The Riley-Cho Household: Update 12.05.2013

Last time we were visiting with the Cho-Riley-household (click here for their previous week), three of the four adults had already reached Permanent Platinum, which means I am not controlling them except for making sure they greet their neighbours walking by. An interesting development had just begun: Since his wife Vivian's death, technically speaking Timothy Riley is not related to his step-daughter Etsu Cho any longer, and the two of them showed three bolts for each other, regardless of their age gap. Although I was not happy about this, I resolved to let my Sims decide for themselves whether to act on this or not. 
At the same time, Sally Riley (Timothy's daughter and Etsu's step-sister) never quite managed to stay away from Hal Capp, Etsu's live-in lover and father of young Charlie, Etsu's son. (Hal and Sally are also a 3-bolt-couple.) All the ingredients for drama were there, and I was looking forward to playing the next week at this rather unusual household. Besides, I've always had a soft spot for Sally Riley - we have the same surname!

On Monday morning, Sally and Hal think they can sneak in a kiss at the top of the stairwell while Etsu is asleep - but just at that moment, Etsu gets up and comes out of the bedroom.

"Umm... well... hello, good morning, Etsu..."

Etsu is clearly NOT pleased!

But only after she finds Hal and Sally in bed together does she really start a huge row with Hal. Can't blame her, can you!

Sally tries to lighten the mood and tells Etsu to "hang loose", but she won't hear any of it.

Seemingly unfazed, Hal goes to work and comes home with a promotion to Restauranteur. (He is the only one of the adults in this household who is not on PP yet; his LTW is to be Celebrity Chef.)

Early on Tuesday morning, Charlie looks out of the window and finds that it has started to snow.

Soon, the house, garden and the entire neighbourhood are covered in a thick blanket of snow.

When Charlie learns that it has snowed so much that the school bus won't come and the school stays closed for the day, he is clearly happy!

One of his wishes was to buy a birdcage and have a bird. Etsu consents on him having Kiki, a white Kakadu.

And the thing I half expected, half dreaded, happens on that same Tuesday: Timothy and Etsu fall in love! Now that Hal has cheated on Etsu with Sally, it seems they throw conventions to the wind and allow the three-bolt-attraction she and Timothy have discovered for each other to take over.

Hal still likes Etsu a great deal. He has just finished a painting of her. But Sally - well, Sally is his 3-bolt-lady, and he simply can't resist that.

Charlie enjoys playing with Kiki.

When he finds his mother flirting with his grandpa, he is shocked.

Timothy tries to explain to his grandson that love is indeed very complicated, but that him and Etsu loving each other now in a different way than before does not mean that they love him, Charlie, any less. 
See Kiki the Kakadu in the background? Whenever his cage is open, he flies out and gets stuck at that same corner. Very annoying, since Sims can't get past him but have to walk all the way around the house to the back door.

Not even with "move_objects on" can I remove Kiki. But I can remove the cage, and then after a while the bird disappears... After several tries, and always ending up with Kiki getting stuck at that corner, I give up and sadly Charlie can't keep Kiki.

Wednesday is yet another Snow Day for Charlie. With everything going on at his home, you'd think he'd be glad to go to school, but he much prefers staying at home.

His best friend Deirdre Dreamer, Dirk Dreamer's half-Alien daughter, comes visiting. Never too much snow for that, is there!

"Grown-ups are a puzzle to me," Charlie tells his friend when the two of them sit down together to watch a movie.

Later, Hal reads a story to his son. He knows it is important now that he keeps reassuring Charlie of his love and attention.

It is Thursday, winter is over and spring has arrived once more in New Maximiliania. Time for Sally to change into something more spring-like than the blue knit-dress she wore all winter.

A rather serious looking Charlie brings home his first A+ today.

Sally has been friendly and polite with Etsu throughout the week, but Etsu still can't forgive her. (You would think Sally doesn't feel comfortable with her step-sister and her own father being in love, either! But she never shows any sign of disapproval towards Timothy or Etsu.)

She never thought she would lose Hal to Sally - and gain Timothy.

Hal returns from work with his last promotion: He is now a Celebrity Chef and has reached his LTW, 13 days from Elderhood. Now Charlie is the only member of the household whom I am controlling, everybody else can do what they want.

For Hal and Sally, doing what they want means being constantly flirting and kissing...

...as well as cuddling under the stars.

If you have been playing this game from Day One like I have, you can still see things happening for the first time: In this case, I discovered that a Sim can "read to sleep" a child when the child is in bed! Timothy did this on his own accord, and when he finished reading, Charlie showed an increase in film & literature enthusiasm. 

On Saturday, Sally reads to Charlie. By now, things between the two couples and for the boy seem to have settled; everybody is on speaking terms again.

Still, Charlie asks his Mom to explain about cheating. All the goings-on of this week really must have been very upsetting to him.

Sally is rather daft in that she never prepares a meal for herself. Instead of having something to eat, she stays outdoors almost all night, hugging and kissing Hal. Well, Sally, you have a fully stocked fridge in the kitchen, and you know the way!

On Sunday evening, Charlie grows up into a teenager. He ends up with the Fortune aspiration, but I don't know his LTW yet.

As I said, everybody is on speaking terms again. Hal - who looks more like a Rock Star than a Celebrity Chef in his everyday clothes - jumps with enthusiasm when he tells Sally of a new CD he has heard about. The young man behind Sally is Lee Broke, he was invited hin when he happened to walk by earlier that day.


When it'll be time to come back to this household, I think early on during that week Timothy will be visited by the Grim Reaper. He is now 76, and his lifetime bar looks almost up. Hal, Etsu and Sally are all still 10 days from Elderhood.