The Cleveland Family: Week 2

Week 1 with this family is here.

We're back in Belladonna Cove to spend the second week with the Clevelands, who are renting a flat spanning the two top floors in the left part of this building.

Here are Jason and his son Justin. As a Fortune Sim, it suits Jason that he dreams of earning 100,000 Simoleons in his lifetime. Justin's aspiration is Popularity, and one day he wants to wear a military uniform with a general's five stars. For now, he's diligently doing his duty at the Cove's Private School. 

Marissa's aspiration matches her husband's, but her means of earning money are dubious: She hopes to take over the town's underworld as their Criminal Mastermind one day.

And she has steadily been rising the ranks in the Criminal carrer; on this Monday, she is promoted to Getaway Driver.

It is an important day for the family, as you can see from the birthday cake waiting on the kitchen counter.

Justin's beloved Uncle Geoff (his Mum's brother) is one of the first guests to arrive. Timothy Riley is also here...

...as are his daughter Sally and stepdaughter Etsu. 

At 6:00 pm sharply, Jason turns into an Elder, and the cake is cut.

While the party is in full swing, Christian Love appears. He has not been invited, and for some unknown reason, Jason can't stand the man, but he is friends with Marissa. I make sure she sends him away quickly, so that no nasty scenes will occur. 

Jason has the day off on Tuesday, and after pottering about all morning, he enjoys his afternoon nap - a privilege that comes with elderhood.

His nap makes him miss his wife's age transition; Marissa is now a Senior Sim, too. Unfortunately, her wardrobe is neither nice nor practical now that it is winter. 

Justin has missed that big moment in his Mum's life, too; he was busy doing homework.

The family gather in the kitchen a little later, although it is for the last time in this precise set-up: Justin has made the phone call to college and will leave as soon as the taxi is here to take him to campus. "My little boy... not little anymore..." Jason sighs.

Marissa walks to Freya's Raiments to remedy her wardrobe issue. Money is no problem, and she can pick and choose whatever takes her fancy. 

She meets and greets Isabel Baldwin. 

Outside, the Human Statue is striking a pose I don't think I have seen before, and the townies seem to be impressed enough to tip him. Unfortunately, when I tell Marissa to walk home, my game crashes :-( 

Back in the game, the day proceeds without any further incident. Marrissa goes to work and returns with a promotion to Bank Robber. 

On Wednesday, Jason is promoted to Lieutenant. Although his lifetime want does not involve a specific career, the promotion bonus nicely adds to his dream of earning 100,000 Simoleons. 

When I try to have him walk to a community lot to buy clothes for his wife, the game crashes again. That's it - the decision is made to move them out of the rented flat. They can easily afford to buy their own property, which should be less inclined to crashing the game than those buggy apartment lots. 

No. 322 Bay View Drive is the Clevelands' new address. 

The house is large for just the two of them, but they want to be ready for the future, when hopefully their son will graduate from college, move back in with his parents (if they are around long enough) and start his own family. 

The place comes partly furnished, and on the ground floor the couple only replace the cheap kitchen appliances with better ones and have a toilet installed in the tiny room off the front room. 

Upstairs, the cheap double bed and bathroom installations are also replaced by much better things, as you will see in the course of the rest of the week.

Speaking of which, the move means that their timeline has shifted back to Monday and the end of summer; I am still going to play them for seven days, so that Friday will be their last day before we'll check on Justin at college. 

Finally, Marissa is able to walk to Desprit Deals for some new clothes without a hitch. (The shop's name is appropriate, since she's really been "desprit" for something else to wear!)

Vivian Riley is browsing the racks, and the friends are pleased to stop for a chat after Marissa has paid for the earrings she's chosen. >

Back home, her new outfit is modest but looks much better than what she age-transitioned into.

Better still is her new hairstyle, showing off the earrings (a wish of hers) - not sure you can see them in the picture; they are the green pendant ones. 

Their new bed is really comfortable, and with no noise from other tenants, Jason has slept well and wakes up feeling really good on Tuesday. 

This must have helped him take the right decision with a chance card, and he returns from work with a promotion to SWAT Leader. Interestingly, the chance card involved apprehending the Cove's current Criminal Mastermind - unwittingly opening the way for his wife who secretly aspires to that position. 

It is skilling time for the Clevelands that evening.

The only thing worth reporting on Wednesday is Marissa's latest promotion to Cat Burglar. According to the chance card, she promoted herself while acting as a look-out during a heist and realising how much easier it is to steal stuff directly than robbing a bank. >

Jason takes advantage of the good weather on Thursday late afternoon and rakes the leaves in the back garden before he even changes out of his work clothes. 

Friday is here - the last day of the week with the Clevelands. 

Marissa has works the night, and Jason won't have to leave until 10:00 am today, and so she decides to try and make pancakes for their breakfast, something she has not done before.

They turn out a bit on the dark side, and Jason jokes that he certainly did not marry Marissa for her cooking skill (she has barely two points, while he is at four)... 

...but who cares when you can have champagne for breakfast! Indeed, who cares :-) 

Justin has not yet seen the new house comes over from campus. 

"This will all be yours one day, Justin... and your children's, if you'll have any," she explains. 

I really wanted this last day of their week to be the Clevelands' Family Day and had Marissa try and invite over her brother, Geoff Rutherford (Justin's beloved uncle), but he was at work until 10:00 pm, by which time Marissa was at work and Justin had left. Oh well, they'll just have to try again next time I play them - or maybe Justin will invite his parents and uncle to visit him on Campus. 

It was such a relief that the game didn't crash again after the move to their own property, and I hope Justin's Freshman Year at college will go just as smoothly.

With Marissa now being elderly, I very much hope she won't get fired due to a chance card - it will then be impossible for her to get back into the Criminal career, and the chance to reach her lifetime want will be gone. Jason has not had a wish to earn a specific amount of Simoleons all of this week, which is strange for a Sim with his LTW.

I quite liked playing the family, and although I will never be a fan of Marissa's, she has begun to grow on me a little.