Week Three Part Three: Riedmayer Cove

In what seemed like only a matter of days, Agatha was in school. Johnson often helped her with her homework. Agatha called Jill "Mom" and Jack "Uncle Jack", logically enough, but she took to calling Johnson "Dad." Johnson certainly didn't mind, and Jill said she didn't either. After all, Agatha had been hardly more than a baby when her biological father died.






Noticing Johnson's obvious love for the girls, Jack began to get the strangest ideas. One day, he surprised Johnson with a proposal; they entered into a civil union right there in the yard. (Note: The game itself calls same-sex marriages "joining," so I figure Sim City has some kind of civil union policy.) Johnson was surprised but pleased. Jack worried he was making a mistake, but figured it was too late to turn back now.





Almost immediately after the commitment ceremony, Jack suggested that they apply to be foster parents. They did so, and the next thing they knew a little girl named Annie showed up on their doorstep. They adopted her about a year later, giving her the last name Riedmayer.








Johnson loved having Annie around, so much so that two years later he surprised Jack by accepting a second foster placement, a little girl named Gretchen. (She took the last name Riedmayer as well.)









Jack began to feel a little overwhelmed by domesticity, so he took to spending most hours of the day painting while Johnson and Jill took care of the FOUR little girls running around. Annie and Gretchen took their cues from Jill's daughters and began referring to the various adults as "Mom" "Uncle Jack" and "Dad." In spite of himself, Jack became rather fond of the girls.






Not very long after Gretchen's adoption was finalized, Jack was on his way to visit his brother's gravestone when he collapsed himself. Jill, a paramedic, determined that he died instantly.

(Despite a LOT of work on my part, Jack died in gold aspiration. Loser.)

Jill naturally assumed that Johnson would want to move on after Jack's death, but Johnson insisted that he'd like to stay if Jill would let him. (Jill was trustee of the Riedmayer estate on behalf of her daughters, and therefore had a right to dictate who lived in the house.) Jill agreed, and the two of them settled into raising their daughters together. (But with an entirely platonic relationship themselves. Seriously, I have never known two Sims more indifferent to each other.)

Johnson decided that it would be in the girls' best interests to get into private school, but his first attempt to get them admitted failed. Johnson was so upset by this that he needed therapy. (No doubt, there was still some lingering grief as a result of Jack's death that he needed to work through.)







The second attempt proved successful--perhaps because Jill charmed the headmaster over coffee--and all four girls were admitted to private school. Life was looking up for the unconventional little family.









This is what the first floor looked like at the end of the week. On the left you can see a bathroom (or at least the bathtub), then eat-in kitchen, living room, and Jill's bedroom.










This is what the second floor looked like: Another bathroom, a room shared by all four girls, and Johnson's room. (I really should have swapped the two rooms, since Johnson doesn't need all that space to himself. Oh well.)









This is what the exterior looked like. Take note of the fact that I've tiered the sloping yard and built a set of stairs from the patio to street level.











At some point during this week of gameplay, I happened to look in Johnson's inventory and found a TON of stuff. Behold. (The truck was not in there, nor were the tombstones. That area just happened to be the largest flat spot.)









This is the stuff they actually kept. (I think two of the blue vases were already there, but the other flowers around the graves are from Johnson's inventory.)

Week Two Part Three: Riedmayer Cove

The house atop the hill was much roomier with Beata and her daughters gone. Elwood wasted no time trying for a male heir, and soon Jill was expecting.










Jack spent a little bit of time flirting with Denise Jacquet, who lived in the nearby Bluewater Village, but she was an uptight old lady. (Seriously, she rejected almost all of his advances.) The pickings were kind of slim in Prosperity Plains, though, so Jack focused on painting and working part-time in entertainment.








One day a young guy named Johnson Simpson invited himself home with Jack, and one thing led to another...

Jack was happier than he'd ever been in his life; at the age of 67 he finally admitted that the reason he'd never been in a deep relationship with a woman was because he was attracted to men. However, Jack kept his relationship with Johnson a secret from Elwood; his super-conservative brother would probably have a heart attack if Jack came out to him.


Meanwhile, Jill gave birth to a daughter, Agatha. Elwood quit his job so he could spend more time with Agatha--and with Jill. There was still hope for a male heir, after all.










Not very long after, Elwood and Jack were birdwatching at the edge of the lot when Elwood abruptly collapsed and died. His death was hardest on Jill. She had been aware when she married Elwood that she would probably end up a widow before too many years, but she didn't anticipate it happening while their daughter was still so young.






Jack stepped up to help take care of his niece. His brother's death reminded him that life was short and he didn't want any regrets, so he came out to Jill. Jill, being young and rather progressive herself (*cough* Romance Sim *cough*), was nothing but congratulations, and it was only a few weeks after Elwood's funeral that Johnson moved into the Riedmayer home.






