The Calypso Island Legacy, Chapter 11- Sim State, Gen 2, Part 3
Wow, September went by really fast! I fully intended to update the Calypso Island Legacy a number of times in September, but in addition to normal "life with children" kind of distractions I got sucked in by two great book series (the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs and the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill) and by the Sims 4 release (I haven't bought it, but I'm following a lot of players that did) and then... dun dun duh... we got a new kitten! It has been over 20 years since I've had a kitten in the house and I had almost forgotten how much energy one has and how much they get into. She's a bit of a handful right now, but very, very sweet too. We love her already.
So, much to my chagrin, it has been almost 2 1/2 months since I last updated my Legacy. You might be better off just re-reading the previous chapters since it has been so dang long, but a fast track recap would be- when we left off last time our Legacy Founder, Ainsley O'Keefe, and her husband Gerard had just had their elder birthdays. They were making strides toward their Lifetime Wants being fulfilled since their oldest set of twins were adults now and starting families of their own. With the birth of Braden's twins, Jasmine and Leo, and Bennett's son, Sebastian, Gerard was only three grandkids short of his wished for 6 and Ainsley was keeping her fingers crossed that she would eventually get to see all 6 of her children married and happily settled, even though Braden was the only one who had taken the leap so far. Just days after their elder brithday party Ainsley and Gerard sent their youngest children, twins Blake and Benedict, off to college, leaving them with a huge empty house and thinking about buying a pet to spoil until the house was full of family again. Blake and Benedict are joining Bishop, Legacy Heir and the youngest of their three older brothers, and their sister Brianne on campus and will mark the 5th and 6th O'Keefe child to go to college.
Without further ado here is...
Rather than deal with having to share a bedroom or getting stuck on the infamous sofa bed at the family's rental house, Benedict and Blake moved into one of the smaller dorms on campus to start. They quickly changed out of their scary transition clothes and snapped a picture to send to their mother.
"Mom- we made it! Checking in with Bishop and Bri. Will call soon. Luv U!"
"Greetings siblings! When Mom calls you, and you KNOW she will, will ya please tell her you checked on us and on the dorm and everything is cool? She was kinda weepy when we left and she's already texted us like a half dozen times. "
Bishop, no smile for your brothers?
"Eh... I'm happy to see them, but we had an unwanted visitor last night at the house and I'm still fuming about it. Grrrrrrr...."
What? Was that freaking Cow harrassing you and Brianne? I told Braden we should have banned him from the start...
"No, not the Cow. We had a burglar."
Oh wow... That sucks! Did he get away? Did much get stolen?
"Our burglar alarm went off before anything was taken and the cops got him, but I'm pissed that he even thought about it. He broke into MY house and he made MY little sister cry. That is unexceptable to me."
Oh joy. That one nice point of yours means you are going to hang on to this forever doesn't it?
"UN-EXCEPTABLE."
Okay... I got it. Our not so friendly neighborhood burglar better hope that you never meet him face to face- he's made an enemy of Mr. Bishop O'Keefe. Benedict. Benedict! Put your hand down! You wanted to say something about the burglar issue?
"Yeah...Soooooooo, I have a great idea! How about we NOT tell Mom about your burglar. You know she would totally overreact and send Capt. Hero out here to investigate, think it was the work of some criminal mastermind. I say, let's save Dad the trip! Deal? Bishop? Bri?"
"Deal!"
I'm going to let Bishop fume for a little bit and focus on Sim State's newest arrivals. After the older O'Keefe siblings left our newest Uni students wandered off to their first class, ate dorm food for lunch- Benedict pouted because he was already going through grilled cheese withdrawl. Benedict, Blake, and Blake's boyfriend, former newsie, Roy Paulson became obsessed with kicky bag (which is pretty much just a waste of their time since they already have maxed relationship points) and played until I broke it up and forced them to go hang out with new people or do something else productive.
