Family names and related posts

Saturday 23 January 2016

The Ramirez Family: Week 6

Click here for week 5. If you want to (re-)read about Tessa and Ramon's uni years, simply click on the "Ramirez" label above this post.

The original Ramirez house is still inhabited by the original Ramirez family - although not in their original setup anymore: Checo Ramirez left his wife Lisa and daughter Tessa when he found his 3-bolt-love in Kristen Singles. They had a daughter together, Silvia Singles; she tragically died way too young, in a lightning-induced fire at uni, I think. Checo and Lisa stayed in touch and even had another child together, Ramon.
Many years ago, Checo died of old age.

For now, only Tessa and Lisa remain at the house. Tessa graduated Summa Cum Laude in History and reached her lifetime want when she became Game Designer some time ago.
Lisa originally wanted to have 20 best friends and was doing well, having already 12 best friends, when her LTW inexplicably changed: she now wants to be Criminal Mastermind. This is unreachable for her due to her age. I am trying to fulfill as many of her daily wishes as possible. Often, those wishes have something to do with her hobby, sewing, and so both Tessa and Lisa are always dressed in Lisa's creations.

Ramon, Tessa's brother, has recently graduated Summa Cum Laude in Economics. He dreams of having 6 pets reaching the top of their careers. As he started working towards his LTW early on, his pets are still here, waiting for him to return from uni.
This is Alabama. She already has reached the top of the Showbiz career and is currently working her way up the Service career path.

Roux, the cat, has already reached the tops of both the Service and is currently working in Showbiz.
I am trying to find out whether the LTW of 6 pets at the top of their careers means it has to be 6 pets, or whether 2 pets reaching 3 times the top of a career works, too.
       
As Tessa is on Permanent Platinum, I rarely control her. She often cleans on her own accord, as is the case early this Monday morning.
As soon as the sun is up, Ramon arrives home from uni. Lisa is happy to welcome her son back.
       
Roux is promoted to Star - that's the top of the Showbiz career. As he has done before, Ramon rings Roux's work place and immediately signs her off. Now Roux can enjoy a well-deserved day of rest before Ramon will sign her up for her next job.
       
"Well done, sweetie!"
       
Meanwhile, Tessa is demoted due to the wrong decision with a chance card. It doesn't really matter since she is on PP anyway.
       
To celebrate his return to his childhood home, Ramon invites his best friend, Sirius Swain. Tessa has made chili con carne on her own initiative, and for the first time in years, the Ramirez family are enjoying a meal together again. Ramon thinks how his mother has visibly aged while he was away, and Sirius has noticed it, too.      
Tessa begins Tuesday morning by browsing her favourite gaming sites on the computer in her bedroom.       
Lisa cleans the cat toilet.     
Too late I remember that the family have employed a gardener, but it certainly does Ramon no harm to take care of some gardening - he does not work, after all, but spends most of his time looking after his beloved dog and cat.       
In the afternoon, newly-weds Jacqueline (nee Jacquet) and Gallagher Newson come visiting.        
Maybe you remember that Tessa has only had one true love in her life so far: Sally Riley. To Sally, the affair with Tessa meant a step further towards reaching her LTW; to Tessa, it meant a lot more. While she has never started anything serious with another man or woman after Sally, she still seems to have a preference for her own sex. But Jacqueline is off limits, and Tessa does not really act on her 2-bolt-attraction.       
       
Ramon teaches Roux to Stay. She does not actually need it for promotion right now, but it was Ramon's wish to teach her anyway.       
Speaking of wishes, Lisa - a Knowledge Sim - has been wanting to see a ghost for a while now. Where better to go for that than New Maximiliania's cemetery, Gamesend Grounds?       
As you can see, there are rows and rows of tombs, all of them of former Maxis-made playables (and a few NPCs who fell victim to various cow plants dotted around the neighbourhood). Checo Ramirez' tomb is also here.     
But in spite of Lisa waiting around for a few hours, not one single ghost appears. She does meet some other residents of New Max, but all of them are very much alive. She drives home eventually without having fulfilled her wish. 
Does anyone know whether there are certain conditions at a cemetery in order for ghosts to appear?    

Alabama is promoted to Rescue Pet - that's the fourth top of a career for Ramon's pets.
On Thursday morning, Lisa puts on a different dress prepares a platter of chips. What for?
       
Her friends are invited over - she has been wanting to throw a party, and since there is nothing else for her to do today, I go along with it. Jason Greenman is here, as are Desdemona Capp, Kevin Beare, Ophelia Nigmos, Daisy Jacquet (nee Greenman) and Jacqueline Newson (nee Jacquet).
        
Lisa enjoys spending time with all of her guests, and the party is a great success.
       
