1. Romancing the Apocalypse Chapter 17 âTwenty Somethings
(Part 1- Robin)
Welcome back to Romancing the Apocalypse! Episode 16 brought to a close the familyâs Three Lakes vacation and, mercifully, Robin
and Rachelâs miserable teen years. Will these Romance twins finally find fulfillment as they pursue their twenty somethings at Sim
State U?
For the most complete set of rules for Pinstarâs Apocalypse Challenge, as well as the Apoca-borgâs proposed set of rules for the FreeTime
and Apartment Life expansions, check out http://apocalpysechallenge.boolprop.com.
Note: I have installed and am playing this Apocalypse through the Bon Voyage expansion only, so none of the new Borg rules apply.
2. Each girl had her own agenda when they first arrived at their new home on the Sim State U campus.
âHomesick already?â Rachel teased as Robin headed straight for the phone.
âHardly,â she replied with a laugh.
Robin listened for a minute then set the phone down and wandered into the bedroom.
3. They were finally here! This was the beginning of a new phase in their lives, and an entirely different way of doing things... their way of
doing things.
The phone rang and Robin ran back to answer it.
4. âOh. Hi, Mom.â
....
âYes, we arrived all in one piece.â
....
âSorry, we wouldâve said goodbye, but we were kind of desperate to get here.â
....
âDid I say desperate? Of course I didnât mean that!â
âYes you did,â Rachel mouthed from across the room.
âWould you like to speak to her?â Robin asked sweetly.
Rachel met the floor with a thud and made vigorous slicing motions across her throat.
âGotcha,â Robin mouthed back.
5. âItâs cute. A real girlsâ place.â
....
âOf course weâll come for their birthday, just call and remind us, okay?â
....
âUs too. Bye.â
Feeling inexplicably deflated, Robin retired for the night.
6. The one upside, if it could be called that, to her disastrous vacation at Three Lakes, was it didnât take Rachel long to get fit again. Which,
considering the extra pounds she had packed on despite all the walking sheâd done there, only seemed fair.
âBet I can sneak in a trip to the Zombie Outpost before class...â
7. âHoney, Iâm home!â Rachel called when she returned from her shopping expedition.
âRach!â Robin squealed and ran up to give her a light hug, then held her at armâs length. âThat dress looks amazing, you look amazing! I
love your hair!â
âTheyâre Happy Braids.â Rachel swished them back and forth. âDonât they look happy?â
Robin laughed. âThey really do! Youâre definitely going to break some hearts looking like that.â
Rachel laughed nervously. âYou think so? âCause I havenât had the best track record so far...â
âJust wait, youâll see.â
âYeah, well... Uh-oh, donât want to be late my first day of class.â
âIâm right behind you.â
8. Robin quickly made up the bed before going to hers. You never knew who might come over later, right?
Thatâs right. Because yesterday you were just being silly. All those years bending to Momâs will, only to waste four perfectly good ones pining
for a boy I met on vacation? He was my first kiss, thatâs all. Was I going to settle down with him the first chance I got? Thatâs the last thing I
want to do! Sheesh, get with the program!
9. And the program was WooHoo. Twenty WooHoos, to be exact.
Professor Brian was very impressed with Robinâs... enthusiasm.
10. Early morning lectures provided him with the perfect excuse for avoiding those awkward morning-after conversations.
11. Robin felt weird after her night out and was relieved that she didnât have to face her prof again just yet. There was a light rap on the
door before Rachel breezed in.
12. âYou go, Robbi! Hehe, I hope I wonât be spending too many nights on the couch? Hey, is something wrong?â
âMy first woohoo was with a prof in a photo booth, then he ditches me the morning after.â
âRobbi... Heâs a prof, what did you expect?â
Robin sighed. âI know. This is just so... different... new, thatâs all.â
âIf you donât like it, nothing says you have to keep doing it.â
âThatâs just it... I did like it.â
Rachel wasnât sure how far into TMI territory this conversation was going and decided to change the subject. âI got you a present.â
âYeah?â
âItâs out in the living room. Wanna see?â
13. âThey have them at the Zombie Outpost. As opposed to not having them at Three Lakes.â
âOoOOooh!â Robin admired her lovely new cell phone before tucking it in her skirt pocket. âThanks, Rach!â
And Robin knew as long as Rachel was here with her, she could handle anything.
