Lola Singles: Week 1

Well, it is only sort of Week 1 for Lola, since we've already followed her a bit when she moved in with Ripp Grunt - you can read about that here. 

Anyway, Lola (who by rights should have the surname Curious, as she is one of the Alien babies Glarn Curious had, while his wife Kitty had the entirely human children Jenny, Vidcund, Pascal and Lazlo) was in the last stages of pregnancy last time we saw her.

We're still in Strangetown, but have moved No. 95 Road to Nowhere to No. 51 on the stame street: Home of General Buzz Grunt and his family. 

Lola is expecting her and Ripp's first child - all for the greater good, since it is Ripp's Dad's lifetime want to have six grandchildren. She actually dreams of something entirely different: She wishes to become Hall of Famer, but so far has done precious little to achieve this. Ripp, on the other hand, wants to become Mad Scientist.

The widowed General has married his second wife last round: Camryn Lee, a former townie. The couple have agreed to take her surname, to mark this new chapter in the General's life even more prominently, leaving his old life (and his former grumpiness) behind. Camryn still wishes to have 20 best friends, and on this Sunday makes her 7th.

Ripp and his Dad have never been close, but they have found a civil way to live with each other, even if it means sitting at the opposite end of the long dining table for meals. Still, Ripp has done his bit to help his Dad's dream come true, and it is now probably just a matter of time before they finally become friends. 

This Sunday afternoon, Ripp's brothers Tank (blue jacket) and Buck (blond hair) have come over from uni for a special occasion. The General is happy to see all his sons. 

The cheering begins...

...and the General turns into an Elder. Happy birthday, Buzz! Look at Camryn's loving expression when she sees her husband for the first time with white hair. 

The three brothers now get along really well - pity it took them so long. The two students leave after they've all had their cake; it's back to class for them tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, upstairs Lola has given birth to twins! 

The General is very happy to welcome his first two of six grandchildren (hopefully), green skin or not - his old grudge against Pollination Technician Smith certainly does not extend to his own flesh and blood. Lola has checked both her and Ripp's family trees for suitable names. Ripp suggests to name their daughter Lyla - one last jibe at his "grumpy old Dad"; Lyla was his first wife, Ripp's mother, who one day upped and left and later apparently died on Olive Specter's land. 

The little boy is named Mike, after another relative one or two generations back - sorry, I forgot where exactly in their family trees I found him.

On Monday morning, we find the devoted grandfather giving his first granddaughter her first bottle.

The General is off to work on Monday morning. He still cuts a dashing figure in uniform, doesn't he!

Lola and Camryn could do with some nicer outfits, especially in view of the changing season (it's soon going to be summer). Because of the babies, I can not send all the adults to a community lot (I have no intention to have them hire a nanny), and since I am playing this week at this household only because of Lola, it is her I send to 88 Road to Nowhere.

While she's here, she also stocks up on groceries and greets some fellow Strangetowners, such as Vidcund Curious, who is actually her half-brother - they share the same human father.

Something that would have been unthinkable not that long ago happens that evening when the General returns from work: Ripp congratulates him on his love life! (Maybe not what you'd expect from one of your adult children, but Ripp is a Romance Sim after all, and it goes to show that their relationship has improved a lot - father and son are finally friends.)

Tuesday sees a visit from Olive Spectre, and Lola finally starting on her lifetime want: She is now a Game Mascot but, rather unusually, returns from her first day at work without a promotion. 

Lola is determined to get her first promotion on Wednesday, and spends part of the morning working out even though she already has the skills needed for the next level in her career.

She and the General are at work, with Ripp and Camryn minding the twins and the house. When they are not busy otherwise, I find them in front of the aquarium - a rare sight, two Sims looking at the fish together!

Oh dear... Lola thought she was in for promotion, but instead she lost her job :-( 

Of course this was not really her fault, but mine, because I took the wrong decision with a chance card. Now all her needs are deep orange, and I have a hard time making sure she feels better on all levels - she keeps interrupting what I tell her to do, wanting to "Help with Birthday" with her twins, but being unsuccessful. 

