Sunday 29 June 2014

Round 1: Jenkins

1st Spring, Years 1-6

Alku

Inhabitants:

Moira Jenkins: Elder Fortune, LTW: Become a Business Tycoon - Libra
James Jenkins: Teen Romance, LTW: Have 20 Simultaneous Lovers - Aquarius

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1
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James Jenkins arrives to her grandmother's house one crisp Monday morning. He has lost his only parent, his mother Ellen Jenkins, thus needing a place to stay. And what a better place to go to than to her grandmother's, who has just moved to a recently established neighbourhood, and is seeking for companionship. Though the atmosphere is somewhat awkward at first, as they really don't know each other that well, Moira welcomes her only grandson wholeheartedly to her house.


3
To seem like a proper granny, Moira decides to bake some pastries for James even though she doesn't have too much experience in making them. But how hard can it possibly be?


4
Apparently too hard for her: the oven catches fire and James comes running in to see what's making the smoke detector and Moira yell like crazy. At least Moira is able to stay positive and think that any experience is good experience.


5
Fortunately nothing bad has time to happen before the firefighter arrives and extinguishes the fire. Even the oven stays unharmed and functional despite it being completely surrounded by fire.

6
However, the pastries didn't fare so well, and look more like coal than something you would consider edible. Moira feels like she has failed as a grandmother: she can't even cook some darn pastries!


7
James escapes Moira's moaning and goes out to greet the garden club lady, Titta Turhama, who rang their doorbell hoping to get some new members, even though it's quite obvious that their lot is too small for a garden required for the membership.

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Titta Turhama isn't the only one to stop by: a rather unusual sim called Rod Humble comes by just to give The Jenkinses a computer and leave. But James and Moira don't complain as they couldn't have afforded a computer of their own any time soon.
They immediately use it to try and find jobs - they only have a few hundred simoleons on their bank account, so money is more than needed - and even succeed in it. James finds a job in the Slacker career as a Golf Caddy, and while Moira doesn't find a job in her dream career Business, she is able to take a job as a Yearbook Club Supervisor in the Journalism Career, which isn't too bad of an alternative. Let the simoleons start rolling in! Moira starts promptly spending the money, as if they already had some, by purchasing an expensive carpet thus fulfilling her wish, which leaves them only 32 simoleons. But she doesn't care: they have jobs now! A Fortune sim she is..

10
Though no one in the household is interested in joining the garden club, Titta decides to invite herself in as if she lived there. What kind of a guest starts painting on somebody else's easel?

11
Soon more neighbours, such as Marshall Upton here, and Howie Busto with Mama J Yessam in the background, visit the lot in hopes of meeting the other newcomers. James takes care of the greeting hoping to meet some good looking chicks, but is a bit disappointed to notice that the welcome wagon consists only of elders.

12
Not to be rude, he starts chatting with Marshall Upton. They discuss the growing neighbourhood for a while..

13
Until the Romance teen goes to his favourite subject - woohoo. He has yet to experience it himself (and will have to wait until he's a young adult to start!) but looks like he's bragging already. James is also more of a shy type, so it is just strange that he would start talking about woohoo with an old man. Maybe he's asking for tips.. Well, at least Marshall seems to agree with what ever James is saying!

14
Moira finally finds the time to greet the guests herself, and what better place to do it than on her brand new carpet!

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It doesn't take long for her to find out that they have a lot in common with Marshall, both Fortune sims and living with their grandchild after the sudden death of their own child. They get along well, and Moira finds him to be rather an attractive man - he's 2 bolts hot.

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When Titta has finally the decency to leave the easel so that Moira could go and paint with her easel, the guests, other than Marshall, find nothing else to do but watch the old man sit on the sofa.

20
James, scared that Moira might set whole house on fire if he let her, decides to take care of food from now on, at least for a while, and makes some sandwiches for all. 

21
The guests have finally stopped staring at each other and started socialising, but they don't seem to get along that well. First, Mama J tells a bad joke that upsets Marshall and makes her look like she wished the ground would swallow her up.

