Round Four: Knox 2

Will Knox was supposed to be living the carefree bachelor life, but somehow everything had gotten complicated and now he wanted out. It had all started, as many things do, with a few drinks...


His housemate Jill's routine consisted of work, visiting her boyfriend and hitting the bar in their apartment, and that girl could down drinks like there was no tomorrow.


One thing lead to another, which lead to the hot-tub in the basement. Will had made it clear to her it was a no-strings attached affair and she'd seemed to agree that was for the best - after all, she had a boyfriend and they didn't want to make their living arrangement weird.


Unfortunately Jill didn't seem to have grasped the message, or had other ideas of her own. She had her own bed in another room but she'd taken to relaxing on Will's while he slept. It was kind of creepy. He felt trapped.


He even had to make sure she didn't see him romancing other women, which meant he could only work his magic while she was at work or sleeping. It didn't get in his way, though - the girls still flocked to him!


How was he supposed to get cute girls into his supposed-bachelor pad with Jill hanging around glaring at him?! It had all been a terrible mistake.


Jill announced she was moving out, to Will's joy and surprise - he thought he'd never manage to get rid of her. But apparently her boyfriend had now split up with his wife and she was going to move in with him to keep an eye on him. Will thought that was a little hypocritical but didn't say it - he hadn't managed to get this far in his years of romancing without realising there were some times you really shouldn't speak your mind.

"Keep in touch, yeah?" said Will half-heartedly. Jill giggled.

"I'm only moving downstairs, silly." She put her hand on his arm lightly. "You can call me whenever you want."

Will gulped. Apparently he hadn't gotten rid of her so easily after all.


Note: Wow, Jill is something else. She can't stay faithful herself yet FREAKS when she's cheated on. I've got realistic jealousy on so she shouldn't freak out as much as she does, but... yikes. In and out of love all the time. That girl has a jealous streak a mile wide.

Round Four: Nakamura

Junko and Yuki were blossoming into very social young ladies. Yuki was a little more reserved but soon made friends with Ruth Knox. They had a similar temperament and were mostly concerned with intellectual matters. Junko was a little less impressed with Ruth but she liked her well enough.


Despite a false start Junko was now getting on well with Amanda Davies - they'd resolved to be BFFs. This seemed to mean that Junko hogged the phone to a teenager-esque level.


Hiro was having some good luck with the ladies. He brought a girl home from school and they ended up kissing, although neither of them were particularly keen on the idea of having a relationship right now. There was a little chemistry, but not enough.


Hanako could feel her days coming to an end. She'd had a fulfilling life, raising children and grandchildren and perfecting her art, and couldn't have wished for anything more.


She was still a little shocked and surprised when Death came for her, but slipped away with very little fuss.


The whole Nakamura family was devestated, especially little Junko. Even the fact her grandmother had left her some money in her will couldn't make her feel any better. Shiina was also upset but was dealing with it by trying to work out if her inheritance was enough to rent an apartment with.


Hiro coped by throwing himself into his fitness routines. He wanted to become a sports star so he needed to be in top physical condition, plus he loved the endorphin rush.


Shiina and her best friend Emma had graduated (barely, in Shiina's case) and were still thick as thieves. The plan to share an apartment was go, go, go!


Shiina soon found one looking through the ads in the papers. She couldn't wait to start her adult life - she loved her family, but she didn't love the way they cramped her style. She took the sewing machine with her as a last reminder of Hanako. She'd be a top designer before everyone else knew what hit them!

Note: I really don't know where Sachiko and Nobuo were hiding this round. I don't think there'll be any more little Nakamuras despite the fact those two woo-hoo whenever they get an opportunity, as the Try For Baby dialogue doesn't pop up for them. I guess Sachiko really has had enough of being pregnant!

Round Four: Mackenzie

Things were still going well for Lisa, Taylor and Ewan. They had a comfortable family dynamic going on.


Taylor and Lisa finally got married. It was the first marriage for either of them so despite their limited funds they made a big deal of it with a party, although they had to hold it in their back yard. It was a mostly couples affair, although Lisa's old friend Sinjin was invited as well. Thankfully despite his romantic tendencies he didn't cause any trouble and the whole thing was a roof-raiser.


And so Lisa became Mrs Straight. It sounded a bit funny, but she was sure she'd get used to it. Hopefully Ewan could carry on the family name.


Romance was in the air all through the Mackenzie-Straight household. Ewan had met a young lady called Meadow and sparks flew instantaneously. He was smitten.


