The Landgraabs - Update 31.01.2020

We have not left the lot where the previous Sim-week was spent - it's still the Landgraab Mansion. If you remember, the last week here ended with the young Landgraabs, Lance and Lilo, moving back into their childhood home along with their partners, upon invitation of Castanea Landgraab, widow of the late Malcolm Landgraab, Lance and Lilo's father.

Here are the links to their previous weeks:  
Lance and Gesine 
Lilo and Prezioso


There is now an age difference for the twins because Lance was played earlier this year due to Gesine's surname beginning with G.

The upstairs rooms will need rearranging to suit the two couples and Castanea. This is what it has been like until now, from left to right: The master bedroom with en-suite bathroom; a generous landing, and the large nursery, where Lilo and Lance used to sleep as kids and teenagers.

Here is what I have done with it:

Castanea's former bedroom (the master bedroom) has been made much smaller (lower left corner), and a new, modern bathroom has been added to it.
Part of the landing has been added to the former master bedroom to make room for a double bed for Lilo and Prezioso; the old bathroom has not been touched.
The former nursery is now Lance and Gesine's bedroom.

Prezioso lost his PP status and is now unemployed, although we left him as Prestidigitator. (This has happened for the second time! When he moved in with Lilo, he also was unemployed, even though he already had been a Broadway Star when I had played him before the move.)
Now he wants to become Hall of Famer. Whatever makes you happy, Prezioso!

Do you remember Gesine's fruitless job search? She has been wanting to become a Space Pirate ever since her teenage years, and finally on her first Monday here at the Landgraab Mansion, she lands a job in the Adventurer Career. She will start this afternoon as Relic Liberator.

Lilo has been building her friendship with townie Caryl Lee, who will hopefully move to New Max permanently, as her surname is that of an original playable (Emily Lee, a playable student, who in my game died ages ago).

Lance is so happy for his wife to finally be able to make a start on her lifetime want!

Here she is, looking forward to her first day on the job!

Caryl is still here when Prezioso and Lance sit down for some grilled cheese. "He's half Alien, you know," Prezioso needlessly informs their guest.

Later, he has a swim in the mansion's indoor pool, to increase his body skill in view of his plans of becoming Hall of Famer.

The first day at the newly busy Landgraab house was rather eventful, and fun to play.

Tuesday is eventful in its own way - the house (or maybe the Sims living in it?) appears to be very buggy and "jumpy". Let me illustrate this with Castanea: Time and time again she has been meaning to use the toilet, or eat something - and every time, she "jumped" back to just standing next to the table or outside the bathroom.
It takes me AGES to have everyone satisfy their needs, and the only positive thing that happens on this day is that Prezioso finds a job in the Athletic career. By the way, apart from him suddenly being unemployed and not in PP again, his age bar is back to the first day as an adult.
Also, nobody can say good-bye to Caryl Lee, and all of a sudden, she has a male voice!
Something is seriously wrong with this place - not with my entire game, I hope.

Wednesday is a slightly better day at the Landgraab Mansion, after I have deleted the "Accessory.cache" and "Groups.cache" files in my game data, something I usually only do after finishing one week before moving to the next household.

Lilo is on Permanent Platinum and not controlled by me other than the occasional phone call or to tip one of the Landgraabs' employees. For her, the day starts by playing with emtpy espresso cups...

...followed by a game of "juggle the tumblers" at the house bar.

Gesine notices Gabriella Newson walking by and quickly greets her.

Prezioso begins his new career as a Starter. I wonder how many more times I will enter the game to find him unemployed again, and not on PP!
Also, I have noticed that the number of his wants/fears slots changes; there should always be five, since he has been to uni, but sometimes he only has four.

Gabriella joins Lance and Castanea for delicious omelettes, prepared and served by the butler. She obviously wants to be friends with the family.

Gesine returns from work with a promotion to Warhead Disarmer (here still in her outfit as Dread Pirate).

It is Thursday, and Lilo has asked her friend Caryl Lee over again. It would be nice if their friendship was high enough by the end of the week to have Caryl move to New Max for good, wouldn't it!
The two ladies enjoy the shade on the front patio on this hot summer day.
"Sometimes I feel like two persons in one," Caryl confesses, "a man and a woman."
Well, she looks female but has suddenly acquired a male voice earlier this week! Also, the number of interactions possible with her has become limited; only "entertain", "influence to", "talk", "flirt" and one other which I can't remember right now.
What is wrong with this place?

