Megahood 5/31/22 (Belladonna)

 Martin:  Joseph Martin lives at Bella Park Condos.  He moved here after his divorce from his wife Linda.  He has an adult son, Andrew, from his marriage, but has not managed to father any other children, despite dating a LOT of women.  His last girlfriend gave birth to twins who he thought for a while were his, but that turned out not to be the case and they broke up.  He's been trying to keep his mind on his athletic career, but lately he can't seem to get Rebecca Wolosenko out of his mind.  He's even been considering marriage, which is something he never thought he'd do again.

Contrary/McCullough:  Edward Contrary is originally from Desiderata Valley, but now he's living at Bella Park Condos with his girlfriend, Angel McCullough, who he met at the gym when he was in college.  They share a love of fitness and really hit it off.  Now he's working in the Minor League and thinking about proposing to Angel.  Angel's not sure she's ready for marriage just yet, but having inside information on a player really does come in handy as a bookie, so she's content with the relationship for now.

Cho:  Emiko and Sylvian Cho live at The Crossroads Apartments with their daughter Maya.  They have an adult son, Etokas, who lives Downtown.  They don't have the healthiest marriage.  Emiko, fed up with Sylvian's lack of ambition in his career, started working as an escort on the side for extra cash.  Sylvian was furious when he caught her with another man, but Emiko maintained it was his fault for forcing her to resort to turning tricks in the first place.  Following the incident, Sylvian began an affair of his own and Emiko, after lying low for a bit, resumed her escort business.  They continue to maintain a civil relationship for Maya's sake, but they won't be winning any awards for marital stability in the near future.

Karana:  Chandra and Thuyet Karana live next door to the Chos at Crossroads with their teenaged son Aaron.  Their daughter Vivian couldn't wait to leave home.  She lives Downtown with her three children and is not on speaking terms with her parents.  They've never even met their granddaughters.  Luckily, their son Aaron seems to be on a better path.  Though he's only just started high school, he's already thinking about college and planning to pursue a career in oceanography someday.  

Bear:  Tyler Bear lives across the courtyard from the Karanas at Crossroads and next door to his ex-girlfriend Lyla, who is also the mother of his twins.  To say his love life has been complicated would be an understatement.  When he first started dating Lyla, he thought it would be forever, but then she dumped him and moved in with another guy (Joseph Martin).  Lyla subsequently gave birth to twins, who she first claimed were Joseph's, but eventually she admitted they were Tyler's.  Joseph threw her out and she and Tyler moved in together, trying to make things work for the sake of their children.  Ultimately, Lyla cheated on him and he moved out, but only next door so that he could be close to his kids.  These days he and Lyla are on fairly good terms, but she's started dating Tyler's roommate, which certainly complicates things further.  Though Tyler's had a few dates and hooked up with Emiko once or twice (who hasn't?), he's yet to find "The One".

Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/30/22 (Belladonna)

 Rutherford:  Kenneth and Leandra Rutherford live at 400 Audrey Lane with their two sons, Geoff and Colin.  Their daughter Marissa is married and lives in Riverblossom Hills.  Leandra is a state assemblyperson and Kenneth is a stay-at-home dad.  Geoff has just returned home from college and is hoping to pursue a career in dance.  Youngest brother Colin is in high school.  As a politician, Leandra needs to avoid scandal at all costs, so she really hopes no one finds out that Geoff is having an affair with a married woman.

Contender:  Isabel Contender inherited her estate at 440 Audrey Lane from her parents when they passed away.  Her Uncle Carlos passed shortly thereafter, leaving Isabel alone in the world, apart from her beloved cats.  She devotes most of her time to her career as a paralegal.  She's been involved with a married man for several years, but it's become clear he's not going to leave his wife.  Isabel has recently become acquainted with two men she finds interesting, one's a lawyer and other is a farmer.  Should she stick with what's comfortable or take a chance with someone wildly different?

Patel:  Karan and Keesa Patel live at 500 Audrey Lane with their youngest son Raj, who just started high school.  Their oldest daughter, Priya*, lives Downtown, as does their oldest son, Ramir.  Their daughter Jaya is at SSU.  Karan is a mystery novelist and Keesa breeds Persian cats for a living.  However, now that Keesa's original Persians are too old to breed again, she's decided to create a new breed by crossing one of their purebred Persian offspring with a Birman - a Birsian, if you will.

Ejess:  Maida and Owen Ejess live in the Bella Park Condominiums with their two boys, Keven, who is nearly ready for high school and newborn Logan.  Their daughter Ana is away at college.  Maida is a legal biller and Owen is a resident at Sim City General Hospital.  With the birth of the new baby, their apartment is getting pretty cramped and they've been considering a move Downtown where they could have more room and be closer to their jobs.

*I added Priya "Ramaswami" to the Patel family.

Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/29/22 (Belladonna)

 In Belladonna Cove...

Baldwin/Shibata:  Benjamin Baldwin and his boyfriend Benjamin "Benji" Shibata live at the Tech Terrace Apartment Complex.  Benjamin is a rookie field agent for the SCIA and Benji is a theorist at the science lab.  Benji has been wanting to get engaged for some time now, but Benjamin is hyper focused on his career and has recently developed an obsession with being abducted by aliens.  Despite "meeting aliens" several times already, it wasn't until the most recent incident that Benjamin began to feel strange, as if he might have brought back a souvenir from his time in space?

