(The title is still a working title. My original one was already used by someone else, so I need to think of a new title.)

What this challenge is- I based this challenge off of that old saying 'like a fish out of water.' Basically you play a mermaid(or man) and your sim lives in a desert. You'll have to try and survive with limited water.

Requirements- You will need Island Living for this, for mermaids. You can also have Strangerville if you want to use that world instead of Oasis Springs.

Rules- You must stay in the world you started with. You must choose either an empty lot or empty house. No cheats, unless you want to ruin the 'challenge' part. No pools can be on your lot (this is only at the start. Eventually you can build your own pool). Start with no money, so any simoleons you have after buying the lot must be removed.

Story- Your sim is a mermaid(man) and they wake up in the desert with the only memory of who they are is their name. They will not know they are a mermaid (they will discover that in time). They have no money, so they can't travel out of the town they woke up in.

Getting started- Create a mermaid(man) sim. Make them a Young Adult(or if you want a teen and have 'relearn' one of their traits and age them up when they do). When you start in the world, you're only option for hydration will be baths, showers, and drinking water. Your sim won't learn they are a mermaid until they take a bath for the first time. Think of this as basically a rags to riches. They start with nothing and try to gain their memory back and get enough money to get home when they remember where that is.

They will start off going trying to just live and get money. Once they remember they are a mermaid, they will also need to remember to keep hydrated so they don't dry out. Through the course of the challenge, you're sim with build up a small house. They will eventually meet another sim and fall in love. Once they have the money to 'pay' to travel back to Salani, they will have to choose between staying with their new life, or going to their old home.

You sim can't get a job. Once they have a small shelter, they must make at least one non-occult friend. If they make more friends you'll have more of a choice for who they fall in love with. Once your sim has a small house (one bedroom, one bathroom, kitchen and living room) they may build a pool to swim around in. When they have all that, they must fall in love with one of their friends. After that they have two choices; raise 10,000 simolians (unrealistic, I know, but a realistic price seemed a little too easy) and travel back to Salani, or stay in their new home and get married and start a family.

Ways of Making Money- No jobs. Instead, your sim will have to collect and/or make things to sell. Your options are; any collectible, growing planets and harvesting them, fishing, woodworking, and painting (If I missed something, please tell me).

Relationships- I'm not going to put any limit one who your sim can fall for. They will meet the sim they fall in love with while out on the town (to a bar, or you could even place a neighborhood pool or something in the world) And the relationship will start as just friends. Once they become good friends, a romance can start forming. Once your sim gets the 10,000 simoleons required, they will have the choice to either go home or stay and marry the sim they love. If you choose to go home, then the challenge can end. If you decide to have them marry the other sim, you can continue and have your sim have kids. I'm leaving the ending open for now so people can choose their own ending.

(This is everything that I have for now. I hope to add more later, like requirements for gaining memories back. Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I have right now. And I hope that if you decide to try this challenge that you'll have fun with it. I'm also looking for feedback, so any would be very appreciated.)

I'm doing a rags to riches challenge with four mermen brothers right now, but I'm tempted to try this next.

On a personal note, after attempting to raise a family and ending up with three toddlers, got twin sisters, I've been trying to avoid romance and starting a family. The high chairs man. Them high chairs.

However, I've been experimenting with adapting to life outside as a substitute for a bedroom. Basically, they have to get the Heat and Cold Acclimation, Heatproof, Iceproof, and Storm Chaser Traits so they can sleep in the ocean. I'm going to start watching their needs in case these traits have an impact on them beyond simply being affected by weather and temperature. One of my sims has the heatproof and heat acclimation trait. He doesn't seem to need to be rehydrated as often. Then again, their hydration gets restored every time they sleep for the night.

In a rags to riches thread, I got inspired and thought of a potential modification to the construction of a home.

Mandatory Steps
Before you can complete the main goals for this challenge you must meet the qualifications listed below. Once you have completed one of these goals you can move on to the main goal it is paired with.

Mandatory Steps for Building a Bathroom :
• You must have a level 2 in the handiness skill and 3 levels in logic.
• You must pay a fine of $500 to the city for noise disturbances before you begin building.

Level 2 Handiness Unlocks the first Bathroom Upgrades.