14. Robin invited her prof to join her at LuLuâs Blues, and he readily agreed. Despite his stealth departure earlier, it was strangely affirming
to know he wasnât trying to avoid her, which might have given her second thoughts about this whole woohoo business.
âSorry I had to leave so early, but you were sleeping so peacefully...â
âI bet you say that to all the girls.â
Brian started to give his stock speech. âYouâre a lovely girl, and if things were different, perhaps we could...â
âOh please,â she laughed. âYou really donât have to do this for my benefit. If you catch my drift?â she added, running a provocative hand
up the front of his shirt.
His expression told her he definitely did catch it.
15. âSo you see, thereâs really no problem.â
âYou donât know how glad I am to hear that.â
â...Funny, I donât remember catching your last name?â
âItâs Nott.â
Robinâs finger stopped halfway on its trip down his lapel.
âIâm sorry?â
The professor laughed. âNo âItâs not what?â joke?â
16. âYou... I suppose you wouldnât be related to a Gordon Nott?â
âNot that I know of.â
Robinâs brow knitted at the odd little coincidence, and her mind drifted back to that afternoon in Three Lakes...
âWhy, who is he?â
She started. Why indeed? She shook her head, as if to clear it. âItâs nothing.â
And it was nothing. But Robin was unsettled, and it showed.
âI think I would like to go home now. Alone.â
âIâll see you in class then... or not,â Brian said, not unkindly. âEither way, youâre good.â
Robin thought, In a warped kind of way heâs almost... honorable.
17. âYouâre a good girl, and donât let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, youâre much too good for an old lech like me.â
Robin blushed with pleasure. âYouâre good, Prof.â
Brian cleared his throat. âTell you what... for you Iâll keep an eye and ear out for your Gordon Nott.â
Impulsively, Robin leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
âThanks, Brian! Youâre not half bad yourself... for an old lech.â
He placed his hands on her shoulders and firmly turned her to face the door. âGo home.â
***
18. Back at the home lot...
Rhea ran up to Rose, clutching her in a stranglehold. âI missed you so much!â
âAwww, I thought you would like the vacation.â
âToo many Nice points... they were everywhere! There wasnât even a chessboard!â she wailed.
âThere, would you like me to play chess with you?â Sucker?
âOh, would you? Thank you, Rose!â
19. âHey, Iâm... youâre not supposed to... Iâm the master cheater around here.â
Rhea lifted an imperious hand. âSpare me your pitiful cries of defeat, loser. You can call me the master now.â
âThen Iâm not playing anymore!â
20. Rose was left in a bit of a pickle for her next promotion when the twins took three friends along with them to Uni. She snagged good old
(and I mean old) Hooptytrib (House Hu) when he came by the lot, and selected the killer Water Balloon Fight from the arsenal.
21. âI did it so they can finally see the boots!â
22. âHow do you like my new boots, Hoopty?â
âAs a subdued kind of dresser myself, I think they look fabulous after the techno-clubbing slash roller derby whatever that thing was you
grew up into. And that face you made on your birthday... I have to admit it was worth a mention.â
âWhich face was that?â
âThe boo-boo face.â
23. âThat face just might be worth a mention too.â
âHoopy,â Rose cooed, âyou do have a way with words. Got anything else up your tie-dyed sleeve to make a girl feel special?â
24. âI do admire Creativity.â
âFlatterer! Iâve never created a thing in my life! Tell me more.â
25. *wink wink*
âHoopy, you old devil, you!â
Well, thatâs what Hoop gets for leaving EVERYTHING open to interpretation!
26. Just one Outing? Hoop, you old smoothie, you!
Mayhap he should select the Grecian Formula from his own arsenal?
27. Simself victim number two escaped unscathed. Marina aka smoothiequeen87 (A Villainous Apocalypse) snuck up to the roof where she
was promptly forgotten. Curse you, Rock Hammer!
