I'm moving on to half-week updates (this one covers Monday-Friday) because of how many households I have now. Plus this post is freakishly long anyway.
Last week, Scott Tam retired after his second set of twins became adults. There were also lots of dates.
The Tam family is much reduced and currently includes:
Scott, Knowledge/Family elder, retired member of the Gamer career
Megan. Family/Knowledge elder with a library and a habit of writing bestselling novels
Derrial Tam, Pleasure/Family adult with a job in the Business career
Jayne, Family/Knowledge teen
Madchen the collie
Flicka the calico
Derrial kicks off the week by getting fired from his job due to a bad chance card. Fortunately Family/Pleasure Sims are unperturbed by such setbacks. Also, he manages to get another Field Sales Rep position immediately so it hardly even matters.
Jayne maxes Charisma, which I believe means that the Tam children have opened 6 Science and 6 Charisma positions with their skilling, but I am too lazy to check.
Meanwhile, Megan is netting more than $4000 per novel. This has her so happy she's walking on air!
The library has also struggled its way up to Rank 4. This is definitely something that would have worked better as an NPC community lot.
Derrial takes 2-bolter Melissa Fancey out on a date, but it's awkward because he can't stop thinking about Marylena Hamilton! He wants to become best friends and fall in love with her, even though their chemistry is lower.
Later he and his dad discuss the issue over the plants. "Am I a rat if I'm not sure which girl I want to be with?" Derrial asks. "Just try to be honest about what you really want with both them and yourself," Scott advises. "Trying to keep your options open will only pollute both relationships."
Since Jayne is almost an adult, he opts for early enlistment in the military. (That is, accepts a job as a paintball attendant.)
His parents get him a treadmill as an early birthday present so he can start prepping for his new career.
Megan writes another bestseller.
Derrial gets promoted to Junior Executive. Again.
And Jayne gets promoted to Recruit Training Corps.
That evening he and his girlfriend Ivy become adults.
Jayne is very sure about what he wants, so he proposes to Ivy immediately out by the pond. She moves in with $10,000 but no job.
They immediately strike out on their own. We'll see them in their own place next round.
Megan writes her third bestseller of the week.
Since Derrial keeps rolling wants for Marylena, I send them out on a date. He rolls the want to dance and they promptly fall in love and spin wants to get engaged.
So Derrial gets down on one knee next to the pond in Serenity Park.
The next day, Thursday, Derrial nets a promotion to Executive. (Pushing his lifetime earnings past $10k,)
That night Marylena moves in, bringing $13,000 and a job as a Sous Chef, which she has to quit. Her LTW is Captain Hero anyway, which is more attainable.
Since Scott and Megan are old-fashioned, Marylena sleeps in the guest bedroom until the wedding.
Over breakfast Friday morning, the elder Tams get to know their new daughter-in-law. "It was so nice to raise our children in this big old house," Megan says pointedly. "It seems so empty now that they're grown."
Marylena takes the hint. "Oh, I love children," she shares. "I hope that once Derrial and I are married there will be children here again soon!"
Progress toward challenge:New Sims: 2 (Ivy Copur, Marylena Hamilton)
Jobs opened: 1/7 Entertainment
Taxes: $2300/$65,920
