All just bricks in the wall: Hydrogen

I was taken, under military escort, to the storehouse to purchase books. Something told me that the key to restoring the world lay in the same science that had effectively destroyed it, so I purchased the most advanced texts on botany I could find, despite the fact that this left me with very little to furnish my tiny house. Then I was informed that I would be starting my job as an elementary school teacher the very next day, leaving me barely enough time for some canned soup and a quick rest.

After buying the 3 gardening books and a modest stilt based home, I had about $210 left. I couldn't afford a chess board, even, though it would be critical that I have one, and since the "world" has just started there's no snow around - meaning I have no source of fun. So I bought a kicky ball, purely for that purpose, leaving me with $185. I plonked down two more walls to start the bathroom, and that left only $35; add a hamper and now it is $10. Quick trip to get into Education, and then zeroed the funds as Monday rolled around.

I was working for one Dustin Langerak, who had clearly seen better days. You must forgive him for what happened later. His wife died of radiation poisoning, and his two sons were eaten by zombies - while I do not condone his actions, despair will do terrible things to a man. I got to know him quite well - it seemed to me that it would be useful to get one with my boss, and even I didn't see it coming. Judge him less harshly, I beg of you.

I was promoted rapidly; the business techniques I'd learned at boot camp seemed surprisingly applicable to teaching children. In my precious free time, I continually probed at the source of power all around me - my birthright, so close but still out of reach. And then the day came when I finally managed to grab - something.

The first day I started with the Grade Papers interaction to make friends with the boss. Although I don't think I'll actually have a graduation day for the founder, it never hurts to be prepared. Once he became a friend, I switched to Power Work and then Meet Coworkers when the bar filled; by the end of the day I had Middle School Teacher locked and enough cash to get a chess table. I invited Dustin over (he is a Friend, and I have a car), and played a bit of chess while I waited, but he was a no-show. After curfew, since it was Monday, I just war dialled him until it was time for bed.

At a promotion a day, by Friday I had Hydrogen as Assistant Principal with 3 days off. By having soup each day I'd collected a few empty bowls to lick clean as needed. So Friday she hit the chess board.

I wandered to a nearby park to contemplate exactly what had happened. Meditation eluded me, so I began talking to some others at the park, in part to work on my people skills that were becoming a key part of my job - it wouldn't be enough to know how to properly educate, I would also have to convince the military governor that she should follow my suggestions. It seemed like I had barely begun to socialise when I was informed by my new friends that I had best get back to avoid breaking curfew. Given the walking dead, bandits, and other dangers this seemed prudent advice.

Once Hopelessness is lifted, this will be needed to get the Dusty Old Lamp.

With the weekend arrived, it was time to declare my network of safe zones. For the sake of simplicity, since I'm using Sunset Valley I will simply use the suggested ones in the Military write up - the Langerak house, the Bachelor house, the Single Moms house, Maywood Glen, City Hall, and the Library. So off Hydrogen goes to Maywood Glen to meet some Sims and not coincidentally build her Charisma.

I became the District Superintendent, and immediately set about restructuring the schooling system. All of the atrocities you think you know about me - they are all in the textbooks that I wrote. I present myself for your inspection - and I ask you this question: even if I am a monster, am I not your monster? Am I not the monster you yourselves created?

More of that in your philosophy class; my autobiography is about history. With my full power I could have waved my hand and fixed the world, but I had but the barest fraction of my true abilities. There was, perhaps, one spell I could cast - a summoning spell. Dangerous. Anyone that answered the summons could easily find their own powers torn from them. Dared I risk my own kin in such a fashion?

You already know the answer.

Hopelessness and Education lifted. Hydrogen has 14 more days as a young adult - so time will not be a problem.

The tricky bit, in a nutshell, is this: if the lamp gives her a female genie, I can't marry her. There is a possibility I may get two tries (I have about 54 000 LTR points, and the lamp costs 30 000), but I won't get three. This won't be a problem for heirs; assuming I have at least one child of each gender I will simply not declare the heir until the genie is summoned. But it can kill off Hydrogen right here. So to maximise my chances, I save the game before rubbing the lamp, prepared to take the penalty points for a reload if necessary (it's better than failing the challenge).

Jeremiah Feliciano, summoned by my nascent power, and now doomed to the same world that serves as my own prison. The summoning process was worse than I had feared; not only did Jeremiah lose his powers, but he lost much of his memory as well. He could be of no assistance to me with his knowledge. But ... he was a male genie.

If I were to doom one of my race, I was already damned. So why not doom more? Why not doom my own children?

You can see why my own textbooks declare me a monster. But I am the monster that was needed.

Fortunately, I got a male genie, so with a sigh of relief I got right down to befriending him. I froze the lamp, purchased a stove to heat the lamp and then sold the stove, and then took it on a catacomb tour.

It was then a fairly simple manner to free Jeremiah and get married.

We djinn are not so different from humans after all. We breed in much the same fashion. After a small private ceremony, Jeremiah and I got to work producing the next generation.

Jeremiah is a young adult genie that has the traits Bookworm, Disciplined, Excitable, Frugal, and Party Animal. (Though note that I can change these with Mid Life Crisis now that Education is lifted). His lifetime wish is to be an Illustrious Author, which might just about be doable, but he has no skills at all at the moment.

Was it right to bring children into such a world? Right, wrong - does it matter? It was necessary. You may judge me from your privileged position in the future, but you judge me from a future that my actions brought about. Hate me if you will - I do not need your gratitude, but I will have your respect.

It's going to be interesting. I think I can find room for one cot, but it's going to be tight - and I'm not sure what will happen if I have twins. But that's fun for the next entry.