Florence Delarosa's 3rd week in New Maximiliania is about to start. She still lives in her original Maxis-made house, still on her own, still working on her lifetime want of becoming a Prestidigitator. When I left her at the end of her 2nd week, she had made it to Master of Ceremonies.
Here she is, still in the same outfit she had when the game started. Something different about this household is that it is Wednesday here when the game starts, not Monday.
Florence and Pascal Curious have been in love for a long time, but neither of the two had ever acted upon it. Now that Florence has learnt that Pascal has so tragically lost his only child, Carolina, in a fire while the girl was in her first year at university, she decides there is one way she can help her man to overcome this tragedy: she invites him over and asks him to move in with her, where he is not constantly reminded of Carolina's childhood and youth, with all her things still in the house. Pascal brings a bit more than 16.000 Simoleons with him, but that's not what Florence is interested in - she is very wealthy on her own.
She prepares hamburgers for lunch and hopes Pascal will be able to be happy again, now that he lives with her.
"The world will keep on turning, darling," she encourages Pascal.
On Thursday, Florence has worked out enough to not only gain the necessary body skill point for her next promotion, but also be rewarded with a membership card to the Platinum Gym.
Thankfully, all that happens after Pascal gets electrocuted while trying to repair the trash compactor is that he needs a shower.
Friday morning, he smiles properly for the first time since his daughter died, and serves delicious pancakes for breakfast, much to Florence's delight.
After breakfast, she heads off to Amelia's closet to get herself something more suitable to wear now that it is summer. Being such a gardening enthusiast, she can not pass the beautiful flower beds in front of the shop without smelling their wonderful scent.
Back home, she changes into one of the new outfits she has purchased, and spends the early afternoon trimming the oleander shrubs.
At 4.00 pm, both Pascal and Florence leave for work. They do not need to work for money, but it gives them both something to do and of course Florence still needs to work in order to reach her lifetime want.
She returns home with a promotion to Headliner.
No wonder Florence's flower beds are nowhere near as beautiful as the ones in town, with stray dogs and wolves constantly making a mess of them!
On Saturday, Florence goes to work in her new "Headliner" outfit - it is the same dress as the Divas wear when they are seen on Downtown community lots.
When the limousine drops her off after work, the ground near her feet begins to sparkle...
...and she turns into an elegant elderly lady.
Nothing worth mentioning happens on Sunday. Early on Monday morning, Florence manages to max out her Charisma skill, something she needs for her next promotion.
Lola Singles comes visiting.
And at dusk, a gypsy lady leaves a magic lamp on their doorstep.
Pascal hopes that the genie will be able to resurrect his beloved daughter Carolina, but to his disappointment the genie only gives him the choice of Melanie Debateau, Regan Capp, John Mole, Mortimer Goth, Catherine Viejo and Betty Goldstein. So he dismisses the genie without making any wish. I wonder why Carolina was not on the Genie's list? Maybe because she did not die in the main neighbourhood, but on campus?
We leave Florence and Pascal just when Tuesday turns into Wednesday. Florence is now 57 and Pascal 76; looking at his lifetime bar, I guess he will not reach 80, or maybe just about. But it will be some time anyway before we will return to this household, and who knows what can happen in the meantime!
Welcome back to the Cordial house! Well, strictly speaking, it now is the Cordial-Green house; since Samantha got married to Gabriel, her surname is Green. The two of them are as happy as we left them. Gabriel is 63 years old; the twin sisters are 60.
Kimberly is glowing as viciously green as before. What is their week going to be like?
On Monday morning, Gabriel wakes up with a cold. Samantha does not hesitate to use her magic to cure her husband, and he is as right as rain instantly. She then gets out her wand again, this time to...
...summon her spectral servant, who goes about her (?) work immediately. (If you listen to the spectral servant when "it" repairs something, for instance, you'll find that it has a male voice in spite of the female outfit, and I guess since it is bodiless, "it" fits better than "she" or "he".)
I can't believe it has taken me this long to find out that magic folk actually benefit from sitting on their "thrones" - all their needs go up! It doesn't work on non-magic Sims.
Samantha calls the Garden Club again, and this time, Tiffany Zarubin agrees to another evaluation.
She and her team thoroughly check out the garden.
Every plant is examined and every piece of furniture or decoration looked at. In the end, they are accepted into the club, but Ms Zarubin would have liked to see some more landscaping, and therefore does not hand out the special gift for new members the Cordial sisters had heard rumours about but never seen for themselves.
While both sisters are out for work, Gabriel has his friend Sandra Roth over for some cake and a chat.
After having returned from work and a nap, Kimberly decides to fly to the Crypt O'Night Club again; she'd still love to befriend a vampire (vampirism is one of her turn-ons).
From the dance floor, she spots Count Gregory - the same vampire she's met before and, strangely enough, has one crossed out bolt for. Still, they talk a little before it is time for Kim to leave.
Samantha has spent the evening making reagents she'll need for her spells, while Gabriel was browsing the Simternet.