Katie Ross, Benedict's high school sweetheart, got to experience some of the University's more annoying familar faces first.
"How many times is she going to do the same cheer? This girl is seriously going to get on my last nerve if she doesn't stop soon."
Katie, that's Della. I am sorry to tell you, but she has been known to cheer for hours at a time, at top volume. Blame Braden for her running amok around campus- he was the one who wanted to have 30 best friends and didn't want to restrict who he might meet.
"Hours??? You're kidding, right?"
No lie. But don't worry, you'll learn to tune her out pretty soon.
"Helllllloooooo. I am right here, ya know. Hurttttt-fulllll!"
Sorry Della. Your... um... enthusiastic school spirit is kind of hard to deal with at times.
"Babe, your brother is an idiot. He totally should have banned the annoying NPCs for this generation. We haven't been here 2 full days yet and so far we've had multiple visits from that overly perky cheerleader, a llama with no concept of personal space, and that obnoxious cow who made our other dorm mate cry. And we can't forget that some naked guy ran in here and waggled his stuff at me!!! Seriously Benny, that was not what I wanted for my memory of the first time I saw guy parts."
Cheerleaders cheering, mascotts fighting, streakers streaking, going to classes, doing assignments and term papers... For some sims college life can quickly get stuck in a rut, but Katie is lucky- her college experience isn't going to be routine at all. That's because Benedict doesn't really care about being at school. He has no wants related to college, never has. He's there because Kate is and because his twin is, not because he ever wanted a college degree. College for Benedict is pretty carefree- go to class, do a few assignments, get a grade good enough that his parents aren't embarrassed, but mostly have fun. He is all too happy to plan fun dates and do little things to amuse Katie- like learn the guitar so he can play her favorite song or take her to the park to listen to stand up comedy.
After all, Dream Dates with Katie are his favorite thing... well, next to grilled cheese sandwiches. The downside to college is that grilled cheese is harder to come by. Benedict found out quickly that he could make his favorite sandwiches late at night when the dorm's cafeteria worker left the building and then store the leftovers in his mini-fridge if he wanted one to snack on during the day, but leftovers weren't nearly as satisfying as warm sandwiches right off the stove so he was trying to ignore his constant craving for warm cheesey goodness.
The twins first 2 years at college seemed to go by pretty fast all things considered. Classes and assignments, phone calls from home, an occasional meal out with their older siblings, dates with their significant others, group outings Downtown, and Benedict's insistence that they all occassionally stop whatever they were currently doing and dance seemed to help keep things moving along at a nice clip.
Benedict and Katie kept each other well balanced and fell even more in love with each other.
and Blake and Roy...
Well, Blake and Roy's relationship wasn't quite as solid as Benedict and Katie's. Both of them seemed distracted by classes and trying to fit in to the new environment, and even though they were living in the same dorm they were having trouble finding the time to spend quality alone time together. They learned things about each other that had them both shaking their heads. Like when Blake found out Roy only had one neat point and they had words over the messes he was leaving behind everywhere and how it wasn't right that others had to clean up after him. Roy's answer that he'd hired a maid so he didn't have to clean didn't sit well with Blake.
Or when Blake wanted to pledge the Frat House and Roy couldn't understand why Blake would want to spend so much time with other people when he could be spending quiet time with him instead.
They went out alone and on a few double dates with Benedict and Katie and had a good time, but on the whole their relationship felt strained and neither of them knew quite what they should do about it. Talking about it didn't help, woohoo didn't help, ignoring it really didn't help.
And then Blake met Katie's friend, Philip Perry when he dropped by the dorm to do group research.
They hit it off right away- they had loads of similar interests and they both loved playing sports. Phil would call Blake to chat whenever he had time and drop by just hang out, both with Blake and with the family as well. Philip seemed to fit in with the O'Keefes like he belonged there, and this left Blake feeling very conflicted.
Poor Blake. I know the situation really has you torn up. What are you going to do?
