Family names and related posts

Tuesday 24 January 2017

The Capp-Kim Family: Week 1

When I put together this post, I wasn't sure how to count it - for Justin Kim, it is his 2nd week back in town after graduating from university, and for Cherry Capp, I am not really sure which week it is.

Anyway, if you want to re-read the rather interesting events of Justin's first week, click here

Now...

...let's briefly go back to Tybalt Capp's household, which now consists of only himself and three of his children. Remember, he changed his lifetime want and now dreams of marrying off six children. Three have already tied the knot. All of them were Plantbabies, after Tybalt himself had become a PlantSim the natural way. Not long ago, I decided I was a bit tired of playing so many PlantSims, and had them all drink the potion to turn them into "human" Sims. Tybalt is now 65, and I better make sure the remaining three children get married soon.
Cherry is torn between wanting to stay with her family, and moving in with her love in order to get married and help fulfill her Dad's LTW. "Dad... I think I'll have to go... This place isn't really set up for so many Sims, now that we're not PlantSims any more..."
She's right; just look at the floor plan of the small house. It was OK for a family of PlantSims and robots, as they do not need beds, or a large dining table and so on. A shower room was more important to them, as were the sunlight lamps installed at various points in the house.
Cherry is a Pleasure Sim with the LTW of becoming Professional Party Guest. Before she moves out, she uses the computer to look for a job in the slacker career, and is lucky: she can start tomorrow as a record store clerk.
Then she boards the taxi, leaving her Dad and two brothers behind.
She does not have far to go: Justin Kim's house is just round the corner, really. In the row of three houses at the bottom of the picture, the middle one is Tybalt's. The one just round the bend is Justin's.
A close-up view of the house:
Maybe you remember the dramatic events at Justin's house last round, when his Uncle Alec died in a kitchen fire? The entire kitchen equipment was lost in the flames, too, and I wanted to wait until either Justin or Cherry roll wishes for buying a fridge, stove, kitchen counters and so on. Therefore, Cherry's welcome meal after moving in with Justin consists of Chinese takeaway.
The bedroom is more important to the couple than the kitchen - everything is intact there :-)
The rest of Monday, I have Cherry clean up the mess from the fire while Justin is at work.
With their two bank accounts merged into one, the couple can afford to spruce up the house a little. New, more expensive windows and doors are installed, and a car - which was on the wish list of both of them, I think - is bought.
Very early on Tuesday morning, a burglar appears on the lot.
The only thing she steals is the car.
Breakfast a few hours later consists of leftover Chinese takeaway... yum... :-D
"What a strange night this has been," Cherry remarks. "I am sure I heard some weird noises coming from the side of the house."
She was right - Justin discovers that the car was stolen, much to his dismay.
Determined not to let this put them into a bad mood for the rest of the day, Cherry tosses a coin at the shrine, and is rewarded with a generous rain of Simoleons. They already know what to do with the money.
It is their wedding day, and they have chosen St. Simius (built by Twoyys4me) as their venue. Paying for the buffet, DJ and so on is exactly what the money from the shrine is going to be used for.
The couple look nice together, don't they? (I did not check what their formal wear was, and am glad it wasn't something too weird like a pirate's costume or something like that!)
Justin does not have any living relatives he knows of, and so the wedding party is rather small, even though Cherry has five siblings and her father still around. A few random townies make up numbers.
Mr and Mrs Kim sharing a piece of wedding cake, while their guests are having fun on the dance floor :-) Some other members of the Capp clan were invited, too, but not everyone made it to the wedding. You can see Caroline Capp dancing.
I have been playing this game since it first came out, and still find new things every now and then. For instance, this is the very first time that I have ever observed a Sim talking about plantbabies!! Of course, Tybalt "planted" six of them, so it must be a topic close to his heart.
Justin and Cherry enjoy a glass of champagne, and then it is time to head back home.
Justin starts Wednesday morning by feeding the koi in his small pond.
Later, he greets Phoebe Love, one of the few townies in my game eligible for permanent residence in New Maximiliania.
Cherry comes home with a promotion to Party DJ.
On Thursday morning, Justin cleans the bath tub on his own accord.
So far, nobody has rolled wishes for kitchen equipment, but I do not want them to keep eating Chinese takeaway and pizza. Therefore, I put a new kitchen in and direct Cherry to prepare a wholesome breakfast of omelettes for a change.
Cherry's work starts in the evening, and Justin is out working all day. Also, she wants to show her family the renovated house and new kitchen, and so Cherry invites all her siblings over.
Her Dad is of course also invited, and so is Rose Greenman, another former PlantSim.
A game of kicky bag keeps everyone happy for hours, in spite of there being other "fun" objects in the house, such as a telly and a stereo.
When Cherry tosses a coin at the shrine on Friday morning, it promises success in her career.
Well, it certainly worked for Justin: He comes home promoted to Coach. That is just one step away from his LTW of becoming Hall of Famer.
He now needs three Charisma points, and gets to work on that skill as soon as he wakes up on Saturday morning.
It is still Saturday morning when Cherry returns from work. She is now a Projectionist, so the shrine kept its promise.
Strictly speaking, by getting married at St. Simius, this household has already been to a community lot this week. But I want to make things a bit more interesting for them and send them on an outing later in the day.
This time, the place of choice is Baliwood Star Lanes.
Cherry is pleased to meet one of her brothers there, too.
Justin rolls the wish to buy coffee for a Sim, and of course I have him buy one for Cherry before he buys another one for himself on his own initiative.
Do you recognize the other New Maximilianians here? Front is Jessie Pilferson-Dosser, with General Buzz Grunt in the back. Near the pool tables, we have Hal Riley talking to Roxie Sharpe.
It is Sunday, when I decide to do something for Cherry's fitness. She is married to a famous sportsman, after all.
While said sportsman is out working, Cherry once again invites over her family.
Kicky-bag really is their favourite game, it seems!
Justin is now Hall of Famer - he has reached his LTW 9 days from Elderhood. Congratulations!
When Cherry goes to work, he does not feel like spending the evening on his own, but invites some of his closest friends over: Garreth Newson and Paola Picaso, as well as Gabrielle Newson share a meal with him and listen to him talking about how good it feels to be part of a family again, now that he has married into the Capp clan.