Mandatory Steps for Building a Bedroom:
• You must have a level 4 in the handiness skill and 4 levels in logic.
• You must pay a fine of $500 to the city for noise disturbances before you begin building.

Level 4 is an Upgrade Milestone

Mandatory Steps for Building a Kitchen/ Dining Room:
• You must have a level 5 in the handiness skill, a level 5 in Cooking, and 6 levels in logic.
• You must pay a fine of $500 to the city for noise disturbances before you begin building.

Level 5 Handiness unlocks the first Kitchen upgrades.
Level 5 Cooking makes cooking result in minimal fires with better quality food. Gourmet Cooking is unlocked.
Level 6 Logic is an experience milestone.

Mandatory Steps for Building a Family Living Room:
• You must have a level 7 in the handiness skill and 7 levels in logic.
• You must pay a fine of $500 to the city for noise disturbances before you begin building.

Mandatory Steps for Building a Study:
• You must have a level 8 in the handiness skill and 9 levels in logic.
• You must pay a fine of $500 to the city for noise disturbances before you begin building.

Mandatory Steps for Building a Pool (or Hot Tub and Bar):
• You must have a level 10 in the handiness skill and 10 levels in logic.
• You must pay a fine of $500 to the city for noise disturbances before you begin building.
(In Sulani with a waterfront property that does not allow the construction of pools below ground) Hot Tub and Bar:
• You must have a level 10 in the handiness skill, a level 4 in Mixology, and 10 levels in logic.
• You must pay $500 for the blueprint.

Mandatory Steps for Building a Garden:
• You must complete the Mandatory Steps for Building a Home. (For me, it would be every room at least once.)
• You must have your handiness skill up to level 7 and your gardening skill to level 5 before you can begin building or placing items outside.
• You must have at least one bedroom with a bed, a bathroom with a toilet and shower, a living room/kitchen (this can be one room but you must have these basic items) fridge, counter, sink, stove, table, chair, fire alarm and a couch.
• Blueprints cost $500.

Mandatory Steps for Getting a Job:
• You must have a home address before applying for a job. Complete the Mandatory Steps for Building a Home.
• Have one of each in your home: a bed, a toilet, a shower, a sink, a stove, a counter, a chair and a fridge.

The rags to riches challenge mentions that you can't place anything on the lot without owning a home first. Since this challenge prevents traveling to other worlds, I'm thinking a good adjustment would be to restrict money making hobbies to the ones that allow your sim to carry whatever their tool is.

Income limitations:
Level 1: Homeless
Homeless sims have no home.
Level 2: Small Camp
A small camp has a bed and bathroom.
Level 3: Watering hole
A kitchen/ dining room.
Level 4: Refreshing Spring
A living room and garden.
Level 5: Oasis
A study and pool.

Level based income gathering limitations
Level 1: Homeless
Easel for Painting
Violin and Guitar for tips
Harvesting and sales of wild plants
Collecting and selling collectibles

Level 2: Small Camp
A sales table
Woodworking table
other less mobile crafting tables

Level 3: Watering hole
This mostly opens up a better standard of living and gives you a place to put things inside your house.
Basically, anything you can put inside your pseudo home is fair game. I'm unsure about what that can be.
Photography

Level 4: Refreshing Spring
Grow plants on your lot and sell them.
Observatory Prints
Microscope Prints
Self-employment

Level 5: Oasis:
I haven't reached a point where I can think of anything. At this point, you should have a complete home and multiple ways to increase your income.

Fun note, there's a secret area in oasis springs that has great collectibles, having a max handiness skill is required for access.

Self-Employment might be something to consider once they have a home. Self-employed sims make money by producing a product. They do not make money the same way normal careers produce income. Most of the ways you get money in rags to riches can be a form of self-employment with career levels. I think allowing self-employment would be a great addition to this challenge, but I'm still waiting to test the mechanics during my rags to riches playthrough.

It's been a while since I logged in to my account on here and I decided to check out if anyone actually liked this challenge. I want to thank you for adding more to this challenge to make it better. This is my first real challenge that I made and while I really didn't expect anyone to find interest in it, I really like what you did for the challenge. I hope anyone else that has done or are planning to do this challenge enjoy it.