"I'm so confused! I don't know what I should do! I care for Roy- he's been my first everything. But I have these feelings for Philip too..."
It's hard, I know! You've got them both in the same room though. Maybe it's time to see what that little voice inside says.
"I... I think maybe I should talk to Roy."
And he did. They didn't yell and there was no overly dramatic slapping and finger pointing. They calmly decided that they weren't meant to be romantic partners and even though it might be hard, especially at first, they wanted to remain friends. It was awkward and Blake felt guilty and pulled away from everybody which drove his brother and Katie crazy.
"Benny says I should just butt out, but I'm telling you, if Blake doesn't snap out of it and ask Phil out on a date soon, I'm going to be forced to do something about it. I know they are perfect for each other!"
It wasn't long after that that Philip recieved a phone call, letting him know that Roy and and Blake were no longer an item. And even though he still felt bad about Roy, Blake found it impossible to turn down Philip's invitation to go out to dinner and see where things went from there.
Dream Date material for sure.
"I owe you, Katie! Thank you! Blake told me he didn't know if he should call or not- that he kept dialing the number and then hanging up because he felt bad. "
"Don't be silly- you don't need to thank me. Blake is practically my brother and he was unhappy. You make Blake happy again. Just keep it up!"
After the romantic upheaval the rest of Sophmore year went pretty smooth.
Benedict was shocked to find out that Katie had never swam in the ocean before so they had to play hookey one day so she could experience that first with him.
Katie fulfilled her Lifetime Want of 'Having 20 Best Friends' and decided she wanted to focus on being a professional dancer like Benedict's mother, Ainsley, was before she retired.
Blake still felt bad about how things had turned out with Roy, but they were working on being friends and able to hang out together without it being too uncomfortable. They were self-conscious about certain topics, but they both had to laugh when Katie told them she had a friend she wanted Roy to meet, a nice guy who loved to read and garden, and she wasn't taking no for an answer.
And we can't forget to note that when Benedict finished his Sophomore year, he got to do something very important.
WOOT! No more Grilled Cheese obsession! Being a Pleasure Sim suits Benedict so well that I didn't reroll his primary aspiration, but he did roll the Die of Destiny for a new secondary aspiration and got.... Knowledge! I am so happy!
"But.... I really LIKE grilled cheese..."
~face palm~
******************
Across campus...
"Frammit! That hurt, Bishop! I'm not going to play anymore if you don't chill out some! What part of 'a friendly game of catch' don't you understand???"
"I... Hey, I'm sorry. I've got stuff on my mind, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you."
"Heir stuff?"
"Yeah. And Syd stuff..."
"You know that I wanted to be the Heir and was pretty annoyed when you won it, but I think you'll do great. I know you're probably feeling pressure because Mom wants us all to get married and you've been pretty clear that wasn't your thing, but now you've got Sydney and you are thinking maybe it wouldn't be so bad."
"So, Dr. Phil, you've taken how many Psychology classes and now think you can figure me out so easily?"
"Shut up! Seriously Bishop, I know you've got commitment issues, but I also know you'd be really happy with a family. And I like Sydney a lot. Way more than any of your other girlfriends. She's fun and she calls you on your crap. She obviously loves your grumpy ass. She'd make a great O'Keefe."
I just have to state for the record that even though he gives me attitude and I tend to laugh at his more uncomfortable moments, I feel kind of bad for Bishop. He spends a LOT of his time thinking about Sydney and even has a locked engagement want, but then when they go out on dates his Romancer instincts kick in and he rolls wants to fall in love with other girls which make him question if he should date more. No wonder he is feeling unsure about what the future will hold.
On the other hand, it is very clear that Brianne and Cornelius are not feeling unsure about their future. It is a given that they are going to get married. They can't stay away from each other. They spend oodles of time together and are constantly touching each other. 3 bolt sugary sweetness, big time!
It doesn't matter if they are in town.
