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Inventor
Original Poster
#1 Old 22nd Apr 2017 at 6:07 AM
Default A Tenative New Hood
Since I have (reluctantly) accepted that I can't use my favorite map to build the main hood for a megahood, I'm hoping to start up a new one using a smaller amount of roads. I'm still getting the feel of this new layout and trying to decide what really should go where. For the moment, I've placed down lots in a basic arrangement that I think might do. Things might change depending on whether certain lots work out as I'd like or if I need to shift stuff around as I work to improve the overall look. Not a lot of hood deco at the moment, as I don't want to fuss with too much of it until I'm certain I won't be moving lots around. I took some pictures, though sorry about the UI. I forgot to turn it off

This is the new hood: Convergence. The plan is to gradually add subhoods of the Maxis hoods. And maybe throw in a few custom subhoods, if I get a wild hair to do so . The map is the Simtopia Lake District by StephSim . (My favorite map is the Simtopia Municipal District, but my computer doesn't like it nearly as much because I can't help stuffing it full of lots.)


More pictures and descriptions behind the spoiler.

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Instructor
#3 Old 22nd Apr 2017 at 7:57 PM
Beautiful hood, I love the layout and the buildings ! I can't wait to see more! It's very inriguing and well organized. Did you build everything?

What's going on in your game group here: http://www.modthesims.info/forumdis...546&groupid=906
Check it out ;)
Inventor
Original Poster
#4 Old 22nd Apr 2017 at 10:13 PM
Thanks, sorry, I thought it was ok to post about our hoods even if we were still just developing them. No, all the building are ones I downloaded from here on MTS.
Instructor
#5 Old 22nd Apr 2017 at 10:26 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Devon Aster
Thanks, sorry, I thought it was ok to post about our hoods even if we were still just developing them.


Are any hoods ever not being developed (given that this game is an open-ended life simulation)?

Quote:
where you can post as many threads as you want focusing on YOUR gameplay

from post #1 Welcome thread

I interpret that as "if you want to type it, type it, but don't be too upset if others don't read it"

Looking forward to seeing the hoards that are going to live in your hood

W

Just call me William, definitely not Who-Ward
Inventor
Original Poster
#6 Old 22nd Apr 2017 at 10:54 PM
I'm not upset if others don't read it o.o? I apologized to Emperor Crat because I got the impression from PlatinumPlumbbob's post that I should have waited until I had sims moved in. I'm terribly slow at working on my hoods and I got a bit overexcited after I had finished the basic arrangement of the lots. Hopefully I'll be able to get more decorating done relatively soon. Then I can go about trying to recreate some of my sims that I'd like to populate with. My computer doesn't like Body Shop, so I have to do them the hard way!
Field Researcher
#7 Old 22nd Apr 2017 at 11:16 PM
I can't see, how lack of sims could interfere with enjoying the aesthetics of beautiful hood. And with this hood there's much to enjoy. Post more, ok?
Scholar
#8 Old 23rd Apr 2017 at 7:27 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Devon Aster
I'm not upset if others don't read it o.o? I apologized to Emperor Crat because I got the impression from PlatinumPlumbbob's post that I should have waited until I had sims moved in. I'm terribly slow at working on my hoods and I got a bit overexcited after I had finished the basic arrangement of the lots. Hopefully I'll be able to get more decorating done relatively soon. Then I can go about trying to recreate some of my sims that I'd like to populate with. My computer doesn't like Body Shop, so I have to do them the hard way!

I don't see why you should have waited...
I mean, that's what's going on in your game, isn't it? Building, planning, sometimes townie creation, that's all part of the game. At least for me. And since these "social groups" are supposed to be more relaxed (or so I understand) it seems that chatting about your beautiful hood plan is fine.
Because it's really beautiful and well planned, I envy you for being able to create such a lovely hood. (I often rush too much in this stage, because I want to start moving Sims in, and my hoods are rather ugly.)

I don't think PlatinumPlumbbob implied that anyway, I read it more like a request to show your Sims if any - and I hope you do when you create them!

And the not-being-upset part... I'm even surprised that someone reads my boring crap
Forum Resident
#10 Old 23rd Apr 2017 at 2:10 PM
Aw nice
I zoomed in in hope to find one of my houses xD I always have wanted to know what people think and if they actuallyusethem

I build small houses *^*
Link Ninja
#11 Old 23rd Apr 2017 at 5:34 PM
that is some impressive hood layout!

Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.

Instructor
#12 Old 23rd Apr 2017 at 8:08 PM
That hood is absolutely stunning!

Formally known as TotallySimsCrazy. Still addicted to custom content.
Simblr
Lab Assistant
#13 Old 24th Apr 2017 at 7:07 AM
Wow!! Very impressed.
Scholar
#14 Old 24th Apr 2017 at 1:05 PM
Quote: Originally posted by OnayaW
Aw nice
I zoomed in in hope to find one of my houses xD I always have wanted to know what people think and if they actuallyusethem

I also think I've seen one of mine, actually my first upload here, Cheapdale Place. Makes me feel a bit proud of myself :D
Forum Resident
#15 Old 24th Apr 2017 at 2:00 PM
@Amura I haven't even heard of people like my houses and use them and I'm curious what types of sims they move in there

I build small houses *^*
Inventor
Original Poster
#16 Old 24th Apr 2017 at 7:12 PM
Thanks everyone for the nice comments =)

@PlatinumPlumbbob , the uniformity actually disappoints me a little bit, but the map isn't quite big enough to do all I want with it. My industrial and brick lots will have to go elsewhere.

