The Summerdreams: Week 1

A change of scene for this week - welcome back to Veronaville! This time, the address is 71 Bard Boulevard, the mansion-like house of the Summerdream family.

From the back, it looks very much like a theatre. The outdoors area has different levels, with a jaccuzzi taking centre stage, plus various lounge chairs, a bar and buffet table and other things. It looks like some sort of party is going on; it is Tuesday evening 9:00 pm when I enter the lot. 

The family plus guests are all out there, with Titania standing on the "stage" (and obviously thinking about either having been cheated on or herself cheating on her lover). The line-up in front of the jaccuzzi is, left to right: Puck Summerdream, Hermia Capp, Oberon Summerdream, Romeo Monty and Bottom Summerdream. 

According to Maxis, "The Summerdreams' kindly nature and zest for life have cast a romantic spell over Veronaville's youth. But will there be any magic left for Puck?" Before starting to play, let's check out the history Maxis have provided us with.

Here, Oberon and Titania are seen as childhood sweethearts. They are cute together, aren't they! 

About them as adults, Maxis says: "Trying to master the art of home video editing, Oberon has been neglecting his lovely long-time companion Titania. Is it too late for him to recapture their love?" And: "Though devoted to her adopted children Puck and Bottom, Titania is feeling restless. Can she again find the peace, love, and happiness she used to share with Oberon or will she look for attention elsewhere?" 

Oberon is a Knowledge Sim and wants to become Chief of Staff, while Titania has the typical Family Sim lifetime want of having six grandchildren. 

A couple of unknown Sims are giving their red-haired toddler up for adoption. Puck's biological parents do not show in either his memories or his family tree; he feels as much Titania and Oberon's son as they feel his parents. 

Here is Puck again, now a teenager, sharing the jaccuzzi with the friendly sisters Hermia and Juliet Capp and friend Romeo Monty. He "has been blessed with two loving parents—and a bratty kid sister—but sometimes he still finds himself lonely. Can he find a companion in Hermia?" As his aspiration is Popularity, it does not come as a surprise that Puck wants nothing more than to have 20 best friends.

Oberon hugs the youngest member of the family, Bottom. She, too, was adopted, and "sometimes gets herself into trouble attempting to get attention from her parents and big brother. Will she grow up to be more respectful and responsible?" 

By rights, Bottom should not yet have a lifetime want, but strangely enough, she already dreams of becoming General Summerdream one day (sounds rather nice, doesn't it). She has no aspiration yet, and I wonder whether her lifetime want will change once she grows to a teenager and has an aspiration. 

Oberon and Titania do not have any biological children and are not (yet) married.

The house is large and relatively well (and in some parts, luxuriously) furnished, but its layout makes it hard to play: 

To get from the street to the front door - which is at the back of the house - and vice versa takes forever. On the ground floor we have a large open plan hallway with two stairs leading to the upper floor and double doors opening to the "stage" and garden. Off to the left is the kitchen/dining area, and to the right a toilet and a room that holds little more than a settee. 

Upstairs, there are two bedrooms with double beds, with the red one probably meant to be Titania's and the blue one Oberon's. 

The green room with the single bed is Puck's, and the pink one Bottom's. There is only one bathroom here, which I will change for the sake of time management. 

The family have comparably little cash with 6,573 Simoleons on their account, but some of the furniture and other things can easily be sold, and if Oberon joins the Medical Career, he will make more money than what he gets right now in the Slacker career. Titania is in the same career, but since she needs neither the money nor the job for her lifetime want, I shall have her quit. 

The game informs me that Puck wants to have his first kiss with Hermia, and so they get their first kiss. Red hearts are the result :-)

Meanwhile, Oberon unsuccessfully tries to patch things up with Titania - apparently, he really did cheat on her (according to his memories), but it is unclear who with, since she is the only person in his relationship panel with a heart. 

Still, Titania reminds them of the magic they once had, and the two of them talk until they nearly fall asleep right there on the floor.

