Like many other Maxis-made playable families, the Clevelands have a pre-made story - or, rather, a set of pictures more or less open to interpretation. Here, we clearly see Jason Cleveland proposing to Marissa Rutherford, with her parents Leandra and Kenneth looking on.
Some years have passed, and the Clevelands and their son, Justin, appear to be a loving family. They must have lived elsewhere before moving into the rented flat where we find them at the start of the game, since the room looks nothing like Justin's room now; only the rug can still be found in their current apartment.
In the next picture, Justin is a teenager and clearly not agreeing with his Mum. This fits in with their family biography as well as with Marissa and Justin's individual bios. Again, the house is a different place from their current one. According to Maxis, "Jason and Martha lead a very comfortable life. They wonder a bit about whether Justin’s friend Tara is “distracting” him from his school work, though, and about Uncle Geoff squandering the family funds. After all, a privileged status should never be taken for grated." - Yes, in the family bio, Marissa's name is Martha!
Jason's bio reads: "Jason married well but he has his own financial goals. He's happy to have a partner in life with similar desires. If only his son would take things more seriously.". He is currently working as a Vice Squad (we already know he's in Law Enforcement, since he is Vivian Cho's colleague) and may stick to that; all he really wants is earning 100,000 Simoleons, as befits a Fortune Sim.
And again, Justin does not seem overly happy about his mother checking on him and a girl (must be Tara De Bateau) while they do homework together - and again, the place looks way grander than their current flat. About Marissa, Maxis say that "Coming from a wealthy family, Marissa has no need to work. She's too busy trying to make sure everyone's lives are all going according to plan. She loves her son, and she is trying to make sure he understands the meaning of the word "integrity" (something her brother has never learned).". She is a Fortune Sim like her husband, but wants to become a Criminal Mastermind - not ideal when your husband is with the force, is it!
Still, the family gather at the dining table, and Justin is smiling at his uncle Geoff (Rutherford), his Mum's brother - no surprise when we read in Justin's bio that he "would love to live his own life without his mother's constant interference! Why can't she be cool like Uncle Geoff? This Military job that she is making him take on is taking time away from getting to spend time with his friend, Tara.". His aspiration is Popularity and he dreams of becoming General one day. This was the last of the pre-made pictures.
We find the Clevelands renting a flat at Bella Park Condominiums in Belladonna Cove. It covers the upper two floors of the building on the right.
See what I mean when I said their former house looked far grander than this flat? Clockwise from the top left corner, we have a kitchen with cheap fridge and stove, basic bathroom, Justin's room with a cheap bed and not even a bedside table, let alone a desk; a sparsely furnished living room and equally sparse dining room.
The spiral staircase leeds up to a balcony, a study, another basic bathroom and the master bedroom with a cheap-ish double bed. I wonder what happened here - neither the pre-made pictures nor biographies explain the Clevelands' apparent descent into modesty. They aren't actually poor with well over 42,000 Simoleons, are they!
On this Monday, Justin returns from school (he attends Private School) and is happy to find hsi room slightly improved: He now has at least a desk where he can do his homework.
"Welcome home, darling," Marissa greets her husband.
"Hello, sweetheart!" is Jason's reply.
Christian Love rings, asking the family to join him and a group of friends for an outing. A taxi takes them downtown to Bernard's Botanical Dining.
Look at Christian having fun at the bubble blower!
He soon quits the bubbles and joins Marissa and her family at one of the tables for a nice meal. It being a school night, the Clevelands head home straight afterwards.
Not much happens on Tuesday. Marissa has not yet found a job in the Criminal career, and Jason has the day off. Therefore, the couple can spend time talking to the "Loves" - Christian Love, who is Marissa's friend (but enemies with Jason!), and Dongsool Love, their landlord (I have not come across this first name before).
Over their lunch meat sandwiches, Marissa muses about their son having grown up so fast, and themselves soon being elderly.
Marissa is lucky on Wednesday morning: She can start in the Criminal career tomorrow, as a Bag(wo)man.
