Tuesday 27 September 2011

Sunday best

Round 32: April 2035 (Autumn)
Kit Royce is 75, Max Nihill is 48, Zaria Royce-Nihill is 47 and Jessica is 15.
(Josh is 21, Noah is 17 and Emma is 15)

Narrated by Jessica Royce-Nihill

Whatever job I get when I finish college, it's not going to have anything to do with newspapers. I got a job delivering them this year and I'm so sick of looking at them!

I'm supposed to start at 5, so the mornings are really early. I'm supposed be starting another job soon: helping the primary school kids put together their yearbook after school. Better pay and better hours!

Our family is pretty wealthy and really, I don't need this job. But Mum grew up poor, so she is very insistent that Josh and I "learn the value of money".

I don't know how well that's working because I'm still not good with money. I always end up spending my whole pay cheque and then begging Dad for more cash when it runs out.

He says I better be better with money than I am now by the time he passes the restaurant on to me. I still want to run it one day but Dad probably won't retire for at least another 20 years or so.

I work at the restaurant with him sometimes but I mostly wait tables or take reservations.

After college though, I want to actually cook so I've been thinking I might become a caterer. Then when I take over the restaurant, maybe I can combine it with a catering business too. I don't know, I'm just dreaming for now.

Who knows how long it will take to get there? Mum has dreamed of being governor for years and years and it only just happened for her this year, after two failed bids.

She's usually working down at Town Hall, as normal, but she works one day a week at home too. One day a week officially, anyway. She's been working weekends lately as well, because she's working on setting up a Governor's scholarship for the 2036 academic year.

Mum has been ironing out the details with the council's education representative. Mum was just lucky that her parents were able to scrape up just enough money to send her to college, so it's an important issue for her.

Because Mum is extra busy these days anyway, we tend to have a later dinner, so both she and Dad can make it. Josh comes once a week or so now.

And he ever lifts a finger to help. Just like when he was living at home.

At least Josh is in a better mood these days. I guess he's happy to be graduating soon.

He's still disgusting though.

Emma says that's just what sisters are supposed to think of their brothers. She still can't believe I'm willing to date her brother Noah.

Most of the time Emma and I hang out, I get at least some degree of ribbing from her about Noah.

I don't mind. Emma and I have been friends since kindergarten, so I'm well used to her making fun of everything and everyone, me included.

Last time we hung out though, Emma was very quiet and was hardly listening to anything I was saying. I knew there was something bugging her. Emma is so rarely that serious.

I also rarely see her as nervous as she looked when she finally spat it out and told me she was gay.

I was quite surprised, I have to say but once I started thinking about it though, it made a lot of sense.

Whenever we get together with Louisa and Lauren, the main topic of conversation is boys, which is probably pretty normal for most girls our age. Emma never ever says anything, unless she's trying to change the subject.

She has never mentioned liking a boy herself either, not even someone on TV or anything. Which, of course, all makes sense now.

I'm the only one who knows, besides her aunt Joanna. Emma has felt this way for a couple of years now, so she's pretty sure.

I want to be supportive but I'm not sure what I can do. The only thing I could think of was to offer to be there with her if she wanted to come out to anybody else.

She thanked me but I don't think she's going to take me up on it. Emma was just happy I was okay with it.

She just asked me to please not mention anything about it to Noah. She wants to tell her family soon but she wants to make sure it comes from her.

I never would have told Noah unless Emma had given me the go-ahead but I promised Emma I wouldn't anyway.

I don't think Noah will care. Emma's whole family must be used to gay people by now, because of her aunt.

Noah is more interested in me these days than he is in anything else anyway.

I think Grandma has a sixth sense or something. She always seems to wander into the room when Noah's getting a bit grabby. Just her presence is enough to slow Noah down.

It was Grandma that instituted the "no boys in the bedroom" rule. She's a bit conservative about that kind of thing.

But she's not watching all the time. Noah dropped by one night when Grandma was asleep and my parents were out and we decided to take advantage of the lack of parental supervision.

I guess using the hot tub is following the letter but not the spirit of the law.

I never really imagined losing my virginity at 15 but I don't regret it either. We've been together for two years now, have known each other for much longer and we were responsible about it.

And I really love Noah and I think he loves me too.

Next year is going to be really hard for us, because Noah will be off at college and I'll still have two more years of school.

I hate even thinking about that. I just really want to make the most of the time we have left until then.

