Noble Calendar Year 230

This calendar of upcoming events helps me planning the year of Region 12's royal and noble houses. It's Year 230!

Each featured house will typically host one or two major events and will accept one major invitation per year. In addition Social Season (Summer) is packed with smaller or ad-hoc events with less formality and shorter notice. On top of this everyone on a House's payroll (royal and dukedoms, mostly) will represent a couple times per year - royals a lot more. Formal events are normally roughly planned a year ahead, with details like exact date and theme to follow. This makes it easier for Aristocracy to avoid colliding of bigger celebrations.

Region 12 News - Year 229

Year 229 seemed like a neverending story. It's finally ended, and a new Reg12 NEWS video was released! Four minutes video with news, gossips and family notes. Hosted by Simmerville Studio's new anchor, Paulo Caliente.

Grey Sims annoyed by Commercial Boards

(Year 229) San Myshuno residents are complaining about the commercial boards taking up more and more of the public room. Grey Sims member, Sybil H. Rasoya (77), says Spice Market is bombarded with glowing signs with bright in-your-face ads. It has become even worse now before the Election. - This needs to be addressed!

Cybil H. Rasoya is not happy with the commercial boards!

- We are used to some commercials in the city, and I am not suggesting that all advertising must stop, but there is a big difference between static painted advertisements on a wall and glowing illuminated signs that might even blink or constantly switch ads. I never fancied roof top boards either, but those placed on the pavement are even worse! If you forgot your glasses at home you might accidentally walk right into them, then get dizzy and walk right into the traffic, and get seriously wounded! We can do fine without such a danger!

HRH Crown Princess Emireza Knighted

(Year 229) On Investiture Day - 1st day of Winter, anyone worthy of their investiture will attend the big Court event at the royal palace. This year was indeed special, as the future queen got knighted for the Order of the Royal Chamber!

The annual Court event will typically fill just half the seats in the Throne room, but this year the ceremony got some extra attention. There were several coronations, as the King earlier in the year created new peerages to replace a few of the old peerages that were poorly designed generations ago, a process that will not be completed until next year.

Building a Sim's Personality (1 of 3): Traits

I always paid great attention to my sims' personality. Because I want more to it than the basics, I added individual DNA strings with lots of details regarding both looks and mindset. I've shared tidbits from the DNA string previously (TS3 actually, have grown since). I also have a routine for picking Traits, Aspiration and Likes/Dislikes, which I'll share in 3 articles.

These essential bits of a personality are passed down from parents to child helping me to decide it all, but there is also a chance of randomness and uniqueness involved. As I think the game leans way too much on randomness, I made my own routine to make sure siblings often get some personality details from minimum one parent (often from both), but with a small chance to stand out as totally unique.

Let's start with the Traits, as they are the first thing you need to consider in a sim's life. My routine for picking the Traits can get a tad complex, especially in a larger household. Not only Parents' traits are involved, but also what traits siblings picked already will affect the options. And in some cases - which I love - a young sim is forced to pick a negative trait. In other cases the sim can choose quite freely.

100 Years: The Butler Academy

(Year 229) In Year 129 The Butler Academy was founded by Mr. Hector Golden. This weekend there was a grand celebration including a formal dinner arranged by former and current students, and yesterday Duchess Ribra Lynn of Rossie guested this fine institution.

The Butler Academy was located at Arts Quarter in San Myshuno for more than 80 years. Then it took over some old property in Del Sol Valley (which actually is closer to San Myshuno than you might think), and shortly the old factory was renovated to meet the school's needs. Being next door to the Showbiz Academy (orange build) might seem like two rivals lining up shoulder by shoulder, but they definitely aim for different students. The Butler Academy's mission is of course to provide servants for the aristocracy, but this is also a popular boarding high school attracting children of fine, noble Houses, preparing them for a future as a servant or even as the head of a finer estate. Many a finer Missus studied here, then served for a few years as Governess or Cook, before marrying into a good House bringing her good earned skills and character values. Students learn subjects like Gourmet cooking, Parenting and Handiness, but they also get acquainted to history and rules of the aristocracy.

The Royals spotted in Tartosa!

(Year 229) Out of the blue, locals of the small town Tartosa got themselves a big surprise this morning running into His Royal Majesty King Tarriot and HRH Queen Venezia! They pay Tartosa an unannounced visit, meaning they are here in personal affairs and only with a minor staff team.

