The Bachelor Experiment : Day Seventeen

It’s late afternoon on Day Seventeen, and Corey and Namika are ready to head off for their 24-hour date.  Luckily for them, there’s nowhere more romantic than a beautiful tropical island (“My Tropical Island” – original by Cbear1313, reno by gothkittymimi).

The sun is shining and the heat is rising, and as the date begins, Namika formulates her plan of attack.  She and Corey have only just arrived, but Namika immediately takes off on her own to explore the beautiful tropical paradise – leaving Corey in the dust, gaping after her.

Corey, of course, has other plans, and he rolls a whim to cloudgaze with Namika.  He’s not on a tropical island with a gorgeous woman to hang out alone, after all, and being the Bachelor does have its perks – namely, getting your way all the time.  So I send him after Namika to initiate the interaction.

Things are going smoothly, and it doesn’t take long for the romantic atmosphere to have an effect on Corey.  It looks like he wants to get this show on the road, because he rolls a whim to kiss Namika.  As always, I’m more than happy to oblige.

Sadly, Namika is not happy to oblige.  It seems this is step one in her extremely predictable and very risky game of hard to get.  She brushes him off with a look of disgust, and Corey is not only humiliated, but perplexed.  He thought Namika liked him!

But Namika apologizes half-heartedly, complaining of a headache.  She says she’s just not feeling herself.  Corey buys it hook, line, and sinker – but I wonder if there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Corey is an understanding (i.e. naive) kind of gent, though, so he accepts her apology and they move on seamlessly from the unfortunate moment.  Maybe there’s hope for this date after all.

Recovering from the embarrassment of Namika’s rejection, Corey launches into a dramatic story, and his date quickly perks up.  Namika seems fascinated by Corey’s storytelling prowess, and before long, they’re all smiles once again.

Namika suggests they take a selfie to document their time together in the tropics, and the lean in close to get the shot.  She leans her head against his shoulder as they review the photo.  What’s all this hot and cold about, Namika?

At this point, Namika decides to check out a little more of the lot, and she heads off on her own again.  Corey follows close behind, and they stop beside a small bridge.

They chat awhile with the flowers and the water as their backdrop, and Corey gets Namika laughing while he tries to figure out how to score that kiss.  Despite the previous shut down, he still has the whim to plant one on her, and now he’s even thinking about rocket ship woohoo.

Namika seems to be in a good mood, and Corey decides to take his chances.  And so, he tries again…

But Namika still isn’t having it.

Having been rejected twice now, Corey is fed up.  He turns and trudges away from Namika without meeting her eyes.  He needs a drink now – and a little space couldn’t hurt, either.  He actually rolls a whim to be friendly with Jessamine now, and I think maybe Namika is digging her own grave here.

But as he mixes his drink, Corey begins to feel a little better – inspired, even!  He smiles for the first time in hours, his apparent talent for mixology giving him a much-needed confidence boost.

But it isn’t long before Namika follows him to the bar, and I can only hope she won’t crush him again.

Namika slides onto the bar stool, and surprisingly, opens with a flirtatious wave.  Corey is caught off guard, but he’s thrilled to see that Namika is finally coming around.  He returns her wave with a suggestive wave of his own – lucky for Namika, Corey is quick to forgive a pretty face.

When their tropical drinks are empty, Corey feels his stomach grumble and he looks at his watch, surprised to find that the hour for dinner has long passed. But Namika is hungry, too, and so Corey pulls out all the stops – nothing fancier or more romantic than a grilled cheese dinner!  Or at least so he hopes…

And in the end, it seems Namika is quite impressed, because suddenly, she’s full of compliments.

They finish up their sandwiches and happily launch into easy conversation.

Corey shares a secret…

Namika offers a hug…

And there’s even a fair bit of flirting!

But when Corey leans in for the kiss….

Talk about mixed signals!

Namika storms out of the room and outside to the pool.  Corey is feeling exhausted by now – his energy is in the red, and who could blame him?  Namika’s mind games would tire anyone, I think.

But Corey is determined to find out what’s going on.  What happened to the fun, spirited, carefree girl he fell for on that hike?  What happened to the easy chemistry that sparked between them?

He follows Namika outside, and joins her on the edge of the pool.

“I think maybe we should talk, Namika,” he begins.

But Namika doesn’t walk to talk.  She shoots him a sideways look, and without a word, she’s gone.

Corey sighs heavily, defeated.  It’s late, he’s tired, and Namika isn’t acting like the Namika he thought he knew.  He shakes his head sadly, and retires to bed.

Alone.

---

 

Early the next morning, Namika wakes grumpily to a crick in her neck.  Having spent the night cramped up on an outdoor ottoman, it comes as no surprise she’s feeling stiff and sore.

But it’s all worth it in the end, she reminds herself.  It’s all part of the plan.  She considers her next move carefully, and rolls a whim to cloudgaze with Corey, who dutifully joins her on the concrete.

Afterwards, the conversation begins to flow and the pair is off to a good start.  A new dawn, a new day, right?

Corey thinks he’s got Namika buttered up pretty good by now, so it’s probably the perfect time to finally get that kiss.  Third time’s a charm, right?

WRONG.

Namika is SO not having it, she even shoved him out of the frame!  (Actually, I was so sure it would work this time that it happened too fast for me to catch it).

Once again, Corey is leaving feeling humiliated and rejected, and he’s wondering if Namika is really worth all this pain.

Corey looks at her warily and then walks away with a heavy heart.

Namika, on the other hand, puffs her chest and watches with satisfaction as he goes.  Operation Hard-To-Get is going exactly as planned, she thinks, cocking an eyebrow.

But I wonder — has she pushed him too far?

---

 

Namika spends the next few hours practicing her yoga routine while she gives Corey a little space to cool off.

The date is drawing to a close, and Namika is ready to bring her game to its conclusion as well.  The next time Corey tries to kiss her will be the time she lets him kiss her – and she’s sure he’ll be that much more smitten, having finally caught the mouse.  Men always want what they can’t have, she reminds herself, and Corey’s continual advances (despite her continual rejections) only go to prove her point.

It’s time to make herself available, she decides, so Namika goes to the game room, where Corey is certain to find her, clad in a crop top and tight-fitting yoga pants.

She watches TV while she waits…

And waits some more, until she begins to grow impatient.

And just when she wonders if she should relocate, Corey enters the room.  And he’s feeling frisky.

He offers her a hug, and Namika jumps at the chance to get close.  It won’t be long now, she thinks, until his lips are on hers!

 

She lingers a bit, but Corey gently extracts himself from the hug, engaging her in conversation instead.

But Namika is tired of talking.  She’s ready for her kiss now, and she bats her eyelashes and looks up at him, doe-eyed, willing him to lean in.

When Corey grabs her hand, Namika’s heart flutters in her chest.  This is it!  This is her moment!

Namika closes her eyes and tilts her chin up, waiting…

But Corey’s lips land not on hers, but on the back of her hand.

Afterwards, Corey heads off for the bathroom, leaving Namika to wonder what just happened.  He’d been trying to kiss her for the past 24 hours!  What had changed?  Had she actually pushed him too far?  Had she blown her last chance with The Bachelor?

Namika sighs and goes to shower.  The date is over in just a few hours now, and she might as well clean herself up, ready herself for her inevitable defeat at Elimination tomorrow.

But when she’s showered and dressed and mere minutes from the end of the date, Corey seeks her out again, and compliments her appearance.

Namika rallies internally.  It’s not over til it’s over! she thinks.

She pulls him in for a long, close embrace, and struggles with an internal debate – should she wait for him to try to kiss her again, or should she just go for it herself? (note: she can’t go for it herself, because she hasn’t rolled the whim to kiss Corey).

They’re both in flirty moods now and I’m playing beat the clock as the seconds tick by.  Just as I’m about to instruct Corey to try to kiss her one last time, the date ends and I’m forced to send them home.

Still, Namika looks confident as she exits the premises, and Corey seems intrigued by the entire experience.

Namika smirks as she walks out the door.

I’ve got him just where I want him, she thinks.  Watch out, Jessamine!