Extras:
I think I knew this could happen but I've never seen it in my own game! I think Zaria's little girl might be a little past bedtime stories now. Seriously, why is this even enabled for teens? It reminds me of that children's book Love You Forever which creeps me the hell out.

Notes:
  • Title is from Sunday Best by Washington.
  • Zaria's office is Josh's old bedroom. So he better find an apartment with Connor the second he graduates, because if he has to move in with his folks again, he'll be on the couch!
  • The Governor's Scholarship won't necessarily be awarded every time I send kids to college but it can be given to only one student per year and is awarded on the basis of financial need and academic merit. It will pay full tuition for four years of college (they're on their own if they want to do post-grad!). For 2036, I'm only sending Adelaide and Noah off and both their families can well afford college, so I won't be awarding it until at least 2037.
  • More with Emma in her update. Poor Noah...I don't think he's ever got an update from his perspective. His sisters are spotlight hogs. ;)
  • Jessica and Noah woohooing in the hot tub was ACR's doing. I thought it was kind of funny that I'd already set up that picture of Kit instituting the no boys in the bedroom rule and then they headed out to the hot tub! Sneaky. It'll be interesting to see how they do once Noah goes off to college. In my experience, interest tends to wane but there are always exceptions to the rule.

23 comments:

  1. I laughed at your hottub photo, I have a pair of teens that snuck off to the hot tub as well due to ACR. I was quite surprised at it. I'm just glad Kit didn't die this round :)

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  2. I agree, I'm glad Kit didn't die. I'm not looking forward to her death. *sniff* And that hot tub. It causes more problems than those darn beds. LOL You know Lana and Orlando went to the hot tub three times while I was playing uni. and each time she canceled the action. Don't you just love it when your sims follow what you want them to do!

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  3. Apple Valley, I laughed too. Those sneaky teens! I didn't pick Jessica for an early starter but Noah is older, so it kind of makes sense that she might be.

    Good old Kit. Kit isn't too old, in terms of the age range my elders can live to. She could get up to her 90s. :)

    Thanks for reading!

    Riverdale, LOL, I must have scared you all with the couple of early elder deaths I've had, like Henry and Ben!

    I think your Lana might be more virtuous than my Lia was! She was definitely keen towards the end but I never let her go for it. ;) It didn't fit her character to me that she would, after holding out for so long!

    Thanks for reading!

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  4. I'm glad Lauren is ok with Emma and am hopeful that Emma can find someone to be with. I can't see Lauren turning gay and dumping emmas brother to be with her. I like your new scholarship you are working on. That'll be nice for those that couldn't afford it.

    I can see Emma wanting to be a free girl after Noah leaves. She seems to have attention span problems already from her past wants panels. Out of sight, out of mind might be the way of Noah. Or not. You never really know.

    Josh is sort of a bum. I think she has a pretty right on opinion of him. A sort of sloppy, self-centered, good looking bum. ;)

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  5. I'm glad Emma finally talked to one of her friends and that Jessica is supportive of her.

    LOL at Kit interrupting when Noah gets grabby. Guess she should have kept a closer eye on them. The hot tub is one way to get around the rules, lol. ;)

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  6. I like the idea of the Governor's Scholarship! When I followed the link for the education rep, I was happy to see that the Morettis are still involved with education in Sullivan. (At least, I think I'm remembering them correctly!)

    Wow, Emma's brave to come out as a teen. It sounds as though the people closest to her are supportive, though. I look forward to reading more about her!

    I'm also curious to see what will happen with Lauren and Josh, especially after he goes off to college. Sneaking out to the hot tub was funny, though!

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  7. Oh, that's good that Jessica doesn't have a problem with Emma's secret. And I'm glad that Emma's starting to open up a little bit more.

    That darn ACR! Fifteen is a little young, yes? Hopefully they won't end up receiving more than they bargained for. ;)

    Noah and Jessica are really cute. Hopefully they'll be able to survive the college years.

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  8. Maisie, ah, you got some names mixed up in your comment but I think I know who you're referring to. ;)

    Lauren doesn't yet know that Emma is gay and it's Lauren that she has a crush on. But no, Lauren is very, very straight and definitely won't be dumping her boyfriend for Emma!

    I guess you mean Jessica, not Emma? I actually haven't shown much of Jessica's wants panel - it's Lauren who is the fickle one. Currently, Jessica is quite devoted to Noah but who knows if she'll feel the same next year, or if he will.

    LOL, I like your description of Josh! Yeah, it's probably spot on!

    Thanks for reading!

    Shana, it was a big relief for Emma but she's feeling a bit more comfortable with her sexuality these days, after talking with Joanna.