@OnayaW , the lots I have were downloaded a while ago, so I don't believe I have any of yours yet. I see you have some CC free houses. I might have to add a couple to my catalogue!

@Amura , oh! Yes, Cheapdale Place ends in up in most of my hoods! I originally downloaded it with the intention of using it in Uni subhoods, but then I removed the mod that allowed apartments for that. So it ends up as one of the places my poor graduates can move into if they leave Uni without much cash. Of course, they still have to struggle a bit since I have your bill mods in place XD . I also use your Flowery Fields a lot for my cemeteries. In fact, the large one is just in the upper right corner of the Across The Lake area. I could've sworn I had more of your lots, but it seems I had noted them but not downloaded them. My lot catalogue is not going to thank me!
Forum Resident
#17 Old 25th Apr 2017 at 12:01 AM
All houses besides my oldest is CC free

I build small houses *^*
Scholar
#18 Old 25th Apr 2017 at 6:34 PM
It's true, I see the Flowery Fields cemetery in one of the pics :D

I also use Cheapdale Place for the very same purpose, cause the no20khandout forces some very poor graduates. (I can't live anymore without that mod!)
I want to build something even cheaper, some sort of boarding house with a modern cheap look (Ikea does great in those cases) but I still have not found the inspiration for the exterior look.

@OnayaW:
You did not get any comment?
Oh, that's a pity. People download but they don't even thank and hardly ever comment, so it's hard to get any feedback v_v
Inventor
Original Poster
#19 Old 21st Jun 2017 at 5:25 PM
So I took a long break from doing anything further with the hood. Finally got back into it the other day, though now I find myself rather enamored of the Riverside map. Whoops. I'll probably end up using it for a custom subhood. For now, I've attached all the subhood versions of the game neighborhoods, as well as Downtown. I've decided that I'm going to play out the bin families (and perhaps some of the premades) before putting in any of my own sims. Firstly, to whittle the number of playables and cycle out some of the old characters. Secondly, to give the 'hood more of a history. This will allow me to continue to play while I poke around with any CC mods or items I have yet to install.

Since I finished up the attachment of the subhoods late in the evening, I only got around to placing and playing two bin families: the Burbs and the Oldies. They each got moved into Pleasantview and got one day to settle in after I upgraded them with the batbox. I about shot myself in the foot as I had installed an empty fridge mod and forgot to send them out promptly to buy groceries .

For the Burbs:
They moved into a nice, two-story house which got a minor remodel to fix a couple of issues. With a little more remodeling, it could accommodate a new addition to the family, something which John is already hoping for. The family took some time to interact with each other, filling some wants and Jennifer picking up a job as a file clerk, before they had to head out for groceries. Unfortunately, a mistake was made in choosing the community lot (i.e. I have hardly played Pleasantview, so I didn't realize the lot was more of a community center than stores). The family made do, with John grilling up some hot dogs while Jennifer and Lucy briefly chatted up other visitors. They ate and spent the rest of the time enjoying themselves. Jennifer played some chess with Mary-Sue Pleasant while Lucy joined Xander Roth in darts (and I realize belatedly that All Walkbys does not play well with Local Walkbys). John, meanwhile, decided to be lazy and kept sunning himself in the lounge chairs by the pool. Before they headed home, however, John managed to find one lone cooler tucked away in a corner. It wasn't much, but it was enough to stock their fridge with frozen pizza, ice cream, milk, and juice. And he was lucky, as that cooler will be replaced soon with vending machines. Jennifer probably won't be terribly impressed, though! Once they got home, they welcomed in a few neighbors and John made up some lunchmeat sandwiches. (I'm absolutely blanking on who was in the welcome wagon...) Daniel Pleasant called to invite Jennifer Downtown but the family was too tired to go out. They said goodbye to their guests, washed up, and headed off to bed.

