My New Prosperity Blog

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Table of Contents

Introductions and Families:
Welcome to Apple Grove: A Place of Prosperity

Uhhhh...Stuff:
Time Reckoning in Apple Grove
The Sims 3: My Opinion

Round 1 / 1985-1991:
The Tuckers: Round 1 / First Love or... Old Wrinkly Love!
The Fletchers: Round 1 / Growing Up and Goals
The Webb(s): Round 1 / No Longer Lonely, No Sirree!
The Bowdens: Round 1 / Similarly Different
The Hamiltons: Round 1 / Pound Purries
The Browns: Round 1 / Home Alone
University: Round 1 / The Fletcher Kids

Round 2 / 1992-1998:
The Tuckers: Round 2 / Invisibility and Boredom
The Webbs: Round 2 / Ice Cream, Donuts, and Cake!
The Bowdens: Round 2 / Wishing For Boys
The Hamiltons: Round 2 / The Girl That Disappeared
The Browns: Round 2 / Stacey the Stalker
University: Round 2 / Too Many Hobbies

Round 3 / 1999-2005:
The Tuckers: Round 3 / Minus One, Plus Four
The Fletcher(s): Round 3 / Home Fries
The Webbs: Round 3 / Sorry, No Pets Yet
The Bowdens: Round 3 / The Complete Family
The Hamiltons: Round 3 / Holy Cats!
The Brown(s): Round 3 / The BRC and the Cult Leader
University Round 3: Sorority Sisters Find the Volauvent Society
Kimberly Tucker: Round 3 / A Great Match
The Tucker(s) 2: Round 3 / I'm Just A Gigolo
Sophie Fletcher: Round 3 / Witchy Woman
Zoe Tucker: Round 3 / Witch Guy?
Lara Fletcher: Round 3 / The Fancey Fellow

Round 4 / 2006-2012:
The Tuckers: Round 4 / It Makes the World Go Round
The Fletcher(s): Round 4 / The Bachelor in Black Spandex
The Webbs: Round 4 / Que Sera, Sera
The Bowdens: Round 4 / A Family Vacation
The Hamiltons: Round 4 / That Darn Cat
The Browns: Round 4 / What's Cooking?
University Round 4/ The Webb Kids
The Shibatas: Round 4 / Honey
The Tuckers 2: Round 4 / Hey, Hey I Wanna Be a Rockstar
Sophie Fletcher: Round 4 / Witch Path
The Fanceys: Round 4 / Do You Have Any Coupons?
Rose and Violet Hamilton: Round 4 / Nuts and Fruits

Round 5 / 2013-2019:
The Tuckers: Round 5 / Martin Marries & More
The Fletchers: Round 5 / Lady In Red

I'm starting a sims blog on my new Prosperity Challenge neighborhood, Apple Grove. This is my current plan for playing the game until Sims 3 comes out - maybe even beyond, as I plan to finish this challenge. And really, I'm not sure about Sims 3 yet. I may hold off on buying it until I see what others have to say. Some aspects sound great, but I have some doubts about whether it will initially be up to the fun that Sims 2 currently is for me.

I'm going to wait until I've played and blogged at least 3 rounds before I start announcing updates. It has to be fun for me to blog just for my own entertainment, and I want to make sure I enjoy it instead of letting people down after a handful of entries. With past challenges/blogs it wasn't entirely my fault I quit as my neighborhoods tend to explode, especially with me running them. I now have a program to back up my game daily to avoid losing it.

I got sick of playing most other challenges even before they exploded, but I really missed playing the Prosperity Challenge when I lost that neighborhood. The play style of Prosperity is simple, logical and meaningful to me. I like that the rules aren't too complex haven't changed much with the added expansions. I wanted to play a big challenge with some structure, and I got sick of all the Legacy and Apocalypse rule changes.

The Fletchers: Round 5 / Lady In Red

If you read my last update of the Tuckers, you may remember that Martin gave Charles this puppy named Swift. She is cute - for now at least.



Charles invited Devan over first thing. Doesn't she look guilty?



Last time we saw Devan was at the Mini Mountain lot, making out with a guy from Takemizu Village. Looking at her statistics later, she was best friends with the guy, but there is no crush or love. His name is Ron Darga and they have a one-bolt attraction.



Apparently, Charles is unaware she was fooling around on him, and proposes marriage.



Charles used his time productively somewhere and earned his fitness plaque since we last visited him.



Charles and Devan went shopping before the wedding to pick out wedding attire. He looks good enough in the suit he already owns in my opinion, but I can't let Devan get married in that red dress, even if she is a bit of a tramp. She's got nothing on Sophie (Fletcher) Graham, who in retrospect should have been married in a black dress. Sophie did, however, get married in a cemetery.



