Frances J. Worthington: Week 2

Frances starts his 2nd week in New Maximiliania fast asleep, and with a comfortable 10.000 Simoleons in his account. He has nothing to worry about and only has to make sure his pets are well fed, clean and in a happy mood so that they can learn new commands as required, and rise up the ranks in their respective career.

Nothing to worry about is not quite true anymore, when a burglar is seen approaching the modest house in the early hours of the morning.

The burglar first takes the dog house. Not that Abbey minds; she has not once slept in it, anyway!

Next is the telly...

...and the posh curtains in the bedroom. It is only then that Frances wakes up, suddenly having become aware of someone being close to his bed.
The burglar gets away with all the stolen goods; luckily (for the burglar) Frances does not have the necessary reagents in his inventory to cast a nasty spell.

The day still turns out to be a good one: Abbey comes home as a Rescue Pet! That is the top position of that career, and Step One of six towards reaching Frances' lfetime want.

On Tuesday, Kim is promoted to Stunt Double.

Frances finds a new job for Abbey; she will now start in the show biz career, too.

Most of Wednesday is dedicated to teaching Kim to play dead.

On Thursday, Beatrice Monty pays a visit.

Abbey is promoted to Understudy.

Next on today's guest list is Sarah Love. Frances has two bolts for both Beatrice and Sarah, but does not roll any wishes for either of them.

Later, they are joined by Circe Beaker.

On Friday, Frances puts in a good, long playing session with Abbey.

When both his pets are at work and the household chores are done, he studies magic for the first time this week. I have never had a Sim studying neutral magic for long and was quite surprised to see Frances all of a sudden change his outfit to this, with different colours to the Evil or Good Warlock's clothes.

Kim is now a Star - that means # 2 out of 6 top-of-career-pets for Frances!
She will start working in the Service career next.

Frances' guest for the evening is Connor Reamon.

A nice shot, showing Kim, Abbey and Frances together.

On Saturday, Frances teaches Kim to shake.

Carla Reamon and Beaumont DeBateau have been invited in by Frances when he saw them walking by. I am not surprised to see Carla talking about bugs - do you remember the never-ending bug infestation at the Reamons' house?

The week ends with Frances having made his first "Little Miss Wendalyn" statue. Two pets have reached the top of their career; that is one third of his LTW reached.

Will Abbey and Kim continue to advance so well in their jobs? Is that going to count towards Frances' LTW, or does he need different pets to achieve that? Will he ever meet a 3-bolt-lady?

Frances J. Worthington: Week 1

This young man has just finished college - you remember him, don't you? Frances J. Worthington started out in a private residence on his own and then moved in with a fraternity. He later started to dapple with Dark Magic and became a Warlock (he is pretty harmless, though). He now has graduated Magna Cum Laude in Economics and wants to start working on his lifetime want of having six pets reach the top of their career.

This modest house (a Maxis-built one, of course) is his. With his grant money saved up, Frances (isn't that a lady's name? Shouldn't it be Francis for a man?) has more than 28.000 Simoleons to play with. After the house is furnished, he still has almost 16.000 Simoleons left.

He knows just what to do with part of the money: he calls the Pet Adoption Service...

...and spends 4.220 Simoleons on Abbey, a dog that has learnt each and every command possible. She will help Frances towards his lifetime want.

By now, the welcome committee is here: Buck Grunt, Lavender Greenman and Sofia Baldwin. Kim, the stray cat, is not strictly speaking part of the committee but is also invited in.

Still on Monday, Frances adopts Kim.

He finds jobs for his pets: Abbey starts as a Vermin Chaser and Kim as an Extra.

Kim shares the bed with Frances - since there is no-one else in his life he wants to have so close.

On Tuesday is the first working day for Frances' pets. He starts the day off by setting the kitchen stove on fire... but wisely, he bought a fire alarm when he furnished the house, and so the flames are quickly put out by a fire fighter. "How could this happen?!" he seems to wonder. Indeed, how could this happen! Frances has, after all, five cooking points.

He makes a point of greeting every New Maximilianian who walks by. Of course he is particularly pleased when he meets Kimberly Cordial, the Atrociously Evil Witch.

