I'm afraid I have lost count of the weeks I have played this household, since there used to be Rileys and Chos in the house, meaning the lot was played at least twice each round. You can read the previous week here.
It's been so long since I have last played here, I needed to re-read the previous chapter about this household to make sure I have not forgotten anything important about the Sims who live here.
Who are they?
Out of the once very busy household, only two residents remain: Charlie Cho (the son Etsu Cho had with Hal Capp)...
...and Tina Cho, nee Traveller, Charlie's wife. Both are on Permanent Platinum.
Their week begins on Sunday and is off to a firey start when one of them (I think it was Charlie) burns the chili con carne intended for lunch. But there is a fire alarm, and so nobody dies.
In the afternoon, first the Cho brothers Calvin and Shane with Calvin's wife Kana arrive...
...followed closely by the Rileys, Wilma (nee Williamson) and her daughter Mary, Meike and her son Alan. Meike was born and grew up in this house; she is related to Charlie: Her mother was Sally Riley and her father Hal Capp, which makes her Charlie's half-sister. Her grandfather Timothy Riley (Sally's father) was later married to Charlie's mother Etsu - it's complicated!
Never mind. Today is Charlie's birthday, and he turns into a happy looking elderly gentleman.
Everybody joins in the pork chops prepared by Tina, and Meike looks a bit shocked when Shane Cho expresses his admiration for Wilma Riley. After all, he and Meike are Alan's parents!
It looks like the entire Cho-Riley family is prone for complicated relationships.
It is already Monday morning, but still dark outside, by the time the couple finally retreat to bed.
Later, Charlie cleans up dead bugs that the exterminator has left after dealing with the infestation. Because of Tina's lifetime want of having 50 first dates, a few townies hold a grudge against her - she had first dates with them, but always said good-bye immediately, and they are still upset about it and often kick the dustbin over when walking by the lot.
Again, the Rileys and the Chos are invited over. This time it is Tina who stands in front of her birthday cake, ready to blow out the candles.
And here she is as an elderly lady. That outfit can not stay, of course.
Doesn't she look much better now?
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will expect what comes next: Charlie and Tina move to the Senior Residence. They are a bit young at 55 and 54, but hey, that's the game for you - it considers anysim past 53 a Senior!
There are five human residents already here: Guy (formerly Whrightley) and Zoe Zimmerman, Francis J. Worthington, Benvenuto Broke (one of Brandi Broke's children)...
...and his wife Pauline, nee Aspir. Here Pauline is talking to Kennedy Smith, a tourist someone has met during a holiday. I have been trying to move Kennedy to New Max for a while, but so far have not been successful.
Here is everyone's age: Zoe is 73, Francis 71, Guy 66, Benvenuto 62 and Pauline 60.
Oh, and there is one non-human resident, the cat Kim.
On this Tuesday, Kim turns into an elderly cat.
Pauline manages to make Kennedy Smith move in before the day is over.
He turns out to be a Knowledge Sim who wishes to max out all skills: So far, he has not a very impressive skill profile, so there is quite a lot of work ahead for him. He adds 11,000 Simoleons to the joint bank account, but of course I put things in his inventory of that worth - the residents here certainly do not need any more money.
He moves out that same evening, as he is far too young to stay at the Senior Residence. I hope to have him join his "relatives", Johnny and Jill Smith, at the original Smiths' house.
I knew Zoe's lifetime bar was almost full, and expected her to go peacefully at her Grimmy Party in a day or two. But I never saw it happen - just heard her shriek - when lightning struck her very early on Wednesday morning.
She had already been going hungry for way too long, being more interested in playing poker than getting herself something out of the well-stocked fridge. She was also very tired, bed not being as attractive to her as the poker table.
Therefore, the lightning stroke killed her, when any other Sim would have just gone to have a shower, a pee and something to eat and be right as rain again.
Sorry, Zoe, but you largely brought this upon yourself.
Zoe was 74.
By daylight, Francis starts cleaning up a little around the lot on his own accord. He picks up the rubbish, recycles old newspapers and even sprays the bugs that have started to infest the place, and gets rid of them after they are dealt with.
Tina rests on the settee in the common room, still in her PJs, like everybody else here today after the morning's tragedy. She muses: "We've only been here a day - already one of us died, and now my husband is coughing like mad. What are we going to do?"
Then she has an idea, and a trip to Takemizu Village is booked for the residents, three days away starting tomorrow. That should do them all good.
The day ends with Francis returning from work with Stephen Riley in tow.
A Nanny is called to look after Kim, the cat, while they are away. She can be seen tidying up as soon as she arrives, while our group of holiday makers are on their way to the airport shuttle with their suitcases.
They arrive at the second-most expensive hotel of Takemizu Village a few hours later. I have deliberately chosen this one, as I have been playing at the most expensive one nearly every time I have sent a Sim on a holiday, and wanted a change.
They wait in the hotel loungy while everyone's details are entered in the hotel register.
A first walk takes them to the Hot Springs spa, where Tina has a massage.
Some of the others engage in dancing with a mixed group of locals and other tourists, while others still have something to eat at the counter.
Unfortunately, everyone who is not part of my group of Sims has pure townie surnames, nobody eligible to become a New Maximilianian crops up.
Back at the hotel, it starts to rain. Francis has been outside when lightning struck - again! Thankfully, he does not die from the effects like Zoe did; he goes to have a shower and then to bed.
Tina and Charlie have Hamburgers for breakfast, delivered by room service. The hotel does not have a common dining room or restaurant, and so all meals here have to be taken in the bedrooms.
After breakfast, a taxi drops the group off at the Pagoda and market.
As soon as they arrive, Tina begins raking the Zen garden on her own initiative, while Pauline has a very brief encounter with a Ninja - as soon as she recovers from the shock of having him turn up behind her out of the blue, she wants to ask him to learn teleporting, but he disappears just as quickly as he appeared.
Tina samples a local specialty while most of the others gather in the shop, buing souvenirs and jewellery.
The next day is the last day of their time here. The friends visit the Lucky Shrine Park.
There is the Ninja again! Will one of the group manage to talk to him this time?
Yes indeed! Charlie not only talks to the Ninja, but also answers the riddle question correctly and is promptly taught how to teleport. I believe he is only the second Sim to learn that in all of New Maximiliania; I think Castor Nova was the first, and he is long gone.
It is early afternoon when the shuttle takes them back to the Senior Residence. Dear Kim has faithfully been on the lookout for "her" humans.
Benvenuto's older brother Beau Broke comes visiting on his own accord. "You have to tell me all about your trip," he smiles.
To celebrate his brother's visit, Benvenuto attempts to make turkey - and burns it. Never mind, the others are polite (and hungry!) enough to still eat it.
This was a moderately interesting week to play. I was of course hoping for the group to meet a Sim with a playable surname, now that Kennedy Smith (who originally was an NPC tourist) has moved to New Maximiliania permanently, but there were only the ones I remembered from previous visits.
Still, it was nice to play in different surroundings for a change.
