A long time ago in Pleasantview, Mortimer Goth married Bella Bachelor.
They went on to have a little girl, Cassandra...
...and (much later, in spite of Bella and Mortimer still looking exactly the same) a little boy, Alexander. Everything was perfect; they had it all: Beauty, money, love.
Not a teenager anymore, Cassandra fell for the charms of Don Lothario, Pleasantview's very own Casanova. Mortimer, now old enough to have white hair, wasn't happy about it.
He knew the rumours about Don and his missing wife: Bella had last been spotted on Don's roof terrace, where presumably she had been kidnapped by aliens. Night after night, Mortimer has been searching the stars for any possible trace of those aliens - if they existed at all. (Well, we know they do! And we know that Bella now lives happily in Strangetown, with no memory whatsoever of her former life. You can read about her here.)
And now we're here at 165 Sim Lane, at what must be one of the most familiar houses for every player of any of the Sims games.
The house is fully furnished and decorated in a way that says "Old Money (and a lot of it)" loud and clear. On the ground floor, the hall holds a piano, and a staircase leads to the upper floors. Clockwise from the hall are a toilet, living room with fireplace, chess board and aquarium, a large dining room and kitchen.
On the 1st floor up, we find the master bedroom with one corner set up as a study, two bathrooms, a children's room obviously meant for Alexander and another single bedroom that must be Cassandra's; larger than her little brother's, and with a fireplace.
The attic floor holds nothing but an easel.
The roof terrace is where Mortimer's telescope is set up. Even with the richly furnished house, the Goths' bank account still shows well over 635,000 Simoleons. The family bio says: "Cassandra is ready to start a family of her own, but can she tame the town Cassanova? And can Mortimer bounce back after the disappearance of his wife Bella?"
Mortimer looks much older than the 58 years he actually is. With his wealthy family background, he was able to retire early; the game shows him as a retired Scientist. According to Maxis, "Cheerful and outgoing, Mortimer brings his old country upbringing into the modern age. He has an unusual fondness for insects." A typical Knowledge Sim, he wants to max out all his skills. Logic and cleaning are already full; cooking is at 9 points.
Alexander is four days away from turning into a teenager and by rights should have neither lifetime want nor aspiration, but strangely enough, he dreams of having 20 lovers! This does not quite add up with his bio, which reads: "As a child of older parents, Alexander often wonders if he missed out on anything. His hobbies include optometry and number theory."
We have already met Cassandra as Darren's love interest when I was playing the Dreamers. Here she is, a Family Sim who sees herself as future Chief of Staff. Her bio says that she "is the quiet, mysterious type. Nobody ever knows quite what she's thinking."
Next to her is Don Lothario, and the garden behind the house is set up with a wedding arch - their relationship is shown as engaged, which is a shame, because Cassandra's biggest wish right now is to get engaged to Darren. What to do?
I have her invite the Dreamers over and hope that some romantic interactions with Darren will make Don furious enough so that their engagement can be dissolved. But much to my surprise (and a little disappointment), no matter how intensely the two of them kiss and make out right next to Don, he shows no reaction at all. Eventually, I send the guests home and the Goths to bed.
This is, by the way, the ghost of Agnes Crumplebottom. Mortimer's mother Cornelia was from the Crumplebottom family, and Agnes was her sister - Mortimer's aunt.
On Tuesday morning, I have Mortimer call a gardener and a household help. House and garden are big, and Mortimer wants to dedicate most of his time to skilling, and money is not an issue.
Daniel Pleasant walks by and is politely greeted.
Early this morning, Cassandra had found a job as Emergency Medical Technician. She returns from her first shift with a promotion to Paramedic. Tying her hair in a ponytail seems much more practical for work than the pigtails she had been wearing since her childhood (apart from it looking tons better!).
Just as Alexander returns from school with an A+ report, his Dad has greeted Herb Oldie. For Mortimer, it's back to the piano to work on his creativity skill while Cassandra helps her little brother with his homework. The guests, Daniel Pleasant and Herb, take care of themselves by engaging in a game of chess.
Cassandra returns from work on Wednesday with a promotion to Nurse, and just in time to meet & greet Vyn Scott.
It turns out that Mortimer and Vyn get along very well, and Mortimer has two bolts for her.
Alexander comes from school in need of some fun, and since Cassandra needs logic for her next promotion, brother and sister play chess for good part of the afternoon.
Later, Cassandra surprises me by restocking the empty aquarium on her own accord. I didn't know Sims do that!
