Saturday 23 October 2010

Either way

Round 29: June 2029 (Winter)
Camilla's next update/Lila's next update/next update

Julian Sitko is 79, Caterina is 74, David is 47, Kirstin is 45, Camilla and Lila are both 16 and Adelaide is 11.
(
Charlie is 17 and Elspeth and Josh are both 15)

Narrated by Lila Sitko

Grandpa and Caterina decided to go on a trip to Takemizu Village this month. They never went on honeymoon, so they figured they might as well.

Seeing it's winter here in Sullivan, I probably would have gone some place a little warmer than the Far East.

From the postcard we got though, it seemed like they were enjoying themselves.

All his life, Grandpa has hardly ever taken much time off work so he finally got to relax for a while.

I think they ate and drank just about everything the village had to offer...

...and bought as much tourist crap as they could cart back in their suitcases as well.

While Grandpa has been away, Adelaide has been driving me and Camilla up the wall. Her best friend Veronica started high school and is no longer interested in "playing".

Adelaide will start high school next year but she still seems like a little kid a lot of the time.

Some nights, she still has Mum tucking her in.

So because Veronica doesn't want to play and Adelaide doesn't want to chase boys, Camilla and I are having to occupy her instead. Adelaide doesn't like playing with Camilla so much, because she's not really very sporty.

So she begs me instead.

I usually relent, just to get her off my back. She just keeps going and going, otherwise.

It's fun and everything, but I just have more important things I want to do on the weekends, instead of hanging out with my little sister.

Like working on Josh, for instance.

I hate rejection but I just really, really like Josh! Why would I just give up when I know I can convince him?

Elspeth told me she's getting sick of hearing me talk about Josh all the time. I don't even talk about him that often. Sometimes she says that even when I haven't spoken about Josh all day.

I don't know what her problem is. Maybe she's just sore that if I start dating Josh, she'll be the only one of us without a boyfriend.

Well, if that's her issue, she'll have to get used to it. After chasing him all year, Josh finally asked me out.

I said yes, of course. I know it probably just looked like I was really obsessed with him for no reason but we really do get along great.

We've only been dating a couple of weeks or so, but I'm happy so far.

Mum is really busy right now. There are a lot of projects she's trying to get done by the time taxes are due in the spring.

Her current pet project is the public library downtown. The exterior is mostly done and now they're waiting on furnishings for the inside now.

The librarian is really excited about it too, because she's been trying to get the library renovated for years now.

The other big project is the new Faculty of Arts building at Suffolk, which is already completed. Camilla won't shut up about it, seeing she's probably going to major in art.

Mum's probably sorry she told her about it.
I don't even know if I'm going to get to go to college. My grades have really slipped lately. Nothing seems to make sense any more and I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

I don't know how Mum and Dad will take it if I don't get in. With a doctor and a lawyer for parents, I'm pretty much expected to go onto further education.

Dad's already getting really excited about me going. He keeps asking what I think I'm going to major in.

I'm really trying not to think about it. I don't want to set my heart on something and then not even get accepted.

I thought Camilla would be over the moon, with college being such a sure thing for her, but she's been progressively mopier of the last couple of weeks.

So finally, I asked her about it and she told me she was late. Really late. I didn't even know she and Charlie had had sex. Normally, I'd be annoyed she didn't tell me but it wasn't really the issue at hand.

The next morning, Camilla was still freaking out but she hadn't even taken a test yet. Maybe she was freaking out about nothing.
So she took a test. I didn't even need to ask her what the result was when I saw the look on her face.

The first person she told was Charlie. Camilla said he looked like he really didn't know what to say or do, but he didn't go running, so hopefully that's a good sign.

Then she had to tell our parents. That's who she was really worried about. Dad has never been that keen on the idea of either of us dating and was always paranoid about boys and everything. I guess one of us getting pregnant is one of his worst nightmares.

Well, neither Mum or Dad were happy. Mum looked very disappointed and there was a lot of "why do you think I lectured you all those times?" from Dad.

They all sat down again later on though, and this time, Mum and Dad were a lot calmer and Dad started talking about getting her in to see a doctor, to make sure everything is okay with Camilla and the baby.

A doctor other than Dad, which I think Camilla felt a little better about.

Camilla is still terrified. She likes Charlie but they really haven't been together for that long and she's worried he won't stick around.

She still wants to go to college, so if Charlie does run for the hills, she won't have Mum or Dad around to help. But I finally found out that I got in, so if worse comes to worst, she'll at least have me around.