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And when Marshall tries to have a conversation with Howie Busto, he makes it very clear that he couldn't care less about what he's saying.

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Moira gets to escape the bad atmosphere of her house when a stranger, Jami Pekuri, asks her on an outing. The outgoing sim she is, she can't resist the invitation and heads downtown to an bowling alley with a bunch of other sims.

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Before heading inside with the group she starts a conversation about the downtown's great public transport with a teenager wearing almost the exact same outfit as James. And we see that this is an outing for all ages - even a little kid has been invited to join.

27
Even if it is an bowling alley, most of the people head straight to play some billiard. Too bad that there's only one table and all can't play at the same time. Moira starts to wonder if it was such a good idea to go on the outing after all.

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Fortunately, the guy, Jami Pekuri, who invited her in the first place turns out to be quite attractive (2 bolts), and after chatting him up for a while, Moira starts to long for a date with him.

31
So a date it is. Moira isn't the one to feel unsure of herself, and promptly asks Jami to go on a date with her, who eagerly agrees.

32
Moira has never been bowling before, and since they are at the bowling alley, she can't resist trying. Well, let's just say that it was very clear that she was a beginner. Unlike Mrs. Kurjenkaula (who is also known as Mrs. Crumplebottom) back there, who gets strikes one after another like it was the easiest thing in the world. Who knew that she had secret talents like that.

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Luckily Moira fares better in the charming department and they have mutual crushes in no time, afterwards dancing the night away. Moira has surely got Jami under her spell, and he can't take his eyes out of her.

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Even the presence of Countess Airas can't get Jami to take his eyes off of Moira, though she herself is a bit worried - she isn't keen on staying old forever!

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The Countess doesn't stay for long, and the date gets to continue with the same pace, if not even more passionately. They even share a little kiss goodbye before Moira ends the date exhausted and feeling little guilty for leaving James alone at home with all the elderly guests.

28
While waiting for the taxi to come, Moira lounges on a comfy sofa, and is stared at by the little kid that was also attending the outing. It couldn't have been very nice for him, though, because whenever he tried to get the others to play with him, they just turned him down. Poor kid.

24
At home the guests are doing something constructive for a change. Somebody had kicked over the trashcan, and Titta together with Howie lifted it up and cleaned the litter from the ground.

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Inside James is playing the role of the host and doing quite well in it. He even puts the empty plates in the dishwasher without somebody having to tell him to do that. Guess it makes you somewhat more mature when you lose your parent and become an orphan.

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He even gets to continue the conversation that he started earlier in the morning with Marshall, talking about love and such.

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But a teenager can take a house full of elderly people only for so long, and when it is late enough, he politely bids farewell to them all.

41
Little by little, James is starting to get used to his new life with his grandmother, but in the evening, alone in his room that consists only of his bed, he can't help but to feel lonely.

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Meanwhile Moira is doing quite well, and even better when she finds out that Jami has left her a beautiful mirror as a gift along with a rose, to thank her for their wonderful date.

43
Tuesday morning Moira has a sudden urge to hug her grandson, as if she had known how he was feeling the night before. They have already grew closer and consider each other a friend now.

44
James admires a picture of a beautiful scenery before the school bus arrives to boost his fun, also discovering that his OTH is Arts and Crafts. Guess there is something similar between him and his grandmother after all. (As a side note, I must say that it's ridiculously easy to get sims' fun up by simply making them watch artwork and then cancelling the task as soon as the sim starts it - it doesn't take more than a couple of sim minutes to do and it gives a big boost to the fun meter. Really, nowadays I rarely use any other way to get the fun up.)

46
Moira's work starts the same hour as James' school day, so they get to leave at the same time. The only difference is that Moira's work days last longer and she is more enthusiastic about going than James is.

47
After school, just as James is leaving again, this time to go to work, Sulho Verho comes and kicks their trashcan down. And they don't even know this guy! You'd think that a grown up would have something else to do with his life than to kick other people's trashcans during the day. I have a feeling that this isn't his first visit..

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Because James needs to get to work, he doesn't have time to clean up after the trashcan kicking idiot, and has to leave the mess behind.