28. Under duress, Rhea pitched in to help.
â *yawn* Itâs me, the circus freak. Iâll be growing up soon, then you can come over for a good shellacking.â
Yup, that would be that no-good Tyson. I had no idea heâd managed to befriend her as a toddler.
29. â*zzzz* Lorinâs a cruel heartless slave-driving meanie *zzzz*â
But youâve shot up even higher in my estimation. I promise Iâll make it up to you.
â*zzzz* go âway lemme sleep *zzzz*â
Two down, one to go. Time to send someone downtown...
31. This was becoming a veritable Simself extravaganza!
DJXavier13, author of The Ryder Apocalypse plus an uber cool tutorial on how to build custom safehouses on the left, and
DrSupremeNerd (The Vetinari Dualegacy) on the right.
âDude! You havenât been around in, like, forever.â
32. âItâs good seeing you again, Zoe.â
âJane.â
âRight. I knew that.â
âYour shirt implies you should, anyway.â
33. âUh-huh! You always were one of my favorite townie types, Zoe... Jane.â
âDâoh!â
Thank you, ladies!
34. Aww, and this was just both sweet and a little morbid.
âAre you sure about this, Eileen?â
âYes, Corey, we must get past this.â
To their immense relief, and mine, Eileen got out of their game of Red Hands alive.
35. But all was not well at Apoca-Hip, even if you didnât count the nonoperational boom box.
Carmen? I mean Vanessa! Surely this cannot be not good for your image.
*cry sob sniff*
Whatâs wrong?
36. âI WANT MY SEVVYYY...!â
I... I... I just have to get a better handle on my AnyGameStarter, then I promise...
âWAAAHHHHH!â
Quick, Jane! Back to the home lot!
37. âHold your applause, people, Iâm an Entertainment Lawyer now! Only one more promotion and Iâll have this baby in the bag by
tomorrow! Nothing for me to do tonight except indulge myself.â
Not so fast.
âSay what..?â
38. âHere.â Rose tossed plates onto the table with a clatter. âLorin made me fix you something special.â
âThis is my reward? It looks gross. What is it?â
âBlackened Catfish.â
âBlecchh, itâs burned.â
âItâs double-blackened.â
âIt tastes like crap.â
âHey, I worked hard on it.â Not. Cheater.
âBlecchh.â
See the Water Wiggler? Itâs staying put on the Toy Crafting Bench because, if I recall, that thing placed takes up an entire 8x8 area. Iâm really
starting to get a hankering for a Politics lift right about now.
39. âTake that, suppressions!â
*crickets*
âAhem! Whereâs my âGreat job! Youâve topped your career!â doodad?â
No one gets those doodads anymore.
âWhat about Robin? She got one for being a stupid Internet Movie Critic.â
I stand corrected - we donât get the ones that count anymore.
âThis is unacceptable! I am The Law! Thanks to me Politics, Law Enforcement and Slacker have their oomph back! I want official
recognition, dammit!â
I happen to agree with you. *browses clipart* Okay, I put some fireworks in the presentation.
âCan I see them? No. Unacceptable!â
Stop being such a drama queen and give us a smile for the occasion, wonât ya?!
â...There. Happy?â
You call that a smile?
âItâs all youâre getting.â
40. âI am not doing another thing for this family until I get some proper recognition.â
41. Big day number two was finally here!
âEew, whyâd you do that?â Jenny cried.
âBecause youâre nice to me, and itâs our birthday?â
âOh. Happy birthday, brother!â
âHaha, Jennyâs got Juno cooties!â
Jenny hastily wiped off the slime left by Junoâs bone-dry kiss.
Juno said cautiously, âRhea? Iâve got something for you too.â
âHaha! Better not give me any cooties.â
Juno became very still.
Rhea waited... and waited... and...
âCâmon!â she barked.
44. And of course, Rhea did.
âYou did it again, babe. Sheâs gorgeous.â
Markâs expression said âAww shucks,â but there was no disputing Janeâs words.
âPink? Again? Uh-uh.â
Rhea rolled Fortune and wants 5 Top Businesses. From someone who STILL has never had one business.