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bachelor Experiment : Day Sixteen

After Elimination the night before, Corey immediately wandered off to bed, feeling a mixture of emotions.  He was sad to have let Roskva go – he would miss his new friend – but also sure that the decision he made was the right one.  And as he drifted off to sleep, he thought of the two women remaining, and wondered how he ever would choose between them.

Shrewdly, Namika suspected that Corey might feel this way, and hoped to give him a little push in the right direction – the “right direction” being her direction, of course.   And so she waited until she heard his snores from the hallway, and crept (as usual) into bed beside him as he slept.

She slipped gingerly under the covers, careful not to wake him. Her nightly “bonding ritual” had worked for her (more or less) so far, and as she touched her chilly toes to his warm feet, she felt certain it would only bring them closer.

Meanwhile, somewhere far away in the great expanse of the mansion, Jessamine also climbed into bed, none the wiser to her third wheel status.

Oblivious to the shenanigans going on two floors above her, she dreamed peacefully of what the next few days would bring.

---

 

On the morning of Day Sixteen, Corey is the first to wake.  He is startled at first to find Namika in his bed, but truthfully, he’s gotten used to her night-time company.  He looks down at her pretty face, sleeping peacefully, and smiles.

Nonetheless, there are only two days left in this competition, and today, Corey will leave Namika behind.

The next two days will consist of 24-hour overnight dates with each of the remaining women.  This time, all bets (okay, most bets) are ON – woohoo is now allowed, and the “ask to be girlfriend” interaction can be initiated by Corey only, IF he rolls a whim to do so.  The only thing that is still not allowed is engagement.

Since Corey wakes up with a whim to flirt with Jessamine, I take this as a sign that her date should come first. He immediately flips into a confident mood, perhaps working himself up to his impending date, and goes off in search of breakfast.

Namika rises soon after, and she has rolled two whims for Corey – one to “be friendly” and one to “flirt.”  But today is not her day (my goal is to fill Corey and Jessamine’s needs and immediately send them to their destination), and besides, Namika is feeling energized and heads directly for the treadmill.  She jumps on and begins to run in a show of feigned nonchalance – no way in hell will she let anyone see her nervousness, or her heaven forbid, her jealousy.

When Jessamine finally wakes, she is in a flirty mood, but it lasts only seconds (wonder what she was dreaming about!).  She is feeling happy, at least, and I send her off to tend to her needs bars before her overnight date will begin.  This includes giving her a new outfit (Namika will get one, too), since I really like styling the women and decide this last date should be their last chance to put their best foot forward.

I send Corey to the computer to plan his date with Jessamine, and the two of them are promptly swept away to the surprise destination.

Alone in the house, Namika lets out a groan of dismay.

The stress has finally caught up with her, and she breaks out in a rash of unsightly hives. She scratches at herself, desperate to soothe the incessant itching, but all she can do is pray that it’s gone before tomorrow.

---

 

When Corey and Jessamine arrive at their destination (Chinese-Asian Village by Zita1966), Jessamine stares in wonder at the beauty and charm of their surroundings.  She loves the outdoors, but the first thing she wants to do is hug Corey (autonomously), and when he heads directly inside, she follows him there.

They chit-chat a bit (gloominess, dollhouses…you know, the usual), and Corey rolls a whim to kiss Jessamine.  I order him to initiate a kiss, but first I send them outside to take advantage of the beautiful scenery of this location.

Corey doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet, and he goes in for the kill right away.  To his (and my!) surprise, Jessamine shoves him off in disgust!  I think she’s still mad at him for the Roskva incident, or maybe she’s just playing it up a little bit.  If we know Jessamine by now, we know how she loves drama.

Poor Corey is humiliated, but Jessamine seems oblivious.  She whips out her camera to document his embarrassment, and I wonder what kind of sociopath this girl really is.

Jessamine quickly moves on, laying down to take in some cloudgazing (solo) and Corey just watches her awkwardly.

But when Jessamine stands back up, Corey can see from the look on her face that she’s feeling inspired – and now, so is he.  Corey decides to take another chance on that kiss, that maybe she’ll be more receptive after pointing out the heart-shaped clouds in the sky.

And luckily, he’s right.

By now Jessamine is hungry, and Corey’s fun meter is declining a bit.  They both head inside, her to find lunch, and him to the television.  After she eats, Jessamine settles into the couch, sliding into the spot just beside him.  She opens – strangely – with a joke about divorce.

Corey doesn’t make too much of it, though, because he laughs and rolls a whim to compliment Jessamine on her appearance.  It seems her new outfit has elicited the desired response.

Jessamine, feeling flattered and sufficiently adored, rolls a whim to embrace Corey.  He’s back in her good graces now, it seems.

But Corey needs to use the bathroom (terrible timing, Corey!), and Jessamine finds her way to the computer (located in the master bedroom) in his absence.  She must do some major soul-searching while she stares at that computer screen, because she rolls a whim to “ask Corey to be boyfriend.”  Ironically, Corey has rolled a similar whim – to “ask someone to go steady,” but without a specific name, Jessamine is plum out of luck.

Corey does roll a whim to hug her, though, and so I send him to initiate the friendly hug interaction.  In the bedroom.  As soon as Corey sees that bed, he flips into a flirty mood.

Corey takes this as a sign.  He (autonomously) whispers seductively to her.  No coincidence, I think, that they’re standing two feet from the bed.

But instead of inviting her to join him between the sheets, Corey lays it on thick with the romance.  He’s a gentleman, this one.

In the middle of this cutesy little interaction, they’re startled by the ringing of a cell phone.  Corey feels his buzzing in his pocket, and impatiently glances at the screen, and grimaces.

Anything important? Jessamine asks.

Not at all, he replies.  It’s no one.

He shoves the phone back in his pocket.  Now, back to the task at hand.

But the spell, for the moment at least, has been broken.  Jessamine is still feeling inspired from her cloudgazing earlier, and enthuses animatedly about the outdoors.  She’s talking about her favorite kind of flower when suddenly, she sways, dizziness overtaking her.

Corey steadies her, concerned, and asks if she’s okay.  Maybe it’s the stress, like Namika, or maybe she’s coming down with something, but there’s no way Jessamine is going to ruin this date because of a little cold.  She squares her shoulders and smiles broadly.  And then, on a whim, she asks him to join her outside for a little stargazing.

Afterward, Jessamine rolls a whim to be mischievous with Corey, and so (naturally) she dares him to streak.  What’s the harm in getting a little peek of the goods? she thinks.  And Corey, who is no stranger to exhibitionism, strips down to his birthday suit and goes for a leisurely run.

Jessamine, watching from afar, thinks she could do worse.  A lot worse.

But as she heads back inside, Jessamine feels a bit faint again.

She gathers herself yet again. She doesn’t want Corey to see her like this, and sure enough, by the time he rejoins her, she’s back to her normal self.

To really drive the point home, she even breaks into song, serenading a smitten Corey, who listens happily with stars in his eyes.

But when time comes for bed, Jessamine doesn’t head for the master bedroom.

Leave ’em wanting more, that’s her motto.  She climbs into a twin bed, alone, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

She closes her eyes, but she doesn’t fall asleep.  Instead, she waits.  She waits until she hears the door creak open, until she hears his heavy footsteps on the wooden floor, and the rustle of the sheets as he climbs into the twin bed beside her.

She smiles, and she’s right to.  Because Corey has chosen to sleep, his broad frame crammed into a tiny twin bed, not to sleep with her, but to merely sleep next to her.

---

 

The following morning, Jessamine wakes first.  She jumps out of bed, and tries not to wake Corey, but he hears the squeak of the bed, and blinks away the sleep.

She looks beautiful, he thinks.  Especially in those cheeky little underwear!  He immediately rolls a whim to compliment her.

There are only a few hours left in this date, and Jessamine intends to make it count.  She sure loves being admired, because once Corey has sufficiently complimented her beauty, Jessamine rolls a whim to embrace him.

Corey flirts autonomously, and Jessamine compliments his appearance, telling him she likes his taste in clothes.

They chat happily until the gnawing in their hungry bellies gets the better of them, and they take off in separate directions in search of breakfast – Corey wants pancakes, while Jessamine is in the mood for shish kebabs.

They sit down to breakfast together, however, and they chat and flirt as they eat.