Gonzaga:  Jerome Gonzaga* is a famous athlete who lives in the apartment above "the Bens" at Tech Terrace.  He had an affair with Fae Summerdream, which resulted in a son who he's never been allowed to meet.  The relationship has cooled significantly since then and Jerome leads a fairly solitary life.

Mashuga:  Sylvia Marie Mashuga moved to Belladonna Cove after her marriage to Frankie ended.  She moved into Cornerstone Condominiums and got a job as a fact checker at the Belladonna Gazette.  She had a brief (because he died) relationship with Simis Bachelor, which resulted in a daughter.  Now she's in financial trouble, unable to keep up with the bills, the rent, or the nanny.  She and Joyce have no choice but to move to a more affordable apartment.

Matlapin:  Omar Matlapin has lived at Cornerstone Condos ever since his split from his wife Mariana.  He'd cheated on her with Theresa Ramirez and she didn't take it well.  He thought he and Theresa had a future together, but even after she became pregnant with his child, she refused to leave her husband for him.  He's casually dated a couple other women who live in his building, but didn't really consider a serious involvement until Sylvia Marie moved out.  He found that he missed her more than expected, so when she called him for a date, he couldn't have been happier.  Maybe there's a future for them?

*Jerome is a former townie.  When Fae got pregnant with his child, I moved him in and made him playable, so that he'd age along with his child.  I hate having townies wandering around who are younger than their kids.

Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/28/22 (Bluewater)

 Cleveland/Chesterson:  Jason Cleveland and his girlfriend Stella Chesterson live at 23 Toboggan Way with their young son Justin.  Stella is originally from Riverblossom Hills and Jason is from Belladonna Cove.  They moved here to facilitate Stella's career as a dog breeder.  She breeds and sells purebred chihuahuas.  Jason works in the field of oceanography as a whale tracker.

Gieke:  Carl and Lucy Gieke live at 22 Toboggan Way with their three youngest children - Max, who is in elementary school, and the newborn twins, Amanda and Calvin.  Their older son, Chester, is away at college.  The Giekes own a small shop in town called The G.C., where they sell gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.  The shop is not terribly profitable just yet, so they're also working in the fast food industry to help make ends meet.  Their marriage went through a rough patch when Carl caught Lucy in bed with another man.  Given Max's full head of curly black hair, Carl is fairly certain the mystery man is his true father, but he managed to get past Lucy's betrayal and has raised the boy as his own.  Lucy's just glad the twins look like Carl, though she's not entirely certain they're his either, because if Carl finds out she's still cheating on him, she knows it'll be the end of their marriage.

And that's all the Bluewater folks!  Tomorrow we'll visit Belladonna Cove.  Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/27/22 (Bluewater)

 Jacquet:  Denise, Yves, and Gilbert Jacquet live at 223 Idlewild St.  Gilbert moved back home after college in preparation for taking over the family business, J'Adore Bakery, from his parents.  While the bakery has always been more of a hobby for Denise and Yves, who both work full-time jobs in addition to running the business, Gilbert aspires to turn it into a five-star restaurant.  He's working as a sous chef at the moment to gain experience in the field, but once he officially takes over, he's got big plans for the place.  He'll have plenty of time to accomplish his dreams because he was recently turned into a vampire.

Greenman:  Rose Greenman lives at 7 Carriage Lane.  She was discovered as a toddler by the O'Mackey family in Riverblossom Hills.  She was seemingly the first of her kind and no one knew where she came from, but the O'Mackeys took care of her until she reached adulthood and moved to Bluewater Village.  She lives a fairly solitary life now in her little cottage.  She loves to craft items and is literally addicted to grilled cheese, despite having no need to consume food.

Cooke:  Julien and Gloria (Newson) Cooke met at college.  They are now newlyweds who are expecting their first child.  They moved to 39 Toboggan Way in Bluewater Village after graduation, where Julien is a restaurant reviewer and Gloria works as a street caricaturist.  What Gloria doesn't know is that Julien also has another job, working for the local crime syndicate as a con artist.  Hopefully he can keep everything under control for the sake of his family.

Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/26/22 (Bluewater)

 Moving on to Bluewater Village...

Larson:  Alvin and Elise Larson live at 407 Edgewater Parkway with their youngest daughter Paige.  Their twins, Jason and Jodie, are away at college.  Alvin doesn't make much money as a convenience store clerk, but Elise is able to supplement that with the money she makes from fishing in their backyard pond.  She's also working on building a greenhouse so she can start a garden for fresh produce.  Being so much younger than her siblings, Paige is often lonely and has been wishing for a pet.  She was ecstatic when her parents surprised her with a little black puppy.  The Larsons may not have a fortune, but they take pleasure in what they do have.

Zarubin:  Autumn and Damion Zarubin live at 222 Pebble Dr., with their twin boys.  Their adult daughter Wanda lives in the city and has two boys of her own.  Damion is a best-selling science fiction author and Autumn works as a home video editor.  Though Damion couldn't be happier with their life, Autumn has a wandering eye.  She is secretly involved with, not one, but two other men, one of whom (Jon Smith Tricou) is the true father of the twins.  As far as she's concerned, what Damion doesn't know won't hurt him.

