"Hello, Roths!" - "Hello, Betty Goldstein!"
We're at No. 208 Welsh Lane in Riverblossom Hills, where the Roth family have just moved in. In this Maxis-made picture, they are welcomed by Betty Goldstein, who is related to the Goths via Morty. His father and Betty's mother were brother and sister. Maxis write about the Roths: "Having recently moved to Riverblossom Hills has had a wonderful effect on the Roth's! Sandra and Xander are doing great in school, Morty found a great job, but Stella seems a bit restless..."
The next of the pre-made pictures shows Morty, obviously adventuring in a djungle-type environment, which fits his current job of Relic Liberator. He is a Knowledge Sim who dreams of reaching the top of the Adventure Career.
"Charming, yet sophisticated, Morty brings a bit of high society to the small town of Riverblossom Hills. He hopes that the fresh air and nearby relations will do his family some good." - That's what his biography says.
The next picture shows the rest of the family: Morty's teenage daughter Sandra and his wife Stella relax by the pool, while the youngest family member, Xander, is splashing about in the water. Just outside the garden gate is Jacob Martin, Sandra's boyfriend.
Stella's bio reads: "Making new friends comes pretty easy to Stella, but only when there are interesting people around. This town seems so much smaller to her than where she grew up." Her aspiration is Popularity, and her lifetime want is to become Media Magnate. She is already in the right career, but only at the bottom, holding a job as Year Book Supervisor.
"Sandra is loud and boisterous and has no problems letting people know what's on her mind - and right now that's Jacob Martin!" Well, Maxis definitely had in mind a teenage love triangle when they created the playable inhabitants of Riverblossom Hills.
Here, we see Sandra being attacked by Jules O'Mackey, who we remember is Jacob Martin's best friend. The object of the girls' affection helplessly watches. Sandra works as a file clerk after school. A typical Family Sim, she fancies herself as future Captain Hero, something her job doesn't contribute to. Quitting will probably the first thing I'll have her do.
Here is the whole family enjoying a meal of spaghetti bolognese. Xander, the youngest, has neither aspiration nor lifetime want just yet. But he has a biography, and according to Maxis, "A well rounded kid, Xander is loving life in Riverblossom Hills. He enjoys school and exploring and hopes to follow in his father's footsteps."
The house is large and spacious with a generous garden around it. To one side is the pool we've seen in one of the Maxis-made pictures. With over 54,000 Simoleons in the bank plus the house and lot, the Roths are wealthy.
The ground floor has a generous hall with a small cloak room in one corner. Off the hall to the left is the kitchen, leading through to the dining room (which looks different from the last of the Maxis-made pictures). A cosy family room with a fireplace, an aquarium and a chess table takes up the rest of the ground floor, with a door leading on to a porch from where the garden with a greenhouse and the pool can be reached.
Upstairs is the master bedroom facing the street. It has an en-suite from which a door leads to the bathroom shared by the kids. Sandra's room is in the top right corner of the house, while her brother's room overlooks the greenhouse side of the garden.
The top floor consists of one room holding a piano, small table and three chairs. On the roof terrace is a telescope; I have not bothered to take a picture of it since that's really all there is.
On this Monday, Morty has some time to himself before he'll be picked up for work. The kids are at school and Stella is at work, and so he can sit quietly by the fire and brush up on some skills.
His car pool arrives at the same time as the school bus drops Sandra off, and it is up to her to greet Patricia Wan and another neighbour who have turned up to say hello.
Sandra is not interested in her visitors; she rather has a swim in the pool. Being rich does have its advantages - not only is there a pool, it is also well heated!
Stella and Xander arrive home at the same time - Stella with a promotion to Blog Writer, and her son with an A+. Well done, both of them!
It is Tuesday morning, and Sandra really likes the way she looks, doesn't she!
The kids are at school by the time husband and wife get round to having breakfast.
Stella is off to work, and Morty has the house all to himself once more. He loves his family with all his heart, but he enjoys the peace and quiet of a morning on his own nonetheless.
