Delilah O'Feefe: Freshman Year

Another student household - but a very different one from the fraternity house where we've just spent a year. This is Delilah O'Feefe, who, according to her Maxis-written biography, "enjoys the peace and quiet that living alone offers and moved into her own house as soon as she was able. Who wants to deal with the drama of 'roommates'?" 

Delilah is a Knowledge Sim and dreams of becoming a World Class Ballet Dancer. For now, she is an artist more than anything else. The picture is a Maxis-made one, but there are no others there to illustrate a background story for her. 

By the way, we are at Veronaville's Académie Le Tour. Delilah's privately owned house is at No. 25, Bundt Way. She is a Freshman majoring in Art, and currently has 756 Simoleons in cash.

Her house is tiny, but it has almost everything she might want. On the ground floor is an open plan sitting/dining area and a very small kitchen. 

The stairs lead directly into her relatively generous bedroom with a good double bed with an easel in the bay window, and a bathroom. There is also a tiny balcony which won't be of much use.

Here she is as I find her upon entering the lot. 

I have already given you her household biography. Her Maxis-written personal bio reads: "Deliah is aloof and sticks to her own 'kind'. She prefers paintings to people and loves the color yellow." 

While I do not prefer paintings to people (at least not categorically), I love yellow, too - which makes me have a bit of a soft spot for this young lady. Let's see what she'll get up to in her Freshman Year, shall we! 

First things first; a mechanical and a cleaning skill point are required for Delilah's art course, and she makes sure to get these as soon as she has purchased a "Billy" book case from IKEA.

Meanwhile, Mr Humble delivers his computer. There is no desk in the house, but that can be changed. 

Edwin Sharpe, who does not live far away on campus in another privately owned house along with his sister and her boyfriend, is invited over. He is Delilah's friend. 

And over lunch meat sandwiches, they become best friends. The girl who Edwin brought along is Chris Cho - but I don't think she's the Chris Cho I made playable some time ago; her outfit looks different from what I remember.

The small sitting area has just enough room for a desk and chair, so that the computer can be used to write Term Papers on, a big wish of Delilah's.

And one she fulfills the next morning, after she has been diligently typing away through the night. Good job she has to be at class only at 2:00 pm! 

After class, Mitch Indie comes visiting - he is another friend of hers, but not one that Maxis have pre-arranged; they met in-game when I was playing Mitch and Max. 

Since Delilah lives on her own, she can't split the bills with anyone else like the students at the dorms can. After having payed today's bill, her bank balance is down to 188 Simoleons. 

With her Term Paper out of the way, Delilah takes advantage of the student tariff for taxis (zero Simoleons!) and visits King's Music Hall, a community lot on campus where I have not yet played. 

She grabs a hot dog, prefering to sit on her own instead of joining a group of students at their table.

Some of them head downstairs for an impromptu performance later, much to the delight of one of the cheerleaders. Delilah joins them at the drum kit and is rewarded with 100 Simoleons in tips - not bad for a few hours on a community lot before class! 

Her end-of-term exam is over, and she returns with an A+, her name on the Dean's List and a grant worth 1,200 Simoleons. 

Some of the money is invested in a mirror and a wall lamp for the bathroom, so that she can learn the charisma required for this semester.

She also needs a logic point but has neither the money nor the space to place a chess table and chairs in her house. The solution? Another visit to King's Music Hall, where she can practise. Jonah Powers spots her and walks over. "You're the girl my girlfriend's brother hangs out with, aren't you?" - "We're friends, that's right," Delilah returns a little primly. 

Once again, she prefers her own table instead of sitting with Jonah and the unknown student he shares a hot dog with.

When it comes to creativity, Delilah is anything but prim. She really enjoys playing the drums and has another go today.

Jonah joins her at the bass and the unknown girl at the guitar. The three of them jam away and get tips and some applause from their fellow students.

Back home after class, Delilah knuckles down and completes her Term Paper. 

She is very focused on her course work and more often than not finds cooking a waste of time, especially if there's just herself to make a meal for. A can of juice is her choice of "meal" tonight.

The next day, she sells her first "naive art" for 23 Simoleons. Good job she's not a Fortune Sim, or it would cost her aspiration points! 

This was a whirlwind Freshman Year for Delilah, and now it is over - she has just returned from her final exam in the middle of the night, with another A+, spot on the Dean's List and the full grant. 

With a little over 2,800 Simoleons, she can think of a home improvement, maybe a better fridge or stove. 

It was a good "year" with a chance to play on a community lot for longer than what I usually do. It was fun to watch what everyone got up to there. We will relatively soon visit Edwin Sharpe, because his house mate Jonah Powers is not far off on the alphabetical list. Maybe Delilah will come visiting?

Castor Nova: Sophomore Year

The first year at this fraternity house is here.

Welcome back to the Urele-Oresha-Cham House, the oldest fraternity at Desiderata Valley's Sim State Uni. 

We're here for Castor Nova, whose Sophomore Year has just started. Ashley Pitts, visible in the back, is the only Junior here; the other two (Kevin Beare and Joshua Ruben) are Sophs like Castor. 

