Phineaus' Senior Year is here.
This small house at #104, Via Veronaville is now his.
Because he has always gotten the full student grants for his good grades, he was able to save money and has 17,000 Simoleons to furnish and decorate his new home.
Because he has always gotten the full student grants for his good grades, he was able to save money and has 17,000 Simoleons to furnish and decorate his new home.
And it certainly needs furnishing and decorating! As you can see, there are only the cheapest things in the shower room and the kitchen; not even a fridge, and the tiny bedroom only contains a narrow single bed. This won't do - Phineaus dreams of graduating 3 children from college, and he wants the (as yet unknown) mother of these children share a nice comfortable double bed with him.
Therefore, the mini bedroom is enlarged a bit, a fridge is bought as well as a dining table with chairs, a book case, settee and some lamps.
It's still not much and won't be enough once he starts a family, but for now it'll do.
The only outfit Phineaus has brought from uni is somewhat ill-fitting, and so the next thing on his to-do list is to get new clothes.
He buys what he needs and then greets some neighbours. I have him "scope room", and unfortunately, he finds Antonio Monty hot - not the person who will be able to help him fulfill his lifetime want, and so he returns home.
'Here I am, all on my own... I wonder how long for...' he thinks when he sits down for a lone bowl of cereals. I wonder the same, Phin.
Only Kent Monty turns up to welcome him to the neighbourhood, and wants to talk about love of all things. Phin pretends to be more interested in his cook book.
The phone rings, and former fellow student, dorm mate and close friend Ellen Frost asks him to meet her and a bunch of others at Games of Glory.
Quite a few of the former students are there, among them Tybalt Capp, Ellen of course, Chaz Whippler, Chris Cho and (behind Phineaus) Roxie Sharpe. I have him "scope room" again, but nobody shows more than 2 bolts.
Still, it's a fun evening out with friends, and everybody likes the hot dogs he produces before he returns home.
On Tuesday, I send Phin to greet the mail carrier and then check her for attraction. Although he seems to find her very attractive, there really is just one bolt for her.
Townie Christy Inada shows two bolts, but that's not enough for me to have Phineaus pursue a relationship. It is odd that no matter who I tell him to check out, he finds anyone attractive, even when there is a crossed-out bolt! The poor man must be really desperate to get started on his dream family.
He spends the afternoon fishing, interrupting it every time someone walks by so that he can greet them and check them out.
Wednesday starts with a bit of cleaning. Then Phineaus makes up his mind and calls the Matchmaker to help him find a 3-bolt-lady who will be a good mother to the three children he dreams of.
He digs deep into his savings, paying the Matchmaker the full 5,000 Simoleons, and soon, a lady falls from the sky and the Matchmaker introduces her: "This is Sharlene Walton!"
- "Umm... thanks... I guess..." Phineaus mumbles. Sharlene is obviously past child-bearing age, but before he politely asks her to leave, he takes a closer look...
...and to his (and my!) surprise, she is indeed his 3-bolt-lady!
The decision is made on the spot: Phineaus will do what he can to win Sharlene's heart, and for his lifetime want, he will adopt.
The first call for adoption he places that same afternoon, and then eagerly awaits the next morning.
Thursday is an eventful day for Phineaus. It starts off with him catching his first ever fish from the pond by his house.
Then, at 10:00 sharply, the Social Worker's car pulls up in front of the house.
Young Alan is now Alan Furley and officially Phineaus's son.
(Another Alan? Lately, all adopted boys in my game seem to be called Alan!)
When Phineaus invites Sharlene over to meet Alan before the boy heads off to school, it almost feels like a family already.
They sit down for a serious chat about their future together. "You really are serious about wanting to graduate three children from college, aren't you?" Sharlene asks. She has been working as a Nanny long enough to know that looking after children can present its own challenges, but she is willing to help her 3-bolt-man to fulfill this big dream of his.
While Phin makes dinner, the last of a thunderstorm passes across Veronaville, and lightning strikes the fir tree at the side of the house. Sharlene is shocked into helplessness and doesn't know what to do.
Two passing townies join her in the "fire dance" as the tree burns down to the ground.
Only when Phin comes running out with a fire extinguisher in hand are the flames brought under control. Thankfully, nobody but the fir was hurt.
On Friday morning, the Social Worker is here for another visit - this time, a girl named Jessica was chosen for the Furley family.