After breakfast, there are only two hours before Jessamine and Corey will return to the mansion.  Corey makes his way outside, where he hopes to take in some last-minute cloudgazing, but Jessamine has other ideas (I notice there’s a “kiss Corey” interaction in her queue).

Corey settles into the grass, but Jessamine beckons.

With only minutes to spare, she leads him all the way up to the third floor – to the master bedroom with the double bed.

It’s here that she kisses him, and when she does, she melts.

His kiss elicits a physical reaction – Jessamine is on fire, her skin burns to the touch.  She is thinking about rocket ship woohoo, but glances sideways at the bed and decides that it will do.

She pulls away from Corey, and watches as concern registers in his eyes.

Jessamine looks down at her arms, covered in spots, and realizes – she wasn’t on fire.  She’s sick, and the bug she’s been fighting has caught up with her.  Embarrassed, she frowns, but Corey just tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, and whispers, Come on, now.  It’s time we get you home.

---

 

 

 

 

 

The Bachelor Experiment : Day Fifteen (Elimination #5)

On the morning of Elimination #5, Corey wakes up with a whim to cloudgaze with Jessamine.  Time is a precious commodity for The Bachelor, especially on elimination day, and so he immediately seeks Jessamine out. Luckily, she is already awake.

Unluckily, she is not particularly happy.

Jessamine is still feeling very sad after seeing Corey flirt with Roskva the previous night.  As Corey approaches to invite her to cloudgaze, she is thinking about how badly her heart has been broken.

Still, she accepts, and the two head out to the deck, Jessamine hanging her head dramatically as she goes.

But as they lay out under the shining sun, and Jessamine enjoys the beautiful morning, she begins to feel a little better.  Inspired, even!

But their time together must come to an end, and as soon as they part ways, Jessamine once again flips back into her very sad mood.  She’s in good company, though, because Namika, who somehow found out about Roskva’s flirt fest last night, has spent the bulk of the morning crying uncharacteristically in the closet.

Honestly, I didn’t expect this from Namika.  One, she didn’t even witness Corey’s flirtation with Roskva (I guess gossip get around fast in this house), and two.. well, she’s Namika. She’s never shown us a chink in her armor before!

Meanwhile, Corey is on his way to the bathroom when he is intercepted by Roskva.  She’s really pulling out all the stops as Elimination draws closer. From the look on his face, Corey seems surprised, but definitely in a good way, right?!

She does a little flirting…

And since no man can resist a beautiful woman in a black garter belt, Corey does a little flirting of his own.

Morning quickly turns into afternoon, and Corey seeks out some lunch. He has a pretty good idea about his choice for elimination, but he certainly has his doubts, and is hoping for a quiet moment to deliberate a little further.

Unfortunately, peace and quiet are definitely not in the cards for Corey today.

Jessamine joins him, and boy does she have other plans!  She has spent her entire morning in a terrible, horrible, no good, very SAD mood – and she wants Corey to know exactly who’s fault that is.

Poor Corey! He’s feeling pretty exhausted after getting an earful from Jessamine, so he excuses himself and heads to the bar for a drink.  Maybe he’ll finally get a little time to himself to think and unwind…

But of course, no such luck.  Roskva has somehow flipped into a flirty mood, and comes sauntering out to the bar to meet him. She slides on to a barstool and I can just hear her hitting on her “sexy bartender.”

Corey takes the bait, and sits down next to her.  Even when she has clothes on, Corey is happy to chat with Roskva.

She’s throwing out every single signal there is, but Corey just won’t throw her a flirt interaction.  And to be fair, she’s not exactly flirting with him either.  I think she’s trying to tempt him into making the first move, but unfortunately she runs out of time because it’s time for everyone to prepare for the Elimination ceremony.

I break the two of them up and send everyone off to tend to their need bars, and when the sun begins to set, Corey meets the three remaining ladies in the Ceremony Hall. As usual, he’s looking dashing, but for the first time, he’s also feeling confident. I’m glad to see that he’s feeling good about this elimination, because there is no question as to which bachelorette is going home.

The ladies all make their entrances.  Jessamine is in a happy mood, finally. Maybe all she needed was to get things off her chest.  The only question is how much that little tirade hurt her relationship with Corey.

Roskva also arrives in a happy mood.  She’s had more time with Corey in the last two days than she’s had in the the entirety of the competition, and she’s feeling pretty confident that she’s finally made the right impression.

Only Namika shows up feeling sad. She’s still pretty mopey, and keeps thinking about her broken heart.  I find it hard to believe that our wily Namika is really so lovesick, but who knows?  Either she’s playing it up for Corey’s benefit, or she really is hurt by his “betrayal.”

At any rate, the women find their seats and the ceremony begins.

Corey clears his throat and calls the name of the first woman he wants to keep in the house for the final round : Jessamine. Her one-on-one date may not have gone as well as she’d hoped, but it was just enough to edge her way to the top. Jessamine stands and walks gracefully to the front of the room to greet Corey…

But Namika doesn’t take the news quite so gracefully.

She’s been called first so many times now that she’d grown to expect it.  If Jessamine has stolen her place in Corey’s heart, will she make it to the last round at all?

Corey gives Jessamine a friendly hug, and Jessamine happily accepts her place in the last round.

She chats briefly to him about cooking – maybe she’s offering to make him a home cooked meal? They do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach…

And then she heads back inside the mansion, feeling relieved. It turns out that speaking her mind at lunch wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Corey is left alone with the remaining two women.  Namika looks petrified, but Roskva seems ready to accept her rose.

The only problem is, when Corey calls the name of the second woman to stay in the house, it isn’t Roskva.  It’s Namika.

Namika’s romance bar with Corey is exactly the same as Jessamine’s, but since Jessamine’s friendship bar with Corey is completely full (and Namika’s isn’t), Namika gets the second spot this week.

She makes her way to the front of the room, and while you’d think she’d be happy with this outcome, it’s clear from her face that she’s anything but. Namika doesn’t like being chosen second, but it’s poor Roskva I worry about.  The expression on her face looks pretty disgruntled.

Corey gives Namika a friendly hug, which she accepts with a smile.

But as soon as Corey pulls away, Namika’s face falls once again.

For someone who didn’t get sent home, she sure is laying it on thick with the guilt.  Namika quickly heads back into the mansion, and she hangs her head sadly as she goes.  And I thought Jessamine was the resident drama queen!

Roskva shoots her this look like, What do you have to be sad about?! and Corey just looks entirely confused.

With Namika gone, Corey must turn his attentions to Roskva.

This was a difficult decision for him, but actually more so for me.  I admit, I orchestrated a few of their interactions toward the end there – I wanted to really make sure there was nothing there between them, and unfortunately, I think they’re just missing the chemistry.  Corey is listed as “lovebirds” with both Namika and Jessamine, but only as a “romantic interest” with Roskva.  Their romance bar is also significantly lower than his romance bars with the other women.  While Corey really seems to like Roskva as a friend, he has never rolled a whim for her and she really hasn’t rolled many romantic ones for him, either.  Sadly, I think the relationship panel is accurate when it says “just good friends” – at least on Corey’s end.

 

He asks Roskva to join him at the front, and she keeps her composure as she obliges.

“We’re just better as friends,” Corey says. “I am so glad I’ve gotten to know you, Roskva, but the spark’s just not there.”

Which is a shame, because I do think Roskva’s still holding a torch for Corey… ah, unrequited love.

At this point Corey autonomously takes a seat on the “bachelorette bench” and begins talking with Roskva.  She keeps getting the “home/domestic/family” speech bubbles, and I think she’s telling him that neither of these women are marriage material.

“Look, Corey,” she says, “I care about you, but this is one really stupid decision you’re making.  Have you met these girls?  Jessamine is a total drama queen, and Namika is a conniving manipulator! But if that’s what you’re looking for, then to each his own I guess.”

Corey just nods along, not really hearing her.  All he can say in response is, “Friends?”

Roskva sighs and agrees.  She gives him a friendly hug, and wishes him luck.  Class act all the way, our Roskva.

Only, I can’t help but wonder if she’s just making a show of it.  If and when these other girls crash and burn, guess who’ll be waiting in the wings?

