Tuesday 3 April 2012

Teenage riot, September 2037

Round 33: September 2037 (Spring)

Staff: Kendal Draper (principal) is 61, Julia Gray (teacher) is 28 and Veronica Moretti (student teacher) is 20.
Students: Emma Gottlieb, Tim Lane, Jessica Royce-Nihill and Louisa and Eddie Gentry are 17, Austin and Lauren Carmody, Declan Romilly and Justin and Xavier Moretti are 16, Caitlin Romilly and Brendan Lachance are 14, Annabel and Georgina Nott are 13 and Simon and Matthew Lane are 12.



Veronica is now a junior, so it’s time for her to begin her mandatory two years of student teaching. This year, she’ll be working at Sullivan High School.

She’s a little nervous about it too. It’s only been three years since she was a student here herself and some of the older kids probably still remember her.

Kendal assures her that her first day will be quite a gentle introduction to the school; the senior students are visiting Suffolk University today, so only grades 7-10 will be on campus.

Not that the kids are particularly thrilled to be there. Writing an essay on the major themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is not the way any of them would really like to spend their morning.

It is a good opportunity for Veronica to watch Kendal’s close supervision of Caitlin and Annabel, two students who are feeling rather unmotivated this morning.

Veronica has her own ideas about student motivation, direct from her educational psych textbooks.

Kendal is polite and listens but tells Veronica she may be in for a shock once she’s actually in front of a class. Things don’t always go as planned.

Georgina is the polar opposite of her twin sister Annabel and is not a student Kendal needs to worry too much about. Georgina spent much of her weekend planning her essay and has been working steadily all lesson.

Making her essay plan also served as a convenient way to distract her from thinking about Brendan, the boy she’s had a crush on since last year.

Without work to focus on, Brendan is often all Georgina thinks about.

Not that he’s noticed her at all, at least in the way she’d like him to. He spent most of last year pining after Annabel. Seeing she never did peg on that he liked her and Brendan was too shy to make his own move, they went nowhere.

This year, he’s moved on and started dating Caitlin Romilly.

Brendan wouldn’t have had the guts to ask Caitlin out either but fortunately for Brendan, Caitlin took that into her own hands.

Georgina isn’t thrilled with this development but if it had to be anyone, she’d rather it be Caitlin.

She’s not sure she could take it if Brendan had started dating her twin sister.

When not hanging out with Caitlin, Brendan has been getting to know Matthew, a Grade 7 student.

If they were 10 years older, their age difference would be nothing but at 14, Brendan sometimes finds 12-year-old Matthew a little immature for his liking.

But it’s not bad to have someone looking up to you and hanging on your every word. As the baby of his family, that’s a new thing for Brendan.

And it is nice to have another guy to talk to, after really only having female friends before.

Matthew’s twin brother Simon also started high school this year but he hasn’t been making too many friends so far. He spends his lunch hour totally blissed on the guitar in the music room.

He’s only just started but he already fancies himself a rock star. He has the right pedigree, at least: his uncle is Luc Lane.

Kendal’s not much of a fan of heavy rock but she’s taught some truly cacophonous music classes in her time. It’s nice to have some talented students.

Meanwhile, Julia has taken the ten Grade 11 and 12 kids to the Suffolk University campus for Open Day. They’re under strict orders to meet back outside the student union by 3pm, to get the bus back to school.

They’re all looking forward to learning what the campus has to offer and wish Miss Gray would just shut up and let them go and explore.

Austin’s original plan was to use his semi-unsupervised day off to take full advantage of the video arcade in the student union.

Austin didn’t consider best friend Declan, who interrupts his gaming session within the first 15 minutes. Declan is concerned Austin is squandering this educational opportunity.

Austin isn’t too convinced but seeing it’s still better than being at school, he agrees to tag along with Declan.

Tim, Justin and his girlfriend Louisa had already decided weeks ago that they’d be visiting Sitko Faculty of Science on Open Day at Suffolk.

The local hospital has sent one of their doctors, Cara Moretti, to meet potential med students.

She’s there to guide them around the facilities and talk to them about what they might be in for if they do choose medicine.

Medicine hasn’t been Tim’s lifelong dream or anything - he just decided on it last year - so he has lots of questions for Cara.

It’s all sounding pretty fantastic to Tim though! He doesn’t have to decide right away but he’s surer than ever that med school might be the right path for him.

