Serenity Hills - a Sims 2 Prosperity Challenge

I GIVE UP!

2010-08-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Not on Sims blogging, but on this particular legacy. I've moved in with my boyfriend (yay) so I'm using his PC now, and I don't know how corrupt this neighbourhood was after various stuff on the old PC. Plus I've decided that I keep complicating things far too much when it comes to Prosperities. Eg, there were a lot of playable townies hanging around, and as much as I'd like to be as dedicated and generally awesome at Sims stories as Lakeside Heights or Pine Hollow I don't think it's going to happen. But I have a new blog, over at Wordpress, which is appropriately called More Gorram Sims. I've started blogging my first ever I'm Surrounded By Idiots challenge and will have a new Prosperity soon, where I'll attempt to stick to the rules! The links and CC resources aren't up yet but they soon will be :)

Round Eleven - King 2 - Enjoying the Empty Nest

2010-07-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

Note: Sorry that updates are so sporadic. My PC has given up after seven years of loyal service making playing extremely difficult. I hate to abandon a story for the SECOND TIME (eek!) but I'm going to be moving all my Sims stuff to my boyfriend's PC and will probably start over, especially seeing as I've discovered many more resources...

Alima and Duncan's son Gabriel has left for university and they've decided to stop renting and buy their own home. As long as they've got each other there's no time for any of that empty-nest business!

Duncan had heard about what was going on between his niece Lilliana and the local lothario Tom Darwin from his step-daughter Athena (Liliana's sister-in-law, confusingly enough) so it was more than awkward when Tom started stopping by. Duncan tried to reason with him, having been a bit of a player in his teens but Tom wasn't hearing any of it.

"Liliana's a grown woman, she can make her own decisions and if she wants to date me that's none of your business."

Duncan cringed. "Just be careful, okay? I don't want you knocking her up, she's got a brilliant future ahead of her."

Duncan spent the rest of the day sulking. He knew it wasn't his job to keep Liliana safe, even if her father had gone a bit crazy. Still, she was his niece. That counted for something.

Duncan decided to check up on more of his family, and he and Alima arranged dinner with Gabriel and Miranda.

Miranda actually turned up at the restaurant in a wetsuit. "Sorry about the get-up, I had to come straight from work!"

"No problem, it's good to see you anyway."

Miranda and Gabriel looked more like brother and sister than cousins - and they acted it too. All the conversation was about work, money and a little bit of skill-building. Alima and Duncan had never been too bothered about that sort of thing but they listened intently while checking out the menu.

Alima got into the swing of things, as usual. In fact, she got so wrapped up in talking to both of them about their grades she was still less than halfway through her main course once Miranda had finished, and Gabriel was already on his dessert!

Life was still amazing for Alima and Duncan, after all these years. They'd struggled through their difficult younger years and come out of it strong, with money, their own house, and each other.

Notes: Yeah, Duncan and Alima are still RELENTLESSLY SOPPY. Duncan, Pleasure sim that he is, rolled up a want to dine out and I jumped to making it a bit more interesting than dinner-for-two because all this domestic bliss is driving me crazy ;)

Round Eleven - Bachman/Darwin - Opening the Relationship

2010-07-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Liliana King has graduated and moved to an apartment back in town. Theoretically they could have their little trysts there, but Tom can't be bothered to keep things secret anymore. After all, he and Allyn aren't exclusive anymore. Not that they ever officially were, it just... happened.

But Tom forgot an important factor - when Drake walked in on his daddy making out with someone who most definitely was not his mommy, they had a lot of explaining to do. Perhaps they should have been more discreet in case they scarred Drake for life... but he seemed to understand quickly.

Tom's barely looked at another woman since Drake was born but Liliana's given him his mojo back. They hired a maid recently, seeing as both he and Allyn would rather paint and mess around than do the household chores, and he can't help but check her out. Then there's also the matter of all the other hot co-eds he met when visiting Liliana at SSU...