For the Oldies:
The elder couple moved into the single story house close to the Burbs. Very little remodeling needed to be done on the house but with their furniture purchases they actually ended up with less leftover money than their neighbors. After some interacting with each other, they went inside to study up a couple of skills they wanted. I gave Coral the secondary aspiration of Knowledge and Herb the secondary of Family. They spent enough time on that, that the welcome wagon showed up before they got out to stock the fridge. Coral ended up ordering a pizza to feed all the grumbling stomachs! I know Mortimer Goth was one of the visitors, as I nearly took control of him to send him out to the lady in the red dress. Alas, it was the imposter and not his missing wife, so I let him remain indoors with the others. I believe Darren Dreamer was one of the others. None of the Burbs showed up, as I recall. Some random townie got pulled in when Herb greeted everyone. There was another man present whom I can't remember (it was after midnight and I was very tired). Coral got a call from Mary-Sue Pleasant to go Downtown. As they had not been out yet to shop, she accepted. Herb said goodbye to the guests and they headed off. They decided to meet up at Red's Famous 50's diner. After a brief mix-up where Herb wasn't actually part of the group, they ate dinner and then hung around talking or playing pool. Cassandra Goth was in the group and I think maybe Daniel Pleasant? There was someone else, but I can't remember who. The Oldies didn't stay long, as they were getting quite tired and still needed to pick up groceries. Off they went to Fresh Rush Groceries, where Coral went in to do a quick shop and Herb shambled off to sleep on a bench. I nearly didn't get him home! It started to hail badly and he kept getting caught in it when the tried to get to the taxi. I was afraid he might actually get hailed to death. Eventually, he made it into the taxi and they returned home. Herb's troubles didn't end with the hail. He managed to get himself to the bedroom, undressed, meandered over to the other side of the bed and passed out on the floor. Coral actually managed to get into the bed after giving the passed out Herb the briefest of glances. In her defense, they were both exhausted and he wasn't going to die from sleeping on the floor (plus, I had directed her to go to sleep, so she couldn't have stopped to worry over him). I decided to be merciful and woke Herb up to send him to bed properly. Poor guy's probably gonna have a hell of a headache when he wakes up!
Inventor
Original Poster
#20 Old 22nd Jun 2017 at 7:08 AM
Decided to play a bit more in the Pleasantville subhood tonight.

Broke:
The Brokes had a quite a busy first day. Brandi didn't get a full upgrade to Uni-level, so she had to make do with her 4 want slots. But three of the four were focused on teaching Beau his skills. They got a little interaction in before Dustin had to head off for school. While he was gone, Brandi finished teaching Beau to walk and fed him. The mood boost did her good, though she still had it rough with the early stage of her pregnancy. After letting Beau play a bit, she put him to bed for a nap. The welcome wagon showed up just then. She invited them in, causing me a small panic as she double-bolted Darren Dreamer. I'm still of a mind to get him and Cassandra Goth together. However, she was too distracted to do more than fan herself once. The other visitors were John Burb and Michelle Tse. They ate pizza and talked until Dustin came home. He joined in, though the gathering didn't last much longer. Brandi got her first pop, but was in desperate need of the bathroom and bed. So she said goodbye to the neighbors to take care of herself. In the meantime, Dustin rescued Beau from the confines of the crib. Dustin had come with a want to teach Beau to talk and fairly deep red aspiration. He set about taking care of both, managing to complete the task before either one of them got too grumpy. Brandi dragged herself out of bed long enough to join Dustin in scarfing down leftover pizza and watching t.v. Beau contented himself with a bottle. With both Brandi and Dustin in fairly good moods, he asked her help with his homework, learning to study before they all headed off to bed. They had been too busy to notice if anyone called to invite them Downtown.

Lothario:
Don Lothario almost had me fooled. With Tarlia's cleaned subhoods, all the scripting is broken. There are no prompted suggestions on what to do. Once I had him properly upgraded, I scanned his wants and found none of the romance ones were specifically directed. Seeing as his place was messy, with trash piles all over, I decided to see what he'd do if the maid came over. He was, for quite a while, very gentlemanly. He agreed to have her stay after work and greeted the welcome wagon. Once more, John Burb was part of the party (he seems very interested in meeting his neighbors). Brandi came, as well, along with Meadow Pederson. Don seemed more interested in playing catch and football with everyone than anything else. Everyone milled around, either briefly humoring Don's requests to play, talking to each other, or watching t.v. Eventually, Meadow wandered upstairs to the hot tub. John followed, which worried me for a moment until I saw him plop down in a lounge chair (I think I'll have to buy him one of his own later). Don's resistence finally started to break down when Katia (the maid) gave him a backrub. He returned the favor but still failed to flirt even though he had a general want to. I waited in anticipation to see who would be his Downtown invitee. It ended up being Nina Caliente. He accepted her invitation, saying goodbye to his guests. He met up with Nina and her sister Dina at the Crypt O'Night club where they had dinner. Afterward, well... It seemed he had not been interested enough in the maid to fulfill his wishes with her. That went to Nina. He flirted with her, then invited her into the photobooth. The bartender was not impressed. They spent the rest of the night palling around with Dina and meeting the other clubgoers. Don had a want to woohoo Dina, as well, but didn't try to romance her. Surprising to me, when he returned home later he had lost that want and had gained one to speak with Rose Dai. Curious, I checked his relationship panel. Three bolts! I forsee much trouble, if Cassandra insists on going through with marriage and Don doesn't back out. Don called Rose (fufilling that want to replace it with a want to talk with John and Brandi, not a Cassandra want in sight the whole time) and spoke to her a little while before heading to bed.