Picaso:  Matthew and Jessica Picaso are newlyweds who live at 83 Gondola Way.  Matthew has no family and Jessica is not close to hers*, so their wedding was a quiet affair with only their best friends in attendance as witnesses.  Jessica works as an executive chef and Matthew owns a sports bar in town.  Their relationship has been rocky to date, with infidelity on both sides, so it remains to be seen how their marriage will fare.

Mendoza:  Carmen Mendoza lives at 152 Pebble Dr. with her three younger children - teen daughter Olivia, and twins Lorenzo and Vincent.  Her adult daughter Lisa lives in Veronaville.  Carmen spent many years as a bored housewife, married to Armando Mendoza - so bored, in fact, that she began to entertain gentleman callers during the day when everyone was out of the house.  Armando came home early one day and caught her in the act.  He tried to forgive her and get past it for the sake of the children, but when he caught her a second time, he knew it was over between them.  He packed his bags and moved out.  Carmen angrily informed him on his way out that the twins are not even his.

Ramirez:  Juan and Theresa Ramirez live next door to the Mendozas at 146 Pebble Dr.  They have two daughters living at home, and their son Checo lives Downtown.  They are also expecting their fourth child.  Their marriage has had its ups and downs, though they're on fairly solid ground at the moment, as they await the birth of their child.  Theresa is harboring a huge secret, however.  Neither of the girls was fathered by Juan, though she's pretty sure the new baby is his.  If he ever finds out, it could be the end of their marriage.

Delarosa:  William and Mary Delarosa live at 15 Lake Meadow Circle.  William is a minor leaguer and Mary works as a fast food shift manager, though it was always her dream to enter the military.  Unfortunately, she was never accepted into the program.  She'll have to settle for living vicariously through her daughter Florence, who is enlisted and lives on the military base in Strangetown.  The Delarosas have occasionally considered having more children, but ultimately they are content with their lives the way they are.

Tinker:  Lauren and Ron Tinker live at 32 Lake Meadow Circle and are the parents of five children, with another just discovered to be on the way.  Their oldest son, Stephen, lives in Pleasantview with his girlfriend.  Emily and Elizabeth are in high school, Oliver's in elementary school, and Noah's just a toddler.  Lauren works as a roadie and Ron is a stay-at-home dad.  They're not sure why they waited so long after Stephen was born to have more children, but they've certainly made up for lost time.  This new little one will definitely be their last, as he/she is coming so late in life, it won't be even remotely possible for them to conceive another.

*In the case of bin couples who I needed to separate because of the time rewind, I assigned the women to existing families with whom they fit genetically.  The men I created as Uni students and sent them to college at the same time as their "supposed to be" spouses.  Whether or not they actually connect with each other is totally up to them.  Matthew and Jessica are one of the few couples that did.  Incidentally, the family I placed Jessica with was the Pachis family from Desiderata Valley.

Until next time, Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/25/22 (Pleasantview)

 Mashuga:  Frankie Mashuga lives at 9 Wright Way.  His wife, Sylvia Marie, divorced him ages ago after catching him cheating on multiple occasions.  After he was freed from the ball and chain, he decided to turn his "hobby" into a moneymaking opportunity and became an escort.  He was pretty successful for a time, but eventually he had to give up the life for a more stable income.  Now he works as a host and hangs out with his dogs on his days off.

Newbie:  Bob and Betty Newbie live at 17 Lakeside Dr. with their young son Billy.  Their grown daughter Brandi lives in Veronaville with her fiancé.  Billy was a big surprise for the couple.  They had thought they were past the point of having another baby.  Betty, who works for a gaming company, is glad that at least now she can put a positive spin on Bob's perpetual unemployment because they don't have to pay a nanny to watch little Billy during the day.  She spends most of her free time training her dogs for commercial work.

That's all the Pleasantview residents.  Tomorrow we'll start on Bluewater Village.  Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/24/22 (Pleasantview)

 Goth:  Goth Manor is located at 165 Sim Lane.  Mortimer and Bella have four children: Cassandra is married and lives in Old Town, Genevra lives with her boyfriend in Veronaville, Alexander is attending Academie Le Tour, and Montgomery is in high school.  When Mortimer and Bella got together their parents were not happy.  Bella's parents cut ties with her, though she still remained close to her brother Michael.  Mortimer's parents disowned him completely, leaving their mansion and their fortune to Cassandra instead.  Nevertheless, they've never regretted their decision to be together.  Mortimer has made a fortune in his own right through his wildly popular book series titled "The Goth Diaries".  Bella has devoted herself to keeping the perfect house and raising perfect children.  She would've liked to have one more, but Mortimer thinks they should focus on grandchildren at this stage of their lives.

O'Mackey:  Jason and Gvaudoin O'Mackey live at 67 Woodland Dr. with their three children.  They met in college.  They had an instant connection and were engaged before they even graduated.  After college, they moved in with Jason's parents in Riverblossom Hills.  Gvaudoin got pregnant on their honeymoon, and they soon welcomed twin boys - Christopher and Ethan.  It was a great help having Jason's parents to help out with the babies.  By the time Gvaudoin learned she was pregnant for the second time, however, they'd decided to move their little family to Pleasantview.  It was tough going for Gvaudoin, caring for twin toddlers (one of whom, Ethan, is developmentally challenged) all alone during the day while Jason was at work, but now that she's given birth to their baby daughter, Penelope, and the boys are ready to start school, things should get easier for her.

Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/23/22 (Pleasantview)

 Kat:  Tara Kat lives at 156 Main St. with her four cats.  When she was orphaned as a child, she was sent to live with her only relative - her Great-Aunt Ginia.*  Ginia loved cats and gardening, and soon Tara grew to love them as well.  When her aunt died of a heart attack when Tara was just a teen, she knew she'd need to have some help with the house and the pets while she attended college, so she brought in Mary Sue Oldie to be the caretaker.  Now that she's back home, she's looking for work and wondering how Aunt Ginia managed to keep up with everything for so long.

Bachelor:  Michael Bachelor inherited his home at 62 Woodland Dr. from his parents, Simis and Jocasta.  They certainly weren't going to leave it to his sister, Bella, after she married Mortimer Goth against their wishes.  Michael spent many years walking a tightrope between his parents and his sister, secretly visiting Bella's family whenever he could.  Now that his parents are gone, some of the tension has been lifted.  Tension comes in different forms, however.  He recently found out that Chris Jones is pregnant with his child.  Not wanting to be left out of another child's life (Michael is the biological father of Theresa Ramirez's daughter Eve, but she's passing the child off as her husband's), he asked Chris to move in with him.  She agreed, reluctantly, because his house is larger than her tiny apartment, but she's not interested in marriage.  Michael is hopeful he can change her mind on that before the baby is born.

Goodie:  Faith Goodie lives at 68 Sim Lane.  She was once married to Herb Goodie, who was in the military.  They lived on the military base in Strangetown.  However, after Herb died of heatstroke, Faith had to leave the base, so she made her way here to Pleasantview.  She had come to the realization that she's gay at around the same time, so it was the perfect opportunity for a fresh start in a new town.  She got a job with the PPD and was recently promoted to lieutenant.

Charming:  Claire Charming is a single mother who lives at 69 Sim Lane.  She is struggling to raise her little girl on a coffee shop sound engineer's wages.  She once dreamed of becoming a musician, but now she's just happy to keep food on the table.  She's not sure who Celeste's father is (it could be one of a have dozen or so men), but based on her blonde locks, she has it narrowed down to either Arty Loste or Chester Gieke (spoiler: it's Arty).  Celeste was an unexpected (and unwelcome) surprise that Claire hadn't planned for.  Consequently, the girl is often left to her own devices while her mother "entertains" her steady parade of guests.  She's already begun to resent her mother for her inattentiveness and it will likely only get worse when she moves into her teen years.

*I had to take some creative license with the Kat family tree.  Ginia Kat was from TS1 and Tara from TS2, but there was no indication as to their relationship.  I felt that Ginia had been portrayed as the classic old maid, so it didn't seem right that she would've had a child, so I created a brother for her.  I then gave him a wife, a daughter, and a granddaughter - Tara.  Then I killed off all the extraneous characters, leaving only Ginia and Tara.  The game didn't recognize their relationship to each other, of course, but it made sense to me that way.

Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/22/22 (Pleasantview)

 Pleasant:  Jeff and Diane Pleasant live at 155 Main St.  Their son Daniel is married and lives in Old Town, a historic suburb of Pleasantview.  Their daughter Jennifer, sadly, died of heat stroke while attending La Fiesta Tech.  Diane works as a hostess and Jeff is an artist.  The Pleasants are also responsible for maintaining the community cemetery, where there is a mausoleum dedicated to their family, the founders of the town.  Jeff has long wanted to try for one more baby, especially in light of the loss of their daughter, but Diane does not want to start over at this stage of their lives.

Matlapin:  Next door to the Pleasants at 157 Main St., are the Matlapins.  Darleen and her mother Mariana have lived here ever since her parents divorced.  Her father, Omar, hasn't been particularly involved in her life since then, so they're not close.  After the divorce, Mariana threw herself into work, achieving the position of master architect at her firm.  Several of her male coworkers are eager to spend time with her, but she's focused on her career first and foremost; she has little time for romantic pursuits.  Darleen, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to be a wife and mother.  She dated a couple guys in college, but seemed headed towards a romance with her best friend PT Smith (Poli Tech 9).  That never happened, for one reason or another, and eventually they both moved on.  Darleen got back together with one of her college beaus and now they live together.  Adam King is a paramedic and, though he knows Darleen would love to get married right away, he's not quite there yet.

Jones:  Chris Jones lives in the Pleasant Vista Apartment Complex.  Since her roommate Melissa moved out, she's been lonely, so she placed an ad for a new roommate and wound up with Gretchen Chin.  They get along great and Chris has someone to talk to after her long days at work as a hostage negotiator.  She also owns a little boutique in town called Wearfore Art Thou?, which does well, but not well enough to support her.  She's looking to expand into Bluewater Village at some point.  Her dating life is pretty casual; she goes out with a few different guys, but isn't really serious about any of them.  That may change, however, given that her last date with Michael Bachelor resulted in an unplanned pregnancy.

Gavigan:  Nathan Gavigan is Chris's downstairs neighbor.  He's a desk sergeant with the PPD.  He's dated two women off and on since college, Jessica Peterson and Mary Weir.  Mary is living with someone now, so his focus has shifted to Jessica.  He really wants to propose to her, but he's not sure she'd be into it.

