When the nukes come a-knockin’, don’t go a-flockin’…

Dear Mum,
I couldn’t think of anyone else to write to, though I suspect that these letters will never reach you. It feels better than writing to dear diary like a child, and imagining that I am speaking with you keeps me smiling, though it seems to scare the fish away.

“Miss, nice day in the neighborhood, isn’t it?”
“Didn’t a bunch of nukes explode…?”

Sometimes I feel like this must be a dream — people around me don’t seem to think that the world had just ended, though they certainly are suspicious enough of each other. In many ways I can imagine that I’m just in a dustier, deadlier suburban area, complete with houses, gnomes, and odd neighbors.

I was relieved beyond words when Raj came by and I realized that he had survived. The “neighbors” were nice and all, but there was something unsettling about them — like they were deep in their own psychosis, pretending the world was fine when it obviously was not.

“Mmmm, forkdogs!”

“Woman, there isn’t any cell reception in this house, the nukes fried our electronics… Lady, are you listening to me?”

Raj at least was willing to accept my offer of refuge, though he seemed hesitant.

“I’ll be trapped here, I just know it…”

His mother survived the explosions, though she seemed to be suffering dementia.

“Honey, nothing blew up, we still have our apartment. Casey could just move in with us…”

“Hey baby, if you thought those nukes were spectacular…”

I was nervous asking Raj to marry me, after everything. I sense he still didn’t quite trust me after that stupid Knight Night.

To my relief, he accepted.

“Oh yeah, I’m hot.”

The ceremony was beautiful in its own way.

“Ow, you’re poking my eye!”

“You have no idea how much I appreciate you moving into this hellhole, and accepting the reality of our situation.”

“Though I have to ask, did this come off of a dead person? Because I know there aren’t any jewelry stores anymore…”

“MMmmmffff WAIT IS THAT RADIOACTIVE DECAY?!”

I hope you are safe, mum. I am too, as best I can be.

Love,
Casey

Raj is a chef. He shall unlock cooking.

“Are you really going to make me eat this?”

Yes. Gotta preserve food!

Casey will unlock Criminal — Boss. This might seem odd, but it’s because the money cheats don’t work for me — not in Sims 2, not in Sims 4. Since I can’t follow those rules, then I’m going to unlock them early so I’m not cheating for several generations.

“I caught dinner! We won’t starve today!”

“How can the sink have a high-pressure leak when there is no plumbing?!”

Magic?

We need heirs.

And food. Hooray for wild plants!

Boy, that diner is the background sure ruins the idea of an apocalypse.

“Oh, honey, I never thought it would be like this — nuclear disaster, fish all over the floor, eating the fish and plants we found with minimal preparation… It just turns me on.”

“Ah, love, this is just how I imagined it — nuclear disaster, you fixing the sink–”
“Because you broke it!”
“True love!”

“Whoopee, per my Sim senses, I am pregnant.”

“Yes, pregnant!”
“Oh, happy day!”
*thinking* “Great, now I’ll have to clean up diapers too.”

For the record, when you see her on the computer, she’s trolling the forums for her job. And to meet the inventory requirements, we have a permanent pile of fish on the floor as at the time I started this, I didn’t have Outdoor Retreat and so I had to move them into family inventory. Said inventory is such a mess and my OCD Just wants to fix it but no, that’s cheating, can’t do that…

I can’t believe you’re making me repair the sink!

I think you can deal.

And person who decided to park their car outside my window with the lights on, can you not, you’re freaking me out.

I felt absurdly guilty about this. I prefer to move in the last people in a household when my Sims marry or whatever, but obviously I couldn’t for this challenge, and thus this poor woman died all alone with no contact from her son ever again.

Yes, I know they’re just Sims.

And that she clearly isn’t forgotten since she still calls us.

“I’m glad we’re able to get enough food to keep the baby healthy. And the stars are even peaking through the nuclear cloud cover!”

Too bad your husband broke the toilet and didn’t fix it.

“Oh– Oh, I didn’t know the baby could kick that.”

Shouldn’t you have the comically large wrench closing to the actual leak?

“Whatever, like it matters. Raj will just break it again by the end of the day.”