Cheers, Roskva –  you’ll find Mr. Right someday. And if it isn’t Corey, then I have a pretty handsome Hasslich for you!

---

 

Chapter Ninety Eight : Harmless

Jessalyn was very happy, eating her breakfast alone in peace. She chomped away on her cereal, liking the way the crunching sound rang in her ears. In a house this size with this many people, silence was a rare and welcome occurrence. She couldn’t remember the last time she heard herself chew. The rhythmic crunch was music to her ears.

Enjoying the silence, Jessalyn embraced the opportunity to think and to reflect, and to maybe – just maybe – make the decision she’d been avoiding. But Lucas’ face flashed in her memory, and then Stanley’s big blue eyes after that, and Jessalyn promptly shook them away. Maybe the commotion was better, after all – noise to drown the sound of her indecision. And her guilt.

Because she was guilty – and not just because she still hadn’t told Lucas about Stan, or Stan about Lucas. That was part of it, yes – a pretty big chunk of it, actually. But more than that, she still hadn’t told Theo, and keeping something like this from her twin felt like the biggest betrayal of all.

Jessalyn chomped again, concentrating on the sound the cereal made as it popped in her mouth. Better not to think about it just now. Anyway, she still didn’t understand why she had to make this decision at all. Why did the world have to be so uptight, so structured? So “you-can-only-have-one-boyfriend” judgmental?

She sighed and turned her thoughts back to cereal, the crunching, and the silence around her. She’d have to enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasted, because if Jessalyn knew anything for sure, it was that peace and quiet never lasted long in this little house.

But as the silence drew on, her thoughts returned to Stan and Lucas. Again she brushed them away with a dramatic huff, and turned her frustrations on the family’s small kitchen instead. Why did they even still live in this tiny house after all this time? They had the money to move – she knew they did. She’d seen her mother’s bank statement once when Coralie left the page open on the computer. Something about tradition, she imagined, about this mindless legacy they all were compelled to fulfill based on the whims of some long dead relative. Not that Jessalyn minded, really – she thought she’d be quite a good heir, in fact, considering her penchant keeping for multiple men.

The air stirred beside her, a stool screeched across the wooden floor, and Jessalyn was jarred abruptly from her thoughts. She’d been so caught up in her worries that she didn’t even notice her father come into the kitchen.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Kody asked smiling, as he slid into the chair beside her.

Jessalyn laughed despite herself. “Do you always have to be so corny?”

“Always,” he replied with a grin. “It’s a father’s right. So, I’ll ask again – penny for your thoughts?”

Jessalyn hesitated. She didn’t need to ask to know her dad wouldn’t want to hear about her recent makeout sessions with two different boys. So finally she sighed, and responded simply, “Nothing, Dad.”

But Kody knew better. “It’s about those two boys,” he said, cocking an eyebrow and laughing at the surprised expression on her face. “Oh, you thought I didn’t know, did you? Well I’m onto you, chick-a-dee. And I can’t say I’m terribly surprised, either. I mean, for one, you’re a teenager and I hear that means your hormones are ratings. And for two, you’re a Hasslich, which is all I care to say on that particular subject.”

Jessalyn stuttered, her face flushed.  At last, she asked the only thing that really mattered : “Does Theo know?”

Kody shook his head. “Theo is oblivious, Jess. You forget, but he’s a teenager too – he’s so wrapped up with Elsa he wouldn’t notice a dinosaur if it swallowed him whole.”

Jessalyn sighed in relief. “Well, thank the Watcher for that. He’d be so mad if he thought I was hurting Stan, you know?”

“Are you hurting Stan?”

“I don’t really know. We never really talked about being exclusive or anything, but I never said I wasn’t, either. And I really do care about him, Dad. I don’t want to hurt him. But I care about Lucas too.” She looked at him sideways, a wry smile playing on her lips. “I don’t suppose you’d tell me I can keep them both?”

Kody released a hearty belly laugh. “They’re not puppies, Jessalyn! You’re going to have to make a decision sooner or later. I suggest sooner, personally, but if it’s later,” he cast his eyes downward, blushing “my best advice is to not get too …serious… with either of them until you decide. Do you understand what I mean, Jessalyn?”

She felt the heat rush to her already crimson face. She knew she’d be in for “the talk,” sooner or later, but she never expected it to come from her dad! She swallowed hard, quickly assured her father that she caught his meaning – and then promptly excused herself from the table.

---

Meanwhile, Jessalyn wasn’t the only Hasslich with a decision to make.

Diego was struggling with an equally important choice of his own.

“So? What did she say?” Sheena asked excitedly. “Am I in?”

Diego stared at the ground. He’d asked Libby – pleaded with her, really – to let Sheena join her club. But Libby (as any respectably bossy sister would do) denied the request – time and time again – solely because she could, and also, of course, because she saw how much it mattered to Diego. Libby insisted that she was only looking out for her “little brother,” a title Diego detested, but that was undeniably true nonetheless. Technically, she was three minutes and 24 seconds older than him – an age difference that, according to Libby, meant she outranked him in both age and in club hierarchy. And so as her brother’s keeper, and as the self-proclaimed club president, Libby was the sole determiner of new applicant approval. Sheena, naturally, did not have Libby’s approval.

And so Diego had two options. Either he could tell Sheena that Libby said no, and face the wrath of Sheena, or he could lie and say Libby said yes, and try to keep Libby from finding out. Ever.

“Well…..” Diego started, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

Sheena pursed her lips, and her eyes glazed over in anger.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, in shock. “She said no, just like I told you she would! And you didn’t even stand up for me, did you?”

Diego paled at her anger, and he felt himself break out into a nervous sweat. But behind the rage, Diego recognized the hurt in her eyes. He didn’t like to see her sad. But Diego knew he couldn’t lie.

Instead, he said something true. Or something that would be true, at any rate.

“She said no -”

Sheena’s eyes welled up, and Diego hurried on.

“But I thought of something better! I’ve started a new, even better club! Me and you are the co-presidents, and anybody can be in it. We don’t need Libby’s snooty club, anyway, do we?”

Sheena grinned and threw herself at him in hug.

Libby was going to hate him for this, and he knew she’d make him pay the price. But if anyone was worth it, it was Sheena.

---

The sun was setting, but earlier in the day, Jessalyn had made a decision. It wasn’t THE decision, exactly, but it was a step in the right direction. One more date with Lucas and one more date with Stanley, and then she would make THE decision. She just needed to be sure.

She met Stan at the bar for a few virgin drinks, and they quickly fell into their usual banter. Joking, laughing, flirting – all the things she loved about hanging out with Stan. Not to mention those piercing blue eyes.

Things were going well, and Jessalyn heeded her father’s advice. She reminded herself to keep a cool head, and not to lead Stanley on. Because her dad was right, of course – it was in no one’s best interest to let things go too far.

But when Stanley took her by the hand and asked her to dance, Jessalyn felt the electricity pass through their fingertips. The chemistry was undeniable, but it was only holding hands, Jessalyn reasoned. Surely hand-holding wasn’t “going too far.”

It was harmless, really.

And honestly, if she’d gone as far as holding his hand, was there really any harm in a kiss? Just one measly kiss, that’s all it really was. And they’d kissed before – they’d kissed plenty of times! One more couldn’t hurt anything.

It was harmless, really.

And, well – as long as they were kissing, they might as well do it somewhere a little more private. She didn’t want to be that girl, the one making out in the corner in front of an audience. At least this way she was keeping it classy.

And in the end, it was harmless, really.

And seriously, as long as they were down here, they might as well sit down somewhere. She’d been on her feet all night, and these heels were killing her!

It’s only a bed. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s absolutely, completely harmless!

Really!

---

 

 

 

 

Chapter Ninety Seven : Hot Mama

I love my kids.

 

No, really, I mean it! They were a surprise – a huge surprise – but their squishy little faces grew on me fast. Thirty tiny fingers and thirty tiny toes! Triple the dirty diapers and triple the mouths to feed, as if my Hasslich you-know-what’s weren’t hanging to my knees already! All I know is it’s a miracle I have my mom and my sister to fall back on.  And Kody, too, of course.  He’s no slouch in the uncle department, which sure is lucky for me.  It’s nice for the kids to have a father figure in their life.