Dreamer:  Davis and Delilah Dreamer live at 159 Main St.  Davis is a patrol officer with the PPD and has long had a desire for a second child.  They don't see Darren as often as they'd like now that he lives in Strangetown.  Delilah feels that she's worked too hard to achieve the position of starter on her team and doesn't think taking time off for maternity leave would be a good idea.

Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/21/22 (Pleasantview)

 Hick:  Elden Hick lives at Oak Street Trailer Park with his five dogs.  His mother died a few years ago.  Life isn't great for Elden.  He makes very little money as a record store clerk, his trailer looks like a biohazard, and his girlfriend, Lucia Riley, is cheating on him.  Of course, he doesn't know about that last one.  You almost can't blame her for not wanting to tie herself down to Elden.  He's not a great catch.  As if things weren't bad enough, after returning home from the Old Town Quarter where he and Lucia had a date, his trailer was broken into and several things were stolen which he then had to replace.  So much for all those guard dogs!

Broke:  Flat and Flo Broke also live at Oak Street Trailer Park.  They have two adult children, Ruby and Skip.  Ruby had a falling out with her folks a long time ago and they haven't had any contact with her since she left home.  Consequently, Skip, who is much younger than Ruby, was raised as an only child.  Flo always wanted to have another baby, but Flat was against the idea.  Now they're empty nesters, eking out an existence as an internet movie critic (Flat) and a painter (Flo), and waiting for their son to give them some grandchildren.

Broke:  Buck and Mary Lu Broke live right next door to Flat and Flo.  Flat and Buck are brothers.  Buck is a simple man, content with his home in the trailer park and his job at the record store.  His wife Mary Lu, however, has always dreamed of having a better life.  But, despite the fact that she has a good job as a marine biologist, they never seem to get ahead financially.  When their kids (Trigger and Susie) were young, Mary Lu didn't mind sacrificing her own goals.  Now that they're both adults and on their own, she feels it's time she got something she wants.  Buck doesn't understand his wife's lofty goals.  He'd love nothing more than to stay right where he is until the day he dies.  He complains about her to his mistress, Frida Augustine, all the time, but she's usually in a rush to get back to her family before the sun rises.

Tinker:  Stephen Tinker and Aiyana Taylor live at 52 Ridge Rd.  They've been together since college, but only recently decided to move in together.  Stephen's place in Strangetown was much too small, so they found a cozy two bedroom in Pleasantview.  Aiyana would love to break into the field of oceanography, but she's yet to find any openings, so for the time being she's stuck working as a trash talker for a gaming company.  Stephen had his dream job as a scientist, but was let go after he made the bad decision to pass off someone else's discovery as his own.  He's been blackballed from working at any lab in the country, so he had to take a lowly gas station attendant job while he lays low and waits for the scandal to blow over.

Oldie:  Mary Sue Oldie has led quite the colorful life to date.  Back in college, she met and fell in love with Jenny Curious.  She was sure they'd be together forever, but that dream was crushed when she caught Jenny cheating on her.  After graduation, she moved back home with her parents for a bit and began dabbling in witchcraft in an effort to find a way to make Jenny lover her again.  She became obsessed with the idea.  Her parents did not approve of what she was doing and they had a falling out.  When she heard that Tara Kat was looking for someone to housesit for her while she was away at Uni, she jumped at the chance and promptly moved out of her parents' house and out of their lives for good.  While living in the Kat house, she honed her witchcraft skills, ultimately succeeding in casting a spell which caused Jenny's girlfriend to break up with her.  Much to Mary Sue's dismay, however, Jenny did not come running back.  With Tara's graduation, and subsequent return, looming, Mary Sue didn't know where she would go or what she would do.  She had no money and had cut ties with her family.  Fate intervened, however, and Mary Sue found herself the sole heir to the Landgraab fortune.*  She moved to a charming cottage at 56 Ridge Rd., where she continues to practice witchcraft and cares for the dalmatians which were also part of her inheritance.  She has not given up on getting Jenny back.

*The Landgraabs have an interesting, but tragic, story.  I started with Malcolm II, his wife Marion, and his grandson Malcolm IV.  (I created Malcolm III and his wife, but killed them off immediately, as this event would have happened already.)  Malcolm IV was killed as a teen when one of his parents' ghosts scared him to death.  Malcolm II and Marion carried on for a while.  Malcolm began breeding his beloved dalmatians and opened a shop where he could sell their offspring called A Spot Above.  When Marion passed on at age 68, Malcolm was alone, but not for long.  Rainelle Neengia, gold digger extraordinaire, got her hooks into him and they were married in no time.  I'd expected that Malcolm would die rather soon after they were married, but the game had a surprise for me when Malcolm was bitten by a Grand Vamp and turned into a vampire.  Rainelle was subsequently turned as well, at which point I began to think there might be hope for the Langraab line after all, since Rainelle was young enough to provide Malcolm with a new heir.  It was at this point that I began to experience severe glitches, freezing, and crashing problems with their lot.  I tried everything I could think of, but couldn't solve the problem, so I decided to bulldoze the Landgraab mansion and start over.  I built a new mansion and moved them in.  It was fine for a little while, but then started having the same problems.  I began to feel that it must be one of them that was the problem, so I moved them in and out separately to no avail.  They became completely unplayable.  So, after much inner debate, I decided the only way out of the situation was to kill them off.  I sent them both into the sun.  I like to think of it story-wise as Malcolm found out that Rainelle only wanted him for his money and was so distraught that he took them both out in a blaze of glory.  Since they didn't have an heir or any other family, I decided that Rainelle would leave everything to her dearest friend, Mary Sue Oldie.  Since the mansion may or may not be infected with glitches, I played it safe and gave Mary Sue the money, the business, and the dogs, but moved her into her own place.  And that is how Mary Sue Oldie inherited the Landgraab fortune.