If only Louisa had the same direction. She thinks she wants to do something sciencey but isn’t really sure about any specifics past that. She's followed Justin to the botany lab, hoping something might click for her. She likes seeing Justin so passionate about something but has to admit plants aren’t really doing anything for her.

Justin suggests a look at the oceanography lab and Louisa agrees to check it out. But fish? Eh, maybe. Oceanography seems more interesting than botany but Louisa still isn’t positive she’d want to devote her life to it.

The university has also arranged for architect Sarah Moretti to talk with the students about her line of work.

Declan has wanted to be an architect since he was 12, so he’s listening very carefully. He’s even taking notes.

Architecture is not really Xavier’s thing and Eddie doesn’t know what he wants to do but both, at least, listen politely.

Which is more than can be said of Austin, who is so bored he’s decided to examine the woodgrain on his desk.

Austin is relieved when the lecture is over and Xavier suggests checking out some of the dorms.

It was a long walk though, so Austin decides he’s just going to chill in the common room.

Also touring the dorms are Jessica, Emma and Lauren.

Lauren and Emma are both quite impressed with the “penthouse” dorm. More privacy and the only room with a big bed.

Both girls want to claim the room for themselves, which could possibly end in a fight.

But Emma reminds Lauren that she’ll be at Suffolk a full year before her and there’s no way the room will remain vacant until then.

Lauren hadn’t thought of that. The room may not end up as Emma’s but it almost definitely won’t be Lauren’s.

Downstairs, Jessica has made friends with one of the resident students and they sit down around the poker table to talk about life at Moretti Hall.

Catching Jessica away from Emma, Lauren and Louisa is a stellar opportunity for Declan. He’s not shy but he’s not keen on approaching Jessica while she’s surrounded by her friends, or in conversation with a stranger.

So he moves on and finds her 10 minutes later, inspecting the dorm’s garden and pool area.

Jessica and Declan became good friends last year. Declan developed a crush on her quickly but until recently, Jessica has had a boyfriend.

They get along great. They’re both the most studious of their friends and Jessica doesn’t even seem to mind Declan’s obsession with comic books and sci-fi movies.

As friendly as Declan and Jessica have become, she’s never shown any interest in him past that. But now, it seems she’s definitely getting a bit flirty!

So Declan decides to ask Jessica if she’d like to do something together on the weekend.

Jessica thinks that sounds awesome (and is quite thrilled Declan took charge).

Declan didn’t think a university open day would score him a date (finally!) but he’s pretty pleased it has!

Extras:
I really was expecting Annabel to swoop in on Brendan this round but she was beaten to the post by Caitlin.
And Annabel learnt that the early bird gets the worm.


And Caitlin looks pretty damn smug about it!


Whether or not I deal with this Annabel's update will depend on what kind of wants she's rolling. I do see her as somewhat fickle, so she may not even care about Brendan by then.


Title:
  • I said in my post yesterday that this update took place in two venues, meaning the university and the high school. Seeing I used four different lots at the uni, it was more like five venues. I never would have considered it on my old computer! I think I would have crashed several times.
  • Veronica will be doing her student teaching at the primary school next year but once she finishes, I'll definitely be having her teach at the high school. They're going to need more staff soon.
  • On my old computer, in my notes, I had jotted down what careers might suit Louisa and Eddie but I lost them. :( So I'll have to go through and do that careers criteria thing again sometime soon and figure it out.
  • Declan and Jessica will only have a few months together in Sullivan before Jessica goes off to uni but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for them anyway. They have better chemistry than Jessica and Noah did, so we'll see.

26 comments:

  1. Declan finally has a girl friend, and I like Jessica. Hopefully things will last between then at least for a while. And Caitlin! Man, did she know that Annabel liked Brendan? Well we'll see how things develop.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes, Declan is a bit of a late bloomer, compared to his parents (and his little sister, actually!) But he seems to really like Jessica, so I'm hoping they'll be together for a while.

      Well, I didn't even know Annabel liked Brendan until she tried to kiss him. She has never rolled any wants for him before this session. So no, Caitlin didn't know. She didn't know Georgina liked him either, because Georgina never told her. So in her eyes, making a move on Brendan was totally on the up and up and not a betrayal or Annabel or Georgina.

      Thanks for reading!

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  2. Caitlyn's face and Annabels is priceless! Love those last photos! Poor Annabel! But yay for Declan! Finally having a girlfriend! And Jessica is adorable. Hope they make it til theyre both at university.