On Tuesday, the spectral servant is summoned again. How very useful that it can not only clean and garden, but also repair things!
You know it is my habit to leave Sims to their own devices a lot when they are on Permanent Platinum and don't have children or pets to look after. When I do this with this household, a few times in the course of the week they nearly starve (in spite of a well stocked fridge), and there are occasional accidents because they insist on doing other things when it really would be much wiser to go to the toilet.
This time, Gabriel's life is saved by the chef salad Kimberly has prepared on her own accord.
By Thursday, Kim has spoken to Count Gregory on the phone enough times for him to accept her invitation when she asks him over. He brings along Jared Starchild and introduces him as a friend. Well, that's news to me, but of course I am going to find out more when it'll be Jared's turn to be played in this round.
Kimberly really tries her best in befriending the count, but he does not want to hear her gossip and turns his back on her.
On Friday, Gabriel greets Cynthia Kim.
A few hours later, her husband Robert walks past the house, and Samantha is quick to ask him in, too.
Kimberly is relieved that, in spite of his not overly successful first visit at her house, Count Gregory agrees to come again that night. Looks like it is the first time for the Kims to meet a vampire!
On Saturday, Kimberly meets and greets Gary Greenman. "I really like your skintone," he smiles.
For a change, it is Kim today who casts a spell, summoning food out of thin air. What is it?
Gelatin. Hardly a filling dish, but better than nothing, I suppose!
On Sunday, the guest for the day is Tina Traveller. That pinball machine is, apparently, the biggest attraction to every guest; so far, they all headed right upstairs when they were invited in, and Tina is no exception!
The spectral servant is looking after the computer in Kimberlys bedroom.
The week ends with Gabriel being 70 and the sisters 67 years old. To play this household with 3 elderly Sims on permanent platinum and no real challenge other than getting into the Garden Club was less boring than I had feared. Having two witches to play with certainly helped, but I do not aspire to have many more in New Maximiliania, although I must admit I'd like to have at least one vampire. We'll see whether that is going to happen or not :-)
Do you own the Sims2 expansion pack "Apartment Life"? If yes, then you will have probably had a good look around Belladonna Cove, the new neighbourhood that came with that expansion pack, and maybe you have played on this lot, which is the Cordial sisters' home. In my game, it is still home to the Cordial sisters, but we are not in Belladonna Cove anymore; instead, we are in New Maximiliania, my special neighbourhood where ALL Maxis-made Sims live, and where ALL Maxis-made houses and community lots are to be found.
The back of the Cordial house looks like this. I quite like the house and I think that, should the current inhabitants ever decide to leave (or die), I am going to have another family move in. For now, though, the Cordials are very much alive :-)
Kimberly Cordial was obviously destined by Maxis to become a dark witch, and so that's what she is in my game. However, it is not all she wants from life; being a Knowledge Sim, of course studying magic holds a huge appeal for her, but actually she dreams of becoming a City Planner and is well on the way of achieving that goal. Her current job is Architectural Partner, and she has 8 days left before turning into an Elder.
Her twin sister Samantha is an infallibly good witch, as you can see from the glow emanating from her. Her aspiration is Knowledge as well, but she wants to become a Game Designer and works as a Power Leveler at the moment. Samantha shares her bed and her life with...
...Gabriel Green, who is 5 days away from Elderhood and the third Knowledge Sim in this very intellectually-minded household. Gabriel's lifetime want is the most typical for any Knowledge Sim: he wants to max out all his skills. Right now, he has maximum Mechanical and Logical skill. Oh, by the way, he and Samantha are a 3-bolt-couple.
It is Monday morning, and Kim still prefers flying to work instead of getting on the car pool. Maybe in winter she will change her mind.
Upon her return from work, she is offered a membership card to the My Muse II - Art Studio. Plus - and much more important for her - she has been promoted to Master Architect today.
Goneril and Albany Capp come visiting, much to Samantha's delight.
This is what it looks like when a witch does not walk or fly somewhere but instead uses the ability to magivestivium herself from A to B. Goneril and Albany hardly blink; they are used to all sorts of odd behaviour from the witchy twin sisters.
Very early on Tuesday morning, Gabriel gains maximum enthusiasm in Science.
Kimberly may be a dark witch, but that does not mean she has no friends. Tamara DeBateau is in fact a good friend and drops by in the afternoon.
Samantha returns from work with a promotion to Real Time Strategizer.
It is Wednesday, and the sisters sit together at breakfast and talk about how glad they are to be best friends for life.
Autumn usually means leaves, leaves and more leaves, as any Sim who has even just one tree in their yard knows only too well. Samantha does not need to rake them, though; all she has to do is cast a spell...
...and the leaves are gone.
Friday's event most worth mentioning is Gabriel's birthday: he is now an Elder.
One of his birthday presents is a membership card to the Platinum Gym.
Winter has begun, and Samantha changes into her witch outfit, as it is a lot warmer than her pretty summer dress.
Kimberly follows her sister's example.
