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#76
5th Jan 2018 at 9:52 PM
Posts: 1,794
Amar's Clothing & Instruments
Hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I've started 2018 by purchasing The Sims 3 on Steam. Don't worry—I won't leave The Sims 2 and this thread to gather dust. Once school starts both games will be of equally low priority anyways... hehe.Anyways, I only have one non-premade family left to cover in this hood, but I feel like I've neglected the lots a little. So, why don't we resume our tour of Amar's magnificent owned businesses? Mr. Capitalism, here we come!
Quote:
Buy the finest clothes that Amar the Servo can offer! Or, feel free to take a trip upstairs to buy a selection of musical instruments, because, you know, Amar's REALLY into music! |
Founded alongside Amar's Restaurant, Amar originally wanted to set up a car dealership here. That vision fell flat for two reasons: 1) Most Sims in SimVille lived in apartments that lacked garages, so cars were useless to them; and 2) Most Sims in SimVille got around on foot, or by taking public transit. By the time Amar realized this, the building had already been constructed, and it looked too good to see the bulldozer. Amar decided on selling expensive stuff here, and what attracts more customers than expensive clothing, musical instruments, and even aspiration rewards... sold at "agreeable" prices?
What intrigued a lot of Sims is how this magnificently expensive shop was built near where the poorest Sims in SimVille lived; just a few steps down is The Grey Lofts! The inventory has sent Sims from all over the county rushing over to SimVille to get their hands on these special items before they run out of stock, paying no attention to the poverty around them. They've tunnel visioned onto this expensive shop... and maybe the restaurant and the beach next door as well, which do enough to satisfy visiting Sims for a day before the drive home. Many aren't too pleased with Amar's Clothing & Instruments, whose presence has done nothing to alleviate the situations of those living nearby.
First floor
Amar's Clothing & Instruments is of an elevated loft design, similar to the house the Newbies live in. Visitors to the building must ascend one flight of stairs to reach the main entrance.
There's nothing much on the ground floor, save for a swimming pool.
The pool has diving boards and ladders, so guests are technically free to use it. However, in practice, this pool is mostly for decoration. Why have a "natural" pond filled with lily pads and weeds and frogs when you can have a nice, clean, chlorinated swimming pool?
On the rare occasion that one does decide to take a dip, there's a set of stairs leading directly up to the second floor from the pool deck.
Second floor
Climb up the stairs to enter the actual store, where things are actually sold, and where it is actually air conditioned.
Marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and stuff taken straight out of H&M stores greet visitors, reminding them that this place was not cheap to build and furnish.
Despite the name, clothing sales make up a very small percentage of the profits here. Nevertheless, H&M clothing racks are the first thing you'll see. Amar also sells video games, magazines, and even the Simslice food replicator I got off the Booty. There are no butlers in SimVille; who needs one when you can either get a Servo or prepare mouthwatering dishes with the food replicator? And the maid... why not keep them employed?
Of course, there are changing booths available for those who want to try before they buy.
Amar's Clothing & Instruments is no ordinary store, though. For one, there are expensive sofas that aren't marked for sale... Yes, you're welcome to have a seat and linger here for a bit! Here we also see a bit of what makes this Amar's most lucrative business: aspiration rewards! On display are some money trees and Smart Milk dispensers. Amar gets his aspiration rewards from a totally legitimate dealer, but these things sell out fast! As these cannot be restocked by employees, Amar himself has to move aspiration rewards out of his inventory to restock the shelves. If you drop by the store and find that your desired aspiration reward isn't available, just wait for Amar to get around to restocking them.
Amar's Clothing & Instruments also sells vacation souvenirs. I have a mod that fully enables vacation souvenir racks in owned businesses, so it's possible for Amar to sell these fancy imported goods right here at home. No need to go abroad to get your hands on these overpriced tourist items! Island, Mountain, and Far East souvenirs are all here, available under the same roof.
Third floor
The third floor is where all the really expensive stuff is located.
Noodlesoothers and Thinking Caps are sold here on these shelves. Amar also sells the ReNuYu Porta-Chug for those who need a change in chemistry. A limited number of Servos are also sold at this location (Yes, Servos selling Servos. Makes sense, huh?), which are mostly picked up by wealthy Sims from other cities and towns. Most Sims in SimVille can't afford to buy Servos of their own. The trainset in the foreground is also available for purchase.
Amar's love for music doesn't have to be limited to The Servo Band! Knowing how musical instruments can be hard to come by for poorer Sims, Amar frequently sells them at this store for a reduced price! Shown here is a guitar, a bass, a violin, a drumkit, and a microphone for singing and stand-up comedy.
Amar also offers a small selection of other expensive items that take up living space in your crowded box condo apartment, like a dance sphere, a DJ booth, some pianos, and some exercise machines. Cool Shades and the famed Elixir of Life are sold up here as well. If you need help getting all of this stuff home, just ask an employee and Amar's team of elite couriers will be happy to help! ...Or you could just stick it into your pocket like it goes after purchase anyways.
Fourth floor
The fourth floor doesn't have any merchandise to sell, and is mostly for employees to rest in. However, there's a section open to customers.
There's a nice sitting area with couches for exhausted customers that just want to sit and chat.
Two vending machines are available for light refreshments.
The public bathrooms are on this floor as well.
The employee break room is up here, and it's nothing fancy; a room littered with debugging objects and appliances for preparing simple meals. There's a table with chairs and two showers for employees to use.
And a couch to sit on, apparently.
Conclusion
Amar obviously likes this lot a lot because it racks in a ton of cash for the Newbies. He has a manager assigned to mind the store, so he's able to keep ringing in the money without having to physically poke his head through the door. While rich Sims certainly appreciate the investment, poorer Sims around the vicinity of the store aren't too happy with this symbol of capitalism in their backyard. Indeed, the store reminds them that, as much as the Newbies like to befriend people around the hood, regardless of their social status, they still very much prefer the company of their rich buddies over actually making a difference in a poorer Sim's life. Everyone in the Newbie family is on board with the status quo... except Evan, perhaps.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more!
(Noticing larger screenshots now? I installed the No Pause Frame mod that gets rid of the annoying red frame entirely, allowing for larger, beautiful screenshots that are all of consistent size!)
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#77
5th Jan 2018 at 10:01 PM
*Gasp* I totally adore this lot! *simsample steals ideas gains inspiration* :lovestruc
Great idea to sell aspiration rewards, and i like that there's a bit of everything in this department store.
