Prosperity Challenge - 4 (Days/Years 10-12)
Winterfell experiences some firsts - marriages, going away to college, and the first death of a resident.
Burkett
The Burketts used the money they'd earned with their wildly successful home business to completely remodel the house. It was the first sign of an economic upswing in Winterfell since the four founding families' arrivals ten years ago.
Leone's on-again, off-again romance with Lou Haynes was definitely on again. She hated to think of herself as pinned down, but there was just something about him...
She just felt safe. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. She was getting to be an old lady - maybe her priorities were finally straight. At any rate, Lou could be depended on.
It seemed like only yesterday that Alvin had been delivered to their door by the social worker. How could he be a teenager already? All the business regulars came to his birthday party to cheer him on.
Alvin seemed different after his transition. He'd always been a little enigmatic, but now he was positively stand-offish. Leone had given up on Corey, the touchy black-eyed guy she'd been trying to get to know, after he stopped returning her calls. She still felt bad that she didn't have any information on Alvin's heritage to share with him.
She caught him arguing with a customer one day. She was about to interfere when she noticed the woman had the eyes.
She asked Alvin later what that had been all about, but he brushed her off and said the woman was just angry over a clogged toilet in the bathroom.
The Koeppel triplets would stop by now and then, and Leone hoped Alvin would be drawn out by their boisterous laughter.
But he rarely even came out of his room. Van said to leave the boy alone, that he was just an intense kid who was more interested in gadgets than people right now. She supposed he was right - what did she know about what was normal?
(Alvin rolled Popularity and has a LTW to Become General.)
Koepple
Marilyn had made her decision. Ria was going to college, no matter what. She invited Van Burkett over one last time and broke the news.
He took it pretty well. He even said he understood. After he left, Marilyn steeled herself and called Ian. When he got there, she didn't waste any time.
"Ian, I know this may seem sudden...but I want my last years to have you in them. I know I'm an old lady and you're very young, but would you do me the honor of marrying me?"
She'd never know exactly why he said yes, but she was very relieved when he did. They married right there on the lawn.
She was now Marilyn LeTourneau. She hoped he didn't notice her sneak out to cry a bit after lunch.
It was going to take a little getting used to. She knew it was worth it. Ian was a good man, and she would no longer have to worry about the girls. The girls themselves weren't quite sure what to make of their grandmother's sudden marriage, but they politely congratulated the new couple.
Rochell had her transition the same evening. Marilyn couldn't believe all of her grandchildren were teenagers already.
(Rochell rolled Knowledge and has a LTW to Become Mad Scientist. A first!)
Ria left for Academie Le Tour shortly thereafter. She was thrilled to receive several scholarships that would make her life considerably more comfortable at college than it was even at home.
* * * *
Nevada had gotten an after-school job some time ago.
Finally, the day came when she'd socked away enough money. Shena Thigpen came over to inspect her prize.
Nevada had never seen Shena so excited.
"Nevada! We are totally starting a band! What should our name be? Can you play it yet? I'm getting so good at the guitar! Now we just need a drummer! Who should we ask? Do you know anyone from school? Oh my gosh I can't believe this is really happening!"
Nevada just gave her a hug and tried not to laugh.
First things first - she did indeed need to learn how to play it...
**Ian LeTourneau:
Astrology: Taurus
Sloppy/Neat - 5
Shy/Outgoing - 5
Lazy - 3
Playful - 8
Grouchy - 4
Aspiration: Romance
LTW: Become Celebrity Chef
Thigpen
(I'll just give the rundown.)
Emanuel got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Gwen.
Bob went to college, thanks to his dancing scholarship. The excitement of seeing him off resulted in a small fire.
Glen kept his head and took care of it.
Emanuel and Gwen married quickly and threw a small party.
Van Burkett and Marilyn Koepple engaged in some extramarital nookie.
Gwen fits right in with the rest of the Thigpens.
The money she brought in allowed the family to remodel the house. At last, there were no longer four people sharing one bedroom.
Shena spent a long time decorating her room.
And enjoying having her own bathroom.
Tragedy struck one night as Marguerite came home from her part time job.
She was only 65 years old. RIP, Marguerite. It's not fun being a CAS elder.
Shena continued to be a rebel and snuck out with Nevada.
***Gwen Thigpen:
Astrology: Scorpio
Neat - 6
Shy/Outgoing - 5
Active - 8
Serious - 3
Grouchy - 3
Aspiration - Fortune
LTW - Earn $100,000
Haynes
Eli transitioned to a teenager with a minimum of fanfare.
Lou was busy with his at-home beauty salon, so Eli blew out his candles by himself. He was ok with that.
(Eli rolled Family and has an LTW to Graduate 3 Children from College.)
He was easygoing in general, and besides, he never really felt alone.
Easygoing as Eli was, he wasn't going to put up with the terrible clothes he'd transitioned into. While at the mall, he ran into a very strange person.