It turned out that Johnson's job in entertainment, through which he met Jack, was just a side gig; he was actually employed as an All-Star athelete. His income certainly helped things; Jack had quit work entirely and Jill was only an EMT.









Just a few weeks after Elwood's death, Jill discovered that she was pregnant again. She was apprehensive but decided that being a single mother to two children really couldn't be that much harder than being a single mother to one.









Jacqueline Riedmayer was born about eight months after her father's death. Jill knew that Elwood would have been disappointed to not have a male heir, but she figured it was okay to be a little unconventional.









Both Jack and Jill benefited from Elwood's life insurance policy. The money enabled them to turn the tiny shelter into a larger, more well-appointed dwelling. Due to their hilly property, the house was kind of oddly shaped. The kitchen was very large, so Jack and Johnson slept there until there was money to build a second story. Jill shared her small bedroom with both her daughters, who were fortunately still in cribs.




This is what the outside of the house looked like at the end of the week. It's kind of ungainly now, but I promise it gets prettier later.

I kind of just let things play out as they would at the Riedmayer house this week. I definitely wasn't planning on having Jack get into a relationship at all, much less one with a man, but it's hard to keep a Romance Sim happy without a little...well, romance. I ended up liking Johnson a lot; I honestly like him better than Jill.

I was definitely disappointed first that Elwood only lived long enough to father two children, and second that neither was a boy. However, I've since gotten accustomed to it. Also, he gave me another platinum gravestone despite being a Fortune Sim who only made about $1000 in his entire life.

Week One Part Three: Riedmayer Cove

Although they were the largest family in town, the Riedmayers had a little more money to begin with and thus were able to construct a small but comfortable shelter immediately. They also had the advantage of having many wage earners. Jack got a job in the entertainment career track. Elwood and Edith became file clerks at a law office. Joan got a job which she prefers to forget. It was hard for the twins to balance school and work. Edith began getting D's in school but good reviews at work. Joan began getting B's but was fired from her job due to poor performance. Fortunately she was able to get another job in the journalism track which suited her better.

Life was not all gloom for the struggling twins, though. They still found time for fun activities like having a water balloon fight in the rain. While wearing their work clothes.










Meanwhile, Elwood was invited on an outing by his acquaintance, Rivka Dejackome. She had told him about her struggles to save up money to adopt children, and he decided to give her a little gift while on their outing. She was delighted. Elwood gave a similar gift to Rivka's best friend, Larita Whitfill, who was also planning to adopt. Larita looked shocked but accepted the gift.

After the exchanges were complete, Elwood enjoyed a game of chess with Rivka.


At the same outing, Elwood met a young, beautiful woman named Jill Smith. He decided that maybe remarriage wouldn't be so bad after all and invited her out on a date. She accepted and they had a lovely dinner, but Elwood soon discovered that she was not interested in settling down and starting a family, so he left the date disappointed.






Beata had a lifelong dream to join the military, but no opportunities presented themselves, so she stayed home and cared for Francine. Around the time Francine started school, Beata found time to pursue a relationship with Malcolm Landgraab IV, a handsome young man she'd met through her best friend, Brittanie Kules.

The two hit it off immediately and soon Beata invited Malcolm to move in. The more the merrier, right? Elwood was pleased at the idea of another wage-earner in the house, but when he found out that Malcolm couldn't actually use his inheritance money to improve his father-in-law's house, Elwood began to hint that the happy young couple should find their own place.

Beata wanted to have a huge party for her wedding, but then she discovered that she and Malcolm would soon be welcoming a little Landgraab--at least, it would be a little Landgraab if they managed to tie the knot in time. So they spent five months planning a small but pretty wedding, which was held in the front yard. Just the family was in attendance...well, and Elwood's girlfriend Jill. Not having any other prospects, he had decided to rekindle that relationship.



Although they had no DJ, the girls enjoyed an impromtu dance party.

The very morning after the wedding, Beata, Malcolm, Edith, Joan, and Francine all packed up their things and piled into a taxi.








Meanwhile, Elwood managed to convince Jill to marry him immediately rather than waiting. After all, the wedding arch was still right there in the yard! They were married privately, with only Elwood's brother Jack as a witness. Elwood had fond hopes that his new bride would produce more young Riedmayers in short order.







At exactly 8:01 on Monday, the Riedmayer house still had only 3 rooms: A great room some kitchen appliances and countertops, a dining table, and various skill-building objects; a bedroom with a double bed for Elwood and Jill and a single bed tucked in a corner for Jack; and a small bathroom that was almost constantly in use while there were 7 people living in the house. However, they did have hardwood floors and paint on the inside walls and siding on the outside, so they weren't doing too badly.

