The Contrary Family: Week 2

Week 1 with the Contrarys is here.

After a long time in Veronaville a change of scene is nice, and here we are at the Contrary's house in Desiderata Valley. 

Edward and Opal are just getting up on this Monday morning. They will both turn into Elders before the week is over but shall keep working at their lifetime wants, hoping they won't get fired from their respective careers. Edward dreams of being a Criminal Mastermind, while Opal is convinced she can make a vaulable contribution to The Valley's future as a City Planner. Both are Knowledge Sims.

Here is Rick, still in his childlike bedroom and wearing the same PJs as his Dad. He has 5 days left as a teenager and is looking forward to college, which will help towards his lifetime want of becoming Chief of Staff. That will suit his Fortune aspiration. 

For now, the family have what they need, but at 2,600 Simoleons in their bank account they still need to be careful when it comes to financial matters. 

On this Monday, Opal is promoted to Architect's Apprentice. Edward has not been so lucky; because of a chance card, he lost two Creativity points.

Opal needs to work on her creativity, too, and chooses her husband's career reward. Rick has done his homework and spends part of the afternoon making another potholder before he gets on the phone to his friend David Ottomas. 

From his mother's promotion bonus, a much better bed is bought for him. Also, the old cowboy wallpaper is finally replaced with light grey stucco, much more to Rick's taste.

The living room also receives a bit of a makeover with new wall paint, nicer settees and a rug to go with the colour scheme of the fireplace. 

It may still be mid-winter on the calendar, but Tuesday feels almost spring-like, and Edward notices that the shrubs in the front garden seem to think so, too. 

After work, he sees that a stray dog has dug up the grass at the side of the house. "Bloody dogs," he grumbles as he fills in the hole.

Opal returns from work not with a promotion today, but with colleague and friend Peter Ottomas in tow. 

Out on the porch, Edward was doing some rope-skipping to gain the required body skill for his next promotion (why I didn't remember to send him to the basketball hoop in the back garden, I don't know) when he stops mid-skip and transitions into an Elder. 

"Oh my, what's that I'm wearing - chain mail? Are you serious?!" I can see a visit to a clothes shop coming up! 

Rick spots a pimple on his otherwise smooth skin on Wednesday morning and immediately applies acne cream. 

Edward is promoted to Getaway Driver... 

...and Opal to Drafts(wo)man. 

That her car pool is still the old banger from the earliest stages of her career is a bug; I hope I need not worry.) 

With two promotions plus their daily wages, the Contrarys now have 6,000 Simoleons and can well afford new outfits for Edward. They walk to The Frippery Frock together after Rick has completed his homework and the adults have made phonecalls to friends. 

Rick meets his friend Cyd Roseland; it looks like it but they are not kissing, just hugging (you know that teenagers and adults can not interact romantically in the game without a hack anyway). 

Opal meets Priya Ramaswami. 

Edward has chosen outfits for every season and picks this one to wear for now while it's still cold; the spring-like weather was only an interlude, and The Valley is once more covered in snow.

Rick grills hot dogs for everyone who happens to want one, and then the family head back home.

Edward has been getwaway-driving all night and sleeps in on Thursday. With his wife still at work and Rick at school, he gets up to a late breakfast on his own. 

He finally feels confident enough about their financial situation to have a new toilet and combined shower/bathtub installed in the en-suite off the master bedroom. At his age, he needs to get comfort whenever he can, even if it's just from sitting on a better toilet :-D

In the afternoon, Rick shoots some hoops with his Dad. Edward needs the skill, and Rick is happy to spend time with his "old man" - tomorrow he'll be off to college.

Opal loves her new drafting table and starts on her first ideas for housing in the neighbourhood. 

At 6:00 on Friday morning, Edward returns from work with a promotion to Bank Robber.

Later the same day, Opal is promoted to Architect - a big step towards her lifetime want, but now she needs four skill points to further advance in her career. 

It is also the day when Rick says good-bye to his teenage years and his parents; the taxi to take him to college is waiting outside.

With the money coming in in big chunks, Opal and Edward finally invest in much nicer furniture for their dining room. 

Saturday is Opal's birthday, and she invites the Jocques over (Sophia being her best friend) as well as friend and colleague Peter Ottomas. Everyone gathers around the cake when she is ready to blow out the candles; Violet looks a little disappointed that she doesn't get to see her best friend Rick.

Here is Opal in her... erm... intersting outfit. It could be worse, I suppose, but it won't stay, that's for sure!

Husband and wife clink glasses of champagne. "Here's to you, my wonderful jewel, the sparkle of my life," Edward says.

The guests have discovered the video game, and the party soon reaches roof raiser status. 

Although it is Sunday, Opal has to go to work. Edward spends some time with gardening and then makes several phonecalls to maintain those all-important friendships. 

Opal returns as the latest Architectural Partner in her firm! And there is no doubt about what she'll do with today's promotion bonus :-D 

The couple walk to The Valley's shopping district and visit Amelia's Closet.