Isn't it amazing how that ugly pile of clothes will magically become a beautiful wedding gown?



Girl, it's finally time to say goodbye to the pony tails.



She looks pretty, however I really want Sim Scott to stay away in case they have any attraction whatsoever. I don't know if any sim is safe that decides to mess around with my sim hubby.



Do you like this new smelling the flowers from Mansion & Garden? It is kind of funny that Devan is down on her knees in that dress. It just doesn't look right, but it's funny.



As a wedding present, this guy is going to make sure Charles gets paid more in Show Business. OK, thanks.



Due to a glitch, this turned out to only be the wedding rehearsal. The real wedding ended up being that night.



I had them go back home to start over, and Charles took off for work before I could stop him. So, Devan needed something to do for those 8 hours and decided to take up fishing to pass the time.



Finally, he got home with a promotion. Even so, I'm really annoyed with him for putting work before the wedding.



But finally, they were able to tie the knot. I don't really know why people are outside the church watching the wedding, as there is plenty of room inside.



Devan decides to sit and eat her cake with her new stepfather-in-law. Could she and Charles already be having their first fight?



Clinton Webb and Daniel Graham discuss the possibility of getting into the Simness Book of World Records by making the biggest grilled cheese sandwich ever.



They decided to head off to Takemizu Village for their honeymoon since I'm bored with Twikkii Island.



It doesn't seem like a good sign when there is a dirty plate in the lobby upon arrival to the hotel. I should have had them buy a vacation home.



This little girl taught Devan how to bow eventually, once she was no longer impaled in the counter.



It seemed like a strategic move to call away the old lady from the table, since old ladies are notoriously awesome at Mah Jong. That way Charles and Devan had a sporting chance of winning a game for their vacation memories.



After another disappointing tour, red hands is a great way to cheer up. If only that worked in real life, but then I'd never have to play Sims to raise my fun bar.



Could they have left the stove on back at the house? I hope that isn't the case.



Devan learned to teleport from the ninja.



The ninja looks upset that I leveled the lot and removed the fences, making it actually possible to catch him back here. But thanks to that plan, soon Charles was also able to travel the ninja way.



The only thing left to do in Takemizu was to find the secret lot. Working together, they were quickly able to dig up a map.



Charles and Devan were both able to learn the Dragon Legend and get scrolls. Just make sure all your sims join in to listen to the old man.



It was a tricky thing to get some Tai Chi going in Takemizu. I never see it happen autonomously anymore, so I made the bald-headed guy in the suit demonstrate since I checked and he had that particular skill. It was cheating a little I guess, but I really have no other ideas. Charles and Devan joined in to learn Tai Chi, although they were too close together, making it look more like dirty dancing than Tai Chi.



I wish I were getting all these discounts in real life.



It was time for Devan to go for a second career, and I guess being a Criminal Mastermind made her well qualified to be in the Intelligence career track. Not that it's intelligent to be a criminal, mind you.



Swift turned out to be a kind of funny-looking dog. It's like her head and body are mismatched.





I promise it isn't her looks that made Charles give her up for adoption. She just wouldn't eat. It seemed more like a glitch since I had Charles teach her Come Here so he could call her to eat, and she would just stand there like something was blocking the dish - no matter where I moved it. It was hard to keep feeding her treats all the time to keep her from starving. I figure someone else in the neighborhood will probably try adopting her at some point.



They are really fond of this nasty old extra sofa Charles brought back from the Greek House. Even though it looks identical, this is not the sofa with the funky green odor that Kimberly (Tucker) Shibata threw out. ;)



Charles reached the top of the show Business Career, becoming an Icon.



And before he can bask in all the glory, he looks thrilled as he switches careers by getting a job as a Nurse. That would not be a good choice for a rational human being, but Charles is a Prosperity Sim who will benefit from reaching the top of a second career.



I'm pretty sure that this kind of thing is contraindicated during pregnancy, Devan.



Charles is finally getting around to reading that book, however this is not the best time to earn those mechanical skills.



Wow, it's a Christmas Eve baby. Why didn't they celebrate Christmas with a tree, etc.? I just never think to remind my sims of holidays.



Charles was very excited to have a son, although Devan seems a bit preoccupied.



Oh, I see. They immediately went to the couch for more woohoo.



Thankfully little Chevy here was busy pushing buttons and hopefully didn't notice what Mommy and Daddy were up to.



I'll leave you with a picture of the house as we say goodbye to the Fletchers for now.

Scoring: 1 point for Charles' fitness plaque, 1 point for Charles reaching the top of the Show Business career, and1 point for adding little Chevy to the neighborhood. The population of Apple Grove is currently 44, with the total population of 46.