The Singles Family Album

Here are some snapshots that I managed to retrieve from the first week at the Singles household in New Maximiliania:

 The Maxis-made house, as it looked like when the four Singles first moved in.

 Lola, Chloe and Erin having dinner.

To begin with, the four girls shared one bedroom and could only afford the cheapest of beds. Then Erin moved out, and in with Nervous Subject (whom she married later). And then, Kristen met Checo Ramirez, her 3-bolt-love; he left his family for her and moved in with her, giving a very welcome boost to the household bank account.

The house seen from the back, with the new upper floor added (bedroom and bathroom for Checo and Kristen).

Kristen and Checo. Not only did he bring some money, he was also a much better cook than the girls :-)

 Kristen with Silvia shortly after she was born.

Checo with his baby daughter.

Lola meeting Beaumont DeBateau for the first time.

Lola moving in with Beaumont: http://mekssims2.blogspot.de/2012/11/the-debateau-family-week-5.html

Lola's final years: http://mekssims2.blogspot.de/2012/12/chastity-gere-at-debateau-house.html

The Singles Household: Week 5

- - - Update 1.4.2012 - - - Everyone is sad about Checo's death.

His daughter Silvia starts to paint melancholy landscapes.

When Kristen returns from work on that Friday night, she turns into an Elder.

Saturday, Silvia does not have to go to school and is glad to welcome Pauline Aspir, who happens to walk by. Maybe spending time with someone her age will help take her mind off her father's death for a while.

Chloe maximizes her mechanical skill.

Sunday, Silvia is glad to have another lie-in before school starts again on Monday.

Oliver Ottomas, another classmate of Silvia's, joins the Singles for their Sunday dinner, consisting of well-spiced bowls of chili con carne. "I do hope you'll get your final promotion soon, auntie Chloe," Silvia says.

Not long after that meal, Chloe turns into an Elder. Silvia now shares the house with three elderly ladies.

While she spends the evening upstairs, painting as usual, she is given a plaque for maximum enthusiasm in arts & crafts.

Monday is Snow Day, and Silvia does not have to go to school. Tuesday goes by without anything worth mentioning. Wednesday, Chloe and Lola, who had been at ill terms with each other for quite a while now because of Don Lothario, finally make up and are friends again. "The two of us are half-sisters, after all, we shouldn't be quarrelling over someone like Don," Chloe reasons.

On Thursday (another Snow Day for Silvia!), Chloe is finally promoted to Criminal Mastermind, thus having reached Permanent Platinum at the age of 57.

On Friday, one of the first days of spring, Silvia dons the pretty dress made for her by Lisa Ramirez (or was it Tessa?). You better take a good look - this will be the only time you'll be seeing Silvia in this dress, and the last time we'll see her as a teenager: she has just phoned for a taxi to take her to college.

We leave the Singles with Lola being 67, Kristen being 61 and Chloe 59 years old. I don't know how much Lola has now earned from her money trees and the constant selling of paintings, but I suspect she is still quite far off from reaching 100.000 Simoleons.

The Singles Household: Week 4

- - - Update 28.1.2012 - - -
We return to the Singles household because it is Checo Ramirez' turn on the alphabetical list. Kristen Singles is promoted to Smuggler on Monday.

On Tuesday, from all the books on mechanics she's been studying, she is given her membership card to Will's Garage - not that she has any ambition to go there.

Checo has learnt that his daughter Tessa Ramirez has graduated Summa Cum Laude in History, and now he tells his second child, Silvia Singles (Tessa's half-sister), how happy it will make him when eventually she'll graduate as well, and then their little (half-)brother, Ramon. Silvia says nothing... does she sense her ageing father won't live long enough to see her even entering college, let alone graduate?

Tuesday night, Chloe has been made Smuggler, too, and is again on the same career level as her friend Kristen. On Wednesday morning, she, too, gets her ticket to Will's Garage.

Still on Wednesday, Kristen maximizes her mechanical skill; earlier today, she has already maxed out her creativity, just as her daughter Silvia has done the day before.

On Thursday, Kristen reaches permanent platinum by being promoted to Criminal Mastermind. In another two days, she will become an Elder. Looks like Chloe has lost the career race against her friend.

To cheer up, Chloe invites her 3-bolt-man Don Lothario over... and he does indeed cheer her up, but that does not go down well with Lola!

Still, Don keeps walking past the house. He obviously fancies Chloe as much as she fancies him.

