Family names and related posts

Wednesday, 10 June 2020

The Ottomas Brothers' Senior Year

For the previous year at this dorm, click here.

We're back on Campus at the smallest of all Maxis-made dorms, Pinenut Plaza, with just five rooms. And: We have a newcomer!

It is not other than Ratna Walter, the teenage townie we only just met as a visitor at the Senior Residence, and who has become eligible to be a fully fledged New Maximilianian because I know a Mrs Walter in real life.
Ratna is a Pleasure Sim with the aspiration of having 50 dream dates. Hard work, but not impossible.

The other students living here at the moment are Stephanie Stacks, a Junior studying Biology, and the reason we are here: twin brothers Odell...

...and Orlando Ottomas, both in their Senior Year.
There was a bit of love trouble here recently: Stephanie fell in love with Orlando, in spite of him being engaged to Giselle Goth (who moved back to New Max after graduation), and now feels cheated. Is she going to find another love interest, and get over her feelings for Orlando?

Before that question can be answered, Stephanie has more important things to do: Writing her term paper.

The next day, Ratna declares his major in Psychology.

Then, he asks the Matchmaker for help with starting on his lifetime want. The first blind date she arranges for him is with Dagmar Bertino - a familiar figure, delivering mail in all of New Max. Their date turns out to be alright, but not a dream date, and as there are only two bolts between them, Ratna probably won't see her again.

The older three students all finish the semester with best results.
For Ratna, a few more hours are left until his first exam.

He fulfills one of his wishes by asking a Sim for a date; this elderly townie lady is already a friend, and so does not say no when he suggests a date. A dream date does not come about, though.

Meanwhile, Odell and Orlando work on their skills before sitting down to write their term papers. It is charisma for Odell...

...and cooking for Orlando. There are some truly amazing recipes in this book, by the looks of it!

Stephanie works out a little bit... not too much, just so she does not get rusty.

Ratna has finished his first semester successfully. If only he were as successful with his dates!

Odell has just finished his very last term paper ever!

And Ratna once more enlists the Matchmaker's help to find a date. Strangely enough, so far the Matchmaker has not summoned a 3-bolt-lady in spite of Ratna forking out the full 5,000 Simoleons every time (the household can easily afford it).

She might be a good dancer, but the date with this townie lady (Linda something-or-other) ends at "good" before Ratna has a chance to turn it into a dream date.

The Ottomas twins reassure each other that they will graduate top of the Dean's List.

A letter from home! Stephanie misses her family.

Ratna makes a fourth attempt at a Dream Date, this time with townie Calista Fuchs.

And he is finally successful - one down, 49 to go!

The brothers have just come back from their final exams. Both have graduated Summa Cum Laude and are visibly proud of their achievement.

Stephanie is now a Senior Student. The seriousness of it hits her - just one more year, and she will graduate, really grow up and move back to New Max.

Odell and Orlando throw a graduation party.

Their mother, Sharla Ottomas, is of course at the top of the guest list. Other guests include Stacy Stacks (Stephanie's big sis), some members of the Capp family...

...Odell's 3-bolt-lady Lisa Gieke and Orlando's fiancée Giselle Goth.
And who is that in the back, wearing a graduation gown?
NPC student Candice Walter - a distant relative of Ratna Walter. She is friends with Orlando and is glad about the chance to meet Ratna.

The party is a success :-)

Bye-bye for now, Orlando and Odell!

There are only two playable students left here, Ratna and Stephanie. Who is going to move into the rooms vacated by the Ottomas twins? How is Stephanie going to fare during her last year at uni? Is Ratna going to have more dream dates with Calista, or will he meet a 3-bolt-woman eventually?

Thursday, 4 June 2020

Ophelia Nigmos: Week 10


The somewhat dark and mysterious looking house that used to belong to Olive Spectre is probably a place every TS2 player knows. In my game, after Olive's death, it passed to her niece, Ophelia Nigmos.

Ophelia still lives here. She is now 73 and has been on Permanent Platinum ever since she managed to have her 50th first date, ten days before reaching elderhood. You can (re-)read her Week 9 by clicking on the label "Nigmos" and scrolling down to the previous post.

Although she lives without human company, she is not alone: Her cat Balin, now 31, is still with her.

Already last round I thought about having Ophelia move to the Senior Residence. As a Family Sim, she just isn't the type to stay on her own forever, is she.
It is Thursday when she arrives at the Resdience.


For the previous week at the Senior Residence, click here.

The others here are Guy Zimmerman (formerly Wrightley), the oldest at 75; the married Benvenuto and Pauline Broke (she is of course no other than Pauline Aspir, a toddler when she and her family came into our games), who are 71 and 69...