After school, Phineaus supervises both his children's homework. He is a truly devoted Dad but needs to find a solution to their living arrangements - the house is really too small for any more children, or Sharlene should she accept Phineaus' invitation to move in.
Gone are the days of Phineaus' lonely meals!
"I found today's maths homework really easy," Alan boasts.
"And I can name ALL the countries on the globe," his sister adds. It's all cheerful banter and no serious attempt at competition among them.
For now, Jessica's bed is put up in the one large room, while Alan shares the big bed with Phineaus until another house is found.
But what's that?! Surely the burglar doesn't expect to find anything valuable in this modest little house?
I wake Phin to call the police, but Officer Pons arrives too late at the scene - the burglar has gone, and with her the settee and the book case.
After the unwelcome visit by the burglar nobody has slept well. It is therefore well before sunrise that Jessica and Alan are up and out fishing behind the house. They bond over this and become real friends.
Phineaus has been doing a lot of digging for treasure, but so far all he's found were several rocks and an old bone.
In the afternoon, he relaxes chatting with his daughter. She knows what is expected of her when she gets older, but that's fine by her - it's her own wish to do well at school, too, just like her brother's.
Sharlene is asked over, and that evening Phineaus thinks he can hardly be any happier than right now, with the lady who owns his heart and the children he loves around the table, enjoying the food he has lovingly prepared.
Sunday morning is rather chilly, but that doesn't stop Alan and Jessica from having a pillow fight outside.
They don't want to miss the arrival of their youngest adoptive sister, and at 10:00 am, Nikki arrives!
Now there's only one person missing to make the family complete... but not for long: Sharlene Walton moves in that same morning, adding a VERY welcome 12,000 Simoleons to the family's funds. Hardly surprising for a former Nanny, she is a Family Sim and dreams of having six grandchildren. Whether she will be around long enough to see that dream come true remains to be seen.
The tiny house can't hold a family of five, and so the Furley-Waltons move to No. 26 Via Veronaville. The house, although not overly expensive, stretches their funds almost to the limit, and only around 2.600 Simoleons are left to furnish it.
The ground floor is empty apart from a bathroom and an incomplete kitchen. Everything is of the cheapest quality, except for doors, windows and the fireplace. I could of course sell that but first want to see if the family can not make money in other ways.
Only the bathroom is furnished upstairs. It is still a small house for two adults and three children, but it'll have to make do, at least for now.
The children all walk to school (moving house means we have shifted instantly from Sunday to Monday), and Phineaus and Sharlene get busy with their spades, hoping to unearth a treasure chest. But all they dig up are rocks, bones, old boots and an antique map. (The boots are of course from the pond by the old house, but let's pretend they were buried in the garden.)
Selling all these things gives the bank account a boost to 3.850 Simoleons, and the essentials are bought right away.
The ground floor has a desk and chair for Mr. Humble's computer. A fridge is added to the kitchen, and a dining table and chairs set up.
Upstairs, everyone will have to sleep in the cheapest beds available - at least during their first night here. I do miss the IKEA pack! As soon as I can dedicate a bit more time to it, I want to sort out this issue.
Anyway, there are just about 500 Simoleons left, and no more money is spent today.
Phineaus doesn't need a job for his lifetime want, but he certainly needs one now to provide for his family's needs. Luckily, he has a set of skills good enough to accept a job as Broadway Star, which will yield over 1,000 Simoleons per working day, and he'll start tomorrow.
In the meantime, Sharlene gave the spade a good work-out one more time and has finally struck gold - literally! The treasure is immediately sold for 5,000 Simoleons. That will allow for some first cautious improvements.
First, though, there is homework to be done. Nikki is helped by her new Dad while the other two have already learned to do their homework alone.
The evening is spent with the children playing with each other and talking to their parents; especially Sharlene is not yet friends with any of the children, and I want them to have a good home life together.
The week ends here, as I have now played Phineaus for seven days. We'll see the household again when W as in Walton appears on the list.
Things have certainly turned out rather different for Phineaus than expected - but his lifetime want is much more important to him than money, and he has found a 3-bolt-love who fully supports him.
It'll be good to see the family on more stable grounds financially, though! Also, I am looking forward to seeing the kids together in their new family, and of course there will be a wedding - both Phineaus and Sharlene wish for it.
