The Dreamer Family: Week 1

Once upon a time in Pleasantview, Dareen and Darleen were very much in love and soon knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together as husband and wife.

Their happiness was perfect when a little boy, Dirk, was born.

But neither of them expected "the rest of their lives" to end so soon for Darleen - she died when Dirk was just a school kid, leaving her husband and son devastated. 

Darren immersed himself in his art, spending every free minute at the easel. He even quit his job, convinced he'd be able to provide for himself and Dirk by selling paintings.

One day at the supermarket, he noticed Cassandra Goth... and she noticed him. This is the last of the Maxis-made pictures, and they tie in with the household biography for the Dreamers: "Darren is pursuing his dream of being an artist, while his son Dirk hits the books. And Darren may have found his muse, but will his creativity be enough to win Cassandra's affection?". 

This is their house. I have always liked it, as it has a good size and playable layout. 

The ground floor is dominated by a large open-plan lounge/dining/kitchen area, with a small bedroom for Dirk in the corner and a shower room.

Upstairs are Darren's bedroom and another shower room, but the largest part is a mix of living room, study and workshop where Darren's paintings are created.

At the back of the house, one lonely tombstone under a willow tree is a constant reminder of Darleen.

On the Monday when the game starts for the Dreamers, we are informed that the bills have been piling up. Darren starts out with 968 Simoleons, but after all bills have been paid, his bank account is down to a meagre 123 Simoleons. By the way, he is a Knowledge Sim who strangely enough (strange for a Knowledge Sim, anyway) wishes nothing more than to celebrate the Golden Anniversary - now that this can not happen with Darleen anymore, he will need to find someone else. According to his Maxis-written bio, he "... has missed his wife ever since her death, will he ever get another chance at love?". 

Dirk is now a teenager. His aspiration is Fortune, and he wants to make his fortune as a City Planner. For now, he needs to go to school. His relationships and memories show him to go steady with Lilith Pleasant. His bio reads: "Though it's been hard without his mother, Dirk has made every effort to do well in all areas of his life."

After school, Darren helps his son with homework.

Brandi Broke walks past and is cordially greeted. Shortly afterwards, Christian Love follows suit. 

Dirk tried to make Mac & Cheese for themselves and their guests, but his effort results in a kitchen fire - good job the fire alarm goes off, and a firefighter comes to the rescue instantly. 

Breakfast on Tuesday morning consists of bowls of cereal - much cheaper (and easier to prepare) as the fried eggs Dirk would have liked.

But Darren can't even afford to pay today's bills before he has not finished and sold a painting - not a masterpiece, but at least he can get rid of those bills now. His bank account is down to 55 Simoleons.

In a desperate attempt to earn some money, Dirk stops an unsuspecting passers-by and starts to freestyle in front of him. While the townie enjoys the surprise performance, he is not willing to part with any of his own Simoleons, and Dirk's jar for tips remains empty.

On Wednesday, I remember that both Darren and Dirk have one item in their inventories: a Re-Nu PortaJug (or similar). As I do not plan to use them, I sell them, making 250 Simoleons in the process. Of course, I could sell various objects in the house, but I prefer to leave that as a last resort. 

Anyway, Dirk has better luck today when another townie stops to be treated for some freestyling, and actually contributes a nice little sum - 75 Simoleons, I think. 

Over breakfast on Thursday morning, Dirk outlines his plans for the future, telling his Dad that he knows he will have to start working on construction sites before he'll become a City Planner. 

When his son is at school, Darren spends the rest of the morning at his easel, producing a painting that sells rather well. 

After paying today's bills, he still has 525 Simoleons left. 

Christian Love comes visiting on his own accord, and the two men become friends over a game of kicky bag. 

That night, Darleen's ghost appears for the first time. She seems to be upset about Dirk - maybe because she is unhappy about the boy growing up without his mother around. Anyway, she does not enter the house, and Darren and Dirk's sleep is not interrupted.

On Friday, Dirk takes pity on the flowers and waters them before the school bus arrives. The garden looks quite a mess - Darren can't afford NOT to paint, and so spends very little time on house and garden.

Dirk returns from school with good news: Because he performed so well in his school's play "Simerella", he is awarded a total of 215 Simoleons.

Saturday is off to a leisurely start for the Dreamers. Darren does some blogging (as per his wish) while Dirk takes his time over breakfast - it feels good not having to rush to the school bus. 

They then take a taxi to Woodland Park, particular beautiful now with the autumn foliage in all its glory. 

Darren bumps into Cassandra, who is still his love interest, even though he has not been rolling any wants about her. Friend Christian Love is also there, grilling hot dogs for everyone. 

And who is this? A townie that looks exactly like Armand DeBateau's second wife, but we're not in Belladonna Cove now, and this is not Audrey DeBateau. Her name is Katerina Kim, and thanks to her surname, I plan to have her become a playable Sim eventually.

Back home, Dirk meets a boy wearing the same outfit as himself, only in different colours. He is not interested in the townie teenager as such, but since he is (as usual) desperate to make some money, he stops him just long enough for some freestyling, and does indeed receive a tip. 

Meanwhile, Darren has asked Christian Love over and expresses his wish that the two men become best friends for life. He is almost ready to ask him to move in. 

On Sunday, Lilith Pleasant pays her boyfriend a surprise visit just as Christian Love arrives upon Darren's invitation. 

And a few minutes later, he has agreed to move to Pleasantview for good!

Christian Love is a Romance Sim who wants to become Criminal Mastermind - I'm afraid it is out of the question for him, as he is already 54 and this career level is not available to him anymore. He has only a few skill points but a Gold Sales badge; maybe he should consider working in one of Pleasantview's shops.

And finally, the Dreamers tackle their neglected garden on Sunday. They do not quite finish but get good part of the work done, raking leaves and disposing of the heaps. 

As I said, I have always liked this household, and this time I have not changed anything at the house (at least not yet).

Their week was all about money; Darren mostly wanted to skill and sell a masterpiece (something he has not yet achieved), but he will need to do a lot more painting if he really wants to live off his art. He did not see Cassandra often, but for now, the two remain an item. And he managed to move in a townie! 

Dirk constantly wished to earn money, but I have not yet made him find a job (he has not wished for it). He really wants to get into Private School and eventually go to college; these two wishes kept coming up. Lilith came visiting on her own initiative, which was nice.