The Sims 4: The Heckings - Week 1

Just like the Delgato family (see the label "TS4: Delgato" for their Week 1), the Heckings are new to my game. I was given the "pets" expansion pack last year for Christmas but am only now getting round to playing this married couple and their dog living in Brindleton Bay.

Here they are, Brent (left), Brant and Rosie. Brent is an aspiring Master Painter, while his husband wants to be The Curator, i.e. collect all that's collectible.

They have this pretty house as well as 32,000 Simoleons to their name. At the start of the game, they both have jobs; Brent is in the artist career, where he can stay to further his aspiration, but Brant quits his jobimmediately. He needs time to look after Rosie and the house as well as go collecting all over the neighbourhood; also, it is not necessary financially that they both work.

In the first picture, you can see that Rosie's nose is glowing red. Looks like every new household with a pet needs a visit at the vet's first thing.

Signing in, waiting for the examination and then deciding on a treatment - I've seen it all with the Delgatos' pets and therefore know what to do. Rosie is soon well again on this Monday.

While Brent and Rosie are at the vet's, Brant walks around the neighbourhood, digging, harvesting and collecting whatever he can find.

Eventually, everyone is home, and finally they all retreat to the bedroom upstairs for their first night at the new house (and in my game).

Outside, Supriya Delgato walks by with her dog. As you can see, the dog is ill again. I wonder whether another visit to the clinic will be in order next time I'll play that household.

Hmm... does this mean there will be a health issue every day of the week? On Tuesday morning, it is not Rosie's nose that needs looking after, but her paws.

Brent needs to go to work, so this time it is Brant who takes the dog to the vet's. Afterwards, he goes collecting again, and reaches his first milestone.

He is back from his explorations by the time Brent returns from work, so that the couple can have a meal together.

Later, Brent's colleague Moshe Main comes visiting on his own accord. He rings every day for the rest of the week, asking to come over.

Here is a collection of fossil rocks and time capsules Brant has found within the first two days. He extracts all the fossils, finding some weird things such as a fossilized moustache, and opesn the time capsules.

The MySims figurines are placed in the bedroom, while the fossils are stored in the attic.

Brent makes his first milestone by completing an emotional painting.

It is Wednesday morning when Rosie patiently and lovingly waits for her human friends to wake up.

Brant takes her to the park today, where she can do some agility training.

He then proceeds to grill tofu dogs.

Look who joins him - Mortimer Goth.

The collection of MySims figurines is growing.

On Thursday, Brent has yesterday's leftover tofu dogs for breakfast.

Brant trains Rosie; the dog has now level 3 of pet training, which means she can help Brant digging up items for his collection.

Brent has not been idle, either; almost every wall space of his small atelier is covered in paintings now.

On Friday morning, the couple have a leisurely breakfast together still in their PJs.

Brant ventures further afield in Brindleton Bay today.

I like how much detail there is to explore!

The view from the lighthouse is also rather well done.

Back home, it is time for more tofu dogs.

Because Brent works almost every day, he and Rosie are not out and about together as much as she is with Brant, but the dog is close with both men.

It has taken Brant a long time to find a crystal, but on Sunday, he is finally successful. He needs 9 more of these to complete his next milestone.

He ends the day mopping the back porch.

This household was much easier to play than the Goths and the Delgatos, mainly because there was no toddler. With Brant not working, he had plenty of time to look after Rosie plus did not have to neglect his own aspiration. Brent painted and painted; some of his paintings were sold.

I enjoyed playing this week, even though it took me a long time to complete it - mainly because I was hardly home after work. There is so much going on right now, with pre-Christmas meetings, visits to the Christmas Market and so on.

The Harts: Week 2

Fenya Hart's first week after uni is here. Hailey's first week is here. Since Hailey moved in with Fenya during the latter's first week, this chapter is about their common household. 

This tiny house belongs to the Harts. Not to Jonathan and Jennifer Hart from the 1980s TV series "Hart to Hart" (which I love, by the way!), but to the Hart sisters:

Hailey Hart, who is a Romance Sim with the lifetime want of having 20 simultaneous lovers. So far, she has 8.

Her son Harry; his father was the late Malcolm Landgraab.

Her daughter Hannah, by Nigel Newson.

And of course her half-sister Fenya Hart. Fenya's biological human father was Fineaus Furley, while Hailey's was Matthew Hart. Their Alien father is the same.
Fenya dreams of one day celebrating her Golden Anniversary. Last round she met townie Darren Lum; the two of them have three bolts for each other and hit it off from the moment they clapped eyes on each other. But is that enough for me to allow Darren to become a proper resident of New Max? We'll see!

On this Monday morning, Harry entertains his Mom and little sister by showing off his headstand.

His good mood was obviously helpful at school, because he comes home with his first A+.

Nigel Newson comes visiting on his own accord. It is nice that he wants to see his daughter. Also, it seems he still carries a torch for Hailey, and vice versa, even though there have been several men in her life since their affair, which resulted in little Hannah.

