Summerdream Family Album

Only a handful of snapshots was left from the Summerdream family's first week in New Maximiliania:

Their original house, seen from the back. 

The new house.

Titania and Oberon, the way they looked when the game started.

Puck, before I made him get rid of the terrible full-face makeup.

Bottom, before she grew up into a teenager.

The Summerdream Family: Week 3

- - - Update 18.5.2012 - - -
A lot has happened since I last played this household. Puck has, in the meantime, graduated Summa Cum Laude in Drama. At University, he met and fell in love with Angela Pleasant, and after graduating, the two of them moved to the Pleasant house. On Monday of their 3rd week in New Maximiliania, Titania and Oberon invite their son and the Pleasants over; it is about time they all meet, isn't it! For some unknown reason, Daniel does not show up.

But Bottom, Puck, Mary-Sue Pleasant, Titania and Angela Pleasant all share a friendly meal.

Titania loves Oberon, and vice versa; after their guests have left, she works on making their two-bolt-relationship a three-bolt-one. Changing her hair colour to blonde...

...and walking around in her undies does the trick: Oberon and Titania are now three-bolters! Titania has now 11 best friends, by the way.

On Tuesday, she meets and befriends DJ Verse...

and gets her Bronze Fishing Badge.

Oberon is promoted to University Guest Lecturer.

Bottom has received this kite - sorry, I've forgotten who gave it to her, but she seems to enjoy flying it.

On Wednesday, Oberon is promoted to High School Principal.

Someone (was it Mary-Sue Pleasant?) gave the Summerdreams a Hydrobot, and for a while, it worked just fine. On Wednesday night, it breaks, and starts spluttering water all over the garden. Good job there are steps leading into the house which present an insurmountable barrier for the Hydrobot!

The family are fast asleep, and so the Hydrobot can do his "work" all night - they wake up on Thursday to find the garden covered in water puddles and weeds.

Oberon repairs the Hydrobot, and together with Titania pulls all the weeds.

In spite of all the gardening, Titania has been eating a bit more than she actually needed to... and you can see the result :-)

On Friday, Oberon is made College Senior Professor.

The Hydrobot breaks again; this time, Bottom manages to turn it off before it can cause much damage, and repairs it.

Titania is forever on the phone, talking to her friends, either to turn them into best friends or to maintain good relationships.

On Saturday, Bottom follows in her older brother's footsteps and moves to college. Both her parents wave her good-bye.

"Now that both the children have left, we could go on a holiday, couldn't we," Titania suggests. She is now 7 days from Elderhood, and has 14 best friends. Oberon is 6 days from Elderhood and well on his way towards his lifetime want, too.

Are they going to travel? 
Who will be looking after Cyan when (and if) they go? 
Is Bottom going to meet someone new at college to capture her heart? (She has not met her boyfriend, Justin Kim, all week; and Daniel Bell has grown up in the meantime.)

[Note: since I played and wrote this in May 2012, Daniel Bell died in a fire at his house. Bottom has graduated from college and will return to her parents' house soon.]

The Summerdream Family: Week 2

You will not recognize this house as the one originally belonging to the Summerdream family; in fact, the first thing I did when starting to play the Summerdreams in New Maximiliania during their first week was to move them to a different house. Their old house was so impractical to play; just to get from the road to the entrance door took ages, and the whole architecture of the place was simply not very nice to live in. This lot came to our game with "Open for Business", and it is certainly big enough for a family of four - in fact, the whole top floor is still empty. Downstairs, we have a living room, study, kitchen, toilet and dining room; on the first floor, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. You all know the Summerdreams from your game - they originally lived in Veronaville - but still I want to introduce them to you:

Meet Titania, a Family Sim who wants to have 20 simultaneous best friends. When the second week starts, she has already 10 best friends; well done so far, Titania! With 21 days until Elderhood, she has plenty of time to reach her lifetime want. She has 3 bolts for - surprise, surprise! - Chester Gieke, but is not going to do anything about that.

