House 5This will be the first house with two skills: writing and social networking. (I’ve now enabled University).
After a few hiccups caused by the first bugs of this game, Rex moved to Barnacle Bay. Looking through the local NPCs on SimsWiki, one woman had stood out as the obvious choice of mate. Not only did she have some writing skill and a lifetime wish to match but her surname was Peach. Although, come to think of it, “You remind me of my imaginary friend” doesn’t really work all that well as a chat-up line
.
After a quick trip into town to meet some of his new constituents (while a small house was being built on his empty plot of land), Rex called for a repairSim, hoping that the right one would turn up, and then made another call to set up a fundraising party for later. Good news: Gwennie Peach answered the call. Bad news: most of the party guests turned up early, while Gwennie took ages to arrive. The fundraiser was in full swing by the time she got to the house, realised there was nothing that needed repairing and drove off again. So much for my plan. Rex was supposed to ask her to hang out and join the party.
It wasn’t a complete loss, though. Just before Gwennie left, she and Rex did that across-a-crowded-room thing and realised they were madly attracted to each other. So Rex asked everyone else to leave, invited her over again and went into action. Even though all of his charisma challenges had cancelled when he moved, he clearly wasn’t short on charm…
…and Gwennie was pregnant by the end of Day 1.
She had a limited makeover – just an everyday outfit that would expand with her waistline (her nightie was already OK) and a new hairdo. I’d been waiting a long time for a Sim that would suit that style (it didn’t quite work on Abi Gold).
The following evening, Gwennie realised why she’d been throwing up.
I think that expression’s probably mixed feelings. Gwennie Peach does
not like children – but apparently can’t escape the positive pregnancy moodlet.
Her pregnancy passed quietly and expensively, mostly at the spa. While she was away, someone else tried to take up residence and eventually had to be reset.
Gwennie gave birth in the living room. Rex had been standing around panicking but sending him off for a snack proved to be a miraculous cure for sympathetic labour pains.
As Gwennie hugged her new daughter, dislike of children forgotten, a second baby appeared on the lawn.
Welcome, Joanne and Paige.
After a relatively undisturbed night’s sleep, Rex and Gwennie slipped off to the farthest edge of the lot for a private wedding…
…and then the bride left the groom in charge of the babies and set off for university.
Well, she did have a career to max and a limited time to do it in. I knew she was an adult but had expected her to be at the beginning of the life stage, which would have made her just a couple of days older than her husband. Instead, I was rather shocked to find, when she was pregnant and it was already too late, that she starts out in mid-adulthood, which meant that she now only had a week before becoming an elder. She only had six credits towards the communications degree that would give her a head start in her chosen career, so she became my first Sim to go to University for two sessions. The first week was pretty hectic and I totally failed to get any screenshots – but she did come home with my first graduation gnome.
After a night spent getting reacquainted (ahem!) with Rex and topping up her spa moodlets, she went back for another two weeks. With a slightly lighter class schedule this time, she could afford to spend time on extracurricular activities – like reading through the entire stock of the Nerd Shop, an activity that was primarily intended to get her ‘books read’ statistic up but proved to have a useful side-effect in social group influence. A few days into her second spell at uni, she was able to choose a new trait.
With the aid of the motive mobile that she (I) had remembered to pack this time, she spent the nights in the library, working on her writing skill.
In the daytime, she threw herself into her studies – even when the lecturers didn’t bother to turn up.
(To be fair to the lecturer, she did eventually put in an appearance – five minutes before the end.)
Gwennie graduated with an A, unsupported by friends or family. Maybe Rex couldn’t find a babysitter.
As soon as she was home for good, the twins had an early birthday. (Nope, she still doesn't like kids.)
I was ridiculously pleased with Paige’s colouring – although I quickly learnt not to neglect her. If her needs go into the orange, she practically disappears into her portrait panel
.
Joanne and PaigeAs soon as the cake was eaten, Gwennie put her CV up online and soon had an offer of a job in journalism.
She worked hard at the office and devoted much of her free time to pursuing stories.
“So, Laurel, what do you do for a living?”
With Gwennie concentrating on her career, Rex temporarily became a stay-at-home father (although, for a child-hating Sim, Gwennie was a surprisingly devoted mother whenever she got a chance).
At last, a few days before the twins’ child birthday, Rex reluctantly handed them over to a babysitter, went back to work…
…and achieved his lifetime wish.