Saturday 7 August 2010

Dollars and cents

Round 28: Winter 2027

last update/next update


Troy Clarke and Nick Moretti are both 24.
(Josie is 25, Sarah is 22)
Narrated by Troy Clarke

I probably shouldn't be allowed near the stove ever again.

I ran out of the apartment, screaming like a little girl, leaving Nick in the shower with no idea what was going on.

The fire department came right away and everything (and everyone) was fine, thank God.

They couldn’t save the apple turnovers though. Nick left me in charge of breakfast that morning. I guess he won’t be doing that again.

I'm just glad Josie wasn't staying over that night. I would never live it down if she knew! It was bad enough having Nick in hysterics about the fact that I can't even deal with frozen pastries.

At least work is going well. I'm probably about as happy at work as I’d be going to any job.

My dream job would be to stay at home all day and play video games but my current job is probably as close as I’m going to get to that.

Actually, my job pretty much is that, except I have to leave the house and I can’t wear my pyjamas.

I've definitely picked up some cool points with my little brother Chris. He can't believe I get paid to play around on computers and game consoles all day. And I get all the new games early.

Calvin plays basketball for a living, so Chris is kind of in awe of both of us now. It’s cool.

Nick and Sarah have been seeing each other for a couple of months and I've got to say, I saw it coming a mile off.

When Sarah came to visit me for the first time after she came back home, one of the first questions she asked me was whether Nick was seeing anybody. She's not exactly subtle.

I could tell she liked him when she moved into our dorms back at Suffolk, but Nick was with Maia then, so that wasn’t going to happen.

Nick won’t stop talking about her. I can’t remember the last time we ate a meal and didn’t discuss Sarah.

I keep telling him I know Sarah’s great. I was friends with her before he even was.


I usually just leave him though. He’s happy and he was pretty bummed after the whole Adrienne thing, so it’s got to be welcome for him.

I think I should get some kind of reward for getting Nick laid again. Sarah wouldn't have any excuse to come over here if she wasn't friends with me, so I feel that I'm at least partly responsible for them getting together.

Sarah stays the night at least half the time now, which is causing some friction with Josie.

Josie's never liked Sarah. I don’t know, I think Josie thinks Sarah has a thing for me, or that she used to have a thing for me, and she’s a little jealous. Not that she'd ever admit to that.

It seems fairly obvious to me that Sarah is into Nick and nobody else.

Regardless, Josie seems to be trying her hardest to make things uncomfortable for Sarah. I doubt Sarah's going away any time soon, so Josie's just going to have to get over it. I can't avoid everyone Josie doesn't like, because I'd probably never leave the house.

I'd blame it on stress but she's fine with me, and with Nick, so she's really just being Josie.

Josie is really busy lately, which is why I sometimes have burnt omelette for lunch in the hospital cafeteria. Sometimes she works nights, or she's tired, so we don't see each other otherwise.

She’s loving it but I get tired just listening to her talk about her job. I'm definitely not cut out for med school.

It's still stressful but it's a little better this year than it has been for the last three. She quit her job at the lab, so any work she does, she does at the hospital now.

So now we get to go out on dates, like normal couples. We haven't been able to do that regularly since college.

I've decided that I'm going to ask Josie to marry me but I'm a little scared about broaching the topic with her.

Josie looked kind of terrified when Mum mentioned it and and there was that whole thing with her ex, back in college. But that was with Will. He was the wrong guy for her, and she was only 19 when he proposed. Who’s ready to get married at 19? Besides Will, I guess. But still, it's making me nervous.

I’ve been trying to gauge her opinion, just to see if she’s been thinking about marriage too. I should probably just come right out and ask.

I think Josie might be getting suspicious anyway, the way she looks at me sometimes.

I will definitely ask her though. I’ve bought a ring and everything. I just have to work up the nerve!

Outtakes:
Oh, Nick. Troy and Josie were sitting on the couch and Nick had been in the room with them for a while but he just decided he'd creepily wave to them anyway. Sims are silly.

It's gotta be a nice Sim thing, I think!

Also, on Nick and Sarah's date:

That's Arianna Weaver and Eliot Lane, if you didn't recognise them. I have no idea what was going on here but Eliot had just finished a fight with a townie, so maybe he was in a bad mood!

Notes:

  • Title is from Dollars and Cents by Radiohead.
  • Did I scare everyone with the fire, considering my death by fire ROS for this round? It didn't occur to me while I was playing but once I finished writing, I thought "oh, some people might think Nick is about to meet his maker!"
  • Poor Sarah. Josie isn't fond of her at all but it takes her a long time to warm up to people. She took forever with Maia, even though they lived together for three years. She and Nick lost their friendship status when they broke up and they only just gained it back this round, because both of them had the want to be friends again.
  • I got the ring box from here and it's probably something I'm going to use with all my engaged couples. It costs something like $1300 (about a week and a half's pay for Troy) to buy from the catalog, and I like the idea of my Sims paying money for their engagement rings. And it's a nice little prop for pictures too.
  • Troy is thinking engagement because in game, he's got more engagement and marriage thought bubbles than usual. Previously, he only had the Get Married to Josie want, but he's rolled up the Get Engaged to Josie want as well now, so I guess he's quite keen! They've been together for 5 years and are a solid couple now but who could blame him for being nervous? Will was pretty much destroyed when Josie turned him down. I still laughed though!

