Family names and related posts

Tuesday 30 July 2013

The Thomas-Bubbler-Household: Week 5

(For week 4, click here.) 


The Bubbler-Thomas or Thomas-Bubbler household is at the beginning of their next week in New Maximiliania. Sam Thomas has already reached her LTW of becoming General some time ago, while Ty Bubbler still has his work cut out for him: he dreams of owning five top level businesses, and so far has managed two.

On Monday morning, the couple have breakfast together and plan their week ahead.

It's going to be a very busy week, but they both know that some recreational time is also very important. Therefore, after finishing breakfast, clearing the table and washing the dishes together, they build a snowman in the front yard.

Ty sells his community lot shop, "Bubbler's Bubbles" (he had been selling party balloons and bubble blowers there), since it had reached rank 10 at the end of last week. He is now ready to set up another home business.

This time, it is not "Bubbler's Bubbly" (his first home business was selling champagne and wedding cakes) but "Bubbler's Blossoms", selling plants and flowers.

On its opening day, "Bubbler's Blossoms" reaches rank 1. The customers you can see here are Ellen Frost and Jill Smith.

Melody Tinker is actually the one to be responsible for rank 1.

At 6.00 pm on that day, first Ty turns into an Elder...

...and then Sam. They used to be a firm 3-bolt-couple, but with elderhood, they went back to two bolts for each other.

On Tuesday, the shop quickly rises through ranks 2, 3 and 4. (The lady in the background with the curious facial expression is Alex O'Mackey.)


Ty gets a "best of the best" award and proudly displays it on the counter.

On Wednesday, Sam tries to revive their old 3-bolt-attraction by changing her hair colour. Unfortunately, no "real" brown hair is available to her, only this "custom" hair (although I do not have any custom content in my game!), and it does not alter the 2-bolt-status.

The shop reaches rank 5.

Now that Sam and Ty are both elders, they do not have the same nearly endless energy as before. But they do have plenty of money, and so it is decided that they get to hire a gardener on a regular basis, and call the repair service whenever anything needs fixing.

This allows them to spend more time looking after the shop and their customers, and they are rewarded with rank 6.

On Thursday, not one, not two, but THREE customers looking around cluelessly are at the shop at the same time! Ty can hardly keep up with things, but he just about manages to help them all find what they were looking for, and the shop reaches rank 7.

On Friday, the cleaner arrives for his first working day. His help around the house is much appreciated (and he is generiously tipped), and allows Sam and Ty to raise their flower thop to rank 8.

On Saturday, ringing up Almeric Davis' purchases gets the shop to rank 9.

By now, Ty and Sam have established a new routine: they now take turns. One of them usually sleeps, has a bath and eats before relieving the other one at the cash register. Only when the shelves are almost empty do they close the shop for a few hours and restock.

By Sunday night, only 7 stars are missing for rank 10. The two busy shop keepers are now 60, and I am confident that "Bubbler's Blossoms" will reach top level on the Monday of their next week.

Saturday 13 July 2013

The Swain-Moonbeam Family: Week 5

(Click here to read week 4)

The 5th week at the Moonbeam-Swain household starts in the middle of winter with lots of snow.
Erik Swain, his half-Alien son Sirius Swain and the twins Melrose and Myra Moonbeam have breakfast together before the kids are all of to school. (Melrose and Myra were born before their mother, Blossom Moonbeam, married their father, and therefore still carry that surname.)
Here's Blossom, browsing the web. She and Erik share the LTW of having six grandchildren; three children is not a bad start.
On Monday, Pablo Picaso (one of Jessica and Matthew Picaso's children) comes home from school with the twins.

Later, when Sirius gets off the schoolbus, he is accompanied by one of his many half-siblings: Deirdre Dreamer (Dirk Dreamer's half-Alien daughter).

At 6.00 pm Erik...

...turns into an Elder.

Blossom follows suit shortly afterwards.

On Tuesday, Charlie Cho is the teenagers' guest for the afternoon. He is the son of Etsu Cho and Hal Capp.

Sirius does not bring home a friend - but his first A+ report!

Melrose has the flu and spends almost all afternoon and evening in bed, reading and resting.

On Wednesday, Prezioso Picaso...

...Lee Broke... (half-Alien son of Dustin Broke)

...and Perseida Powers (half-Alien daughter of Jonah Powers) keep the Moonbeam-Swain-children company.

Sirius and Perseida did this on their own accord! They are half-siblings, after all.

With so many children and teenagers in the house, Blossom and Erik decide to take their spaghetti plates into the living room and leave the dining table to the youngsters.


On Thursday, Paola Picaso is the classmate who comes home with the twins. Isn't she a bit young to be thinking of marriage already?

On Friday, Melrose and Myra leave for college. Strictly speaking, they do not need college for their LTWs, or for that of their parents, but it will give them more opportunities to meet potential partners and a kick-start to their careers.