Pleasant:
Now this household really didn't have much going on. Angela kept poking and slapping Lilith until I sent Mary-Sue to distract her with talking. Angela was finally let out of the chat once the schoolbus had arrived. Because of the lack of scripting, I had forgotten Katia wasn't already hired, so brought her onto the scene late. Daniel didn't seem to have any interest in romancing her, however. Perhaps he had been satisfied with the kissing session he'd had with Mary-Sue earlier that morning. Either way, they only went as far as playing Punch Me Punch You until the girls came home. I was already tired of Angela stalking Lilith around, so I sent the latter upstairs to the computer first see if she'd hit on one of the jobs she wanted (she didn't) and second to call Coral Oldie to fulfill her friend want. In spite of accepting the welcome wagon, no one showed up =( . Not even John Burb. When Mary-Sue came home from work, her and Daniel retired to the bedroom. Katia got away with giving him a backrub, since it's not seen as romantic, but nothing else happened between them. Angela made a supper of mac and cheese, after which Mary-Sue and Daniel joined Coral and Herb Oldie at the Lulu Lounge. Some hot-tubbing, dancing, and general interaction went on. Nobody filled any friend wants, though they did build up their relationships a bit. At home, I had Lilith work on gaining a skill point she wanted. Unfortunately for Angela, by the time her parents got home they were too tired to help her gain a friend. Katia was finally sent home and everybody went to bed after a fairly uneventful first day.
Top Secret Researcher
#21 Old 22nd Jun 2017 at 7:31 AM
I use MogHughson's JobNoticeBoard, because I don't care to make my Sims wait to find the job that they want, especially since I have a fair number of custom careers added. Do you want to make your Sims work on finding their dream job?

You seem to have had a productive play session, it seemed to go well for most of them as well. yay.

for info on changing the Mac Open File Limit check out my post here http://www.insimenator.org/index.ph...html#msg1628939
Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
Inventor
Original Poster
#22 Old 28th Jun 2017 at 4:43 AM
I've thought about setting up a sort of work center type community lot with the noticeboard. Something to just play out them having to get job training or something. Right now, if I'm desperate to get a sim into a particular career I use the Sim Blender. Monique's computer might have the option as well, I just usually default to the mod I know. Sometimes though, yeah, I like to have them struggle for it rather than have it handed to them. So I'll make them look for it over the course of days or even weeks. Even then, I have mods that cut a lot of the boosts they normally get. Harder Jobs to make promotions a bit harder, the Job Stopinator if I want to keep them at a certain level, and no huge boost from graduating Uni.

---

Today I returned to Pleasantview to finish up the remaining families' first day. I had left the potentially most problematic/dramatic households for last.

Dreamer:
Darren and Dirk began with a little social interaction before the boy had to head off to school. Unfortunately, I was poking around with the panels and failed to see what happened that resulted in a double negative between them. I caught Dirk doing some sort of arm wave out of the corner of my eye, a motion I didn't recognize. Whatever it was, and in spite of the double negative, they went right back into being friendly. Dirk headed off to school and I decided to send Darren off to do a still life painting. I vaguely recalled something like that being in the scripting. Darren has a Lifetime Want to be a Hand of Poseidon. He also had a corresponding want to join the Oceanography carreer. I locked the Job want, though he'll have to wait to try and join it. As of now, Pleasantview isn't an approved subhood for that career, he'll have to move to Belladonna Cove instead. But I want to see how things play out between Cassandra and Don, first. Darren continued painting until the welcome wagon came ringing the bell. No John Burb this time, or any other Pleasantview denizens. It was all social group townies: Leo Wilkie, Phil Jitmakusol, and Rose Dai. Darren went down to greet them, afterward going to make lunchmeat sandwiches for himself and his guests (I forgot to put something on the table upstairs, so he ended up serving a plate there :/ ). Dirk came home in the meantime, more interested in getting in some game-time than socializing. Neither he nor Darren had a Study want. Darren had a want to chat with Dirk, however. When he was done eating, I sent him over to fill and see if perhaps the Study want would roll up. Instead, Darren seemed to be feeling the pressure of all those bills piling up. What he rolled instead was another Job want. Since Dirk had both a College and a Private School want, I decided to have him go ahead with his homework. If he got it done now, he'd have time to refill his fun before bed. While Darren cleaned up the lunch dishes, the guests gathered around the dart board for a friendly game. Even though Phil had left the game by the time Darren finished the dishes, the latter chose to play on the computer. Apparently not taking any offense to being ignored, Phil sat briefly in one of the outside chairs before noticing someone had kicked over the trashcan. Rather than decide it was his host's problem to deal with, he righted the can and put the spilled trash back where it belonged. He settled back into one of the outside chairs and Leo came out to join him for a chat. Darren proved he wasn't completely oblivious as he actually got off the computer when Dirk approached him to play kicky bag . Too bad routing defeated their attempts (they kept trying to play near the desk). Dirk then wandered off to play darts with Phil, who had returned inside. Darren chose to sit and I noticed the time. Either I (and they) missed the call for Downtown or it never came. Darren finally chatted a little with Phil before telling his guests goodbye a little after 9pm. Dirk managed to top off his fun meter with some video games, then joined Darren for leftover sandwiches. After taking care of the rest of his needs, Dirk headed off to bed. Darren took care of the dishes and went to work some more on the painting. It wasn't near enough to completion to finish and sell before morning. At midnight he finally headed off to bed.