On Wednesday, Oberon starts his new career: He is now an EMT.

While he is at work and the children at school, Emily Lee kicks over the rubbish bin, clearly having a grudge against Titania. Is she the one Titania thinks Oberon cheated with?

Mother and son share a moment of joy when Puck brings home his first A+.

Bottom isn't quite at A+ level yet, but she brings home Jace Lee, a boy who will be made playable eventually because of his surname.

The Summerdreams are all gathered at the dining table so that young Bottom does not have to eat alone. See the way Oberon looks at Titania, and the way she does NOT look at him? She is still mad at him, even though their relationship is back to 100.

On Thursday, one of the first things Titania does is to put her tiara in a drawer (it IS difficult to keep in place while doing the cooking and everything elsee) and change her hairstyle. The more modern look really suits her, and she is as happy with it as I am.

Oberon has had a good day at work and returns with a promotion to Paramedic. He sleeps for a couple of hours before going back to the hospital for a night shift. 

Today, it is Bottom's turn to bring home her first A+ report.

Before he changes back into scrubs, Oberon gets rid of the makeup; it is not allowed in the operating theatre anyway, and if he wants to move on to surgeon, he has to change his look - and as you can see from his smile, he likes what he now sees in the mirror.

With Puck and Bottom at school and Oberon not having to leave for the night shift until 7:00 pm, he hopes to spend time with Titania so that they can finally leave their silly quarrel behind. However, at first she is busy making phone calls to friends, turning her back on him while he eats his sandwich alone. 

Eventually, though, she joins him at the table. "Can't we at least be best friends again?" he asks - and a smile is the answer. 

Seconds later, she reaches across the table, and Oberon tenderly touches her hand. Finally, the two are in love again!

The afternoon is spent raking leaves and at the same time increasing the cleaning skill so important in the medical career.

At night, with Titania fast asleep in her bed, Oberon quietly slips between the sheets next to her. (He did that on his own accord, instead of using his own bed as he has been doing all week.)

Saturday morning sees the whole family at breakfast. 

Then the kids play chess on the porch for a while until Bottom gets bored, and Oberon takes her place. 

She is much more interested in making friends with her classmate Jace Lee. 

Oberon's night shift went all wrong when he was driving to an emergency and couldn't get through because of heavy traffic. He chose to drive on the sidewalk, but this was NOT a good idea, and he was fired.

While the firing made him unhappy, he was glad to find Titania still up... and ready to restore his self-esteem and happiness :-)

A gardener is called on Saturday. Even though Oberon is unemployed at the moment, he wants to get back into the medical career as soon as possible, and will use his spare time to brush up on skills while this is made easier by it being autumn.

Titania and Oberon hugging romantically on their own accord is so nice! 

For the last time, Puck can dance like that with his little sister... 

...because shortly afterwards, she grows up into a teenager. 

My dice decides on her aspiration to be Pleasure; her lifetime want (which she should not have had in the first place, while she was till only a child) remains unchanged: One day, there will be a General Summerdream in Veronaville :-) 

Because the week at this house started on a Tuesday, I play Monday in order to complete their week. Titania can now harvest the plants the family have been tending all week. 

Oberon has not yet got his former job back, but he is forever skilling, and only interrupts that activity to say good-bye to Puck, who moves to college today - a big wish of his comes true.

One of Bottom's newly rolled wishes is to flirt, and who better to do this with than with her classmate and friend Jace Lee :-) 

This is where the week with the Summerdreams ends. 

It was a relief when Titania stopped being mad at Oberon. Although it was unfortunate that he lost his job, I am confident that he'll get back into the medical career and reaches his lifetime want eventually. Puck will no doubt do well at college, while Bottom has already begun to explore the joys of being a teenager. 

I had fun with the family, but not the house; the children's rooms are windowless and small, the front door is at the back, and the garden is full of useless outdoor furniture. I have changed a few things, mainly adding steps from the front porch to road level, so that now the doors facing that way are used as front doors.