What about Marcus, you say?  Right.  Well, I never did get around to telling him.  I mean, I meant to.  Really.  I didn’t want to at first, but Coralie insisted he should know about his kids, and it got me thinking maybe she was right.  But then I heard he married some chick named Ulrike something-or-other…?  Okay, fine.  Ulrike Faust – Ulrike Flex, now, I guess.  Okay, fine! – not I guess.  I know.  Ulrike Flex: Art Book Collator, Windenberg native, creative, art lover, perfectionist, muser, founding member of The Renegades.  Not that I know everything about her or anything.  Not like I pulled an all-nighter stalking her Simbook or anything.

Yeah.  Ahem.  Anyway….

Now that my little monsters (I say affectionately, of course) are officially child-sized and capable of minimal self-sufficiency, I’m thinking its time for old Lola to pursue a few additional endeavors. Maybe go someplace where they call me something – anything – other than Mommy. Something like…. Lola. Or “Sexy,” or “Hot Stuff,” or “Musical Genius” will do.  I can just hear it now – like “Hey, Musical Genius!” to which I smile kindly, as if I hear that all the time.

But really, anything will do. They can call me Plumhole if they want to, as long as their fingers aren’t sticky and they don’t wet the bed.

So naturally, the first thing I did after the kids’ birthday was find a job. Now, it’s not like we’re hurting for money around here, but it’s a plum of a good excuse to get out of the house, you know what I mean?  The kids are in school now anyway, so what else am I going to do? I mean, I guess I could do what Coralie does, which is mostly running and yoga and cooking up fancy gourmet meals.  Soccer mom stuff.  But she barely ever leaves the house, which I guess makes sense for someone who was once abducted and impregnated by aliens – breeds a certain fear of the unknown, if you ask me.

But I’ve never been abducted by aliens, and I think even if I was, I’d still want my job. It’s just not in my SNA to sit still. I need to dance, I need to play music!  I need to move and talk and joke and go places and see things and meet people and explore the world. You know? So I like being an entertainer, even if I am only a C-lister.  I get to do all the things I love, and someday I’m sure I’ll do what I was born to do – to play the very best clubs in Windenberg, to blow kisses to my adoring fans while they chant my name. To have my pick of attractive groupies for dating and other such romantical activities. (Maybe that last part is my favorite.)

But for now, I’ve got to practice, and I do, every night after I put the kids to bed.

Between raising three kids and working towards a promotion, life is pretty busy.  Luckily for me, I live in a big house with lots of built-in babysitters, so I still get out of the house pretty often.

Most Saturday nights you can find me in Windenberg hanging with the Spin Masters. Dominic Fyres says I’m the coolest mom he knows, which is kinda weird since, you know – he’s married to the mother of his children and all.  Not that I mind – keep the compliments a’comin’, Dominic!

So Saturdays are my big night out, but I try to keep my wild(est) side in check. Sunday is my stomping day, and I like to be on my game when I plaster the neighborhoods with my face! I mean, hey – nothing wrong with a little self-promotion, right?  If you want something, you’ve gotta get out and grab it by the cajones!  That’s what I always say!

Ive always enjoyed my flyer-posting Sundays, because that’s when I get out there and promote myself to the public.  You know – round up the groupies.

But lately I’ve been enjoying my route just a little bit more.

Remember Marian?

I saw her on my flyer route a few days ago, and recognized her immediately from our last run in at the park.  It’s been awhile, and we’ve definitely both gotten older, but I’d know that gorgeous porcelain face anywhere. True, she doesn’t fit the mold of a groupie, but she piques my interest with that mop of crazy red curls and that smart-plum smirk.

I barely know her, but then, I don’t need to know her to want to kiss her.

Marian’s street always gets extra flyers.

And today is no exception.  I’m always hoping to spot her, to run into her, to strike up a conversation, you know?  I’m tacking a flyer to a street pole when I see her cross the street toward me (she’s wearing that cute little bowler hat again) and I realize I’m staring at her.  I almost look away, but it’s then that I see she’s staring straight back at me. She smiles and she makes a beeline in my direction.

Is she flirting with me? I think she is, but it’s been awhile since I’ve flexed those muscles. My eyelashes flutter involuntarily, and I physically force them to stop. Rein it in, Lola. Get it together.

I’m thinking I should ask her out, that I should do it now before she’s gone.  But Marian beats me to it, and I’m stunned.  Next thing you know, we’re at some bar, and she’s holding my hands.

If you want something, you’ve gotta grab it by the cajones!  That’s what I always say.  Did I say that already?  I think I said that already.

Maybe Marian wants me, and my hands are the cajones….

But I want more than hand-holding.  I want that kiss.

I don’t grab Marian by the cajones.  Because, I mean, she doesn’t have any, obviously.  So I grab her by the waist instead, and I dip her as I plant one on her.

Well, plum.  How’s that for grabbing life by the balls?

The Bachelor Experiment : Day Fourteen

It’s Day Fourteen and Corey jumps out of bed in a happy mood.  It’s the day of his date with Jessamine, and it’s obvious that he’s looking forward to it.

Namika is still sound asleep on “her” side of the bed, and Corey takes the moment of privacy to book the plans for today’s date.

He tiptoes out of the room in search of breakfast, careful not to wake Namika.

But Namika stirs, sensing the emptiness of the bed, and follows Corey to the breakfast table.  She’s rolled a whim to “be friendly” with him, and so she settles into the chair next to him and makes some small talk.  Namika isn’t about to send Corey off on his one-on-one with Jessamine without first reminding him of her exceptional charm and beauty.

Corey thinks of llamas as he digs into his mac and cheese.  I don’t see the connection, but maybe the mac and cheese uses llama milk instead of cow milk?

Namika just stares at him, searching his face for signs of dread for his impending date.  She can’t imagine that Corey actually wants to spend time alone with Jessamine.  But such are the rules of The Bachelor, and Namika assures himself that he’s only playing the part he signed up for.

But Corey’s happy mood does nothing to comfort Namika, and soon she’s off in a huff.  Which is fine, because it’s time for Corey’s date to begin anyway.

Knowing that Jessamine loves the outdoors, Corey has planned for a date at The Bluffs.  He knows Jessamine will enjoy the scenery, and maybe – just maybe – Corey is hoping for a little skinny dip in the pond.

When they arrive, he starts off the date on a good note, offering Jessamine a friendly hug.

Both Corey and Jessamine are in a happy mood, but Jessamine wants to heat things up.  In an effort to steer things in a romantic direction, she compliments his appearance.  And who could blame her?  Corey does look dashing in that denim shirt.

Autonomous chatting ensues, until I intervene – for scenery purposes, I send them down the hill to continue their date.

They share another friendly hug…

And Jessamine compliments Corey again.  She’s really laying it on thick, now – “You’re so good-looking, Corey!” she muses.

“Oh no, Jessamine – you are!”

And Jessamine can’t argue with that.  She’s so flattered that she blows him a kiss.

And of course, Corey responds in turn.  Ever heard of mirroring?  Yeah, well, these two are the perfect example.

At the very least, they’re on the same page.  Corey must be feeling particularly close to Jessamine, because he reveals his deepest, darkest secret to her – something about a back ache?

Whatever it is, Jessamine looks momentarily perturbed, but she quickly puts her game face on.

And what a game face it is! She flirts…

And he flirts back…

And suddenly Jessamine is moving in for the kill.  It’s time for her to tell Corey her deepest, dirtiest secret…

And Corey is, of course, nothing less than enchanted.  Still, the date is coming to an end and neither of them have been feeling particularly amorous.  Neither of them has flipped into a flirty mood, and much to Corey’s dismay, there has been no skinny dipping.

In a last ditch effort to turn up the heat, Jessamine turns on the charm.

And ends the date with a sweet but demure peck on the cheek.

Sure, she was hoping for something a little more racy, but this will have to do.

As their date concludes, Corey seems content, wrapped up in his phone as usual.  But Jessamine seems rather frustrated.  She sighs in annoyance and leaves Corey alone with his phone, taking the trash with her.

Oh, no, Corey, she thinks to herself in exasperation.  No, it’s okay, really! Thanks for offering, but I’ll take out the trash.  You just go ahead and check Simbook.  Again. 