Allyn's not exactly in the same place. She's got no qualms about the notion of an open relationship but there's no-one she wants to see more than Tom. She's been head over heels since he made fun of her at their first dorm party. Sure, she dated other people when they were apart, but none of them made her swoon like Tom does.

Despite everything, Drake manages to grow up into a well-adjusted (and very handsome!) young man, but he's still nothing like his parents. In fact, all he wants from life is to learn, and that's why he wants to go to a private academy rather than the town high school.

Tom can't grasp the concept. "What do you want to go to some stuffy private school for? All your friends go to Serenity Hills High, don't you?"
Drake sighs. "It's not about that. Serenity Hills High is fine, but a lot of the kids there aren't particularly... driven. Neither are some of the teachers. Frankly, I think I'd do better at the academy. It's not like I can't see my friends outside of school, and I know we've got the money to pay for the fees so don't give me that."
Allyn says nothing. Dedicated slackers, they both have no clue how they've manage to raise a child like Drake.

Drake ends up having to make all the arrangements himself but despite his parents' apathy he has no problem getting in. This added show of ambition and a true desire to be the best he can be only improves the headmaster's view that he'd be a credit to the academy.

Round Eleven - King - In Which Tension Rises

2010-06-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

Adrian can't believe the cheek of his children. Living in the home he built and paid for, sponging off him, and what's more they seem completely oblivious to the outside world. When do they ever work? The fact that they've both already gotten further in their careers and are earning more than he probably ever will escapes his mind.

His strange behaviour hasn't escaped Nathaniel's mind, and he starts the awkward discussion with his mother over a delicious home-baked cake.

"Do you think dad ought to see the doctor? He's been acting strangely lately."

"You know your father's always been a bit strict and up-tight," says Noriko reasonably. She's worried about her husband and thinks Nathaniel's right, but she knows Adrian, and he'd never go to the doctor over something he considers trivial. "I'll go to the doctor though, my knees have been playing up and, well, my bladder - "

"Too much information," grimaces Nathaniel.

Little David is all grown up - well, not quite. He's a teenager and he has a long way to go. Still, in Noriko's mind he's a man now, and he's grown to be an upstanding example. She's always ready to praise him when he does well at school, and to give him a hug when he's upset about his dad and grandfather fighting. As long as none of his friends are there, of course. She was a teenager once and knows there's nothing as embarrassing as hugs from grandma.

Some might consider him spoiled - he asked for a drumkit for his birthday and his parents and Noriko jumped straight to it. They'd gotten Athena a new basketball hoop too, so it was a fair decision. Just so long as Adrian didn't find out they'd been spending money frivolously. Their excuse was that David had saved up money from his new part-time job.

Of course, the part time job doesn't pay that well, and David is much more concerned with his social life anyway. He gets on like a house on fire with his cousin Caroline, but hasn't managed to make friends with Vikki. Then again, no-one's made friends with Vikki except Athena.

Athena's main outlet of friendship with Vikki is talking about boys; Athena's on the hunt and Vikki knows plenty, but not the sort of boys Athena wants - someone sensible and serious about relationships. In the meantime she chooses to remain oblivious to everything going on with her crazy family.

Round Eleven - Darwin - Healing?

2010-06-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

Miranda's life has gotten more complicated since leaving her parents' home. A whole lot more complicated. Somehow, still, it's rewarding. Now baby Lee's arrived on the scene along with her little step-brother Milo she barely finds time to read up on the latest marine biology research to keep up with work, but Sam steps up to the plate every time. He's a natural father and completely dotes on his son.

Harvey was always less of a natural father, but his deep depression after Esther's death seems to be slowly lifting. He tucks Milo in every night after reading him a bedtime story, something Sam insists he never did for him or his brother Tom. He doesn't say it bitterly, he's more surprised than anything.

Miranda's happy with their complicated life as it is, for now, but Sam wants another addition. After all, he's always wanted to be a family man, and he doesn't just love Lee because he's a son but because he's his child. Sometimes Miranda considers listening to his requests to try for another baby, maybe a girl. Not that they can choose!

