Round 5 has begun - if you are interested in some stats about New Maximiliania and how it has developed since I started it in 2008, you can read that here.
Once again, I'll play each household for one Sim-week, in the alphabetical order of their surnames. When a household has more than one surname, that household will be played every time one of its surnames appears on the list.
Sims on Permanent Platinum will generally not be controlled by me, unless it is to make sure they have enough food in the fridge to survive (if they are intelligent enough to get something to eat), and to greet other New Maximilianians passing by.
But now, without further ado, let's get started with the Aspirs.
For the Aspir family's previous week, click here. Under the label "Aspir" you will also find Pauline's college years.
The Aspir family home is still the same, as you can see.
Very early on Monday morning, a burglar appears on the lot. The car alarm does go off, but the police does not arrive until much later.
By that time, the burglar has picked his choice in the shape of the decorative fan on the dining room wall and escaped.
At the moment, only two Sims live here: Elizabeth Aspir, 61 years old, CEO of a profitable company and dreaming of earning 100.000 Simoleons...
...and her husband Victor, who became Education Minister at 57 and has been on Perma Plat ever since. He is now 60.
To help her reaching her LTW, I allow Elizabeth to summon the genie from the magic lamp and wish for wealth, which is duly granted. She now wants to earn 75.000 Simoleons.
As soon as it is feasible on that Monday morning, Elizabeth calls her daughter Pauline, who has just graduated Cum Laude in Drama, and asks her to come back home.
Pauline wants to become Hall of Famer, but does not find a job in the Athletic career that day.
She decides to use her first day back home to settle in and get into the Christmas spirit, and prepares a delicious dinner of pork chops for the family.
She helps her parents to decorate the house in theme with the season, and spends a cosy evening with them in front of the fireplace.
Her first night back in her old bed!
On Tuesday morning, Elizabeth starts to study fire safety, with Victor joining her on the settee.
Pauline finds a job as All Star, but won't start work until Thursday. She wants to win a cooking contest, and so I have her take the car to Sue's Secret Kitchen, where she meets a food judge with a rather silly hairdo.
Never mind the silly hairdo - Pauline's pork chops are great, but the head chef's holiday roast makes sure nobody else stands a chance.
Not at all happy with that result, Pauline decides to take another shot at winning a food contest, and travels to Copur's Cook Off (or something like that, I always forget the proper name of that community lot) where she hopes for a better chance. The Pleasant Robot is there, as well as John Burb, Sharla Ottomas, a townie and Aldric Davis.
Once again, Pauline goes for pork chops. She realizes that, once again, she won't win when she sees that Sharla has prepared stuffed rainbow trout. John Burb can't believe he has entered the same baked alaska as Aldric Davis!
A rather sour-faced Mrs. Crumplebottom should have stayed for the tasting; that would have put her in a better mood, I am sure!
For now, Pauline gives up on the idea of winning a cooking contest, and rather throws a homecoming party, inviting eight of her friends.
One of them is, of course, Marcus Baldwin, whom she fell in love with at college.
Wednesday morning, while it is still dark, Elizabeth once again wishes for wealth, and the genie grants her wish. She has now crossed the 75.000-Simoleons-threshold.
Later that same day, after she comes home from work, a message appears, informing me that clever investing has added 6.825 Simoleons to the household - sending Elizabeth on Permanent Platinum at the age of 63! If I am not very much mistaken, she is the first Sim ever in my game to reach that LTW.
On Thursday, Pauline goes to work for the first time.
Returning home with her is Benjamin Baldwin,who turns out to be one of her new colleagues. This is the first time Pauline meets him.
Marcus is invited over once again, too, and is glad to see his sweetheart and his Dad get along well.
Things really are looking good for those two, even though they are "only" on two bolts.
On Friday, Pauline maximizes her body skill. She was promoted to MVP yesterday, by the way.
Now that winter is over, Victor changes his everyday wear to one of the custom outfits his wife made for him.
Speaking of said wife, Elizabeth takes the wrong decision with a chance card on that day, and is demoted to President of the company (this sounds better than CEO, but for some reason, it is not).
Pauline, who always uses the car her Dad and her late Granddad lovingly restored all those years ago, comes home with a promotion to Superstar.
That same night - or, rather, early on Saturday morning - the Aspirs get their second visit of the week from the burglar.
This time, though, the police is quicker to arrive, and Elizabeth (who, funnily enough, is greeted by the burglar as if he was happy to see her!) applauds the officer for doing his duty.
She now wears one of her custom-made outfits, too.
And Pauline is promoted to Assistant Coach! To celebrate, she changes into the pretty dress her Mum made for her, and puts on matching lipstick and eyeshadow.
She invites her sweetheart, Marcus Baldwin, over.
On Sunday, not much happens at the Aspirs'. In the evening, Pauline throws yet another party (her third of the week - she has Pleasure as secondary aspiration...), and Elizabeth surprises me by serving Grandma's Comfort Soup for the guests on her own accord (remember: I do not control her anymore, since she is now on Perma Plat like her husband).
Something I have observed time and time again: Sims who I do not control usually go and empty the trash compactor without me telling them to, even though there are usually more pressing jobs to do. Victor is no exception :-)
A last glance into the Aspirs' living room that Sunday evening shows Pauline diligently studying for her next promotion and Elizabeth giving financial consulting. Victor has gone to bed.
Next to be played are the Baldwins - this could mean we'll get to see Pauline again :-)
Elizabeth and Victor are not yet 70, and I think they still have some time ahead. For Pauline, the next (and last) promotion is certainly within reach.
Delilah's first semester at university has not been covered in any of the other posts; it was not very eventful anyway, but here are the handful of snapshots I still had floating around from that time:
The house Delilah was originally put in by Maxis:
This is what Delilah looks like when the game starts:
I gave her a new hairdo and added some more yellow to her house, it being her favourite colour (according to her Maxis-written biography):
She found herself a boyfriend during her first year, Edwin Sharpe:
Also still in her first year, Delilah joined one of the sororities and later - after a short stint at Edwin's - moved to the sorority house.
The original chapter I wrote about John Mole's brief time in New Maximiliania has disappeared, but I did find a few snapshots from those days, and still have my notes:
John's house, the one Maxis meant for him.
John Mole. Now, where have I seen that look before...? ;-)
If I remember correctly (I played his household in 2008/2009), I did not change much in this house.
John's lifetime want was to become General, and he quit his first job as Crime Scene Investigator so that he was able to start as a Recruit on the Monday of his first week. My notes tell me that he made it to Junior Officer by the Friday of that first week, played in 2008, and held memberships for the Platinum Gym and Will's Garage.
That tree was hit by lightning, I think.
One of the trees burnt completely, as did some of the piles of leaves. But that did not harm John.
He was not seriously harmed, either, when he tried to repair his trash compactor and was electrocuted.
His first week in New Max ended at the start of the Christmas season, and he put a large ornamental tree in his back yard.
Disaster struck on the Monday of his second week, played in 2009: He set a pile of leaves on fire... and accidentally himself at the same time.
There was nobody there to plead for him, and so, his short stint in New Max (and his life) ended 22 days before he would have reached Elderhood.
