The Smith Family - Week 14

Kennedy's first week in New Max is here.

This is our second week in a row spent at the Smiths' house.

This time, we are here for Kennedy Smith, the former tourist who moved to New Maximiliania when he found out he had distant relatives there. Kennedy is a Knowledge Sim who dreams of maxing out all skills. He has a lot to do before that will happen, but he is much younger than he looks and so it is a realistic goal.

His three-bolt woman and current owner of the house is Jill Smith, a former garden club member who also decided to move to New Max when she learned of her relatives here.
She is the second Jill Smith - the first one was, of course, the original Smith family's daughter, pictured here next to the portrait of her mother, Jenny Smith.
Our Jill has reached Permanent Platinum at the end of last week when she found her 20th lover. She is now 58.

With his lifetime want in mind, I make Kennedy do anything that increases his skills, and so no repair service is called when the computer breaks on this Monday morning.

Because we have only just spent a full week here, I decide to send the Smiths on holiday.

They arrive at The Flaming Dragon in Takemizu a few hours later.

Kennedy's wishes are fulfilled if possible, and going on a tour is easy enough. He even returns with a Charisma point after I take the right decision with a chance card!

He now wants to groom a Zen garden, and therefore a community lot visit is in order before the Smiths retreat to their room for the night.

They both awake on Tuesday morning fully refreshed after a good night's sleep in their comfortable suite.

Another community lot is visited today, The Lucky Shrine Park.

It is indeed a lucky place for Kennedy - he meets the Ninja and is granted the knowledge of teleporting after correctly answering the Ninja's riddle! Not many Sims in my game have had that privilege.

It is my habit to check on Sims' names on community lots, just in case I should find another Sim with a playable surname, and so I come across this funny phenomenon: Two identical looking visitors are browsing the clothes racks in the small shop at Lucky Shrine Park, and they are both called Heidi Fuchs!

Back at the hotel, Kennedy orders room service, and after the sumptuous meal and a hot shower, drops into bed exhausted from the day's exploring.

On Wednesday, Kennedy makes use of the tattered old map he has found and visits the Pagoda in the Shadows.

He first grooms the Zen garden for a while...

...and then steps up into the pagoda to greet the Wise Old Man.

They have tea together, and the old man is friendly enough, but nothing else happens. I seem to remember that the old man would tell a story, but I can not remember what triggers this; none of the interactions available to Kennedy show this option. Does anyone know?

Anyway, it was a pleasant visit, but Kennedy heads to the Pagoda & Market next. He buys souvenirs and has a meal before returning to the hotel.

It is their last evening here, and the Smiths spend it cuddling in front of the telly.

The next morning, there is enough time for one last leisurely breakfast brought by room service before the shuttle takes them to the airport.

Their shuttle pulls up in front of the house just as Remington Harris sneaks up to the bin to throw it over. He has never gotten over Jill's many love affairs when he mistakenly thought he was the only one. Since Kennedy moved in, Remington has been dismissed from his job as household help, but that does not stop him from walking by the house nearly every day. I actually do feel sorry for him.

After they have unpacked, Jill prepares hamburgers on her own initiative. Kennedy spends some time skilling; it is, after all, his lifetime want, and the post-vacation benefits help.

Annoyingly (but not surprisingly), the game is back to Tuesday after the Smiths' trip to Takemizu, although it is already their fifth day and should by rights be Friday. No matter!
Kennedy spends nearly all day skilling, starting with charisma and then moving on to cooking, cleaning, creativity and finally gaining another logic point from stargazing.

Jill patiently waits for Kennedy to wake up on Wednesday morning. He has of course been stargazing to build up his logic skills for more than half the night and deserves a lie in.
But Jill is a bit at a loose end now, since once again Kennedy spends the day skilling and more skilling, with only one romantic kiss, one joke and one round of red hands between them.

When once again Kennedy spends most of the night at the telescope and is still at it in the early hours of Thursday morning, Jill wonders whether she should not have stuck with one of her other 19 lovers.

