Marla's last year at college is here.
We're in for a long stay in Veronaville, I think*; the Capps alone make up a number of households here. But I have not yet reached the letter C on my list yet.
It is Marla Biggs' turn to be played, her first week after graduation. She has moved to No. 108 Via Veronaville, a somewhat Gothic looking town house which appears quite large for a single Sim.
The ground floor has a small kitchen in one corner and a closet-like toilet in the other, with the rest of the floor being taken up by one large room with bay windows. A door leads to the back garden and the garage, which for now is empty. Furniture and decor are of the cheapest kind.
Upstairs is even worse with just a cheap single bed in one of the two bedrooms facing the street, a windowless bathroom and a spacious but empty landing.
With the money she saved from her student grants and after having sold most of the cheap furniture, Marla has a little over 10,000 Simoleons to play with, but she'll be sensible about spending until she finds a job.
Here she is, looking as if she's trying (but failing) to create a Wednesday Addams look with her black jacket and boots, and of course her black braids.
Marla is a Knowledge Sim and aspiring Game Designer. At uni, she autonomously fell in love with Tybalt Capp. Strangely, her memories show two graduations - one with Honours Cum Laude and one with Summa Cum Laude. There is only one diploma in her backpack, though.
After buying the essentials in terms of furniture and changing the decor somewhat, she still has around 5,700 Simoleons left - enough to tide her over for a while, should she not get into her coveted career right away.
As soon as Mr Humble has delivered the computer, she gets online, but her first job search does not yield the desired result.
Next, she greets the welcome wagon, consisting of Oberon Summerdream, Goneril and Cornwall Capp.
At 6:00 pm, former fellow student Phineaus Furley asks her to join a group of recent and soon-to-be graduates at Games of Glory for an evening of fun and catching up with them all.
Marla is pleased to see Tybalt, but unfortunately, she kisses him in front of Chaz Whippler. Chaz, a Romance Sim, shared a kiss with Marla - just the one - and fell in love with her; now he can't believe she is still with Tybalt and not interested in a relationship with him.
Everybody goes to try out the various games, but since Marla has only had a sandwich (she can't cook - all her meals at uni were provided for her), she is very hungry and makes hot dogs for everyone. Surprisingly for someone who has just one cooking point, she doesn't overdo them.
She then has a rather tame game of chess with Tybalt, but soon the two of them decide to head back to Marla's together, and say good-bye to everyone else.
It's moments like these when you don't want any other company than just the one person ;-)
Tybalt doesn't stay the night and is gone by Tuesday morning, so Chaz doesn't see him leaving Marla's house when he passes by in the early hours.
It is the first of several times that Chaz walks by, and every time I expect him to kick the rubbish bin over or at least nick the paper, but he does neither - he really seems to be pining after Marla and hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
Once again, there is nothing in the Gaming career today, so Marla takes advantage of the free time and good weather with a yoga session in her front garden. Just as she is looking back and upside down, Isabella Monty walks by. Marla is a friendly and polite young woman and greets the elderly lady, inviting her in.
The rest of the afternoon passes without anything remarkable happening. In the evening, Tybalt is invited over again, and the two end up in bed just like the day before. One could think it is spring, not autumn - Marla wants to slow dance, kiss and woohoo a lot, much what you'd expect from a Romance Sim, not a Knowledge one.
No luck on the job front on Wednesday, either. Marla has studied her cook book and tries her hand on pancakes. All seems to go well, but at the last minute, they blacken before she can get them out of the pan. Of course she eats them nonetheless.
Chaz appears, and again all he does is walk by and pine after Marla. "Did our wonderful kiss really mean nothing to her?" he wonders. In the course of the day, he turns up five times! (I have counted.)
Indoors, Marla's yoga exercises look more and more advanced. She is determined to get fitter, as long as she has the time.
Juliette Capp is her guest for the afternoon. No wishes about Tybalt or anything romantic today.
Thursday starts with double bad luck for Marla: Again no joy with the job search, and no matter how careful she is with her pancakes, black and smokey is what she gets, just like yesterday.
To add insult to injury, a townie totally unknown to Marla (Camryn Lee, who we know as General Buzz Grunt's second wife in Strangetown, but who is not playable in Veronaville) kicks her rubbish bin over, and Marla has to clean it all up.
She has just finished this unpleasant task and rewards herself by smelling the flowers in her front garden when Chaz walks by, still clearly love-struck.
Marla spends the rest of the afternoon going jogging and making herself spaghetti bolognese. Her Knowledge aspiration has kicked in, and she wants to improve her cooking, cleaning and body skills.
Just as Thursday slips into Friday, a burglar appears.
Few things are worse for a Knowledge Sim than having their beloved books stolen!
Marla is quite upset but still manages to go back to sleep after the unwelcome interruption.
Oh Chaz... you're not giving up, are you?
To take her mind off the burglary, Marla goes jogging (as per her wish), and fulfills another BIG wish of hers when she achieves a higher level of fitness.
It's still a beautiful mild autumn afternoon, and so she diligently waters all the flowers around her house (and there are many) before going in for a shower.
Saturday is more or less a repeat of Friday, with the exception of Marla having to repair the computer. Her mechanical skill is not too bad, and she really needs the computer if she hopes to find a job in Gaming (which so far she hasn't), and instead of spending money on the repair service, she does the job herself.
As you can see, she has replaced her precious books.
She goes jogging, does a spot of gardening, has a meal and a shower, and before she goes to bed she rings three of her friends to maintain those friendships.
Sunday is here, the last day of Marla's first week here. She tries once more to make pancakes, and this time manages not to burn them - her cooking really has improved in the course of the week.
To Marla's surprise and delight, Tybalt comes visiting on his own accord. He has obviously enjoyed the walk on this crisp early winter morning.
And he is happy to accompany Marla on her by now daily round of jogging - he even wears the same sports outfit, only with a different number :-)
After the run, Marla is very tired and goes to bed after a shower, while Tybalt hasn't even come back with her; instead, he must have headed straight home. But at least the two did see each other again before the week was over, and their love remains unbroken.
Will Marla find a job in the Gamer career next round? Is she going to join Tybalt at the Capp mansion once he's moved back there after his return from college? What about Chaz and his constant pining for her attention? It'll take a while, but I am sure we will find the answers to all these questions eventually :-)
By the way, I am happy to report that the game didn't crash before, during or after the community lot visit. It did crash at a later point during the week, for no apparent reason, but only the once.
*I thought wrong, completely forgetting Monica Bratford, the Brokes, Ty Bubbler, the Burbs and the Caliente sisters before the start of the Cappathon!
