Round Five - Nakamura 2

Shiina and Emma loved their new apartment. Shiina got to work on painting and sewing straight away.


Shiina always made sure to take Emma with her when she went clubbing, but more often than not Emma found herself playing the role of wallflower sitting at the bar. She would have liked to go dancing with guys as freely and easily as Shiina seemed to but she knew she didn't have time for a relationship at the moment - Emma was a career-woman in the making, and although she did love to have fun she loved money just that little bit more.


She got to work on improving her fitness. She had a good job as a lieutenant in the local police force, but it didn't keep her stimulated and working so close to the criminal elements had revealed to her that maybe her career desires lay elsewhere. It was an ever-present temptation.


Eventually one of the mob bosses made her an offer she couldn't refuse, and she accepted with no hesitation or moral quandries whatsoever. She got hair extensions and looked prettier than ever, although she wouldn't be sad to say goodbye to the cheap suit she had to wear in her old job.


Despite Emma's punishing workout routine and Shiina's constant sewing the Nakamura-Mazza household was still party central, although Shiina was considering introducing some kind of dress-code to prevent confusion - everyone always seemed overdressed or underdressed, especially in the case of a young man who turned up in body-paint and not much else. He was cute, though, so Shiina let the fashion faux-pas slide.


She ended up asking him over again the next day, and sparks definitely flew even if he did seem to like not-wearing-clothes a little too much.


The girls still made time for each other. Whenever Emma wasn't working or exercising and Shiina wasn't painting, sewing or dating, they would gossip and hang out in the hot tubs in the yard. To outside observers they looked like perfectly normal twenty-something women sharing a house. No-one would guess that Emma was working her way up in the world of crime, least of all Shiina. She was just happy that she got to work on her creations and the rent still got paid.


Note: I am really indecisive about Emma's hair so it'll probably end up changing AGAIN next round. Sigh.

Round Five - Davies 2

Jill bought herself some new clothes and makeup to celebrate moving into James's apartment. It was an odd transition, but possibly for the best. The whole thing with Will had been a little weird.


It had put a strain on her and James's relationship, that was for sure. He knew about Will's reputation and came perilously close to making accusations but she managed to distract him. She felt a little bad - any jealousy he was feeling wasn't exactly unfounded.


There were some things about her having lived with Will that didn't upset James, though. It had meant she'd discovered a love of dancing and using his ballet bar so she was more toned than ever, and James definitely approved. Dancer's bodies? Hot, in his eyes at least.


Jill bullied James into letting her get a little dog, which she named Princess and carried around with her. Any maternal urges she might ever have were directed at the tiny little purse-sized puppy.


Sometimes she would go to strike up a conversation with Will and rekindle that flame but something, perhaps guilt, always stopped her. She'd wait and watch him then go back to James and Princess.


Note: Jill has spun up a want to marry James. But she is a tricky, tricky lady so we'll see how this progresses...

Round Five - Knox 2

Will celebrated having the apartment to himself again by inviting his favourite blonde over. He didn't miss Jill cramping his style one little bit, although he had been slightly weirded out to discover that the boyfriend she was now living with was his sister-in-law's ex-husband.


His primary interest was dance but he had acquired some skill at singing along the way - after all, the ladies loved it when he joined them in a romantic duet while on a date.


It was such a relief to not have Jill hanging around in his bedroom being creepy. He liked the hot-tub in the basement well enough, but sometimes only a bed would do, especially with the more uptight girls.


It seemed like his phone rang 24/7. There was always one girl or another on the end of the line. He listened intently but sometimes he couldn't help drifting off and staring at the wallpaper. He really needed to use the money he'd inherited from his father to redecorate or something so it suited him more. After all, it was home now.


Even though she only lived downstairs, Will didn't see Jill often. She was far too busy with James. He wandered down to their apartment to have a chat with her and reminisce only to walk in on them making out. He smiled fakely, apologised, and left.


Will did have to admit that despite the fact she was a jealous, possessive, possibly crazy witch he did miss her sometimes. They had a special spark that was hard to replicate. Still, she seemed happy enough with James and he would never forget the things he taught her, starting with how to make killer cocktails.