But Kennedy is oblivious to Jill's feelings of being neglected, and when he is not skilling, he looks after the other things that need doing, such as taking out the rubbish and paying the Thursday bills.

It is the last day of spring and warm enough for a dip in the pool, where finally the two of them spend time together again. For Kennedy, this is the idea way to build his body skill, have fun AND socialise with Jill.

Because of the time shift after their trip to Takemizu, the Smiths' week ends here. Out of the 70 skill points he needs for his lifetime want, Kennedy has now a total of 43 - still plenty to do for him next time I play this household.

The Smith Family - Week 13

Week 12 at this house is here, if you are interested.

One of the best known houses in all of New Maximiliania is this one, the house Maxis originally built for the Smith family. Pollination Technician (or Polly, as he was known to his friends) and his family are long gone, but the house is not quite empty.

Jill Smith lives here. She was, if I remember correctly, a member of the gardening club before she discovered that she is related to the Smiths, and moved in with them.
With her lifetime want of 20 lovers, she has already achieved a lot: Last time I played here, her list of names was at #14.
When she gets up on this Monday morning, she wonders what the week will bring.

Today seems to be Service Day, as not only the gardener and the household help arrive for their usual appointment, but the repair service truck pulls up, too.
       

Remington Harris, Jill's household help for years, finally becomes her 15th lover.

Shortly after he has left, Jill crosses the threshold to the read hearts stage with Amin Fleig, her #16. That's four to go!

Of course, with a lifetime want like that, it can hardly be avoided that some Sim or other is constantly mad at Jill. Her dustbin is nearly always thrown over again as soon as she (or Remington) have picked it up.

Kennedy Smith is the only other Sim by this surname living in New Max at the moment. It turns out that the two of them have hardly known each other, but show three bolts! Of course, I shall work at making Kennedy move in before the week is over. Tonight, they celebrate their budding friendship with glasses of champagne to their hot dogs.

Tuesday does not see any new additions on Jill's list of lovers, but she talks to some of her friends on the phone to strengthen existing friendship and invites one or two others to work on bringing their friendships closer to love.
With the frequent overthrowing of the dustbin, it is hardly surprising that Jill has an infestation of bugs in her front garden. Nigel Newson happens to pass by and is greeted. He makes himself useful by spraying the bugs on his own accord.

By the way, here are portraits of the long gone Jenny Smith (Polly's wife) and their daughter, also named Jill.

Autumn has quietly slipped into winter during the night, and on this Wednesday morning, Jill lights the fire in the den for the first time this season.

Later, she invites Nery Turner over. He hopes she'll stop coughing so that he can kiss her. Shortly afterwards, they do much more than kiss, and Nery becomes Jill's lover #17.

That same night, she turns into an elder - still attractive, as Kennedy proves when he is invited over for the evening (Nery has of course been sent home).

I find Jill thinking of Kennedy early on Thursday morning. It is actually a bit too cold to sit out on the porch, and in spite of wearing her padded winter coat and warm boots, Jill does indeed catch a cold.

Nevertheless, she manages to bring her friendship with Kennedy to best friends level during the day, and after he has gone home, she relaxes with a hot bubble bath.

Although last night's bubble bath did her good, Jill's cold is not over yet on Friday morning. Instead of sitting on the porch, today she wisely chooses the warmth of the fire in the den.

Later that day, townie Parker Tse becomes the 18th name on her list of lovers.

By the time Jill finally is in love with Kennedy (and vice versa), it is already Saturday. Unfortunately, he is only her # 19 - one more lover is needed to make Jill's lifetime want come true.

I thought that person would be Callum Capp, but a check of Jill's list reveals that he was actually her 6th lover, so the rekindling of this old flame does not count towards the lifetime want. It still fulfills a major daily wish for Jill, though, in spite of them unfortunately being surprised by Remington Harris, who feels majorly cheated and storms off in a huff.