Over their tea (a slightly burnt vegetable soup, prepared by Sandra), Stella quizzes the kids about school. In spite of the less than cheerful look on his face, Xander is doing very well at school - he only pulls a face here because of the burnt food.
It is Wednesday morning, the beginning of spring, and Sandra wakes up with all the wishes typical for that time of year - she want to flirt, kiss, and have a date. Who with, though? Jacob, who was her boyfriend while they were still both teenagers, is now a young adult and at uni.
Stella takes care of the apple trees.
Sandra not having a sweetheart at the moment means she can fully focus on her school work. Today, she is rewarded with an A+ report.
"It's lovely, all that spring sunshine, isn't it!" she enthuses later at the dining table.
On Thursday morning, it is Sandra's turn to look after the trees.
The kids are home alone for a couple of hours after school, before their parents return from work. They are sensible enough to do their homework first, and then take advantage of the well heated pool. It is still only the beginning of spring, and a few snow flakes have been falling earlier - but since when has that ever stopped kids from playing in the pool!
Stella is first to return from work. She looks serious, knowing that her new job as Internet Movie Critic brings more responsibilities.
It is already dark by the time Morty returns. "Ah, it feels good to be promoted!" he sighs happily. From tomorrow onwards, he will work as a Dread Pirate.
Xander nearly jumps out of bed on Friday morning. He is a happy little boy and never more so than when his big sister plays with him. (When they have nothing else to do, I catch the siblings playing together, which I think is really sweet.) He'll miss Sandra when she leaves for college.
For a change, it is Stella who has the house to herself all morning. She does the crossword and talks to a friend on the phone before the car pool picks her up for work.
Her good mood is even better when she returns with another promotion: She is now a Fact Checker. (A job never more important than now, is it!)
That night, Mortimer gazes at the wonders of the universe from the top of their roof. So far, nobody has sought out the telescope on their own initiative, which is weird - usually, Sims are quite drawn to it for fun, aren't they! But then the Roths have plenty of other sources for fun in the house, and the telescope is furthest away, so maybe that explains it.
Stella has Saturday off, but her husband needs to work. She takes the kids to The Hills Community Centre for a change of scene and to reward them for the diligence they have shown all week, both at school and at home.
Sandra spots Andrew Martin, her former boyfriend's Dad, and they have a chat, while Stella is greeted by some townies.
Meanwhile, Xander proves to be a natural at skating!
A round of Myshuno follows before they are all tired and walk home.
Before that, though, a batch of hamburgers is enjoyed, while poor Andrew gets closer to the Unsavoury Charlatan than he ever wanted.
Sunday is a beautiful spring day, and so it is hardly surprising that Jules O'Mackey goes for a walk to visit her friend Sandra. The two girls have long gotten over whatever feelings of rivalry and jealousy were between them because of their relationships with Jacob Martin. Xander is out in the garden and first to greet Jules.
Morty returns from work with a promotion to Warhead Disarmer - he is still lacking some of the skills that were actually required for this job, but he was lucky with a chance card.
Over bowls of vegetable soup prepared by Sandra, he suggest to his daughter that they finally get some fish for the aquarium in the living room, which has been empty since their move in.
A few hours later, Sandra is getting on a taxi... to buy fish at the pet shop? No, she has made that all-important phone call and is moving to college, even though she still has a few days of her teenage time left. But she has really been wanting to go, and also I do not want to make the age gap between her and Jacob even bigger. Who knows - when their paths cross again at the dorm, their old flame might be rekindled.
Xander misses his big sister, but he knows that they will remain best friends for life. Morty fondly looks at his son (who, by the way, will grow into a teenager at the start of next round).
Indeed, the Roths have done well all week. Contrary to their Maxis-written bios, Morty and Stella are very much in love, and they are best friends with both their children as well. Career-wise, things have been good for them, too. Long may it continue - I hope they will not do a mysterious disappearing act on me the way they did in New Maximiliania!
And here's a really funny thing: When I happened to look at the living room just before quitting the game, I noticed that all of a sudden, the aquarium really WAS stocked!! I honestly have no idea how that happened, since I never ordered any of the family members to do that. Could it have been Jules, while she was visiting? Can visiting Sims do that?
