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The Sims 4 - Build-n-Share - The Hawthorne Project XIV - Due 31 Jan 2022

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  • BuildnShareBuildnShare Posts: 4,061 Member
    edited June 2021
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    BnS Hawthorne Project Phase XII is now open until May 31st
    Post edited by BuildnShare on
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  • AfterMidnightAfterMidnight Posts: 1,020 Member
    @AfterMidnight ahhhhhh a cliffhanger!

    Your story made me laugh out loud in a couple spots like going to buy an orchid, it starts to look a little rough, oh I’ll bring that over to Farin. The description of the dreadful spiteful woman was pretty good too.

    For what it’s worth, I would love to read about what they would like for a home.

    Cheers!

    Aah, thank you! I'm glad it made you laugh; I'm a big fan of when characters try and rationalize attraction with literally any other explanation. Rune just REALLY likes plants these days, okay? Totally getting into the spirit of gardening in a way that has nothing to do with the pretty florist. *coughs*

    I didn't get the chance to say it, but I really love your submission! Elspeth seems so fun and I love the concept of traveling through games. I've always pictured the worlds as to be connected as a whole so it's an interesting take to me.

    masajo wrote: »
    @JojoMOMSTER and @AfterMidnight love both your stories and think they would make fantastic future challenges :)

    Thank you! I thought about it, and I think I'm going to reenter my sims for this upcoming deadline so I can revise and finish their story like I intended to instead of panic-posting at the last minute. c,:
  • AfterMidnightAfterMidnight Posts: 1,020 Member
    edited June 2021
    HAWTHORNE PROJECT SIMS - PHASE XII

    Name: Rodney Thorpe
    Traits: Gloomy, Bookworm, Unflirty
    M/F/TG: Male
    Aspiration: Soulmate
    Occupation (Or Former Occupation): Uncertain; I think he mumbled something about being a Salaryperson in the past.

    Name: Elise Tompkins
    M/F/TG: Female
    Traits: Active, Foodie, Goofball
    Aspiration: Grilled Cheese
    Occupations (Or Former Occupation): She was in retail, I believe? She was fired; never cared for the job.

    Name: Kyoko Hirano
    M/F/TG: Female
    Traits: Squeamish, Outgoing, Family-oriented
    Aspiration: Friend of the World
    Occupations (Or Former Occupation): She was a teacher. The high school she worked at shut down and she lost her job.

    Child 1 Name: Gemini Caldwell
    Child 1 M/F/TG: Male
    Child 1 Traits: Loner
    Child 1 Aspiration: Whiz Kid

    Family album here.
    Gallery link here.

    Please tell us a little bit about yourself, and your family if appropriate and why you are applying to The Hawthorne Project.

    I’ll be honest - I didn’t want to write to you, and if the circumstances weren’t what they are, I never would.

    I know you’re legitimate. I’ve been referred to you by trusted sources and you turned up clean through my own digging. You help the people who seek you out, change their lives, give them purpose. By all accounts, you’re a miracle worker.

    But I’ve heard that before.

    The Watcher looks out for you. That was the headline of the letter we received. We were eight sims from eight different backgrounds with one thing in common: we’d been kicked down to the bottom of the barrel and left to crawl out of it alone. We had nothing left to lose, so when given the opportunity for work and shelter by an organization for a deity that was dedicated to helping sims find their footing again - a motto not unlike your own - we took it, no questions asked. All that was expected from us was manual labor; we were to fix up the property we were staying in so they could put it on the market again. That was the job. It was only when we got there that we realized what we were truly signing up for.

    Have you ever been somewhere where something terrible has happened? There’s this feeling in the air, an unease that won’t lift from the floorboards no matter how much time scrubs away at it. The Watcher House was like that. I remember walking into the building and feeling as though every light had been snuffed out around me. The dread was immediate - a pit that deepened in my stomach the further I investigated.

    The space wasn’t just rundown; it was horrific. Four beds for eight sims. A single toilet and shower that broke with every other use. Not one safety protocol in the entire place but plenty of ways for a sim to get hurt. It was an absolute nightmare of a home, but the most unsettling issue with it was this: we couldn’t leave. The House wouldn’t allow it.

    Of the eight of us, I was the only one it spoke to. The first night we were there, it told me this:

    The Watcher looks out for you, Mia. Complete our trials, and we’ll let you go.