âWaaahhh, sheâs never had a business before! Spare me your lame excuses. I have determined that due to the utter fail of my earlier
reward, you still owe me.â
Ooh, she is a crafty one! Sheâs smart, too. She has all her skill points except for Cooking, so she may be able to get a running start on this.
45. âMy skirt for your jeans?â
âBe serious.â
âIâm ten Serious.â
âIn that case... No.â
Juno rolled Pleasure and wants 50 Dream Dates. Been there, done that, never want to do it again.
âPlease? It would be so perfect.â
No, not the black pools/puppy dog eyes! But Juno is right. Plus, he did great in PetTechâs Bachelorette Challenge, so... of course my darling
angel can have them!
âIf I could jump through the screen, Iâd give you a hug right now.â
Awww, I know you would. (Thanks again, Steph!)
46. âYikes!â Jenny squeaked.
âWhoa, hot mama!â Juno cheered.
Well hello, my pretty...
Jenny rolled Family and wants to Raise 20 Puppies and Kittens. Are you effing kidding me? Not one career-related LTW in the last bunch of
five. Itâs like theyâre conspiring to make me play them forever! *sobs*
âI believe we must make this stand for the love of puppies and kittens all over the world!â
Dâoh! This one seriously isnât gonna happen before we get Culinary lifted. So Jenny? If you want them so much, that means you.
âNot unless I get fired from Politics. Besides, we all know Rachel likes to cook.â
âYou arenât painting me into a corner, little Miss Hot Stuff.â
47. âHot stuff? Hot mama? Do you think this is me, Juno?â
âUh, yeah, sure, it looks really good on you.â
âYou are such a liar,â Rhea butted in.
âIâm not lying!â
âThen youâre clueless.â
âIs it me or not?â Jenny demanded, losing patience.
âNot,â Rhea said bluntly.
48. âHe doesnât know what heâs talking about, heâs just a guy.â
Juno walked off in disgust. Girls!
âNow then, Iâm going to be completely honest with you.â
49. âI so have to have that outfit.â
âI donât know... whatâs in it for me?â
âWho cares? The important thing is that itâs perfect for me.â
âMake it worth my while and Iâll consider it.â
51. âHey, thatâs not yours.â
âIt is now.â
âUh-huh. Iâd like to hear that from Jenny.â
âPossession is nine-tenths of the law. And in case you havenât heard, we do have Law now.â
âIf youâre so smart, whatâs the other tenth?â
â...Donât worry your pretty little head, bro, Iâve got Jenny handled. And the twins look? Itâs gotta go.â
âHeh, flaming skulls ainât exactly my style anyway.â
âI know. Such a pity.â
***
52. After her professorâs so-called revelation, Robin couldnât get a certain vacation townie boy out of her head.
Maybe I punched it in wrong the first time...
But like the first time, the call wouldnât go through. She replaced the receiver and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
Enough! Heâs in the past and thatâs where heâs going to stay. Now go and do what you came here to do!
And this time, Robin meant it...
53. Ivy Gast got a little more than she bargained for after one of her routine stops at their house.
Whether they were young...
61. It wasnât the who, but rather the âhoo that drove her.
Hours turned into days, days into nights and back again, as Robin cut a red and purple swath through the burgeoning downtown area.
62. And when nights on the prowl became increasingly treacherous...
63. ...she took refuge in the âhooty call.
âIâll be right there, Karen!â
64. âWe can have more fun if I donât have to be on my guard all the time.â
âWhat kind of fun did you have in mind?â
âThe kind youâre overdressed for, Alvin.â
66. âWould you like to spend the night, Keri?â
âIâm sorry, but Iâm not ready for that.â
âThereâs a nice photo booth we could visit at the mahjong place.â
âWhat are we waiting for?â
67. Sandy needed no such coaxing. In fact, she beat Robin into the bedroom.
68. And what did Rachel think about all of this cavorting?
69. Frankly, she had had it up to here with it, as she was the one stuck dealing with the repercussions.
âThe trashcanâs bad enough, now itâs roaches! This is getting real old, Robbi.â
âDisco Apocalypse sound good to you, Knut?â
âRobbi! Did you hear me?!â
70. By now Robin had so many notches on her belt, she couldnât keep her professors straight. Brian had given her an A-plus and some extra
credit in Cleaning her first semester, but he couldnât do anything for her this time.