---

 

Back at the mansion, later that night, Corey spends some time with Roskva.

I’ll admit, I use this opportunity to give them both a little nudge, to really see what’s between them.

Corey is flattered by Roskva’s flirtation, but he doesn’t make a move in return.

Unfortunately for Roskva, their little interlude is (intentionally) interrupted by Jessamine, who is determined to make her presence known.  Roskva closes her eyes and tries to compose herself.

She considers calling it a night, but in the end, she rallies.  Roskva is all too aware of tomorrow’s elimination, and she knows her time is running short.  She’s got to make her impression on Corey, now, Jessamine or no Jessamine.

And so she throws her hat in the ring.

Jessamine cringes.  How could he?  After their special date today, how could he entertain a flirtation with Roskva right in front of her face?  She gets up noisily, intentionally creating a scene, and dramatically flops into a nearby chair.

“I’ll just give you two some space,” she grumbles.

But as Roskva chats happily with Corey, Jessamine’s anger only rises.

Jessamine rages, flailing her arms and shooting daggers their way.  But Roskva and Corey are far too busy to notice.

The way they look at each other, it’s like they’re the only two people in the room.

And soon enough, they are.  Because Jessamine has had enough and storms off to bed.

---

 

Corey and Roskva pass the evening together, seemingly enjoying each other’s company.

They talk late into the night, but finally, it’s time for bed, and they both head off in separate directions.

Corey trudges up to his bedroom, knowing that he has a tough decision to make and a long day ahead of him tomorrow.  There’s not much sleep in his future tonight, he thinks.

And sure enough, Namika also thinks there’s not much sleep in his future tonight.  She’s been suspiciously absent all night, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s up to.

Namika tiptoes to Corey’s bedroom (her bedroom, really, at this point).  But when she turns the handle, she finds the door is locked.

She can’t believe it.  Corey has locked her out.

Namika seethes.  How dare he?!  What does this mean?  Could someone else be in there with him?

No, she assures herself.  Certainly not.  Because who could compare with her?  But still, she thinks – something between them has changed…

And she doesn’t like it one bit.

 

 

Duckling to Swan : The Bachelor – Hasslich Edition CASTING CALL

Welcome to Duckling to Swan : The Bachelor – Hasslich Edition!!! As my Bachelor Experiment draws to a close and I find my way back to my favorite Hasslich clan, it’s time to finally get The Bachelor – Hasslich Edition underway!

I’ve been planning this for quite some time, and I finally have the perfect Hasslich bachelor lined up. For those of you who follow The Hasslich Prettacy, you’ll see that while you technically haven’t met him yet, the bachelor is closely related to one of our very favorite Hasslich couples. He’s a Hasslich at heart, and feels that true beauty is on the inside – which isn’t to say he isn’t a stunner!

I’m super excited to introduce you to the Hasslich Bachelor, but first I’m hoping to round up some eligible bachelorettes! I will be accepting applications through April 13, 2016. If there are more than seven entries, voting will commence after the application deadline.

Things to Know:

Like The Bachelor Experiment, the name of the game in this competition is autonomy. This series will be written with a bit more dramatic flair and artistic license, but the bottom line is the same – the bachelor will choose his leading lady with as little player interference as possible. And in the end, the bachelor and his lady of choice will join the “cast” of The Hasslich Prettacy.

To submit a contestant, please head over to my Ducking to Swan thread over on The Sims Forums.

Requirements/Guidelines:

-Applicants must be single.
-Applicants must be YA/Adult female.
-All shapes and sizes are welcome! The more variety the better.
-…but no aliens, please.
-All aspirations and traits are welcome. Big personalities make for interesting interactions!
-CC is acceptable as long as it comes in a package file.
-You’re free to submit as many contestants as you’d like.
-A note on formal wear: Please submit your bachelorette(s) with the formal wear you want her in at the first elimination ceremony. For subsequent eliminations, I will be changing up their formal looks to my liking (which means lots of beautiful CC gowns). Don’t worry – I will make sure your girls look their very best!
–Please upload your bachelorette to the gallery under #Hasslichbachelor.

Application:

Name:
CAS Photo:
Traits:
Aspiration:
Backstory:
Style: (Please tell me a bit about your bachelorette’s personal style, to help me in choosing their formal wear. Is she classy? Flashy? Sexy? Conservative? Feminine? What colors does she prefer?)
CC links (if applicable)
Your Gallery ID:

Deadline is April 13, 2016.

The Bachelor Experiment : Day Thirteen

On the morning of Day Thirteen, Namika wakes up to an empty bed.

She was so sure this would work!  Not that Namika has anything to worry about. With only those two silly blondes left, she’s not exactly feeling threatened by the competition.  But still, Namika heard somewhere that when you sleep with someone, they form an attachment to you.  Apparently Corey is immune to science or something, she thinks.  It never occurs to her that he chose not to sleep next to her at all.  Oh well – Namika sighs.  It was worth a try.

Namika shakes it off and goes off in search of Corey.  She’s rolled a whim to “Be Funny” with him, and she wants to make sure that she’s the first one to make him laugh today.

After their giggles subside, Namika goes to shower and dress, and Jessamine has woken up.  Since Corey rolled an overnight whim to flirt with her, I send him to complete the whim.

Jessamine heaves a sigh of relief.  So her antics last night weren’t so disastrous after all.

Finally, Roskva wakes up and rolls a whim to be funny with Corey.  She makes a conscious decision to leave her garter belt on (hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!), and she gets a big, genuine belly laugh out of him as per usual.

Namika wanders through the living room and watches out of the corner of her eye.  Amateur, she thinks, as she sizes up Roskva.  Namika is unconcerned.

But while Corey has enjoyed yet another morning of flirting with half-dressed women, it’s time to begin today’s competition.  The winner will be the lucky recipient of a one-on-one date tomorrow, and for Jessamine especially, there’s a lot on the line.  Out of the three women left, she is the only one who has not yet had a one-on-one date with The Bachelor.

I struggled with how to approach this next competition.  Part of me thinks I should just send Jessamine on the date, since she hasn’t had one yet, but another part of me thinks that’s unfair to the other girls, who had to win their dates.  In the end, I go with the competition, but that brings another internal debate, because I’m not sure what the competition should be.  In the end, I settle on a bartending contest.

This seems fair, as I haven’t looked at any of the girls’ skill levels and don’t know if any of them would be slated to win.  I direct the three contestants to “make their favorite drink,” which adds an element of surprise that I like.  The contestant with the highest quality drink will win the date.

Right off the bat, things are looking a little hairy for Jessamine…

Unsurprisingly, Namika seems more confident.

And Roskva, who hesitates at first, ultimately looks like she’s got things under control.

But in the end, I’m at a crossroads.  There is no clear-cut winner.

Rovksa and Jessamine both make good quality Juice On The Rocks, and Namika makes a good quality Flaming Zesty Salt.

So I send Corey over to make his favorite drink.  Maybe the one whose taste in juice matches his should be the winner?

Corey makes a mess of the bar…

and ends up with a Flaming Zest Salt – just like Namika!

By my own rationale, that makes Namika the winner.  But that presents a problem, because Namika is already in the lead, and Jessamine and Roskva are basically at a tie.  If I send Corey on a second date with Namika, he still won’t know whether to keep Jessamine or Roskva.  So I come up with an alternate plan…

The contestants will face off at the chess table.  Corey doesn’t want a dummy for a girlfriend, so he decides to put their logic skills to the test.  I consider leaving Namika out of the chess competition entirely, but that seems wrong.  I promise myself that if Namika wins the chess tournament as well, she’ll get her date and I’ll find another way to get Corey to decide between Roskva and Jessamine.

I pit Namika against Jessamine for the first game.

And (luckily for me), Jessamine comes out on top, giving her a victory moodlet and putting her in a confident mood.

Namika slinks off, and I send Roskva to play against Jessamine.

Roskva puts up a good fight, but in the end, Jessamine claims victory again. And again, actually, because in a moment of temptation, I give Roskva a second chance to beat Jessamine.  I just can’t help but want to help our underdog along! But Roskva succumbs again to Jessamine’s superior chess skills, and I know that Jessamine is indeed the winner.