Extras:
Another family portrait, this one of Julian and the Sitko clan, plus his stepson Owen and his wife and kids.

Notes:
  • Title is from Either Way by Guster.
  • Julian rolled the "Errands" ROS this round. Going on vacation is not exactly equivalent to running errands but I think it's more fun that going around watching him buy groceries or whatever. ;) He and Caterina have both had the want to go on vacation for a while now. And he did visit the required amount of lots.
  • Just to get college stuff out of the way before we talk teen pregnancy: Camilla got in easily, with 5 scholarships. Lila just scraped in with 4. She earned the 4th one a couple of minutes before I finally finished up with this family.
  • Okay, onto Camilla! This was not planned, by her or me! This was a risky woohoo pregnancy. Camilla is not allowed to use BC, though Charlie is (and he was). So I guess that either means ACR BC has a chance of failure or ACR BC is only effective on the Sim who can get pregnant. From thinking about my other couples, I don't think the latter is true but I could have just been lucky. Does anyone know for sure?
  • For those of you who are members of N99 and saw my post in the Today I'm thread, this is the "something unexpected" I was talking about! Last night, my game crashed. Camilla and Charlie had woohooed but because I crashed, it didn't really happen. And I didn't get any pics of it (because I'm lame and I forgot). So I had to go back in to the house to get the pics and that's when Camilla got pregnant! I guess I could have exited without saving but you know...these things happen!
  • I'm still planning on sending Camilla to college and she'll take the baby with her. I'll have her and Charlie move into one of the family housing units. Other than that, I'm not sure what's in store for Charlie and Camilla. Taking a baby to college didn't work out so well for Caleb and Abigail, in the end, but Finn and Victoria (and Hanna and Augustin before them) did okay with two babies on campus. Right now, Charlie and Camilla seem to like each other a lot but I guess it remains to be seen whether a baby will change that.
  • Camilla is due in March 2030. Charlie will already be at college by then, but Camilla will still have another year of high school.

18 comments:

  1. When I came to the part of Camilla's pregnancy, I kept thinking that this was the thing you were talking about at N99!
    I hope Camila and Charlie will get trhough it all even though it will be hard on them. I'm glad her parents reacted the way they did, this makes it a little more bareable.
    And it's sweet what Lila said in the end, that Camilla would have her to help her out!

    I'm glad Josh finally got over Elspeth and started looking around! Elpeth's reactions on Lila that she's talking about Josh too much, on the other hand makes me think that may her feelings are starting to change, but maybe that's just me...

    I have a WCIF, in the room with the large green diningtable (probably the diningroom) you have this maxis-match curtains (they at least look maxis match to me), the long one-tile ones, do you remember where you got them?

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  2. Oh wow, that's wild! Of all the families for this to happen to, this is one you don't expect!

    I hope it works out well for her and Charlie and their grades on campus. And yay for twin sisters. My Kenzie had her twin, Delaney to help her in college with Zeke.

    I'm sure Elspeth isn't upset about being the only one without a boy, as much as she likes Joshua herself.

    Glad Julian got some time away, the vacation looked nice, really liked the toasting picture.

    Library exterior is looking awesome!

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  3. See, now Cameron and Camila can become BFF's LOL. Cameron can share her baby horror stories with Camila. And I just ntoiced, not only are they both 16, their names both start with a C.

    Man, those surprise pregnancies really get you, don't they!

    I don't use ACR BC I use InTeen, and even though I had both AJ and Lilly on it, she got pregnant three times! Talk about a fertile woman! Geez.

    Oh how I hope everything works out for the best for her and the baby! And here I always though it would be Jessica Alba's look a like who got knocked up first.

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  4. Thanks for reading, guys. :D

    Tanja, I hope so too. Charlie and Camilla aren't quite like Finn and Victoria, who were pretty sure they'd end up getting married before they even finished high school. But they don't have a Romance aspiration to throw a spanner in the works, like Caleb and Abigail did either. So anything could happen!

    I don't think David could ever be too angry at his kids - not angry enough to withdraw support anyway. And Kirstin is very practical, once she's had time to gather her wits. Lila is kind of like her mother in that way, and because she and Camilla are twins, she's nicer to her than she might be to others.

    We'll have to wait and see with Elspeth. It might be a bit of "don't know what you've got till it's gone" with this situation.

