As we saw earlier, when Joan Danvers graduated from SSU she passed along the neat little off-campus house to her boyfriend Damion Cormier. Damion turned out to be a lazy sloppy Romance sim, with an extreme take on college.
What Damion would like to major in.
The Muse informed me most definitely that for a change here was a Sim who didn't care about his grades, beyond wanting to pass. It turns out, gratifyingly, that if you ignore enough of those "do assignment" and "write term paper" Wants, they eventually stop rolling up at all.
Damion found the first day of class very interesting, although he entirely ignored the subject matter.
Love at first sight.
That's Jenna Cameron, the very popular General Studies prof.
He attended no more classes his Freshman year, and did none of those boring assignments, but passed with flying colors anyway on the strength of his good faculty relations.
His good faculty relations.
In his Sophomore year, Damion enrolled in the Art department and followed a similar strategy there, with great succcess.
Kissing Professor Jane Royce.
Flirting with Professor Vince whatsit.
He did (reluctantly) attend final exams.
But he refused to get dressed.
And he had interests outside of the faculty.
Flirting with Jordan Fleig.
But mostly he was occupied in academic pursuits.
You can just feel those grades going up.
Nothing wrong with a little May-December romance in a good cause.
Professor Vince reminisces about former students.
My first serious male-male relationship in the game. I still have this gynophile "what's the point?" feeling about it, but as long as the participants have a good time...
Professor Jane looks a bit stunned.
He enjoyed many aspects of college life.
A little amateur hypnotism.
Lively discussions of current events.
And the chance to relax.
Everything was idyllic, until Junior Year...
Midway through his Junior year (or somewhere like that; I actually forget the exact chronology, and I don't take good notes) Damion discovered that there was a flaw in his approach to his studies.
An important conversation
"So Professor honey, it'd make me really happy if I were to get an A on this next test."
"Well, Damion sweetie, dearly as I love you I don't think you actually know squat about the Dutch Renaissance."
"Well, but... Surely, with all we mean to each other, just one little grade...!"
"Ah, I've been foolish, haven't I? Falling in love with you was wonderful! But I think it's time reality reasserted itself. Actually doing some of the reading wouldn't kill you. Maybe a nice thesis?"
The honeymoon was over. Professor Jane was still willing to do the occasional little favor
but it wasn't the same.
(In fact it looks to me like once a student is at 100/100 relationship with a Professor, further positive interactions, including even woohooing, have little or no effect on grades.)
What to do? Actually studying was, of course, out of the question.
Since the Art faculty had begun to take his attentions for granted, the solution was obvious: change majors! Damion had heard fascinating rumors about the Drama teachers, and called the registrar to switch.
Beep beep boop
This is just after his Junior year midterms, I think, which he attended in his sweatpants.
He attended the first day of class, and learned the most important fact: the gorgeous Drama professor's phone number.
"Hoobie, noobie!"
Everything seemed to be off to a good start.
In fact, the Prof startled him by trying to leap into his arms! Taken aback, he missed.
Whoops!
"Here, let me help you up, and hold on to your hand just a moment too long."
At the Hot Tub, things seemed to get even better.
Pinch me, I must be dreaming...
But just as everything seemed perfect, disaster...
Another of those conversations.
"You're an amazing woman, Professor. I'd like to get to know you much better."
"Well, most semesters I take five or six of my students as lovers. Would you be interested?"
"Oh! Um, I -- that is. Uh."
"You don't have to decide right away."
"No! I mean yes! I mean, well, if we're going to be seeing alot of each other, I might not have time to do all the assignments, so my grades..."
"Oh, you adorable child! I love all my students equally; I could never let that influence the grades that I give."
"I see."
(For anyone who hasn't heard this already, there's a cute little feature of Drama profs: they start out with an extremely high relationship with students in their department. So they're really easy to seduce, but the seduction has almost no efect on grades!)
Still she was lovely, soaking there nude beside him.