    I can imagine Veronica just being a know-it- all. Nice of Kendal to not laugh in her face. I'm curious how she will do with the teaching once she's on her own. I'm also excited about all these new college kids, I can't believe these guys are heading there so soon!! Crazy to think Victoria will have a college kid shortly!

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    1. I feel bad for Annabel too, but I think she'll be okay. I think she liked him for possibly 10 seconds, because she rolled no wants for Brendan before or after the kiss rejection. Still, poor kid.

      Declan and Jessica have just over a year to wait until they're together long term, so I'm hoping they do okay. They're cute together.

      I'm sure Kendal was ready to laugh in Veronica's face but Veronica's not the first student teacher she's had walk through the doors. ;) 20 is a very know-it-all kind of age!

      Thanks for reading!

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  3. I can't believe Declan is about to enter university. I remember when Finn and Victoria entered, wow!

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    1. That's still very clear in my mind too. I can hardly believe Declan is off to college so soon either. We have one more update with him as a teen and then he'll head off at the end of the round. Eeek!

      Thanks for reading!

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  4. LOL at Annabel's face in that extra picture! Too funny. xD

    I don't think Simon will have to worry about making friends for too long. Teen girls totally dig guys that have shaggy hair and play guitar!

    Kendal being nice and patient with Veronica is just a testament to WHY she's the principal. It takes a lot to let some of that stuff just wash down your back like a duck. I'm sure Veronica will adjust well, once she stops trying to associate everything to her book learning. ;)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Ha, this is true! The guitar is like a beacon to teenage girls, which I'm sure has nothing to do with why Simon is begging his parents for a guitar, instead of the violin he played through childhood. ;)

      Kendal is a true diplomat, isn't she? She would very clearly remember Veronica at school too, so she knows how to deal with her. Veronica will figure out that theories don't always work in practice soon enough - we all do!

      Thanks for reading!

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  5. Caitlyn is such a joy to read about lol. Smug indeed! I remember when Victoria found out she was pregnant with Declan, amazing that he's off to uni soon! And I'm excited about his new love interest, I have a sweet spot for geeky guys :).

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    1. Caitlin is lots of fun to play! I can never wait to see what she'll get up to.

      I have a bit of a soft spot for geeky guys too, so I kind of love that Declan turned out so much like his dad! I hope he doesn't follow in his dad's footsteps too closely though, and knock up someone at uni, lol!

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  6. My high school update is going up tomorrow, but I like yours much better. I have my oldest students visiting college as well, but as I said yours is better, for one I forgot to take one student ...

    Anyway to you update now :)
    Poor Georgina, it suck being shy! I think it might be for the best that Brendan is dating Cailyn now and not Annabel though. It would have been worse to see your sister with the boy your in love with.
    I loved that last picture, in the extra's! The look on those faces of both girls is just priceless!

    As I already said, I loved the outing to Suffolk University!

    I don't know why but somehow I figured that Veronica would be teaching high school one. Again I don't know why but I just don't see her having the patience to teach elementary school.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. How funny that we both had the same idea at the same time! I can't wait to see what your kids get up to.

      Georgina can definitely better deal with Caitlin dating Brendan than Annabel. I think that would have caused some friction around the Nott house. I was actually planning on letting Annabel have a shot with Brendan but then Caitlin stepped in! Glad you liked the extras. Caitlin makes great expressions - she's got such an interesting face.

      I guess you figured right. ;) Yeah, Veronica's definitely more suited to high school. She actually likes little kids a lot but I think dealing with lots of them at a time all day might break her. ;)

      Thanks for reading!

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  7. aaaah I still remember Declain as a baby...and now hes flirting with girls?!?!?? I love these updates! Great storytelling.

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    1. No kidding, huh? I was both dreading and looking forward to Declan aging up each time but I'm having a lot of fun with him. I'm mostly looking forward to sending him off to uni now, lol.

      Thanks for reading!

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  8. Yay for Declan! I'm glad he found the courage to ask Jessica out. :)

    Poor Georgina. :( It's too bad that she missed out on an opportunity with Brendan, but it is definitely better that Caitlin got him over Annabel. Still, it would have been nice to see it happen for her.

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    1. I just sent Jessica off to college last night, so I hope she and Declan can last the year until he's ready to go himself. They're quite cute together.

      I'm hoping Georgina gets over Brendan, the poor girl. It's definitely not going to be good for her mental health if she keeps pining over Brendan while he's with Caitlin. But she's 13, so who knows how she'll feel in a week?

      Thanks for reading!