On Friday night, at the age of 69, Checo Ramirez is given his very last cocktail and then follows the Grim Reaper and his Hula Girls to the afterlife. The housemates are distraught; Kristen is at work and does not yet know what has happened. Checo's wife Lisa (they never officially divorced, on the contrary, even after Checo moved in with his 3-bolt-love Kristen, there remained a red heart between him and Lisa) is left 17.600 Simoleons, his daughter Silvia Singles gets 9.900 and his youngest child, Ramon Ramirez, gets 8.400 Simoleons. All in all, eleven people benefit from Checo's death financially, and he died on Platinum, although not on permanent, since only one third of his lifetime want came true.

Since there is no Ramirez left in this household, my playing ends here - I will be back when the Singles' surname is next on the alphabetical list, and move to Lisa Ramirez' household instead.

The Singles Household: Week 3

- - - Played and written on 22.10.2009 - - - 
On returning to the Singles / Ramirez household, we find Checo doing his yoga exercises in the kitchen. Certainly a good way to keep fit, regardless of age!

Kristen is painting upstairs.

And Lola can be found never too far away from her money trees :-) On this Monday, she crosses the threshold of earning 8.000 Simoleons. Well, Lola, you still have a lot of work to do if you ever want to make 100.000!

Silvia comes home from school accompanied by Placido Picaso.

Chloe is promoted to Cat Burglar, while Kristen is once again demoted for the wrong decision with a chance card and back to being a humble Getaway Driver.

I have Checo trying to tame the skunk, but he is not successful.

Tuesday sees him increasing his fitness level even further. Well, he does want to live long enough to see his three children graduate from college, after all!

Silvia has her own reasons to be happy today: she brings home her first A+ report! Her mother is now back to her former job as Bank Robber.

On Wednesday, Chloe receives her membership card to the Platinum Gym.

Kristen is now a member of the Platinum Gym, too, and has been promoted to Cat Burglar today.

Cedric Cooke, Julien Cooke's half-Alien son, is one of Silvia's class mates. He seems to be pleased to meet someone the same skintone has himself :-) Lola can not be seen in this picture, but she has earnt 10.000 Simoleons today - a 10th of her lifetime want, and she is only 3 days away from Elderhood!

Friday evening, Silvia turns into a teen - but, oh my, this horrendous, non-matching outfit can not stay! Her aspiration, determined by lot, is indeed Knowledge - just like I thought when she kept getting these learning-related wishes when she was still a child :-) Her lifetime want matches that of her mother - she, too, wants to be a Criminal Matermind one day. Isn't it a bit sad that she does not see a more honourable way of using her bright mind?

This summer dress (and the slightly changed hairdo) are better, I think. It happened to be in her wardrobe, and so I decided not to send her to a community lot to buy new clothes.

Her corner has not changed much, but there are more books and magazines now, and the old childlike painting has gone.

On Saturday, Chloe is promoted to Counterfeiter.

Silvia receives her membership card to the My Muse II - Arts & Crafts Studio. But this is not all that's worth reporting on this beautiful sunny Saturday in the Maximilianian summer; Silvia has invited a special guest for dinner:

The Headmaster of New Maximiliania's private school! As a Knowledge Sim, it is her understandable wish to become a student there, and everyone helps in making the evaluation visit a success. In the end, she gets into the Private School with 94 out of 90 points, thanks last but not least to her dad's great cooking skill.

On Sunday evening, Lola almost does not manage to greet Jane Stacks because her own age-transition happens at that moment.

Kristen is now a Counterfeiter, too, being once again on the same career level as Chloe.

We end this week with a close-up of Lola as an elderly Lady; she is still pretty, I think, and has just earned 12.500 Simoleons.
The race is still on - who is going to be Criminal Mastermind first, Kristen or Chloe? 
Is Silvia going to have a boyfriend next time we visit the family? 
How long will Checo have to wait before even one of his children graduates? 

We'll see, shall we? :-)

The Singles Household: Week 2

Welcome to the second week at the Singles household; sadly, the entries to the first week do not exist anymore, because I deleted all the thumbnails when for several months we were not able to upload our stories to the exchange. So, let me give you a brief overview: The Singles household consisted originally of Chloe, Erin, Kristen and Lola Singles from Strangetown. Erin moved out, joining Nervous Subject at his new place elsewhere in New Max. Kristen met her three-bolt-love in Checo Ramirez, and Checo left his wife and daughter for her and moved in, making it necessary to have an upper floor added to the house.