    LOL, that was game play with Kit! I remember her husband Leo used to do the same thing with his daughters, when he was alive, so it was kind of cute for Kit to be carrying that on! She wasn't quite on the ball enough this time though. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    Whisper Doll, yes, you're remembering correctly! Tatiana's maiden name is Moretti and her grandmother was the first principal of Sullivan High School. I have a Moretti at university right now who plans to be a teacher, so that should continue for a while.

    Emma is probably gay in the best possible family for it. Her aunt is gay as well and her parents are relatively laid back. I don't think anyone will be horrified when they find out Emma is gay as well.

    Jessica and Noah, you mean? Yeah, we'll see. It could go either way, I guess.

    Thanks for reading!

    coolkat2, talking with Joanna helped Emma a lot. That was the first big hurdle for her, just telling somebody.

    15 is the age I let them do whatever they want via ACR. Before that, I have all the autonomous woohoo options turned off and I ignore woohoo wants. It's young but it also seems like a realistic age to me. Jessica has 10 neat points though, so she's on BC - she's not one of the ones I'm worried about getting knocked up!

    Jessica and Noah will be interesting to watch next year. Not sure if they'll stay together or not.

    Thanks for reading!

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  9. Oh yes!! Lauren! I did confused, they are both so uber pretty, and I think that caused my confusion. And all the while I was thinking... she redid her hair. HAHA. Oi! that's what happens doing comments/blog reading before coffee!

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  10. Awww, I love that Emma has a friend like Jessica to confide in! I wish we could hook Emma up with my Sarah for a little date (she's 15 at the moment now too). And awww, how sweet would it be if they met at a summer camp or something, lol! Okay, sorry, I'll stop now, lol! Sarah is not quite so confident in how she'll come out though. In fact, I don't think she's told anyone at all yet.

    So anyway, Jessica then, wow, the hot tub!?! LMAO!

    She and Noah are adorable though. Awww, but that age gap! :\ That's always a tricky one for young couples. I'm very interested to see how things work out for them over the next couple years.

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  11. Maisie, LOL, yeah, Jessica had her hair up off her face for Halloween and I thought it suited her, so I decided to try something different! I've definitely had the same kind of confusion you did before, on other people's blogs!

    Laura, I think Emma definitely has it easier than your Sarah does, what with a cool lesbian aunt to talk things over with and everything! They are probably both in the same position re: girls they can actually date though! Emma finds the one lesbian teen townie repulsive, so she's probably out of luck until college!

    The hot tub...yeah, I know, right? Probably not as ambitious as photo booth sex though. Can't quite figure out the logistics of that!

    Two years is a big gap. It seems much bigger than one year, somehow. It's such a long, long time at 15. We'll see how they go!

    Thanks for reading!

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  12. Ah, young love. As adults two years isn't a big deal but as a teen, yikes! They might as well be light years away from each other. I'm hoping it's possible but I don't know. The level of maturity between the two might be a big problem too.

    Glad Jessica didn't freak out from hearing Emma's admission. At least Emma's got a friend on her side.

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  13. Choco, very true! If Noah and Jessica were in their 20s, a two year age difference would be nothing. But Noah's life is heading in a different direction now and Jessica still has to wait a couple of years before she can catch up. Noah might not be prepared to wait. Then again, other couples have passed that test, so you never know.

    Emma's coming out was not as much of a shock to Jessica as Emma probably thought it would be, once she had the chance to think about it. It just made sense. Emma will find she has a lot of supportive people around her, once she tells more people.

    Thanks for reading!

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  14. I think Jessica is a beautiful sim already. Had to start with that. She and Noah are sweet together, but I hope she doesn't regret taking that step. That's a big one.
    I'm glad Zaria finally got her chance at the governorship. After Finn just barely got in, I've always wanted Zaria to get in so other worthy but needy teens can get the chance to further their education. On that note, I thought Adelaide's grades were too low or she didn't have enough scholarships or something.

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  15. Fini, Jessica is a very pretty girl. She and Noah are a cute couple but we'll see if it's puppy love or something more. It's usually the former at this age, but who knows?

    The scholarship will be really nice for teens from not-so-wealthy families, once it's enacted. There are a few families I can think of who will probably struggle to pay for college for their kids, when the time comes, so this will be a load off.