On Wednesday, Samantha Ottomas is his guest, but she does nothing but browse the web. Yes, that's a magic lamp underneath the desk. Frances received it while he was still at university, and I have not yet decided whether he will ever use it. For now, this is where he stores it.

Kim returns from her first day at work, and Frances hugs and cuddles her as a reward.

The poor thing is exhausted and falls asleep almost on the spot, dreaming of fish :-) Meanwhile, Frances greets Mary Gavigan.

On Thursday, Abbey is promoted to Therapy Pet.

Kim needs to learn to "speak" for her next promotion, and Frances teaches her.

Abbey has gone back to work on the same day and comes home with yet another promotion: she is now a Seeing Eye Pet.

This afternoon, first Trisha Traveller and then her daughter Tina walk by and are asked in by Frances. Do you remember them? Trisha moved out of the marital home and in with Carlos Contender; he died and she inherited all his money and his house. I still don't know yet whether Tina and her Dad will move in with Trisha, or she'll move out, or find a new love, or her husband will find someone new. Anyway, it's been a while since Tina has seen her Mom and the situation seems a little awkward. 
[Note: this was played and written a long time before the events last recorded at the Traveller household took place. By now we know that Trisha and Trent will never get back together again, because he died in a fire in his yard.]

There is something odd about Abbey: she NEVER sleeps in the dog house, no matter which one I place in the yard! She never sleeps in the basket in the living room, either, but always rests and sleeps outside on the floor. I have tried different positions for the house and the basket, as well as different models, but to no avail.

It is Friday, and Kim is promoted to Understudy.

It is the first time this week that Frances actually behaves like the Warlock he is, making reagents.

On Saturday, Kent Capp joins him for a dinner of pork chops.

Kim now needs to learn to Roll Over, and Frances takes real pleasure in teaching his cat.

On Sunday, it starts to snow, and not even then does Abbey go into her house to sleep.

The week ends with another kitchen fire "thanks" to Frances - but his guests Kent Capp and Phineaus Furley remain as unharmed as himself; everyone just really needs a bath after that. 

Will Frances ever met a lady he would like to share his life with, or are his pets going to stay his only permanent company? Is Abbey ever going to sleep anywhere else but out on the ground? How long until the first of six pets (presumably Abbey) will have reached the top of the career level?

The Williamson Family: Week 5

 

On the Monday morning of their 5th week, the Williamsons are all up long before daybreak.

Wilma is getting ready, too...

...while her Dad is making fresh orange juice for breakfast.

Both Klara and William have to work today, which means the Nanny will be there when Wilma comes home from school.

When the school bus pulls up in front of the house, Wilma does not get off on her own; one of her many half-sisters is with her: Perseida Powers.

Early in the evening, first William turns into an Elder...

...and then Klara. Both have been on PermaPlat for a long time, and I guess they will be around for many more Sim-years to come.

On Tuesday morning before school, Wilma is once again up very early and passes the time playing with her dolls house.

Instead of waiting for her parents to have breakfast with her, she makes herself a muffin and eats it on her own.

Upstairs, William and Klara have just gotten up. They are now, by the way, at two bolts in their relationship.

Klara likes putting the shrine in front of the house to the test, but most days, nothing happens when she tosses a coin.

The nanny's services won't be needed much longer, Klara thinks with a half-happy, half-nostalgic sigh.

Wednesday morning sees Wilma yet again busy at her toy oven, making her own breakfast.

I am not controlling William and Klara any longer, unless a specific situation requires me to intervene (you'll see what I mean later on). Both of them are quite good at taking care of themselves when it comes to personal hygiene and other basic needs.

Graham Grunt, yet another one of Wilma's half-siblings (son of Buck Grunt), comes home from school with her today.

Gavin Newson is there, too; watching Graham and Wilma having a pillow fight probably reminds him of his own childhood, so long ago.

At 6.00 pm on that Wednesday, Wilma grows up into a teenager. Were it not for her non-existing nose, she'd be really pretty. The lot decides for her to have the Knowledge Aspiration, and one day she wants to become Mad Scientist.

She hugs her little half-brother when he comes to say good-bye (they did that without me telling them to).

Of course, her room now calls for redecorating. It looks pink in that light, but actually, the walls and floor are now a soft purple, since this seems to be Wilma's new favourite colour. [I usually take the colours of the clothes a Sim wears upon age-transition into account when it comes to decorating their house or, in a child/teenager's case, their room.]

