RAGS TO RICHES CHALLENGE WITH THE BROKE FAMILY - DAY 4 - THE BABY ARRIVES - MAR 3

THE BROKE FAMILY - DAY 1 - REALITY SETS IN

https://i.postimg.cc/BQdPfKMX/dustin-and-grave.png

It's 8 am on Sunday, and the Broke Family has arrived at their "swamp land" lot. Their new home. Brandi carefully placed Skip's urn on the ground near some flowers. Dustin, Beau and Brandi all have the very sad moodlet from Skip's death which will last 2 days. Hopefully Dustin will be able to get some simoleons for the family with this sad moodlet.

Brandi tries her best to attend to Beau's needs by building a sand sculpture with him. Little Beau looks so lost and sad.

https://i.postimg.cc/rFdVGFDy/BRANDI-TRYING-TO-MAKE-THE-BEST-OF-IT.png

Time for Dustin to take those selfies and see what he can sell them for. Next, Dustin figures that his first priority is to get some food for his family. So, he grabs an old fishing rod he sees near the "swamp" and tries to catch some fish. He has no fishing skills to start.

https://i.postimg.cc/gJK4rWV3/DUSTIN-ALREADY-STARTING-TO-HELP-OUT.png

Okay, so he caught one. Not a very big fish. In fact, it was a measly minnow. And now what does he do since he doesn't have anything to cook it on. He decides to head off and try fishing elsewhere to see if he can catch some better fish.

https://i.postimg.cc/k4FTsmS5/AMEASLY-MINNO.png

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He hitched a ride to the Desert Bloom Park in Oasis Springs. Using the fishing pole that he found, he headed to a nearby stream and started fishing.

https://i.postimg.cc/QdnhFFgJ/FISHING.png

He even met an elder sim, named Ekram Elderberry, who gave Dustin some fishing tips and told him about a marketplace where he could sell fish and plants. Dustin's fishing skills weren't too good, and he caught 2 more fish. He decided to head to that marketplace to sell his fish before they closed.

https://i.postimg.cc/L6FzWVWG/HE-MET-SOMEONE-WHO-GAVE-HIM-FISHING-TIPS.png

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Dustin travelled to Henford-on-Bagley and saw the market stall and sold all his fish for $19 simoleons. It wasn't much.


https://i.postimg.cc/vBMvVtdJ/HE-SELLS-SOME-FSH-FOR-19.png

While he was in town, he saw some plants which he thought he could harvest, but they just needed watering. He did find another spot where he found some upgrade parts, which he sold.

https://i.postimg.cc/7LthyxZf/WATERING-SOME-PLANTS.png

Dustin then heard that there was a big celebrity in town near the pub and he hurried over there thinking that maybe he could get their autograph and sell it. But it wasn't meant to be.

https://i.postimg.cc/D0pKYcQD/THERE-WAS-A-BIG-CELEBRITY-IN-TOWN-BUT-SHE-DIDNT-GIVE-AITO.png

He was not having much luck, and when he went to do some fishing near the dam, he didn't catch anything there either. It was time to head out anyway, as the marketstall vendor, Kim Goldbloom, had told him about a singing contest in San Myshuno. Maybe his luck would change.

https://i.postimg.cc/Wz0stZ0f/THATS-ALL-FOR-TODAY.png

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Dustin arrived in San Myshuno at Planet HoneyPop, which was a karaoke bar, just as the contest was announced. Yes! He practically ran to the stage and grabbed the microphone. Dustin had no singing skill and didn't know any of these songs, but he was going to give it his all.

https://i.postimg.cc/HnVGqykh/DUSTIN-ENTERS-THE-KARAOKE-CONTEST.png

He felt a bit nervous when a bunch of sims gathered watching him. But no-one heckled or booed him. Maybe they thought he was good.

https://i.postimg.cc/L6k7ySRP/HE-HAD-QUITE-A-FEW-SIMS-WATCHING-HIM.png

His karaoke score wasn't very good, 25/100. He decided that since he was there, he might as well practice some more songs. He stayed until the winner was announced and was shocked to find out that it was him! Yes! $500 simoleons richer. His mother would be so happy.


