Wednesday 28 July 2010

I want to break free

Round 28: Autumn 2027
Narrated by Tessa Novak

Since I arrived, I've been having a lot of fun here at Suffolk!

My dorm room definitely wasn't my kind of place though. I'm pretty sure a guy was living here before me.

We're not allowed to paint the walls but I did manage to make it so that I feel a bit more at home in there.

I'm not actually in my room so often, seeing it's so small but it's nice to have somewhere quiet to go to study, or just be by myself for a while.

I have barely had a chance to miss anyone at home. If I'm not on the phone with my parents, it's one of my sisters, or an uncle, aunt or cousin. I bet Dad's put them up to it!

I'm so glad Rebecca and I ended up in the same dorm. She's been trying to convince me to major in psych with her.

Psych actually sounds pretty interesting but I don't know how useful it would be for business. I'm sticking with my original plan - economics.

I wouldn't say economics is the most fun major in the world. The readings are pretty dry. Any time I complain about it, Rebecca takes yet another opportunity to try to win me over to psych.

Most of my downtime lately has been spent in the greenhouse. I still can't believe our dorm has a greenhouse but I love it.

Ethan's been the only one tending to it for the past couple of years, so he's asked me to make sure I look after when he graduates.

It's all my responsibility already, really. Ethan's grades are slipping, so he's trying to devote himself to more intellectual pursuits this year.

He was maintaining a 4.0 until this year. He's finding it hard to keep motivated knowing he's so close to the end.

Ethan mightn't be the best student but he has been a really good friend to me so far this year.

He loves the outdoors about as much as I do - it's almost like having Maia around.

For some reason, it never really occurred to me that there'd be so many scenic places on campus but Ethan knows where they all are.

I'm glad someone is interested in that kind of thing!

I didn't think I'd ever get to know Adrienne or Matilda. They both spend a lot of time absorbed in video games and poker.

They seem really insular sometimes but I think that's probably what Rebecca and I look like to outsiders.

Even a couple of months in, I still don't know Matilda very well and I guess I won't. She's graduating along with Ethan at the end of this year.

I have got to know Adrienne a little bit though and I actually really like her. She's not the nicest girl, exactly, but she reminds me a lot of Rebecca in some ways, so we get along well anyway.

She's a little bit cagey about her first two years here but she did open up a little and tell me that she got pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption. That was kind of a shock to me. I've never known anyone who'd gone through that before.

Adrienne hasn't been dating at all until very recently - she was kind of scared off it after getting pregnant. But she's casually seeing a guy named Elijah now, who she met last year.

She's really quick to correct anyone who refers to Elijah as her boyfriend, even though I haven't seen her with any other guys since I got here.

All I know is I don't want to ever get in that hot tub!

But he does seem like a nice guy. I was talking to him while he was doing an assignment and he hardly minded at all!

Rebecca grew up on a farm but you'd never know it. She has no interest in nature or anything like that. She's whining a lot right now because she's got really into soccer but everyone else in the dorm is too lazy to play with her.

Sometimes, she manages to rope me into a game but it's not something I enjoy.

But Rebecca's my best friend and I don't mind too much. We have so much fun together.

Rebecca and I both really love the bar on campus. For me, it's because despite the fact that it's sort of dingy, it's also kind of cozy and comfortable. For Rebecca, I think its appeal lies more in how much her mother would hate the place. Mrs Kirby is a little uptight and Rebecca thinks it's funny when she gets all riled up.

Last time we went to the bar, I turned to say something to Rebecca and she'd disappeared.

She's got a huge crush on this guy, Lucian. She's liked him from the second she laid eyes on him. Lucian's all flirty with her whenever they see each other.

Rebecca's not shy but it took her a little while to work up the courage to ask Lucian out. Finally one day, she called him...

...and he says no!

Rebecca's pretending she doesn't care but I can tell she does. I was all ready to have a long rant session with her about what a jerk he is but she doesn't want to talk about it.

She says she'll be fine and she just wants to sulk for a little bit. Well, okay. I'd rather bitch and moan about Lucian but I can't force her.

I've had a few guys try to hit on me this semester but I'm not really interested.

I have Dominic waiting for me back in Sullivan and I'm a one-guy-at-a-time kind of girl.

We only started dating about a month before I finished high school but we decided to stay together and see how we went. We're doing okay but he still has one more year of school, so we can only really see each other on weekends.

We both really look forward to the weekends! Dominic's not planning on going to university, so we'll still be apart next year. But he'll be on his own and will be a bit more free to spend his time how he wants.

Neither of us can wait! It's hard to say goodbye knowing we won't see each other for another week.

For now though, we're just trying to talk on the phone as much as we can and look forward to next year!

Outtakes:

So I don't really know what was going on here. I was experimenting with pose boxes and all of a sudden, Tessa and Rebecca pulled these faces!

I love how Rebecca's getting all mad and rolling her eyes and Tessa's just continuing her story! They've been friends since kindergarten, so Tessa would be well used to Rebecca's crabbiness by now. I doubt it would faze her any more.

Matilda is not so keen though!

