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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 25th Mar 2017 at 2:14 PM
Default Let's get (K)Dramatic! - Keeping up Appearances
Let's get (K)Dramatic! - Keeping up Appearances

After playing the Big Sister Challenge-- and loving it-- I was reminded of several Korean dramas I had watched over the years. The premise felt similar to the week-end family dramas, where a parent leaves or dies, and the older sibling has to rally the troops to keep the family going and successful. Since week-end dramas can also have a melodramatic edge, I decided to spice it up by throwing in a few requirements, including a romance.

Additionally, I created a bonus challenge version, which is a full Makjang, with flavors to choose from.


Scenario:

Parent A, at the cusp of elderhood, decides to adopt a child. Shortly after, though, Parent A meets Parent B and the two fall in snobby love with each other. They quickly marry and build a giant home in celebration of their moneyed splendor, with a butler hired and brought in to handle the daily needs. A baby is born from the honeymoon, the darling apple of their eyes and Parent A’s adopted child is pushed to a much lesser importance within the family.

Lonely and shy, the adopted child befriends the butler, who takes pity on the child, empathizing with the change in circumstances. The biological child, as well, adores the adopted sibling, preferring this sibling to the rapidly aging parents. For a few years, the family progresses along its way, growing in relationships and dynamics, until the two elderly parents meet an unfortunate end. The accident kills them both, and the children are left with a horrible surprise: Their huge house, with its grand furnishing and sprawling gardens, was the result of numerous loans and poor management. Only the bones of the house are left to the two, along with the butler, whose contract was of a specious nature. The will, as well, is a strange one:

“A great fortune will be bestowed to you both, upon biological child’s entrance into young adulthood. Until then, nothing of the house can be changed or demolished. From the furnishing left after repaying the loans, you may only sell one item a year to bring in additional funds. There must be at least one item left at the end.

If you adhere to these rules, you will receive the full balance of the trust, 250k simoleons, as well as the house itself.”


With these constraints guiding their lives, the two children must still attend school, pay their weekly bills, employ the butler and survive until young adulthood, all while keeping up appearances.



Family Reqs:

Two Parents
  • Both must be level 8 or higher in their career; cheats are allowed.
  • Both must be in the Elder life stage.
  • Both must have the Snob trait.
One adopted child - any gender
  • Must be a teenager at the time of the parents' death.
  • Must have the Good and Family Oriented traits.
  • Must be given the Big Happy Family trait.
One biological child - any gender (must be life stage below adopted sibling)
  • Must have the Snob and Materialistic traits.
  • Must have one of the two Fortune aspirations.
One Live-in Butler - any gender
  • Butler will be a potential romantic interest, so keep this in mind
  • Use cas.fulleditmode cheat to edit Butler to desired appearance and age down to Young Adult (must be life stage above adopted sim)
  • Must be given the Soulmate aspiration.

Relationship Reqs:
  • Adopted child must have full Friendship levels with adoptive parents and adoptive sibling.
  • Parents are indifferent with adopted child; full friendship with biological child; full love and friendship with each other.
  • Biological child must have full friendship with adopted sibling.
Lot Reqs:
  • Any size lot.
  • Total cost of build must be over 100k simoleons-- this value must only come from build items.
  • Furnishings can be as much as you like; must be a minimum, though of 25k.
  • If doing an apartment, must be an Uptown apartment.
  • Must have bedrooms for each family member plus butler.
  • Butler's area must be treated as a small apartment, with kitchenette, bathroom and living space; the contents can only value up to 5k.
Rules - General:
  • Lifespan must be Long.
  • Can only play/control adopted sim.
  • Must auto-play full family for one full Sims week; whichever skill is most advanced at the end of that week will decide how your adopted sim brings in additional funds.
  • Leave as fully autonomous and allow for one week to pass (ensure that the call to pay bills has passed at least once).
  • After one week, kill both parents off, using cheats or fabricated accidents.
  • Without changing any of the original build, delete various furnishings until only 25k simoleons are left (ignore the Butler's area). Note the unfurnished value from the World map screen, or within build to figure out the balance.
  • Butler's area must be locked for Butler only.
  • Lower family funds to 25k as well.
  • Only one piece of furnishing can be sold a week; it must immediately be replaced with a like item. For example, if the stove is sold, then a new one must be purchased.
  • Can use CC items, but the cost must be commensurate with a non-CC item’s usual price.
  • Must fulfill any whims that involve purchases for biological sim. Capped at one a day.

Rules - Adopted Sim:
  • Adopted sim must achieve an A in school before reaching young adulthood.
  • Adopted sim is not allowed any friends beyond Butler, sibling or immediate neighbor (see Makjang flavors).
  • Must turn down all invitations, except from Butler or sibling; can accept invitations to go over to neighbor's house, but not to go out in town.
  • Adopted sims cannot have a job until young adulthood; at that time, the only choices are Painter or Writer, so as to keep up with appearances.
Rules - Romance:
  • Once adopted sim reaches young adulthood, only Butler can initiate romance.
  • Cannot marry Butler until biological sim reaches young adulthood.
  • Can have a child with Butler, but child must stay in Butler’s quarters at all times.
  • If adopted sim marries the Butler, after the biological sim reaches young adulthood, they can move out with a fortune equal to the Butler’s pay since the game started (288 x number of days) with a bonus pay-out from fulfilling the will of 15k.

Makjang Flavors:
If you're unfamiliar with k-dramas, makjang refers to completely over-the-top television dramas in which totally insane things happen. There are certain expected tropes within this genre, and if the above was a kdrama that was to turn makjang on its viewers, the below variants would definitely make an appearance.