https://i.postimg.cc/JzvVBLLB/dustin-won-the-contest.png

Dustin was feeling pretty good and heard that the winner of the karaoke contest also got free chips at the bar. So, that is where Dustin went. As he was eating his chips, he saw another celebrity enter the bar. A celebrity who shared his name, Dustin Broke, He had heard rumor that Dustin Broke became a celebrity because he was a ruthless businessman, "and if his negative reputation is to be believed, then it seems he might have stepped on a lot of coworkers to achieve his celebrity status and career level." Dustin didn't really care about this, and just wanted that autograph. He told Dustin that they shared the same name and that seemed to do the trick, as he got his first autograph!

https://i.postimg.cc/brXTfmkM/AND-BOOM-HE-GETS-ONE.png

He also took some...um...discreet photos of Dustin with his phone. (Note: He just used "Take Photo" and got the photo that way. When I used "Take a Photo Of" or "Take A Photo With", Dustin, the celebrity's image didn't appear.}

Maybe Dustin would keep both of them, and perhaps Dustin would one day be as famous as Dustin the celebrity. He could only hope.


https://i.postimg.cc/ydKFdMgm/AND-BOOM-HE-GOT-A-PHOTO-TOO.png

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Dustin called it a night and headed back home. And as soon as he did, a pop-up appeared that his little brother Beau was hungry. Oh gosh! He should have brought some chips home.


https://i.postimg.cc/cJPbLjHm/beau-is-hungry.png

He immediately went over to his mother and told her that he had caught and sold some fish, found some rocks and stuff that he had sold, got an autograph from Dustin Broke, the celebrity, and, best of all, he won a karaoke contest. In all, he made $873 simoleons.

https://i.postimg.cc/W4CwcskS/MOM-I-MADE-873-SIMOLEONS-TODAY.png

Dustin quickly put in a rush delivery order and bought the following items. A double bed, a toddler bed, a highchair, a set of blocks, a piece of drywall with a framed photo of himself on it, a packet of fruit seeds, a packet of vegetable seeds, an Always Have a Snack Bag and a pee bush.

https://i.postimg.cc/4xqQrpqj/ITEMS-HE-BOUGHT-WITH-THE-FUNDS-DAY-1.png

He was able to give his brother some food...which his brother promptly threw on the ground. Ugh! Are you serious, Beau? The kid is a picky eater.

https://i.postimg.cc/CLZNJv6b/TH-KID-IS-DESTRUCTIVE.png

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Notes:

I have now removed the debug "Greg's trailer" (Werewolf pack) from the lot. I measured the Broke's old trailer and placed debug fences to act as guidelines for where to place the walls. This will help with the build. There is also an invisible roof over the "trailer" portion.

The lot has a fishing pond and a small sand area where they can build sand sculptures.

The Always Have a Snack Bag is like the cooler, so they can grab quick foods and drinks from it. I wasn't sure if Beau, who is a toddler, could just help himself as well, so I purchased the high chair for either Brandi or Dustin to feed him, just in case.

THE BROKE FAMILY - DAY 2 - SO TIRED

https://i.postimg.cc/7hb1KH4d/tired-in-the-library.png

It was Monday, the first school holiday, but Brandi told Dustin that he should work on his homework anyway. So that is what Dustin did and completed it.

https://i.postimg.cc/15g5wkdL/EMD-PF-THE-NIGHT-IRED-BUT-DPOING-HOMEWORK.png

With food, a temporary toilet area, and a place to sleep worked out, the next thing they needed was a place to bathe. And because of Beau, it had to be a bathtub.

https://i.postimg.cc/tTd0b5YR/THEY-DEF-NEEDED-A-SHOWER-TODAY.png

While Dustin grabbed a bite to eat and tried to figure out his plan for today, Brandi got the mail. And one of the sims that Dustin had met last night sent him a gift. Nice! It was a small Yuki statue from Candy Behr worth $35 simoleons. And as much as Dustin wanted to keep it, he knew it was better if he sold it, which is what he did.

https://i.postimg.cc/43gZygdZ/A-PACKAGE-ADDRESSED-TO-DUSTIN.png

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Dustin decided to head to Willow Creek today. He hadn't slept much last night and was still tired. Plus, he needed a shower...badly. So, his first stop was the Movers & Shakers Gym to use the shower facilities. Oh gosh, and just then an angry mood swing hit him.

https://i.postimg.cc/YSXNtqnv/Sy-2-mde-it-to-the-gym-to-take-a-shoer.png

It looked like a nice gym and it would have been great to use the workout equipment. But, he couldn't waste time doing that as he had to concentrate on getting simoleons for his family. So, he took a nice shower, which seemed to help, but his angry mood didn't go away.

https://i.postimg.cc/8PS7nfNT/hey-what-are-you-taking-pics-in-here-day-2.png

He had thought about some ideas of what he could do today, and one of them was to create something that would give you a kind of steady income, or a royalty. Dustin had heard about sims getting rich from making mods, and he was going to go to the Willow Creek Library to do some research on it.