Beata's marriage to Malcolm was a really great move for a lot of reasons: 1) It redirected Malcolm's desire to marry Brittanie. (Romance Sims hate getting married. It's actually best to have your Romance Sims only woo other Romance Sims, because then they both understand that the relationship is totally devoid of commitment and you don't get a couple with opposing wants.) 2) It brought about $28,000 into my neighborhood net worth, plus the money Malcolm has earned since then. (You would not believe how easy it is to play a two working adults, even with several children. [Though I have had a lot of success with the breadwinning father + stay-at-home mother model.]) 3) It cleared out the Riedmayer home so that I had room to attempt to perpetuate the male line.

Elwood's marriage to Jill was not so smart, because now I have another Sim whose lifetime want is to have 20 lovers. Blah. It seemed like a good idea at the time, because she was young enough and he was old enough that she could have 2-3 children and then he would die and she would have the rest of her life to fulfill her want. But then I just plain got sick of playing Romance Sims. However, I should save all that for the next Riedmayer installment.

Introducing the Riedmayer Family

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with EA Games, nor am I being compensated for my efforts. I just like the game.

Note: I am going to be writing part of this "in character" and then part of it not in character. I will indicate that by differences in text color.

Quinton John Riedmayer, Jr., [in the red shirt] better known as Jack, was never interested in all that "take care of the family business, carry on the family name" nonsense. He was more interested in seeing how many girlfriends one man can have without getting sucked into marriage. He did pretty well, too, until his share of the inheritance dried up and he was forced to move in with his brother.

Elwood Riedmayer [in the green shirt] was always a little ashamed of his older brother. He tried to make up for Jack's indiscretions with his own excellent behavior. He took over the family business when he was just 18, married not long after, and obligingly did his best to father an heir. But his only child was a girl. And not just a girl, but a flighty girl interested only in parties. Elwood did his best to support her and keep her from shaming the family name, but then his wife Edith got cancer and things began to go downhill. Once she died (around the same time the family business floundered), Elwood decided it was time for a fresh start and cashed in his assets to buy property in Prosperity Plains. The only trouble is, now he needs a male heir all over again, and he's not really interested in remarriage.

Beata Riedmayer [blonde hair, colorful dress] was always closer to her mother. Her mother was the one who was home, after all, not always away on business like her father. When she gave birth to twins out of wedlock, it was her mother who supported her and helped raise the twins. When Beata became pregnant again several years later, it was her dying mother who convinced her father not to kick her out of the house to fend for herself. Now her mother is gone, though, and Beata has moved with her father to Prosperity Plains. She hopes that they can find a way to be friends.

Edith Riedmayer [dark hair, blue jacket] was named after her grandmother, but she inherited her grandfather's keen business sense. She also inherited a bit of his impatience with Beata's flightiness. Edith has high ambitions and she needs them, since it will probably be her job to keep the family afloat financially after Grandpa dies.

Joan Riedmayer [dark hair, pink shirt] doesn't like the way Mom runs things (or rather, fails to) any more than Edith does. But she thinks Edith is silly for thinking that money can solve all their problems. The most important thing is being committed to your family above everything else, no matter what.

Francine Riedmayer [toddler] doesn't really care what happens as long as nobody leaves her in her crib too long. She wants to explore the world!

Quinton Riedmayer was another product of the random name generator. I liked the name enough to build a whole family of names around it, but then when I actually started playing I kept thinking of that Sim as Jack, no matter how many times I reminded myself that his name is Quinton. So I built part of the backstory around that oddity.

The twins are biracial. Their father was quite handsome despite being taken straight from the randomizer; it's too bad I had to delete him. I used a different male Sim for Francine, and it worked out such that it's pretty obvious she's the twins' half-sister, which is what I intended.

The elderly brothers are both naturally fair-haired, though Elwood especially has a pretty good tan going. (I think he's blond under the gray, and Jack is a redhead. But it might be the other way around.)

Jack is a Capricorn (which means he's kind of shy and very playful) and a Romance Sim whose lifetime aspiration is to have 20 loves at once.

Elwood is an Aquarius and a Fortune Sim whose lifetime aspiration is to make $100,000. Funny, that's exactly like Darius Kules.

Beata is a Scorpio (very active, kind of low on niceness) and a Popularity Sim whose lifetime aspiration is to become a General (top of the military career track).

Edith is a Capricorn and a Fortune Sim whose lifetime aspiration is to own 5 top-level businesses. That's going to be...interesting.

Joan is a Leo (10 outgoing, at the expense of everything else) and a Family Sim whose lifetime aspiration I forget. I think she wants to graduate 6 kids from college or something.

Francine is a Virgo (shy, serious, and very tidy) and will be a Knowledge Sim once she's old enough to have a real aspiration. I rolled her aspiration with everyone else's, rather than waiting to roll it when she became a teen. Virgo is pretty much the perfect personality for Knowledge, so she should do well in life.

The Riedmayers have a lot on the south side of town, near the water (I'm not sure if it's an ocean or a lake or what) called Riedmayer Cove.

Also, Riedmayer is pronounced Reed-my-er. I'll let you figure out first names yourselves.