The Dreamer Family - Week 2

The first week with the Dreamers is here.


It is the beginning of winter when we arrive at # 195 Main Street in Pleasantview, where the Dreamers live.

Widower Darren and his son Dirk have a quick chat on this Monday morning before Dirk boards the school bus. 

The teenager is a Fortune Sim who aspires to make his fortune as a City Planner, and one of his big wishes is to go to college. 

His Dad has always dreamt of celebrating the Golden Wedding Anniversary with his wife Darleen, but although she died when Dirk was still at elementary school age, he has not forgotten this wish; he is currently in love with Cassandra Goth. Holding no regular job, he paints almost every waking moment in order to make a living through his art.

Last round, money was a constant issue and the bills were just about being paid. Marrying into the wealthy Goth family would of course put an end to all financial worries, but that is not Darren's motivation.
Let's see how they fare this week!

As before, Darren paints and paints and paints. His paintings now fetch more money than they used to, and selling the one you see here on his easel boosts his bank account to 1.239 Simoleons.

This means that Darren doesn't fear the arrival of Tuesday's bills in the mail anymore :-)

After Dirk has returned from school and done his homework, he watches some TV with his Dad and they talk about the important things in life, such as friendship.

The upstairs toilet clogs, but Darren does not feel comfortable to spend money for the repair service and rather does the unpleasant job himself.

Later that evening, he maxes out his Creativity - his paintings should sell even better now, and maybe he can finally start on some improvements around the house, such as better beds for his son and himself.

When Darren isn't painting, he blogs about it, as he does on this Thursday morning after Dirk has left for school.

Afterwards, he helps his son with the paper work for uni - the time is almost here when Dirk will leave home for four years.

But for now, he's still a teenager, and when Beau Broke happens to walk by, he rushes out to greet the boy he only vaguely knows from school.

He can't spend time with his guest just yet, though; after homework, some jobs around the house and garden are waiting for him first.

Eventually, though, the boys hit the dart board (literally) and have a lot of fun.

During the night and well into Friday morning (until after 6:00!), Darleen's ghost appears, appropriately wearing winter clothes. She roams the garden but never goes into the house. She obviously misses her family as much as they miss her.

When Darren wants to blog again, the computer breaks down. With only one mechanical skill point, it is a dangerous thing to attempt to repair any electric or electronic device...

...as Darren finds out soon enough! Thankfully, he is as right as rain again after a shower, and before he makes another attempt (this time successfully) at repairing the computer, he unclogs the upstairs toilet for the second time this week and reads up on Mechanical.

On Saturday, the two Dreamers leave the house after breakfast and walk the few paces along Main Street from their house (# 195) to the shops at # 290.

Darren buys fresh groceries and then says hello to Dina Caliente, the only other resident of Pleasantview visiting the shops. Dirk can't see anyone he would like to talk to.

A townie produces a batch of hot dogs, and since it is lunch time, Darren and Dirk gladly help themselves to one each before walking back home.

There, Dirk makes that all-important phone call, and soon afterwards, the taxi for college arrives. Darren can't believe his little boy is almost grown-up now!
Of course we'll check on Dirk right after the week at the Dreamers' is over.

The only thing worth mentioning on Sunday is that Darren finally has maximum enthusiasm for art. He now gets into "the zone" whenever he picks up his paint brushes, and earlier today, he was given the special plaque now displayed on the wall next to him.

There was not a single romantic wish from Darren all week, and the only friend he rolled the wish to chat to on the phone was Christian Love.
What happened to his wish to marry Cassandra Goth? It did not appear all week, and so I had him pursue his skill-related wishes and use most of his time to paint and make a bit of money selling his paintings.
He'll turn into an Elder at the start of the next week here, and I wonder whether he is still so focused on his late wife that he is not ready for Cassandra yet, and I want to check how big their age gap is now.