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https://i.postimg.cc/kGMYqPmv/willow-creek-library.png

When he arrived at the library, he did some research and discovered that there was a demand for writers who were interested in writing Children's books. You could even self-publish the books yourself. That sounded like a good idea. The only problem was that Dustin still had that angry moodlet, and it wasn't going away anytime soon.

No worries, Dustin would just do some cloud gazing and get inspired.

https://i.postimg.cc/rF29C9mj/he-decided-to-do-some-cloudgazing-to-get-inspired.png

Even with the cloud gazing, his concentration on writing was just not going too well. The hours ticked by trying to write and nap on the small bench.

https://i.postimg.cc/KcLNMT0b/willow-creek-library-writing.png

There was suddenly some commotion in the library and a celebrity had arrived. It was the same celebrity that Dustin had seen in Henford-on-Bagley yesterday. He decided to ask for an autograph.

https://i.postimg.cc/g0GhnMgX/and-again-its-no.png

But again, she said no. Dustin then got a pop-up from his friend, Megumi Ito, who wanted to stay at his house for a couple of days. Well, he did have a bed, a pee bush and a food bag, so he said yes. Plus, he figured that maybe his Mom could use the company and perhaps Megumi could help out with Beau.


https://i.postimg.cc/G2wvbcZR/megumi-is-going-to-stay-over.png

When Dustin FINALLY finished the one book, it was late afternoon. The day had slipped through his fingers with nothing to show for it. He couldn't go home without raising at least some funds to get a tub.

So, Dustin decided to see if there was anything around the library to collect. But first, he had to nap and freshen up. He found quite a few collectibles and also some lilies. And frogs! Now he could breed the frogs.

https://i.postimg.cc/Xvc97M3y/he-decided-to-do-some-collecting.png

He saw that there were several fishing spots and maybe he would return to do some fishing here because today he was just too tired. In fact, he was just too tired to collect anything anymore and decided to head home.

https://i.postimg.cc/xjJmZN7Z/day-2-tired.png

When Dustin arrived back home, it was dark and raining and Megumi had just arrived. He welcomed her to his humble home and introduced her to his Mom. He then self-published the book he wrote. He really hoped that he would get a lot of royalties from it.

https://i.postimg.cc/d3pmz8ms/just-ad-he-got-there-megumi-was-there-and-it-was-raining.png

After selling what he could, and saving some lilies to plant, Dustin was able to buy a few more drywall pieces and a wooden tub. He hadn't made a lot today, but at least he was able to afford a tub.

https://i.postimg.cc/P520PqHm/brandi-is-def-showing.png

And for that, Brandi was very thankful. Oh look! Baby bump!

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Notes:

I neglected to write down the amount of simoleons he made today, but it wasn't very much. It seemed like he spent the whole day writing that book, and he would stop and have to nap quite a lot. His angry mood just wouldn't go away. I had him switch to programming for awhile, but he didn't want to do that either. It was a rather frustrating day.

The School Holiday that I created on the calendar runs M-F, so that Dustin still has a good standing in school. As part of this holiday, Dustin can get gifts from his friends in the mailbox, which is what happened on his very first day.


https://i.postimg.cc/Y0R6X64y/schoolholiday-m-f.png

THE BROKE FAMILY - DAY 3 (TUES) - FIRST FRIEND

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Tuesday, it was still raining when Dustin got up, but he was determined to plant the lilies he had found and those vegetable and fruit seeds he had bought the first day. It's a good thing they have a tub now, because Dustin got rather muddy planting all those seeds.

https://i.postimg.cc/XvGPBqfX/taking-a-bath.png

The mail came and he got his first royalty check! He ripped open the envelope and couldn't believe the amount. One simoleon! All that work for one simoleon. What a waste of time.

https://i.postimg.cc/zXDT5mt3/a-royalty-of-1-simleon.png

Yesterday, at the Willow Creek Library, he had seen some posters advertising the Geek Con Festival in San Myshuno today. Dustin figured he would go and enter some of the contests. Plus, tonight was the karaoke contest again, and he would definitely enter that.