Her mood finally improves when Ripp kisses her, and on her own accord, she jumps into his arms, a happy smile on her face. (The "Help with Birthday" kept getting in the way for the rest of the day, without anyone actually being able to help.) 

For a change, both parents look after their children together - but still no birthday! I guess it'll have to be the cake. 

Just as I have left buy mode and put a cake on the kitchen counter, I realise that Ripp has helped his little daughter to grow up: Here's Lyla as a toddler.

Lola takes Mike to the cake, and he is finally a toddler, too.

It is Thursday, and now the fun begins...!

For a few hours, Ripp escapes the endless round of potty training, getting bottles, putting in crib and other toddler-related activities: At last, he has found a job as Test Subject in the Science career, and is promoted right away to Lab Assistant. 

Lola managed to get back to being a Team Mascot, but will only start again tomorrow. 

In spite of having played this game since it first came out, there are still things I've not noticed before, such as a toddler being able to watch the fish! Little Mike has not yet learned to walk, but he can stand up in front of the aquarium.

By Friday, I have had enough of all four adults constantly traipsing up and down the stairs, outside and in, to get bottles for the twins, give them baths, read to them or otherwise engage in any toddler-related activity. 

One of the two single bedrooms upstairs (it used to be Ripp's, I think) is transformed into a nursery, with direct access to a bathroom, an activity table and a counter for a smartmilk maker. The changing table is still in Lola and Ripp's bathroom, but their bedroom is now toddler-free - these two really need their beauty sleep if they want to advance in their careers, and keep some level of sanity at the same time. 

With the new nursery, things get a little easier, but it is still hard work to teach the toddlers their skills. Not because of the toddlers, but because the adults are very much in each other's way, and you know what our Sims can be like - when they can't get to where they are supposed to be getting, they stamp their feet and act all annoyed, and eventually give up on their assigned task. It all costs a lot of time and constant watching and interfering on my part. 

Although Ripp has been in a good mood after having taught his daughter to walk in the morning, he returns from work with a demotion to Test Subject, of course due to a chance card.

But Lola is promoted to Minor Leaguer and can say goodbye to the llama costume! 

It is Saturday, and with relief I realise that it is the last day for this household, since their week started on Sunday. While their parents are out for work, the most devoted granddad in all of Strangetown is looking after his grandchildren. 

By now, both Lyla and Mike have all their toddler skills, which makes things easier - and it won't be long until they grow into school children. 

Knowing that their twins are in the best hands she could wish for, Lola and Ripp can perform at work with no worries, and are duly rewarded: Lola is now a Rookie (and badly needs a shower!) while Ripp has been given back his former job as Lab Technician.

Phew! That was hard work, honestly. 

Two more babies need to be born to the General's sons in order for him to reach his lifetime want; it seems only fair if Tank and Buck have two children each, but I don't know whether it is realistic for that to happen while their Dad is still around.

Camryn's goal of having 20 best friends is still a long way off, too, but she has met a groceries delivery man who will be befriended because of his playable surname: Gordon Kim.

Ripp finally got started on his own lifetime want, and Lola has made progress as well.

The Singles Household: Week 1

Strangetown! What Sims player does not have a soft spot for this strange town? :-) 

We're going to spend a week with the Singles household, who in my game I have put into this modest house at No. 95 Road to Nowhere. But... hold on... aren't there supposed to be FOUR Singles? But I can only see three... Who's missing, and why? 

We have - left to right - Chloe, Kristen and Erin. But where's Lola, Chloe's big sister? 

I completely forgot that, when I was playing the Grunts, Lola fell in love and moved in with Ripp Grunt, where she now of course resides - still on the same street, at No. 51 Road to Nowhere, as you can read here.

The Maxis-written biography for this household reads: "Has there ever been a group of roommates so different from one another? As if living in Strangetown isn't hard enough, will these girls be able to accept their differences and be friends or will the tension tear the house apart?" Hopefully, nothing and nobody here will be torn apart. But let's have a bit of history first, shall we?

I found some Maxis-made pictures among the Strangetown snapshots and try to cobble together a background story from them. 