    But yes, good memory! Adelaide didn't earn enough scholarships to get in to uni. She had two skill-based ones, plus the entrepreneur's one and that was it. I ended up having to go into the Sitko house some time after that play session though and Adelaide came home from school with an A+. So that allowed her to get that one final scholarship she needed. Seeing most of the careers she matches up best with are ones she'll need a degree for, I decided to let her go. I think I mentioned it on Twitter but it never came up here! I'll have to add a note about it in the January birthdays, for those who won't see this.

    Thanks for reading!

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  16. Wow, it took me forever to finally post my comments! I was able to read them all before work, but didn't find the time to comment, so beware of some comment-spam :)

    I seem to say this about almost every teen in your hood, but I really can't believe Jessica is 15 already!! She looks so mature with that haircut!
    I'm glad Emma finally talked to one of her friends about her feelings. And I'm so happy Jessica didn't freak out about the news.

    Well, Jessica did listen to her grandma, and didn't bring the boy to her bedroom, grandma didn't say anything about the hot tub though ;)

    Jessica and Noah make a cute couple, and I for one wouldn't mind seeing some kids of them, but let's not get ahead :)

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  17. Tanja, it's taking me forever to post my comments this morning, though that's more due to a very dodgy internet connection, rather than any lack of time on my part!

    In the back of her mind, Jessica might have already had an inkling about Emma, so it wasn't quite the shock Emma thought it would be. Emma has a lot of supportive people around her, fortunately.

    Jessica and Noah were being just a little bit sneaky in the hot tub. That definitely wasn't what Kit had in mind. ;) But if it wasn't there, it would probably have been somewhere else. I don't know if you can really stop two determined, hormonal teens from having sex, no matter what restrictions you put on them. Jessica and Noah are pretty into each other right now, but I doubt either of them are thinking about having kids yet, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

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  18. I’m glad Emma’s starting to come out to folks now. Her family will be fine with it. It sounded so true to life how Jessica was reflecting on how Emma never mentioned boys in any way. I did the same with a few friends from high school and college. I had a lot of “oh yea!! That makes sense now!” moments.

    And Noah! Corrupting my little Jessica! LOL. At least they followed Kit’s rules :P. Typical teens to take things so literal. I hope their relationship will survive after Noah goes off to college but that’s tough when you’re 2 years behind. And with the way the guys have been at your college, they don’t have much chance LOL!

    Great idea on the scholarship. I have notes written down on creating some scholarships that would be offered by some business owners. One of them will be for whenever I start an art gallery. Some of their proceeds will go towards an art scholarship and would be given to exceptional art students. I forgot what my criteria were, if I even got that far with it.

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  19. Danielle, yeah, Emma coming out was definitely one of those "ohhh" moments for Jessica. It was like the last puzzle piece.

    Oh, I know...poor Jessica. She'll have to hope Noah doesn't decide Chris Draper is his idol. ;) Not much of a role model there, in terms of fidelity.

    That's a good idea for an art scholarship. I don't really have an owned gallery yet, except for Amar's little photography studio. He's not in any position to be offering scholarships though. And I don't know if it's his thing anyway. But I'm definitely throwing around other ideas for different scholarships in my head. :)

    Thanks for reading!

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  20. Sneaky kids! Let's hope nothing serious comes of it!

    Aww, I'm glad Emma came out and that Jessica was open about it. I'm sure that will make it a little easier for her to open up to her parents.

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  21. Rachel, Jessica is a smart girl, so she might get her heart broken but she's much less likely to get herself into any sort of trouble, like finding herself with a baby at 16 or something. Although my Sims on BC have certainly got pregnant in the past!

    Emma has been more worried about her friends' reactions than her parents, so this was the big one for her. It was a big relief that Jessica was supportive.

    Thanks for reading!

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  22. *lol* So, no boy in the bedroom, but we can do wht we want in the hot tub, huh? Aww, teens!! It might not be what Kit meant!

    I'm glad Emma have talked with Jessica. I have such a weak spot for Emma. These pictures of the girls talking about guys, with Emma a bit behind, are lovely and so meaningful.

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  23. Sandy, definitely not what Jessica's poor grandmother meant! I'm glad for Kit as much as Jessica that Kit didn't find out. Most grandparents would probably rather not know what their teenage grandkids get up to sometimes. More enjoyable to do the fun stuff, like spoil them rotten with gifts!

    I love Emma too. She's not the nicest Sim in the world but she's charmed me anyway. I guess I've focused so much energy on her in her teen years that it was bound to happen. Hopefully her interactions with her friends will be a bit less awkward for her, now that Jessica knows. Much more on that in her update, which you may be coming up on soon.

    Thanks for reading!

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