Isabella Indie and Wilma Williamson are still there when...

...Sirius grows into a teenager! I did not choose his new hairstyle; he age-transitioned into it. The lot decided on him to be Romance Sim with the LTW of becoming Celebrity Chef. Also, he will want to help his parents with their 6-grandchildren-LTW, which means he will probably have two children himself, just like what I have in mind for both his siblings.

Erik and Blossom are as much in love with each other as always, since their college days.

On Saturday morning, our aspiring Celebrity Chef makes a humble start at his LTW by preparing himself a bowl of cereals. So far, he had never shown any interest in cooking, and has no cooking skill.

The parents seem to be missing the twins, now that they have left for college. Blossom rests on Melrose's bed, and Erik is reminiscing the good old days when Myra was a little girl and drew the pictures that are on the wall.

How are the twins settling in at college? Is Sirius going to keep working on his cooking skill? Will Erik and Blossom live long enough to welcome six grandchildren?

Sunday 7 July 2013

The Pleasant-Summerdream Household: Week 7

Week 6 is here


It's not that long ago since we've been at the Pleasant Hacienda, but because I am now at Puck Summerdream's place on the alphabetical list, we are back at this household. There are still Angela and Puck living here, plus several cats and dogs. Angela has been on PermaPlat for quite some time now, and I rarely control her. Puck, on the other hand, possibly will never reach that stage: having 20 best pet friends at the same time is one of the most difficult LTWs in my opinion.

There he is, with Pepper, one of the dogs he has adopted in order to maintain their friendship easier.

The cleanbot (this one was still made by Mary-Sue Pleasant before she died) breaks, and it takes Angela some time to turn it off and repair it. Not the best start into the new week, is it!

Puck adopts Scout, all for the sake of his LTW.

There are already two fully furnished bedrooms with double beds here, and so finally, the bedroom that used to be Angela's during her teenage years is turned into a pet room with two beds, a scratch post, food bowl and chewing bone. There are more pet items dotted around the hacienda, so that all dogs and cats can find a place to rest and enough to eat etc. anytime.

On Tuesday, Puck adopts a stray cat named Alabama.

The MunchieBot brings pizza... into the bathroom!

Still on Tuesday, his cat Pepper becomes Puck's best friend.

When Angela has nothing else to do, strangely enough she often prefers to workout rather than to watch TV, play on the computer or with one of the pets.

Alegra is the name of this stray dog who becomes Puck's friend (not best friend) before the day is over.

Wednesday morning sees Angela having a "healthy" breakfast of Chinese takeaway. That seems to be the only two dishes the MunchieBot brings: Pizza or Chinese.

The first time I see a SentryBot in action! I was a few seconds too late for the picture, otherwise you could have seen properly how the bot zaps this townie for having kicked over the trash bin. Look at the postman in the back!

Poor Puck is forever doing the rounds of cleaning up behind his pets, feeding them, washing the dogs and so on.

Balin, another stray cat, becomes his friend that evening.

A cat fight breaks out between Alabama and Sake.

Alabama wins. Good job Sake's relationship to Puck, Angela and all the other pets is so good, otherwise maybe he would have left.

It is Thursday, and yet another stray pet named Bailey becomes Puck's friend.

On Friday, Angela and Puck have breakfast together for the first time this week.

Later, this small stray dog called Grace is greeted and befriended by Puck.

Angela invites her twin sister Lilith over, plus Lilith's family. She has recently married David Ottomas and brings along her sister-in-law Sharla as well as parents-in-law Samantha and Peter.

Looks like Peter and David are reflecting on how very much alike Angela and Lilith look.

On Saturday, the cleanbot breaks again.

Puck does not have time to help with the cleaning up; he is busy befriending Moonshine.

In the evening, he invites his family over. The Summerdreams bring Cyan along; he was Puck's first dog, and the two of them renew their friendship.

As a PermaPlat Sim, actually Angela should not be controlled by me anymore. But I have decided I want to keep her making robots, which she does all week long, and every time she meets and greets a neighbour, they are given one or two robots from her inventory. That evening, she finally gets her Gold Badge!
Meanwhile, Titania and her son enjoy the umpteenth box of Chinese takeaway.


On Sunday, the stray dog Bailey becomes Puck's best friend. He now has 9 best pet friends.

Because Angela is always busy making robots and Puck can't afford to lose any possibility of making another pet friend, finally the couple decide to hire a maid.

Angela has been working almost non-stop on her first Servo - it is not only her first, but also the very first one in all of New Maximiliania!

Pleasant Servo (that's his name) is activated before the week is over. He has the Popularity Aspiration and dreams of becoming Mayor. I am surprised to find that he already has the Gold Badge for Flower Arranging. His skill profile is very impressive, too.

While Angela and Puck finally go to bed, Pleasant Servo starts on the many chores. Will there be other Servos? How is Puck going to get on with his LTW next round? Will he and Angela get married some day?