Dirk was busy with homework, house and garden jobs and talking to friends on the phone.
He and his Dad have been keeping their close relationship by talking before or after school, and over meals.

The house and garden are still unchanged, and I plan to have Dirk return here after college, which is where we're headed next.

Mickey Dosser - Junior Year

Mickey Dosser's name is next on my alphabetical list, and here we are at the Oresha-Hoh-Var Fraternity at Strangetown's La Fiesta Tech. 

Mickey does not live here on his own; Guy Wrightley (the great-grandson of the original founder of the fraternity) and Matthew Hart are members, too. 

As keeps happening since installing the Legacy edition of the game, all three have changed their appearance autonomously: Matthew now sports a full head of dreadlocks, Guy has gotten rid of his cornrows and opts for a sleeker style, and Mickey has taken to wearing a bandana. While I'm fine with the other two, Mickey's bandana has to go - I just think it looks really daft. Sorry! 

Mickey has just started the second half of his Junior Year. Matthew is one semester behind him, while Guy is now a Senior. His first Junior semester is here.

Mickey LOVES his new curly hair! Never mind the tap on the sink needs fixing... (One of the other two boys needs a Mechanical point, and so Mickey generously leaves the repair to them.) By the way, he is a Romance Sim who dreams of 20 lovers. So far, he has three. 

As usual with fraternities and sororities, one or other of the members "visits campus" on their own accord and returns with pizza, a battered armchair or superfluous desk. At this house, it's pizza every time.

I would have first put the smelly leftovers in the bin before sitting down to eat of the freshly baked pizza!

Mickey needs a cooking point, but in typical Mickey-Dosser-style he rather watches a cooking show on TV than slave away in the kitchen or read a book. 

Well, all that pizza hasn't done the young man any good. He gets up the next morning, determined to do something about his belly and get fit (he really rolled the wish).

First, though, there are more important things to do, such as making the acquaintance of Jessie Pilferson, who is a prospectice candidate for his list of 20 lovers. Why she has taken to walking around in a medieval-style dress I don't know, but that's students for you.

Last semester, Mickey made friends (and more) with his professor, and when she turns up on her own initiative, he flatters her into writing his Term Paper. (Another wish of his.)

In the evening, he finally makes good on his resolution to get fitter and works out to the SimGym program on TV.

The next day, he even "slaves away" in the kitchen, preparing himself a bowl of salad instead of eating pizza. I am impressed!

But when he wakes up from a snooze after a strenuous round of jogging, he really, really craves a slice of pizza. Just the one! 

Well, it didn't remain at "just the one" - instead, Mickey went off to get MORE pizza and really stuffed himself silly. Oh dear! Still, all is not lost, and he goes jogging again the next day.

As you can see, the "just one" slice of pizza really didn't do too much harm - he is not yet as fit as he wants to, but getting there.

It's Exam Day, and all three have theirs at the same time. They return with good grades; Guy and Matthew with an A+ each, while Mickey gets an A- "for his efforts", who weren't really his but his Professor's.

Because this is the end of Mickey's Junior Year, even though I have only played him for one semester I'll end this chapter now, so that next time he'll start his Senior Year from the beginning, as it should be. 

The boys were easy to play but there wasn't enough time to send them to a community lot. Friendships were largely maintained via the phone, and skills gained as required; I am not sure whether there are any pledges waiting to be moved in. Francis Worthington maybe?

Florence Delarosa - Week 2

Florence's 1st week is here.

We're about to spend a week at Pleasantview's Bluewater Village. 

It is winter as we reach Florence Delarosa's house, with the (now closed) flower shop to the left and her living quarters to the right. 

Florence is busy working on her lifetime want of becoming Mad Scientist - nothing to do with flowers. 

For now, she remains on her property, and who knows; maybe she'll reopen the shop once she has achieved the top of the Science career. There are no three-bolt Sims among those she knows, but she has two bolts for several men, and a crush on Chester Gieke. 