“I heard that.”
“You know it’s true.”
“You’re the germophobe around here!”
“I’m pregnant!”
“And before that?”
“Oh shut up.”

“Oh hi!”

So, because my game loves me, there was a sizable period of time during which I thought it was taking photos, but it wasn’t. I should have realized because there was no pop-up about the photos, but since there’s no shutter sound, I didn’t put two and two together.

This is Izaiah. I can tell you more about him later, as I only opened the game to get his name, and since mods were disabled from the update his mother no joke looked like a Sim in blackface since her skin is CC that was, again, disabled, and there was no way in HELL I was opening the household with that going on.

Thanks for the trauma, game!

So obviously, toddlers weren’t covered in the original apocalypse challenge. I was going to have it be similar to Sims 2 where you couldn’t leave them alone, but honestly the logistics of it were too much for me; there isn’t a lot of overlap between Raj and Casey’s schedules, but there is some on like, two days and having one of them get fired on generation one is just embarrassing. However, kids have to eat only fish and stuff same as the parents, and of course no baths or anything.

It’ll be great.

I mean, this family clearly already has enough problems. That is creepily good posture for a toddler. I suspect demonic possession.

“All right, kiddo, let’s read a book!”

Was I supposed to buy a bookshelf? I think so? Ugh, there’s no hope for me with this challenge.

“It’s okay, kiddo. Dad and I are working so you’ll have a better time of it than we are.”

Well, in theory.

“Oh my gosh, I think that was a ball I just ate!”
“Honey, could we just feed the child.”
“A BALL!”

Er, what did Raj catch that is so fascinating to the kid?

“It have eyes!”

Raj has aspirations related to family, so even if he is a slob, I guess at least we have that. Well and the shoo-in for Culinary.

Now if he’d get his ass off of the computer, that’d be great!

So apparently you can’t feed toddlers rotten food. They eat one bite and then go “I don’t think so, punk.”

Raj apparently decided that fish-dog-flambe would be appropriate.

“Rawr, hand monster attack block!”

You know, I look at this photo and think, what is Raj doing with his hands? What is Izaiah’s grand plan with that block? And why can’t I think of a good caption for it?

“My nails look pristine! Block buffing works!”

This photo would be cute if Casey didn’t appear to be having a psychotic break.

“Yesssss, yes, listen to the story, Izzy, for soon you shall join it…”

“Promotions, promotions! I know I’m getting closer to the gang’s secret… I can smell it!”

It was your toddler, actually.

“OW! Izzy! What have I told you about headbutting Mom’s knee?”

“Me sick of food! Cast magic stench on it!”

Oh, good, did I break my own rules about what to feed the toddlers?

And Izaiah is clearly miserable already, Raj, he doesn’t need butt fumes to go with it.

“But I can fart Mozart!”

“I can’t believe I thought that would make Izzy laugh, but it just made him cry! I’m such an embarrassment.”

I mean, your wife doesn’t appear too concerned.

I zoomed this photo in and I’m still not sure what that is an icon of.

“I wish this plate would become magically empty so I can get some rest!”
“I wish we could have a smoke detector instead of just a rock under a satin blanket!”
“I wish my performance was better than a flat–”

“Pawents kick me upstairs. Me read Shakespeare alone.”

Well we aren’t going to get spares any other way, kiddo!

Nice mob outfit, Casey.

“Can I eat bug? It land on food and I think it pretty! It taste crunchy!”
“*thinking* Why did I want another one of these, again?”

“Ugh, the apocalypse is terrible for my neck pain!”

But look at your spiffy outfit! Moving up in the chef and mob worlds!

Look, Casey, I know everyone else is dead or whatever, but is that kind of radiation exposure good for the fetus?

“To infiltrate the hippie commune, I must smell like the hippie commune.”

“Oh god, Raj, the baby is coming!”
“That’s great but I’m hungry, so….”

“Gosh, this doesn’t feel like Izzy did! Where is my stupid husband?”

“Gee, she sure is screaming a lot up there. I wonder if I should check on her?”

Survey saaaaaays…

We’re fucked!

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Will the family ever lift careers and save their three children from radioactive hell? Here’s hoping, or this story will have an awkward ending, won’t it?

‘Til next time.