Whew!  That was a lot for one day.  See you tomorrow.  Until then, Happy Simming!

Megahood 5/20/22 (Pleasantview)

 We begin the Megahood with Pleasantview, which has been around since the dawn of The Sims.  As I mentioned, I turned back time here, beginning just after TS1.  I recreated the lots and sims that existed in TS1, sprinkled in a couple of TS2 community lots, threw in some apartments, and (with a little research on TS3, which I don't have) expanded the Broke family tree by creating some characters who were present there, but never mentioned in other Sims games.  All the other neighborhoods were rewound in the same fashion.  I've played for about 25-ish sim days now, which means some stuff has already changed.  Sims have been born, died, fallen in and out of love, become supernatural creatures, and much more.  Though I do have some general rules/guidelines in place, I mostly play to sims' wants here.  So don't blame me if your favorite sim is cheating on their spouse or being a degenerate - it's all their choice, lol.  Anyway, let's get started.

Burb:  Brad and Tiffany Burb live at 63 Gunther Goth Highway in an old farmhouse with an apple orchard out back.  Brad writes cookbooks for a living and Tiffany is a high school teacher.  Their adult son John has recently moved back home after suffering some financial difficulties while living on his own.  Good thing they kept his teenage bedroom just the same for him.  Whenever Brad is not working on his books, he's out tending the orchard or the vegetable garden.  Consequently, he recently became a plant sim, which he seems to be perfectly content with.  John has a job as a convenience store clerk, which leaves plenty of time for him to hang out with his girlfriend, Jessica Peterson.  Well, he thinks she's his girlfriend; in reality she's seeing a number of different men and it's probably only a matter of time before she breaks his heart.  In any event, they had a date recently that ended in Jessica being bitten by the Contessa.  We'll have to wait and see how she feels about that when we get to Belladonna Cove.

Oldie:  Herb Oldie lives just across the street from the Burbs at 64 Gunther Goth Highway in a small cottage with lots of rosebushes and a few apple trees.  He makes a living working as a piano tuner.  Sadly, his wife Coral was killed in a fire a while ago.  Or maybe not that sadly, given that Herb was never the faithful type.  Maybe that's why he's estranged from his only daughter Mary Sue?  Currently he's dating Melissa Smith*, though she has a live-in boyfriend, so it's probably not that serious.  He happened to run into John Burb and Jessica Peterson while they were on a date recently and was completely taken with Jessica.  He thinks she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and wants desperately to get to know her better.  He may have to take a number with that one.

*Melissa is one of the Roomies from TS1.  I read somewhere that in one of the console games Melissa and Chris had been given the surnames of Smith and Jones, so I applied that here.

That's all I've got for today.  Tomorrow we'll visit the Oak Street Trailer Park, where I rebuilt the Hick trailer from TS1, Brandi Broke's trailer from TS2, and that vacant one next to Brandi's as well.  Until then, Happy Simming!

Victorian Population Challenge 5/19/22

 Trade #2 Whitlock:  Current household members are: Liam & Chastity (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - elders), Oliver (Gen 3 Heir - adult), Erin (Gen 3 - teen), Dylan (Gen 3 - child), and Davina (Gen 3 - toddler).  Owen and Brendan moved out.  The shop is doing well and the family is plugging away at their goal of becoming Gentleman Farmers.  Incidentally, since I'm able to choose either Professional or Gentleman Farmer whenever someone ranks up from Trade, I've decided that I'll base that decision on whether that family was formerly Poor or Subsistence Farmer.  It makes sense to me that farmers would continue to want to live off the land and those who were career focused would continue to be.  Household bank balance is $4239/$100,000.

Trade #3 Stanbury:  Current household members are: Thomas & Joy (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - elders), Robert & Leila (Gen 3 Heir/Wife - adults), Mary (Gen 3 - teen), Claudia (Gen 4 - toddler), and Simon (Gen 4 - baby).  James and Sarah left home and Leila is pregnant with #3.  The textile business is booming!  So much so, in fact, that I'm considering getting a second sewing machine so that Joy and Leila can sew at the same time.  They are having a tough time keeping up with the stock for the shop.  I need to take advantage of Leila's good moods, so that she can not only help more with the stock, but also build up her badge.  Once Mary leaves home, things will get even more difficult, since they won't have anyone else to help out with the household chores and the young children.  Household bank balance is $21,255/$100,000.

Trade #4 Godwin:  Current household members are: Silas & Matilda (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - elders), Adolph (Gen 3 Heir - adult), Milo (Gen 3 - teen), and Patricia (Gen 3 - child).  Yes, the Godwins finally leveled up to Trade class!  They've opened a bakery, which at the moment, has mostly birthday and wedding cakes.  Despite being 60, Matilda only has four cooking points, so she can't make a ton of desserts yet.  She'll work on it.  Meanwhile, with Olivia Hayward now being too old to marry, and his new Trade Heir status which will only allow him to marry a Trade woman, Adolph's wife search is pretty much at a standstill.  Household bank balance is $1661/$100,000.

