The Smith-Indie Family: Week 12

Click here for Week 11 with this household.

Ah, the good old Smiths' house! Who has not played here at some stage during their Sims2-career? Of course the original family members are not around anymore, but the house is not empty, and there is still a Smith living here:

Jill Smith, originally a Garden Club Member, who by coincidence shared both first and surname with Jill Smith, the little girl with the blond pig-tails whose Dad was an Alien, Pollination Technician Smith, who decided to live in New Maximiliania instead of somewhere in outer Space.
This Jill Smith is no blood relation to the original Smiths, but her surname made me have her move in. She is a Romance Sim and busily working on her lifetime want of having 20 lovers. Last time we saw her, she already had acquired 11.

Isabella Indie is the first Jill Smith's step-daughter. She married Mitch Indie, who arrived in our games with the University pack. Mitch was given Isabella as a souvenir after an invitation to a trip into space with the Aliens. Isabella is now 60 and has reached her lifetime want of becoming Professional Party Guest 14 days before Elderhood.

On this Monday morning, Isabella greets paper boy Amin Fleig - another NPC who I am hoping to add to the neighbourhood eventually.

And as if one prospective candidate for a move-in wasn't enough, the repair man who later turns up to look after the stereo and a clogged toilet is Lee Lewis - now you know that in TS4, we have the surname Lewis (as part of the Spencer-Kim-Lewis family), and so Lee is also going to be followed up.

Meanwhile, Jill has been swimming in the pool for a while and is now enjoying the sunny afternoon.

She waits until Darren Lum, her latest conquest, has time to come over - and even before entering the house, he becomes her # 12.

Tuesdays are Gardener days.

Isabella can not call Lee Lewis on the phone the normal way; just like in the previous chapter where Shaun Singles was unable to call Brittany Mace unless he threw a party and put her on the guest list, Lee can only be called as the Repairman. Hopefully, Isabella will soon manage to befriend him.

First, though, she manages to work herself into a heat stroke by using the ergometer on the back porch in the bright summer sun and wearing a way too warm track suit. She passes out right there, and comes to only when it gets cooler after dark.

During the night and early hours of Wednesday morning, Isabella faints repeatedly. Her needs are getting lower and lower.

And finally, Mr. Reaper finds her on the bedroom floor. Isabella was only 62.

Now Jill is all alone in the house. She misses Isabella, but more than anything, her mind is on the eight lovers she needs to find in order to reach her lifetime want.

Money has never been an issue in this household, and Jill does not waste time on a job - or on household chores. A maid is called, and much to Jill's delight, Remington Harris turns up; another potential candidate for her list!

She meets and greets Parker Tse and Jake Holimo, two townies who could also end up on her list - especially Jake (the elderly gentleman), as he turns out to be a 3-bolt-man for Jill.

Before sunrise on Thursday morning, Jill boards a taxi to go food shopping.

After she makes her purchase, she stays long enough on the community lot to greet several other New Maximilianians and grill hot dogs for everyone who is hungry, like herself.

Back home, Dickson Shankel is invited over. Jill wonders: "Is he going to be # 13 on my list?"

He is!

I find Jill fast asleep on Saturday morning, dreaming about herself... and quite a number of male Sims show up in her thought bubbles, too.

This young man, though, is not going to be on her list: Paperboy Amin Fleig is really just a friend. He receives a generous tip from Jill every morning, and will eventually become eligible to move in with his "relatives", Jill and Cole Fleig.

While Jill is busy taking her friendship with the aforementioned Cole Fleig to the next level, Catherine Capp seems to be headed to the Ministry of Silly Walks (Monty Python, anyone?).
I know Sims perform this particular kind of walk when they are about to steal the paper or a garden gnome, or kick over the trash can, but Catherine does not do any such thing - she just walks past.

By Saturday mid-morning, Cole Fleig is ripe - he falls in love with Jill and is added as # 14 on her list.
When she rang him earlier to ask him over, he suggested he bring along a friend, and Jill had nothing against it. No other than Kennedy Smith comes along! There he is, looking at the house of the original Smiths, and pondering how it happened that they never really knew of each other.

Cole is sent home after their relationship has reached red heart status, but Kennedy stays for a round of hot dogs. It might well be one of the last sunny Saturday afternoons this year, warm enough to grill in the back garden.

Jill ends the evening alone, harvesting the hydro plants before she goes to bed.

Jill wakes up with a cold on Sunday morning. Maybe she should have started to wear warmer clothes sooner, or not hang out at the pool well into autumn; anyway, the coughing fits come and go all day.

Repeatedly kicked-over rubbish bins usually result in an infestation of bugs, and since Jill does not need to watch her spending and has no inclination to do the work herself, an Exterminator is called. Maybe Jessie Day is a potential candidate for one of the remaining six empty slots on her list of 20 lovers.

For now, though, she concentrates on Remington Harris, her household help. Generous tips usually speed up the process of forming a friendship.

Remington stays on after work, and Jill makes it a cosy evening for the two of them. Not THAT cosy yet, though - by the time she is too tired to stay up any longer, they are still only at the pink hearts stage.

Some of this week's developments were rather unexpected, such as Isabella's death. Jill is not doing badly; she will most likely make Remington her # 15 and then there are one or two more of her male acquaintances lined up to follow suit.
I still very much like playing in this house and want to keep it even when Jill turns into an elderly lady and would normally move to the Senior Residence.

Lee Lewis is still kept in mind as a Sim eligible to become a New Maximilianian - let's see who will eventually be able to invite him to move in.

The Singles-Beaker Household - Week 9

 Click here for Week 8 with this household.