Notes:
  • Title is from I Want To Break Free by Queen.
  • While I had Dominic and Tessa on their date, they rolled the want to woohoo, which I didn't think could happen on teen-adult dates. So that was something new. I don't think Tessa's a hot tub/sauna woohoo kind of girl though and Dominic doesn't strike me as the type either, so they're going to have to wait.
  • Adrienne still isn't going too crazy with the romance wants. She rolled the want to go on a date, so I set her up with Elijah, who she met last year. Then the romantic wants progressed as they usually do on a date. Once they woohooed, she rolled those crazy multiple woohoo/make out/public woohoo wants but once the date finished, she was back to her sedate, study-oriented wants, with the occasional date want thrown in. So she really is being a little more careful now. She really needs to be careful too, because she's a slob and can't use birth control. I did make sure I had try for baby turned off for her this time though! No more oops babies for Adrienne, except through risky woohoo!
  • Not much Matilda in this one but she wasn't really doing much of interest, actually. She rolled an engagement want for Ethan but Ethan is well and truly over her and rolling wants for somebody else, who I will reveal at a later date. ;) Hopefully, Matilda will find somebody else to focus her affections on.
  • Ethan and Matilda have graduated in game, Matilda with a 4.0 and Ethan with a 3.6. Graduation details will come in the Summer birthdays.

17 comments:

  1. That's too bad that Ethan let his grades slip there at the end, and it's a little sad that Matilda is all graduated and adult now.

    I lol'd on the photos of Tessa and Rebecca, Tessa really doesn't seem to be phased at all by Rebecca's crabby nature, she just keeps going on and on with her story! so funny.

    Tessa and Dominic are really sweet together, I love that with custom heights, he's taller than her, instead of automatically shorter for being a teen. Their diner scene made me want to eat chili cheese fries, lol. Even though they aren't eating that. It just made me want to.

    Probably best for Megan that Lucian said no, I'm sure she's happier having her youngest not date. ;)

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  2. They are such good friends, it's great to see such strong friendships, especially lasting that long.

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  3. Maisie, yeah, Ethan just didn't want to study for that last charisma point he needed, so his grades dropped. He graduated though, which is the main thing!

    And yes, I love custom heights! It's not nearly as noticeable than Tessa is in the adult stage and Dominic's still in teen because he's so much taller than she is. So much more realistic - a 17 year-old boy is likely to be taller than an adult woman.

    Oh, gosh, yes, Megan would be quite pleased that Rebecca's not dating! And that she didn't get the double in the dorm! Adrienne's still occupying that room.

    Apple Valley, I think so too. The long lasting friendships are my favourites. I'm trying to take more notice of my Sims' platonic relationships. I get caught up in the romance side of things sometimes but most real people have a better balance.

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  4. I'm always having so much fun reading your university updates and this one wasn't an exception. It's great to see that everyone is getting along.

    Do you remember where you got that dorm? I'm kind of bored with mine but I'm too lazy to build a new one right now.

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  5. Aw, poor Rebecca. Though I'm sure Megan would be happy to hear that guy turned her down. ;)

    I love Rebecca and Tessa together as best friends. The picture of Tessa going on with her story despite Rebecca's grumpy face is hilarious. They look like they're so much fun together.

    I'm glad that Adrienne is still taking things slow. Hopefully she doesn't find herself in the same situation again!

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  6. I love how Tessa seems to have grown up. She was one of your teens that talks like a teen and acts like a teen the most.

    Luican doesn't know what he's missing! Rebecca is really beautiful, even though she looks so much like Trent. (Who is very handsome, by the way. I love their chins!)

    I can't wait to see who Ethan is rolling wants for. First I thought of Tessa but then I realized she's his dad's cousin. Then I thought of Adrienne but... Ew!

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  7. I love Rebecca and Tessa together! And yes, Megan would be estatic to hear her daughter was turned down for a date....but college is just beginning for her, plenty of time to date :) I too am glad Adrienne has slowed down a bit, it makes me like her a little more (only a little, I'm still on team Nick lol)

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  8. Sari, that's really lovely to hear!

    And yes, for once, I do remember where I got this dorm - I so often forget where I get lots! But this one is by Beatdoc.

    http://beatdoc16.livejournal.com/7973.html

    Shana, yes, probably! Although Megan's Family, so there's going to come a time when she wants Rebecca to date, so she can get married and pop out some more grandkids. Not when she's 18 though!

    Rebecca and Tessa are a lot of fun together. They always have been. I've been adding "next" links to my entries, so I was just looking back at some pictures of them from when they were kids.

    It's be so easy for Adrienne to get pregnant and I'm actually kind of worried she will! But so far, so good!

    Flit Loue, oh, thanks, I'm glad you think so. Tessa has always been fun for me.

    Ha, you know, if Lucian ever wants to make his way out of townie limbo, he might want to start being nicer to my girls! What, he doesn't want Megan as a mother-in-law? LOL!

    I'm not sure when I'll let Ethan make a move on this girl. There's a lot going on in this round and I'm still trying to figure out wherever everything fits in.

