Welcome and thanks for clicking. This is the first installment of my new series called The Pleasantview Diaries. My goal is to join all of the family trees of every Maxis made household in the game, while making an interesting story out of it. Eventually, I want to get down to a single sim that can trace his or her family tree to every family. So wish me luck, it’s going to take a while! Also, please enjoy and feel free to critique!




Alexander and Cassandra Goth sat solemnly at their dining room table. The crunching of crisp ice burg lettuce was the only sound to be heard in the house. The Goth household, which used to be filled with love and laughter, had been grim as a tomb since the great tragedy. The great tragedy being the suspicious disappearance of beautiful wife and mother, Bella Goth. When it happened, the vanishing was the talk of Pleasantview. Fingers were pointed, backs were stabbed. Neighbors turned to sworn enemies.


Little Alexander Goth knew nothing of this neighborhood turmoil which was centered around possible alien abductions and murder, kidnapping accusations. All he knew is that his mother had left him, whether she wanted to or not, and he was hurting. “Cassie…”, the silent dining came to an abrupt halt. “Do-do you think mommy is ever going to come back?”


Cassandra was caught off guard. Feeling her heart sink and tears well in her eyes she began her reply. "Well, Alexander. You know, well, you don’t know. I mean, we don’t know. Nobody knows.” Her heart began to pound as she fumbled with her answer. How could she explain to her little brother that their mother was most likely dead? “Wherever mom is, I know she misses us…and loves us. Whether she will come back or not…I cannot say.”
“There”, Cassandra thought, “That sounded good”.


Alex was disappointed, he sighed. “I thought that’s what you were going to say. But I want to know where she is…” His voice trailed off, he choked up. The conversation ended. Alexander knew his sister couldn’t bring back his mother, and Cassandra knew nothing she said would satisfy Alex. He needed his mother, and so did she.


Later that night, Cassandra escaped to the roof. She needed to be alone, to think. Her heart was heavy as she reflected on the recent past. Between caring for her brother due to her father Mortimer's deteriorating mental state and trying to live the façade her mother would have wanted for her, Cassandra was exhausted. Her mind floated to earlier that week, a fight with her now ex-fiancé, Don Lothario.


“Cassie, baby, what’s wrong? You’ve been distant all day.”
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I know you’re sleeping with that Caliente girl down the street, Don! Hah, probably both of them!”
“Oh what?! Cassandra I am so sick of this! We’ve been over it a million times! There’s nothing between me and either of them!”
“You know, it might be easier to lie if your trashy girlfriends weren’t parading your affairs all around Pleasantview! Stop lying to me, I’m not blind!”


“Hah, okay. You know what? Fine. I’m done. I did it. I’m sleeping with both of them. But so what? Everyone knows you’re just as dirty as me, sleeping with that pathetic Dreamer guy.”
“Darren has nothing to do with this! He is my friend, and twice the man you are! I’m done Don, done. This engagement is off.”


“Haha whatever baby. You think I need you or somethin’, baby? Well I don’t. I’ve got girls lined up at my door. I was just in this for the money, and for that hot mama of yours. Now that she’s gone and the money will be too, due to your pops goin’ off the deep end, I’m out of here. Hell, I don’t why I even stuck around as long as I did.”


Cassandra broke down. Not because of what Don had said, but because she knew her mother would be devastated if she could see things now. Salty tears streamed down her face as she thought of all the ways she failed. She lost her job and fiancé, and was now losing her father. She couldn’t keep taking care of Alex like he was her own, but she had no choice. Since Bella disappeared, Mortimer had become a withdrawn ghost of his former self.


What Bella Goth would have been most ashamed of was perhaps the only shred of happiness in Cassandra’s life; her romance with the widowed Darren Dreamer. After Cassandra ended her engagement to Don, an endearing friendship quickly turned into a passionate romance. Darren truly loved Cassandra, and she loved him back.