âSorry, it mustâve slipped my mind.â
âMy fault, I forgot I didnât have you this semester. Come to think of it, I didnât meet any of my professors this semester. By the way, any
sign of Gordon Nott?â
âWho?â
âGordon. Gordon Nott.â
He gave her a blank look.
âRemember? The same last name?â
âEr... mustâve slipped my mind.â
71. âYou mean you didnât..? You never..!â
Oh, how naĂŻve she had been!
âI take back every benefit of the doubt I ever gave you!â
âNow, you canât deny we have a good time. Take another class from me and Iâll be more than generous,â he leered.
âDonât hold your breath. Or better yet, do! Now get... out!â
72. This time Rachel didnât bother knocking.
âDonât worry, Rach, everythingâs fine.â
âEverything is not fine! Profs staying over is not a good idea. What if I get one of them for a class later on? Iâm not trying to tell you who you
can see, but... do you get why it might be awkward for me down the road?â
âSorry, sis, from now on all profs are off the âhooty... er... you know what I mean.â
âWe need to have a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart, Robbi.â
âItâll have to wait, I have finals.â
âWhen finals are over then.â
73. Robin breathed deeply. Finals. How could she have let her academics get away from her like that? It would be a miracle if she passed
this semester.
74. Robin neednât have worried, for by some miracle her final was on âLife Drawing: An Excuse to See Naked People.â Which she aced,
naturally.
Rachel cornered her in the living room, obviously eager to get things off her chest.
âRobbi, you know Iâm behind you one hundred percent, but I donât know how much more I can take. Sleeping on the couch is getting old,
and I donât like all these strangers here at all hours. Sandy was downright creepy, did you notice how she took turns staring at us all night?â
âIâm sorry, I know Iâve been a little inconsiderate. Itâs... strange, but I feel almost drunk with this... power I have.â
75. âIs that what you call it? You might want to rethink what has power over who.â
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â
âIt means itâs sounding more and more like an addiction. Think about it... you hardly stopped to take a breath all year. You only made it to
class once last semester.â
Robin felt her hackles rising. âYeah, and I still got a B-plus, so whatâs the problem?â
âItâs far too easy to get good grades around here.â
âFor your information, Miss Priss, itâs no secret that the system here is designed to work for our benefit!â
âLook, all Iâm saying is the night clubbing, the... partying... is all well and good, but... donât you want to experience, you know, college
sometimes?â
âJeez, Mom, lay off!â
Rachel winced, the jolt from Robinâs verbal sucker punch a thousand times worse than any lightning strike at Three Lakes. Rachel could take
a lot... Rachel had taken a lot. But this..! Her chest ached and her stomach churned and she became light-headed. âFar be it from me to tell
you how to live your life, Robin. You can woohoo all the way to hell and back if thatâs what you feel you must do. Just keep your... business
away from our house. Itâs my home too, you know.â It was a race to see if she could make it to the toilet before throwing up.
76. The change in Robinâs lifestyle had begun the process, but now it was official. Despite living in the same house, the twins went their
separate ways.
Robin did start attending class again, though they didnât see each other there either. Robin had chosen to major in Art, and Rachel drove
her point home by choosing Philosophy.
77. Robin remained determined, and couldnât resist using her so-called power on Marisa Bar.
âI love that suit, whereâd you get it?â
âWhere else? The Zombie Outpost.â
âWanna go with me to... try on some stuff?â
78. It had been some time since Robin had been caught with her metaphorical pants down, but Rachel was still dealing with the
aftermath.
79. Robinâs heart pounded with guilt at the sight of her sister in such a sorry state.
âI canât take anymore, I feel really dreadful!â
80. She quickly started cleaning up where Rachel left off.
âI donât want you lifting another finger toward this mess Iâve laid on you. From now on, Iâm taking care of all of it, okay?â
81. âIâm really sorry, Rachel. I promise not to let it happen again.â
âYou still donât get it,â Rachel gagged and staggered back into the house.
