New Maximiliania Stats 2020

 

Can you believe 2020 is already 19 days "old"?

 

My annual head count had to wait, as I was not home for New Year's Eve, and wanted to complete the round. I did that yesterday with Candice Walter's first week, and am now ready to compile New Maximiliania's latest stats:

 

The head count stands at 119 Sims (January 19, 2021). Compare this to the 231 Sims that roamed the streets of New Max in 2009!

We've seen several newcomers since the last count, namely Sims with surnames of people I know in real life, such as Fleig, Seifert, Turner and Walter. A few who otherwise would not have been added to the neighbourhood were allowed to move in because I did not want to stand in the way of 3-bolt-loves; Jihoon Hsu and Brittany Mace are examples. 

The list of deaths and births is ever-growing; I have not counted them this year.

 

Several community lots and one family (the Roths) have vanished in thin air, it seems; I am working on a reorganisation of all Maxis-made lots in my game, and am positive that the Roths will return some day.

Candice Walter - Week 1

This small house in New Maximiliania's Bluewater Village has recently been bought by...

...Candice Walter, a former NPC student.
She has become a New Maximilianian resident because I know a Mrs Walter in real life, and have therefore decided to add this surname to the neighbourhood.

Cancide has a diploma (although I don't know what her major was); Odell Ottomas was the one to befriend her and ask her to move in.
Her aspiration is Romance, and she wants to have 20 best friends. So far, Odell is her only one, and she has no romantic interest.
With the money she saved from her students grants and the usual starter sum, she has 13,780 Simoleons left after having purchased the house.

Speaking of the house, it is not only small, but offers little in terms of furnishing: To the left of the front door is a tiny bathroom with the cheapest installations. The open plan kitchen-living-dining area is equipped with the cheapest stove and sink; there is no fridge, no table, and the only chair is a cheap garden chair on the front porch. A grill is on the back porch, and the small bedroom contains the cheapest single bed and nothing else.
Well, I am sure Candice will wish for things - right now, all her wants have something to do with friendships and friends.

As she has no fridge (yet), but wants to have something to offer the welcome committee, she spends 40 Simoleons on a large pizza.

The pizza is shared with Christopher Capp, Lilo Landgraab...

...Gavin Newson...

...and Jason Lewis, who is a newcomer in the neighbourhood just like Candice.

In the course of the afternoon, Candice makes phonecalls to two friends who become her best friends # 2 and 3: Perseida Powers and Cooper Seifert.

Just after sunset, the phone rings, and friend Sharla Ottomas invites Candice to meet up at Baliwood Star Lanes.

Everybody has fun at their various activities, such as bowling, playing pool or just chatting. Candice has had a long first day, though, and says good-bye after only a couple of hours.

Not much happens on Tuesday. Candice gets up at 6:00 from her cheap bed; she has slept reasonably well, but the bed offers little comfort.

Her new fridge has been delivered, and now that she has a place to store dairy products and other fresh items, Candice can have muesli for breakfast.

Her first set of bills as a house owner has arrived - she is charged a modest 34 Simoleons.

Sharla Ottomas becomes her best friend # 4.

Although her new bed offers much more comfort than the old one, Candice feels unwell on Wednesday morning. After a bowl of muesli and a hot shower, she spends much of the day resting and reading.

When Helena Stacks walks by in the afternoon, she musters up enough energy to greet her, but Helena is left to her own devices, fishing at the pond.

Her cough and other symptoms of illness are still with Candice on Thursday, but that does not stop her from greeting Desdemona Broke.

[She notices that some of the daisies in her front garden need watering. The fresh air - it is autumn now - does her good.

By the time her best friend Sharla Ottomas comes visiting, she feels well enough to have a plate of spaghetti and a glass of sparkling wine with her - the first meal at her brand new dining table.
Today's bills were, by the way, 28 Simoleons; I would have expected more, as Candice has invested in a new fridge, bed and dining table with chairs, and usually, bills increase when a house is furnished and decorated more.

On Friday, Tina Cho is Candice's first visitor for the day. Like the other ladies before her, she spends almost all the time on her own, fishing at the pond behind the house.

Christopher Capp is high on Candice's wish list as her next best friend. She invites him over and hopes to reach best friend status over bowls of Mac'n Cheese, but although they have a good time reminiscing about their years at uni, Christopher leaves still as a good friend, not best.

By Friday morning, the colder season has kicked in enough for Candice to wear her outdoor clothes when she picks up the paper from her front porch. She does not seem too happy about that!

It takes a few phone calls to finally make Christopher Capp her best friend # 5.

Sunday is not off to the best start when the toilet clogs up. With no income, Candice is careful about spending money, and therefore makes sure she does as much as possible herself.

The day can only get better after that, and it does! With a series of phonecalls, Candice makes her best friends # 6, 7, 8 and 9 - that's almost half of her lifetime want achieved during her first week!

She is still not well and therefore not up to inviting anyone over or going anywhere. Before she goes to bed, she witnesses the first snow of the season, and the ponds around her house freeze.

This is the end of the current round in New Maximiliania. I had a lot of fun, although I miss not only the Roth family, but also several community lots (and probably a few residential lots, too) have disappeared as if by magic.

