Thursday 28 June 2012

There's no other way

Round 33: November 2038 (Spring)

Connor Novak is 25 and Josh Royce-Nihill is 24.
(Charlie is 26, Sophie and Lila are 25, Elspeth is 24 and Oliver is 22)
Narrated by Connor Novak

This year, Josh was finally promoted at the newspaper, meaning he has a slightly less lowly position than before.

Two years ago, he started working as a copy tech and now, he’s moved into the research department. It’s still not a very prestigious position (at least according to his superiors) but he feels like he’s getting closer and closer to actually writing. That’s what he really wants to do, so he’s excited.

I could swear that he’s more excited about his improved work hours than the actual job though.

Starting work at 5am, Josh didn’t usually get to stay out too late at night. He can now though, so he’s relishing it.

The first thing he wanted to do was go out for a few celebratory drinks, which he insisted was for my new job as much as his.

Charlie had a night off work and Camilla agreed to stay home with the kids, so he came along as well.

Three years out of college, I’ve finally got myself a position with the SCIA. I’ll be working as a surveillance operator, which is fairly low down in the ranks but I have my foot in the door now.

I thought Charlie might have developed a more mature attitude towards the SCIA in the last 10 years but he still thinks it’s much more exciting than it really is.

He makes a lot of James Bond jokes, which I’m starting to think he might do just to irritate me.

I love my job but it’s not exciting, or at least, not exciting in the way Charlie is imagining.

I was feeling pretty good about getting into the SCIA at 25. It’s a very competitive line of work and even just waiting for the security clearance can take months.

That was until until Lila and I had dinner with Sophie and her boyfriend Oliver, who I’ll be working with at the agency. He does surveillance, just like me, only he was targeted as an SCIA recruit right after graduation.

I have to admit that really irritated me. I worked my ass off during high school and then again at university and no one targeted me!

Oliver has been working there for almost a year now. So he’s a few years younger than me, yet he already has more experience. I really tried to forget about it but it was playing on my mind for the whole night.

I guess I wasn’t fooling Lila either, because not only could she tell I was bothered when we got home, she nailed exactly what was wrong as well.

I know this stuff with Oliver shouldn’t really matter to me but it does. I like to excel at everything I do, be the best.

Lila was sympathetic but she didn’t see much point in me comparing myself to Oliver. There are lots of reasons why our situations could be completely different.

The SCIA might not have targeted anyone at all when I graduated, so there’s that. And I earned a perfect GPA at uni, so it wasn't a matter of not working hard enough.

Likely, he was just lucky to graduate in a year they were recruiting. And a year is not that much more experience, in the grand scheme of things. A few years down the line and it probably won’t be apparent at all.

I like to think of myself as a fairly rational person but that can sometimes go out the window when things don’t go the way I expect them to.

Lila is pretty good at bringing me back around when I get like that. It’s probably one of my favourite things about her.

I don’t think I’m nearly as useful to her but Lila doesn’t agree. She says she appreciates having me there for her as a sounding board, when she needs some grounding herself or when she needs to vent.

She’s needed that a lot lately, now that Josh and Elspeth have started dating.

Josh kissing Elspeth was what ended his relationship with Lila, so there’s some awkward history there. So when Elspeth decided she liked Josh, she cleared it all with Lila before she said anything to him.

Lila told her it was fine and to go for it if she wanted to. Lila is still not very fond of Josh but took the attitude that if Elspeth wanted him, she could have him.

So since then, they’ve been together.

They seem like they’re really happy. Josh is out with her just about every night.

His new job makes dates a more realistic proposition than they were before, so he’s loving that.

I think even with Lila’s okay, Josh and Elspeth have been cautious not to flaunt their relationship in front of her.

But of course, Lila’s over here a lot and she lives with Elspeth, so there have still been a few awkward moments so far.

Lila is finding that she’s not quite as comfortable with Josh and Elspeth dating as she thought she’d be.

She's just feeling a little strange knowing Josh and Elspeth are together now. Elspeth was never interested in Josh until recently and I don’t know if Lila was ever expecting anything to happen between them, no matter how much Josh wanted it.

It was a shock to her. She knows she’s being irrational about it, seeing she gave Elspeth her blessing but she can’t help thinking about it.

It’s not much fun for me listening to Lila talk about her ex but I’m not taking it personally. I know she doesn’t feel like she can talk about it with anyone else, in case it gets back to Elspeth.

I think it’s just something she’ll get used to eventually, if Josh and Elspeth stay together. They’ve only been going out for a few weeks, so it’s still all new. I'm not worried.

Really, Lila and I are doing pretty well. Next April, we’ll have been together for four years and I can definitely see myself settling down with her one day, maybe sooner rather than later.

We’ve even been talking about getting our own place. We both hate the idea of paying rent every week to live on property that we’ll never own, so our goal is to buy something.

We’re both very sensible with money though, so it might not happen for a while. Between us, we have about $25,000. That would be enough for a small place but we want to make sure we still have a sizeable nest egg left over at the end of it.

We’d like to save up another $10,000 or so and then start looking around next year, which is really not that far away.

I’m hoping we can start looking closer to the beginning of the year than the end. I’m really looking forward to moving in together.