Wednesday has just slipped into Thursday when I notice that not one, but three of the Goths' family ghosts are out: Cornelia, Gunther and Victor. They do not enter the house, though, and the living Goths can sleep undisturbed. ]
Cassandra has a day off and uses it well. Here, she greets passers-by Checo Ramirez.
Mortimer maxes out his creativity.
Darren has been invited, and so it is a nice lunch for Mortimer, Cassandra and their guests.
Alexander has returned from school and pretends to go upstairs to do his homework. Instead, though, he jumps on his Dad's bed until he is too tired to do any homework.
He goes to bed early, meaning he wakes up in the middle of the night.
Moments afterwards, he turns into a teenager, completely unnoticed by his father and sister, who are both fast asleep. My dice rolls his aspiration to be Knowledge - an interesting combination with his unchanged lifetime want of having 20 lovers!
On Friday, I change his room to a less child-like look.
Mortimer now tackles the Mechanical skill and is making good progress.
He invites Vyn Scott over, and this is how he greets her :-)
Aaaw :-)
He prepares chili con carne, and they wash it down with champagne. Mortimer knows how to entertain a lady!
Cassandra is now an Intern and needs some more skills.
It is Saturday, and because Alexander does not need to go to school, he can do what he likes best: play the piano and boost his creativity. He is a Knowledge Sim, after all - like father, like son!
But he should keep in mind his lifetime want, too, even if it is not one of my favourites. Several girls his age live not far away, and while Lucy Burb was invited over by Mortimer (who knows her parents), Angela Pleasant just happened to walk by. When the girls leave much later, they are not exactly friends with Alexander, but not far off - and he has two bolts for Lucy, and flirted with her on his own accord. (Look at Lucy's face - she does not seem overly happy about Angela's arrival.)
It's Sunday, and Christmas - just like in real life! Mortimer wakes up a little before his children and is pleased to see that they are going to have a White Christmas this year.
First things first! While Cassandra and Alexander take their time getting up, he maximises his Mechnanical skill.
By the time the sun is up, the Goth villa is in Winter Wonderland (apart from the kicked-over rubbish bin - I have a very good idea who's responsible for that, but I never saw him).
The Christmas tree is set up in the hall and decorated. Alexander plays some favourite carols, much to his Dad's delight.
More Christmas decorations have been put up in the living room...
...and in the dining room.
The family have not been to a community lot this week, and Mortimer needs groceries, so they take a taxi to Here or Else Groceries.
Quite a few people seem to be in need of some last-minute food shopping for Christmas Eve.
Cassandra is pleased to run into her friend Florence Delarosa, and isn't that Dina Caliente in the back? (Yes, it is, and Mortimer dances to the shop music with her, but that's all that happens.)
A little later, I spot Chester Gieke walking up to Florence and caress her face :-)
Meanwhile, Alexander spots the pretty teenage girl at the cash register and chats her up. "You're not at my school, are you? I surely would have noticed someone as pretty as you..." Oh Alex!
Back home, he is the happy little boy again: "Dad's making Santa cookies!" he says to his big sister.
And indeed he is!
One chair has been empty at the dining table for so long now, but Mortimer, Cassandra and Alexander still have each other, and enjoy their Christmas meal and the cookies for dessert.
Cassandra, who was promoted to Resident only yesterday, is off to do the night shift at Pleasantview Hospital, Christmas or not. Here's a heartfelt thank you to everyone who works tonight so that the rest of us can celebrate with our families and friends, knowing that someone will look after them should anything happen!
Mortimer is just having a nap when a soft jingling sounds wakes him.
Santa is here!
Alexander was in bed already and comes rushing downstairs in his PJs. "He's here! He's really here!" He is really excited, and all thoughts of pretty shop girls are forgotten for now.
Father and son spend a happy couple of hours with Santa before the man is on his way. Plenty of other houses in Pleasantview want visiting tonight.
Here's me wishing everyone who reads this
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The Goths - who doesn't love them? Their house could do with a bit of modernising, and maybe I will do that once spring comes round for the Goths.
Mortimer won't be around much longer, I'm afraid. He is only 65 but I suppose the disappearance of his wife has made him age before his time.
Cassandra really wants to marry Darren, but as long as she can not speak to Don and dissolve their engagement, they can only move in together, and Don has refused to see her all week. (So he DID react to Cassandra and Darren kissing, even though he never showed it.)
Alexander wants to go to college, and I am sure he will excel there - both academically and with the ladies (he might need to work on his chat-up lines, though).