Or on campus.
You two are freaking adorable.
"He is, isn't he..."
Yeah, she's got it bad. Actually, I should say they've got it bad for each other.
One semester left! Classes were going well for both Bishop and Brianne so they were able to spend time working on their hobbies as well as their love lives, anything to make graduation happen faster!
Bishop decided he needed to max his arts and crafts enthusiasm.
"I swear, EVERYBODY is getting a vase for Christmas."
Brianne's Nature enthusiasm had fallen off while she was at school so she wanted to max it again. Catching flireflies and cleaning up fall leaves wasn't doing it so she dragged Bishop along with her to the Community Garden to fish and garden some.
This just has bad idea written all over it. Well, Blake will be fine, but everybody else... Dormies with fish in their pockets is not a good thing. Bleck. Like they don't get stinky enough on their own. A regular Llama mascott is bad enough, a Fishy Llama... Double Yuck!
Bishop, what's with the face? Doesn't have anything to do with that oh so graceful move you just pulled that resulted with you on your keester on the ground, does it? ~snicker~
"Bite me."
While they were at at, Bishop's Sports enthusiasm needed some work too.
"How's it feel to get your butt kicked at hoops by your baby sister, Mr. Future Hall of Famer?"
"I'm totally letting you win!"
"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that!"
Brianne, what are you up too?
"Ack!!!"
What? What's wrong?
Holy cow! Sydney's getting an eyeful, isn't she? Doesn't that boy ever wear clothing? It's kinda cold to be running around outside in his birthday suit all day, every day. Isn't he worried about shrinkage?
"And to think, I almost made it out of college without ever seeing that...I'm not sure if I should be upset, amused or impressed."
Bishop's Sydney confusion continued as the semester came to a close- it was so clear that she fit with him and his family, but he was a Romancer and Romancers don't want to settle for one sim or to get married. Do they?
Final exam day... You two nervous? One more test and you guys are out of here!
"Nah, I'm good."
"I... I'm going to ask Cornelius to marry me tonight."
"WHAT?"
"I'm going to ask him to marry me tonight."
"Bri, do you know what kind of pressure that puts on me??? Besides, doesn't he want to be the one to ask?"
"It's not all about you, Bishop. I know Cornelius. He's going to want to do it in some big fancy way because he thinks I'll regret it if I don't have all the fuss, but I don't want super fancy, I want it to be here with my family so we can all celebrate our futures together. Can you just be happy for me? Please?"
Bishop O'Keefe! Stop it with that face right now. You look like you are plotting something evil. You know she is right- it isn't ALL about you. She's wanted this for a long, long time.
"I know. I remember how she was about him back in high school. It's just... What she's going to do makes it all really real though and this thing with Syd... Mom wants..."
Your mother loves you no matter what and would hate that you are stressing over this so much. You don't have to hurry and decide what you are going to do as Legacy Heir today. Take your test, have your party, go back home and and breathe.
"Ya know, sometimes having you around isn't so bad."
Back at ya, Mr O'Keefe. Back at ya."
It's the Graduates!!! Woot! Way to go, you two!!! Call the little twins and tell them to pack their stuff and get over here so they can take control of the house. It's time to celebrate!
"Hey Cornelius, can you help me with something in the kitchen?"
"Of course, what do you... Brianne?"
"You are IT for me, Cornelius Hayes. Will you please marry me as soon as possible?"
"I love you, Bri. I can't wait to marry you."
"I've got to say, I like your sister's style."
"And I like you. Gimme a kiss."
It's been fun, but there is so much you both can do once you get home. How about we blow this pop stand, kiddos?
Brianne first.
Your turn, Bishop. Ready?
Look out Calypso Island, your Legacy Heir is on his way home!
*** I'm not entirely happy with this, but I hope it made up for the LONG wait. All the houses back on Calypso have already been played so it hopefully won't take me another 2 months to update again. Thanks for reading!!!