Here you can see Checo Ramirez with his daughter Silvia; Kristen is her mother. Silvia has a half-sister and half-brother: Tessa and Ramon still live with Lisa, Checo's wife (legally, they are still married), at their original house, and the siblings have never met. Checo's lifetime want is to graduate 3 children from college. I doubt that he will make it, but we'll see.

Kristen is an aspiring Criminal Mastermind; you can see her here early on Monday morning, when she is given her membership card to the My Muse II - Art Studio.

Lola, a Fortune Sim, dreams of earning 100.000 Simoleons during her lifetime. Because she does not hold a regular job and at the beginning, the household was really struggling to pay the bills, I have allowed her to keep three money trees. She diligently harvests and waters them every day, and also receives some money from giving financial consulting on the Simternet as well has having stock tips work for her in the background, and whenever anyone in the house has finished a painting, she sells it.

Chloe (right) shares Kristen's lifetime want, and at the moment the two housemates are on the same level of the criminal career: they have just been promoted to Getaway Drivers.

Here you can see them again, this time in their new work outfits.

On Wednesday, Kristen is promoted to Bank Robber, while Chloe is demoted due to having taken the wrong decision with a chance card - she is now a Con Artist again (at least she was not fired!).

Chloe finds a way to console herself over the demotion: she invites Don Lothario over and they... erm... "celebrate". Don is Chloe's 3-bolt-love, but because his lifetime want of having woohoo with 20 different Sims is not yet fulfilled, Chloe does not want to settle down with him, at least not yet. From the scene Lola is causing here you can tell that, at some stage, she has made it on Don's list as well.

On Thursday, Chloe gets her old job as Getaway Driver back.

Checo greets Erin Singles, who used to live here before moving in with Nervous Subject.

Oops... looks like Don has "met" almost all the Singles...!

An occurrence I have observed rarely in my game: A Sim getting so hungry that they search their host's dustbin for something edible!

An odd graphics bug makes little Silvia cling to her daddy while he does nothing to support her.

Erin has been coming back regularly since that jelousy scene in the bedroom, and keeps throwing the dustbin over. Checo does not work, so it is often he who goes out to clean up the mess.

Lola has just made 5.000 Simoleons. Still a loooooooong way to go before she reaches her lifetime want!

It is still Thursday, and we see Checo outside looking slightly alarmed. But why?

That's why! He has just turned into an Elder.

At the same time, upstairs, his daughter Silvia has grown from Toddler to Child.

Her corner in her parents' bedroom is quickly furnished with a bed, desk and chair fitting her better than the crib and changing table.

On Friday, she goes to school for the first time. She looks a bit apprehensive there; maybe she is wondering whether she will meet her half-sister Tessa there.

Lola maximizes her enthusiasm for arts and enters the zone.

Checo does the same with cuisine...

...and proudly displays his hobby enthusiasm plaque on the bedroom wall, right there with his food contest prize.

On Saturday, Chloe is promoted to Bank Robber and thus on the same career level with Kristen again. She needs to improve her creativity skill if she wants another promotion, and uses the career rewards object to do that.

It's a fine day in early spring, and mother and daughter enjoy the fresh air.

Checo thinks it is about time Silvia meets her half-sister and invites Tessa over. He has not seen her for a while, and although he has almost 90 relationship points for her, they are not friends; she refuses to be hugged or kissed by her dad and does not even want to accept a gift from him (well, Checo, maybe you were a little ill-advised there with the green potholder... it's not the most exciting gift for a girl Tessa's age, is it!). Still, she spends the afternoon with her dad, and they talk and even have a waterballoon fight.

She never manages to talk to her half-sister on that day, though, because Silvia really wants to study Physiology (quite an unusual wish for such a young Sim - maybe she is destined to be a Knowledge Sim?).

Later, when she needs some fun, she starts rope-skipping - and a very convenient bug allows her to maximize her body skill very quickly.

Finally, on the Sunday, Tessa is invited over again, and this time, it is Silvia to greet her half-sister. The girls get along fine and are friends before the afternoon is over.

When is Silvia going to meet her little half-brother Ramon? 
What is Lola going to do to reach her lifetime want? 
Does Chloe have a chance with Don, when he will be ready to settle down eventually? 
Will Checo live long enough to see his three children graduate from college? 
How long is it going to take Kristen and Chloe to become Criminal Masterminds? 

Watch this space - and you'll find out :-)