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It was pretty busy at GeekCon and when he arrived, the Hackathon Contest was announced. He decided to enter. With only a smattering of programming skills, Dustin didn't do too well and didn't win the contest. Dustin figured since he was there, he would try to get his programming skill up. He also successfully hacked the Llamacorn servers and got some simoleons. (Note: I have no idea who won the contest as I didn't get a pop-up with the winner's name).

https://i.postimg.cc/sxxSY7Z7/AT-GEEKCON-PARTICIPATE-IN-HACKATHON.png

When the contest was done, he found some posters stuck to some electrical boxes which he thought would look good in his room (when it was finally built).


https://i.postimg.cc/zB54GXH9/posters-he-found-tues.png

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GeekCon was over and Dustin knew it would be a few hours until the karaoke contest started, so he decided to sing for tips. He got a few and also got a bit better at singing.

https://i.postimg.cc/0QLzNRXS/HE-WENT-TO-THE-KARAOKE-BAR-AFTERWARDS-AND-SANG-FOR-TIPS.png

When the karaoke contest was announced, he entered it. He was feeling more confident and sang the same House Song, Weekend, that he had sung for the first contest.

https://i.postimg.cc/8cWkZZBg/WOW-LOOK-AT-THE-FANS.png

Wow! More sims seemed to be watching him tonight. After singing a few more solos, he won the contest. Again! yes!

https://i.postimg.cc/Yqqyfvpb/H-MET-SOME-THER-SIMS.png

He headed over to the bar and met a few more sims. One sim, Akira Kibo, was like the resident karaoke singer, and Akira told Dustin that he had sounded really good up there. They seemed to click, and Dustin thought Akira was a cool dude and Akira became Dustin's first friend. Akira was a young adult and Dustin kind of wished that Akira was a teen like himself, because so far, Dustin didn't have any teen friends.

Since it was getting late, he decided to head home. His total take for the day was $1,235 simoleons. He felt really proud of that and was able to purchase a few more pieces of drywall, a night table, a fridge, a counter, a small table, a chair, and a ceiling lamp. He also hung the posters he found on the wall.

https://i.postimg.cc/Sxs1WYvB/A-NIT-OF-A-HOUDE-LAYOUT-WITH-11-EFT-FROM-TUES.png

https://i.postimg.cc/fRwBMSs3/1235-TUESDAY-EARNINGS.png

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The home is slowly starting to take shape! I can't wait to see it when it's completed! Keep up the great writing!

@Chrinnie - Thanks so much for reading. I appreciate your kind words :)

@Chrinne

THE BROKE FAMILY - DAY 4 - THE BABY ARRIVES

https://i.postimg.cc/FzsV9Cwv/SCARED-DUSTIN.png

The next morning, Dustin helped around the house. His mother was looking very pregnant these days, and his brother was being a little terror and making messes everywhere. Dustin also needed to tend his plants.

https://i.postimg.cc/BvTyY6FV/HIS-BROTHER-IS-A-TEROR.png

And, his friend Megumi also seemed to be rather sad. Dustin had never asked Megumi why she needed to stay somewhere else for awhile, but he often heard her crying under the covers. He wondered what was wrong and tried to cheer her up.

https://i.postimg.cc/zXcDFdwc/CHEERING-UP-MEGUMI.png

Dustin had a big day ahead of him, but before he left, he decided to look around his own neighborhood for some collectibles. Yes! Another frog and the frog breeding begins.

https://i.postimg.cc/X7jP24N2/EXPLORES-HIS-NEIGHBORHOOD-FOR-MORE-COLLECTIBLES.png

When he returned to the house, it was 9:38 am, and his mother was having some pains...labor pains that is! But Brandi told Dustin to go about his day and not worry about her. It would be hours before she needed to head to the hospital. Plus, Megumi was there if she needed any help.

https://i.postimg.cc/MKS18mnH/WEDS-AT-938-BRANDI-GOES-INTO-LABOR.png

And then I got this pop-up for Brandi from her deceased husband, Skip! No, Skip, Brandi is in labor and doesn't want to go to see any celebrities right now. Oh you were just trying to take her mind off the labor pains? Well, that isn't going to happen! Maybe you could "show up" and bring her to the hospital!


https://i.postimg.cc/Ss7kY9hS/SKIP-ASKS-BRANDI-TO-GO-SOMEWHERE.png

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Dustin decided to head to Willow Creek again. He was going to try his luck fishing and collecting. He recalled that there were a lot of items to collect there, and he needed to get some simoleons to finish up parts of the house.