    Ah, those curtains are from one of the N99 forum paks. Have you checked those out yet? There's a huge banner linking to them at the top of the forum. The curtains are in the Maxis Match pack. I forget that they're not actually Maxis. The Maxis version is two-tiled.

    Maisie, Camilla and Lila are lucky to have each other. I'm sure Camilla has reined in Lila's big mouth a few times and saved her from getting into trouble, so she'll be repaying the favour now.

    That's sweet about your Kenzie and Delaney. Claudia was a big help when Victoria had Declan, even though Finn was around as well. Makes me wish I had a twin!

    The library is finished now, inside and out! I posted a lot tour at N99 but I'll be posting it here too, in my 2029 taxes post.

    Riverdale, ha, yes, Cameron and Camilla could swap some stories now, for sure. Their names even start with the same sound, not just the same letter!

    It's such a huge challenge that Camilla and Charlie are facing, so I hope they're up to it. Charlie has a tiny bit of experience with babies, from when his parents fostered Sylvia but Camilla knows zilch! Occasional babysitting is nothing compared to having your own child 24/7, so they're both in for a shock.

    Ha, Zaria and Max have InTeen BC to thank for both of their kids, lol! I wonder if those two would have ever tried on their own actually. They haven't tried since, but they may just feel two is enough!

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  5. Oh wow, poor Camilla. She must be very scared.
    Then again, I'm kind of excited. I can totally see her as a young mother and with her sister by her side and hopefully Charlie, too, this could actually be kind of fun (at least for an outsider).
    I wish her all the best. Let's hope it's not twins :D

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  6. My jaw actually dropped as soon as I worked out the pregnancy. Big shocker!

    Made for a very interesting and exciting post though, and I really hope Camilla can still go and get those qualifications while being a good mum as well. It's going to be hard and I look forward to reading all about it! ;)

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  7. Oh my holy geeze, Camilla! I'm glad she's still going to try to do the college thing. That certainly was shocking!

    I think the ACR BC doesn't work for the men, if I remember correctly. I wish it did, to represent their half of the responsibility, but I'm pretty sure I remember reading that it only works for the one who can get pregnant.

    Can't wait to see what's ahead for these guys!

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  8. Wow, this was a total surprise. I hadn't even had time to visit N99 for a couple of days so I had no idea something "unexpected" was about to happen ;)

    No wonder Camilla's terrified but if things don't work out with Charlie then she'll have her sister to help and support her.

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  9. Oh wow. It will be interesting to see how things work out for them.

    I'm glad the grandparents got away for a while. They look like they enjoyed themselves.

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  10. Wow, Camilla's pregnancy stole the show. At first I was worried about Lila getting into university, thank goodness she did. Now I'm wondering what will happen with Camilla.

    Quick question, I notice you say that sometimes something happens just before you leave a house, how exactly do you play? Do you have time limits or you play 2-3 simdays in a house or what?

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  11. Thanks for all your comments, everyone. :)

    Karolin, it'll be an interesting storyline to play out but very difficult for the Sims involved.

    Oooh, twins would be a challenge, wouldn't they? I've done twins at uni before (James and Naomi were born while their parents were at uni), so it's possible.

    Shake, a big shocker for me too! When I heard those chimes, I thought "are you KIDDING me?!?" LOL.

    But it will be interesting to watch Camilla's adventures now, I think. If I'm doing my maths correctly, I think the kid will age to child before she graduates. I haven't done that in Sullivan before.

    Laura, Camilla is the type who'd want to continue with college, so she's going. If it happened to say, Sophie, she'd probably skip. She's never been all that keen on college anyway.

    I just checked ACR's Quick Notes and I think you're thinking of Sim Cannot Get Pregnant - if you give that to a male Sim, they can still get another Sim pregnant. BC, apparently, does work for males and females, but there is a chance of failure, which I guess is what happened here.

    Sari, I'm hoping Charlie will stick around, for Camilla and the baby's sake. But he hasn't really had the opportunity to show me how responsible he is or isn't yet, so I'm very anxious to see how it works out for these two.

    gallowaytownship, lol, I hope so! I admit, I actually love playing babies at uni. It just adds a bit of extra spice, I guess.

    Julian and Caterina had a great time. Of all my couples, I think they might be the craziest about each other. Romantic wants, constantly! It's unbelievable.

    Apple Valley, it really did, didn't it? I had to sort of slot the pregnancy into what I'd already written. I was actually halfway done when Camilla got knocked up!