Friday, however, is a different story. Lisa wakes up unwell, and the bad coughing fits do not leave her for the whole day.

       
Alabama has been promoted to Guard Pet - I made the mistake of signing her up in the Service career once more. Hopefully, her reaching eventually the top of that career again will still count towards Ramon's LTW.

       
Lisa can't even have a meal without being interrupted by a coughing fit.

       
In the end, her short illness proves to be fatal. Just as she is working at another Charisma skill point, a ghostly figure - although not the kind she wished to see earlier in the week - appears next to her. Lisa dies at the age of 75.

       
Now she is a ghost herself. Her urn is moved to the cemetery. I have not yet decided whether to place her tomb next to that of her husband (they never were divorced) or not.

       
Ramon grieves the loss of his mother. He is glad, though, that they had at least some time together after his graduation, and that she did not die while he was still at uni.

       
Tessa and her mother were very close, too.

       
The telescope was one of the last wishes fulfilled for Lisa. Ramon uses it for the first time on Saturday morning before sunrise.

       
Roux is promoted to Therapy Pet.

       
Not much else happens on Saturday. On Sunday morning, Ramon is once again at the telescope, while Roux tries to catch fireflies.

       
Summer is over, and Ramon changes into one of the suits his late mother made for him.

       
The gardener is here today, and Ramon works quietly along although it is actually not necessary.

       
Even less necessary is the generous tip Tessa gives him. But money is not an issue for the Ramirez siblings.

       
To end the week on a happier note, Ramon asks his friends over again: Sirius Swain and young Newsons.


Will Tessa and Ramon stay single forever, or find love late in their lives? How is my plan for Ramon's LTW going to work out?

8 comments:

  1. Good Snowy Morning! Its morning here and snowing - blizzard actually burrrr. Im headed out to shovel - again - I like this family. Do you know as I read this I was horrified to find that checo left this family! i never played the household but they have been friends with several of my families - I always thought he was a little too overly friendly with some of my lady sims... now I know why...now I know why - hes a cheat. Oh and I read on Gunnar and the comments. You have given me yet another FANTASTIC idea for my futuretown! Painting a portrait of the conquests of the romance or woohoo sims! thanks to you and twoyys if you dont mind my snatching that. Usually my sims who want 20 woohoo partners get either 20 kids to go along with it because i dont like that - or some ilness towards the end. i have issues w/ running around - i digress - yeah so maybe i can allow one (though I dont get many woohoo 20 sims) to instead paint portraits.

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  2. Brrrr! I'm glad it has not snowed again since last Sunday, and today has warmed up enough for nearly all of it to disappear.

    If you click on the "Ramirez" label here on my blog, you'll find all their stories and how it came about that Checo left the family.
    It will soon be Gunnar's turn, but first, I'll be playing a week at the Riley-Cho household.
    I'm not too keen on the 20 woohoos LTW, either, but I want each of my Sims to have a fair chance at reaching PermaPlat, and so I have them try whether I like it or not :-)

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  3. What a shame Lisa never got to see a ghost in your lovely (and full!) cemetery. I think sometimes you have to have a Sim visit a few nights in a row before the ghosts appear.

    I always liked the Ramirez family, I've probably told you that I once called their son Ramon too.

    Looking forward to seeing how things work out for Tessa, Ramon and the pets.

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    Replies
    1. Lisa went to the cemetery two nights in a row. The first night I thought she arrived maybe a bit too late at 2.30 am, so the second night, I sent her well before midnight. But there weren't any ghosts, which I found strange.

      Not sure whether you told me about your Ramon Ramirez, but the name just suits the surname so well, doesn't it :-)

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  4. I've been binge-reading your entire blog for the past week or so and I am so in love!! You should roll a dice or something with a couple to decide if they're ever going to have children, I wanna see more babies! Lol

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    Replies
    1. Hello Olivia, and welcome to New Maximiliania :-)
      So far, there are two ways for a couple to have babies in this hood: 1. One of them (or one of their parents) needs children (or grandchildren) to achieve their lifetime want, 2. A male Sim is abducted by Aliens and returns with a souvenir :-)

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  5. How many maxi made sims have you in old age or to play?

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    Replies
    1. I'm not keeping track of how many Sims of each age group I have, but I do know the overall number of births and deaths. You can see my statistics for the past years here:
      http://mekssims2.blogspot.de/p/lists-stats.html

      And here is an up-to-date list of births and deaths in New Maximiliania:
      http://mekssims2.blogspot.de/p/births-deaths.html

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Whether you play The Sims 2 yourself or not, it would be great hearing from you. As I will reply to comments regularly, please remember to come back if you have asked a question.