Notes:
  • Title is from There's No Other Way by Blur.
  • Connor and Oliver both graduated with 4.0 GPAs, so both were cheated into their chosen career. For some reason though, Connor started out at Level 2, while Oliver ended up in Level 4. I imagine this would really have chapped Connor's ass. He's very competitive and definitely does not like to "lose", which he would view this as. I never thought the Sports hobby made that much sense for him and contemplated changing it a couple of times but I think he'd really enjoy having an outlet for his competive side. I love when things like that start to click for me.
  • Josh and Elspeth are finally a thing! My Sims must hate me sometimes, with how much I make them work for stuff. ;) I could not see Elspeth starting anything up without Lila's blessing and I couldn't see Lila saying no, so many years after the original drama went down. Now that they're friends again, they both want to stay friends. But then, I can't see Lila being totally comfortable with Josh and Elspeth either, so I think it'll take some getting used to for her.
  • Lila also rolled up the want to talk to Josh this round, the first time she has rolled any wants for him at all since they broke up. That was another little prod for me to maybe let the Josh/Elspeth thing happen.
  • I'm pretty excited about moving Connor and Lila in together but I think it'll end up happening late next round, so they'll each have another update in their roommate households first.

16 comments:

  1. Connor may have "lost" to Oliver with his career, but he's got a smokin' hot lady in Lila. I think he wins all the games with that one! She's so pretty!

    Connor is a good guy, but I hope Lila's preoccupation with Josh and Elspeth dies down a bit. It always smarts when something like that happens, but she's in a better situation now. I guess it's worse because they are always around one another.

    It's fun having households that are just roommates! It always feels like there's a lot going on. I'm glad it's not drama, LOL!

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    1. Heh, yes! I have a lot of pretty Sims but Lila is like model-level pretty. I think Connor's career "woes", if you could call them that, is just the universe's way of evening things out a little. ;)

      I think Lila will get over Josh and Elspeth. Lila knows how good she has it with Connor right now and wouldn't go back to Josh even if she could. It's just new and it's still a little weird for her, especially seeing they all live on top of each other. Josh and Connor live together, as do Lila and Elspeth but even their apartment buildings are right across the road from each other!

      I love me some roommate households! I'm always sad when my Sims say goodbye to this time in their lives - it's always fun for me.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  2. She has a great boyfriend, why is she so hung up on her ex. That has to be uncomfortable for Conner. I can't wait to see their new place, as usual :) two questions

    How do you cheat them into careers and it occurs that they enter at different levels?
    How do you determine house buying, do they need to pay cash or can they get loans?

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    1. Lila was hoping she wouldn't have to think about what happened with Josh and Elspeth again but them getting together has brought it back for her a bit. It's not too pleasant for Connor to hear about but he's quite confident that it's something she'll get used to. I definitely don't see her staying hung up on this for long.

      Honestly, I don't know about the careers! I cheated them both in with InSim and they came out as different levels. Maybe Oliver's skills were slightly higher? I find that hard to believe though, because as a playable NPC, Oliver didn't get played nearly as much as Connor did as a teen and I pretty much sped through his sessions in college too.

      As for the house buying, that question I can answer! My Sims can get loans if they don't have the cash to buy a house but Connor and Lila are both Hoarders. I don't see either of them being willing to go into debt if there's a chance they can avoid it. So some of my Sims take out loans but Connor and Lila will not, at least at this stage.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  3. I can't wait for Lila and Connor to move in together! I may be getting a bit ahead of myself but they would make such adorable babies! Haha. More houses for you to decorate :) Always a good thing for me though because I love the way you decorate- It makes me want to re-do all my houses. lol.
    Thank god Josh and Elspeth finally got together, it only took forever! I hope Lila can get over it. I guess it wont be too long before she is concentrating on moving house and stuff so hopefully that will take her mind off it. I can see how it would be weird though- especially when they live so close and Elspeth is her roommate!
    I had to laugh at Connor's reaction to Oliver. It just seems so like him to be so competitive. And is this the first time we've seen Connor without glasses on? He looks so different but I like it ;) With him and Lila both in their PJ's it looks like they have practically moved in together anyway!

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    1. I actually, shockingly, have not considered Lila/Connor babies! But you're right, they'd be adorable. They would be bound to have very pouty lips too; Connor's were very pouty when he was little.

      I know, my Sims must hate me for making them wait for so long. This was the best time for Elspeth and Josh to finally happen though, in my view. Lila has good, good things going on in her life now and she knows that. Once she sees Josh and Elspeth getting together is not really going to affect her life in any way, she'll be okay. :)

      I've shown Connor without his glasses a few times, I think. Definitely at least once, anyway. And yeah, Connor and Lila are over at each other's places all the time when I play them. It's merely a formality now. ;)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  4. Love this couple! It isn't one I ever even considered. I remember wondering who he'd end up with, because he was always such an oddball, but with Lila, they totally make sense together. He's such a cutie too, I'm also interested in mini versions of them.

    I'm glad Josh and Elspeth are making a go of it! About freaking time!! But I honestly think this is the best timing for them too. Before it would have just been too soon especially if she wanted to nurture her friendship with Lila.