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When Moira comes back home, the mess is still there waiting to be cleaned, and even though she isn't the cleanest of sims, she still can't stand looking at the kicked down trashcan and a pile of litter on the ground. It leaves her no other choice than to lift the trashcan back up and clean up the pile of garbage, frustrated. 

50
Luckily for her, Marshall, her dear friend, decides to come over, and she greets him warmly. It gets Moira thinking that though this neighbourhood may have its downsides in the form of trashcan-kickers, it is still a better place to live than where she came from.

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And her enjoying her life in this neighbourhood might have something to do with Marshall.. They have had a bit of a fling going on.

53
Though the attraction is definitely there, they still consider each other just a friend and haven't been doing anything more than a bit of an innocent flirting.

54
In the meantime, James, who has just arrived home from work, feels that he is so close to having the money to buy a cellphone. He only needs a couple of simoleons more, and tries his hand at finding something valuable enough to sell by digging the ground. And success! He finds a horse statue worth 220 simoleons, way more than what he originally needed.

55
Unfortunately, before James is allowed to go out to buy his cellphone, Moira strictly informs him that he needs to do his homework first. However, it doesn't take James long to do them when he has not only Moira, but also Marshall helping.

59
James heads to Inter@ctive where he first buys his cellphone.

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But what do you do with a cellphone if you have no one to call to? James decides to take care of that too, and greets a nice looking girl named Melodi Ratakka (I think it was Melody Tinker in English?), but soon finds out that they have little in common, and she really isn't that attractive up close, in fact, they have a crossed over bolt.

60
Failing miserably at the girls department, James joins the company of some older women watching the TV. They get into a conversation about the low rates of criminality in the neighbourhood and discuss its reasons for a while, until James starts to feel uncomfortable thinking about the theft he had to experience - the worst kind.

61
Feeling restless, James decides to pay the Weeping Widow's Graveyard a visit, the place where his mother is buried. All the talk about stealing got him thinking about how his mother was stolen from him, leaving him all alone. Really, her death was nobody's fault, she just died from a mysterious illness, but that didn't ease the pain of losing her.

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To make himself feel better, he cries at her mother's grave for a while, until other people start coming to the graveyard. After all, he can't be seen weeping like a little child - what would all the girls think of him then?!

63
Before he has time to leave the graveyard, Jokke Jankkari comes to chat him up, and they discuss about - surprise surprise - kissing. Soon James will know all that there is to know about romancing, but he doesn't seem to get around actually putting the theory into practise.

56
Meanwhile, James out of the house, Marshall and Moira keep flirting with each other.

57
Though Moira still sees him only as a friend, Marshall can't help noticing how wonderful of a woman Moira actually is, and develops a crush on her, gazing at her lovingly for the rest of the night.

65
When James finally comes home, he's starving. But still, after all this time, he feels uncertain about Moira's cooking skills, and once again takes up the task of preparing the meal for all.

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All three of them sit at the table for dinner like a little family, though Moira couldn't care less about her table manners.

67
Still looking for his dream job, Moira goes through the ads every evening. This time, she's lucky enough to find a position as a Mailroom Technician in the Business career. She understands that it's not much, but if she tries hard enough, she might just make it to the top.

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Feeling confident, Moira tackles the tub that has been leaking for quite some time now, and, lo and behold, even manages to fix it! And you never know when being handy might come in handy..

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James has grown an interest in Films and Literature, and by waking up early every morning he is usually able to squeeze in some time to watch a short movie before the school bus arrives.

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Sometimes, like today, he also finds the time to study skills before school, this time concentrating on mechanics. He even gets a skill point, thus having all the skills required for a promotion at work. He really isn't planning on staying as a Golf Caddy all through his teen years.

70
After school, when James is already heading to work, Marshall walks by as per usual. Unfortunately for him, he needs to wait for Moira to arrive for two more hours if he longs to see her.

71
Apparently Marshall is a patient man, still standing in front of the house when Moira arrives home from work, promoted to an Executive Assistant on her first day, even after the incident with her bossy colleague that caused her to lose some Arts and Crafts enthusiasm.