On Tuesday morning, Hailey takes care of little Hannah while Fenya makes the bed.

The hour before the school bus arrives is playtime for Hailey and Harry.

"It will be good to see Hannah grow up later today," Hailey muses over lunch. She has had a lot of help from Fenya, but of course the toddler years are a challenge for every family, even with such a good-natured little girl as Hannah.

Here she is at 6:00 pm!

She likes her new hairstyle, and I do, too.

On Wednesday morning, I find Fenya wondering whether she will ever get engaged as that all-important first step towards her lifetime want.
So far this week, she has not rolled one single want about Darren Lum, the three-bolt man she met last round.

Meanwhile, Hailey makes Johnny Smith her 10th love - and the sun is not even up yet! That's half her lifetime want done.
She knows many more men, but right now, she is not friends with any who has not yet made it to her list. This means she will have to work on her friendships first before she can take the next step and turn them into loves.

Alan Riley gets off the school bus at 3:00 pm with the children. Couldn't his parents make sure he wear something more suitable to winter?

Both Harry and Hannah wish to build snowmen, throw snowballs and make snow angels. Once they have finished their homework, they are allowed to play outside until it gets dark.

On Thursday, Hailey's acquaintance with Gavin Newson is good enough for her to invite him over and work on their friendship. By the time the children return from school, she says good-bye to her latest crush (not yet in love).

"I can't believe how quickly they grow up - it is almost time for our Harry to become a teenager," Fenya muses over their bowls of soup.

Indeed, Hailey thinks, how quickly they grow up! She tucks in Harry that night - possibly for the last time.

Hannah is next; her childhood will last all through this round, but one day, she will be a young lady. Even though Hailey never choose to have children - she only did it for her parents' lifetime want -, she loves her children dearly, and the thought of them one day moving out and starting their own lives makes her feel a little melancholy.

"Good morning, Auntie Fenya!" It is Friday, and Hannah is up bright and early.

In the living room, her big brother jumps up as a kid...

...and comes down as a teenager. Harry should have grown up at 6:00 pm on Thursday, but for some reason it didn't happen. Now he decided to grow up at his own time, and the lot decided for him to have the Popularity aspiration. His lifetime want is to have 20 simultaneous best friends; so far, he has three: His mother, his aunt and his sister.

He won't be walking around in a kilt - at least not this time of year - but the only other item in his wardrobe is his track suit. The Landgraab eyebrows (remember, his Dad was Malcolm Landgraab) are rather prominent when his hair is all combed back from his forehead, and so he chooses a different hairstyle.

In the afternoon, Hannah returns from school with her first A+. Her mother has just been... ahem... talking to Gavin Newson when the school bus pulled up. She cheers for her little girl, but to be honest, her eyes are on Gavin. The two of them are not yet in love, but I am sure it will happen tomorrow.

Hannah needs some fun before tackling her homework, and so the kids watch TV together for a while. "Will you go to college and I can have your room?" she asks her big brother. Harry doesn't know yet.

Finally, the small family sit down for spaghetti bolognese. Then it is bedtime for the children, and the half-sisters spend the rest of the evening talking to friends on the phone (Hailey) and going for a run (Fenya).

Saturday means no school for the kids, and since the fridge is almost empty, a trip to a community lot with a groceries shop is the logical choice of activity for today.

Fenya gets the food shopping done...

...while Hailey browses the DVD racks...

...Harry talks to his big half-brother Lance Landgraab (half-Alien son of Malcolm Landgraab, who was also Harry's father)...

...and Hannah simply enjoys being outside.

Back home, Hailey invites Gavin Newson over and makes him # 11 on her list of loves, much to Harry and Hannah's dismay. In fact, while Harry's relationship points for his mother drop drastically, Hannah breaks into tears after finishing her phone call. This is unfortunate, but Hailey has a right to make her LTW come true like any other Sim. And I've checked - witnessing something like that does not create a bad memory for the kids.

The family have a leisurely breakfast together on Sunday morning. Hannah wants to know the name of the planet her Alien grandfather is from. Harry looks puzzled - he never thought of that.

Later, the children spend the first mild spring afternoon outdoors, playing catch.

Kennedy Smith walks by and is of course eagerly greeted by Hailey - she is always happy to meet possible candidates for her list of loves.

The day goes by without any particular events. Hannah invites Mary and Alan Riley over, who are her age, and Mary is most likely going to become her first friend outside the family eventually. Harry rings Lance, while Haily is working on establishing a friendship with Kennedy. With the onset of spring, Fenya has indeed begun to roll romantic wants, but not about any specific Sim, such as her three-bolt man Darren Lum.

This was a pleasant week, especially once there were no more toddlers to take care of. Fenya and Hailey still have just over 10,000 Simoleons left, so there is no need for either of them to get a job anytime soon.
Will Fenya ever think of Darren Lum again? Are the half-sisters going to fulfill their LTWs at this rate? Is Harry going to go to college, leaving his room to his little sister?