Andrew's red eyes and pointy teeth certainly set him apart, but Eli never said no to the chance for a new friend, so they spent a while chatting until Andrew ran off suddenly when the sun came up.
Lou encouraged Eli to try his hand at makeovers. He made it look so easy.
But when Eli tried it, well...
Lou made him keep at it, though. It took a while, but he eventually figured out some of the basics.
After Eli started high school, he reconnected with Shena Thigpen. She was older than him, but always so nice. They could talk about anything.
Eli began to see Shena in a whole new light.
He resolved to ask her out...just as soon as he got up the courage.
Academie Le Tour
First - hilarious transition picture!
A propeller beanie?? HAHAHAHAHA! Nice purse, Bob!
Moving on...
Ria Koepple and Bob Thigpen were assigned to the same dorm their first semester at college. They'd never met before, but quickly began getting to know each other as they were the only students from Winterfell at the whole university.
Bob found Ria to be a little uptight and nerdy.
She was a physics major, for goodness sake! Ria thought Bob was an underachieving party animal. They both knew immediately that there would be no romantic interactions between them. But they made surprisingly good friends. Bob even got Ria to loosen up a little.
After their first semester, they agreed that dorm life was not for them and decided to rent a house together.
Bob talked Ria into opening Academie Le Tour's first Greek house. She agreed after making him promise to give her the second floor to herself.
At one of their parties, Ria met a cute guy with a llama blazer.
Ria was pretty sure he wasn't Mr. Right, but she did enjoy her first kiss with him.
Bob hadn't had much luck with the ladies so far. Academie Le Tour was a small school, and the girls there seemed stuck up.
No one had really caught his eye, anyway. It didn't matter. He was living the college dream! Pizza every day and parties every night. What more could he ask for?
Perhaps most remarkably, both he and Ria finished up their first two years of school with 4.0 GPAs.
* * * *
The rundown of major events:
Alvin Burkett, Rochell Koepple, and Eli Haynes became teens.
Marilyn Koepple married townie Ian LeTourneau and took his name.
Emanuel Thigpen married townie Gwen. She brought in 18k!
Marguerite Thigpen died of old age.
Ria Koepple and Bob Thigpen went to college.
I am amused by Glen and Gwen Thigpen. They're enemies, by the way...Glen is enemies with half the town. His romance sim exploits are pathetic; he can't even pay the maid enough to give him a second look.
The ghost in the Haynes house is Gabe the townie, who died playing with Eli's rabbit toy when he was a toddler. That was actually his first appearance.
Burkett
The Burketts used the money they'd earned with their wildly successful home business to completely remodel the house. It was the first sign of an economic upswing in Winterfell since the four founding families' arrivals ten years ago.
Leone's on-again, off-again romance with Lou Haynes was definitely on again. She hated to think of herself as pinned down, but there was just something about him...
She just felt safe. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. She was getting to be an old lady - maybe her priorities were finally straight. At any rate, Lou could be depended on.
It seemed like only yesterday that Alvin had been delivered to their door by the social worker. How could he be a teenager already? All the business regulars came to his birthday party to cheer him on.
Alvin seemed different after his transition. He'd always been a little enigmatic, but now he was positively stand-offish. Leone had given up on Corey, the touchy black-eyed guy she'd been trying to get to know, after he stopped returning her calls. She still felt bad that she didn't have any information on Alvin's heritage to share with him.
She caught him arguing with a customer one day. She was about to interfere when she noticed the woman had the eyes.
She asked Alvin later what that had been all about, but he brushed her off and said the woman was just angry over a clogged toilet in the bathroom.
The Koeppel triplets would stop by now and then, and Leone hoped Alvin would be drawn out by their boisterous laughter.
But he rarely even came out of his room. Van said to leave the boy alone, that he was just an intense kid who was more interested in gadgets than people right now. She supposed he was right - what did she know about what was normal?
(Alvin rolled Popularity and has a LTW to Become General.)
Koepple
Marilyn had made her decision. Ria was going to college, no matter what. She invited Van Burkett over one last time and broke the news.
He took it pretty well. He even said he understood. After he left, Marilyn steeled herself and called Ian. When he got there, she didn't waste any time.
"Ian, I know this may seem sudden...but I want my last years to have you in them. I know I'm an old lady and you're very young, but would you do me the honor of marrying me?"
She'd never know exactly why he said yes, but she was very relieved when he did. They married right there on the lawn.
She was now Marilyn LeTourneau. She hoped he didn't notice her sneak out to cry a bit after lunch.
It was going to take a little getting used to. She knew it was worth it. Ian was a good man, and she would no longer have to worry about the girls. The girls themselves weren't quite sure what to make of their grandmother's sudden marriage, but they politely congratulated the new couple.
Rochell had her transition the same evening. Marilyn couldn't believe all of her grandchildren were teenagers already.