Round Five - Nakamura

Hanako's death had left the whole Nakamura family devastated but they were beginning to get back to normal. Sachiko resumed her usual routine of spending all day in her nightdress while talking to friends on the phone.


She'd spent her share of the money Hanako left the family on a luxury chess set. Despite her playful nature she was a natural at this game of strategy and cunning. The rest of the family couldn't hope to beat her.


Hiro's social life was bustling. He often sneaked out with his best friend Danny Knox, which was how he met Destiny. They hit it off instantly.


They decided to take the plunge from platonic friends to something more. Hiro had a little bit of experience with kissing, but this was Destiny's first ever kiss and they nearly made a complete mess of the whole thing.

"Ow! Destiny, that was my nose!"


Thankfully it didn't take her long to get the hang of it.


Life wasn't all make-out sessions and outings with friends for Hiro. He was working on his dream to become a world-famous sports star which required dedication to his fitness regime. He was getting extremely good at yoga and could contort himself into positions no human body should ever have to be in.


Junko bonded with Noah Knox over recent losses, discussing the likelihood of them perhaps seeing Hanako and Cassius's ghosts someday.


But their easy childhood years couldn't last forever. The twins hit puberty and became even more different than before. Junko wanted to be just like her mother, although definitely with fewer babies - she didn't have any career aspirations at all, she just wanted to hang around the house and make as many friends as possible. She was determined to have fun.


Yuki was much more serious. She did want a career and all the attendant wealth, and most of all she wanted to be able to afford a house, not be stuck at home or in a cramped little apartment down town. She wasn't as sociable as her sisters or brother, keeping out of everyone's way while she read and studied.


Despite their differences the twins still got on well. They were like day and night, said Nobuo in an uncharacteristic display of poetic license - opposites but essential to one another.


Note: Hooray for physiology! Hiro's skill is totally maxed already, hence the extreme yoga. The twins turned out pretty, Junko looks like her mother facial-features wise whereas Yuki favours her father.

Round Five - Mackenzie

Taylor was thoroughly dedicated to being Ewan's stepfather, and the teen's burgeoning relationship hadn't escaped his attention. It was a tricky subject.

"Look, I know you think you're in love with her, but don't do anything you'll regret."

"Are you saying Meadow's no good? Mam's met her, she thinks she's lovely."

"No, no, not at all!" insisted Taylor. "Just... well, I'm not ready to be a stepgrandfather just yet."


Ewan wasn't going to let things move that quickly but he did think he was in love. Meadow was a very lovely girl and although they didn't really share the same dreams they were too infatuated with one another to care.


Lisa had to find things to do to occupy her while stuck at home on maternity leave and settled for learning how to make pottery. She spent most of her time at the wheel and no-one was surprised when she went into labour in front of it.


Lisa gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Cameron. He looked for the most part like his mother, with her freckled skin and green eyes, but he had his father's brown hair.


Ewan helped out with Cameron whenever he could, ie, when he wasn't at school or joined at the lips with Meadow. He wasn't sure about babies yet and Cameron didn't help his opinion of them when he threw up all over Ewan's jacket.


Their life was uneventful for the most part. Lisa got promoted again and Cameron grew into a cute toddler. He was dressed in Ewan's hand-me-downs most of the time because they were all saving up to extend the house.


In between feedings and potty training his son, Taylor had discovered that he shared Lisa's love for art. His attempts at pottery weren't exactly successful, though, so he stuck to painting for now.

Note: A drama free round! Whoooooo.

Round Five - Knox

Jasper had moved out of the Knox family household, taking Destiny with him, so Cassius and Kaylynn decided this was the perfect time to renovate the house to make it impressive enough to get the kids into a private academy. Danny and Noah were slightly less enthusiastic about renovation.


Cassius and Kaylynn invited the headmaster around for dinner and a tour of the house, and thanks to the new decor and Kaylynn's delicious pork chops he was impressed enough to immediately grant the kids a place at his academy. Cassius was thrilled.