Ewan mostly wanted to have a nice time with his girlfriend and make as many friends as possible, but he did harbour dreams of being a famous chef so took Meadow out on dates to restaurants so he could see what he was up against. Meadow was happy to discuss the food with him, although usually their conversations drifted more towards the physical than the culinary.


Newly-wed activities quickly caught up with Lisa and Taylor; Lisa was pregnant, and it showed. Even though it meant she'd have to take time off work just when she was getting somewhere she was still delighted, as was Taylor.


Ewan got a job at a local fast-food joint, but due to bad luck and poor judgement got fired on his first day. He was more than a little upset at the fact his dreams would have to be put on the backburner for a while.


Thankfully he had his beloved Meadow to soften the blow.

Note: Ewan is a Pleasure sim but so far he hasn't spun up any multiple first date wants and his LTW is for 50 dream dates rather than first dates, thank goodness. He seems really happy with Meadow which is a relief seeing as he's the heir now...

Round Four: Knox

Ruth and Noah were growing up quickly. Ruth was undeniably Cassius's favourite and he carried her around with him whenever she could, much to her delight.


Noah didn't lack for love and attention, though; how could he in a house full of so many people? Destiny in particular liked coddling him and dressing him up. Jasper had to remind her frequently that babies were not little dress-up-dolls and she should wait until she was much, MUCH older before she went and had one of her own.


Jasper's worries weren't entirely unfounded. Even though Destiny had discovered the wonderful concept known as "dating" she hadn't found any boys she wanted to kiss yet. She was a bit of a tomboy herself and preferred to go on just-friends dates. She wasn't extravagant and didn't demand expensive restaurants; a trip bowling or just hanging around at home were good enough for her.


Like Jasper, Cassius couldn't help but worry. He knew what teenage boys were like; he'd been one once and then raised two of his own, and Destiny was a sweet girl who tended to assume the best of people.

"Not all people are as trustworthy as me and you, sweetie," said Cassius delicately over breakfast. "I just want you to be careful, you're my little girl."

"Thanks, but I can look after myself," said Destiny, smiling as ever. "Don't forget, I grew up around Uncle Will. I may be nice but I'm not a doormat!"

Cassius sighed, ever more aware he wouldn't be able to look after little Ruth when she hit that difficult age.


Destiny's life wasn't all boys, boys, boys anyway. She'd made friends with Jacinta Davies; they were an odd couple, to say the least, but somehow it worked. Jacinta kept Destiny on the straight and narrow and Destiny helped Jacinta let her hair down and live a little - all that repression couldn't be healthy! It hadn't escaped their eagle eyes that their parents were "involved" and were delighted by the notion that if Jasper and Sabrina got married, they could technically be sisters!


Jasper and Sabrina's daughters weren't the only ones who knew things were serious between them now. Their mutual friend from work, Ash, had congratulated Jasper on netting such a sensible (and pretty!) lady friend, and Jasper hadn't said a thing to disabuse him of the notion.


He talked to Sabrina about it.

"Is it okay if I tell people that we're... involved? I mean, I can understand if you're worried about people gossipping - "

"Of course it's okay! It's more than okay. I can't keep denying it, it's over between me and James. We're going to file for a divorce. I want to be with you. Just you."


Romance was in the air all over the Knox house. Twins and the progress of time hadn't dampened Cassius and Kaylynn's enthusiasm for one another at all - Kaylynn still thought he was hot, with or without the dapper hat.


The twins were finally out of the cantankerous toddler years, and it was becoming ever clearer that even though they had all of their father's colouring they had their mother's facial features. They were both pleasant, tidy children and got on well, although Noah was a little more boisterous than his sister. They both shared their father's love of science and could talk about planets and aliens for hours.


Unfortunately the downside of the twins now being old enough to have a bit more autonomy was that they could get at the computer. One of them had jammed the CD drive with peanut butter (at least, Kaylynn assumed it was one of the twins - surely Danny knew better?) and Kaylynn was left to fix it. Unfortunately despite her love of tinkering she managed to get the shock of her life when she jammed the screwdriver into the wrong bit and had to have a long lie-down.


Family breakfasts and dinners were more than a little hectic. Kaylynn knew things would be a little less crazy once Jasper moved out, possibly taking Danny and Destiny with him, but at the same time she couldn't help thinking it would be a good idea to do some renovations anyway. Cassius had gotten it into his head that they should try and get Ruth and Noah into a private academy and they needed a much more impressive house if they were going to schmooze the headmaster...


Note: Destiny kept autonomously giving Noah baths and playing with them; even though she's a Pleasure sim she really loves looking after babies! Once she has enough reward points she's getting a secondary of Family, definitely. Danny spent most of this round playing basketball. I don't know what to do regarding moving them all around, if Jasper and Sabrina have a baby I want Destiny around to look after it but the house would be SO CROWDED.