18 comments:

  1. Omg, you totally had me there! I saw the household picture and was all "NICK! Score!", and then I saw the fire picture and was all "NICK! TROY! DON'T DIE!!!!!!!!!!" Because Nick is *amazing* Troy is awesome, and Kendall doesn't need another untimely death! So basically, for the first three or four paragraphs you had me hyperventilating, but it's all good, because no one died, yay!

    (Haha, I just read that and realized what a nerd I am, lol)

    Troy is so awesome, I love him! He's such a slacker-stoner type, and it totally works for him. I doubt that Josie would turn him down, she likes him a lot, and for Josie, that's saying something! Nick and Sarah are adorable together, and hopefully Josie will stop giving poor Sarah death stares soon!

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  2. I was so sure Troy was going to propose to Josie! Maybe in her update? I totally can't wait for it!

    Nick made some freaky faces... He also made me laugh on the picture of him and Sarah in bed. He looks so scared!

    Does Josie actually like anyone besides Troy, Patience and her family? If I'm not mistaken Sarah DID have a thing for Troy in her freshmen year, but I assume she's way over it if she's with Nick. I gotta check that update.

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  3. I had a moment of panic, but I didn't think you'd kill off Nick, even if the ROS told you to! It's just not allowed to happen :)

    Poor Sarah, getting picked on by Josie. Hopefully the two of them can work it out and get along.

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  4. OMG, you are cruel there with the fire! You knew what we'd think!!! lol!

    (But then I remember you said you were saving that one for the end of the round, right?)

    Troy was hilarious in this! I love that he takes credit for Nick and Sarah's whole relationship, lol! But yes, I'd be scared to propose to Josie too! I hope he works up the courage though - she does actually seem to like him a lot.

    LOL @ nice Sims! They're kind of ridiculous sometimes. I have a few nice enough to qualify for the cheese face: Drew, Dallas, Natty, Robbie, lol!

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  5. I thought for sure that Troy was going to propose. I'm totally grabbing that box, I love the idea of them having to buy the ring and pay it off!

    LOL on Nick's waving photos, what a goof!

    Sometimes that Josie grates me, mostly when she dislikes one of my favorites, Sarah. Be nice Josie! lol

    If Troy and Josie can make it through all this school stress, I think they'll be fine in marriage! I'm going to have to keep this all in mind the next time I have someone who wants to be a doctor. I like how much you make them work for it.

    Sarah and Nick are uber adorable.

    Oh man, I totally laughed at Troy's commentary over the fire, and the visual of Nick in the shower oblivious to the entire event. Glad they were both ok, I didn't think you'd kill ether Troy or Nick, so I wasn't worried.

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  6. Thanks for reading, everyone!

    Tessa, LOL, you're funny! I was thinking of you when I added my notes, because I think you were the one who asked me if it was Nick on Twitter. You can rest easy now!

    Josie does indeed like Troy a lot, which is an achievement! Definitely not quite as fond of Sarah - they're very different people. But she's quite different to Patience too, so there's hope!

    Flit Loue, maybe! You'll have to wait and see.

    LOL, yeah, Nick does look a little worried there, doesn't he? EA should have made them smile when their partner slides into bed next to them.

    Hmmm, I was going to say Josie likes Claudia, Finn and Victoria but they're her cousins, so they're family. She also likes Jacob - all my girls love Jacob, lol! Josie is fairly selective about the people she chooses to hang around with.

    Sarah didn't ever have a thing for Troy - she zeroed in on Nick the second she moved into the dorm - though she and Troy became friends very fast. Maybe you're thinking of Matilda? She was quite infatuated with Troy.

    Renegade, I really hate killing off Sims and if I rolled an ROS to kill Nick, I would be very tempted to reroll. And the temptation might be too great for me to resist. I love Nick.

    Josie is probably going to have to see Sarah a lot, seeing Troy and Nick are so close. Getting over any hang-ups she has about Sarah would be in her best interests.

    Laura, LOL, I did, but not until after I finished writing! But nope, I haven't actually said when the ROS is coming, intentionally. With my play schedule up, it would kind of narrow it down. So it could be in the next update, it could be in the very last update of the round.

    And thanks, I'm glad you liked Troy in this. I'm pretty Sarah and Nick would have found their way to each other eventually but perhaps Troy can at least take credit for speeding it along!

    The fact that he's spent $1300 on a ring, more than he can really afford, should be good incentive for Troy to propose.

    I have way more mean Sims than I have ultra nice Sims but I think I'm finally getting some balance. If I can pair all the ultra nice Sims up with each other, I might have a better chance of nice babies!

    Maisie, well, Troy's bought the ring, so he's pretty serious about this. ;)

    Sometimes Josie drives me a bit mad too. She's the type who dislikes people at first sight and then wants them to win her over. She can be won over though - she didn't like Troy for a long time but fortunately for both of them, he was persistent.