Later, her brother Geoff turns up unexpectedly, but of course he is always welcome at his sister's.
For Justin, he's still the cool uncle he trusts completely. "I've quit my after school job with the military and hope that won't harm my prospects as a future General," he confides. Geoff thinks what a sensible and level-headed young man his nephew has become.
The family enjoy bowls of Mac & Cheese before it is time for Geoff to go home and the Clevelands to bed.
Due to the wrong decision with a chance card, Jason is demoted to Desk Sergeant on Thursday. He heads straight back to work and returns with his job in the Vice Squad back, plus bonus.
Justin is all smiles when he gets off the school bus with his first A+ report, at the same time fulfilling a big wish of his Mum's.
It's Promotion Day on Friday for the Clevelands: First Marissa returns from her very first night on the job with a promotion to Bookie. Then Jason is made Detective, and later, Marissa's second shift for the day yields yet another promotion to Con Artist. I wonder what Detective Cleveland makes of his wife's career!
Anyway, the couple retreat to their upstairs study for the evening and work on their skills for even more promotions.
Friday has barely turned into Saturday, when an unwelcome visitor appears.
I wake Jason and have him call his colleagues for assistance.
What was the burglar after? Was he sent by Belladonna Cove's current Criminal Mastermind (whoever that may be) to test the waters with Marissa, the aspiring successor in that position? In any case, Jason's colleague successfully arrests the man. But the big TV set and at least one painting are gone.
Justin is truly distraught by the incident. Here he was, all alone downstairs, while his parents were asleep upstairs... suddenly the world feels much less safe.
He cheers up again during the day, when he invites his best friend Tara over. The two love each other as friends, but there is no chemistry at all between them. Unless they fall in love autonomously, I shall wait and see whether there is a romance at college for Justin.
He later greets Isabel Baldwin when she passes by.
Mr Love, their landlord, is hosting a party for his tenants and their visitors. Isabel Baldwin heads straight for the jacuzzi, while Justin and Marissa go for Mr Love's delicious hot dogs. Jason is at work.
Then I have Marissa and her son join Isabel and a fellow tenant in the jacuzzi... what's this?! Isabel seems to find Marissa very attractive! The ladies have not met before, and both are happily married with kids.
Sunday is another day off for Marissa, but not for Jason. As soon as her husband is off to work, Marissa invites Christian Love over. They are best friends (and nothing more), but for some unknown reason, neither Jason nor Justin can't stand Christian. Still, Justin tries to be friendly, for his Mum's sake.
He is truly happy to have his uncle Geoff over again, though. Those two get along really, really well.
When Jason returns from work, I have him use the fingerprint scanner and watch what he finds. There are many fingerprints from completely unkown Sims; I assume they are former tenants of the flat. Of course, there are fingerprints of the family, and of Christian Love, and - most surprisingly - in Justin's bedroom, those of the Shrink. To my knowledge, Justin never had a visit by the Shrink, not even after he was traumatized from the burglary.
The week ends with the Clevelands all safely tucked up in bed, ready to tackle their next week, when both Jason and Marissa will turn into elders, and Justin move to college.
Marissa was very close to asking both Christian and Dongsool Love to move in, thus becoming permanent residents of Belladonna Cove - but just not quite there yet.
For some reason I can't explain, I have never really warmed to the Clevelands, especially not Marissa, although I quite like Justin. Silly, I know :-)
I feel the same as you, much as they are a nice family they aren't too exciting to play are they?
ReplyDeleteI liked their backstory though and the friendships they are making with the Love's. I remember the name Dongsool on one of my past Uni students, haven't yet seen it this time around.
Your Cleveland's had the same LTW's as mine which is rare in this game. :)
That‘s unusual indeed, about their LTWs!
DeleteI was hoping to have at least Christian Love move in, there were only 2 or so points missing in Marissa‘s long term relationship with him - one more day, and he would have become a proper resident of Belladonna Cove.