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  9. I hope the Brendan situation doesn't become a source of contention for the girls later on. Something tells me that Caitlin might eat him alive though. Maybe they'll balance each other out.

    This reminds me so much of career day when I was in high school, except we didn't have the luxury of leaving the school. The experts came to us.

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    1. Caitlin is actually a really nice girl but she's very bold, which Brendan is not, so you may be right there! We'll see. There's a lot of stuff coming up for Brendan this round.

      Yeah, I could have done it either way, I guess - at the uni or at the school. It ended up being like a combined career day/open day for the uni. Fun to do though, even though it involved me loading so many lots!

      Thanks for reading!

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  10. First off before I forget, I love Austin's shirt "genius by birth, slacker by choice" :). He is so cute and I love how he's so "meh" about it all.

    I loved your Open Day. I said at N99 that I was thinking of something similar down the line for my sims but I don't have nearly enough students or uni grads to pull this off yet. I'm so glad your new computer is allowing you to do this kind of stuff. Was very fun to see them running around Suffolk :).

    Score for Declan! Glad he's finally built up the courage to ask Jessica out now that she's single. And she accepted! Anxiously awaiting to hear more about them later. And look at Caitlin swooping in on Brendan. Poor Annabel looks crushed, but poor Georgina for not even getting in the game!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I couldn't resist that shirt for Austin! I think it sums up his attitude towards life pretty well, lol!

      Open Day was a lot of fun and doing things like this is a definite advantage of having a long-running hood. Hopefully your new blogging format will work well for you and your hood will start moving along a little faster.

      Declan finally got a date and his little sister didn't even beat him by that much! Declan is much closer to Jessica's physical type than Noah - she likes blondes. ;) As for Caitlin...well, I knew that kid was going to bring me drama, even when she was a toddler. Fortunately, I think Annabel is too fickle to be too heartbroken for too long and Georgina is too sweet to hold it against Caitlin, especially seeing she never told anyone about her crush.

      Thanks for reading!

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  11. That campus tour looks great. I don't know how you do it! LOL

    Good for Declan for finally getting his date and I hope Austin gets his mind made up about what he wants to do in life.

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    1. The campus tour was more tedious than anything, at least the set-up. Loading lots and teleporting in Sims are both things I get kind of annoyed by if I have to do a lot of it! While on the lots, it was pretty easy, because I usually didn't have more than 5 Sims on the lot at a time.

      I'm about to play Declan's family and actually take him on said date, lol! They've been waiting a few months in game now! Austin will figure things out eventually. He's already a few steps ahead of a lot of RL kids - there's just not much interest in college with him.

      Thanks for reading!

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  12. I liked the Open Day on campus. It was nice seeing all the teens get to know their future home... well except for Austin who couldn't care less, lol.

    I feel bad for Annabel but I feel even worse for Georgina. Poor girl, she's so smitten but just can't get a word out of her mouth. And now it's too late.

    Aww, Declan has a girlfriend! He and Jessica look so cute together.

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    1. Austin is not especially keen on going at all and definitely would have preferred to spend the day in the student union. ;)

      Yeah, Georgina has liked Brendan the longest, so Brendan and Caitlin dating is hardest for her. She's quite shy but I think part of it is inexperience, so I hope she can be a bit more confident with boys in the future.

      I really love Declan and Jessica together. He's certainly been waiting long enough to ask her out!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  13. *dancing* Your teens updates are always such a hoot to read! (not sure an update can be a "hoot", but well... it should! :p)
    I love the idea of the open day at the university, so the teens can visit the uni and the dorms! That's so great!
    And Simon!!! Awwww... He's on the way to be the other rock star of the family (and remember, once he will make concerts in a big city, you'll have to take a picture of him speaking at the phone, in a taxi, to accomplish the dream I had once! ;D)
    Declan didn't lose time! *lol* Go, boy, goo!
    Biiiiiiiig heart for Caitlin! I so love her face on the last picture! *lol* This girl is a real hoot! (I know it works for Caitlin, if not for the update!)
    I can't wait to see them all in uni!!!!

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    1. I never went to any open days before I started uni but a lot of my friends did, as well as my sister. They're very common events here, so I thought I'd try it out in game.

      I haven't forgotten your Simon dream, lol! He definitely is planning on becoming a rock star, so we'll see if ever ends up talking on his phone in the back of a taxi as well!

      Declan's been pining after Jessica for long enough, so he wasn't keen on waiting any longer. ;) And Caitlin most definitely is a hoot!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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