Trade #5 Hayward:  Current household members are: Noah & Grace (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - elders), Abraham & Amelia (Gen 3 Heir/Wife - adults), Robin (Gen 3 - teen), Camilla (Gen 3 - teen), Paula (Gen 4 - child), and Walker (Gen 4 Heir - toddler).  There is currently no room for another baby, but Robin will leave home soon.  The Haywards leveled up from Sub Farmers to Trade and opened a fishmonger/produce market.  Trade families are allowed four garden plots max, but there don't seem to be any rules against having a pond, so I gave them a small one.  Since there isn't really anything from the Buy catalog that would work for this shop, they're going to need to grow/catch everything they stock.  For now though, they're concentrating on the fish side of the operation, because Winter in coming and they won't be able to plant until Spring.  Household bank balance is $649/$100,000.

And that is it for Victoria's Peak!  It's been a whole "year" and I'm ready to move on to something else now.  I've decided that will be my Megahood, which is kind of similar to TS4 in a way (though I built this 'hood years before that game was released) because it's basically an alternate reality timeline.  I wanted a neighborhood that connected all the base 'hoods, but the twist is that I started it time-wise shortly after TS1.  I recreated all the houses, community lots, and sims from TS1 for Pleasantview, copied the houses and community lots from the other base 'hoods to their counterparts in the Megahood, and then recreated the sims who lived in those 'hoods at the age they would've been in TS1.  Consequently, anyone younger than adult at the start of TS2 does not exist in the Megahood.  I made some other adjustments to some of the characters, but I'll explain those as I go along.  Suffice it to say, for now, that we started from a point where Cassandra Goth was a teen and moved forward from there (she's been out of Uni for a little while now, if I remember correctly).  Some of the couple who are "supposed" to be together are, but most aren't.  Some of the kids who are "supposed" to be born have been, but most have not and many new ones have.  I know, it sounds complicated (and it is a little bit), but it's also a ton of fun watching all the new couples get together, move to neighborhoods they've never been in before, take unexpected jobs, and just basically have completely different lives than they once did.  Anyway, until tomorrow, Happy Simming!

Victorian Population Challenge 5/18/22

 Sub Farm #8 Hayward:  Current household members are: Julian & Esme (Gen 2 - adults), Saul (Gen 3 Heir - adult), Dana (Gen 3 - teen), Julia (Gen 3 - child), Marla (Gen 3 - child), Leo (Gen 3 - toddler), and Travis (Gen 3 - baby).  There's no room for another baby at the moment, but as soon as Dana leaves the nest, they'll get straight to work on that.  Between the harvest, Dana's teen job, and Esme's flowers, their finances are a little healthier, though still tight.  Esme will use her small window of not being pregnant to really step up the flower production.  Household bank balance is $1884/$50,000.

Sub Farm #9 Whitlock:  Current household members are: Conrad & Claudia (Gen 2 - adults), Henry (Gen 3 Heir - child), Virginia (Gen 3 - child), Isaac (Gen 3 - toddler), and Graham (Gen 3 - baby).  Claudia is pregnant with baby #5.  This family continues to struggle to keep their heads above water.  The harvest allowed for the purchase of a flower bench, as well as enough beds for the children, but money is still an issue.  Heading into Winter, they'll be relying solely on flower income.  Household bank balance is $186/$50,000.

Sub Farm #10 Godwin:  Current household members are: Lee & Bess (Gen 2 - adults), Susan (Gen 3 - child), Jesse (Gen 3 Heir - toddler), and Amada (Gen 3 - baby).  Bess is pregnant for the fourth time.  They weren't able to afford those fruit trees, but they did get some furnishings for the house.  They don't have much cash heading into Winter, so that's a concern.  They should be okay food-wise, however, because Lee has stocked a number of fish.  Household bank balance is $307/$50,000.

Trade #1 Hopkins:  Current household members are:  Nathaniel & Johanna (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - elders), Andrew (Gen 3 Heir - teen), Hannah (Gen 3 - child), Cecilia (Gen 3 - child), Zachary (Gen 3 - child), and Wesley (Gen 3 - child).  Elsa moved out.  Not much to report here except for the fact that Nathaniel has apparently gone senile, because he lost all memory of Johanna.  She still knew him, but he didn't even have her in his panel.  As of now, they've "met" again and he now realizes they're married, but their relationship score is extremely low.  So that's fun.  Luckily, he still remembers all his children.  Johanna is a real trooper on the flower bench, earning a significant amount of cash on a daily basis.  Household bank balance is $80,068/$100,000.

Happy Simming!

Victorian Population Challenge 5/17/22

 Sub Farm #5 Godwin:  Current household members are: Emory & Caroline (Gen 2 - elders), Hardy (Gen 3 Heir - adult), Willis (Gen 3 - teen), Daniella (Gen 3 - child), Jasper (Gen 3 - child), and Eli (Gen 3 - toddler).  Joan moved out.  Without Joan around, Caroline has to be in charge of all the cooking, cleaning, and childcare, which leaves little time for toymaking.  She did, however, manage to get in enough time to earn her silver badge.  The guys have been pretty bored though.  With the harvest finished, all that's left to do is fertilize in preparation for Spring planting, which they're doing little by little as they have compost.  They won't be leveling up anytime soon, but they're definitely making headway.  Household bank balance is $10,189/$50,000.