This can be no other than Lola and Chloe's human parents, Glarn and Kitty Curious - their mother being, strictly speaking, not their mother. Apparently, Kitty is unhappy about her husband just having given birth to Alien twin girls. Their father is the same Pollination Technician who went on to found the Smith family.

Correction: I found since out that the woman with the red hair in the above and below picture is not Kitty, but Glabe - she does not appear in the Curious family tree, and it is unclear whether she was Glarn's first wife (as the picture with them in front of the double bed suggests) and left or divorced him, or in some other relationship with him; anyway, Glarn later married Kitty, and the girls were raised by Glabe.

Here, it looks like Chloe (left) and Lola (right) perch on the sette with their adoptive human Mum (Glabe, as we now know) telling them something like "Wait till your Dad comes home" - or maybe it's not like this at all, but especially Chloe's downcast face seems to imply a lecturing. Correction: Apparently, Glabe tells the girls here who their human father was. No lecturing, but certainly a serious matter.

Kitty (now with blond hair instead of red?! --> Yes, because she never had red hair, as we now know!) and Glarn also have entirely human children: Jenny (on the settee; she went on to become Mrs. Smith), Vidcund and Pascal, by the looks of it.

Here are the all-human Curious siblings at home with their Mum. At least that's how I interpret this picture, after having looked at everyone's family tree (which is quite confusing here in Strangetown, I must admit!). 

That's all the pictures I found among the neighbourhood snapshots which look like they could be about the members of this household, hoping I got it right and not all wrong.

The house where the three remaining room mates are now is very modestly and incompletely furnished, and not really equipped for three single ladies. Downstairs is one large room with an open-plan kitchen and a tiny, empty bathroom. A spiral staircase in one corner leads to the upper floor. 

There are two bedrooms and one bathroom. The larger of the two rooms can be made into two smaller ones, but the household budget is tight at just above 3,100 Simoleons, and any such things will have to wait until some money has been earned. 

Chloe expresses her relief at her big sister having moved out - the house really would be cramped with four of them, wouldn't it. She is a Romance Sim with the lifetime want of woohooing with 20 different Sims. Maxis say about her: "The complete opposite of her sister, Chloe just wants to meet new people and to have a good time. She can often be found daydreaming or chatting on the phone." 

Kristen, sitting next to her, "envisions herself as a world famous sports champion. She doesn't particularly care for Strangetown, but it's only a pit stop on her track to greatness." But unlike what Maxis had in mind for her, she actually wants to become The Law, suitable for a Fortune Sim. 

Erin, who is Bjorn Beaker's younger sister, "spends a lot of time working on her psychic powers. Of course she isn't really psychic, but don't tell her that." She will now spend a lot of time working on her cooking powers, since she dreams of being a Celebrity Chef. Her aspiration is Popularity.

Mr Humble's computer is set up on the dining table that's already been here when the girls moved in - they do not have a desk yet, and the chair Erin is sitting on is the only one they own. She gets to look for a job first, but does not find anything in the Culinary career. Similarly, Kristen has no luck in finding anything in Law.

There aren't enough resident men in Strangetown to fulfill Chloe's lifetime want, and so she has to resort to befriending townies and NPCs - which will also mean less trouble in the other households and families in the neighbourhood.

The welcome committee consists of Monica Bratford and Camryn Lee - both women live on the same street. Erin tells them how she wishes to make more friends; shouldn't be hard, since she is originally from Strangetown and must know some folks since her childhood. 

The usual Monday evening call to invite the ladies Downtown comes, and they board a taxi that takes them to Maple Springs Pool and Spa.

Most of the visiting Sims here are townies, with few residents showing up. One exception is Bella Goth, who I spot in one of the jacuzzis on the roof terrace.

Chloe sees her big sister Lola walk by and rushes to greet her. "Lola! You look... pregnant!" she grins when they hug. "And you look... almost naked," her sister counters. She's expecting her and Ripp's first child. 

On Tuesday, Kristen finds a job as File Clerk. The other two ladies do what needs doing around the house and then are set to other tasks, such as making phone calls, paying the bills, and taking advantage of their free time for some skilling. 

Another townie walks by and is befriended by Chleo. 