Great idea to sell aspiration rewards, and i like that there's a bit of everything in this department store.
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#78
5th Jan 2018 at 10:51 PM
Posts: 1,897
Really good pictures of the store and I like your descriptions of each level.
The clothing racks look different than the standard ones, where did you get them?
I like the layout of the store.
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.
The clothing racks look different than the standard ones, where did you get them?
I like the layout of the store.
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.
#79
6th Jan 2018 at 6:08 PM
Posts: 1,794
Quote: Originally posted by lordtyger9
The clothing racks look different than the standard ones, where did you get them? |
Those clothing racks came from H&M Stuff, and they work well in player-owned clothing stores. Be sure to get Lord Darcy's mod that fixes these clothing racks if you're going to use them, though, since EA apparently forgot to include the empty state mesh for them.
Field Researcher
#80
8th Jan 2018 at 9:58 PM
Posts: 319
This is perhaps Amar's most inspired business. It has something to appeal to every kind of wealthy patron. It is a bit of a shame that no one has noticed the neighborhood or considered what they might do to help.
#81
9th Jan 2018 at 6:37 AM
Posts: 1,897
Quote: Originally posted by k6ka
Those clothing racks came from H&M Stuff, and they work well in player-owned clothing stores. Be sure to get Lord Darcy's mod that fixes these clothing racks if you're going to use them, though, since EA apparently forgot to include the empty state mesh for them. |
Well they are quite nice, but I can't use them as H&M Stuff is PC only. I blame EA.
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.
#82
26th Jan 2018 at 1:13 AM
Last edited by k6ka : 16th Mar 2018 at 2:15 PM.
Reason: fixed replacement characters that were supposed to be em dashes
Posts: 1,794
The McGregors – Large Families Galore!
Here we go, the last non-premade family in SimVille! The heat of the school semester is on and I'm battling with my schedule to find time to do the things I want to do. But between working, attending lectures, commuting, and wishing I wasn't procrastinating on work, perhaps I'll dabble with my SimVille fanon some more.So, here comes a family that, like many others, initially started off with little to no background. The main purpose of this family was to see how I could manage a large 7 Sim family in an apartment. A noble challenge, yes, but I cheated a little too often by turning free will off. Okay, maybe I cheated a lot... maxMotives came in real handy here! Still, while I seem rarely inclined to play with the McGregors these days, when I do they remind me of the challenges that large families–both in the virtual and the real worlds–face.
Quote:
The McGregors have one huge family! Being crammed into one apartment causes some chaos though. Can they get through the ups and downs of large family life? |
Despite their large size, the McGregor matriarchs and patriarchs are both family Sims, and having a huge family is what they've always dreamed of. They also have one thing going for them: Sim kids don't spam their parents with nearly as many attention-seeking requests as real life kids do; that burden goes on you, the player! As someone who's worked with kids before, I can tell you that they sure can tire you out. With a family the size of the McGregors, most parents would probably reconsider even congratulating people with children, but the McGregors get along just fine... mostly because all of the tiring burden gets placed on me. But hey, "cast your burdens on the Lord", right?[1] If I'm the "God" of my Sims, then surely they rightfully depend on me!
The Sims
Sherman McGregor
Quote:
So many kids, so little time. When Sherman's not dealing with children, he's sleeping. |
It's not uncommon to see school teachers having kids of their own, and goodness, how tired they must be! Sherman works as a Teacher's Aide in the Education career, but he may as well be a classroom slave. Dodging spitballs, wiping the chalkboard between lessons, getting gum off the bottom of desks... surely this has nothing to do with teaching! But Sherman's eyeing a proper, permanent teaching position, and he's going to have to climb up the ladder from the bottom. And at least he gets access to the teacher's lounge, where there's almost always a supply of cookies and cakes for him to delight on, away from the prying eyes of the students. Bingo!
At home, Sherman doesn't have a luxurious lounge with a fridge filled with sweets for him to hide in, but he definitely prefers being around his own kids. Once he gets all of his young'uns to bed, he can hit the hay himself... something he's not allowed to do at work.
Alyssa McGregor
Quote:
Alyssa's a member of the Parents For Better Children Council in SimVille. She advocates for more public playgrounds and parks, which is difficult given SimVille's geography. |
Thought working with children was bad? How about adults that behave like children?! Alyssa currently works as a fast food shift manager, and boy oh boy, the rowdy teenagers driving a remote controlled car into the drive thru was nothing compared to the fifty year old thickhead that smashed the drive thru window with her car keys when she got pissed off over being unable to order a breakfast meal in the evening! Alyssa's eyeing a promotion to Prep Cook, though, which has the same hours as school hours. She hopes that this will let her spend more time with her kids instead of being stuck at work. As for her current position... hey, at least she gets free meals!
When she's not working, she's at home spending time with her family. Alyssa wants to take the McGregors out on a nice, well-deserved vacation from the humdrum of life. The slap dance, originally brought over to SimVille by the Urbans, has definitely been making its rounds around SimVille, and of course Alyssa picked up on it! She's planning a vacation to Three Lakes to see real mountain Sims do the real slap dance, and she hopes the rest of the family will share in the interest.
Andy McGregor
Quote:
Andy wishes he didn't have to share a bedroom with his siblings sometimes. He wonders if there could be more spacious apartments in SimVille. |
Andy may remind you of Alex Haider, where the unfortunate eldest child in the house is expected to scooch over to make room for their younger siblings. Andy's in a similar position, although he fares a lot better than Alex does. His apartment is much, much larger and more comfortable than the Haiders, and at least everyone's able to sleep in their own beds. Granted, Andy has to share a single bedroom with all of his younger brothers and sisters, and at this age he's starting to crave a little more privacy.
Andy also has something Alex can only dream about: a part-time job. Even though being a soccer team's waterboy isn't the best job in the world, it at least pays something, and Andy's happy to be able to make his own money.
Between his busy schedule, however, Andy really wishes he had more time for sports. Watching his younger siblings happily playing basketball while he struggles with his high school homework can be a drag. Andy's a night owl, however, so he doesn't seem to mind being out on the court at 11pm.
Marlene McGregor
Quote:
Marlene likes computer games, but her parents scold her a lot for playing them. |
Games, games, games. The long-held stereotype that only boys play video games has seriously fallen apart at the seams in recent years, and Marlene's happy to game on the family computer for hours on end. If it weren't for her parents, her homework might not get done in a timely fashion. Still, she's an otherwise good student, with a B+ average.