Cassandra’s tears of guilt and failure turned into angry, determined tears. She loved Darren and her family. Despite what her mother would think if she were here, Cassandra made the decision to not give up trying to weave her broken family back together. She would be happy; she must.


Later that night, Mortimer Goth awoke from a dream. Yet another glorious dream of having his beautiful wife back in his arms. He stared blankly at the wall, his heart empty. Mortimer had grown numb over the years. He knew his Bella would not come back to him, so he preferred to ignore reality and invest emotions in more dreaming. But tonight, he could not fall back asleep. Something felt different.
“Mortimer…”, a familiar, gentle voiced cooed from downstairs.


Mortimer hobbled down the stairs, his old legs tired and sore. He knew that voice, but from where? It had been so long. He reached the bottom of the stairs, and who he saw standing there made his jaw drop and heart skip a beat.




Don Lothario sat alone in his cheap condo, pouting. As he flipped through the channels on his big screen television, he thought about how his once plentiful love life had taken major damage lately. First of all, there were the whispers about his involvement with Bella Goth’s disappearance. The last place anyone saw her was at Don’s, scaling the deck of his condo. That rumor certainly kept the ladies away for a while. He was also feeling down in the dumps because her daughter, Cassandra Goth, called off their engagement. He was not bitter because he loved her, he never wanted to marry her, but simply because he had never been the “dumpee” before. It did not suit him.


Cassandra was the first woman to ever end a relationship, or “friendship” with Don. Don had always been used to women crawling at his feet. Undeniably, he was the Casanova of Pleasantview. The reason for the attraction, however, was unclear. Sure, Don was a fairly handsome man. However, he was not rich, not brave or particularly bright. Don Lothario was extremely vain, sloppy, and rude.


Worst of all, Don Lothario had no respect for women. He perceived them to be and treated them like pieces of meat, existing for his purposes alone. Being of the “romantic” type, those purposes were never intended wholesomely. He didn’t care who he hurt as long as he got what he wanted most of all.


Don decided he was done moping around over lost lovers and damaged charisma. He leapt up from his couch, deciding to give one of his favorite dirty little secrets a call. Dina Caliente. Dina did anything Don asked, anything at all. She ignored the fact he was also sleeping with her twin sister Nina. She denied it so much, she tricked herself into thinking Don was all hers.


Don took Dina up to his bedroom, on a bed that had seen many women. Dina gave Don what he wanted and then he promptly sent her home so he could call up her sister and his maid, Kaylynn Langerak.


By the end of a long day of woohooing women, Don regained his confidence. He didn’t need Cassandra, he still “had it” and was sure to find other women later. Yes, it was good to be Don Lothario.


Or so he thought.




Dina Caliente sat at her peach colored counter, munching on her cereal with a blank stare. She was on her second bowl; she had been so hungry lately. She knew why the hunger was from carrying Don Lothario’s baby. Dina didn’t know how she was going to tell her twin sister and roommate, Nina. Money was tight already, especially from their recent burglarization. A baby would only complicate things. Nina would be furious that Dina wasn’t more careful, that she would be bringing a small, squirming baby into the house.


Dina knew she had to tell her twin. Her abdomen grew everyday; soon she wouldn’t be able to hide the baby inside of her. As Dina scrubbed the dishes, she pondered on the best way to break the news. Not only did she have to tell Nina, but she had to tell Don. Dina’s heart sunk. Deep down, she realized Don would not make a good father to their unborn child.


Dina cried herself to sleep that night as moonlight poured through her window. Her heart broken, she dreamt of the mother she would be, the sacrifices that would be made, and her innocent baby that deserved something better.


The next morning, Dina worked up the courage to tell Nina her bittersweet news. She didn’t waste time getting to the point. “Nina. We need to talk. I have something important to tell you, but I don’t think you’re going to be happy about it.”


“Oh Dina! I’m so glad you’re bringing this up. Before you start, I have news for you too. It’s unexpected but undeniable. Here it goes. Dina, I’m pregnant. Don, Don Lothario and me, we’re having a baby.”