It was a fun week to play with more going on than I would have expected. How long before Cherry will reach her lifetime want? Will Justin find any more relatives?

We have still more Capp family members to play!

Sunday 8 January 2017

Goneril Capp's Family: Week 7

Please click here if you want to read week 6 at this household.

Another week, another Capp household - this time it is Goneril Capp's family, who have moved to this place some time ago.

Here is Goneril, fast asleep on this Monday morning. She is now 75 years old and has been a widow for years. When she became a Prestidigitator, she reached Permanent Platinum and would have been eligible to be not (or hardly) controlled by me anymore. But because of several children, toddlers and babies in the house, uncontrolled Sims are not such a good idea, and so Goneril gets more attention from me than she usually would.
Here is Charles, a toddler:
This is baby Carmelo:
And their big sister, Catherine:
Do you remember that their mother, Desdemona, married Beau Broke a few weeks ago and went to live with him at the house of Pauline Aspir-Broke and Benvenuto Broke, Beau's younger brother?That house could not be easily modified to have such a large family living in it, which is why Desdemona came alone at first. But it was clear that both she and Beau want to be with the children, and so as early as possible on that Monday, they move back in. Desdemona is now 6 days from elderhood and, as you can see, pregnant again. Beau is 60 years old.
Because of the children - and also because they really are wealthy enough for it -, this household has all the paid help it can get. The maid is generously tipped every day, and her work leaves nothing to be desired.
Until some years ago, Desdemona's sister Ariel and her husband Isaiah lived here, too. It was only when the families grew and it became apparent there was no stopping Desdemona until she would have six children, that it was decided that someone had to go and make room.As it happens every now and then in my game, Desdemona's lifetime want changed inexplicably and she now wants nothing more than to celebrate her Golden Anniversary.
And while Ariel and Isaiah are not living here any longer, they are always welcome and frequently asked over.
The sisters greet each other with a family kiss and then compare bump size :-)
Catherine comes home with her first A+ today.
She runs in to tell her parents who, unaware of her presence, continue on a subject of conversation that young Catherine really does not need to hear yet! (Charles and Catherine, Desdemona's first two children, are not Beau's. Their father was Pierre Picaso, who sadly died. Beau is very good with them, though, and they never think of Pierre - in fact, I think they hardly knew him.)
At 6:00 pm, Charles grows up into a child. He is clearly happy to have his toddler years over with!
Before Ariel and Isaiah head home, Desdemona gives them a generous present. Maybe you remember from the week I played at their house that they are not very well off financially. There is plenty of money in the family, though, and so it is only natural that they benefit from it.
Catherine likes her little brother a lot more now that she can play Mary Mack with him!
Tuesday morning sees Beau heading out to play in a puddle of rainwater. He is on PP, but like Goneril, I still control him in order to make sure the children are well taken care off. Sometimes, though, I leave him to his own devices, which was the case here.
Husband and wife are so in love - look at Desdemona's face, as she is lovingly serving omelettes for breakfast!
"Desdemona is getting bigger every hour, it seems... do you reckon it could be twins?" Goneril asks her son-in-law.
Beau's brother Benvenuto and his wife Pauline are invited over. Benvenuto keeps telling Pauline stories from the brothers' childhood, when they grew up on the McGreggor farm surrounded by dogs and cats - so very different from Pauline's own upbringing!
At 7:11 pm, just as Desdemona happens to be in her daughter's room, she enters labour.
Moments later, Calvin is born, with grandmother Goneril being over the moon. (Calvin is Beau's son; something I had not been entirely sure of until I could check the family tree now, after the birth.) This is going to be the couple's last child - Desdemona does not need any more for her changed LTW, and Beau is on PP anyway.
Charles and Catherine are excited about having a new little brother, and tell their Uncle Ben all about it.
Meanwhile, unnoticed by the rest of the family, Goneril has helped baby Carmelo to grow up into a toddler.
It is Wednesday morning when Beau changes his youngest son's diaper for the first time, closely observed by his mother-in-law. He may not be the youngest of fathers, but he is a modern one - besides, he grew up with younger siblings, and knows what it means to look after the little ones.
While Catherine is having breakfast, her Mum teaches Carmelo to talk.
In the afternoon, Sirius Swain walks by and is greeted by Beau.
He rests next to baby Calvin's crib while his wife teaches Carmelo to walk.