For the remainder of spring, Opal chooses this pretty outfit in pastel colours, and also gets items to mix and match for summer, autumn and winter. 

This is where the week with the Contrary family ends. I really enjoyed playing them, and I like improving the house bit by bit. 

Edward made good progress in his friendship with Fireman Berjes Smith, but he didn't get round to inviting him to move to Desiderata Valley. Rick will hopefully sail through his Freshman Year at college - we'll soon see how he's doing.

Hermia Capp - Freshman Year

This will be last stint for a while at Casteroff Dorms, part of Veronaville's Académie Le Tour, I promise! 

We're of course here for Hermia Capp, who has just arrived and for some reason decided to make a rather grand entrance in a princess-like gown, as if the Capp family name wasn't enough to make folks at uni aware of her social standing. 

The others here are her sister Juliette, one year ahead of her and now a Sophomore; cousin Miranda and her boyfriend Jace Lee, both Juniors; Puck Summerdream who is now the only resident Senior and last but not least Mercutio Monty. He has just graduated Magna Cum Laude in Political Sciences and will only be around long enough to throw a graduation party before moving back to the Monty Ranch in Veronaville. 

Before Hermia can claim her room at the dorm she is off to class. When she returns, she finds that she's been assigned the room next to her sister - that's fine by her. What's not fine is the furnishing, and she immediately has it changed more to her liking. 

It looks much better now, and once she'll have the computer she brought from home installed, she'll feel almost at home here. 

She also decides that the long gown is really impractical, and changes into something more suitable for the beginning of spring. 

Then, very much Consort Capp's granddaughter when it comes to diligence and sense of duty, she sits down to get started on her Term Paper right away.

The next day, Hermia relaxes over a game of chess with cousin Miranda who assures her that she'll have her name on the Dean's List if she keeps up her diligent work and always arrives at class on time. 

Mercutio has just invited family and friends over for his graduation party. 

Of course his girlfriend Roxie is there, too, and the two of them enjoy some energetic dancing.

Everyone lines up to say good-bye to Mercutio when his taxi pulls up in front of the dorm, even the dorm cook! Tybalt took time off his shop so that he could be at the party, too, and Romeo Monty got a glimpse at college life along with cousin Benedick and Grandma Isabel.

Hermia now starts to meet her other dorm mates. Here she is talking to Jace, wondering whether he could beome a best friend for life.

Juliette visits her little sister in her room the next morning. 

She has been wanting to invite Romeo over since he's been at Mercutio's graduation party - a sign that they should rekindle their teenage romance eventually? Of course he is still only a teenager, and so she can have no romantic interaction with him, but it's nice to see that she rolls wishes about him, I guess. 

Delilah O'Feefe has come visiting and enjoys a meal at the cafeteria for a change (she lives in a rented house and usually has to provide for her own meals).

There is this NPC student at the dorm who for unknown reasons has taken a dislike to Hermia. I have caught her poking and shoving her, but things have not gone far enough yet for them to engage in a proper fight and become enemies. 

Because I hate an enemy situation at a dorm, I try to prevent things from getting worse by directing Hermia to play chess and have the girl join her. "I wish we could be friends," is indeed one of the first things Hermia says. Unfortunately, she has to leave for her end-of-term exam before the two of them can become friends.

As expected, Hermia makes it to the Dean's List along with everybody else. For Puck, it is the start of his last semester!

Some skilling is in order before the students can think of starting on their Term Papers. 

Summer arrives, and the students change into outfits better suited to the warmer weather. (They have to make do with what they find in the wardrobe, as I am still not sending anyone to a community lot. This dress looks quite nice on Hermia, doesn't it?)

The recently acquired chess table proves very popular. 

Hermia spots the aggressive girl alone in the cafeteria and sits with her. "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday," the girl admits. "I'd like for us to become friends, too. You know, I saw you arrive in that ridiculous gown and thought, here comes yet another rich Capp girl who thinks she's better than the rest of us... but then I realised that you aren't like that at all, and neither is your sister, or Miranda, who actually is not a rich girl anyway..." 

Hermia laughs and admits that "that gown" really was one of her worst ideas. They become friends, and I need not to worry about an endless series of poke-and-shove scenes any more. 

By now, she is also friends with Jace. They like to play darts in the upstairs common room. 

Summer also means thunderstorms, and the telescope is hit by ligthning. Thankfully, the rain puts out the flames before anyone can come to any harm.

Now that Mercutio has left, the Campus Coach focuses on Jace and makes the young man work out every time he "happens to" pass by the dorm. 

Hermia's Freshman Year ends with A+ grades etc. for her as well as the others here. 

Puck has graduated; Miranda and Jace are about to start their Senior Year, and Juliette is now a Junior while Hermia embarks on her Sophomore Year. 

Hermia has done well, and the Capp sisters and cousins have become even closer than before. I was expecting some Sim or other falling in love during this spring, but nothing happened.

I have now spent so much time playing at this dorm that I am really looking forward to a family household again; the Contrarys are next on my list.