The change in school proved a good idea. Ruth and Noah's grades progressed much faster than they would have done otherwise, and as they were both scholarly types they were ecstatic about it. Ruth loved it, and the fact she looked super-smart in her uniform was always a bonus.


Junko Nakamura found the whole thing amusing.

"Why're you wearing that? You look like you're off to Hogwarts or something."

"Shut up..." muttered Noah, secretly wishing he'd had time to change into his normal clothes before she came over and made fun of him.


Their run of good luck almost ended when a burglar targeted their house. Thankfully he was not the brightest crook in the gang and ended up tripping both the car alarm and the security system, calling the police onto the scene immediately. The noise was deafening! The criminal was quickly apprehended.


Cassius had managed to put off death for a little while thanks to the genie's intervention, but he couldn't avoid it forever. He could feel the end creeping up on him. It was sad but inevitable.


Kaylynn reacted extremely badly and had a full-on nervous breakdown. Danny had to take care of the kids while she recuperated and called Destiny for backup frequently.


Danny had recently made friends with Hiro Nakamura. They shared some of the same hopes in life, both wishing to be world-famous athletes, and even though Hiro's sport of choice was soccer he often came over to play basketball. Inevitably, Destiny and Hiro met. Danny smiled. If his baby sister HAD to go out with guys then it might as well be Hiro. He was a good guy, and if he slipped up... well, Danny knew where he lived.


Note: goodbye Cassius :(

Round Five - Davies

Amanda was still devastated about her parents' divorce. Even though it'd been a long time coming and she wasn't exactly fond of her father it was still strange living in a broken home.


Thankfully it wasn't broken for long. Jasper had moved in, bringing Destiny with him (Danny had declined, not wishing to be stuck in a house full of teenage girls), and it wasn't long until he and Sabrina were engaged then married.


They were more than happy to finally be together. Sabrina considered buying a new bed once they had enough disposable income; it would be nice to start over fresh. Until then they'd have to make do, and were half-hoping for a baby.


Destiny continued to get on well with everyone. She was quick to bond with her new stepmother despite their drastically different personalities.


Amanda was less quick to warm to her, but Destiny kept trying and always remembered to tuck her in at night now James wasn't around to do it.


Even though they were the same age Destiny very quickly took on an overprotective-big-sister role towards Jacinta. She brought a boy home from school and Destiny was quick to grill him on his intentions the moment she was out of the room. She didn't like what she gleaned from her interrogation and was quick to show him the door.

"Where'd Randy go?" asked a puzzled-looking Jacinta when she emerged.

"Apparently he lives up to his name," scowled Destiny. "We are both way too good for boys like that. Come on, let's get out of here."


Jacinta and Destiny went on frequent outings as best friends and stepsisters. They had a pronounced fondness for bowling as they were both pretty good at it.

"Half-strike? Come on, you can do better than that!" laughed Jacinta.


Despite Jacinta's nerd girl nature she was better at bowling than Destiny; every other try was a strike. Thankfully Destiny took defeat gracefully. At least it kept her away from Randy.


Of course, Destiny hadn't realised Jacinta's affections lay elsewhere. She had a teenage-girl crush on Ash Chalmers, who she knew via her mother and stepfather. She wasn't about to do anything about it, the age-gap was far too much of an issue at the moment, but she couldn't help giggling at his jokes and admiring his kind nature (and his good looks).


Amanda was starting to come out of her very spiky shell now that her family life was more stable. Her and Yuki Nakamura's chess games were the stuff of legends, often lasting long past both of their bedtimes.


Unfortunately all that disfunction so early in life did leave its mark. She hit puberty fearing commitment - she didn't ever want to be walked all over like her idealistic mother had been. She was always going to be in control of her life.


Note: Even though I haven't set it as her secondary yet, when left to wander around autonomously Destiny acts much more like a Family sim than a Pleasure one. She also keeps spinning up wants to gain cooking and cleaning points! I don't like teen-adult interactions but I've kept them on so I can spot potential partners for when the teens get older due to lacking the Young Adult stage, hence the Ash/Jacinta thing. I'm not letting them do anything more than low-level flirting though. I pity poor Amanda - she's a shy, serious, grouchy Romance sim :(