One day Sam catches Miranda's sister Liliana at the gallery, being harassed by their over-enthusiastic saleswoman. Sam always finds being around Liliana awkward after her many advances towards him when they were younger but it's lessening now. She looks really put-upon, every inch the struggling artist, and doesn't seem to be paying as much attention to her hair and general appearance as she used to. So he steps in.

"Hey, how's it going?" The saleswoman moves away, disappointed.

"Not as good as it could. Apparently a degree isn't a magical path to success in the art world." She says it with a laugh but he can tell he's bothered. He tries to ignore the woman swooning over his brother's longterm girlfriend and focus.

"We can help out if you like? Darwin Arts can buy your work and we'll pass on the profits."

"Are you sure? I can't imagine I'll be much of a draw."

"Don't put yourself down, you're a great artist."

Lee grows and grows, a truly happy child. Maybe having another kid around the place wouldn't be too much trouble... Miranda's been doing well at work, they wouldn't begrudge her a bit more maternity leave, and Darwin Arts brings in enough money for Sam to potentially quit his job and be a stay at home dad. Decisions...

Notes: yeahhh this update is really late. I've been writing non-Sims things lately, plus my game is extremely bugged (I'm playing it on a seven-year-old PC that my sister filled full of viruses until we fixed it!). There's a possibility I'll have to delete everything and start over on my boyfriend's PC. Which sucks.

Round Eleven - Bhalli - Everyday Life

2010-05-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Jace and Solveig Bhalli have just welcomed their third child and only son, George, into the world. Little Caroline is still the perfect child, but teenage Vikki is going off the rails, and fast...

Jace didn't love his girls any less now he had a son, but he couldn't argue against there being a special bond between him and George. He'd never been a very macho guy but he liked the idea of being able to toss a football around with his son as well as with his eldest daughter.

Having a boy around didn't make a huge difference in the scheme of things. Caroline was still really into her toy helicopter and Vikki still loved her video games - when George was older he would still fit right in.

George was a handsome little toddler and Solveig would talk to him about her day at the hospital, even though he was too small to understand. In fact, the fact he was too small to understand meant she could pretend he was interested!

Vikki had snagged her first kiss with one of the boys who hung around her all the time. It was nice enough, but she figured it was the kissing in general that was nice, not that boy in particular.

He'd suggested something a bit more official, but she suspected that would mean hanging out at each other's houses every day after school rather than going out - she much preferred bowling and playing pool to any study date!

Note: Ahhh, the Bhallis. They're happy and this makes them a little dull. Haha.

Round Ten - University - Repercussions

2010-04-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Things are only just getting back to normal after Liliana and Ashlee's disastrous fling, and now Liliana's cousin Gabriel, who's had a bit of a crush on Ashlee for a while, has joined them and Maya at S.S.U. Will they all keep it together long enough to graduate?

Liliana had barely talked to him at the party, only tangentially knowing Allyn in the first place, so she's surprised when Tom Darwin calls her out of the blue. Liliana may be heartbroken but that doesn't mean she's been lying around crying and getting stuck out of the loop. She knows her gossip, knows that Tom and Allyn, while still most certainly a couple, are seeing other people.

"We should go on a date sometime," he says with a debonair sort-of-a-laugh.

"How about tomorrow? Coffee on campus? I mean, if you've got time and it's not too much of a journey. I'd meet you back in Serenity but, yanno, can't afford a car what with dorm payments and all..." She keeps her voice casual even though she knows she's rambling a bit, plus she's gripping the receiver hard enough to hurt.

If he cares about her hidden nervousness he doesn't show it. "Sure. 5pm good for you?"

"Awesome. See you then." Click.

They don't drink much coffee in the end. Sure, he buys her an espresso (he can certainly afford it) but Liliana's got more on her mind. She wants to forget all about Ashlee and that awkwardness, so she doesn't hesitate to make her move.

He's not the first Darwin man she's been after - Sam caught her attention once upon a time, after all - but Tom's an easy one to catch right back.