    No, there's no time limit to how long I play. It usually ends up being 3 Sim days but sometimes it's only 2 and sometimes it's longer. I stop when I feel like I have enough material to work with. When I was ready to stop with this family, I noticed Lila had been dancing, so I decided to see if she qualified for the dance scholarship. And she did, so she's going to uni. :)

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  12. wow, I was wondering what could have happened during this update when you posted at N99 and I wasn't expecting this! I'm glad you wrote it in.

    First, it's great to see that Julian and Caterina got their honeymoon and he finally got some time off after all those years working. It looks like that had a fabulous time. Poor Adelaide. Seems to be left behind by everyone :(. She'll catch up with everyone soon. Yay for Lila finally wearing Josh down LOL! I'm glad he finally let go of Elspeth but now it seems Elspeth is the one who's sore. Mmmhmm. Had your chance, Elspeth ;). Can't wait to see snaps of the library. I agree that the outside looks great.

    Ok, now onto the shocker lol. The poor things! I'm glad her parents didn't rip her head off, especially after dad lectured them so many times. But like you said, they're rational "people" so they were able to keep their cool as much as they could. I hope things work out for the best for Camilla, Charlie and the baby. I know they're not at all prepared for something like this. I wonder how his parents are going to react. They're both great kids but I forgot they were actually even together lol. At least Lila will be at college with her to help out. Glad she's there for support.

    I finally decided to "bite the bullet" and install InTeen. I've been wanting to try it but after reading all of the documentation about installing it and hack conflicts, etc, I was afraid that my game would explode. I didn't feel like doing all that testing. But I finally sucked it up last night, tossed it in the downloads and tested it out. Nothing exploded in my test hood and I got 2 babies (poor Ophelia whats-her-name from Strangetown. She was my test dummy), so I guess it's all good. Can't wait to see who the first pregnant teen will be in my hood lol. Do you use any of the flavor packs?

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  13. Danielle, I can't believe Adelaide will be a teen so soon! She actually accidentally aged to teen at the end of my session (aged her back down), so I got a little sneak preview!

    We'll have to wait and see about Elspeth! She wasn't happy when talking to Lila but she so often isn't!

    Ha, well, Camilla and Charlie have really only been together for about a year. They started dating in the last Benton update, so their relationship is quite new. This is their first hurdle and it's a huge one!

    I'll have to deal with Tate and Zelda when I play the Bentons next. They'll have a lot on their mind now, with Josie's wedding AND becoming grandparents very unexpectedly!

    InTeen is great, but I've never been one to be scared of the big hacks. I back up, so I have nothing to fear. ;) I do use some of the flavour packs - specifically, BackToSchool, CollegeAdmissions, ILoveKittens, NoAdultTeens, NoTeenJobsforElders, RiskyRunaway and RiskySneakoutAndGoOut. I probably don't really need NoAdultTeens any more, seeing my teens don't stay teens long enough for that to bother me, but otherwise, I think the packs really help me get the hack working just as I want.

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  14. Thanks for the info on which packs you use. I'll read up on them and figure out what I want.

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  15. I'm actually more shocked about Charlie! *gasp* What will Audrey say when she hears about it?

    It was brave of Camilla to face her parents though. How nerve wracking! At least she has a good support system.

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  16. Lunar, I was wondering when anyone would bring up Audrey! Yes, this is going to be a strange thing for her too. Charlie is the Benton she's stayed closer to and being friends with your ex would be made just a little bit weirder if he now has twins with his new girlfriend.

    Camilla knew Lila would have her back, even if her parents turned her away, so it was a tiny bit less nerve-wracking than it might have been. No need to worry about that in the end anyway, as David and Kirstin have been supportive so far.

    I did the same thing I did with Victoria and Megan and had them talk to see if they'd argue at all. They didn't, so I decided they took it well.

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  17. Of the twins, I figured if any of them ended up a teen parent, I'd have pegged Lila. So of course, I was shocked when you said it was Camilla. That explains their next updates being separate. I was wracking my brain as to why they would be.
    There are some sims that will bend the truth a bit, but if Lila is not, the fact that Elspeth gets so annoyed about Josh even if Lila hasn't mentioned him is interesting. Getting mad she missed out on him?

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  18. Fini, Lila is definitely the bolder of the twins so I can see why someone would think that! But I guess it doesn't always happen to the kids you'd expect it to.

    Elspeth is genuinely impatient, so she would get easily bored by someone talking about anything for too long but I think she also resents Josh's attention being taken away from her, even if she wasn't interested in dating him.

    Thanks for reading!

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