The Tinker Family: Week 4

What happened to the chapters about the Tinkers' weeks 2 and 3, I don't know - but I know that some of the pictures are still there, and so I shall try and retrieve them and fill a family album for you. In the meantime, let's get on with Week 4 of the Tinkers in New Maximiliania. They still live in the house originally assigned to them by Maxis.

And with Melody having moved back in with her parents after graduating Summa Cum Laude in Mathematics and a short stint living with her college sweetheart Romeo Monty and his brother Mercutio, the Tinker household is once again composed of its original human members. Melody works diligently at becoming World Class Ballet Dancer.

Her mother, Wanda, dreams of raising 20 puppies or kittens. So far, she has raised five: Tinkerbell, Timmy, Tilly, Tom and Leroy. She is now 62 years old, and I seriously doubt she will live long enough to make her LTW come true.

Her husband, Stephen, is 64 and currently a Commander in New Maximiliania's army. He is well on his way to being General Tinker one day.

Wanda's current set of puppies are Terry, Troy and Tessa. She is very busy with taking care of them and the three adult dogs (Leroy and Tilly, the parents of this litter, and Shelly, who is Tilly's mother), the house and garden, while her husband and daughter are at work or skilling.

Melody has a ballet barre installed in her room in order to get plenty of practise in between her performances as Ballroom Dancer.

On Monday, Stephen was promoted to Astronaut, setting off here for his first mission on Tuesday morning.

Erik Swain was walking past the house in the afternoon, and invited in. He discovers the ballet barre in Melody's room, and we discover that he is a surprisingly good dancer!

It is Wednesday, and autumn has set in, calling for a change of outfit for Melody. While she has breakfast, her father joins her at the table. He knows that his daughter and Romeo Monty still love each other but have decided not to keep living together for the time being. "Being best friends for life with your sweetheart is more important than physical attraction," he muses.

Later that day, he returns from work with a promotion to General - well done, Stephen! He is now on Permanent Platinum, at 66 "years" of age, and will not be controlled by me anymore.

On Thursday, Wanda is as busy as always, maybe even more so, because autumn means there seems to be no end of leaves to rake in the yard.

Stephen takes one of the kites Wanda made off the wall and flies it in the front yard (on his own accord).

The Hydrobot, a recent gift of Angela Pleasant's, is useful, but every now and then it brakes, meaning more work for Wanda.

Terry, Tessa and Troy (left to right) grow up on that day, making Wanda's numbers 6, 7 and 8. Wanda knows she has no choice but to give them up for adoption if she wants for Leroy and Tilly to have more puppies, and so the pet adoption service is called instantly.

And Leroy and Tilly are kindly persuaded to help Wanda with her LTW once more, watched by Shelly (with the collar).

Stephen, although not under my control anymore, takes it upon himself to prepare a bowl of delicious comfort soup - very welcome on a chilly autumn day!

Melody is promoted to Flamenco Master (here still in her Ballroom Dancer outift, although it is beyond me how anyone is supposed to perform ballroom dances such as waltz with such a tight dress and no leg room!).

On Friday, Wanda decides she wants a break from house work, and invites some of her friends over: Cyd Roseland and his brother-in-law Alexander Goth and his wife Tara Goth, nee DeBateau.

"It's so nice to sit down for a meal with friends, isn't it!" Wanda says over bowls of soup, lovingly prepared by her husband. Of course, Cyd and Alexander come from a dog-crazy household and know exactly what it is like having to take care of so many pets, and the toll this can take on one's social life.

Melody, here returning from work still in her Flamenco Master outfit along with a colleague, has just received her last promotion: She is now a World Class Ballet dancer and on PermaPlat like her Dad, 16 days from Elderhood.

Melody and Stephen have, it seems, swapped beds: she chooses her parents' bed that night...

...while her Dad sleeps in the pink-black-grey bedroom that is actually Melody's.

Saturday sees Melody go to work as a Ballet Dancer for the first time.

Her mother, meanwhile, has made a "bad kite" - I've seen this in my game very rarely.

Uh-oh! Nina Caliente was walking by, and Stephen greeted her (I made him do that. It is one of the very few occasions when I intervene with PermaPlat Sims, I want them to meet and greet as many other New Maximilianians as possible). After a while, look what they do! Thankfully, Wanda never saw it.

Still on that Saturday, Tilly has two puppies: Titus and Tita. They will become Wanda's # 9 and 10 when they grow up.

It is Sunday morning, and Wanda has set up the Christmas tree in the large open plan dining room / kitchen / hall. She is befriending her two new little dogs.

When darkness falls, I tell her to fly the "bad kite". I was not quite sure what was going to happen - it's been so long since I last had one of those in my game!

Oh yes, now I remember: lightning strikes the bad kite - and the Sim flying the kite. Well, lightning has struck many times already in New Max, so that is nothing to worry about, is it!

Umm... but in this case, Wanda herself catches fire.

With her dogs howling in grief, the Grim Reaper approaches the tiny pile of ashes that used to be Wanda. She was 69 years old. Sorry, Wanda - I did not intervene, but you really were a nice Sim to play, and I would have liked for you to reach your LTW and maybe be the first Sim in New Max to reach the Golden Talent Badge for Toymaking. It was not to be.

Stephen seems to be walking around in a daze, and when he manages to set the kitchen stove on fire, I fear for his life, too.

But the Tinkers have a fire alarm above the stove, and so Stephen is rescued before any more harm is done. Even now, he seems to be unable to react to anything that is happening.

Only when he goes to the bathroom to have a shower the whole drama of having lost his wife and nearly his own life hits him.

Melody is badly affected, too; she wakes up every few hours to have a cry, although she is very tired from that evening's ballet performance. 

Poor Tinkers! How are Stephen and Melody going to cope without Wanda, who always did such a lot for them? Is anything going to happen between Stephen and Nina Caliente, now that he is a widower? Will Melody and Romeo live together again? What are they going to do about Wanda's dogs?