Now that she is old enough to use the shrine, Wilma wants to toss a coin like she has seen her parents do so many times.

Her first attempt is successful in that she is told that she will discover "a long lost secret", but that's all - no object in her inventory, or any other consequences.

Is Wilma disappointed with the shrine, or why does she smash her dolls house here? Well, the simple truth is that I could not remember what it looks like when a Sim smashes the dolls house, and therefore had Wilma do it - just to amuse me.

So that's what a smashed dolls house looks like. I can't remember when I last did that, or if I ever did it before in my game at all.

The spot where Wilma's dolls house stood does not remain empty for long: she wants a wombrat, and a wombrat she gets. The name of this one is Panda.

Getting up on Thursday morning, Wilma finds that it is snowing, and must have been doing so for some time.

There is quite a lot of snow out there, but thankfully, the roads are clear. Why does that matter so much to Wilma today? I'll show you in a minute.

Wilma may be a teenager now, but that does not mean her banister-sliding days are over! A funny graphics bug is responsible for her carrying the wombrat's food box to school :-)

Little Panda is already a firm favourite with the entire family. His cage was moved from Wilma's room to the hallway, since the girl could not sleep for the noise Panda makes at night when he uses his running wheel.

Here is the reason for Wilma wanting the roads to be clear: She wishes to enter Private School and has invited the headmaster for dinner. He arrives just as her Dad returns from work, a colleague (Bottom Summerdream) in tow.
As mentioned before, I control William's and Klara's actions only in specific situations. The Headmaster Scenario is one of them.

Well, yes, I like Wilma's room, too, but it isn't THAT great :-D

Funnily enough, Wilma herself never sits down with her parents and the Headmaster for dinner. Instead, Pauline Aspir (who was invited in when she walked past) and Sandy Fairchild (a townie who definitely was NOT invited!) take the two empty chairs at the table.

With 109 of the 90 required points, Wilma gets into Private School.

On Friday morning, Klara goes shopping for clothes. Spring will soon be here, and she has nothing else to wear than the pink twin set (which will be too warm then) and the long skirt (which is ugly anyway).

Wilma may have a brand new school uniform as a new student at New Maximiliania's Private School, but she still slides downstairs on the banister every morning!

After work, Klara dresses in one of the new outfits she brought from the shop in the morning. She looks VERY pleased with her looks!

William changes into something rather different, too, and chuckles to himself when he sees his reflection in the mirror.

Well, there is a reason for her parents dressing up in such a silly manner: They are hosting, once again, a combined Christmas/New Year party. Presents for all their friends have been prepared on the sideboard, along with a batch of freshly baked Christmas cookies. Sparklers are ready for the visitors, but Wilma can't wait to try one of them (I did not tell her to do that).

While the guests are arriving, Klara is serving the turkey she has just gotten out of the oven.

Her best friend Tara Goth (nee DeBateau) and her husband Alexander Goth are there, and the two ladies who have known each other and been close friends since their university days, raise their glasses: "To Friendship!" Tara exclaims.

I did expect the party guests (that's Stella Terrano-Pitts and Bottom Summerdream) to join their hosts in lighting some sparklers, but nobody did.

But almost everybody ran outside when Father Time appeared. I just didn't take a picture when they were all there, sorry. It was a great party, and the guests had plenty of fun, although they never lit the sparklers. Strangely enough, Santa did not appear in spite of the cookies.

Saturday morning means a lot of cleaning up after last night's party.

Also, not only the computer broke down last night, but both toilets clogged up, and the shower in one of the two bathrooms broke. Plenty to do for the repair man!

Spring is here now, and Wilma wears a new outfit - in purple, of course.

She does love to meet her half-siblings, I think! This one is Lance Landgraab.

On Sunday, the two orange trees in front of the house are in bloom. Patricia Cooke walks by and is greeted by Klara.

Shaun Singles (son of Nervous Subject-Singles and Erin Singles) and Jennifer Burb are invited in, too. Nothing else worth mentioning happens that day.

It will be a long time before we'll see this family again. Very soon, this round will end - I am already looking forward to starting the next one!