If Alyssa wants her family to be on board with the whole vacation idea, Marlene sure isn't. She isn't too keen on parting ways from the computer for a few days (Oh, just you wait, Marlene; you'll be having so much fun, you'll forget that you even had a computer waiting at home!)[2] and would rather experience all of the fun her family has on the computer screen. Perhaps Marlene should just try putting that screen down for a day or two and do something else. Even I recognize that there's a lot that goes past you if you snuggle up at home with the computer and spend time on it. Maybe in this day and age we can't live without technology, but we can at least get out and visit places away from home. I can't exactly visit subway stations I never visit on my daily commute if I'm staring at my laptop screen! Marlene's young, and although most people would say "She'll grow out of it!", by that time childhood's over and it's a terrible loss.
If there's a plus I may say about Marlene, it's that she doesn't seem to really mind the lack of space in the apartment, not just that a computer desk and a chair don't take up that much room, but also that she likes it when things are more compact. "It's cozier," she says, and a big room can get icy cold and uncomfortable sometimes. Yeah, when you're just sitting there it'll feel cold.
Terry McGregor
Quote:
Terry loves to play basketball, but the court in his apartment is mediocre at best. Terry wishes his mother would advocate for more (and larger) basketball courts in SimVille. |
It's nice to be able to have space for sports and other activities, but SimVille's geography means that space is at a premium. As SimVille looks to see a growth in population, urban planners are busy thinking about how to increase the density of the town to accommodate the new arrivals. The solution? Apartments. Their apartment designs include locating entire communal areas onto rooftops to maximize the space available while still giving Sims the opportunities to play outdoors.
Unfortunately for the McGregors, their apartment was built long before the whole influx happened, so it doesn't exactly make good use of its communal space. The playground is squashed onto the north side of the lot, and while their apartments all technically have attics above them, they're completely inaccessible. At least they managed to build a basketball net here, which is a plus, but there's not an awful lot of space to play tag and all that.
Dominic McGregor
Quote:
Dominic wants to be an Olympic runner someday, but there aren't any good racetracks in SimVille, and his parents won't let him use the sidewalks due to "safety concerns". |
Another rather restless child, Dominic is an avid sprinter and has brought home a good number of ribbons from school track and field. This school year he hopes to try for the track and field team and aspire to his ultimate goal: representing SimNation in the Summer Olympics!
There are a number of hurdles Dominic needs to get over, however. Firstly, his school is not known for its athletics program, and indeed it's frequently underfunded and understaffed. Secondly, while there's a small track at school, there aren't any in SimVille that Dominic can use to practice and train on his own, and his parents won't let him sprint on the sidewalks of the town. Still, Dominic's determined to find a way to make his dream a reality. Maybe his friend Justin Newbie can help him out a bit. Even with all of these shortcomings, his parents are totally fine with his dream. He hasn't met Jason Jocks yet, but when he does, maybe his parents will let him join them on their evening jogs. Sherman and Alyssa can't possibly say no if their child's being supervised by two good adults, right?
Lyndsay McGregor
Quote:
Lyndsay would rather live in the city and not SimVille, but she likes it fine here. Her hobbies include doing the smustle and pretending she's an actor. |
Lyndsay has experienced what the youngest child of families usually experience: living in the shadows of all of her older siblings and watching them steal the spotlight, or be lavished with praise from her parents, or be better at her at everything, while she's stuck with the hand me downs. And like many young siblings, Lyndsay frequently does what she usually does best: getting attention, sometimes snatching it straight out of her older siblings' hands.
Lyndsay dreams of herself as being, oh I don't know, a musician or an actor, perhaps. A combination of the two. Someone famous and who gets a lot of attention. Such figures tend to flock to cities, where opportunities are brighter and where most of your fans are; it's probably easier to keep track of them if they're staying in hotels and not hiding out in the corn fields near your cottage! While she prefers big cities over the little town she lives in, she's liking SimVille so far, and is happy to see recent developments starting to take shape as more and more land is being appropriated for apartments. SimVille's turning into a nice little city, she figures, and that could be the training wheels that'll help her get to the big leagues in the metropolises of SimNation, like Lyndsay Falls, Bridgeport, and Downtown SimCity itself... where all the celebrities hang out in!
----
One thing you may have noticed is that the McGregors are not poor, and so their children have plenty of opportunities to achieve their dreams. This is in contrast to the poorer families in SimVille that have no opportunities simply because of their financial status. See the class divide I'm trying to create in this neighborhood?
The house
The McGregors live in Seaspray Apartments, a modified version of the "Seaspray Apartments" lot found in the lot bin (and in Belladonna Cove). It is the only apartment lot in SimVille to feature usable garages for its tenants.
The McGregors live just to the left of the little communal room. Their first floor is primarily occupied by the garage, which has an exercise machine and a punching bag. A rather unimpressive corridor leads to the spiral staircase.
The second floor contains their living room, their kitchen, and their dining room, along with a small bathroom for guests to use.
Third floor contains their bedrooms and a bathroom with a showertub.
Big families in close quarters means lots of love... and lots of arguing over who gets to use the bathroom first. Fortunately, the lot has some amenities in the communal area. There's a room with a TV and a stereo for neighbourly gatherings.
The playground features swings, a slide, a monkey bars set, and a roundabout. There's also a basketball net for more sports-oriented Sims.
A brief glimpse of life in the McGregor family
Just before 5am this morning, a thunderstorm ignited a tree in the communal area.
The smoke detector promptly summoned the fire department... and woke everyone up. The rain extinguished the fire before they arrived, however.
Well there's not much point in going back to bed, so they decide to prepare breakfast. It's flapjacks today!
Sherman needs to be at work by 8am. Yes, a wonderful time to have to leave the house and go somewhere that's not your comfy bed. At least he gets paid for it, unlike most students, right?
All the kids start school at 9am sharp, so the bus swoops in to pick them up at 8am. With so many kids in the household, they really can't leave boarding the bus to the last minute, lest they risk having the bus drive off without half the party.
Alyssa doesn't work until 5pm... which is probably less of a blessing than it seems. At that hour, the mind's energy has largely been drained and most people just want to sit down, eat, play, and sleep. To keep her energy levels up, Alyssa sips some hot coffee or hot chocolate during the day.
The McGregors are one of the few families in SimVille that have a daily maid service. Today only the showertub needed serious attention.[3]
"Why is this sink so clean?!"