Of course, there is nothing better to celebrate the end of their Freshman and the start of their Sophomore Year with than freshly baked pizza, brought straight from Campus - and for free at that! By the way, with their combined grants, the boys had more than 12,000 Simoleons in cash, and invested some of it in better showers. 

Dining al fresco sounds grand, but if you look at it more closely, it's just two guys eating pizza straight from the box, sitting on an old bench in an untidy backyard.

Castor has quickly acquired the skill point he needs for this semester and would be ready to get started on his Term Paper, were it not for the computer needing a repair. With not much mechanical skill, I fear he could be electrocuted, but Castor masters this task very well.

Downstairs in the dimness of the hallway, Kevin needs two attempts to tune the piano before he can work on the creativity skill needed this year. 

Castor has managed to write his Term Paper in one go and is now free to do pretty much as he pleases - which at the moment is sleep.

Strangely, he is not at all bothered by the stereo blaring out Reggae music right next to his bed - he sleeps soundly. 

Doing pretty much what he pleases means he spends hours at the bubble blower. If it weren't for having to go to classes and me directing him to make an occasional phone call, he'd probably be there forever. 

Winter is setting in with the first snow falling just as Joshua and Castor have another al fresco dinner - this time, it is really VERY "fresco"! 

For his next meal, Castor prefers the kitchen, and so does Ashley. 

Who can jump the highest, doing the school cheer? Surprisingly, Kevin wins!

Castor takes it upon himself to carry the empty pizza boxes out to the bin. 

He then graces me with a great performance at the piano; he is becoming really good at it.

Joshua has invited his love interest over. Tiffany Sampson lives just across the road in the sorority house, and she has brought her "sisters" along. All of a sudden, Joshua finds himself too shy for words, and so the two of them have a silent meal in the kitchen without even looking at each other. 

Ashley fares only a little better. His hygiene level is very low, but he is so smitten with Heather Huffington - his 3-bolt-match - that he follows her around the house like a puppy. At least there are pink hearts by the time Ashley finally and reluctantly leaves to go for that badly needed shower. 

"He wasn't exactly as fresh as a daisy," Heather remarks to Castor once Ashley is out of earshot. 

The end of term is here, which means of course exams. All four students pass with flying colours and get the full grants, just passing the 13,000 Simoleons mark. Some lamps for the house, maybe?

As usual, it's skilling time for everyone, and Castor needs a cooking point. Making spaghetti can't be all that hard, can it? 

Kevin and Ashley both need to study cleaning, and do so in perfect sync. Their amazement at what they learn is almost tangible: "It says here that one should clean the toilet with a BRUSH!!" - "Yes, and that this needs doing practically EVERY TIME one has been going...!"

This semester, Joshua completes his Term Paper before anyone else. He seems to be motivated by his Fortune aspiration, thinking of all the money he'll make once he has graduated and advances in his career. 

As you can see, the boys have finally bought a few lamps for the fraternity house, like this one on the desk.

After the revelations from the book about cleaning, Kevin needs to brush up on his logic. Castor doesn't need it for his course this semester, but he is happy to join his frat brother at the chess table.

Here is something I have never noticed before (I think): When a Sim joins a LAN party, like Ashley does here on his own initiative, the old familiar EA Games logo appears, followed by SimCity 4. Quite a nostalgic moment!

Castor has just finished his Term Paper. In the back you can see another small modification I have made to this room: I have removed the second bed (it still was the original cheap one) and added a wardrobe.

Castor has been wanting to throw a Toga Party, and while he prefers to stay indoors on a cold winter's night like this, some of his "brothers" have either not found their toga (like Ashley) or, like Kevin, don't seem to mind the cold. 

He has just witnessed Heather and Ashley kissing, and gets all upset. I seem to remember he and Heather had a crush; but hey, she's Ashley's three-bolt-lady, and that always takes precedence.

Besides, he has no reason to complain - he found his three-bolt-lady already in his Freshman Year when he met Vamsi. Now the two are in love true and proper.

Joshua can't help but remark about the silliness of being out in the snow in your toga... or your PJ bottoms.

The hot tub is used by Heather and Tiffany, with Ashley swooning over Heather. I expect him to get in as well, but he never does. 

Instead, after the party has ended as a roof raiser, the boys end the evening on a high :-D

It is almost spring, but it has snowed heavily again over night - enough for Castor to build a snowman. 

The house must have good central heating for the boys to walk around in their PJ bottoms!

The llama and the cheerleader get along well. 

The cow also gets along well with the llama... 

...but not with the cheerleader.

Cheerleader 1 - Cow 0. (I wouldn't want to have to fight wearing a full body cow costume, complete with the head! But then again, I wouldn't want to have to fight in the first place anyway.)

The second semester of the Sophomore Year has just flown by for Castor, and all four "brothers" pass their end-of-year exams with A+ grades, spots on the Dean's List and full grants. 

Next time we'll come visiting here, it will be for Ashley Pitt's Senior Year. I am looking forward to following the various romances and other relationships the boys have been establishing this year! 

I also want to make more of an effort again to move the Fraternity forward, maybe with one or two new members. We'll see.