Before I start the next round here, I want to do a thorough check and take stock of what I have, and what I have lost. Then maybe I will do some re-organising of New Maximiliania, hoping that I won't lose more lots and more families - so far, the Roths are the only one.
And of course, a head count is overdue!

I also hope you will stay with me - I have precious few readers, and value each of you greatly. Thank you for reading and commenting!

Turner Students: Freshman Year

Starting uni is a big step for every Sim, and these newcomers who have just arrived at Pinenut Plaza Dorms are no exception. Who are they?

The young woman is no other than Helen Gavigan - hardly recognizable without her signature purple-pink hair! She age-transitioned into this style.
We have only just visited her family, so I don't think you need much of an introduction.
Helen is a Romance Sim and wants to become a Celebrity Chef like her dad, Sirius Swain. Her mother is Gerlinde Gavigan.
The young man behind her is Abhijeet Turner, a former Townie teenager. His name appeared on the list of Sims eligible to be sent to college, and as his surname has recently be added to New Max (because of my uncle and aunt in Yorkshire by the same name), I decided to send him, too.
Abhijeet is a Romance Sim like Helen, but wants to have 20 lovers.

Then there is Margaret Turner - maybe you remember that she was one of Clarence Gavigan's first dates, another Townie teen. Margaret's aspiration is Knowledge, and she wants to become Captain Hero one day. Here she is talking to Clarence, Helen's twin brother. Clarence still wants to have 50 first dates, and began his life on campus with 13 such dates.
Next to him is former Paper Boy Amin Fleig. As befits a Popularity Sim, he wants to have 20 best friends.

Last but not least, Ratna Walter joins them. He was left on his own at the dorm I last played. Since that dorm has only five rooms, and I needed six for this group of students, I had Ratna move here.
Once upon a time, he was a Townie teenager, too.
He is a Pleasure Sim and wants to have 50 Dream Dates. Oh dear, I can see a lot of dating coming up at this dorm!
He is the oldest of the group, already a Junior.

Clarence and Margaret have known each other only briefly through a 1st date arranged by the Matchmaker, but Clarence gives her a backrub on his own initiative. Margaret does not seem to have anything against it!

Helen is glad to have her former hairstyle back. We've always known her like this, and I think it suits her much better than the short black cut.

A long time ago, I deposited the face surgery station in one of the rooms. Poor Clarence has never known what it is like to breathe with a proper nose (and I wonder how his specs are held in place), and here he is, cautiously approaching the apparatus.

Oh dear - his first attempt fails miserably!

He is happy the second time, though, and so am I.

Amin is the first to finish his Term Paper.

Helen is the first to decide on a Major; it is Art for her.

Amin registers for Drama, and promptly needs to work on his Charisma.

Cows and Llamas, will these two ever get along? I don't think so!

Clarence has his 1st date # 14 with Lisa Gieke, arranged by the Matchmaker. It ends very quickly; I seem to remember that Lisa is involved with one of the Ottomas brothers.
Shortly afterwards, Clarence knows what he wants to focus on and declares his Major in Drama.

Suddenly, I hear the "crush" harp upstairs - Abhijeet and Helen have autonomously fallen for each other! Hardly suprising, Abhijeet decides on the same Major as his romantic interest, Art.
I foresee some trouble for this two-bolt-couple, since Abhi wants to have 20 lovers. We'll see how things pan out for them.

Amin meets and greets an NPC student - his name is Abhijeet Turner. Yes, that's right, exactly the same as our Abhi!

As usual, when the students have nothing else to do, they gather round the stereo and dance the hours away.

The end of their first semester is here - exam-time!
Amin, Margaret and Clarence have already finished. Only Margaret got an A+ and a spot on the Dean's List; Clarence managed a B+ and Amin an A.

Abhi and Helen are next to return from their exams, Abhi being relieved that he did not end up lower than a B+, and Helen proud of her A+.

Ratna, who has chosen to sit his exam in his PJs, has an A+.

Now the usual round of acquiring their necessary skills and writing Term Papers begins. Helen is first this time, followed closely by her twin brother.

She then insists on having a sponge bath in the cafeteria - regardless of the upstairs shower room being entirely at her disposition. Ratna is polite enough to turn away.

Clarence decides to have his first date # 16 with Professor Jeannie Ajjanagadde. Nothing happens, really, as he has to go to class almost immediately. The Professor hangs out at the dorm a while longer, until I have mercy on her and tell Margaret to say good-bye.

For Abhi, Helen becomes his first love. Remember, he wants 20. But can even a Romance Sim ever forget their first love? Anway, for now, the couple are very happy together.

The Freshman Year passed very quickly, with so many Sims to take care of. The group never even made it to a community lot, in spite of being in dire need of new clothes!
But after their first term, which could have gone better grade-wise, they all made an effort - and it paid off: Each and every one finds their name on the Dean's List, with a big, sparkling A+ behind!

And Ratna? He returns an hour or so after the others, also with an A+, and as a proud Senior Student.

For their next term, I really want to send the group to a community lot. The contents of their wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired, and it will also be a good occasion for them to meet other Sims.
The Turners are a wide-spread clan, it seems; Abhi knows two other Turners, all tourists, I believe. We will certainly find more of them making their way over to New Max eventually!