I direct Corey to congratulate Jessamine with a friendly hug.

While Jessamine flips into a flirty mood and bats her eyelashes at Corey, Namika and Roskva are chatting nearby.

Namika, energized from her workout earlier, attempts to “rile up” Roskva.  Namika sees Jessamine as her biggest competition, and is not happy about her rival’s one-on-one date tomorrow.  But she doesn’t want Corey to think she’s feeling jealous, or threatened or insecure…because she’s totally not.  Really.  She’s not.

Still, Namika plants the bug in Roskva’s ear – she “inspires” Roskva, so to speak – to break up the little love fest going on between Corey and Jessamine.

And Roskva buys it, hook line and sinker.

Roskva marches straight over to Corey and interrupts the little love fest.  And fortunately for her, Jessamine excuses herself to use the bathroom…

Leaving Roskva with a little on one one time with The Bachelor.

 

But her moment in the sun doesn’t last very long.  Corey is hungry, and when his stomach growls, he leaves Roskva in the dust.  She drops for a set of push ups in a last ditch attempt to catch his attention, but Corey is gone.

But Roskva is feeling energized, and she isn’t quite ready to give up.  She’s already lost tomorrow’s date, and she knows that she’ll need to work harder than ever if she wants to make it through the next Elimination ceremony.  So she springs to her feet, and follows Corey in pursuit of an autonomous hug.

When Corey sits down to eat, Roskva initiates a flirt interaction…

And then joins him at the table, where they enjoy a little alone time.

I keep waiting for one of the to initiate a romantic interaction.  I mean, come on guys!  Roskva made the first move already, but things are not exactly heating up.  It isn’t long before Corey stands to leave, and I see that he’s rolled two romantic whims – only, they’re both for Jessamine.

The first one is rather telling.  Corey rolls the whim to ask Jessamine to be his girlfriend.  This is the first time he’s rolled this particular whim for anyone in the house, and if you recall, Jessamine was also the only contestant that Corey rolled a whim to have a First Kiss with.  He does seem to be exceptionally attracted to her.

Poor Roskva!

But luckily for her, Corey can’t ask Jessamine to be his girlfriend – it would break the rules of the competition.  Unluckily for Roskva, Corey also rolls a whim to Be Mischievous to Jessamine.  This is a whim that can be fulfilled, and as per my rules, I direct him to go trick Jessamine with a hand buzzer.

Which leaves Roskva alone on the balcony, wondering what went wrong.

---

 

Corey finds Jessamine in a flirty mood (and she’s rolled a whim to woohoo).  He tricks her with the hand buzzer first, and then they spend some time chatting under the stars.

Jessamine even reveals a deep secret.  I am very curious what it is!

Eventually, the two part ways and Corey heads to bed.  He’s had a long day.  Jessamine, on the other hand, joins Namika and Roskva for a movie.

Soon, Namika declares she is tired, and is going to bed.

Roskva shakes her head silently.  She knows exactly what Namika has in mind.

And sure enough, Namika is a woman on a mission.

Only this time, Corey lets her stay.  Her mama always told her, persistence pays off!

As she drifts off to sleep, Namika touches her foot lightly to his, and she smiles.  Maybe this is love after all.

 

 

The Bachelor Experiment : Day Twelve (Elimination #4)

It’s Day Twelve, and the morning of Elimination #4.  Fortunately for Corey (and unfortunately for one of the ladies), there is no doubt in his mind as to who to send home.  It’s not an easy thing, breaking hearts – but such is the life of The Bachelor.

The morning passes quickly, as everyone sleeps in.  By the time they all wake up, it’s time for me to tend to their needs bars and get the ceremony started.

Corey stands at the front of the ceremony hall, in a confident mood.  I’m glad to see he’s feeling good about his decision, because his relationship panel tells the whole story.  It’s an easy choice this time around, but as Corey looks at the four remaining women, he feels an underlying sense of regret.  They all look so beautiful, dressed to the nines, and he has truly formed a bond with each of them.

The women stare at him intently, waiting for him to speak.  Only Jessamine is distracted by a string of dirty thoughts – her thought bubble shows she’s thinking about rocket ship woohoo!  But who could blame her?  Corey does look dashing in his formal wear tonight, and Jessamine is sure that after their kiss, her name will be the first to be called.

The room quiets, and Corey calls the name of his first choice: Namika.  This comes as no surprise to me, of course, but Jessamine and Roskva are both visibly pained.  Neither of them know that Corey has kissed all three of them, and both Roskva and Jessamine believed that the kiss was a sign of good things to come.

But Corey’s friendship bar with Namika is about 75% full, and their romance bar is about 50% full, making it the highest romance bar in the mansion.  They are currently listed as “lovebirds.”

Namika makes her way to the front as the others look on.

I’ve nixed the whole rose-giving thing at the eliminations to avoid damaging Corey’s romantic relationships with the other women.  So I direct Corey to give Namika a friendly hug, which she happily returns.  But it’s clear that the other contestants are less than enthused – Corey’s obvious preference for Namika is more than a little discouraging.

Namika pulls away from Corey, and as they chat, a money thought bubble appears over her head.

Maybe she’s asking if there’s a cash prize for this thing, or how much Corey is actually worth.  Namika’s only going through the motions at this point – she’s got this thing in the bag, as far as she’s concerned. All that’s left to do is suss out the details – you know, choose a wedding dress, compile the guest list, and figure out exactly how rich she’ll be once they say “I do.”

She saunters off with a dazed look on her face.  Good news about the money thing, I think.  Tall, dark, and handsome, good kisser, AND a life of luxury?  What’s not to love?

Once Namika is out of sight, Corey takes a deep breath and calls the next contestant:  Jessamine. She makes her way to the front, where Corey greets her with a warm hug.

But as they pull away, Corey is shocked by the look on her face.  He thought she would be happy to stay, but Jessamine is visibly tense.

I look at her moodlets, and see that she’s peeved that she hasn’t gotten more romantic attention lately.  As a romantic, the lack of romance really gets under her skin.  And as a drama llama, she chooses this moment to rake Corey over the coals.  Not cool, Jessamine.  Not cool.

But despite her drama queen tendencies, Corey still really likes Jessamine.  His romance bar with her is lower than Namika’s, but their friendship bar is higher, and they are listed as “lovebirds.” Corey feels bad that Jessamine is feeling neglected, and wants to make it up to her.

He autonomously initiates the “Ask Risque Question” interaction, which only irritates Jessamine further.  She wants romance, not a cheesy pick up line!

Corey is dumbfounded, of course, and is left wondering what went wrong.  He only wanted to make things right!

But finally, Jessamine comes to her senses, realizing that she’s probably just blown her last chance with The Bachelor.

She blinks back tears, and I can’t help but feel sorry for her – just look at that face! But then again – maybe the pouty face is just more drama.  Maybe she’s just fishing for more attention from Corey?

Nonetheless, she trots off feeling sorry for herself, and leaves Corey alone with the last two contestants.

 

And, of course, this is the hard part. Corey doesn’t relish this, but the time has come, and he doesn’t question himself at all.  He calls the name of the final contestant:  Roskva.

Colleen looks hurt, but Roskva jumps up in excitement.

 

Maybe their kiss meant something to him after all!  She throws her arms around Corey in a friendly hug, though her pink heart thought bubble makes it clear she wants more.

They chat briefly, and Roskva expresses her thanks for being invited to stay another round.  Corey gets a vacuum in his speech bubble – he appreciates how Roskva is always cleaning up the mansion.  They are listed as “Just Good Friends,” but Corey’s romance bar with Roskva is just about equal with Jessamine’s.  And as a domestic sim, Corey finds himself drawn to Roskva’s family-oriented side.  She would make a good wife, he thinks.

Roskva leaves…

…and Corey is left to say goodbye to Colleen.  She is clearly not happy with this outcome.  I kid you not, Colleen was in a happy mood the entire ceremony – right up until now, when I have her approach Corey, and she flips into a tense mood, which she makes absolutely no attempt to hide.

But Corey keeps his cool an explains that he thinks they’re better off as just good friends – which is exactly how they’re listed in his relationship panel (the small romance bar they once had has now disappeared – for Corey, at least).