Caliente:
Nina's wants rerolled as soon as the lot loaded. I got a brief glimpse of her Move Out want before it was mostly replaced with Job wants. Dina, however, managed to hold on to both her want to Marry a Rich Sim and her fear of Mortimer rejecting Engagement. Since they start so late in the day, I cut short their socializing with each to send Nina to find a job from the newspaper. Two of her choices came up: Intelligence and Slacker. As interesting an idea it was to make her a Gumshoe (imagine her working the Bella case!), checking her interests showed she cared little about crime and nothing about politics. However she had interest in food, fashion, and sports. Slacker it was, then! Apparently the boost finding employment gave her made her feel productive, because she reaffirmed her desire to move out, as well as aquire new clothes, a kitten, and a charisma skill point. As the last was the easiest to achieve she went to the mirror to practice her speaking. I locked her wants to move out and get a kitten, though I wasn't certain I should. None of the Jobs listed in the newspaper met Dina's regular wants or lifetime want, so I gave her a break and allowed her to use Humble's free computer to see if she might luck out. She found a position in the Law track as a file clerk. After which, she also decided a pet (puppy, cat, or dog) would be lovely. She was already looking forward to her first paycheck, and sprucing up her wardrobe and house might be in order. But with only 1300 on hand, there wasn't room for either of them to be free with their money. The computer was tucked away so it wouldn't continue to take up the card table. Dina had lost her engagement rejection fear for it to be replaced with a fear of losing her job. As she had no desire to talk to Mortimer, I simply kept an eye out to see if he'd come by or who would be the one inviting them Downtown. I let her roam free while Nina went to work out on the exercise machine. At 6pm, Don was the one calling for Nina. She accepted his invitation and dragged Nina along, realizing a moment later that the workout had done her some good. She went upstairs to get in as much of a wash as she could before the cab came. Bad luck for Nina, though! Just after she got into the cab who should walk by but Mortimer? Not only that, but he actually came to ring the bell. I took pity on her and tried to cancel out her Go Somewhere. She remained in the cab, which made me think I might need to cancel Nina as well. Nope. While Nina almost immediately decided she would like to finish her interrupted bath, Dina remained stubbornly in the cab. Very well, then, off they went to Downtown to meet Don. The question was, would Mortimer hang around long enough for Dina to greet him when they returned? Aaaand I had to pause immediately when they arrived at the Crypt O'Night club to see who was in the party. Don, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to invite both Katia and Cassandra along. Oh boy... As soon as they were allowed loose, Nina sauntered toward Don with the intent to kiss up his arm. She was completely snubbed as Cassandra led a determined march toward the photobooth with Don in tow. Since my settings don't allow for Romance sims to be jealous while simply In Love, Nina accepted this turn of events. After all, it wasn't as though she didn't know he was engaged to Cassandra. Though perhaps she wanted to tweak the Goth woman's nose with her attempt to romance Don so openly? Katia was playing pinball, as if unphased or knowing that it was best not to stick her neck out. Just as I canceled Nina's game of Punch Me Punch You with Dina to send her into the club, I admit I gasped as poor Cassandra was publicly humilated by getting tossed out of the photobooth onto her ass! She rubbed her abused backside and sighed sadly as her heart broke. To cap it off, Don came out behind her acting as though he were going to be sick! And he proved himself even worse than that, as he first hit on Nina in front of Cassandra, then was coaxed into the photobooth by Katia. I decided to spare Cassandra further hurt by having Nina ask her to leave the Casual Group. Sadly, she didn't get to see Katia similarly put out on her ass. This time Don came out seemingly either very angry or very frustrated. Second time was the charm, however, as Katia again coaxed him into the photobooth, this time apparently able to get him to particpate. Nina had a want to slow dance and I was curious how amenable he would be. Very, it seemed, as he readily accepted her invitation and her advances. As I was not terribly impressed with this group (Katia snuck off to steal some poor sim's dinner), I had Nina request a table to fill her Dine Out want. It took so long that Dina not only tried to get her turn in the photobooth with Don, but tried to get pregnant to boot! Don was having none of it, however. Dina got put out the same as Cassandra and Katia (the first time) did. (I admit this was one was my own fault. I forgot to put Nina and Dina on birth control. Whoops. I put Nina on but decided to leave Dina off to see what she would do.) There isn't much that can go wrong with eating. The only item of note was that Pascal Curious wandered in and it reminded me I really need to find preg morphs for male clothing since I have a mod that allows pregnant sims to wear anything. After dinner, Nina failed her attempt at the Dance Sphere while Katia booed Don's attempt at a dirty joke. By this time, both Nina and Dina were close to collapsing from exhaustion. I ended the gathering and had Nina call the Taxi. Dina, loopy from the fatigue and smelly from the long day, thought it was perfectly fine to take a sponge bath in a public bathroom. Nina, on the other hand, had the decency to restrict herself to some gussying up with the mirror behind the bar (though I suspect if Dina had been out of the bathroom, she might have done the sponge bath herself). Both of them were far too tired to bother with Mortimer when they got home. I was surprised Dina didn't faint right out of the cab! She had the barest sliver of color on an otherwise red bar. I have a feeling that with any ability to stay awake, she would've tried to get pregnant off him to deepen the connection between them. She also had acquired a want to buy some love potion, likely a result of Don's rejection. The two headed off to bed, leaving Mortimer to ring the bell once last time before giving up and leaving. Someone, at some point, had kicked over the trash can, which went unnoticed and will probably spawn roaches before it's take care of. I decided to put Dina on birth control before I moved on, lest I forget and cause mayhem later.

