Chapter 5: First Taste of Rejection

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Darleen is pregnant again,  though this time it wasn't her idea to have another child. These days she's all about honing her street art skills. Breathing spray paint fumes is a totally not a health hazard.

Kamala wakes up on Love Day morning with a desire to have her first kiss. She's still a little young for that, but it's also her birthday. Very fitting for a hopeless romantic like herself. Maybe because it's a holiday, no one thought about throwing her a party, but Kamala and Suresh did want to go to festival and partake in the activities there, like throwing horseshoes.

And dancing. When Suresh is proclaimed king of the dance at the end of the festival, it just cements his belief that he is especially favored over all his other siblings.

Suchandra and Darleen stay home to celebrate Love Day in private.

Suresh takes his last chance to beat up on his sister with a pillow before she ages up.

Later that evening, it's birthday time.

Kamala becomes a teen. It's too  late to work on getting that first kiss tonight. Maybe tomorrow at school she'll figure who she wants it to be.

Darleen doesn't waste any time spelling out the dangers of risky woohoo to her new teenager.

"Mom, I haven't even had my first kiss yet. Just let me go to bed."

"So...risky woohoo?"

"I'm already prgnant."

"Regular woohoo?"

They get as far as the bed when Darleen goes into labor.

Their fourth child is another boy, Rajendra. Darleen still wants a girl. One more try, Darleen.

Suchandra was also hoping for a daughter this time, and shares his wife's desire to try again. This time, he prepares in advance, buying a supply of watermelon before she gets pregnant again. While he's at the grocery, he decides to dive into a dumpster. He doesn't find much, just a lamp and a hunk of iron.

But he does get filthy in process, and decides it's time the family got a washer and dryer. Because it's so much more convenient than magically cleaning yourself.

At school, Kamala decided she wanted to learn Joshua Gilbert's sign. Maybe he's the one who'll give her her first kiss.

Joshua has a steady girlfriend, however, and is also one day away from becoming a young adult. At least Kamala got in a little flirting practice, and her first taste of rejection.

"Mom! Hey, Mom! Moooooommmmyyyyy! Mommymommymommymommy!"

There really is a forcefield around highchairs that makes parents oblivious to the kids inside them.

Suchandra has been promoted to the leather vest and pants career outfit. Smexy!

When did this happen? Since Darleen was granted Simmunity from illness, she stopped getting nauseous during the earliest stage of pregnancy, so we he had no idea she was expecting again so soon.

Desperate for a girl this time, Darleen subjects herself to an all watermelon diet throughout her pregnancy. Because that's totally a healthy way to eat while pregnant.

It's Saturday, and Kamala is determined to get her first kiss. Carlos Shaw has been a good friend of hers since childhood, and he's much more receptive to her advances than Joshua was. 

While doesn't reject her flirting, he does deflect by asking her to join him in a water balloon fight, where he can keep physical distance between them.

Carlos has a steady girlfriend already, Yuna Tanner. Yuna has already graduated, so Kamala wouldn't feel too bad about asking him to break up with her, But, before she goes that far, she takes a good look at him and wonders if she shouldn't hold out for someone better. Carlos kind of looks like a frog, and she's not sure kissing him will turn him into a prince. As much as she wants her first kiss, there's no reason to rush it on Carlos; he's not going to get snatched up by anyone else, after all, since he's already in a steady relationship, so she can put him on the maybe list while she keeps looking.

On Sunday, Kamala's situation becomes more dire when she wakes with a desire to have her first romantic relationship. It's not just about kissing anymore. So, off to the park where she finds Alvaro Tanner picnicking with his parents. He's the only boy in school who isn't in a relationship. Maybe that should be a warning sign, but Kamala can't see anything wrong with him, except for being Unlucky.

The best way to show a girl you like her is by throwing a balloon filled with water in her face. In third grade, maybe. Come on, Alvaro, you can do better than that. You do want a date for the prom don't you?

There you go! Alvaro suddenly gets serious about this flirting thing and gives Kamala an amorous hug.

Kamala gazes lovingly into his eyes, and suddenly, she knows. She doesn't just want her first kiss, she wants her first kiss with Alvaro.

Firth the wind up.

Then the pitch. Goooooaaaaalllll! Uh, sorry, I don't  do sports metaphors very well.

After her three biggest romantic wishes were fulfilled with a kiss, Kamala is toen between the desire to pilow fight with Alvaro and to watch the stars with him. Can't watch the stars in braod daylight, and can't pillow fight in the park, so she invites him home to where the pillows are, and hopes he'll stick around long enough to watch the stars when they come out. While they're bashing each other with pillows, the psychic announcer proclaims that prom is in a few days. Kamala of course wants to invite Alvaro, and since he's right there, she does so immediately.

Being a good dad, Suchandra vets Alvaro's pillow fighting skills before he lets him take his daughter to prom.

Later, she gets her wish to watch the stars with Alvaro. Now that her love life is order, she can start focusing on things like improving her painting skill.

Not happy about how much of this chapter is devoted to his sister, Suresh makes a play for attention by cleaning the toilet. 

"Look at how good I am! I'm a much better choice for heir than Kamala!"

As the kids are on their way to school on Monday morning, Darleen goes into labor.

Despite eating all ten of the watermelons Suchandra bought for her during her pregnancy, their fifth child is another boy, Darshan. Even though he actually wanted a girl, too, Suchandra can't help but be smug about fathering four boys in a row.

Keep it up, Suchandra, and you won't be getting any tonight. Oh, who am I kidding, of course you're getting some. You two can't help yourselves.

The summer festival has just arrived, and Kamala and Suresh want to check it out after school.

Be careful there, Kamala. You do want to fit into your prom dress, don't you?

Suresh wins while his sister is still stuffing her face.

"Clearly, I am the superior sibling. You will choose me as heir."

That night, Kiran has his birthday and becomes a child. Watch out Suresh, you  have some serious competition. Cuteness definitely counts.

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10 watermelons and she still had a boy! That's five kids now. I'm not sure I want to go for a 6th just so Darleen can have  girl. Well, I also wanted another girl. And of course, Suchandra and Darleen have a way of going off and getting pregnant behind my back. 

The last two babies, Rajendra and Darshan, inherited the genie trait. The rest are normal Sims. Though they all have either pyromaniac or immune to fire hidden traits, too. I'm kind of leaning toward a non-genie heir, just because the lifespan is so long. Suchandra has 44 days until he becomes an adult. Darleen has about a week.

Darleen suddenly started rolling a lot of street art wishes, and this got her high enough Rebel status that she earned an extra trait slot. She chose Perfectionist. They always make their beds and clean their dishes. She's also cleaning up toys more often.

Suchandra has achieved his LTW, maxing Guitar and Charisma. So, I am free to choose my heir any time now. But, I'll wait a bit to see what the younger kids look like. (For those that don't play this challenge, there are some differences in how heirs and spares/spouses are played, and once you choose the heir, the previous heir is treated as a spare.) I kind of adore Kamala, but I hesitate to make the oldest child heir, especially when there are so many younger siblings. 

Also, I had been putting off getting Nraas Tempest mod while I figured out the whole caste system in SP. But, when the snows persisted in Lucky Palms through Spring, I decided it was time. I know we can just turn off Winter, but I don't like losing the holiday just to get the right weather. I live in a climate where it never snows (except in the mountains), and we still have the winter holidays. Also, I was able to change the rain and fog and temperature ranges to better fit the desert. So, no more snow and fog!