Things get serious when Prezioso is unable to eat anything. He puts a plate of omelettes on the table alright, but then can neither sit down nor take the plate to sit somewhere else or eat standing up instead.
I resort to a drastic measure: using the move-objects-cheat, I delete Prezioso. I know he will be back next time I start the game, and hopefully in better condition.
Also, just to make sure, I remove the dining table and chairs and replace them with new ones. Other household members have no trouble sitting and eating there.

Gesine comes home with a promotion to Hostage Liberator. After she had to wait so long to begin her career, she is now advancing really fast, to make up for all that lost time during her previous weeks after uni.

When her husband returns from work hours later, he has reached his lifetime want and is now on Permanent Platinum, 10 days before Elderhood. Gesine rewards the new Celebrity Chef with a romantic hug.

Friday morning begins with Castanea having a leftover omelette for breakfast - at the new dining table, which is the exact same model as the old one, as well as the chairs.

And of course, Prezioso is back after I "sold" him yesterday. He patiently waits by the mail box until I send him to the indoor pool to work on his body skill for his job. Meanwhile, Castanea has finished her breakfast and does the same (she has the same lifetime want, after all) - can you see the splashing in the pool?

As the other household members wake up, the butler serves pancakes. Untypically, he has not cleared the table of Castanea's empty breakfast plate first.

It is Promotion Day for the Landgraabs!
First, Prezioso comes home as an All Star. He now needs two more body skill points and sets to work on the punching bag on the balcony immediately.

Then, Castanea returns with a promotion to Coach. It has taken her an entire week from her previous promotion to this one. Now she has to brush up on her charisma.

Last but not least, Gesine - still in her Warheard Disarmer outfit - is now an International Sim of Mystery.

At 6:00 pm, Castanea interrupts practising charisma in front of her bathroom mirror to transition into an elderly lady. She smiles at her white-haired reflection - maybe she will be smiling a little more from now on?

Saturday is a Good Day for the Landgraabs.
Lance has a leisurely session of Financial Consulting at the computer. Now that I do not control him anymore (apart from the usual stuff such as greeting passing New Maximilianians), it is interesting to see how he chooses to spend his free time.

His sister Lilo becomes best friends with Caryl Lee. That means she'll be invited over tomorrow, and asked to move in!

Castanea is as happy as she looks here: At the age of 54, she has become Hall of Famer - one more Sim in this house to be on Permanent Platinum. Well done, Castie!

Prezioso has not been idle, either, and returns from work as MVP.

After he has had a shower and changed into his everyday clothes, he greets Calvin Cho.

Then he invites his twin brother Pablo (with his back to the camera) and sister Paola over. Of course, Paola brings along Garrett Newson, the man she loves and lives with.

And finally, Gesine has achieved her lifetime want: She is now a Space Pirate, 7 days before elderhood. Congratulations, Gesine!

By the time it is Sunday morning, Prezioso's siblings are still here. Paola shares breakfast with her brother and wants to know all about his athletic career.

Uh-oh... one more sign that something is not right with this lot! At least I hope it is only the lot and not my entire game. The bed is quickly replaced.

Lilo invites Caryl Lee over, and she arrives just as Pauline Broke walks by and is greeted by Castanea, still in her pink PJs.

Gesine and Lance do an impressive choreography in the living room! :-)
Much to my dismay, Caryl Lee is still "bugged" - she still has a male voice, and no Sim can have more than five interactions with her: talk, entertain, flirt, influence to and one more that I can't remember right now. It is impossible for Lilo to ask Caryl to move in.
At least a few other Sims have met her during their visits here, so I hope she will appear again - maybe "fixed".

What's going on here? Castanea is having a sponge bath in one of the two downstairs toilets, in spite of there being three fully equipped and accessible bathrooms in the house, plus a shower in the indoor pool area.

Prezioso has been promoted once more; he is now Superstar. By the way, today he has not four, not five, but SIX slots for wants and fears...!

This is how the week with the Landgraab ends. It is a relief being able to move to a different household, hopefully a bug-free one. Maybe I will have to give up the Landgraab mansion.
In spite of all this, it was fun playing the week with the two couples and Castanea. Everyone did really well in their careers, and now Prezioso is the only one not yet on PP.

I suspect Prezioso suffers from "corrupt character file" syndrome, and in its wake, affects the entire lot (flashing blue bed, jumpy activity queues, etc.). Hopefully, I will be able to repair him (and maybe Caryl Lee) via SimPe. Watch this space!