Sub Farm #6 Hayward:  Current household members are: Curtis & Charlotte (Gen 2 - adults), River (Gen 3 Heir - teen), Oliver (Gen 3 - teen), Albert (Gen 3 - child), Abigail (Gen 3 - toddler), and Harriet (Gen 3 - toddler).  Justine and Ruby left home and Charlotte is too old to bear any more children.  Charlotte has continued to crank out amphorae, now that she's no longer cranking out babies, and has added quite a sum to the household funds.  Oliver holds the only teen job, since River is not allowed to have one.  Apart from that, the "men" of the house spend as much time fishing as possible to bring in that extra cash.  Household bank balance is $26,940/$50,000.

Sub Farm #7 Godwin:  Current household members are: Finn & Violet (Gen 2 - adults), Declan (Gen 3 - adult), Hazel (Gen 3 - teen), Maureen (Gen 3 - teen), Duncan (Gen 3 - child), and Ross (Gen 3 - child).  Greta moved out and Violet is expecting baby #7.  Both Hazel and Maureen now have teen jobs and Violet has a silver sewing badge, so she can make quilts which are quite profitable.  Still no wife for Declan though.  I'm going to need to make some changes in that area, since I now have so many singles living in the group homes and so few actually connecting with one another and forming new households.  Anyway, household bank balance is $6404/$50,000.

Happy Simming!

Victorian Population Challenge 5/16/22

 Poor #4 Hopkins:  Current household members are: Henry & Alice (Gen 2 - elders), Herman (Gen 3 Heir), Derek (Gen 3 - teen), and Olive (Gen 3 - child).  Julian nearly made it out of the house but went up in flames one day before he would have moved out.  RIP Julian.  We almost lost Derek as well, after he caught fire, not once, but twice.  The first time, his father was able to put him out and the second his mother made a successful plea for his life.  This house seems determined to take out all the younger members of the family.  As you can see, Olive did finally grow up and I'll be moving her out a couple days early to make up for it (provided she survives that long).  Herman has yet to have any luck with finding a wife, which it probably just as well, because I'd hate to sentence some poor young woman to this fate.  I'm hoping the issue will get corrected once they level up and then it'll be safe for an incoming bride.  Household bank balance is $37,612/$50,000.

Sub Farm #1 Hayward:  Current household members are: Ezra & Addie (Gen 3 - adults).  Addie is pregnant for the first of many times.  These two are just starting out on the very farm where Addie was born and has lived for most of her life.  While she was living in the girls' home, her family leveled up and moved to a Trade house, leaving the family farm vacant.  Now Ezra and Addie will carry on farming the land that her father and grandfather farmed.  Household bank balance is $95/$50,000.

Sub Farm #2 Godwin:  Current household members are: Oliver & Louise (Gen 2 - adults), Quentin (Gen 3 Heir - adult), Annabelle (Gen 3 - teen), Cordelia (Gen 3 - teen), Melissa (Gen 3 - child), Luke (Gen 3 - toddler), and Austin (Gen 3 - baby).  Charlotte and Elizabeth moved out and by the time Annabelle leaves home, it's iffy whether or not Louise will be able to have another baby.  It does look like they'll be leveling up soon, however, thanks to Louise's tireless work on the sewing machine.  Household bank balance is $47,447/$50,000.

Sub Farm #3 Vacant:  The Haywards moved up to Trade.

Sub Farm #4 Hayward:  Current household members are:  Levi (Gen 2 - elder), James (Gen 3 Heir - adult), Juliet (Gen 3 - teen), and Seth (Gen 3 - child).  Caleb moved out.  Juliet is bringing in a little money from her teen job and they've been able to sell some fruit and fish, but they're nowhere near ranking up.  Hopefully, James will get married in the near future, so that they can resume their pottery income.  Household bank balance is $8589/$50,000.

Happy Simming!

Victorian Population Challenge 5/15/22

 Finally, the end of Fall is in sight!  It's been a long season, y'all.

Poor #1 Stanbury:  Current household members are: Raymond & Marie (Gen 2 adult/elder), Ginevra (Gen 3 - teen), Norman (Gen 3 Heir - teen), Matthew (Gen 3 - child), and Sophie (Gen 3 - child).  With all the kids in school all day, Marie is able to devote a significant amount of time to making pottery.  She now has a silver badge.  Both teens are also working to help out.  Still, they probably won't rank up before Raymond and Marie pass on.  Maybe during Norman's tenure.  Household bank balance is $2925/$50,000.

Poor #2 Vacant

Poor #3 Baldwin:  Current household members are: Hart & Josie (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - elder/adult), August (Gen 3 Heir - teen), Honey (Gen 3 - child), Bree (Gen 3 - child), and Thomas (Gen 3 - toddler).  Lucy moved out and Josie will deliver baby #6 any moment.  Hart had two days off at the end of the season, allowing him to finally get everything he needs for that promotion.  Fingers crossed he gets it upon returning to work.  Josie continues to make pottery and August is holding down a part-time job as well.  Household bank balance is $41,105/$50,000.

Happy Simming!