He started off at the Willow Creek Library and practiced a bit of programing and hacked some funds.

https://i.postimg.cc/fW0GJmMY/TRYING-TO-FINISH-HIS-BOOK.png

Another celebrity had also come to the library, Judith Ward, and she gave Dustin an autograph.

https://i.postimg.cc/ydN7MdRv/ANOTHER-AUTOGRAPH.png

Dustin was feeling pretty good about his day so far, and after freshening up, he went outside and started fishing and then collecting. He did quite well, and then headed to the market in Henford-on-Bagley to sell his items. What a haul!


https://i.postimg.cc/ZqW9G4dP/WEDS-EARNINGS-SOLD-THURS-HENFORD-687.png

Before he headed home, he went into the Gnome's Arms Pub to grab some chips and autonomously ordered a drink. What the heck, Dustin? You're supposed to be saving funds, not spending them. Sheesh! Another sim who was in the pub wasn't too happy seeing an under-age Dustin at the bar drinking, and Dustin figured it was time to go.

https://i.postimg.cc/PrbcvV4Y/WHY-DID-YOU-ORDER-THAT-DRINK.png

Dustin decided to return home early to see if his Mom was alright. He wasn't quite sure what to expect because she hadn't called him during the day. He might have a new sibling waiting for him when he got home.

But such was not the case, and his Mom was still there, but when he arrived, she told him that she was heading to the hospital now.

https://i.postimg.cc/xdKrTpBk/HEADING-TO-THE-HOSPITAL.png

Dustin looked around the plot of land, and suddenly was overwhelmed with sadness. He had so hoped that the house would be finished before his Mom gave birth, but that was not the case. He slowly walked over to his father's grave and started crying. (Note: Dustin had a mood swing - Time To Wear Black).

https://i.postimg.cc/tCTYZFqR/dustin-having-a-bit-of-a-cru-and-missing-is-dad.png

Dustin: "Dad...I miss you so much...I am trying so hard, but I don't know if I can get this house finished. And...and the new baby is on the way, Dad..."

Dustin wished his father would return to them, even as a ghost. He didn't care. He just needed to see him again.


https://i.postimg.cc/8zZWzYyZ/maybe-this-isnt-good-asked-for-sugar-skull-offering.png

(Note: There was an option to make a sugar skull offering, which Dustin had none of, and this pop-up came up. What does it mean? It's kind of scary.)

Dustin decided that while his Mom was at the hospital, he would order some items to at least finish one room of the house. The bathroom.


https://i.postimg.cc/xjzV8CHJ/bathroom-enclosed-almodt-done.png

And when his Mom returned with his baby brother swaddled in a blanket, the bathroom was finished. It even had a door and a window! And, he got a pop-up from his friend, Candy Behr, that she wanted to come over. Sure. Maybe she had heard he had a new brother.

Dustin's little brother Beau was not happy about meeting their new sibling and started fussing. Dustin quickly picked him up and started twirling him around playfully. That seemed to help.

https://i.postimg.cc/3xNmTP4B/dustin-plays-with-beau.png

Dustin then gently picked up his new baby brother, whom his mother had named Skippy. Had Dustin been so tiny once? As Dustin looked at his new brother, Skippy smiled at him and Dustin felt his eyes well up in tears as he thought of his father.

https://i.postimg.cc/Y0J6DR87/meeting-new-brother-skippy.png

He then went over to Candy. They chatted for awhile and he told her how his father had passed and how they ended up here. Candy then told him a bit about her background. She told him that even though she was a young adult now, that when she was a teen, her grandmother had passed and Candy had been the one responsible for looking after her sister, Yuki and herself. Candy told him that some days it had been so hard and she had felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, but that she had somehow made it through. Candy told Dustin that he would make it through, too.

https://i.postimg.cc/Fz4GVcg1/dustin-tries-to-heer-candy-up.png

Dustin felt determined now, and knew that if Candy could make it in supporting her family as a teen, so could he. Candy also told him about a place called Evergreen Harbor and how she had gone there when she was a teen and found a lot of items in the dumpsters. Dustin smiled and thanked her and knew that is where he would go tomorrow.

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Notes:

In TS2, the unborn Baby Broke had no name, so I just named him Skippy, after his father.