Colleen drops her head in her hands, and tries to regain her composure.

Finally, he offers her a friendly hug, and is pleasantly surprised that she accepts.

Corey sighs with relief – he does care about Colleen (their friendship bar is very high!), but he just doesn’t feel a spark with her the way he does with the other girls.

Colleen seems to understand, and makes a show of accepting their newfound “friendship,” but the look on her face makes it clear it’s just pretense.  Corey is pretty much dead to her now.

Colleen turns to leave – as she makes her way through the mansion, she contemplates stealing a thing or two, just to make a point.  She is a kleptomaniac, after all.

Goodbye, Colleen.  You can steal a million knick knacks, but you can’t steal Corey’s heart.

---

 

…………Later that night…………..

Jessamine is unable to sleep.  She regrets her behavior at Elimination tonight, and is afraid she may have just dug her own grave.  She truly likes Corey, and wants to make it up to him, so she cooks up his favorite – grilled pineapple – and brings it to his room as a peace offering (i.e., I realize there’s an autonomous “compliment Corey’s appearance” in her queue, so I follow her).

 

Jessamine knocks softly, but gets no response – so she eases the door open quietly.  This girl really has no regard for privacy.

As she enters the room, she finds Corey sound asleep in his bed.  She thoughtfully decides not to wake him, and the “compliment appearance” action cancels itself.  Instead, she digs into the grilled fruit herself as she stands at the foot of his bed and watches him sleep.  Seriously – creeper much?

She waits around for awhile, hoping for something to happen – maybe he’ll say her name in his sleep! But eventually, Jessamine gets bored and leaves.  Corey is gorgeous and all, but she has more interesting things to do (like maybe, get some sleep herself).

But Jessamine isn’t Corey’s only secret visitor tonight.  When she’s sure Jessamine and Roskva are asleep, Namika tiptoes quietly into Corey’s room and slips into bed beside him.

She wiggles down under the covers and snuggles up close to him before she drifts off to sleep.

But Corey is no fool.  Literally one minute after Namika is asleep, Corey jumps out of bed.  He’ll find somewhere else to sleep tonight….

….and foiled again, Namika is none the wiser.

---

 

The Bachelor Experiment : Day Eleven

On the morning of Day Eleven, Corey awakes with a crick in his neck.

After his date with Roskva the previous night, he floated to his bedroom wearing a goofy, dreamy grin. How could he have missed Roskva’s beauty until now? How could he have denied such unmistakable chemistry? Just thinking about her now made him giddy, and he knew he would see her beautiful green eyes in his dreams tonight. Maybe what they say is true – maybe true love is really friendship set on fire.

Corey certainly feels on fire right now, that much is true, and when he enters his bedroom, the sight of Namika so scantily clad in his bed quickens his pulse. She’s sleeping – or pretending to sleep, maybe – but her presence here is more than a hint. It’s a blatant invitation.

Corey weighs his options, struggling between his heart and his…. (ahem) head. Namika is beautiful, sexy, and she’s already seen his hot dog anyway…

But – Roskva. After such a wonderful date with her, and such a stirring first kiss, Corey can’t bring himself to end his night in the throes of passion with someone else. Not because he doesn’t want to. Oh, he very much wants to. But because it isn’t right, and because woohoo with Namika (or any of the ladies) is still against the rules at this point in the competition. Call him old-fashioned, but Corey fancies himself a gentleman.

And so, here we are on the morning of Day Eleven, with Corey and the crick in his neck. Maybe if he’s lucky, one today’s ladies will offer him a back massage.

 

---

 

Corey’s first date today is with Jessamine. I send her to fulfill a few needs, and she sits down to eat with Colleen, who is still reeling from her dud of a date yesterday.

Jessamine only listens half-heartedly. She’s too busy pumping herself up for her own date, and secretly (or not so secretly), she knows that Colleen’s loss is her own gain.

Meanwhile, Corey is grilling up his own breakfast when Namika approaches. She’s rolled a whim to embrace  Corey, and so I send her to do exactly that.

There’s also an autonomous flirt initiated by Namika. Dismayed to have woken up alone this morning, she’s not about to let Corey start his date with Jessamine without reminding him of her charms. As far as Namika is concerned, Jessamine is her biggest competition – but then she doesn’t know about Roskva’s recent comeback.

And Corey does find her irresistable, despite his refusal to share his bed last night. He is, unsurprisingly, receptive to her advances. I take this opportunity to see if we can finally fulfill Namika’s long-pinned whim for her First Kiss with Corey. I pull up her romantic interactions menu for him, but big nope. The First Kiss isn’t available yet. Namika isn’t giving up hope, though – she’ll have her own time in the Chateau d’ Amour later tonight, Corey will be helpless to resist her. She is sure of it.

---

 

After breakfast, I send Jessamine and Corey to take their flirty showers. When they are both feeling sufficiently frisky, I lock them inside the Chateau, and the date begins with the “offer rose” interaction.

Jessamine is flattered, but when they sit to chat, Corey (ever the technology addict) pulls out his phone.  She tries to pull his attention back to her, and in a few minutes, it works.

They get up to take a selfie, documenting the special moment. There’s some autonomous joking and then some autonomous flirting.

Meanwhile, I realize it’s beginning to get late.  I think I waited too long to get this show on the road, and it looks I’ll have postpone Namika’s date until tomorrow night.  Namika might not be so happy, but Jessamine and Corey seem a-okay with my executive decision.

 

Either the flirty atmosphere is having the desired effect on Corey, or he’s just really feeling Jessamine, because I notice that he’s rolled a whim to have his First Kiss with her.  I think this is somewhat interesting – he shared a kiss with Roskva last night, but it was  based on Roskva’s whim.  This is the first time that Corey himself has rolled a whim to kiss anyone.

And so, of course, I allow it.

Jessamine is more than pleasantly surprised, but unfortunately for her, their four hours is up.  I direct Jessamine to initiate a romantic embrace, and Corey gladly accepts.

Corey is more confused than ever now, but as he goes to bed that night (in his blissfully empty bed), he thinks there are worse things in life than choosing between four beautiful women.

---

 

When Jessamine bounces around the kitchen the next morning, Namika just shakes her head. Jessamine might think her date went well, but Corey hasn’t had his date with Namika yet. Namika heads off for her own steamy shower, and I direct Corey to take one too, for good measure. He wakes up still feeling flirty after his date with Jessamine, but I don’t want it wearing off too early during his date with Namika.

When Corey and Namika meet on the terrace of Chateau, I lock the doors and have Corey offer Namika her rose.

Namika happily accepts the rose, and returns his kindness with a romantic gesture of her own.

In no time, sparks are flying between them.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion, Jessamine’s curiosity is getting the better of her. She doesn’t have the jealousy trait, but the way she’s nosing around the Chateau, peeking in the windows, makes me think the green-eyed monster has gotten the best of her. She even tries the door, but finding it locked, has no other option than to head back to the mansion.

Back on the terrace, Namika and Corey’s friendship bar is 75% full, and their romance bar is about 50% full.

I think this bodes well, so I look again to see if I can fulfill Namika’s First Kiss Whim. My rule on whim fulfillment is that the person who rolls the whim has to be the one to initiate the action – which means they have to have the option on their own social menu, and I have to patiently wait for that option to become available. When I open Namika’s romance menu, I see that First Kiss is finally an option, and immediately direct her to go in for the kill.

The kiss goes over well, which is not unexpected. Corey’s an even better kisser than she’d hoped! Namika has stars in her eyes, and Corey sees only Namika.

I think they’re both oblivious to their audience, but I never can be too sure with Namika.  The look on her face makes me wonder if Colleen and Jessamine were meant to see that kiss.

There’s still another hour left in their date, but Corey’s stomach growls, and he decides to forgo any potential romantic encounters with Namika in favor of food.

As he eats, Namika takes the opportunity to brush up on her darts game…

And this is how they spend the remainder of the date – companionably, and separately. Namika goes about her business, content and confident in her victory, satisfied (for now) that she’s got this competition in the bag. She doesn’t need to spend every second with Corey to know she’s always on his mind. Corey will never say it, but Namika knows she’s won already.