"Ah, Professor, you're wonderful."
"And I love you deeply, Damion."
"But I'll be switching majors again tomorrow."
"Tsk. We lose more students that way."
So Damion switched to Philosophy, but it was too late in the semester to make a difference; he was reduced to actually doing an assignment (as well as persuading a few friends to do some for him) to pass.
But pass he did.
The next semester was better. Like others before him, Damion found the Philosophy faculty very agreeable.
The popular Professor Arcadia Bradshaw
In some other stories here and there I think I've confused her with Professor Jenna; these things happen.
And Professor Marcel Something
Both of whom are, of course, also lovers of various Raptors.
And although there were a few complications
Unavoidable, really
and distractions
Never too much of a good thing.
Note the frighteningly identical poses.
the rest of his academic career went very well.
I get by with a little help from my friends.
Gonna try with a little help from my friends.
"Yep, that's right, a llama; cleaning my stove!"
He even had time for the occasional party.
The ladies reminiscing.
No really noteworthy autonomous interactions occurred, though. That would've been fun!
All too soon, it was time for the final final.
Gaudy suit, check; llama playing chess in the front yard, check; obsession with love, double check...
Despite having attended only three classes and done only one assignment in the whole four years, Damion graduated see you em laude; nothing left now but to relax, and to party!
First, the relaxation.
Although she frustrated his efforts to exploit her for credit, Professor Lyndsay is still a favorite of Damion's.
The next day, Damion was just about to call to invite yet another person to his grad party, when the phone rang in his hand.
It was Joan Danvers.
"Damion? This is Joan."
"Oh, hi! Uh. Joan?"
"Yeah, you know, Joan Danvers? We were madly in love my entire college career, and I let you stay in the house when I left? That Joan?"
"Oh, right, Joan! Honey! How are you?"
"Fine, fine, I got over hearing about you sleeping with half the faculty years ago. But anyway, my nephew Justin's about to start SSU, and you're going to pass the house along to him."
"I am?"
"You are, if you value your woohooial abilities."
"Okay, okay, no sweat..."
(Joan really did call right around here; one of those annoying "wondered if you'd been abducted by aliens" calls. But it fit right in with the story.)
And just as the party started to heat up
More frighteningly identical, but this time very funny, poses.
Justin arrived at school, still wet behind the ears.
Hm, camo. Very appropriate for a Danvers!
Dear, dear, I haven't posted the "Justin leaves for college" story, have I? So hard to keep these things in order. Note two of Damion's lady Professor loves chatting amicably in the background.
Being a Popularity dude, he immediately began to socialize.
Asking for grade advice already!
He's Popularity, though, not Knowledge; so presumably he's just trying to ingratiate himself.
Justin talks to Professor Jenna about grades; Damion talks to Professor Arcadia about goofy purple hearts.
This sequence should really be in Justin's story; sorry, Damion!
In the tub, Professor Arcadia urges Damion to think more about scholarship and less about sex; as if.
Since Jenna is the General Studies prof, Justin actually got some grade points here before having been to class at all; a first!
It was a great time all around (officially a "roof raiser"),
Justin is impressed.
"Man, I wanna be just like Damion! He's friends with everyone."
including the traditional bonfire.
Justin's still in heaven.
Good thing Damion's not very flammable there.
The party went smoothly despite four or five of the guests being in love with Damion, and before long, the Thing happened.
Adulthood!
Not bad.
The guests all said goodbye, and Justin (disappointed that Professor Jenna couldn't stay longer) went with Damion to the taxi.
So long!
They've become quite good friends since.
And here's the traditional picture of the heir to the little house, left with the post-grad-party mess:
Wow, college sure is interesting!
Have to break it to him gently that not every student has hot-tubs full of hot professors at his beck and call.
Pictures of Justin's college career, and Damion's house and life back in the Neighborhood, no doubt to follow...
(This story inspired the "Sleeping Through College" Challenge, which see.)