After a very pleasant kiss goodbye she wonders if she should invite him back to the dorm... she just bought a double bed for her room, seems a shame not to use it. But she doesn't want to look easy. She is most certainly not easy, a lot of boys could tell you that, but Tom just DOES something to her. He leaves for his big new house in Serenity Hills, a long drive from S.S.U.

(I lost my pictures of the date. Tom looked really shifty THE WHOLE TIME, looking over his shoulder!)

Gabriel wastes no time getting re-acquainted with Ashlee to a much "friendlier" level than they had before. She's learned from last time and told him straight out that they're not serious or exclusive, and he's okay with it, although maybe deep down he believes he can change her mind.

So Gabriel doesn't have anything more than Liliana could have. But it doesn't change the way she feels. He keeps trying to be all FRIENDLY and HAPPY and it annoys the hell out of her.

Like the morning after another big party when, before she's even had an opportunity to get caffeine and fried food into her system, he settles down next to her on the battered old sofa and starts going on about the fine art market. They're both majoring in Art with the intention of going pro so it's something they should be able to talk about, but she can't take it.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear about all your stupid financial stuff. Save it for someone who cares." She gets up and storms off to her room, and pulls her cellphone from her pocket...

So he sticks to hanging out with Ashlee. She's... not dumb, that's not the right word at all. But she isn't academic or serious and they never have arguments. They never really talk much.

Liliana and Tom don't talk much either. All the "playing hard to get" kind of stopped happening. As the semesters seemingly fly by, he's over at the S.S.U. campus a surprising amount, driving Allyn's flashy sports car.

The college years are over all too quickly for Ashlee, Maya and Liliana. They graduate, although none with honours, and get ready to head off home.

"We can still hang out and stuff, I'll visit whenever," says Ashlee cheerfully to Gabriel. "I mean, yeah, we're open to meeting new people, but I like you a lot."

"I like you a lot too." It's true. Gabriel does like her... but he doesn't love her. He's sure of that now, and he's also sure that he does want to be in love. Maybe time away from Ashlee and the way she makes his brain go all fuzzy is for the best.

On moving-out day there are tears all round, especially for Maya and Liliana. Ashlee's moving in with Maya and her mother but Liliana has already found an apartment in downtown Sim City.

"Don't cry, May! I'm, like, an hour's drive away, not dead."

"I know, I know. I'll miss you so much. I'd move out with you too, but my mother needs me and - "

" - and Ashlee's about as self-sufficient as a baby so she can't live on her own, and there's no way I'm living with her."

"That too."

Maya dries her eyes and breaks from the hug. "I'll miss you. Come and visit whenever you want." She knows it probably won't happen. There's still too much bad blood between Liliana and Ashlee. But she hopes Liliana will come around.

Round Ten - Darwin 2 - Getting By

2010-04-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

Adele Darwin is trying to find ways to occupy her time outside work while her daughter Maya is at university. Her life has never been easy, so can she find solace in her twilight years?

Even though Adele now worked in Sim City while Colby was still in provincial politics, they kept in touch and he often came over, but they weren't a serious "item". Adele didn't want anything serious from him, and if he wanted anything more he kept it quiet. It was a good arrangement.

Trying to keep up with her children's complicated lives took up a lot of her time too. Maya had moved out but was always calling her, especially after all the drama with Liliana and Ashlee, and Adele called Sam frequently. She couldn't deal with the concept of going over to visit as she didn't want to put any of them through her bitterness, even (or maybe especially) Milo.

Old age had somewhat tempered her workaholic nature. Sure, she still went in every day, but when she got home she now either stepped back and read a book or surfed the internet instead of doing extra work. She was considering started a pseudynomous blog... people wanted to hear about the gossip in politics, right? And it wasn't as if getting found out and being fired would be such a tragedy anymore. She'd finally gotten Harvey to pay some alimony.

All in all, things were good. Adele thought she might even be (gasp)... happy.