Round Four: Davies

Now Sabrina had found out about his affair James didn't even attempt to hide his behaviour. He would organise dates with Jill and sweet-talk her even if the kids were around, which was a rude awakening for Jacinta. She couldn't pretend her family was perfect anymore. She buried herself in her schoolwork.


James wanted to prove to himself that even though he was definitely in love with Jill, he wasn't so in love he'd get tied down to her. He was sick of married life. In an attempt to do so he invited the blonde goth chick he'd met a while back over to the house, but was less than impressed. She was WEIRD. He didn't have much of a connection with other women he'd met lately either.


In the end, Jill was the one he always came back to. He started inviting her over to the house too, despite Sabrina's protests.


Sabrina wasn't so full of rage about it anymore, though. She kept busy when the girls weren't around and James was doing his thing, reading and studying.


Jasper Knox had managed to get her a job in his company; it was an entry-level deal, but Sabrina was thankful nonetheless. A slacker's wages weren't enough to keep this family going, especially as James seemed intent on gambling it all away, and the fact it was a favour from Jasper made her feel like a lovestruck teenager.


Despite himself, James was less than happy about it.

"You seem awfully close to that Knox guy," he muttered. "Are you and him - "

"You're getting possessive at the idea of ME having an affair? After everything you've done? You're half the man Jasper is." She stormed off.


The truth was that she and Jasper were indeed having an affair. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of in a husband. They'd had a brief moment when she was still in the throes of rage from discovering James and Jill's betrayal but had attempted to keep things platonic, although Sabrina couldn't stop herself from saying cruel things about James's "other women".


But they couldn't keep their feelings suppressed forever. One thing lead to another and they ended up going on a proper date. Jasper took her to a very fancy restaurant, something James had never done for her. Sabrina reckoned she could get used to being treated like a princess.


Amanda and Jacinta were learning to get along a little better. Amanda was still prickly and inclined to make fun of her geeky big sister, but Jacinta now took it in her stride and laughed it off.


Both James and Sabrina knew it was time for the whole sorry mess they'd called a marriage to end - they were both having affairs, after all. Sabrina had turned out to have an affinity for business, rising up the corporate ladder almost as easily as Jasper had done, and it was a done deal that she'd be keeping the house and the children. She kicked James out and told him she'd be sending him divorce papers as soon as humanly possible. James was shocked at her rage but didn't need to be told twice - he'd wanted out since the day he said "I do."


He packed his bags, stopping only to give Amanda a farewell kiss goodnight. He knew she wouldn't miss him, but he would miss her. Then he set off down town - Jill had given him the names and phone numbers of a few landlords, so hopefully it wouldn't be too long before he found a new place. Maybe he could get a poker night organised or something without Sabrina looking over his shoulder the whole time.

Note: Sorry if this seems a little disjointed. My computer kept crashing throughout this round. I'm not sure what to do about James and Jill yet, I'm tempted to move her in to his apartment next round but it's a tricky choice. James and commitment don't mix, and Jill's no angel either...

Round Three: Knox 2

Will had found a particularly gorgeous apartment complex down town and moved in to one of the penthouse suites. He already got on quite well with the landlord, and was hoping to reduce the exorbitant rent a little.


There were other attractions in the place. Will knew that romancing someone who lived in the same building as him was a risky business, but she was cute and responded to his advances.


Unfortunately he hadn't managed to drive the rent down and had to find a roomie. One of the applicants was Jill Fleig. Various bits of his brain did battle over the idea. Living with a lady could be a bad idea; what if they hit it off? How was he supposed to bring new conquests home without her getting jealous? But on the other hand, she was hot. In the end, hot won out.


Despite the obvious attraction between them, Will didn't see much of Jill. She was too busy working or going out to meet some boyfriend. She never brought him home so Will had no idea who he was, but he sounded like a bit of a jerk. Of course, Will knew all about jerks. Despite his fling with the girl in his building he still managed to find new "friends".


Jill was a permanent temptation, though, especially as she insisted on wandering around in her underwear. Will wondered how long it would take before someone's resolve cracked; whether it would be hers or his was anyone's guess.


Note: Nothing particularly interesting happened this round, just Will romancing his way through the ladies, hence the lack of pictures. I moved Jill in because Will had the want to find a roommate, and despite having had Nightlife for a while I've never moved in roomies, plus Jill was an option and I figured seeing as she's already made a name for herself in these parts it was easier to move her in than figure stuff out for someone else. So far it's kind of dull, I don't think she'll be staying long.