Goth:
After the happenings of the Caliente Downtown outing, I was curious to see what would be going on here! Sadly, Cassandra still had a want to kiss Don, marry him, and have a baby. I'm not certain why she didn't become angry when Don hit on Nina right in front of her. I gave her one last chance by having her call Darren to fulfill her want to talk with him and see if that shook things up. It didn't. Very well, as she wished. I had her throw a wedding party, inviting Darren Dreamer and Mary-Sue Pleasant. Tempted as I was, I didn't have her contact her mother as she technically shouldn't know where she is. As soon as the guests arrived, I clicked the arch for her and Don to get married. In spite of everything, they went through with it. I'm now wondering if perhaps Cassandra knows exactly what she's getting into, willing to turn a blind eye to Don's affairs as long as he's willing to give her the child she wants. Mortimer interrupted the rounds of playing catch and football to serve up the buffet. Darren entertained Cassandra with a dirty joke while the ghosts came out. Both Gretle and Cornelia seemed particularly peeved at Don's presence (the thought bubbles had his face with an X through it). In celebration of the wedded... er... "bliss", I exchanged the one single bed for a double. I always took the one room with the Bella picture and desk to be Mortimer's, which I locked so there'd be no canoodling in the wrong bed by the newlyweds. The party managed to be a Roof Raiser, even though everybody sort of scattered. Darren trooped all the way upstairs to paint, Alexander headed off for a bath and bed, Mary-Sue amused herself with solo chess, and Don tortured Mortimer and Cassandra with his piano playing. Cassandra was at least decent about it while Mortimer outright booed. I sent Mortimer to bed, Cassandra to the bathroom, and Don to the bedroom. I nudged Cassandra on into the bedroom when she was done to let nature take it's course. At first, I thought nothing was going to happen, as Cassandra sat down the chair and Don went downstairs with the intent of getting food. Just as he got downstairs, though, ACR finally kicked in and dragged him back up . It seemed Cassandra was the initiator. As expected, she convinced Don to try for baby and got pregnant. Well, at least she was getting what she wants. The question is whether he'll be happy with what he gets. Despite all this, Cassandra didn't regain either crush or love with Don, happy enough to have gotten married status and a baby. I think I'll definitely revise my thoughts on her, that while she might have hoped Don would settle down she is canny enough to adjust to the situation rather than mope about it. And she's likely only to care about his affairs if they become too public to ignore. She went on to sleep while Don resumed his quest for leftover buffet food. Since the ghosts were out, I had to wait for them to return to their graves in the morning. I half hoped Don might get himself scared to death, but alas... he did not. I forced him to take care of his needs rather than pound away at the piano more. When sunrise came, he tried to engage Alexander in a swing around, but that was the point I saved and left them.

---

I apologize for such detailed accountings. I'm not used to playing such short rotations, so I think I'm overcompensating by dredging the day for every detail!
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#23 Old 1st Jul 2017 at 1:19 PM
What a lovely neighbourhood, @Devon Aster ! :lovestruc

Interesting to see how the sims are going to play out their lives there. Looking forware to hearing more!
Top Secret Researcher
#24 Old 2nd Jul 2017 at 9:51 AM
I like detail @Devon Aster ! :lovestruc

It was interesting to read how the Sims were living their lives. Looking forward to more.

for info on changing the Mac Open File Limit check out my post here http://www.insimenator.org/index.ph...html#msg1628939
Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
Inventor
Original Poster
#25 Old 5th Jul 2017 at 10:28 AM
@simsample and @lordtyger9 , thank you both so much!

It took a little time for me to get into my next subhood: Strangetown. I already knew I would be doing some sprucing up around town. Although I don't have any pictures at the moment, I think I'll dedicate some time later to get some. Especially of the brand spanking new Strangetown Training Facility! Please forgive me if there are any errors in this. It's very late (or I guess very early) and I haven't slept yet x.x