    I don’t know how to describe this to a stranger without sounding mad, but I’ve always felt a connection with the supposed guiding hand from above. Maybe it was a comfort thing - a lingering hope from my childhood that there was someone out there who was looking out for me. Even through the hard times, I believed the Watcher watched over me with their best intentions in mind. By keeping my faith, I would eventually find myself where I was meant to be, but this voice was far from the benevolent being from my imagination. It told me that the lives of my companions were in my hands - The Watcher looks out for you, Mia - and that it would set us free once I fulfilled my Aspiration.

    It omitted the part where I would have to do that four times over.

    I did what I could. Tried to make the best of a bad situation however I knew how, but for all the talk of me being the chosen one, the power was never mine to control. I couldn’t stop the whims of whatever entity resided in that house. Couldn’t shield everyone from its cruelty.

    I told you there were eight of us: Isaac, Shanna, Emily, Theodore, Rodney, Elise, Kyoko, and me. Only half of us - the latter four plus an unexpected addition - made it out with our lives, no further out of the barrel than from where we started.

    I’m sure you can understand now why I flinch at the thought of contacting you. The universe has already made me its fool once before; I never want to be in that position again. But surviving as we currently are in a cramped, musty apartment in the sketchiest part of San Myshuno isn’t the life my friends deserve after all they’ve been through. I want to give them a better future, but I can’t do it alone. We - I - need your help.

    Tell us about your ideal home space: (You can use images if you wish)

    A standard house in any style you like is fine. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that. It’d be good if there were two bathrooms (we’ve been living with only one for a long time), fire alarms in every room that requires it, and no murphy beds, saunas, vending machines, or stockable ponds, please. I understand the necessity of things like stoves and fireplaces - those are fine - but as a rule of thumb, if it can kill a sim, I don’t want it in the house.

    It would be nice if they each had a room of their own, especially Gemini. Poor kid has had to share his space with a bunch of adults his whole life. I don’t expect much in terms of personalization, but I’ll tell you as much as I know about what they like:

    Elise is… well, let’s just say she became a different person after I successfully bargained with the Grim Reaper for her life. She’s into fitness -- I think she used to dream about becoming an athlete, but lately she’s shown more interest in cooking than going pro. She’s developed a fixation with sandwiches in particular; in fact, she told me she’s going to open a restaurant that specializes in lunch once she’s secured the funds.

    (Admittedly, I’m slightly concerned about Elise’s new life goal, but as my therapist pointed out to me, there are worse things a sim could aspire to after facing a near-death experience.)

    Rodney always has a book in his hands. Reading is his favorite hobby and I remember him saying he wanted to be a writer growing up, so it’d be worth setting him up with a desk to work from home should the inspiration return. He’s a bit reclusive - even more so since his partner Emily died, so Kyoko thinks it would be beneficial to his mental health if his bedroom had a lot of natural light coming in for those times where he retreats into himself.

    Gemini is the result of his late father gazing a little too long at the stars one night. The transition to normality has been rough on him; he wasn’t afforded a regular childhood at birth and has been having difficulties bonding with his classmates now that he’s in school. Truthfully, I think he’s happiest by himself, but he’s warm to Kyoko; he shares her interest in problem-solving and has even modeled his human disguise after her. He isn’t as forthcoming about himself with the rest of us, but from what I can tell from his report cards, he’s gifted at science and seems to have an interest in it.

    Speaking of Kyoko, if there’s any sim who deserves the best, it’s her. On paper, I was the one holding us together in that horrible place, but without Kyoko, I wouldn’t have had the willpower to get us out of there. She stitched me back together with her optimism every time I came apart at the seams and showed me solutions to problems when all I could see were dead ends. I owe her more than what I can give her, but she won’t accept anything elaborate; if you could set her up with a comfy bed and perhaps a chess table (she’s a master at that game), I would be grateful.

    As for me, I don’t need a room; I’m not coming with them. I’d like to - these sims are family to me and I have every intention of keeping in contact with them, but… I can’t stay with them. Not anymore.

    We’ve been free of the Watcher’s games for months, but I keep falling back into the same habits I developed from my time there. I can’t shake the mindset that I’m here to protect them, that their survival depends on my ability to take control of the situation. But by doing so, I’m impeding their recovery as well as my own. This cannot continue. In order for us to heal, I can’t keep smothering them to assuage my fears; Elise, Rodney, and Kyoko are capable of looking after themselves. Gemini is in good hands with them. They’ll get on without me, even if Rodney still mourns for Emily, and Kyoko gets hung up on the cleanliness of the house, and Elise makes everyone’s diet consist of grilled cheese and the occasional tomato bisque…

    Listen. I’m still very reluctant about all of this, but I’m trying. I’ll never put my trust in the fates above again, but for my friends, I’ll let it reside with you. It’s the least I can do.