There is no lovely rooftop communal area like the one in The Grey Lofts or Council Flats, but on the plus side, at least the stereo's located indoors, so it's sheltered from the weather. Alyssa plays some World music and continues to think about the vacation to Three Lakes.
Andy gets home at 1pm. Luckily for him, he has the day off, which is great, considering how the SimVille Cheetahs aren't known for their kindness, especially towards their waterboys and watergirls. Those jerks! It's a Friday as well, so he doesn't have to worry about his homework just yet. He spends the better part of the afternoon shooting hoops and working on his body skill. Alyssa joins him. Why not? It's family time, even if it's just one child.
3pm strikes and the rest of the kids come home with their father.
It's a Friday, so homework's not a concern–and not an excuse the parents can use easily. For the two hours between their homecoming and the start of Alyssa's shift, they head out to the nearby park.
Six person water balloon fight!
Andy runs into Chase, and the two fish together for a bit. Perhaps Chase caught all the good fish, because the only thing Andy managed to reel in was a dirty old boot.
After Alyssa leaves for work, Sherman takes the kids back home for dinner.
Can I go out for a run? No son, I'm afraid it's too dangerous. I'll be careful dad, I promise! No son, please do something else today. Can I just go? I can ask Andy to come with me. No you're not going, Dominic. Your mother and I both agreed on this. Please, PRETTY PLEASE dad I'll be super good out there! Have you done your homework yet?
Fine then. If dad's not going to let me go out for a run, then I'm going to get my footprints all over the living room couch!
Dominic!!! Stop it!!! You're dirtying the cushions!
Terry and Lyndsay made use of the basketball net rather than complaining about things.
Marlene, obviously, heads for the family 'puter. As long as she has access to that, she's not going to whine.
When it's time for bed, though, getting the kids to bed is a chore. The girls head off obediently, but the boys kept their sisters awake by jumping on their beds.
Sherman reprimands Dominic and Terry, and they both go to bed. Well, not after several minutes of whispering to each other, but eventually they nod off.
Exhausted, Sherman plops down onto the couch with his eldest son and the two watch TV together.
Alyssa's home by 10pm. She joins the two on the couch.
Alyssa and Sherman retire to their bed not long after. Parenthood is exhausting, and late bedtimes don't help that at all.
Andy's chatting over the Internet. Carly Firebaum seems interested in him, maybe they should meet up someday?
Well, maybe later.
Conclusion
Alyssa's a member of the Parents For Better Children Council, and she frequently petitions for more open space, parks, and playgrounds for kids in the neighbourhood to use. It's a significant challenge, given how building space in SimVille is at a premium and most developers are probably interested in building apartments to house the growing population rather than building space-consuming parks. However, Alyssa knows the challenges of managing a large family in an apartment, and she's sure that many other large families in SimVille feel the same. Kids need a lot of space... and if they don't have it, they'll just make use of existing space; hence, if you want kids to stop playing hide and seek in the alleyway behind the convenience store, maybe you should build a park instead of chasing them off with a broom. The McGregors should consider themselves lucky, however; out of all the large families living in SimVille, they are probably the best off.
Thanks for reading. I'll hopefully cover more lots now, and perhaps I'll start filling in the pages for all the premade, family bin Sims that have moved into SimVille, and how they have made themselves at home.
The Sims Wiki Fanon pages
- McGregor family
- Sherman McGregor
- Alyssa McGregor
- Andy McGregor
- Marlene McGregor
- Terry McGregor
- Dominic McGregor
- Lyndsay McGregor
- Seaspray Apartments
Notes
1. Psalm 55:22; Proverbs 16:3; 1 Peter 5:7.
2. Too bad there are no laptops in The Sims 2.
3. According to Cyjon's Debugger, the maid, "Solveig Barakat", has 0 neat points, so she won't recognize objects that most other Sims find dirty enough to clean.
#83
26th Jan 2018 at 2:54 AM
Posts: 203
Hey, I've tuned in to your thread a couple of times here and there to read about your families, and I can see you put a lot of thought and care into crafting their backgrounds and personalities. For some of the larger families like the Haiders and McGregors, where some of the kids' personalities and quirks get lost in the shuffle, it's much harder to even notice these character traits, let alone expand on them. I look forward to seeing what becomes of Simville.
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#84
26th Jan 2018 at 7:01 PM
Posts: 1,897
I like to play large families, but I also admit to cheating and I am not embarressed about cheating. It is my game and I can cheat if I want to. {sung to the tune of it is my party}
Lots of great pictures and I loved reading about the McGregors.
There are Mac Laptops for The Sims 2, in this collection of Apple Computers On MTS
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.
Lots of great pictures and I loved reading about the McGregors.
There are Mac Laptops for The Sims 2, in this collection of Apple Computers On MTS
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.
#85
26th Jan 2018 at 10:08 PM
I like how each of the McGregors have a very distinct personality like how one wants to be a track star, the other just is happy playing video games, etc. I commend you trying to play such a big family in an apartment no less! Yeesh! I also like the character details you added per each family member like how the father spends his time sleeping and the mother volunteers for an organization trying to get more parks in the neighborhood. You're writing is really good and it's interesting to wind a detailed summary with a story feel instead of just providing stats.
I will say that I was surprised to see that the McGregors were considered well-off in comparison to other families just because my impression at hearing that Teacher's Aid and a Food Shift Manager with five children paying weekly apartment rent and going on a vacation soon, it makes me think they may be living beyond their means. Now if they were a bit more higher up in job titles like a sous chef and professor or had less children, that would make more sense from an economic standpoint. Just my opinion though.
The pics were great too!
I will say that I was surprised to see that the McGregors were considered well-off in comparison to other families just because my impression at hearing that Teacher's Aid and a Food Shift Manager with five children paying weekly apartment rent and going on a vacation soon, it makes me think they may be living beyond their means. Now if they were a bit more higher up in job titles like a sous chef and professor or had less children, that would make more sense from an economic standpoint. Just my opinion though.
The pics were great too!
Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.
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#86
27th Jan 2018 at 7:58 PM
Posts: 319
I'll echo everyone's thoughts about how much they enjoy the detailed and distinct personalities of your sims. It really brings them to life.
Maybe remaining in an apartment instead of buying a big house has allowed the McGregor's to save their money and be considered well off. Still, they aren't getting a bargain with a maid who has 0 neatness points!
Maybe remaining in an apartment instead of buying a big house has allowed the McGregor's to save their money and be considered well off. Still, they aren't getting a bargain with a maid who has 0 neatness points!