Singles:
Tension was high from the word go and it was mostly coming from Chloe. Even before the lot finished loading, she aimed to poke Erin square in the chest. She wasn't happy at all. She had let herself be talked into this arrangement by her sister, Lola. She already regretted it. The four women had pooled their meager resources to buy a house, sight unseen. And no wonder the seller preferred it that way! It was absolutely hideous. The largest bedroom was a weirdly shaped space, the second was a square carved from the middle of the house, and the third was a basement. The layout had to have been designed by someone addled in the head, and the colors weren't any better. Worst of all, it was almost completely empty. It didn't even have all the kitchen appliances! Of course, they had had little choice. All of the lovely new homes were strictly military use. Their two other options were a one-bedroom place or a completely empty plot of land. And Chloe got even more disappointed when their emergency bought furniture arrived and she saw cheap, single beds with cheap, identical bedding. Her protest that she needed a double bed was soundly put down by Lola and Kristen. They were going to be eating off a card table with folding lawn chairs. Did she really think they had money to indulge in something like that? Besides, they were all going to be sleeping in the largest bedroom until they had the cash to renovate. Horrors. They were lucky to have been able to afford what they could get, such as the old t.v. and cheap fridge. They had made a bookcase out of cinderblocks and wood planks. Nobody was happy with the situation but it was what it was. Still, frustrated at the course of events, Chloe needed some way to vent. So poke at Erin, she did.

This didn't sit well with either Kristen or Lola, who immediately took it upon themselves to assure Erin she was an all right gal. Chloe, in turn, poked at Kristen and sneered. Kristen took the action worse than Erin, turning and stepping away to hide the tears that came to her eyes. Lola tried to engage Erin in some conversation, apparently thinking that speaking of when she was taught to walk would be an interesting enough subject. Erin didn't look too enthused, but where the conversation might have gone was left a mystery as Chloe butted in to poke at Erin again. Erin stepped away in anger, yet didn't retaliate. Lola, concerned, tried to offer the other woman a friendly hug. It was a little too much for Erin and she refused. But Lola wasn't to be thwarted in her attempts at friendship. She pulled Erin into a hang out on the sidewalk, something a little more casual than her last two efforts.

Unfortunately, this left Kristen to the tender mercies of Chloe. Once more, Chloe poked and Kristen cried. Both of them tried to engage the two sitting and talking. Both of them roundly ignored Chloe. Kristen, on the other, was invited to join in the discussion. She happily settled onto the pavement. (This is one of the few times I've seen someone autonomously join a Hang Out already in session!) Realizing nobody was going to put up with her current mood, Chloe sauntered off to snatch up the freshly delivered paper to look for a job. She wanted a house worth inviting people to! Whether that was here with the others or on her own, she was going to need money. One listing caught her eye. There was an entry level job in the Entertainment career. She had always thought being a world-renowned magician would be fun! But maybe she could do slightly better.

While the others were chatting, someone had come up to ring the bell and Chloe had a good idea who. A somewhat odd philanthropist had donated countless computers to be gifted to all new renters and owners. The government realized not everyone trusted a stranger or even wanted a computer, so an initiative started to recycle the computers. The recipient could keep it, of course, but they could also trade it in for a voucher. The voucher was good as cash. Most people used it to get their own choice of computer, though some found it more useful for paying bills or buying groceries if moving had sapped their resources. A really canny sim could get both computer and cash if they chose one of the cheaper models. Chloe did just that, opting for a 'notebook' type laptop and scoring a couple hundred extra simoleans. Not that she expected to be thanked for that. She immediately went to check the job exchange, as there were almost always better positions offered there opposed to what ended up in the newspaper. And it seemed she was in luck! There it was, a job a step up from the previous listing.

Alas, luck wasn't on her side. After she accepted the position and received confirmation of the duties she would be filling, she realized she had applied to the wrong field. Well, right field but wrong part of it. She wasn't on the track she had intended at all! (Poor Chloe, I completely forgot I had installed some Life Stories stuff, including careers. I'm not familiar enough with the tracks and didn't pick up on the job title being different.) Feeling put upon by life in just about every way - as if being part alien wasn't enough - Chloe chose to sink herself into an online chatroom for a while. At least maybe she could get some positive attention there!

Meanwhile, the other three continued their pow-wow on the sidewalk. It was fortunate for them that it was still the cool season. Staying outside for that long in the sun could lead to trouble in hotter weather. The conversation remained civil, if a bit reserved. Nothing that made them fast friends. But they all felt they had come to know each other a little better. So intent they were on their talk that they didn't notice the lady in the red dress hanging around. Nor did they give much notice to Chloe, who had finished her online chatting and come back outside. She was still in enough of a mood to glare at Erin and Kristen as they continued to ignore her. She was so focused on them, and they on ignoring her, nobody reacted to the red dress lady going to the back door and letting herself in. The person Chloe eventually did notice was some mohawked young man lingering at their gate. Rather than stand there being snubbed, she decided to go over to greet him. (I assume Nervous was the Welcome Wagon, as he was the one who showed up after I accepted it.)

The man turned out to be singularly unpleasant. Almost as soon as Chloe greeted him, he insulted her! Well, she had had enough and gave as good as she got. Then she saw a familiar face and thank the Watcher for that! Jenny Smith had come by, waving at them. Chloe didn't even know what to call Jenny but she had to be a damn sight better to interact with than mohawk man. It took more than a moment to get Jenny's attention and the woman seemed more interested in everyone else but her. Chloe was very done this day, though she might have been slightly less so if she had caught the fact that the lady in the red dress blocked Nervous from stalking over to rile her even more. As it was, she gave up her efforts of being neighborly, scowling at Erin again and when the lady briefly distracted her from it, she scoffed at the gesture. Which opened her up to more poking by Nervous. And... well... things just weren't going in any productive direction with him.