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Moira's day gets even better when Marshall takes the time to congratulate her for her promotion with a big, warm hug.

73
Upon coming inside the house the phone starts ringing. It's Jami Pekuri, the man Moira went out on a date once, asking her to come downtown for a redo. She politely turns the invitation down - she really doesn't have the money to dine in a fancy restaurant.

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At least not after she bought a car with the bonus from her promotion, leaving the bank account rather empty.

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Of course, she may have some other reasons, too..

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...

76
The early morning studying really paid off for James: he's awarded with a promotion to a Gas Station Attendant. In addition, today at work his boss was so happy after sealing a great deal that he decided to give him a generous tip of 50 simoleons for doing absolutely nothing. It is a great day for James.

80
With two sloppy sims living together, it was bound to get messy at some point. One morning when going to the bathroom to use the toilet, James can't take the mess anymore, and has to grab the toilet brush. And it was about the time too, I mean, just look at that toilet!

81
That morning Moira doesn't have the time to worry about filthy toilets: she's too excited to be wearing his brand new work uniform. Even the rain can't dampen her enthusiasm, though I think it would be more or less impossible - we're talking about a woman who wishes to go to work every morning as soon as she wakes up!

82
The rain goes probably unnoticed by James, too, since he was finally able to get a 10 on his report card after a lot of hard work and devotion to schoolwork. Sadly enough, there was no one home to cheer for him, but it didn't seem to bother him the slightest.

83
The phone is ringing again, and this time it's James to answer it. He looks rather surprised to hear a young sounding man asking after her grandmother, and he quickly blurts out that she isn't available at the moment and hangs up.

84
The sink is broken again, and James is the one to try and fix it this time. Moira wished to hire a repairman since it broke so quickly after she fixed it earlier, but they really don't have that much money to be able to afford for something to be done for them when they could quite easily do it themselves.

85
After fixing the sink James realises that he has become a tame little helper for her grandmother, setting aside his real aspiration. A sudden wave of insecurity flushes over him, and he feels he needs to get back in the game and wishes to practise charming, the art which he feels he has lost.

86
Both Moira and James have all the time in the world to practise different skills since they don't have to go to work that day. Moira even finds the time to finish her painting of an alien abduction, which she then hangs on the bare walls of James' room. She really wishes that they could afford finer things, such as a piano, but alas, they just don't have the money. Yet.

87
When paying the bills, Moira starts thinking about his grandson, and how good of a boy he has been, helping her with the housework, and even succeeding in school though he has had a rough time after losing his mother. She feels lucky to have a fine grandchild like James, and that they have fared so well in their new home, and new life, really.

88
To show her appreciation, Moira decides to b the one to prepare the dinner for once, since she hasn't been doing any cooking after the fire on the first day. And on Thursday, year 4, Moira is able to cook a proper dinner of macaroni and cheese without burning it.

89
The next morning James, full of confidence after practising his charming skills until the wee hours of the morning, runs out to greet the paper delivery girl. He doesn't even have the time to change to his everyday clothes, which doesn't seem to bother the girl.

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The girl, Aamu Mäkinen, (Aamu btw means morning. We have actually quite a lot of names taken from nature here in Finland) isn't the hottest of all - they only have one bolt - but they do seem to get along quite well regardless, talking about rockets and other vehicles until the school bus arrives.

91
That day Marshall walks by the house again, but is most likely discouraged by the rain and doesn't feel like waiting for Moira to come back home from work. Maybe he should just phone and ask her first if she's home. Just a thought.

92
Moira is really on a roll here: her second promotion on her second day of work! She works now as a Field Sales Representative.

93
I'm starting to see a pattern here.. Once again, Jami Pekuri calls after Moira gets home from work, and somehow they get into a conversation about kissing. Soon enough he asks her out on a date, again, and then she turns down the invitation, again. It's starting to look like Jami might have an obsession with Moira.

94
This time there's no promotion for James, even though he has all the necessary skills. He's informed that he needs to have more connections, i.e. friends, and though James doesn't really understand how him having more friends is going to get him out of that gas station, he won't argue. Luckily for him, Moira has decided that today is the day they are going to go to the Public Lake, to wind off as a reward for their hard work.