#87
8th Feb 2018 at 1:20 AM
Last edited by k6ka : 11th Apr 2018 at 1:03 AM.
Reason: fixing a replacement character in title
Posts: 1,794
Serge Barb – My Venue for Releasing Stress!
Seems like only yesterday my winter semester began for me and already I'm chest-deep in work and stress! I do have reading week in less than a fortnight and I hope to get a proper update out for this fanon then... but for now, I thought I'd go and revisit some of the families I've covered previously and explore how they've changedSerge rolled a want to work out, which I granted.
Looks like Count Nery Wood is still pissed at him, for he showed up to his lot... but fled immediately because it was still daytime.
Happened a second time an hour later. This time I managed to catch a picture of him just before he faded out.
Serge maxed his fitness enthusiasm today! ...But of course, that darned hobby instructor had to intrude. Perhaps he'll challenge him to a round of fisticuffs at a biker bar someday.
Third time's the charm.
Serge is actually a pretty good cook. Few Sims would dare to ever come to his house for dinner, but even though fighting may be his favourite pastime, it still isn't everything. Tonight he decides to make some salmon.
Halfway through the preparation process, Count Nery Wood showed for the fourth time today that he's not smart enough to leave his trash can kicking scheme till after sundown.
Serge juggles enemies like they're balls, and occasionally a ball here and there slips out of his hands and rolls away. Looks like he has some relational fires that are beginning to cool off, like hot cocoa next to an open window! Maybe he can fix that.
Tonight he's decided to stay in and do something else that he likes doing that pisses the townsfolk off: crank calls!
"COME OVER HERE YOU SLIMY LLAMA SNIFFER!!!" he shouts over the phone at Nery Wood. He tried coming onto his lot four times today; surely he'd like to pay a visit now that the sun's gone down.
Why not look good for him before he shows up?
Sometimes, Serge sits and waits patiently for his victims.
...and why not primp some more?
Some pacing back and forth.
When Nery does not show up, Serge decides to call another Sim...
...and another, for good measure...
Finally, Armando Cox shows up, and he doesn't look happy!
"Harrumph... you've gained weight, Serge."
"Well so have you, Armando. You look like a pig."
Serge jumps on Armando just as Amanda Carlson shows up.
"Boo!! I hope you choke on Armando's fist and die in there, Serge!!!"
"You think it's just Armando who lost? You're next, Carlson!"
"Hmmph, yeah right Serge. You know, you don't even count. If you disappeared off the face of the earth nobody would care. In fact, there would be a celebration!"
But before Serge gets a chance to properly annoy Amanda, Armando seeks his rematch.
"Stupid, smelly, llama-kissing Serge!! I hope my spitballs hit you in the eyeballs and you need a seeing dog for three weeks!!"
Armando looks desperate.
"No one messes with the Barb!"
In other news, I recently discovered that you could save camera positions. I tried it out when making this thread and it worked beautifully! Just one of the things I'm learning that's helping me to improve on my Sims 2 picture taking.
The Sims Wiki Fanon pages
#88
19th Feb 2018 at 10:01 PM
Posts: 1,794
Amar's Flowers & Craftables
One of Amar Newbie's ambitious business ventures was a shop that sold the finest craftables on the planet—craftables that were made not only through time and skill but also with "love"... more correctly translated as "passion". While it wasn't nearly as profitable as he had hoped, it still inspires customers from all over, who marvel not only at the quality of the products sold but also the environment of the store itself.
Quote:
Need something made with love? How about flowers, robots... even hand-crafted toys? Come over to Amar's Flowers & Craftables and see what's in stock! |
Dug out of a hill at great cost, securing the building rights for this lot was not an easy task, and neither was excavating a huge hole on the side of the hill and having several surveys and inspections done by soil engineers to ensure that the place was stable. Nevertheless, once that was done, Amar decided upon a much humbler design for his craftables store, seeing how expensive moving those steep SimVille hills out of the way was. The escarpment that the construction of the lot created dwarfs over even the tallest point of the building, and is regularly inspected by engineers to ensure stability. Amar racks up a huge bill just keeping this lot safe from rockslides, and at times it seems like his craftables shop is more of a financial failure than a money-making enterprise.
Still, upon arrival, customers are greeted with Amar's largest garden. 48 garden plots and four fruit trees ensure that Fresh Rush Grocery will never run out of stock, bringing Amar's dream to sell every growable fruit and vegetable on store shelves closer to reality. Customers who dislike nature, however, are not very fond of the fact that the only footpath leading into the store runs between all the crops and the trees, and the mere buzzing of insects and bees and butterflies is enough to drive some of the wealthier patrons away.
Along the north side of the building are some compost bins and a plant food sprayer from SimWardrobe. Amar uses these to keep all the crops growing happily and healthily, and if they don't meet his standards, they don't see the store shelves.
Those who do manage to make it past the garden (And most Sims do) are often surprised at how "quaint" the business looks, what with the wooden walls and the wooden floors looking very different from the expensive marble often found in Amar's other businesses. On the outside, the place looks like a log cabin of sorts, one that you'd find in a place like Three Lakes—definitely not something you'd expect to see in an urban SimVille.
Currently a small selection of toys, pottery, flowers, and robots are sold. On the wall are hung decorative potholders and plates as well. Amar is still developing the selection of goods he hopes to sell in this store, but the current inventory more than amply satisfies the customers that show up there. Only products that meet Amar's standards are allowed to be sold here; broken or defective products must either be repaired or discarded. Occasionally, though, a broken or defective product makes its way into a customer's hands, and Amar offers free repairs for such mishaps. If the customer still isn't satisfied, Amar will give them a full refund, no questions asked. Amar considers the happiness of his customers paramount, so he generally leans towards their direction, even if it means he's several thousand poorer at the end of the day.
At the back of the store are two bathrooms. They're all unisex... but they're single-person bathrooms, so who the heck cares anyways? Unlike some stores, which only have bathrooms for employees, Amar believes that customers should feel comfortable in his establishments, so he makes sure that every single one of his lots has at least one public bathroom.
Two sets of stairs—one on each side—lead to the second floor crafting room. This is where all the nitty gritty happens... and where customers are not allowed to visit.
There are two of each crafting station in the room. Two flower arranging stations...
...two toy crafting stations and two pottery wheels...
...two robot crafting stations...
...and two foot-powered sewing machines.