82. After getting sick again, Rachel crawled weakly into bed and fell into an exhausted sleep.
Robin gladly took her turn on the couch.
83. And as if Robin didnât feel badly enough, she came down with the âflu as well.
85. The rhythmic, heavy thump of the bass jarred her stomach and echoed the pounding in her head.
Iâm going to be sick. What if Rachel needs me? Why did I have to come here?!
âRobin?â a sultry voice queried from across the room.
Oh man, not now...
âIs that you all grown up?â
âG-Grandma?â
â...Can you make it up the stairs? Itâs much quieter up there.â
âOkay,â Robin agreed weakly and followed Melissa up the stairs.
86. Upstairs the decibel level was much kinder to Robinâs throbbing head, and the weakness subsided once she sat down.
âDonât take this wrong, sweetie, but you look terrible. What are you doing here? Or did something hit you all of a sudden?â
âI suppose I thought it would make me feel better. I usually have a good time here, but... I was mistaken this time...â and before she
knew it she added, âabout a lot of things.â
â...Is it a guy?â
âI wish. Well, it sort of is. But no, itâs mainly Rachel.â
âOh dear, thatâs a shame, and most... unexpected.â
87. âGrandma, youâre still Romance, right? And one of the famous ones!â
âRomance stereotypes often precede us,â Mel sighed, speaking from first-hand knowledge. âI mean, I worked very hard to make my
marriage to your Grandpa Jake a success. Of course, you hadnât even been born at the time, so you couldnât know...â
âStill, youâre Romance like me and Rachel! If anyone would understand, itâs you. Mom sure wouldnât.â
â...I guess that depends. Weâre not all cut from the same mold, after all.â
âYou look afraid I might ask you about woohoo!â
âYou wonât, will you? Because going for that oneâs not my area of expertise...â
âWoohooingâs no problem, woohooing is easy.â
âEasy? Are you saying..? On second thought, never mind...â
âIâll just say one thing about moi and woohooing: Nineteen.â
â....!â
âJust started my sophomore year, too.â
88. The Romancer in Mel was pretty doggone impressed. The grandmother, on the other hand...
âIâm curious how that might only âsort ofâ involve a boy, and mainly affects your sister.â
89. âThe boy was someone I met at Three Lakes. He was my first kiss, and I... really liked him. But itâs been bugging me because I could call
him when were there, but once Rachel and I got to University, I get a message that he doesnât have a phone. So thatâs pretty much the
boy part... I just really wanted to see him again even if it was only once, but I canât, and thatâs that.â
âHmm, that is a little odd.â
Robin sighed. âYeah.â
âAre you going to tell me about Rachel?â
âI was a first class jerk to her,â Robin said quietly. âSo much that I even made her sick.â
âWell, when youâre contagious and living in the same house itâs bound to happen.â
âNo, it didnât happen that way. People that I pissed off knocked over our trashcan, and I never bothered to clean up the mess. She
sprayed the bugs and picked up the trash, and she got sick. All because of me.â
âThatâs awful. But, Iâm sure you wonât let that happen again?â
90. âIâve also completely taken over the house. She just about always has to sleep on the couch.â
âEasily remedied once you get your twenty, surely? Youâll be content on a bed of nails after that.â
âSadly, I was so focused on me and what I wanted, I didnât give her a second thought.â
âYou certainly are now.â
âYeah, now that Iâve ruined everything.â
âYou obviously know her better than anyone. Iâm confident you two will work this out.â
âYou know, Iâm kind of having an epiphany right now... Iâm going to stay at nineteen. I donât deserve lifetime happiness after the way
Iâve treated her.â
Mel fondly patted Robinâs knee.
91. âIâll help her get her twenty loves, then Iâll get my twenty woohoos, then weâll live happily ever after. Weâll be just like we used to... only
a lot less miserable. What kind of a Romancer were you, Grandma?â
âCelebrity Chef,â Mel said with a hint of longing.
âRatna Miguel.â
âYou know him?â
âYou know I canât afford to be picky.â