Round Ten - King 2 - Keeping Up With the Kids

2010-04-24T03:25:00.000-07:00

Alima and Duncan are elders but they're as passionate as ever, and their son Gabriel is readying himself for a life of painting fruit and living on ramen noodles as he prepares for University.

"Oh, hi Jace."

"Hi mom! I didn't wake you, did I?"

"You've never had a bad reason for calling me," said Alima into the reciever. "Or no reason, either. So how's Solveig doing? Did she enjoy the third pregnancy or did she want to punch you into space? And how's my grandson?"

Jace laughed. "She's fine, and so's George."

Duncan's age hadn't stopped his life-long desire to stay "cool" and up to date with the trends, to the point of getting into chats with any teenage friends Gabriel brought home. Alima thought it was all a little silly but she didn't say anything about it. Unfortunately, they both brought their "cool" factor (and Gabriel's, too) way down by wandering around the house in their PJs all day.

Duncan tried to explain the latest fads in music to Adele but she didn't get it. She'd never been particularly hip, or whatever the word was these days...

Gabriel knew he wanted to major in art already; he could almost taste the world-wide acclaim he'd get as an artist and it was the only thing on his mind.

Well, almost the only thing on his mind.

"No, you can't paint me! I know what teenage boys are like, it'll just be a study of my boobs. And don't ask me to see your etchings, either."

Gabriel was kind of annoyed by the constant rebuffs (heading off to university having never been kissed was embarrassing) but he knew he had a higher calling. Plus, well, maybe college girls would be a bit less picky, and he still carried a small torch for Ashlee Rodiek...

Names

2010-04-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, apart from the heirs to the three original homes of the founding families I'm not going to be putting any particular effort into keeping the Bhalli, Darwin and King names the main ones in the 'hood. There's several reasons for this. First, and least importantly, it's more realistic. Second, it makes it easier for me to identify particular family lines, eg Darwin vs Pasang. Third, it means when the game doesn't recognise sims to be related and I'm not too squicked out to let them get together (or they refuse point-blank to let me not get them together) I don't get the issue of sims who are in love and only tangentially related having the same surname and thus freaking me out!

Round Ten - Bachman/Darwin - Money, Money, Money!

2010-04-22T03:23:00.000-07:00

Tom Darwin, Allyn Bachman and their son Drake are getting ready to move into a new home after Tom's unexpected financial windfall. Will this change their relationship dynamic, especially as Drake doesn't act like his parents at all?

Allyn doesn't know to connect with Drake now he doesn't rely on her for every last thing. She and Tom have never exactly been academics, yet they've somehow spawned a little bookworm. Allyn barely understands what he's talking about over dinner, as he delves deep into world politics (a bit too deep for an elementary school kid). Where does he get all these ideas from?!

The answer is simple: books (a lot of them) and the internet. He spends all his allowance at the bookstore, and while his parents have never used their PC for anything other than social networking websites and IM-ing people he's mastered Google and Simpedia with the greatest of ease. He's one step off stealing his dad's credit card to sign up to an academic papers website.

Their new house isn't downtown but smack in the middle of Serenity Hills, close to Tom's estranged family. Maybe he wants to build some bridges. Whatever. Allyn doesn't care much either way - the house is beautiful, modern and HUGE!

There's a spacious and secure garage, so Allyn buys the shiny red sports car she's always wanted. Most times, it's the guy who wants the expensive fast car, but Allyn's been itching to get one since she was a teenager.

They transform the basement next to the garage into a party room, complete with bar and "bubble" blower. Drake is, of course, banned from setting foot down here. Tom and Allyn love their son, even if he was a surprise, but they need their own space. There's plenty of it in this house!

Drake's not fussed, though. He has his own bedroom, with a book-case and a chess set, and when his parents are in the basement he has free reign over the living area. Despite his overachieving nature, he makes a lot of friends at school and brings them home. One such friend is Milo Pasang... it's hard to believe he's Drake's uncle. They settle for calling each other cousins instead, and talk about all the interesting people Milo sees in his dad's store.