During regular business hours, this room can get quite busy and noisy. While human employees produce most of the shop's products, the Servos—particularly Julius—also play a huge role in helping them out as well.
Top-down view of floors
First floor
Second floor
Roof
Conclusion
Amar's Flowers & Craftables hasn't attracted an incredible lot of media attention yet, at least not for the products it sells. The inventory is still small and the lot is still mostly a production lot (especially the garden outside), but the few customers that have been inside quite like the quality of the products sold, which is enough for Amar to press onward in making this business bigger and more profitable. Because everything here isn't made in an assembly line and takes real skill and effort to produce, Amar charges a much higher price for the goods here than most Sims could find at their local big box store, which has made it difficult to attract anybody other than those who show a genuine appreciation for stuff made with care.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more!
The Sims Wiki Fanon pages
Field Researcher
#89
20th Feb 2018 at 3:39 PM
Posts: 319
You'd think Count Nery Wood would keep track of such things as daylight.
I have total faith that Serge can reheat those relationships and keep his enemy count high.
I had no idea you could save camera positions; thanks for the link.
Amar's garden is amazing, and he's a smart businessman. Keeping the customer happy whatever it takes will pay off in the long run. I love the pictures of everyone working at the crafting stations.
I have total faith that Serge can reheat those relationships and keep his enemy count high.
I had no idea you could save camera positions; thanks for the link.
Amar's garden is amazing, and he's a smart businessman. Keeping the customer happy whatever it takes will pay off in the long run. I love the pictures of everyone working at the crafting stations.
#90
20th Feb 2018 at 4:39 PM
Last edited by lordtyger9 : 20th Feb 2018 at 4:55 PM.
Posts: 1,897
Count Nery Wood coming by Serge's place is amusing.
What job does Serge have {other than beating up every sim he knows}?
Amar's Flowers & Craftables is great what a nice business.
Great Pictures.
Some MODs from MATY I would think you would like if you don't have them already: enemiesaccumulate.package and thefightclub.package
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.
What job does Serge have {other than beating up every sim he knows}?
Amar's Flowers & Craftables is great what a nice business.
Great Pictures.
Some MODs from MATY I would think you would like if you don't have them already: enemiesaccumulate.package and thefightclub.package
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.
#91
23rd Feb 2018 at 11:14 PM
Posts: 1,794
Quote: Originally posted by lordtyger9
What job does Serge have {other than beating up every sim he knows}? |
Serge works in the military career as a junior officer. He's following in General Grunt's footsteps.
#92
4th Mar 2018 at 12:47 AM
Last edited by k6ka : 7th Mar 2018 at 8:29 PM.
Reason: fixed "Show Show" pictures typo
Posts: 1,794
A day at Amar's Flowers & Craftables
After an embargo period of about a week,[1] I decided to release some more images of Amar's Flowers & Craftables. I guess I've been a bit too formal with this thread, with each post being like a polished, finalized project. However, this group is called "What's Going On In Your Game?", which means that things can be a lot more relaxed here. I still want to push polished posts out when I find the time and motivation to; however, I have decided to, well, reveal a bit more as to how I play the game by just taking pictures as I go and not worry about posing my Sims beforehand (Yes, most of the images you've seen in this thread are posed or staged). In addition, I learned that Irfanview is able to take pictures of just the foreground application (Historically I've only used it to take screenshots where I wanted the mouse cursor to appear), which makes taking and sharing lots of pictures a lot easier, since it often saves me the hassle of having to crop it later in Paint.NET. If you frequent The Sims Wiki's Discord server, you've probably seen me post a lot of screenshots from The Sims 3, taken using the in-game screenshot tool. The in-game screenshot tool in The Sims 2 isn't so intuitive, since where the screenshots are saved isn't so straightforward, and I hate how it saves two copies of the same image. Irfanview not only solved that problem, but it also allowed me to capture much higher quality screenshots, and it's worked really well for both games, allowing me to quickly share them to Discord without having to crop them. I definitely recommend Irfanview if you're looking for a good way of taking screenshots in any context.As I mentioned in my post about the Days (click here if you haven't seen it), I play with cheats quite a lot... sometimes to the point of crossing the line between what is ethically acceptable and what my Sims would consider "abuse of my powers". But oh well, I'll write a book on philosophy in The Sims some other time. For now, let's pick up where I left off after I finished making the last post.
A day at Amar's Flowers & Craftables.
One of the first "foreground window only" screenshots I took using Irfanview. This was not edited at all; I simply took it and it was ready for use.
Is this how you treat your customers, Amar?
Gordon is ready to splurge!
What might he like to fork over his hard-earned cash on?
Toy Robot? Caaaaan do!
Amar calls for a Rally Forth! to keep everyone's motives up.
The customers respond quite positively and wave their Simoleons in the air!
Chase harvests the ripened tomatoes.
Once that's done, he adds some homemade fertilizer...
...and then starts replanting them.
After raising the roof downstairs, Amar heads up to motivate his employees.
Gordon's leaving! (Now you can see why I'm not a very honest player...)
Nice toy robot you have there...
I'll just slip that back into Amar's pocket.
Have a good day!
"Our clay vases are some serious stuff! You can't go without 'em! They do more than hold ashes and flowers; if a burglar breaks into your house, you can throw it at them and knock them out cold!"
Oh boy. It's Serge.
Bye! (Teleporter cat, I thank thee)
Apple picking.
Sometimes Justin likes to drop by and help his Servo friends out in their business.
The garden sure could use another extra hand. Andrew leaves his post from inside the store to help Chase and Justin out.
"Toy fire trucks are the biggest deal in town! You know why?! Because you can still play with them even when the WiFi is down!"
Oh wow, that sales pitch made them best friends.
It's 7pm. Closing time!
After a long day of work, the employees sure are glad to be able to go home and rest.
Justin's still out and about in the garden. He really enjoys it.
Amar likes to keep his business clean after closing, so he and the other Servos finish up what the employees left behind.
Justin's gold gardening badge means he can tend to the garden by himself.
Awesome vase! Ready for sale tomorrow morning!
Notes
1. Not really. If you frequent The Sims Wiki's Discord server, I uploaded quite a bit of these images up for everyone to see. I just chose not to post them in this thread for some reason.
#93
4th Mar 2018 at 11:41 AM
Posts: 1,897
@k6ka I cheat when I am playing the game. I could play with out cheating if I had a reason to do so, but I don't. I don't do challenges or contests and so I play however I feel like playing.