    Regarding cousins and everything though, my rule is that if the game considers them relations, they're off limits. Otherwise, it's open slather! So Adrienne is off limits but Ethan and Tessa aren't related according to the game, so the possibility is still open. Seriously, if I restricted my Sims to dating Sims who aren't related to them at all, I don't think there'd be anybody left! It's probably not such a bad thing that my boy-girl imbalance is going to force me to marry in a few townies down the line. ;)

    Mizzgin03, ha, yes, Rebecca has all the time in the world to give Megan a few more grey hairs!

    Adrienne is a little more sympathetic now that she's not cheating on our Nick. I think most of us are on Team Nick, myself included!

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  9. I love Tessa and Rebecca together, both with their own thing going on, and still together all the time.

    So sad Ethan let his grade slip in the end, I'm glad he did make it in the end.

    I'm so glad Adrienne is being carefull! It wouldn't be smart ending up with another child!

    I love the campus bar, do you remember where you got it?

    Where do you get your outdoor plants? Like the ones in the middle of the pond (picture with Ethan sniffing the air)

    I have some more questions, I know it's a lot, but it's not really about this update, but do you mind telling me a little bit about the extra years for some careers, like the master for education, and medical school, and law school?
    How do you do it exactly? Do you let your sims work in that track, and is that the extra thing they need to do?

    Only one more, in the post "Sullivan Rules and Regulations" under the part of "Finances and Taxes" you mention you have plenty of ways to take the interest awyay from sims bank accounts. I'm sure you can gues what my question is, so what are those ways?

    I'm so so sorry for the many questions, but I want to try new things in SimsVille, and your ways are always so real, and good ....

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  10. I love seeing Tessa and Rebecca in college. I bet they'll have a lot of fun together these next four years!

    Shame Rebecca got turned down by Lucian though - maybe she should try again, because he's pretty easy on the eyes ;)

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  11. Tanja, I don't mind questions. :)

    The campus bar is a Maxis lot (I forget the exact name but it's something like 452-458 University Way) that I made over myself. :)

    Outdoor plants are not something I go out searching for - I usually just get them with lot downloads. But a lot of them come from Parsimonious and others are from Macarossi at MTS.

    I don't mind going into more detail about my post-grad programs but it's probably too long to go through here in this comment. I'm playing the Carmody family too, where Sarah is doing her Masters' in Architecture, so when I play them, I'll try to also update my education post and make a note of it in the Carmody update so you'll know to check it out.

    As for ways to take money away from my Sims, I was mainly referring to all the different fees Sims have to pay for things in Sullivan, as well as the hacks I have that mean my Sims' cars cost money to run, and of course, the biggest one, taxes!

    Laura, Tessa and Rebecca are at such an exciting stage of their lives - right on the cusp of adulthood, but with no real responsibilities like bills or jobs! LOL!

    Oh Lucian...yeah, I've been trying to get one of my girls interested in him for a while but usually, either they're not interested, or he's not! He's probably like 130 years old now. He's been around since the beginning and I'm pretty sure Magdalena actually had a fling with him when she was at college, before she got serious with Jace! I never referred to him by name though, I don't think.

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  12. Is it possible for the outtakes that they were actually watching TV? That's at least what those faces remind me of, lol.

    Tessa and Dominic are too cute together. They're going to be another of my favorite couples I think.

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  13. Lunar, actually, no! The TV wasn't even on. I had them standing up talking and then moved them onto OMSPs and put them in sitting poses. They just like doing crazy faces of their own accord, apparently. I'm sure I've used that trick with other Sims before and they've just continued talking as normal!

    Tessa and Dominic are a cute couple, cuter than I thought they'd be. They've only got one bolt though, so I guess we'll see!

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  14. omg these pictures are so great...i just started my blog and its a beginner blog to say the least...lol

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  15. shamella.lanesha, thanks! Most of these pictures are just game interactions - only a couple are posed. The only talent they require is a quick finger on the pause button. :)

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  16. Aha! I found where I left off and I didn't see any spoilers. :D. But geez. I didn't realize I had fallen THIS far behind. August flew by for me.

    But anyway, glad Adrienne is being careful. Looks like her taste in men is pretty consistent. Didn't Sylvia's dad have the same face template? Sucks that Rebecca got rejected LOL. She took it pretty hard it seems. But she has plenty of time for that. And wow, I can't believe Matilda and Ethan graduated. I wish I could move my game along at your pace. Or even at half your pace LOL.

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  17. Danielle, oh, wow, this feels like forever ago! Memory lane, lol!

    Geez, Adrienne better be careful! I want to get this girl graduated without her getting knocked up again! But yes, Elijah and Sabastian have the same facial template, which is also the same template as Gordon and Kendal.

    Ah, Rebecca and Lucian. Yeah, they became friends but he still wouldn't accept any of her advances. The ass.

    I've been moving along at about half my pace myself lately, which is still quite fast, I admit! I used to be able to update every day and now I'm looking back and wondering how. I'm like totally dead by midnight these days, so updates have been coming once every two or three days.

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