Isaiah Capp is already a friend of Jill's and has not yet appeared on her list. She invites him over for cake this afternoon, and when he asks to bring along a friend (Alan Riley), she agrees - there won't be anything happening between these two just yet anyway.
Hopefully, by tomorrow, she will have fulfilled her goal AND make Kennedy move in.

And guess what, she does just that!
First, when she kindly asks Isaiah Capp if he would become her lover # 20 and thus help her to achieve her lifetime want, he agrees. Moments after this picture was taken, Jill is on Permanent Platinum at the age of 57. Phew!

Second, after she has sent Isaiah home, Kennedy is invited over - for good. He accepts, and we have now one household of Smiths again.

This was a good week for my Sims, and we are going to stay on for another week now that Kennedy lives here, too.

The Singles-Beaker Household - Week 11

Very early on this round, I have already played at this house; back then, it was for Beta Beaker. Now we are back because of Shaun Singles. The post about that week can be found here.

Who lives here?

• Shaun Singles, son of the late Nervous Subject and Erin Singles; he is 69 years old and on Permanent Platinum
• Beta Beaker, daughter of the late Loki Beaker; she is 66 and also on PP
• her 3-bolt-man Jihoon Hsu, an ex-townie introduced to her by the Matchmaker. Jihoon is much younger and aspiring to become Chief of Staff but has not yet found a job in the medical career. He and Beta married last time I played here.
• Brittany Mace, ex-dorm cook and Shaun's 3-bolt-lady, also introduced by the Matchmaker. Brittany is 64 and is unlikely to fulfill her dream of having 20 best pet friends.
• Jonathan Turner, ex-tourist who moved in last week to be nearer his relatives, the many other Turners already living in New Max. He wants nothing more than marry off six children and is looking for a prospective mother for his offspring.
  

On this Monday morning, Shaun and Brittany are fast asleep when I enter the lot.

Before dawn, Jonathan enlists the help of the Matchmaker - after all, she has introduced two of the housemates here to their 3-bolt-partners. And guess what, it works again! This time, Fenya Hart is summoned, and there are indeed 3 bolts between her and Jonathan.
During their date, I can see her wishes; one is to get married to Darren Lum, a "Mr. Big" who does not live in New Max. Residents have precedence, and so I am going to let her pursue her relationship with Jonathan.

The garden looks a little worse for wear on this sunny morning, as it often happens in autumn. But it was Brittany's wish to grow vegetables, and so I send her out after breakfast to look after her tomatoes and rake the leaves.

Meanwhile, Shaun takes it upon himself to make stuffed rainbow trout for everyone.

It is already dark by the time the first stray pet appears on the lot. Brittany greets Balin, the cat, and befriends him before she is too tired to do anything else but go to bed.

On Tuesday morning, I find Shaun and Beta in the computer room (which has become Jonathan Turner's bedroom) talking about human space travel. It is certainly an interesting topic for Beta, since she is half-Alien.

Later, Brittany makes her Bronze Gardening badge while weeding her tomato plants.

It was bound to happen, wasn't it? I made Jihoon rake all the leaves and then sent Brittany to burn the piles. The first three were no problem, but with the fourth pile, the tent catches fire.

Along with the tent, Jihoon is reduced to ashes, with Brittany helplessly watching on.

The large tree catches fire, too, and that...

...finally makes the others aware of the catastrophe. But of course, instead of calling the firefighters or starting to extinguish the flames, they all break out in hysterics.

Grimmy is working overtime! Shaun is the last man standing (or, rather, jumping around and shouting hystercially), and for a minute, it looks as if he will be the only survivor as the fire gradually dies out.
But he, too, succumbs to the flames eventually, and all that is left of this nice and friendly household are ashes and tombstones.

I did neither plan nor (really) expect this, but you know what I am like - most of the time, when something like this happens in my game, I let events unfold without interfering. Five playables are gone, and their dreams and hopes with them.

The lot stands empty.
Will another family move here? I don't know yet, but what I do know is that this is the end of the name Singles in my game.