    -Mia
    Post edited by AfterMidnight on
  • JojoMOMSTERJojoMOMSTER Posts: 1,957 Member
    Congratulations on completing the Asylum Challenge MIa and best of luck!
  • AfterMidnightAfterMidnight Posts: 1,020 Member
    Forgot to add it in my post, but @BuildnShare you're welcome to make a Sim Challenge out of Mia if you'd like since I didn't include her with the family. She exists exclusively in my head at the moment. :D
  • BuildnShareBuildnShare Posts: 4,061 Member
    edited October 2021
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    BnS Hawthorne Project phase XII is now closed
    We have sent your requests to Ms. Hawthorne for her consideration.
    Post edited by BuildnShare on
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  • BuildnShareBuildnShare Posts: 4,061 Member
    edited October 2021
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    BnS Hawthorne Project Phase XIII is now open until September 30th
    Post edited by BuildnShare on
    GArBA5W.jpg
  • BuildnShareBuildnShare Posts: 4,061 Member
    edited February 2022
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    3gHHX7s.png

    BnS Hawthorne Project phase XIII is now closed
    Post edited by BuildnShare on
    GArBA5W.jpg
  • BuildnShareBuildnShare Posts: 4,061 Member
    edited February 2022
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    3gHHX7s.png

    BnS Hawthorne Project Phase XIV is now open until Jan 31st
    Please submit your Sim household in need of a home due to circumstances using hashtag #BnSTHPXIV
    Post edited by BuildnShare on
    GArBA5W.jpg
  • BuildnShareBuildnShare Posts: 4,061 Member
    5nd1sli.png
    3gHHX7s.png

    BnS Hawthorne Project phase XIIV is now closed
    GArBA5W.jpg
  • BuildnShareBuildnShare Posts: 4,061 Member
    edited February 2022
    Ll71I0W.png
    3gHHX7s.png

    BnS Hawthorne Project Phase XV is now open until May 31st
    Please submit your Sim household in need of a home due to circumstances using hashtag #BnSTHPXV
    GArBA5W.jpg
  • JojoMOMSTERJojoMOMSTER Posts: 1,957 Member
    Thank you @iampes23
    SIM ENTRY FORM
    CHALLENGE #BnSTHPXV BnS Hawthorne Project Phase XV
    FORUM ID: iampes23
    ORIGIN ID: iampes23
    LEVEL: Established
    HOUSEHOLD: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/A1C3FC6586FA11EC8412B1B887CF3384
    LINK TO ENTRY SLIDESHOW: https://imgur.com/a/cgprSKm
    ENTRY DETAILS: #BnSTHPXV BnS Hawthorne Project Phase XV
    Roger Daniels, his wife Regina, his son from a previous marriage named Rocky, his twin toddlers Johnny and Parker, and the new baby Alyssa have had a desperate run of bad luck since just before the pandemic started. First, Roger, who worked in construction, suffered a worksite accident that left him permanently lame with a bad back. He has filed to try and get disability, but the paperwork has not yet gone through. Not long after the pandemic, Regina lost her bar keeping job at the local pub due to a lockdown of non-essential work. The lockdown went on so long, the owners lost so much money that they had to permanently close the bar. Regina has been applying for any job opening she can find, but so far she has not been hired. And her unemployment ran out long ago.
    The family are currently living in a tiny cabin behind their church thanks to an understanding congregation. It is not a permanent solution for the growing family. Luckily, 17 year old Rocky has a part-time job at the local hamburger joint. He has been working all the hours he can get to help the entire family get necessities and food. The family also have turned to food pantries, but they have to go to multiple pantries to get enough for the whole family to eat every day. To make up for the electricity and water the family uses, Regina does some cleaning in the church during the week and runs the daycare during church services.
    Roger has become desperate and applied for public housing, but he was told the waiting list is several years long. He has become depressed since he can no longer support his family. He spends his time watching the small children and playing horse shoes. The young ones are mainly cranky in this uncertain environment.
    While Regina was cleaning the church office and waiting to do a job search on the computer, a new volunteer told her about the Hawthorn Project. As soon as the computer was free, she emailed her application in, crossing her fingers for luck. She is well aware that if something does not change soon, the family could be pulled apart. And then she worked on applying for more jobs in the hopes that something good will happen on that front too!
    CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: sure
    CREDIT FOR CC/RECOLORS: no recolors

    SPACE FOR PICTURES: WeBh6u7.png

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