Charles and Catherine cheer each other up after school with a game of Red Hands. Charles especially comes home rather unhappy - you can see he has two unfinished homework books on his desk. It is really hard work to get the children to complete their homework. Even though I have them ask an adult to help, it takes several attempts before they have both learned how to study. The adults frequently stop helping because they want to feed the baby or bathe the toddler, and the kids being at such a low fun-level does not make it easier.
On Thursday morning, we find Beau giving baby Calvin a bath. Somehow, the diaper was changed a little too late, it seems!
When I do not tell Goneril what to do, she is not very good at looking after herself.
A very happy Charles comes home with his first A+ today. All the persevering about learning how to study has paid off!
Catherine is so proud she rings one of her cousins to tell them about her brother's achievement.
Desdemona, not controlled by me for a little while, thinks she can not let the puddle in the bathroom stay until next morning, when the maid will take care of it anyway.
When Friday morning arrives, she is outside doing the gardening on her own initiative - in spite of the family having a paid gardener come twice a week.
She even picks up all the empty bottles in the kitchen without me telling her to.
Beau greets Christian Love.
Stella Stacks comes home from school with Catherine and Charles today.
Calvin is now a toddler!
Desdemona's motherly heart swells with love as her youngest finally says "Mamma"!
The children all love the activity table set up downstairs. I love it that toddlers and children can use it together, and build their relationships with each other at the same time.
Early Saturday morning, Grandma Goneril reads a story about rockets going into space to her grandson Charles. She is now 80 years old.
Ariel and Isaiah have been invited over again, and this time, they have brought their son Cataldo with them. Charles greets his cousin with a family kiss.
It is an eventful day, because not only does Catherine grow up into a pretty teenager. Her mother, Desdemona, turns into an Elder, as you can see in the back...
...and Carmelo is no longer a toddler!
"I wish my big sis would play with me instead of endlessly chatting on the phone to our cousin Caroline," he thinks. But teenagers can not use the activity table, and so he will have to rely on his other siblings for playing there with him.
Sunday morning sees Goneril pondering her long and eventful life as she is writing her diary.
The brothers Carmelo (back) and Charles (front) are happy not having to go to school, and don't mind the rain.
Their parents have promised them an outing, and since everybody has rolled the wish to go fishing, they take a taxi to Central Park West as soon as the rain stops.
Beau and Desdemona, Catherine, Charles and Carmelo all enjoy a round of fishing. Goneril has offered to stay at home with little Calvin.
Food can be bought and eaten in one corner of the park. Here, Desdemona and her daughter are joined by Fenya Hart. (Catherine's aspiration is Popularity, by the way, and her LTW is to become Media Magnate.)
Beau is a World Class Ballet Dancer and very much used to be on stage. He is not used to performing Standup Comedy in front of just one of his sons for an audience, though!
The family head home an hour or so later. Desdemona immediately grabs the phone and invites her siblings and their partners to her and Beau's anniversary party. Her LTW is fulfilled and she is now, at 54, on PP.
Miranda is Goneril's oldest daughter. She and her mother have not been seeing eye to eye for many years; you could say they were estranged. But recently, they have managed to talk to each other without the conversation ending with one of them furiously stomping off and slamming doors. Here, Miranda arrives with her partner Rick Contrary, while Isaiah and Ariel are just about to reach the garden gate, too.
Hermia, Tank, Hal (Goneril's son) and Tybalt (her "nephew", I like to think) are next to arrive.
Desdemona serves a layer cake she has been keeping in her inventory for quite a while, just waiting for a special occasion. Having all of her siblings around certainly is a special occasion!
You can tell Miranda and Goneril are really making an effort to get along.
It must have meant a lot to Goneril, as it was the last time she could speak to her eldest daughter. At 6:00 pm, when she just turns 83, Mr. Reaper is here to take her to the great big community lot in the sky, where Albany is waiting for her. It is a sad end to Desdemona's anniversary party, but the party score is still fantastic!
The week ends with Desdemona watching over her youngest child's sleep.


What will the future bring to this particular branch of the Capp clan? Is Catherine going to uni, and how are the boys turning out as they grow up? Will Desdemona and Beau take care of each other and the house if I stop controlling them?

It was great playing yet another busy household with teens, children, toddlers and babies, but now I am ready for something less eventful, where I can speed through a week without risking the Social Worker :-)
We've not yet reached the end of the Capp households.