Kristen returns from her first day on the job with a promotion to Law Firm Receptionist. Her salary and the promotion bonus are very welcome; after having bought three single beds and paid the bills, the household account was down to 2,000 Simoleons - not worryingly little, but not enough to make any significant house improvements.

Now Kristen needs a logic skill point, and so her bonus is invested in the cheapest chess table and chairs available. This will also be good to boost relationships and get the ladies' fun level up.

Once again, due to the wrong decision with a chance card, Kristen is demoted back to File Clerk. She heads off straight away to complete the afternoon shift, hoping for a promotion, but it doesn't happen. Still, the money is welcome, as always. 

So far, Chloe has not made any real progress towards her lifetime want. Today, at least she gets to the crush stage with townie Jason Menon, and has her very first kiss - a big wish of hers.

It is Thursday morning, and Chloe is glad to have an aspiring Celebrity Chef as a housemate - Erin is now able to make omelettes for breakfast, while Chloe herself just about manages to pour herself a handful of cereals into a bowl and add milk. 

She later greets passers-by Makoto St. Julien - another potential candidate for the 20 different Sims she wants to woohoo with. "So you ladies have only just moved in," the elderly gentleman politely enquires. Yes, on Monday, to be precise. 

Kristen has been diligently working away at her filing tasks and is rewarded by getting her former position at reception back. 

With her salary and the promotion bonus, a few modest improvements can finally be made: The computer is moved to a simple desk on the landing upstairs, and the old dining table is finally surrounded by four chairs so that meals won't have to be taken any longer slumped on the settee or standing. 

It's been a good day for Erin, too - early this morning, she found a job as Dish Washer, and returns in the evening with a promotion to Drive Through Clerk. 

Some of the money she brings is used to buy bedside tables and lamps for each of the housemates as well as a mirror and wall lamp for the bathroom (a shower in addition to the bathtub that was already there has been installed earlier this week).

Friday is yet again Promotion Day when first Kristen is made Legal Secretary... 

...and then Erin Fast Food Shift Manager. With their combined salaries and bonus money, the ladies now have almost 3,500 Simoleons to play with, and I know just what to do with (part of) that! 

This is what the upper floor now looks like: The smaller bedroom has been given to Chloe and contains a double bed - without one, she won't ever make that lifetime want of hers. Erin and Kristen now share the larger room, with Erin's bed the pink one and Kristen's the green one. 

And promotion or not, even a Legal Secretary has to do the odd job at home. Acquiring a mechanical skill point while repairing the broken shower won't hurt Kristen's career, either. 

Chloe is forever greeting and trying to befriend any man who passes by - with mixed results. Here, townie Jihoon Hsu is obviously not keen on being hugged by a woman he has only just met for the very first time, no matter they have the same hair style! But eventually, he thaws and the two are almost friends by the time he leaves. 

Serdar Chen, an exceptionally well dressed man, sees Erin getting off her car pool after work and thinks "This lady does not look happy." Too right she doesn't - the wrong decision with a chance card has seen her demoted back to Drive Through Clerk.

Thankfully, by Sunday night, Erin is back at her job as Fast Food Shift manager. She returns home just as it begins to snow, and after a relaxing bubble bath, she is off to bed. 

Meanwhile, Kristen joins Chleo and her current almost-conquest, a townie by the name of Ryan Wheeler, at the dining table for a bowl of chili. Chleo and Ryan are best friends, have a crush on each other and two bolts, but Chleo still does not manage to shift their relationship from pink to red hearts, which is of course required for woohoo. 

Thus the week ends for the ladies having made serious efforts at their respective lifetime wants, with Chloe the least successful of the three. But several of her friendship are advanced enough to probably result in those coveted woohoos next time I play this household :-) 

The household name "Singles" is unfortunately also the surname for the ladies. But in reality, all three should have their true family names: Beaker for Erin, Loste for Kristen and Curious or Smith for Chloe (probably Curious, since she and Lola were raised by Glarn and Kitty Curious). 

Because I do not wish to faff with SimPe or other mods to change their surnames, I wonder whether I should simply treat them as if they had their real surnames, and insert them at the appropriate places on my alphabetical list.