...Heather Huffington, who has never lost her prettiness (she is 60 now) and Charlie Cho (64, son of Etsu Cho and Hal Capp)...

...with his wife Tina, nee Traveller (daughter of Trisha and Trent Traveller).
Everyone here is on Permanent Platinum, so there will be little controlling from my part.

One of the first things Ophelia does after moving in is having a musical session at Heather's synthesizer, put in one of the common rooms for everyone to enjoy.

Pauline takes it upon herself to do some cleaning.

In the afternoon, Gabriella Newson walks by.

Ophelia can't believe the sorry state of the garden and starts clipping the box hedge on her own accord.

Gabriella joins in the gardening without anyone having to ask her. How kind of her!

The cow plant in action... but it is not Gabriella who gets eaten. Instead, a townie named Katherine Bar (not pictured) ends up inside the plant.

The townie is not the only case of death today: In the evening, Guy Zimmerman is invited by Mr. Reaper to join his wife Zoe on the big community lot in the sky. He was 76.

By the way, I have had Ophelia milk the cow plant; she is now back to 69.

On Friday morning, Ophelia collects all the dirty dishes dotted around the dining hall.

Later, Tina Cho (left) invites Johnson Fleig over. He is currently Head of the Aspirational Laboratories and has handed a membership card to many a Sim in New Max.
But now, he happily agrees to become a permanent resident of the town. He moves in (and out again instantly). But why? Fleig is not a playable surname, is it? You're right. But some time ago, I decided to add Sims who have the same surname like people I know in real life, and I have a Fleig family as my neighbours.
It will be interesting to have a Sim visit the Asp Labs and see who works there now!

Ophelia does some more gardening - a never-ending story here at the Senior Residence.

Charlie makes Pork Chops for everyone.

And we have another death by cowplant: Townie Tosha Zarubin.

Look who's doing the milking this time: It is Jill Fleig, a "relative" of Johnson Fleig's! The former townie lady has just accepted the invitation to become a proper New Maximilianian, too. And since she is technically on her first day of adulthood, drinking the milk does not alter her lifetime bar, as it would if I had one of the elderly residents drink it.
Like Johnson, she moves out immediately.

By Sunday morning, Balin's social life is slowly but surely moving to the lower half of the needs bar. Against my usual "no controlling" policy, I have Tina play with the cat and show him love until his social need is all green again. Much as our Sims usually love their cats and dogs, in this household, more often than not the appeal of the poker table beats everything else.

It is also the day when I send the whole group to a community lot. Since they lost one of theirs a couple of days ago, visiting the cemetery at Gamesend Grounds seems the logical choice.
They meet a few other New Maximilianians there but no newly generated townies.

That can be changed, I think, and have townie Christa Hsu freely roaming the Senior Residence - with the desired result: she ends up inside the cowplant.

Sunday seems to be the day for the married couples to spend time together. First thing in the morning, I find Charlie and Tina playing a cosy round of poker together, and a little later, Pauline and Benvenuto share a tender moment in their rooms.

Some of the residents do useful things on their own accord today, too: Ophelia cleans the toilet in her apartment, and Charlie makes stuffed rainbow trout for everyone.
Kennedy Smith comes visiting, but that's about it for anything happening.

Balin is dreaming of goldfish on Monday morning.

Tina does a spot of gardening. Will the residents here ever get on top it?

It is Tuesday, and more gardening is in order.
When the place looks like this, I am rather tempted to direct one or two of the residents to take care of the weeds and overgrown hedges, but I stubbonrly lean back and wait until they remember it themselves.

Ratna Walter has been discovered in the phone book and befriended. He is eligible to become a true New Maximilian, because I know a Mrs Walter in real life. Ratna is a teenager, though, and won't be able to be moved in the normal way eventually - I'll either have to use the tombstone of L & D or send him to college.

Christopher Capp jogs by and is invited in.

Almost unnoticed by me, Balin the cat dies peacefully of old age. Sorry for the less than good picture with walls down and a painting covering part of Heather, but that's where it happened.

And more gardening before the day is over!

Wednesday is Day 7 of Ophelia's week, and the final day here for now. It has been snowing a lot over night, and Pauline happily builds a snowman.

Later, Heather greets Perseida Powers and a townie by the name of Cooper Seifert. As I know a Mr Seifert in real life, he, too, may eventually become a proper resident of my neighbourhood.

Ophelia's week ends playing poker with co-resident Heather and their guests, suggesting to fry some eggs for a quick dinner.

I am now determined to use the residents here mostly for befriending townies and NPCs that are eligible to become New Maximilianians. Since they are all on Permanent Platinum, there is not much else for them to do.