(Rochell rolled Knowledge and has a LTW to Become Mad Scientist. A first!)
Ria left for Academie Le Tour shortly thereafter. She was thrilled to receive several scholarships that would make her life considerably more comfortable at college than it was even at home.
* * * *
Nevada had gotten an after-school job some time ago.
Finally, the day came when she'd socked away enough money. Shena Thigpen came over to inspect her prize.
Nevada had never seen Shena so excited.
"Nevada! We are totally starting a band! What should our name be? Can you play it yet? I'm getting so good at the guitar! Now we just need a drummer! Who should we ask? Do you know anyone from school? Oh my gosh I can't believe this is really happening!"
Nevada just gave her a hug and tried not to laugh.
First things first - she did indeed need to learn how to play it...
**Ian LeTourneau:
Astrology: Taurus
Sloppy/Neat - 5
Shy/Outgoing - 5
Lazy - 3
Playful - 8
Grouchy - 4
Aspiration: Romance
LTW: Become Celebrity Chef
Thigpen
(I'll just give the rundown.)
Emanuel got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Gwen.
Bob went to college, thanks to his dancing scholarship. The excitement of seeing him off resulted in a small fire.
Glen kept his head and took care of it.
Emanuel and Gwen married quickly and threw a small party.
Van Burkett and Marilyn Koepple engaged in some extramarital nookie.
Gwen fits right in with the rest of the Thigpens.
The money she brought in allowed the family to remodel the house. At last, there were no longer four people sharing one bedroom.
Shena spent a long time decorating her room.
And enjoying having her own bathroom.
Tragedy struck one night as Marguerite came home from her part time job.
She was only 65 years old. RIP, Marguerite. It's not fun being a CAS elder.
Shena continued to be a rebel and snuck out with Nevada.
***Gwen Thigpen:
Astrology: Scorpio
Neat - 6
Shy/Outgoing - 5
Active - 8
Serious - 3
Grouchy - 3
Aspiration - Fortune
LTW - Earn $100,000
Haynes
Eli transitioned to a teenager with a minimum of fanfare.
Lou was busy with his at-home beauty salon, so Eli blew out his candles by himself. He was ok with that.
(Eli rolled Family and has an LTW to Graduate 3 Children from College.)
He was easygoing in general, and besides, he never really felt alone.
Easygoing as Eli was, he wasn't going to put up with the terrible clothes he'd transitioned into. While at the mall, he ran into a very strange person.
Andrew's red eyes and pointy teeth certainly set him apart, but Eli never said no to the chance for a new friend, so they spent a while chatting until Andrew ran off suddenly when the sun came up.
Lou encouraged Eli to try his hand at makeovers. He made it look so easy.
But when Eli tried it, well...
Lou made him keep at it, though. It took a while, but he eventually figured out some of the basics.
After Eli started high school, he reconnected with Shena Thigpen. She was older than him, but always so nice. They could talk about anything.
Eli began to see Shena in a whole new light.
He resolved to ask her out...just as soon as he got up the courage.
Academie Le Tour
First - hilarious transition picture!
A propeller beanie?? HAHAHAHAHA! Nice purse, Bob!
Moving on...
Ria Koepple and Bob Thigpen were assigned to the same dorm their first semester at college. They'd never met before, but quickly began getting to know each other as they were the only students from Winterfell at the whole university.
Bob found Ria to be a little uptight and nerdy.
She was a physics major, for goodness sake! Ria thought Bob was an underachieving party animal. They both knew immediately that there would be no romantic interactions between them. But they made surprisingly good friends. Bob even got Ria to loosen up a little.
After their first semester, they agreed that dorm life was not for them and decided to rent a house together.
Bob talked Ria into opening Academie Le Tour's first Greek house. She agreed after making him promise to give her the second floor to herself.
At one of their parties, Ria met a cute guy with a llama blazer.
Ria was pretty sure he wasn't Mr. Right, but she did enjoy her first kiss with him.
Bob hadn't had much luck with the ladies so far. Academie Le Tour was a small school, and the girls there seemed stuck up.
No one had really caught his eye, anyway. It didn't matter. He was living the college dream! Pizza every day and parties every night. What more could he ask for?
Perhaps most remarkably, both he and Ria finished up their first two years of school with 4.0 GPAs.
* * * *
The rundown of major events:
Alvin Burkett, Rochell Koepple, and Eli Haynes became teens.
Marilyn Koepple married townie Ian LeTourneau and took his name.
Emanuel Thigpen married townie Gwen. She brought in 18k!
Marguerite Thigpen died of old age.
Ria Koepple and Bob Thigpen went to college.
I am amused by Glen and Gwen Thigpen. They're enemies, by the way...Glen is enemies with half the town. His romance sim exploits are pathetic; he can't even pay the maid enough to give him a second look.
The ghost in the Haynes house is Gabe the townie, who died playing with Eli's rabbit toy when he was a toddler. That was actually his first appearance.