    My medical students probably have it the toughest - the most work AND the most expensive course. But I figure that's fairly realistic, so I'm happy with how the whole post-grad thing is working out for me. I'm glad you can take some ideas from it yourself.

    Heh, and Nick really was in the shower during the fire! I thought everyone in the apartment would run out on onto the street but I guess it's only the people in the same room as the fire? It's damn near impossible to kill a Sim in an apartment fire (as I learnt when I killed of Asha's ex, Abhijeet), so you were right not to be worried, even if it wasn't Nick and Troy!

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  7. Oh, how evil to put that fire picture and then the "read more" after it LOL! I'm glad everyone's ok.

    Sarah and Nick are so cute together. I'm so happy for Nick. He's gotten so much crap in the romance world that it's about time he found happiness.

    Troy seems to really enjoy his new career. Who wouldn't though?! I know I would love to get paid for playing sims in my pajamas all day!

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  8. I'd forgotten about the ROS so, luckily, I wasn't terrified like everyone else! (phew)

    Lol at Nick's face when he and Sarah are in bed, he doesn't look too sure...

    Thanks for the interaction-queue-help, though I think I really should have worked it out myself: it turned out to be pretty simple! :)

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  9. After all these years I still think the catching food on fire in the sims is funny. Glad everyone was unharmed. I love your photo of him looking at the ring box. Hopefully Josie and Sarah will be able to get along.

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  10. Sari, LOL, sorry about that!

    Sarah and Nick have both had some bad luck with love, so it's good for both of them that they've found each other.

    I know, right? I wish someone would pay me to do this blog! Awesome job!

    Shake, I've been thinking about this ROS all round. I'm so dreading it!

    And you're welcome for the help! It actually took me a while to figure how people were getting rid of the queue and then more time still to figure out how people were taking pics of the snow!

    Denise, me too! In my 29 years, I've had one oven fire but it's such a frequent occurrence with Sims.

    And thanks, that picture of Troy looking at the ring was a little tricky. It can be hard to get Sims to look down, even with Look at Player.

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  11. I love Troy's voice, especially when he talks about Josie. The whole breakfast scene was pretty funny. I love Troy's acknowledgment that if he avoided all the people she didn't like, he'd never leave the house, LOL!

    But marriage, how nerve wracking. He would be the sort of guy to flat out ask rather than just talk to the girl about it before hand.

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  12. Lunar, LOL, yeah, Sarah probably didn't think it was too funny. Josie likes intimidating people though, so I'd say she did!

    And it's true - the list of people Josie hates is so very long. There seems to be a new one every time I play her.

    Normally, Troy would probably ask Josie flat out but he's remembering Will, and how she's said she wouldn't get married until after medical school and he's a little nervous.

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  13. Troy's comment on the fact that Josie doesn't like Sarah, I thought was funny, that he would probably never leave the house is he was going to avoid everyone Josie doesn't like. He knows his girlfriend so well, and doesn't mind it at all!

    I love the last picture of Troy and the ringbox, it's understandable that he's nervous, seeing Josie's past.

    I like the fact that there are engagementrings, that actually cost money. I never liked it that everyone just popped up a ring out of their pocket, without every worrying that it might cost something!

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  14. Tanja, Troy's known Josie for a long time, so he's well used to her by now. He understands her as well - they have exactly the same personality points. I've always wondered why Troy isn't as likely to start arguments with people though. He's more easygoing.

    LOL, as soon as I think of something else to charge my Sims for, I do it!

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  15. Loved the ring scene, very nice. I wonder what's Josie's issue as well, awkward...

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  16. Apple Valley, thank you. I don't think Josie's issue is anything more than the fact that she's kind of a bitch. ;) She still may warm up to Sarah but I guess time will tell.

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  17. Awww I just loved the last pic of Troy looking at the ring box. You have great picture ideas! Thanks for the link. I downloaded everything in that clutter set, plus a whole bunch of other stuff I don't need LOL. But I like that they have to pay a hefty price for it. I maybe have to set some of these up for sale in a store now. I just love making shops.

    LOL at Nick's creepy wave. Those super nice sims crack me up with their animations. I have one sim who's super nice and I'll probably be seeing that a lot. I like Troy a little more this round. I like the way you wrote him. And yea, way to scare everyone with the fire picture LOL. I didn't think of it actually because I'm dead tired right now (and I hve my theories of who it may be based on the comments @ N99). But I LOL'd @ Troy saying he screamed like a little girl. But Nick should be on the safe list from death. He can only ever die of old age :P. We need that in writing. But that's ok because he's safe in my BS bin waiting to run around in my hood.

    Well there goes my plan on not commenting as much LOL. But I'm done for tonight.

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  18. Danielle, thank you! That's a great idea you've got there yourself, to have the rings for sale in a store. The rings from the BV jewelry display are too cheap. Another project for my to-do list!

    Nice Sims are so adorable. Just last night, I noticed Audrey has 10 nice points too and was doing that creepy smile while she was talking to Charlie.

    I'll say that there are probably a few Sims on my "will only die of old age" list. I won't reveal who they are but if you read the blog and my posts on N99, I doubt many of the names would be a surprise to you. ;)

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