My intent is to have fun and I enjoy how my Sims do things in my game with the set of mods that I play with.
I like your pictures it was a good set of them.
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.
My intent is to have fun and I enjoy how my Sims do things in my game with the set of mods that I play with.
I like your pictures it was a good set of them.
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.
Field Researcher
#94
4th Mar 2018 at 7:48 PM
Posts: 319
I enjoyed this update. I love "a day in the life" sequences.
I don't use cheats much, but I play with a ton of mods. I do sometimes cheat a little with money for the first generation because it seems to me that larger, more established families would have more going for them than newlyweds just starting out. I add a little money for each family member, mainly because I need it for furnishings.
I don't use cheats much, but I play with a ton of mods. I do sometimes cheat a little with money for the first generation because it seems to me that larger, more established families would have more going for them than newlyweds just starting out. I add a little money for each family member, mainly because I need it for furnishings.
#95
7th Mar 2018 at 8:29 PM
Posts: 1,794
Friday evening with the Urbans
After all the fun I had last time I did this, I decided to try again. I caught myself being a little more formal with my pictures than I would've liked, but I didn't stage any photographs this time. I wonder if this will start to turn this thread into more of a photography thread than a "Here's my hood!" thread, but oh well, why not? It takes a lot of work to get a polished post out, and sometimes I feel pressured to update this thread when I play, so to help with that, I may as well be a little more casual.Dance Sims, dance!
Tommy brought home Celeste from school.
Phone convos.
Meeting new faces.
Money tree.
Hula.
The serenade.
The water balloon fight.
Fixing the trash compactor.
Patties on the grill.
Teleportation.
When the dust settles.
Best buds.
Dinner.
Naughty.
Chillin'.
BONUS: Though image editing is not my specialty, I did give it a shot.
#96
14th Mar 2018 at 10:13 PM
Posts: 1,794
Amar's Appliances
One time I was reading a The Sims 1 fan site, and one of the "complaints" the author wrote was how impersonal and unrealistic buying stuff like furniture and appliances seemed. "At least have the Sims go to a store and have them select and buy the stuff there?" I think it wrote.
I don't know if that person stayed with The Sims 2 long enough to see Open for Business come out (A lot of TS1 people abandoned the series after TS2 came out), but if they did, their prayers were answered... at least partially! With player-owned businesses, Sims could now actually go shopping for their furniture and appliances rather than just get it from the buy mode catalog!
While I'm not playing any challenges that requires me to only get stuff from player-owned businesses, I still wanted to have shops of the like in SimVille. With Amar having his second lifetime want being "Own 5 Top-Level Businesses", he decided to get cracking at that and opened up four businesses after he founded Amar's Hangout: Amar's Restaurant, Amar's Clothing & Instruments, Amar's Flowers & Craftables... and Amar's Appliances!
Quote:
Look no further than Amar the robot if you're looking for quality appliances for your home at an unbelievable price! |
With prime real estate starting to become a serious premium by the time Amar opened up his home appliances store, Amar was prepared to take on a serious beating. He had to give customers the incentive to spend more at his appliance store for stuff they could get cheaper (and sooner) from the buy mode catalog, and to do that, he was going to have to spend thousands on a beautiful building, excellent employees, and an extravagant experience. Critics who first walked into the store commented about how it "looked nothing like a traditional home hardware store" and that it looked like a "mansion in the making". One reviewer said that he felt that "Amar went a little overboard with this one" but nevertheless liked the design of the store. Indeed, customers that enter are not greeted with any appliances, but rather a fountain, a foyer with a marvelous two-storey chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a large door overlooking the hills of SimVille that dwarf over the shop from behind.
From the foyer are the choices of two different "wings" of the building, each selling different categories of stuff for your home.
The south wing of the building is where all of the electronics are sold. Things like TVs, computers, stereos, and even remote controlled vehicles can be found here.
The north wing of the building sells kitchen appliances, both large and small. Dishwashers, trash compactors, stoves, fridges, food processors–you name it! Although they are not technically found in the kitchen (Unless you want an indoor fire!), Amar also sells outdoor grills and barbeques.
From the foyer and out the rear doors is another fountain and some benches. It's nice for a little gathering spot for groups, I suppose, which is interesting given how this is an appliance store and not a hangout venue. Still, guests appreciate the environment here and they're happy that Amar spent the money on this.
On the north side of this plaza are the public bathrooms.
On the south side is the (useless) office, mostly used to contain debugging objects for my totally honest gaming.
The stairs in the office lead up to the employee break room, which has a fridge, a microwave, some tables and chairs, a couch, and a window that looks over the electronics wing.
You can watch all the customers go shopping!
Topdown view of floors
First floor
Second floor
Roof
Conclusion
Though it does seem a little over-the-top for an appliance store, keep in mind that Amar Newbie is rather filthy stinking rich, and a fancy appliance store is just one of the many ways he shows off his wealth. Sure, Amar may have the guise of "giving back to the community" with his businesses, but some of the poorer Sims in the town aren't too pleased with his empire, thinking that it still seems to cater mostly to the elite... or at least, those who can pay for it. While they may be misinformed in that regard (Amar's Appliances ran up several months of net losses before it was able to stabilize its income), truth be told that Amar's friends aren't as close to him as close friends should be, and neither are the customers he serves.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more!
The Sims Wiki Fanon pages
Field Researcher
#97
17th Mar 2018 at 10:39 PM
Posts: 319
Amar strikes again, with another terrific and very successful business!
I enjoyed looking at the pictures and seeing your sims just be themselves. Water balloon fights are one of my favorite things.
I enjoyed looking at the pictures and seeing your sims just be themselves. Water balloon fights are one of my favorite things.
#98
19th Mar 2018 at 2:44 AM
I love this appliance store. It looks pretty upscale with the chandelier and the fountain at the entrance but I love the layout
Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.
My SIMBLER | SIM WHIM | SIM VIDS | SIMS 2 STORIES | SIM PICTURE-TAKING TIPS | MY HOOD | SIMSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TWITCH
#99
19th Mar 2018 at 7:13 PM
Posts: 1,897
I am sorry that I have not responded to your posts for a bit, so this time I am going to try to cover two of them at once.
I quite enjoyed your Friday evening with the Urbans, and I particularly liked your pictures of the water balloon fight.
I also quite enjoyed Amar's Appliances. lots of really good pictures and the business looks to be well laid out.
