Survive the Insanity: Day 4 – The Circle Asylum – Skill Swap

In the last chapter, Viviana takes a vacation day and it’s a good thing because some of the residents of Happy Hollow Asylum come by to welcome the residents of The Circle Asylum to the neighborhood. Louis, Veta, Sonny and Midge are part of the welcoming crew. Barbie is cleaning and has ceased her shower rule protest. Viviana challenges Louis to a basketball tournament, which she sadly loses. Toby tries to make some drinks, Mowgli is a chess victor, Hannibal discovers a mouse in the house, and Finn is just oblivious to everything blowing bubbles. Disaster nearly strikes as Veta hatches a devious plan with Sonny to do something to Sunny. The plan backfires, and Veta herself catches on fire. Luckily, Louis is quick with the fire extinguisher and all is saved. Outside, Erik thinks this is a good time to have a weenie roast, Midge and Sonny are laughing about the fire, and Sonny and Sunny are doing a high five together. Seems to me that Sonny and Sunny double-crossed Veta in her own plan. However, the dryer is burned to a crisp and to try to make things better, Louis invites Viviana to a dinner party on Thursday.Why is it that with the start of nearly every day, Viviana needs to repair something?  Here she is making some breakfast and behind her the sink is spouting water. Ugh! And, well that’s interesting…there is a mischief book laying in front of the sink. Who would purposely break the sink?And now the shower is leaking…sheesh! More repairs.Viviana also has to do some laundry.I guess after yesterday’s fire, all the sims are afraid to do laundry now.

Author’s Notes: Since I am keeping score for this challenge, the fire cost us to lose -20 points towards the final score. Darn!After cleaning up dirty dishes and emptying the garbage, I check the fridge and have Viviana make some grilled cheese so the fridge is stocked again. Her back is killing her from all the work she has to do around the asylum.A very weird thing happens shortly after this. A commotion is heard outside on the sidewalk and Nancy Landgraab and Clara Bjergsen look like they are going to fight each other. Something has happened because they both look so mad at each other.The next thing I know, Nancy Landgraab just comes right in the house. She didn’t knock on the door and no-one invited her in.Well, maybe someone did, because Erik is talking to that shrub again. He seems to find a lot of sims in those shrubs. Nosy neighbors!

Anyway, Nancy Landgraab comes in the house, looks around and then says she has to leave. I wonder if she was checking up on Toby and Erik. It was just rather strange because she is not an acquaintance of anyone in the house.With some cooking done, I have Viviana start on her painting. To move to the next level of the Painting Aspiration, she needs to sell 3 paintings to a collector. I pick the lowest value paintings. put them up on the wall, and sell them. These are the 3 she sells and she makes $235 simoleons. She must also complete 3 emotional paintings. She has done a playful one, so this might take awhile.

In the meantime, let’s have a peek at what everyone else is doing…Finn seems to be in top form today and is practicing his dribbling.In fact, it is such a nice day, that everyone heads outside to play basketball.Well everyone except Toby and Erik. I think Erik was reading bedtime stories to Toby because Toby is zonked out.

But wait, that’s not a bedtime story, it’s the mischief book. Erik, did you break the kitchen sink? Come on, admit it….Oh, almost forgot. Since no-one was autonomously using the workbench, I decided to replace it with a yoga mat. Maybe we can get the sims using that autonomously. We will find out. I may have to re-think the guitar, too, as no-one is using that either. But, for now, we will see how the yoga mat does.I have Viviana browse simpedia on the computer to get her in a focused mood, so she can complete another emotional painting. And it works!

She completes the focused painting and then heads off to work.Soon after, I get a notice that Mowgli has acquired the wellness skill! Yes! A sim is using the yoga mat. Now, I did add this to the club activities, so maybe that is the reason.Soon after, I get the same notice for Barbie. Alright! This is working out well.And even Finn tries yoga. Look at that yoga face! Oh but trouble lurks in paradise. The toilet has broken and so has the stereo. There is a long day ahead while Viviana is at work. I can see puddles and embarrassed moodlets from this. Why can’t one of these sims just repair the toilet?

I go to buy mode and look longingly at the unbreakable toilet, but they don’t have enough simoleons yet.And then I get a notification that Hannibal has acquired the guitar skill. Yes! There is hope for the guitar. Someone has autonomously used it! Finally! Oh sweet music to my…oh that sounds bad….uh…ok…well…Hannibal will improve.Oh the place is filthy. Look at the coffeemaker. And look at Sunny. She has been brewing a lot of coffee all day, and gets the coffee jitters moodlet from drinking too much coffee. At midnight when I look in her inventory, she has 6, yes 6 cups of coffee in there. Sunny….limit the coffee intake and get some sleep.Erik, not looking much better than Sunny, is complaining about the dirty dishes everywhere. Erik, unfortunately, has peed himself due to the broken toilet. Soon after, Barbie and Sunny pee themselves almost in unison.While the other residents are complaining about how dirty everything is, Toby is just so happy dancing in the trash.When Viviana comes home, she repairs the toilet right away and then the stereo.Viviana tries her hand at making a gourmet dish, some tempura. Oh! Maybe a bit too much oil! Whoosh!Toby and Erik head off to work and everyone else is just relaxing. Hannibal is trying out Viviana’s tempura and launches into a rather long story. Finn is thinking that one cup of coffee may not be enough to listen to another one of Hannibal’s tales. In the background, Sunny and Mowgli are playing a game of chess together.In one of the bedrooms, Barbie is talking to Viviana about some type of treasure map that she found when she was in the jungle. Viviana doesn’t know if this is true or if Barbie is just making this up. Was there treasure in the jungle?And just as Viviana is about to head to bed to dream about lost treasure, the washer breaks…

And with that, we bid good night to The Circle Asylum.

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Author’s Notes:

Lot traits today: Gnomes (broken things just seem to get mended overnight), Quake Zone and Filthy – maybe I should have changed those lot traits to gnomes sooner, because I think everything in the asylum broke today.

Bought the cooking, mixology, gourmet cooking, wellness and creativity boosts with club points.

Big Tip of the Day: I didn’t know this about the club feature before and this is a bit of a breakthrough. I do believe that when you add an item to the club activities, that the members of the club will do those activities. I always thought that if the club members autonomously did those activities that were listed as club activities that you would get points. I didn’t know that the club activities actually dictate that the members do those activities. This is a rather big revelation. Even though, as per the rules, you can’t control the other sims to do certain things, you could choose certain club activities and then the club members would do them when the club is in a gathering. Sort of like subliminal mind control! Muhahaha! Did anyone else know this?

Do you think I can do some mind manipulation and have them clean? I wonder…..

Viviana earned $184 simoleons, Toby and Erik earned $63 simoleons each and they both swiped something at work. They both took the same book from work “How I Dumped Your Father” worth $20 simoleons each.

Viviana’s skills: Cooking and Painting, level 6; Handiness 3; Fitness and Logic 2; Charisma, comedy, dancing, gourmet cooking and video gaming are all 1.

New friendships: Barbie and Mowgli are now friends.

With enough household funds, I purchase the unbreakable sweet escapes country toilet. Good bye puddles! Well, let’s hope.

Household funds: $384 simoleons left