Round 5 (Fall): Batavus: mswn

mswn

Round 5 (Fall): Batavus

Oct 08, 2011 20:34

Previously, our founding family had a fairly uneventful summer. Frida and Mel moved up in their individual career tracks in politics and education; Penelope got to hang out with the new kids in town and have her first kiss; and Wim just hung around being alternately cute and dorky.

Piet, seeking solace from the emotional WTFness currently enveloping the Bat-Mead household, hangs around to help his mom build some logic points, while Penelope takes an uncharacteristic evening nap on the family couch.

Flex those brain muscles, Piet! Surely you'll need those skills if you ever want to bring in the big Amy Tang case at work!

Once the rest of the house is asleep, Penelope slips into something a little more autumn-appropriate for an illicit night out with her beau. The napping was all part of the plan.

But you know what they say about even the best-laid plans. Where Ste-Margo's finest seem to fall short on burglary prevention, they've got teen shenanigans well in hand, and Penelope is brought home in a cruiser. Somehow, though, she manages to convince the copper not to wake her parents and punishes herself by spending the rest of the night on the bench out front, with no one the wiser in the morning.

They're good eaters, the Batavus women.

*Penelope face* Want to nom it.

Well, Frida, you got promoted and you're standing in a bag full of money. I'd say today is a good day. And maybe now you can buy yourself a better suit.

Since they know the weather will soon be turning cold, everyone spends time making sure Batavus Fish Market will be well supplied while the canal is frozen over.

Wim sneakily has his birthday right there and rolls fortune as his aspiration, along with some fairly appropriate turn-ons. His LTW is to become the Law, which again seems fitting for the son of the future mayor whose older brother is also on the police force.

His face is kind of a surprise-- he looked so much like Frida as a child, but (thanks largely to the weird custom skin that I downloaded ages ago and apparently gave to both Frida and Mel waaaay back when I made them) he's grown to resemble his dad and older brother more than I'd expected.

Of course, there are other factors that reinforce the similarities... These guys really ought to start stocking calamine lotion in the medicine cabinet.

All the nights spent out fishing without a coat on lead to our founder coming down with the first illness in Ste-Margo.

She's being a little melodramatic about it.

Mel quickly follows suit, leaving me one sick sim away from unlocking the medical career.

WHAT is that face for, Wim?

Oh, well that makes sense. Get some rest, honey pie.

;_; (But, medical career unlocked!)

Penelope and Piet manage to avoid the epidemic and decide to have a dance party on the lawn.

Hey, brah, let's boogie! (Wim cannot resist.)

Unfortunately, some genius invited the whole household over instead of just Piet.

Oopsie-doodle!

Frida: *still sick*

Sorry, bb. (They really do look miserable when they have the flu, don't they?)

Piet: *sees and does not approve*

He chooses ridicule as his tactic to address the situation. Wendy takes umbrage.

Penelope tries to calm him down with a simple, "Chill out, man. We're just two ladies, gettin' our dance on."

But Piet is unmoved.

Then Penelope has what she thinks is a brilliant idea...

She uses her sisterly influence to convince Piet to offer a conciliatory hug. 'Yes,' she thinks, 'this will work perfectly.'
Wendy: *not sure if serious, or...*

It does not go over as she had hoped.

And Piet's embarrassment quickly morphs into something more malevolent...

Wendy: "Huzzah! No one makes fun of my dancing and gets away with it!"
Oh, dear. I think this will be the last time Penelope tries to intervene in Piet's domestic disputes.

Wendy is escorted home, and Piet turns to his brother for comfort.

(This GQMF? Are we sure they're related?)(Yes.)

Piet shares his sorrows, and while Wim can't pretend to totally understand the complexities of his situation, he's always happy to lend an ear to the big brother who loved him so much growing up.

Meanwhile, not one to dwell on her diplomatic failures, Penelope turns her eyes to happier sights.

Jayne! I see one of my new default replacements is mucking up your hoodie. D:<

The Castaway kids have some of the favorite faces I've ever made. They'd better all have lots of babbies.

Penelope is growing up quickly, and it's almost time for her to graduate from high school. She's been dreaming of going to college to pursue her goal of becoming a city planner-- she wants so badly to be able to help shape the city her mother is building. But even though she's been applying for scholarships, there are no schools currently open to residents of Ste-Margo.

Frida and Mel have been staying up late nights, talking about the future of the town and their family, and on her day off, Frida calls a meeting with representatives of all the town's households.

She reminds them that one of the reasons they all came to this place was to make better lives for themselves, and for their families. As the spouse of a member of the education career, Frida is convinced that the best thing they can do for the future of their town is to provide their children with access to higher education.

She knows the numbers don't add up; there's no way they can afford the §500,000 required to build a branch of Sim State University this early on, and neither she nor Mel have reached the levels in their careers to run an institution of that scale.

But if they would all reach into their savings, who knows what might be possible? After doing some research, she and Mel have determined that for §250,000, they could purchase accreditation for a community college right here in town, with enough money left over to buy a little bit of land for the campus and to hire a dean to run the program.

"We're building a new world here, people. What better investment can there be than in the education of the next generation of Ste-Margo?"

So Frida officially declares the start of a special, one-time-only, University Pledge Drive. She's asking everyone to give 'til it hurts.

Virginia is a little hesitant. After all, it's not like they're made of magic genie lamps. Charlie, whose lifelong dream is to see his three children graduate from college, is understandably put off by her reluctance.

Milo, on the other hand, is just concerned that, given Ste-Margo's history of rampant burglary, none of them might really be in a position to give much of anything.

This concern hits home with many of the residents. The memory of Amy Tang remains ever fresh in their minds.

But ultimately, it's Piet, always thinking of his younger siblings and now also baby Grover, who is the first to step up to the plate and make a donation.

Batavus family ties notwithstanding, his action gets the ball rolling, and by meeting's end, the pledge drive has raised over §150,000. Added to the existing town funds, this gets them to the §250,000 mark, with every household keeping a few thousand simoleons on hand to hold them over to their next paychecks. Frida and Mel get to work on Ste-Margo Community College immediately and break the good news to their daughter that night.

Which means it's time for another dance party!

(It's also a chance to belatedly celebrate Wim's birthday and let him mingle with the teen crowd.)

(Una-face, ilu!)

Piet takes a moment to sit back quietly, perhaps thinking of his own birthday party in this yard, the one that marked the last night before he moved out on his own.

Frida is more inclined to celebrate the victories of the day, and to look forward to the things she has planned for her children-- Penelope, Wim, and Sainte-Margo.

In the morning, before the balloons are even cleared off the grass, the newly hired dean comes by to pick up Penelope. While Frida and Wim get ready for their day, Mel tags along to see his daughter off.

#round 5, bacc: batavus, bacc