Winter is a bit more chilly than the rest of the year, but in this region it's more like a hot day in Spring than a freezing experience. The royals looked rather casual despite dressing up a bit more than the average tartosian. Rumors have it they are not here on a vacation.

Mini Street Market

(Year 229) In my Gloomville, the streetfront of most community lots in the commercial hood look as they originally did. The content has been adjusted though, with a few extra features added on available small spots. With minor adjustments I made a much more useful and busy area.

The Municipal Muses Museum is already quite active, but the museum garden mostly looks like a wasted space. In my game's history this lot used to be the Villa Floretti, the estate of a House that I guess has its roots back in the Tartosa area. Sacariaz Floretti sold their estate for museum purposes, and rented the much bigger main estate from the old and now extinct Brixerwood clan. An estate that the Baron of Gloom is now moving back into, but that is a different story. Perhaps this is why the museum garden was never changed?

Well, today I learned something new!

Amailia Luxe-Hamper Hoffstar moves to Tartosa

(Year 229) Chateau Peak announced that His Majesty King Tarriot's half sister, Amalia Ellice Luxe-Hamper Hoffstar has celebrated her young adult birthday and moved to Tartosa. There she will stay until further notice at Villa Vigna, which is owned by the Mazaloom Royal Trust.

Amalia Ellice Luxe-Hamper Hoffstar posing in front of the portrait of her mother's parents.

The press release said nothing regarding Amalia's graduation at Summerfield High i Windenburg. Rumors had it that she did rather poorly building character values and only got a B grade, which would not even qualify for the school's diploma.

Y230 Election: The Toughest Battles

(Year 229) With only the Winter until the big Year 230 election is coming up, it's time to highlight a few of the more interesting local battles! Each hood will have its Hood Contact, and normally only in a few hoods there are candidates from all three political parties, RIGHT party, LEFT party and MIDDLE party. Now that the N.A.P. votes are in and the parties have publicized their ranked list of candidates, we finally know who will be running. In 32 hoods there will be minimum one Hood Contact candidate, but only 6 of those hoods will have a full 3 parties battle: Arts Quarter in San Myshuno (Region 12), Sable Square in Brindleton Bay (Region 12), Upperton in Gloomville (Region 12), Oldtown in Windenburg (Region 1), Crafthole Town (Region 4) and Tartosa (Region 3). Let's check out some of them!

In San Myshuno's Arts Quarter LEFT's Anaya Jang is the most merited Politician as she is currently leading the Culture & Entertainment Dept. of The People Chamber.

Abhrin Wusha (58, RIGHT), Anaya Jang (63, LEFT) and Chaos Kessler (35, MIDDLE).

Jang is likely to keep her position as Hood Contact, but also RIGHT party's Abhrin Wusha is a long timer, he might be a serious contender as he was 5 years ago only 4 votes behind Jang.

Sprucewood Prime - Young Students' Favorite

(Year 229) At the moment there are two private boarding schools, one for elementary students in Evergreen Harbor and another for high school students in Windenburg. They are both expensive (§1,000 per year, but with a discount if paying the total before 1st term), so they mainly reach out to high society. Previously I shared tidbits from the general system with uniforms etc, now it's time to stop by for a regular inspection, with info on the building and owners. And, we'll start with Sprucewood Prime!

It should not be necessary to suggest that Sproucewood Prime is extremely popular with the children. The colorful building works like a magnet, and I must admit it was quite fun mashing together crazy colors with no color scheme at all. 

This boarding school intends to be a playful stop in a sim's life, and this part is actually quite controversial, as most high society families are rather old fashioned clinging to the traditional values that brought them up where they are today. How can this school be so popular with the elite when it so obviously breaks with their aesthetics and traditions? Well, when their little Lord learns about Sprucewood Prime from other students, there is no escape. If the Monarch's children can study here, it's very hard for a Duke to explain to his child that this boarding school is no good.

The Royal Palace releases Portrait of Crown Princess Emireza

(Year 229) Chateau Peak has released a new photo of the Crown Princess. Not just a picture, but a collectors' object that can be bought in a limited number of copies at selected galleries and stores all over the kingdom.

The picture shows Crown Princess Emireza (18) carrying the family order that she was given two years ago, and there has already been suggestions the picture might not be brand new.