While Chloe and Nervous exchanged a few more pokes and shoves, the lady and Jenny had a brief and negative encounter. Fortunately, they behaved like adults. The lady tried to be friendly with Nervous, though in his current mood blew it off. Jenny, seeing the overall negative atmosphere attempted to engage in more civil exchanges. Chloe accepted, Nervous didn't. The red dress lady literally ran off to greet someone who had walked by. He was flattered by her words but had to be elsewhere. Which was probably just as well since Chloe and Nervous got into all out row not a moment after he left. Jenny watched in horror, the lady fled to behind the brick fence, and the three on the ground determined not to be drawn into this drama. (I swear I have never seen slower relationship building during a Hang Out. They'd been at it hours and none had made friends yet!)

The fight was long and brutal and eventually ended up with Chloe victorious (because it was dragging on way too long and I cancelled her action). She told them man in no uncertain terms to get the hell off their property. But she didn't come away unscathed. She felt a strange lathergy come over her as the adrenaline wore off (as a penalty for such a long fight, she'll suffer a temp lowering of a few personality points). Putting it done to hunger, she decided to splurge on pizza for supper, not particularly caring if anyone else joined her.

The other three decided they had done a fair bit of talking (Erin finally got her friend want filled, geeze) and broke for supper. The lady in the red dress kept at her friendly attempts, especially with Lola, who was a little put off by the forwardness. In the midst of the food rush, Loki called for Erin. Although she agreed to go downtown with him, she thought there was a hint of something disapproving in his voice. She hurried to take a quick shower before the taxi arrived.

To her surprise, when she came out Loki's Wife, Circe, was waiting by the cab. (She literally came onto the lot as a walkby, sporting the blue plumbbob.) Did he think she was going to ditch him? And if so, why hadn't he come himself? Circe assured Erin they had found an absolutely fascinating place to go. Unsure but unwilling to disappoint her brother, she got into the van with the woman.

They ended up at the Crypt O'Night club. By this point, Erin didn't care. She was starving. She wanted food. As soon as they left the taxi, she beelined for the hostess, offering to foot the bill for Loki and Circe's meals as well despite the fact that Loki had invited her out. Her order to the waitress? "Anything." As long as it was edible. She sipped at her water, hoping she could last until the food came. When it did, she was ecstatic. They were best ribs she'd ever had! Or maybe that was her hunger warping her perception. She finished her meal before the other two had gotten even halfway into theirs. Which, of course, meant that manners dictated she wait until they were done to see if anyone cared for dessert or drinks. It had been a very long day, so she led the way to the bar. Loki and Circe declined to join, though insisted she get her own if she wished. The two went off to try out their dance skills.

The drink did help her feel a bit better. She decided to hit up the pinball machine while Loki and Circe continued to dance. Erin couldn't help but giggle behind her hand at their footwork. Once her mood had been lifted even more, and with liquid courage in her gut, she checked out the other patrons. None really caught her eye, so she just shrugged. After a quick trip to the restroom, she tried to get a little family time in with Loki and Circe. He laughed politely at her joke, slapped away her attempt to tickle him, and cut short the conversation when she tried to discuss with him about food. It really wasn't going well. An older patron seemed to sense her need for someone to talk to and joined her for a game of pinball. By the time they were done, she was hungry again and very tired. It was time to go home. At least Circe had said it was fun.

When she arrived home, Erin snagged a piece of leftover pizza and had her own encounter with the lady in the red dress who still seemed very, very interested in the household. In spite of herself, she was in no mood to accept random compliments from random people. She stayed awake long enough to blearily look at job listings but decided none suited her. She'd try again in the morning. Forgoing a shower, she fell right into one of the beds.

After filling up her needs, Lola was the next to search the jobs. As she used the computer, the jobs ticked over to the next days offerings. She lost her chance at Architecture but found a position in Law. She decided to take it before heading to bed. She wasn't very pleased to find the lady in the red dress had more than made herself at home! Who went to bed in a stranger's house without being invited? Having had enough of the strange woman's shenanigans, she asked her leave. It skeeved her out that she had caught the woman sleeping in the bed right next to Erin's. Perhaps feeling a bit protective of Erin now that they had made friends, she chose to use that bed herself.

Kristen managed to keep a civil conversation going with Jenny and Chloe as they watched late night t.v. Realizing she was going to fall asleep where she was, she decided to attend to her own job hunt once the show was over. For a long while, her dream had been to become a famous sports star and leave Strangetown far behind. But something pulled at her when she saw the posting for a job as an EMT. It paid well and it was a respectable job. As there weren't any positions relating to sports, she decided to go for it. (Though her bio mentions the sports thing, she had both a Lifetime Want to be Chief of Staff and a Job Want for a job in Medicine, so I went with it.) With Chloe crashed out on the couch, it fell to her to say goodbye to Jenny.

And thus ended a very long, very busy day for the Singles household. Phew!
 
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