Puck is Titania's son - adopted, according to the Maxis-written biography - but he looks very much like her, doesn't he? Puck's aspiration is Popularity, and his lifetime want is a lot more challenging than that of his mother: he wants to have 20 best pet friends. In only 3 days he will be an adult. He does not need to go to college for his lifetime want, but he really wants to go, so I will let him.

Puck's younger sister Bottom (who came up with that name!!) still has 13 days before she will grow up. She is a Fortune Sim and dreams of being The Law. At the moment, she goes steady with Justin Kim (two bolts), but is also very much in love with Daniel Bell.

Titania's partner (not married) and "father" (adoptive or not - who cares!) of Puck and Bottom is Oberon. Oberon wants to become Education Minister; a fitting goal for a Knowledge Sim. He has 20 days left before crossing the threshold to Elderhood and is right now working as a Substitute Teacher.

Last but not least is Cyan, the stray wolf that was adopted by Puck during the family's first week at the house (the account of which was lost, just like the first week of almost every household in New Max). I just love it when he gets his front paws up on the window sill and observes what is going on outside!

It also looks cute from outside :-)

On Monday, Puck meets and greets two more wolves: Alegra first...

...and then Bailey. Both leave before he has enough time to befriend them properly, and it is unlikely that he will see them again before he is going to leave for college. Still, he has to use every opportunity he gets to befriend pets, if he ever wants to reach Permanent Platinum.

Bottom is harvesting hydroponic plants. These career rewards objects were available to both Titania and Oberon when the game started with them having jobs in the slacker career.

By the way, Puck and Bottom are both A+ students at New Maximiliania's private school.

Funny how fast the snow melts :-) There are only a few Sim-minutes between this picture and the previous one!

On Tuesday, Oberon is promoted to Elementary School Teacher and comes home with his colleague Victor Aspir.

On Wednesday, Puck applies for scholarships (he gets one for his good grades and one for his dancing skills - honestly, he has never danced; there isn't even a stereo in this house!!) and shortly afterwards leaves for college, where we will be checking on him.

Oberon is unlucky with a chance card and is demoted to Substitute Teacher. It is only 10.40 in the morning, and so he walks straight back to work and returns home at 3.00 pm, being promoted back into his former position as Elementary School Teacher.

Typical teenage girl: Bottom has just washed her hands and the sink broke, but what does she do? Instead of starting on repairing the tap or mopping up, she admires herself in the mirror :-) (While I played this scene, I told my husband about it; his comment: "Somehow I can very well imagine you being like that when you were a kid!" :-D )

Titania gets her membership card for Games of Glory.

Sometimes the graphics bugs in our game are really daft! Look at Cyan - he is perfectly alright, looking out of the window, but because there is a chess table in front of it, it looks as if his head is mounted to the table top...!

Here, see for yourself; Cyan is fine :-) Bailey has come for a visit, but Puck is not here anymore.

Bottom has no cooking skills yet, and so it is hardly surprising that she burns the mac & cheese she has just attempted to make.

Very early on Friday morning, Oberon becomes a member at the Aspirational Laboratories.

It seems to be "Hobby Club Membership Day", because on the same day, Titania is invited to the Peerless Park.

Oberon is promoted to High School Teacher. Now he has the career rewards object, the book shelf which allows every Sim to study all the skills without leaving the comfort of their armchair. Ty Bubbler happens to walk by and is invited in.

Saturday, Titania is happy to find the ice sheet over their garden pond gone. A pretty fountain is installed, and she spends good part of the day fishing.

On Sunday, she dedicates some time to gardening and tends the Lemon tree she has had planted the other day.

Bottom wanted to go on a hike and took Cyan with her; when she comes back, a swarm of angry bees follows her.

But the hike has also brought a good result: she is now invited to the Peerless Park, too.

Sunday evening ends with Oberon and Titania at the dining table. 

Is this loving couple ever going to marry? 
Will Bottom have to decide between Justin Kim and Daniel Bell, or will she find her 3-bolt-man eventually? 
How is Puck doing at college? 
Well, at least the last question can be answered quite soon :-)