I really love OFB, it is one of my most Favourite EPs, I really like all of the others that I have Uni, NL, Pets, Seasons and BV, but OFB is a favourite. I just love having playable Sim owned businesses.
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.
I quite enjoyed your Friday evening with the Urbans, and I particularly liked your pictures of the water balloon fight.
I also quite enjoyed Amar's Appliances. lots of really good pictures and the business looks to be well laid out.
I really love OFB, it is one of my most Favourite EPs, I really like all of the others that I have Uni, NL, Pets, Seasons and BV, but OFB is a favourite. I just love having playable Sim owned businesses.
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.
#100
9th Apr 2018 at 9:49 PM
Posts: 1,794
Cooking for the Cookes
A lot of people really hate the premade family bin families and wish them to their graves with satellites falling onto their heads "by accident"... or just use empty stealth hood templates to prevent them from coming back. I, however, don't really mind them, and in fact I like to integrate them into my hoods in one way or another. I have moved in all the premade bin families except for the Critturs and the Larsons. Perhaps I'll move those in someday.
Today we'll start with the Cooke family and its one and only member: Julien Cooke.
Quote:
After having his potentially prize-winning recipe stolen by his rival, Zebest Quizine, Julien decided to cut his ties and find a new place to create culinary delights. |
And he certainly did! Julien Cooke moved to SimVille not long after the borders expanded west across the New Guinea bridge and the new developments started going up like mushrooms after the rain. He moved into an apartment, quit his job, and bought an empty lot just south of the FreeTime Recreation Center, where he established his own restaurant. We will cover the restaurant some other time. For now, let's see how well Julien has settled into my hood.
Julien Cooke
Quote:
After having his wonderful recipe stolen by his rival, Zebest Quizine, Julien decided to start anew. Will his new life lead him to more culinary creations? |
Julien upped his cooking game after arriving in SimVille. Before he founded his new restaurant, he practiced making all sorts of different recipes in the privacy of his apartment kitchen. Numerous cooking fires, countless smoking dishes, and lots of gunk stuck on the walls and counters didn't stop him from eventually maxing out his cooking skill. He then founded Cooke's Place and quit his old job, but realized quickly that he couldn't tend to the stove and perform his other managerial duties at the same time. Julien took out a significant loan from the bank in order to help make his establishment grow–and to hire another chef that he could pass the turner to when he needed to be elsewhere. He's working as hard as ever to rake in the money to pay the loan off... but his restaurant has been doing well. If only Zebest Quizine was here to be humiliated!
The house
Julien currently lives in the Walk-Up Apartments, which is a modified version of the Walkup Apartments download on MTS.
It looks like a nice lot–and it is–but there are still some quirks and problems here and there that kinda irk me out. Perhaps someday in the future I'll get around to fixing them. For now, though, the lot is at least functional. The lot is perhaps best known for the street-level shops at its base, with apartments built on top of them. These communal areas come to life with the apartments and shopping on the same lot mod, and it's really quite a lovely, convenient lot to live on indeed.
On the left side of the lot is a convenience store that sells groceries, magazines, clothes, and video games.
In the middle of the lot is a small restaurant.
And boy, is this probably the worst restaurant in SimVille. I should probably get around to fixing this awkwardly placed chair...
...or this accursed sign that prevents the door from closing (Yeah, looks like Pescado's Door Jam Fix mod didn't work in this case).
On the right side is a little arcade that also suffers from the "door stuck open due to sign" issue.
There are also random fruit trees and random empty garden plots which I should probably consider removing...
...and this random sad monkey bars set.
The actual apartments themselves, though, aren't that bad, so the tenants aren't complaining too much. Julien Cooke has a small apartment in the middle, but he's single, so he lives quite comfortably in here, actually.
Julien chose Family as his secondary aspiration, not because he's actually interested in having kids, but because he wants to be able to prepare savoury Grandma's Comfort Soup right at home. Warms him down to his toes.
Mmm... heavenly...
A brief glimpse in the life of Julien Cooke
6am on one stormy, Saturday morning...
Julien's hungry for breakfast, but not for silly toaster pastries. He's up for a little challenge this weekend.
One of the best parts about cooking is that you get to eat what you've produced and satisfy one of your daily needs at the same time.
Every good cook must also clean up after themselves.
Even though it's a Saturday and restaurants tend to be pretty busy on weekends, Julien decides he desperately needs a day off. He's been working at his restaurant fourteen hours a day every day for the past three weeks or so, and he'd quite like a day to just rest and relax. He fills himself a mug of coffee and sits on his balcony watching the rain come down.
It's a Saturday, so the landlord (Nawwaf Mace), as usual, is hosting his weekly Saturday building party. Julien shudders at the thought of the quality of the landlord's burgers and sets about making his own culinary treat.
His cell phone goes off during the roasting process, but Julien knows better than to answer it!
Salmon! He places it out for the other tenants to enjoy. Hopefully they'll choose his dish over the burgers. He has lunch settled for today!
Obedient restaurant server cleans up the dirty dishes automatically!
"I've done more than fry eggs, Waylon! I practically make eggs fry themselves!"
Are you kidding me... they chose the RESTAURANT over Julien's cooking?!?! Julien can't help but feel a bit pissed on the inside.
There's only one thing the good business owner must do: sabotage!
Obedient server mops it up.
Obedient server gets sprayed and is trained not to react.
Landlord mops it up but doesn't fix it.
Julien bails to the convenience store and stares at clothes, looking totally innocent.
Landlord takes to annoying his tenants instead.
No one is in charge of tending to the fruit trees in the communal area. The fruit is of disgustingly low quality, but Julien thinks he can sell some of the lemons. He made 64 Simoleons. Yeah, Amar definitely was not the one who bought from him.
Julien has succeeded in disrupting business!
He plays some A-maz-ing Matey! while the server next door mops up those puddles indefinitely.
He makes himself some Grandma's Comfort Soup to end the day.
The salmon Julien prepared earlier today has spoiled. The server in the restaurant is far too busy mopping up the puddles to throw it out.
She finally manages to mop up that gigantic mess and is able to retrieve that dirty dish outside.
Some bedtime stories.
Then bedtime.
Conclusion
Julien Cooke has come a long way on his culinary career, but he still has a lot of road ahead of him. His restaurant is doing well for now, but it's facing pretty intense competition from all of the other restaurants in town, and Julien's working as hard as ever to try to keep his business above all the others. How long will he be able to do this for? And is burnout just around the corner for him?
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more!
The Sims Wiki Fanon pages
Who Posted
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