Saturday night, Samantha comes home on Permanent Platinum: she has just been made Game Designer! In another two days, she will turn into an Elder.
On Sunday, neither Samantha nor Kimberly need to work, and Gabriel has not held a job ever since he moved in with the sisters. Therefore, the three of them visit two community lots only accessible to witches. First, they go to the Fortress of Eternal Darkness.
Kimberly gets an impressive stock of reagents and potions needed for spells (money is not a problem at this household with two well-earning adults).
When Samantha asks to purchase something as well, all she gets from the evil witch is a rebuke.
Never mind, she knows where to go: The Palace of Neverending Light is their next stop.
Of course, the infallibly good witch does not hesitate to give Samantha all the ingredients she asks for.
Back home, Trisha Traveller is invited in, and Samantha casts a spell on her that makes the recipient instantly happy.
Kimberly is not a dark witch for nothing - she casts a spell on an unsuspecting Sim (who does not live in New Maximiliania), conjuring a bodiless servant who attacks the poor innocent woman and beats her up. The week has ended, but it won't be very long until we return, since Gabriel Green lives here as well and the letter G is not that far from C down the alphabet. Will the 3-bolt-couple Samantha and Gabriel get married? What will the sisters be like as elderly ladies? Is Kim going to reach permanent platinum, too?
- - - Update 24.12.2010 - - - Back at the Green / Cordial household, we find nothing changed since we last left. Gabriel and the sisters are friends with Tara and are happy that she and Alexander Goth got married.
On Monday, Kimberly is made City Planner and has now reached Permanent Platinum just like her sister!
A little later that afternoon, first Samantha turns into an Elder...
...and then Kimberly.
Gabriel has just maxed out his cleaning skill; that's one step closer to reaching his lifetime want of maxing out all skills.
It is winter, but no more snow than what you can see here has fallen.
"Now we are a pair of old witches," the sisters seem to be thinking!
On Wednesday (Gabriel has just maxed out his cooking sill), a Gypsy Lady leaves a magic lamp on the doorstep. At the moment, nobody has any immediate need for it, so it simply stays there.
Spring is here, and the garden is in need of some work.
It is Thursday, and Kimberly thinks, why not ask the Garden Club committee over and apply for membership?
Soon, the members of the committee are busily evaulating the garden.
To make it nicer, Samantha even casts her "beatificus locus" spell. But to no avail - the committee announces that there should be either more plants or those already there need to be taken care of better.
With the weather being warmer, the sisters decide on changing their outfits. Kimberly looks like this now...
...while Samantha has gone for a quite different look.
It is Friday evening, and Gabriel has just maxed out his creativity skill - that was the last remaining one, and he is now, at 61 years, on Permanent Platinum as well.
On Saturday, Gabriel is busy in the kitchen all morning, preparing lobster thermidor and a delicious cake.
Outside, chairs and a wedding arch are placed. Yes, you've heard right - finally!! How long have Gabriel and Samantha been engaged now?
The guests arrive: (from back to front) Luis Aspir, Hannah and Issac Bell, David Ottomas and Sandra Roth...
...as well as Bianca Capp (what a faux pas - SHE is not the bride here, so why is she wearing a veil?!), Benjamin Baldwin and Brandi Broke.
Samantha and Gabriel do make a lovely couple, don't you agree?
The guests all agree!
After the short and sweet ceremony, everybody goes inside to enjoy the food Gabriel has prepared...
...and the music.
That is one happy bride!
Gabriel is happy, too, and the party ends as a roof raiser.
On Sunday, Samantha wants to try again with the Garden Club. But the head of the club, one Tiffany Zarubin, informs her that the committee does not think that the garden had enough time to grow since their last visit, and asks her to ring again tomorrow. (This was the first time I tried this, and I didn't know that there has to be a certain number of days before a Sim can apply for membership again!)
Do you remember how poorly Klara Vonderstein was when we last saw her? Well, she seems to have made a full recovery, and when she happens to pass by on this sunny Sunday afternoon, she is invited in.
Later, she and Silvia Singles (who came past here on her jogging round) enjoy a game of kicky bag with their host Gabriel.
Sunday after dark, Kimberly gets on her broomstick to fly to...
...the Crypt O'Night club. Do you know why I sent her there? One of her turn-ons is Vampirism, and I would like her to meet a male Vampire - who knows, it could be her chance to find a three-bolt-man!
Count Gregory does not take long to appear.
While Kimberly is trying to have dinner...
...rather unsuccessfully, I have to add...
...the Vampire joins the crowd on the dance floor. Kimberly gives up on trying to order decent food here, and approaches the Count. She starts by telling him a joke, but after a few moments she finds, strangely enough, that instead of feeling attracted to him, she has a crossed-out bolt of chemistry for him. So she gives up on her quest for tonight and takes her broomstick to fly back home.
How are the three of them going to spend their time now that they all have fulfilled their lifetime wants? Is Kimberly going to be successful in finding herself a man? Will the Garden Club accept them as members?