It is Wednesday when I enter the lot (her week has started on a Wednesday from the beginning), and she has around 5,600 Simoleons in the bank on top of her property.

An unwelcome visitor is seen approaching the house...

...and sneaking into Florence's bedroom. She is fast asleep... 

...but not for long! To her horror, this is the sight that greets her when she opens her eyes; the burglar has just put a precious wallhanging into her black bag and runs off before Florence can fully grasp what's happening. 

Thankfully, she doesn't panic but can go back to sleep right away - what's done is done, she reasons, ever the Knowledge Sim.

She has the day off and spends it on household and garden work as well as skilling for her career. 

When Dirk Dreamer walks by, she greets him; his Dad is among her friends. But Dirk doesn't hang around, he was really just passing. 

All that skilling pays off when Florence is promoted to Science Teacher on Thursday.

A bubble bath is just the thing after a long day at work, and a cold winter's day like this!

When Florence returns from work on Friday, she immediately tackles the weeds that are thriving in her large garden in spite of the snow and frost. An unsuspecting townie walking by is politely greeted and influenced to garden; the two ladies do manage to make a dent in the mountain of work, but at some stage they need to admit defeat. The townie leaves without a word. 

Florence just about has enough energy left to make herself a bowl of Mac & Cheese and talk to two of her friends on the phone before she falls into bed, completely exhausted.

She has the weekend off, and so on Saturday Florence invites her latest friend over. Wanda Tinker is in the last stages of her pregnancy and NOT asked to help with the gardening. 

Also, the gardener is here today, and while the two friends have pancakes together, she works her way slowly but steadily along the overgrown hedge around Florence's garden.

The ladies watch a film together before Wanda needs to go home for a rest, and Florence joins her gardener until they have finally pulled all the weeds and trimmed every shrub and the entire hedge.

After she has finished her house and garden work on Sunday morning, Florence decides to walk to H&M for some new clothes - her warderobe can certainly do with a good sprucing up, especially now that spring is almost here. 

"2,000 Simoleons... here you are!" she smiles as she hands over her hard-earned money. 

Several neighbours - some known, some unknown to her until now - are at the shop, and she greets them all: Jodie Larson... 

...Mary-Sue Pleasant... 

...her best friend Gilbert Jacquet...

...and Nina Caliente, who happens to wear the exact same outfit as Florence. 

On Monday, Florence leaves the house as a Science Teacher and returns as a Project Leader, something that really makes her happy, judging from the look on her face.

It is spring and hardly surprising that she rolls wishes to flirt and be flirted with, and since there is only one person she is romantically involved with, she calls Chester Gieke over. Two typical Knowledge Sims, at first they just sit on different settees (but at least facing each other!), talking about Aliens and doing the crossword together. 

But then Florence takes the initiative for some flirting, and moments after this picture was taken, red hears are twirling over the heads of the two.

She needs more cooking skill for her career, and so Florence makes blackened catfish and serves it with champagne to celebrate her promotion - and their new "in love" status. 

Her work as a Project Leader starts 3 hours later than when she was teaching Science, and so Florence has enough time on Tuesday morning to fill in a hole in the garden that a stray dog has dug.

She is picked up at the same time as the gardener arrives who, for a change, manages to be on top of the gardening work. It helps that Florence got rid of the 12 flower beds in her front garden.

She is promoted yet again and will start tomorrow as an Inventor. Before that happens, though, we'll spend a week with many more households. 

Florence's house is comfortable, and for now she is staying here, with the shop still closed. 

The garden was a little easier to manage over winter, and once she disposed of all the flower beds, less weeds have been growing. 

It was nice that she saw Chester, even though she did not roll any specific wishes for him, just a general one to flirt, as usually happens in spring. 

The week was over quickly, but now it'll be a while until my next update - on Saturday, I'll be off to my husband and then the two of us will spend ten days in Austria for some hiking in the mountains :-)