show up to his wedding in formalwear, but Ruby didn’t care. She was just happy he showed! (Note the breath steam!)

Well, he finally changed his clothes for the party, and Ruby changed into a less constricting dress and did something nice with her hair. All their friends showed up, and because it’s Sulani, some uninvited guests showed up, too. But hey, all are welcome to celebrate love!

There was so much excitement and adventure in Mt Komorebi that it was hard for Ruby to just chill. She found quite a few treasures while beachcombing and fishing, though! How else could she have paid for that wedding?! 

Maybe that’s why she decided to run off and take a cold shower in the waterfall?

She managed to find her inner zen and doze off just before the sun rose on spring. 

Another aspiration complete!

Now it’s off to Strangerville! Wonder why it’s called that…

Round 1 Complete: See you later, Mt Komorebi!

Ruby wrapped up fall in Mt Komorebi just shy of being able to go on her first excursion. But that’s okay. There will be time after she has globetrotted all over simsdom. (Note that I keep forgetting to remove her climbing gear. lol)

Ruby got really good at skiing. She’s not quite a master at it, but she can perform some pretty slick moves on the difficult slopes! Look at her go!

As I mentioned, she hasn’t quite gotten to the excursion level in rock climbing, but she’s not bad! That’s certainly too high for me without a harness!

There were two festivals in Ruby’s last week. She met Yamachan at the Festival of Light right after making a wish! It’s like those old Disney commercials where the kids are upset because they didn’t meet Mickey, but then he ends up making their day at the end of their trip. (No joke, that happened to me when I was 6!) Except she had already met Yamachan before. Still noteworthy!

Ruby also checked out the Festival of Youth (not in a creepy way). She got to taste the delicious strawberry ice cream crepe. There were a few kids enjoying their holiday, too, and she even saw some hunting for voidcritters!

Next up: Sulani!

I wonder what kind of tropical fun Ruby’s going to enjoy there!