Cooper, Week 4

Welcome back to the Cooper home!



Little Hogan, son of the late Fred Cooper and his second wife Andrea, is the prospective heir to this lot. Living here with him are his mom, his half-brother Joel, and Joel's fiancée Carmen Vega, who just moved in after graduating college.



Last round, Hogan's birthday was pretty much ruined by the death of his sister-in-law Isabella. (Yes, she was his sister-in-law even though she died of old age the day he became a child; Joel is old enough to be Hogan's father, and Isabella was old enough to be Joel's mother...) This birthday went much better.



He really does look just like his mother.

Hogan rolled knowledge, with the LTW to be a mad scientist. He's put off by fat sims, but likes fitness and... facial hair? Gah! Hogan, haven't you been paying attention? I have far too many girls and not enough boys, so there's no way you're getting out of marrying a girl! You're not allowed to be gay, you hear me?



Carmen couldn't find an opening in culinary, which is her dream job, so she went into journalism to begin with. It didn't take her long at all to become a real media magnate.



"I've graduated, we both have good jobs, and you're not getting any younger, Joel. Maybe it's time for us to start a family?"



Apparently the woohoo was so remarkable that Carmen immediately has to call up one of her many best friends to talk about it.



She makes the best faces. Although if I were Joel, I'd be a little be worried that she's making them when talking about their woohoo...



Meanwhile, Andrea the fortune sim has started a home business. She hired some builders she knew from her days as a criminal to come in while everyone else was at work or school to dig out a basement under the house. Down there she runs a speak-easy of sorts, with poker, bubbles...



"What, you thought I'd stick to the straight and narrow just because I'm no longer active in the world of crime? Hah, that's funny!"

Yeah, I see that counterfeiting machine in the corner, Andrea. Lucky for you Joel the ex-cop never goes upstairs.



"Why are there bubbles coming through the floor?"

I don't think you're going to find any fingerprints on them, Hogan.



With two popularity sims getting married, of course we must have a party. With a fortune sim in the house, the business is left open so all the guests have to pay to get in.



"What just happened?"

Your bride popped while under the arch, Joel. Just try again.



Carmen catches up with her sister Dolores and their college roommate, Penelope Antonius. The subject of conversation doesn't even surprise me anymore.



Carmen isn't going to let a little thing like being pregnant keep her from her honeymoon. But I think she and Joel are taking the whole "becoming one" thing a bit too literally.



...

I can't find any words.



When they return from their honeymoon, they're greeted by two of Carmen's siblings - Javier and Mercedes - complaining that the plates from the wedding dinner haven't been cleaned up fast enough. Right. Because everybody knows that's the bride and groom's job.



The next morning, Carmen pays a visit to the urn of the first Mrs Joel Cooper, and promises to take good care of their husband.



The husband in question remains as clueless as ever. Hey, Joel? You notice anything happening right behind you, like, I don't know, lightning just struck?



Andrea earns §50,000. Halfway there...



The next day she becomes a business tycoon. I'm debating whether to leave her there, or start in on a third career for her. Business is a good one, after all.



And lightning strikes yet again.



That night we get the first ghost sighting this round. Isabella wanders around and scares a few guests - like Jan the vampire matchmaker here - but never goes near anyone in the family.



Doesn't she just look so proud of herself?



Joel and Carmen spend some private time together...



... just before she goes into labor.



It's a girl! Meet Isabel Cooper, named - obviously - for her dad's first wife. She has her father's skintone, her mother's eyes, and the red hair that both of them carry as a recessive. Red hair and violet eyes, what a fascinating combination.

(Apparently Joel's heart was racing so much that he had to go sit down for a minute.)



Obligatory cute family shot.



And the first thing little Isabel does is throw up on her mom.



Uh, Joel? Maybe you shouldn't do that with a baby in your arms...



The business suffered a slight temporary setback when Carmen's sister Dolores spontaneously combusted after getting overheated in the hot tub. Joel and Andrea both came rushing to help, but Andrea only succeeded in catching herself on fire, too. Hogan had to save her while Joel took care of Dolores.



Carmen gets a gold gardening badge...



And immediately starts telling the trees not to produce fruit. I never knew reverse psychology worked on trees.

For the record, that's an orange tree. It was never going to produce apples.



As a toddler, Isabel turns out to have very light red hair. Oh, and she looks very much like Joel. What is it with kids in this family only looking like one of their parents?

She's a Pisces, 5/1/8/3/10. Very active, shy and nice, kinda serious, average neat. And that makes her the first kid since installing OFB/Seasons who doesn't have the same sign as at least one of her parents. Well, unless one of the alien twins in the Dante house was first, but I don't know their signs yet...



I'm telling you, they're two peas in a pod.



And to end the week on a good note, Carmen reaches the top of the culinray career and becomes permaplat.


Points this week: 5. 4 for careers - Andrea topped business, Joel military, Carmen journalism and culinary - and the last for Isabel's birth.




I guess even popularity sims get sick of hearing the phone ringing off the hook day and night.



Dance, Hogan, dance!