The Cordial Sisters: Week 1

The Cordial sisters have not always lived in Belladonna Cove, where we find them now in our games. According to their family biography, "Samantha and Kimberly had such bad sibling rivalry they were asked to leave the pleasant, little town in which they had grown. Realizing that things between them needed to change they pursued a variety of self help ventures. While trying to find new ways to bond with each other, they made some mysterious new friends. Will calling on the power of their new found friends bind them closer together or pull them more apart?"

Their Maxis-made set of pictures begins with the above scene, obviously showing Samantha (left) and Kimberly (right) as teenagers, and arguing.

A man we don't know (his appearance does not match anyone in the sisters' family tree) is lecturing them - probably threatening to send them away, as described in their bio. 

Next we see them as adults, boarding a taxi to Belladonna Cove. The elderly lady and the man waving good-bye to them are their parents, Danny and Barbara Cordial. Some of the other people seem to be VERY happy to see them go - the man on the left applauds! 

Here, the sisters have finally made peace. 

In their last Maxis-made picture, we see Kimberly in the background talking to an evil witch and Samantha sitting with a good one. The room looks like the "secret" room in their current house in Belladonna Cove; we will now check out the rest of it.

As has been remarked before, the house is a twin to the Pleasant family home in Pleasantview.

The main difference is the "secret" room, which is Mary-Sue and Daniel's bedroom in Pleasantview. Otherwise, we have clockwise from the bottom left corner a small sitting room with TV, a large room with a piano and spiral staircase leading upstairs, the secret room, dining room with open plan kitchen, hallway and toilet.

Upstairs are a large hallway, a bathroom with shower and tub as well as the sisters' bedrooms: The one on the left is obviously meant to be Samantha's, while the darker looking one on the right is Kimberly's. 

Both sisters are Knowledge Sims. Samantha dreams of having 20 best friends and currently works as a nurse. Her bio reads: "Samantha seems to glitter. She left a high school sweetheart in the pleasant town of her youth but she believes she can build a better future here in Belladonna Cove. Maybe having new and powerful friends will help shape her future?". 

Kimberly sees herself as future Mayor of Belladonna Cove. According to her bio, she "... may be green with sibling envy and have a penchant for the darker side of things, but Kim has always been a rebel. She hopes her new friends will give her a way to get what she wants out of life, but once she steps down that path will it really help her in the ways she hopes?"

Her current job is with the military as part of the Elite Force. Since there is plenty of money in their account (over 27,000 Simoleons), I have them quit their jobs right away. 

No welcome committee appears for them, but at 6:00 pm, the phone rings and they are invited for an outing. What better choice than the Crypt O'Night club!

It was Armand DeBateau who invited the sisters. Is he a match for Samantha?

No... surprisingly, Kimberly and Armand start holding hands right away, on their own initiative - and are fully in love that same instant! 

Immediately, Kimberly rolls the wish to get engaged to Armand. No time like the present, I say, and have her pull out a velvet-covered box with a diamond ring for Armand, who happily accepts.

Glasses of champagne are brought to the table, and everyone but Tara toasts the newly engaged couple. The girl hardly knows her adoptive Dad's fiancée - there are only 7 relationship points between them. But than can be changed, of course.

Meanwhile, the club has been filling with townies dancing the night away. Soon, the Cordial sisters are tired enough to head home.

Not much happens on Tuesday. The sisters have their meals, do whatever housework is necessary, pay the bills and make phonecalls to existing and prospective friends. Kimberly rings Tara, asking the girl whether she'll be going to any Halloween parties tonight. Samantha observes her sister and smiles to herself; she has never seen Kim so happy.

Wednesday is another uneventful day. The sisters spend most of their time either on the phone or skilling - it is autumn, and both roll wishes to acquire more skills. 

For Kimberly, it will mean a headstart when she'll find a job in the political career, and it won't harm Samantha, either. 

Over breakfast, Samantha brings up the subject of Kimberly's failure at school - it is indeed one of Kim's memories that she had a "D" at school (while Sam remembers an A+). "You might not have been the best student in the world, but you have certainly scored an A+ with Armand", she jokes (not very sensitively). 

Kimberly wakes up at 2:30 on Thursday morning, convinced that today will be the day she lands a job in politics. Alas, it is not to be, and she'll have to try again tomorrow. 

During their outing with Armand and Tara, Samantha met Vyn Scott, a townie with a playable surname (from TS4). She has befriended her enough to invite her over today, and who should accompany her but Christian Love, another townie eligible to become a proper Belladonna Cove resident! 

Some gardening needs doing.

The sisters have been taking turns raking the leaves; it is Samantha's turn on Friday.

In the afternoon, she invites several friends over: Connor Weir, Gabriel Green, Carlos Contender... 

...as well as her sister's fiancé Armand DeBateau and Vivian Cho, who is not yet a friend. 

She serves Mac & Cheese, there is dancing and chatting, and a good time is had by all. I closely watch Kimberly and Armand, but they hardly acknowlege each other - instead, Armand spends some time talking to Vivian, who apparently finds him quite interesting.

On Saturday, Kimberly is finally lucky and finds a job as an Intern. Her old shame of having left school on a "D" seems to be disappearing - "Look at me now", she thinks, "I'm as good as any A+ student, if not better!" 

For the first time since moving here, Samantha is on her own, and the house is quiet. She has just laid down for a nap when Kimberly's car pool drops her off after work - with a promotion to Lobbyist. 

A chess table and chairs are purchased, because from now on, just doing the crossword every morning won't be enough if she wants to climb the next step on the career ladder. 

Samantha would so love to invite Vyn Scott to become a permanent resident of Belladonna Cove and asks her over. The two ladies chat over bowls of yesterday's leftover Mac & Cheese, and while they get along well enough, they are not best friends yet. Vyn is sure it won't take long before winter sets in with the first snow.

It is already Sunday by the time the two ladies become best friends over a game of chess.

When Kimberly gets up several hours before her sister on Sunday morning, the first snow falls - Vyn's forecast was spot on. 

Ramir Patel is out on a walk in the winter wonderland their neighbourhood has turned into, and of course Samantha invites him in. The two have not met before (I think) and are almost friends by the time he leaves. 

Meanwhile, Vyn was asked over again, and happily accepts Samantha's invitation to become a full resident of Belladonna Cove. 

She has no job and few skills, but her bank account shows 2,000 Simoleons. She has a Bronze Badge in Sewing and Register. As a Family Sim, it is hardly surprising that she dreams of having six grandchildren, but it is doubtful that she'll reach her lifetime want - at her age, she can only adopt, and may not live long enough to see any adopted children of hers have kids of their own.

Anyway, she wants her own place, and moves out promptly. 

I liked playing the Cordial sisters, but decided early on to not follow their "witchy" tendencies - they never rolled any magic-related wishes and did not even wish to see their witch friends. 

Whether Armand and Kimberly have a future together remains to be seen. Samantha has seven best friends now; that's 13 more to go before she'll be on Permanent Platinum.

The only changes I have made to the house was buying a better stove and fridge, and adding the chess table and chairs.