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Even though it's already late, there are some people at the lake enjoying the last day of spring. There's also one teen, and a girl at that, which gives James a chance to practise his skills of wooing the ladies a bit more.

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Even if James doesn't find Taika Laakso (Taika means magic, and Laakso a valley. It sounds completely normal in Finnish, but if a person would be named Magic Valley, well.. :D) completely unattractive, there just isn't any sparks between them. So they end up speaking of the most mundane topic - school.

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Marshall, who visited their house earlier the day when no one was there, is found at the lake, too. Moira is feeling more romantic than usual and wishes to go on a date, so she asks Marshall to be her date. He more than happily agrees.

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During their date they become best friends, even when Titta Turhama, the rude guest, tries to upset Moira.

100
Fortunately there's plenty of space at the lake and Titta is soon forgotten. While slow dancing under the starry sky, they can only see each other - and then Moira feels it too. A little fuzzy feeling behind her chest, when she looks into Marshall's eyes.

102
It isn't going so well for the Romance teen - James is found fishing with Alexandria Potts, the woman with five little children. Well, at least he has some company and doesn't have to be all alone. (And I build them a beautiful little platform where they could fish, and what do they do? Fish in some dark corner..)

103
I don't know if it is something in spring that makes sims get all lovey dovey, but it has certainly got Moira and Marshall fall for each other. They really couldn't care less what other people think about their passionate kissing in public, though Hilda Schurzenjager on the right does seem a bit shocked.

104
In the heat of the moment Moira wishes for nothing more than to get naked with Marshall, no matter what the place. It's a big disappointment for all (including me) when the woohoo in the tent isn't possible after all..

105
Moira has to end her date and head back home before James collapses from exhaustion into the lake, and just wish that she has time to fulfil that wish of hers when summer comes. At least it's very clear that Marshall is in for it too considering the size of the bouquet of roses he left on Moira's porch in the dead of the night. And maybe the failed Romance teen James will get some action then, too.

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Whew, the first chapter is finally out! It took me ages to figure out how to get blogger from ruining the quality of the photos, but I found a solution and am really pleased with it. (:
I wonder if the amount of pictures is fine for the duration of five days? I know that it says that it's the years 1-6, but I stop playing when it's 6.00am on the sixth day, so that the season has time to change.

I guess i should also mention that I have a mod that enables elders to have the same jobs as adults, because I find it to be quite stupid that the elders wouldn't be able to reach the top of the career. I do understand that the mod could be considered a cheat, so if an elder happened to reach the top of their career, I won't give myself any points for that.
Oh yeah, and I created a mother for James and then killed her off, because Moira didn't show up in the family tree of James and vice versa, even though they showed up as relatives in the relationship panels. But now it's fixed, and they are happily related also in the family tree. (:

All in all I found this family to be quite nice to play, even though James really was a failure of a Romance sim. Even Moira would be a better Romance sim than him!

Hopefully you liked the update, and feel free to comment your thoughts on it. (:

6 comments:

  1. Poor James! His granny is getting more action than he is. Maybe James would find boys more attractive than the girls?

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    1. James should be straight, but just haven't met any girls that he would find really attractive. On the other hand, he haven't even met that many girls yet. :D Hopefully the next season will be a bit more eventful for him.

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  2. Nice update! The amount of Pictures for each update is totally up to you, of course! I liked that it gave us an insight in the everyday life of these two. And fun to know what the Finnish names mean. I'll put them in my knowledge bank of about 100 random Finnish words ;)

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    Replies
    1. Good to hear (: I was just wondering about the pictures because there are like 100 of them in this update, and the other Prosperity challenges that I have read don't usually have that many pictures in each update, so I guess I thought that some of you might be overwhelmed by the amount of them, or something :D
      Fun to hear that you already know some Finnish words!

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  3. Very nice! :) I agree about the Finnish names, always great to see our favorite characters done in a tongue foreign to English.

    ~ASimWen

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