~ Sunday, 1st day of spring ~
Margo begins dating Joel Joy.
Erich begins dating Dawn.
Katrina begins dating Conor Ivanov.
Dameon Newbie asks Britta to marry him.
Dina and Dominic are expecting their 1st child.
April enters the world of YA.
Deidra eases from YA to adulthood.
Kisha & Catrina celebrate birthdays and gracefully age into elder.
Katie passed away. Dylan mourns the loss of his 2nd wife.
Today is Duncan’s birthday!
Van plans a party and invites several of Duncan’s friends.
Addy’s Note: Van has hosted a couple of parties, including this one, in the hopes of Duncan finding someone special. So far it has been a bust with 8 sims (male and female) not appearing to be attracted to him or vice versa. No attraction hearts, compatible signs or similar traits. Poor Duncan.
Since the party starts in the afternoon, Van has time to put the finishing touches to an article titled “Mausoleum: Burial or Prison for the Dead?” (game generated name).
It’s an 83-page expose that will leave readers reeling.
The field of journalism never saw it coming!
The reviews are already in and it’s clear that it is destined to be a Best-Seller!
Addy’s Note: This is my first time playing the Journalism career and at level 3 a new metric unlocked ~ write stories. His story from the interview with Locke Kidd seems to count towards a promotion but not the article as far as I can tell. Did a little digging and it seems like he should be able to go to events and write reviews. Sounds like fun!
Later that day…
While most guests (including one party crasher ~ Van’s boss, Locke Kidd) are happily occupied and Van is putting the finishing touches on the birthday cake, Summer sits down next to Malinda for a little woman-to-woman chat.
Summer: “So… when are you going to announce that you’re pregnant?”
Malinda: “I was hoping it was just the flu and I wouldn’t have to. I’m not ready to be a mother.”
Summer: “Ready or not, you’re going to have a baby and you need to let Van know… if he hasn’t figured it out for himself by now.”
Malinda sighs: “I know. I will.”
The cake is ready and Van calls everybody to the kitchen.
Make a wish, Duncan!
Addy’s Note: Hmm. Duncan just rolled wishes to kiss Raymond Berrios (guy with the orange hair) and Gilbert Mack but not Naomi Marsh (gal in the cute dress) or Kristie Newby. I don’t think so… both guys had told him that his jokes bored them. I want to find him someone who appreciates him… bad jokes and all.
Duncan cheers: “Happy Birthday to me! Wheee!”
Sparkle Magic coming right up…
What a handsome young man you’ve become.
As soon as the cake has been eaten, guests start taking their leave.
It was a great party!
Addy’s Note: I don’t have much luck with the ‘Have a Great Party’ wish so I’m not going to lock those in even though Van has the Party Animal trait, nor the one for ‘Have 4 Great Parties’. That’s a shame because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen that particular one.
Duncan wanted to keep celebrating so he scrolled through his list of friends and invited Efrain Simon over.
“I thought we could hang out since it’s been a while. Yes, today is my birthday. How kind of you to remember!”
Upon discovering that their signs are compatible, Duncan did a little bit of flirting and to his pleasant surprise found Efrain quite receptive.
The flirting continued and the two young men agreed that this was no mere friendly outing… they’re on a date.
They spent a delightful evening watching the stars, talking and enjoying the hot tub.
Hours passed and then it was time for Efrain to head home.
Addy’s Note: The end date message had me smiling… “The air smells fresher, the birds are twittering in delight, and you feel like you’re walking on tip toes as if you might suddenly burst into flight – that date was incredible!”
Duncan’s birthday wish has come true and he falls asleep with a smile on his face.
Meanwhile…
Other members of the Snyder family aren’t having as pleasant an evening. Malinda informs Van that she’s pregnant, but he could tell that she was far from happy when sharing the news so he curtails his excitement and discusses it with her. He understands her feelings and fears about not being ready to be a mom, but hopes that holding a baby boy or girl, their beautiful child, will change her feelings from ugh to awe.
As he hugs his wife, Van silently wishes that he can keep the peace between them and try to be more sensitive towards her feelings.
However, that didn’t stop him from doing a mental fist pump. He’s going to be a dad! “Woo!”
Previous: Honeymoon Hiatus
Next: Moving Right Along
Have I Got A Story for YOU! 
Duncan looks like a young artist formerly known as Prince.
Now that you mention it, I can see a slight similarity. Must be the hair!
I didn’t even know that Duncan preferred boys but it’s good to know that his dreams came true with Efrain and that he accepted his bad jokes, lol. I believe Malinda will eventually be cool about becoming a mom, she is just stressed out. But Van will be there for a baby, too.
Duncan wasn’t having luck with the ladies so I “encouraged” him to try for male companionship. Efrain had been at their house for a party before, but was a YA & Duncan was still a teen so I had no idea if they were compatible or not. Now we know they are. 😉
Maybe. Maybe not. Even if Malinda isn’t, Van and Summer will step up to the plate and do what needs doing.
I am glad he found someone to make him smile…nice birthday gift! =) Hopefully, Malinda will feel differently when she finally has their baby. I don’t know what traits she has, but as long as it isn’t “dislikes children”, she should be okay. I have never seen that “Have 4 great parties” wish, either! I may have to try the journalism career, sounds like it might be fun! I’ll watch your simmy and see how it goes! =)
Well… funny you should mention that because Malinda DOES have the ‘dislikes children’ trait. I’ve never played a sim with it before and thought I’d leave it in place. The story goes where it goes, especially with rolls such as the ones I got this time around!
So far so good with the Journalism career. I like seeing the action to review a place and then after he writes the review, a pop-up appears letting you know how it affected business. Or not.
That would be fun…I will definitely give it a try!