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    1. I love Connor and Lila too. They really do complement each other so well and I see it more and more as I continue to play and write about them. Think we might be waiting a while on babies but I can definitely see them cropping up some day in the future. ;)

      Which reminds me of Connor's supposed "true love" according to the game and ACR. I'm making a note to share that with you all next round. I think you will find her as improbable a match for Connor as I do!

      Elspeth and Lila were still on shaky ground up until a couple of years ago, so they definitely needed this time to get their friendship back on an even keel. Elspeth wouldn't have risked anything with Josh before doing that. But they're together now, so we'll see what happens with them in the future. Exciting!

      Thaniks for reading and commenting!

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  5. I always love reading about your roommates! And Connor and Josh are no exceptions! They are great together :)
    I can't wait though, to see Connor and Lila living together. I still like them a lot as a couple. They seem like a prefect match and they make it all work!

    I was surprised and happy to finally see Josh and Elspeth together! They have been playing around each other long enough!

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    1. Enjoy it while it lasts. I think Connor and Josh will only be together one more round, before Connor moves in with Lila. Which I am really looking forward to, actually.

      Josh and Elspeth have waited long enough, huh? This was the first time Elspeth and Lila's friendship has been stable enough for Elspeth to feel okay about bringing up the topic of Josh. So it was a long time but it was necessary, lol.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  6. I still love Connor! The situation with Oliver is so funny and I can definitely see him being angry about it. Wow, so Josh and Elspeth! I can't wait to hear more about that!

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    1. Connor is so much fun for me to write about. I never imagined he'd become such a favourite when Madelyn and James adopted him all those years ago. He's such a grouch. I could not imagine him letting Oliver's position go by without commenting on it. ;)

      And yes, Josh and Elspeth! I've hardly had time to do much with them at all yet but there'll be more on them when I play Elspeth's house in the first half of next round. Which reminds me I need to put the Round 34 play schedule up!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  7. Connor and Josh are complete opposites, but it looks like they're making the roommate situation work. I guess when you don't see each other much, you don't really notice another person in your space.

    AAAAAAH JOSHANDELSPETH! Finally I can stop the outbursts. You know how long I've been waiting for them to hook up, but everyone has been right about it being best now as opposed to earlier. And besides, Elspeth used to be quite a diva and Josh was very immature when he was younger, so for them as much as for Lila's sake the wait was for their benefit.

    I can't wait though for Connor and Lila to move in together! And I do want to see this supposed One True Sim of Connor's, because right now I can't see anyone onther than Lila able to tolerate him; he's still something of an oddball.

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    1. Connor and Josh never liked each other much in their early teens but they became friends when they both started working in the teen politics career. They've got a few things in common but it's not apparent at first - no one expects Connor to be sporty or for Josh to be kind of a brain!

      LOL, I knew you'd be happy about Josh and Elspeth! I'm pretty thrilled about it myself. Poor Josh has been waiting since he was 12. ;) You're right that Josh and Elspeth have done a lot of growing up in the last few years and they're a lot more invested in making a relationship work now. Elspeth is really ready for a good one - she's only ever been with Chris! - so I hope Josh is that one for her.

      I've made a note to reveal Connor's supposed One True Sim in her update next round. It is ridiculous. I mean, I know most of this personality I've created for Connor is in my head and on the blog and not in the game...but honestly, even considering that I'm kind of surprised at this! He and Lila make so much more sense. And the wants don't lie!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  8. Aww, I know Connor was a little bitter about starting lower than Oliver in the SCIA. But like Lila said, there are so many reasons why they probably targeted Oliver and not him. You never know. He could zoom past Oliver in a couple of years depending on who works harder.

    So it finally happened! Josh and Elspeth an item! It's about freakin' time! I think I'd feel a little weird about my friend and my ex dating, especially in Lila, Josh and Elspeth's situation. That's a sticky one. At least Elspeth gave her a heads up about it. Still. I dunno. I wanna feel happy for them but I feel for Lila, too.

    And yay! Connor's thinking marriage! And buying a house! Very excited for these 2 :D. You have me really curious who Connor's "One" really is! I was going to guess but you have a lot of sims.

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    1. Connor definitely could end up as Oliver's superior, which I think he would relish! Right now, they're still equal and Chloe Hamilton has also joined them at the same job level. So she's in the mix now too.

      I definitely feel for Lila with the Josh and Elspeth thing too, though I do think it's something she'll get over. It's interesting that Sims usually roll a want to fall back in love with their exes when they're on dates but Lila has never rolled that for Josh. So I figure there's not even anything little lingering there. It would still be weird though, no matter how you feel about your ex!

      Connor and Lila are so in love, which I'm sure he never thought would happen to him (and I was doubting that myself!), so moving in together is just the next natural step for them. I'm excited about it too, but I haven't started looking around at houses yet. I'll see how much money they have after Connor's next play session.

      The only clue I'll give for Connor's "One" is that it is definitely a woman (Connor's completely straight, not bisexual or anything) and she's also in her 20s, like Connor. That narrows it down a little but not much! I'll definitely reveal all this round!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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