This snow-covered mansion has seen some drama at the beginning of this round, when I played here for Beta and B'Elanna Beaker, two half-Alien relatives of Loki Beaker: Beta is his daughter, and B'Elanna was her niece, daughter of her late brother Barry. Sadly, B'Elanna died, too. But Beta is not on her own:

She was joined last week by Shaun Singles, son of Nervous (formerly Subject) and Erin Singles.
Shaun is now 55, and Beta will cross the threshold to Elderhood tomorrow. Both are on Permanent Platinum and will receive little direction from me.
They were 3-bolters for a while but are down to 2 bolts, with (currently) no romantic feelings, just a good, close friendship.

Unexpectedly, Shaun is picked up for work on this Monday morning. I check and find out he works as a CEO - when and how did that happen? His lifetime want was to have 20 best friends, and he reached that a long time ago. As soon as he comes home, I will have him call work and quit the job - there is more money in this household than these two will ever be able to spend.

While Shaun is out working, Beta does a few household chores on her own initiative.

Shaun has no less than six 3-bold-ladies in his relationship panel, but I am not sure about any of them being available without checking first. Still, Shaun wants a date, and why not? The Matchmaker is called, and Shaun pays the full 5,000 Simoleons.

And guess what - his blind date turns out to be another 3-bolt-lady for him! Brittany Mace is an NPC (by her green cap I guess she is a dorm cook) and normally would not be eligible to become Shaun's romantic interest. But I am very tempted to make an exception, like I have done a few times in my game before; 3 bolts are irresistible!

The date progresses, and Shaun feels he's been hit by cupid's arrow (or Brittany's pillow) like never before.

The next morning, he can still think of nothing else while serving breakfast.

Much to my dismay, I find that Brittany does not appear in Shaun's relationships - he can not ring her! That is very unfortunate and must be a bug; even though she is an NPC, she should certainly be available on the phone.
While I am still wondering about what to do, the phone rings - and guess what, it's Brittany! Hopefully, they will meet again at some stage, and interactions such as inviting her over will work.

When Beta returns from work on that Tuesday afternoon at 6:00 pm, she instantly turns into an elderly lady. I will have to do something about her outfit, but for now, there are more important things to do.

She greets passers-by Cole Fleig... and is then too exhausted to even talk to him. Instead, she goes to bed right away.

Very early on Wednesday morning, I let her call the Matchmaker. It's only fair to let her find a dateable 3-bolt-man when Shaun has had such success with the Matchmaker's help.
Townie Jihoon Hsu is summoned, and indeed he is a 3-bolter for Beta!

It is still Wednesday when I find out that Shaun can invite Brittany when selecting guests for a party - although she still does not appear in his relationship panel when not present.
He instantly throws a house party, and spends most of it snogging in the bathroom ;-)

Brittany leaves before the party is over, giving Shaun the occasion to at least share a batch of hamburgers with his other guests. However, he can not help tell everyone about Brittany.

Later that evening, Carmelo and Cataldo Capp walk by and are greeted.

How many nights will Shaun still spend alone in his bed, I wonder on Thursday morning.

While he is still asleep, Beta is already up and cleans the kitchen on her own initiative.

I finally take the paintings and photos out of Shaun's inventory and hang them on the walls of his bedroom. There is his mother, Erin Singles, long gone. The photographs show the house where Shaun grew up, his siblings Selma and Stig (the twins died at uni in a fire, if I remember correctly) and Shaun himself when he was younger.

He invites Brittany over by throwing another party, but the two of them are not at all interested in the other party guests, only in each other :-)

Not long after their private little party, Shaun asks Brittany to move in - and she accepts!

Brittany Mace, former Dorm Cook, is a Popularity Sim with the lifetime want of having 20 best pet friends. No Sim has ever managed that in my game, and being elderly means Brittany won't have all that much time - but she will give it an honest try.
First, though, I get rid of her dorm cook outfit.

Remember how I was wondering how many more nights Shaun would have to spend alone? Well, now that Brittany has moved in, he wakes up next to her on Friday morning - a happy man!

Brittany is totally smitten with Shaun, and vice versa.

Today, she meets and greets her first potential pet friend, a wolf named Bailey.

Having allowed Shaun to have his 3-bolt-lady move in, even though she was not a native New Maximilianian, means I can not ignore Beta's 3-bolt-man, either. Jihoon Hsu is invited over in the evening, and has a great date with Beta.

On Saturday morning, Brittany meets her second potential pet friend, a wolf named Charlie.

Whenever Shaun and Brittany happen to come across each other in the house, they swoon - aren't 3-bolt-couples the sweetest thing!

The house mates have not yet been to a community lot this week, and since Brittany wants to go swimming, the 1-2-3 Gym is where the taxi drops them off.

While Brittany is starting her swimming session with an impressive flawless dive...

...Shaun and Beta talk to whoever happens to be around. Typically, everyone gathers around the bar. There are Castanea Landgraab, Heather Huffington, Ginger Newson (front) and several others.

I didn't know NPCs can also fall victim to the Unsavoury Charlatan!

Back home, Jihoon Hsu is invited over once more. After a series of kisses and hugs with Beta, she has to rest, and he takes it upon himself to do a bit of gardening - he's definitely one to keep!

It is Sunday, and Jihoon is here again - and for good this time!

He looks as if he can hardly believe it himself, but it is true; he is now a proper New Maximilianian. The big age gap (he is just at the beginning of adulthood, while Beta is already an elderly lady) does not bother this 3-bolt couple.

Jihoon adds 17,000 Simoleons to the already wealthy household and has a few items in his inventory, such as a vase with flowers and an RC car. He knows few other Sims and has two townie friends. His aspiration is Knowledge, and he wishes to become Chief of Staff. We'll see how it all pans out next time this household will be played.

It was nice that both Shaun and Beta had such successful blind dates - usually, I would have sent the townie and the NPC on their way immediately, but I do not regret the exception.