Makjang Version - Faux-Cest:
  • When ‘adopting’ the first sim child, do this by moving the sim in, or adding as a roommate from CAS; do not actually adopt.
  • Biological sim is cheated to be fully in love with adopted sim; adopted sim only has full friendship back.
  • Biological sim can have no other female relationships.
  • Biological sim must have Jealousy trait in additional to Snob and Materialistic.
  • ‘Adopted’ sim cannot initiate romance; only the biological sim can. Even once the relationship is initiated, only the biological sim may start romantic interactions.
  • ‘Adopted’ sim must be in another romantic relationship at the same time, preferably the Butler.
  • ‘Adopted’ sim can only reciprocate on romantic interactions once biological sim reaches young adulthood.
  • If ‘adopted’ sim chooses to stay with biological sim, rewarded with staying in the house and 250k simoleons to live off of as part of biological sim’s gain from the will.
  • If ‘adopted’ sim chooses someone other than the biological sim, biological sim’s relationship toward the ‘adopted’ sim becomes full hate for friendship with a full love bar.
Makjang Version - Harem + Hate to Love:
  • Can be done in conjunction with Faux-Cest variant.
  • Create a family that lives in one of the neighboring apartments or lots (must be immediately next to the current lot).
  • The neighboring family must consist of at least one counterpart who is the same life stage as the adopted sim, with one younger or older sibling.
  • Good neighbor must have Good and Cheerful traits.
  • Bad neighbor must have Mean and Gloomy traits.
  • Both must have the Soulmate aspiration.
  • If younger, cannot act on romance until of same life stage; if older, same difference.
  • The counterpart befriends the adopted sim; no cheats can be used for friendship.
  • Once friendship is maxed out, use cheat to have the counterpart in love with the adopted sim. Adopted sim can only have full friendship in return.
  • Counterpart’s sibling must be cheated to slightly dislike adopted sim, but with a half love bar; if friendship naturally increases to full, move love bar to full as well.
  • As with the other romantic options, adopted sim cannot initiate romance; however, once initiated, adopted sim can reciprocate fully.
  • If adopted sim, once biological sim reaches young adulthood, chooses either neighbor, adopted sim receives no funds from the will. The couple only receives what the adopted sim can earn in one Sim week before moving out.
  • If including both variants, possible love interests are now: Butler, faux-brother, good neighbor and bad neighbor.
Makjang Version - Birth Secret:
  • Can be done in conjunction with all of the above.
  • Have ‘adopted’ sim be the result of a liaison between Parent A and another sim; adoption story is all a LIE!
  • This missing parent sim should be given the Loner, Noncommittal and Romantic traits.
  • Missing parent must be placed in a different world from the played household.
  • If ‘adopted’ sim meets missing parent on a community lot, can only initiate interactions if the missing parent does it first.
  • Only four hours of socializing can be conducted per Sim week.
  • Can only meet outside of the home.
  • If seen by biological sim, must immediately leave.
  • If friendship bar is at 75 or higher once the biological sim reaches young adulthood, ‘adopted’ sim may choose to move in with parent and be fully re-united. There is no monetary award, but the 'adopted' sim does receive parent’s lot and funds when parent dies.
  • Romantic options can continue with all except for the biological brother if ‘adopted’ sim chooses to move in with parent.
Makjang Version - Amnesia:
  • Can be done in conjunction with all of the above.
  • Play the game all the way through to the biological sim reaching young adulthood.
  • Before the ‘adopted’ sim can decide who to romantically choose, have his/her side of all relationships reduce back to zero with the possible romantic interests.
  • Friendship/romance bars for the romantic interests remain where they are, it’s only the ‘adopted’ sim who’s forgotten everything.
  • Have all romantic interests and the ‘adopted’ sim go to Granite Falls on a long vacation.
  • You may alternatively simulate a ‘vacation’ by having all of the involved sims move into a new designated ‘vacation’ lot.
  • ‘Adopted’ sim cannot initiate any romantic interactions; it must come from the potential suitors.
  • All friendly actions must be initiated autonomously by the ‘adopted’ sim. Once the friendly social is initiated, you may continue for that sequence with two directed socials. Choose wisely.
  • At the end of the week, the suitor with the lowest friendship/romance points is out of the running.
  • Continue going, week by week, until a clear winner is left.
  • If playing with the Birth Secret variant, the parent’s opinion of the various suitors should also be considered. If a tie breaker is needed, whoever won over the parent’s admiration should be declared the winner.
Final Notes:
I've played this through three times now, having done the main game, main game + Faux Cest, and then all of the above. Had loads of fun with it, and by the time I finished, I realized I would really love to see someone else's story within this scenario. So please, have it, and feel free to add in your most Makjang versions. I hope someone comes up with a Truck of Doom or Noble Idiocy version. Switched at Birth would be a good one, too! Might just have to add that one in on the next go around.
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Test Subject
#2 Old 4th Jul 2017 at 6:18 AM
This Looks AMAAAAAZING, I'm gonna try this. But I might start with the parents as adults.
Test Subject
#3 Old 7th Jul 2017 at 6:01 AM
COOOOOOLLLL!!!!! I'm gonna try this one too!!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 17th Aug 2017 at 2:03 AM
Quote: Originally posted by iyannaw
This Looks AMAAAAAZING, I'm gonna try this. But I might start with the parents as adults.


I just dropped in to check in on this and saw replies! Did you end up trying it? How'd it go?
Lab Assistant
#5 Old 23rd Aug 2017 at 1:36 AM
I'll think about it, i'm in the middle of two challenges...
Lab Assistant
#6 Old 29th Aug 2017 at 12:02 AM
But is a great challenge!
Test Subject
#7 Old 9th Nov 2018 at 9:13 AM
this looks soooooo good, i'm going to try it !! i just can't choose the Makjang thingy for now, they're all so interesting oO
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