Tom and Allyn get round to throwing their housewarming party, and that's where Tom meets Liliana King. Their eyes meet across the bubble-blower, and Tom doesn't know if he's truly feeling this connection or if it's the "bubbles". They exchange a few flirtatious glances and words. Allyn doesn't even notice, engrossed in a high conversation about fashion with a friend.

Tom tries to keep his mind off her. He was never one for fidelity but somehow he and Allyn have a good thing going and he doesn't want to mess it up by making out with a drunken Liliana right in front of everyone. But still, every time he joins the others on the dance floor he can't stop sneaking glances at her...

The next evening, once their hangovers have worn off, Drake bites the bullet over dinner.

"I was thinking... what's your opinion on open relationships? Especially if it were OUR relationship?"

Much to his surprise, Allyn's reaction isn't one of shock, disgust or anger. She smiles and puts down her fork for a moment. "Actually, that's a really good idea. I love you, but we've gotten into a major rut since Drake was born. I miss being taken out for meals and all that romantic stuff, and I know you're too busy for that."

"Awesome! So we can see other people?"

"Yeah. We need ground rules though. Say, always use protection and never get emotionally involved? I don't want us to mess Drake up for life!"

"Sounds great to me, sweetheart," says Tom, stroking her hand lovingly.

Note: Tom and Allyn's wants until this point have been entirely monogamous - Allyn's only wanted to go on dates rather than spun up multiple-first-date wants, Tom's only wanted to woo-hoo rather than spinning up multiple-woo-hoo wants... but the moment Liliana turned up BOTH their wants started to suggest they want to open things up a bit. Can't argue with that! This is a wants-driven challenge, after all...

Round Ten - King - Teenage Angst

2010-04-20T03:21:00.000-07:00

The King household is as crowded as ever, and now Nathaniel and Petal's eldest child Athena has reached her teenage years it isn't going to get any easier!

(Athena's POV)

I know all teenagers think their family is weird, but mine is super-weird. I mean, I've only just started high school, my life is difficult enough without my GRANDMA playing soccer in the back yard. I can just about handle it from mom, she's not wrinkly yet, but grandma?

I mean, she's this super-duper matriarch, right? All obsessed with us going to college and getting married and stuff like that. But at the same time she acts like a little kid - she loves playing on the games console and gets real over-the-top whenever she wins. But it's funny when my little brother gets beaten by an old lady.

He is SO annoying. The other day I was jumping rope outside, because I want to look good so I can get a boyfriend, then he ran out to hug dad when he got home from work. I nearly hit them with the rope! Then they got all mean even though it was their own fault!

Mom keeps getting on my case. She brought home some friend from work and I thought he was cute so I started talking to him, then she began watching me like I was going to jump him or something. Then when he left I got this huge lecture about not chasing older men and blah blah blah. Ugh!

David keeps making fun of me because I don't have a boyfriend, telling me I'm too grouchy for people to like me! Whatever! I'm going to find a great boyfriend, then we'll go steady then get married and have loads of babies and... oh god, I sound like my grandma.

Notes: Athena rolled family - I'm not sure if it suits her! She finds it so hard to get into good conversations with people, and she's really picky about boys... but that last bit is probably a good thing. No bad boyfriends for Athena! I guess it suits her better than Romance, like poor grouchy Amanda in my last challenge.

BONUS PIC:

According to this random townie kid David brought home from school, Nathaniel and Petal are the most embarrassing parents ever.

Round Ten - Darwin - Aftermath

2010-04-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

Harvey Darwin is trying to deal with being an elderly single father after the death of his girlfriend Esther Pasang. Thankfully he has his son and future daughter-in-law to help him look after Milo, but will he ever recover?

Miranda tried to reach out to Harvey, but it was difficult. He rebuffed all her kind words and she felt a little resentment. She was basically acting as Milo's mother after Esther's death, why couldn't he appreciate that?

She didn't let her resentment get in the way of actually looking after Milo though. She saw him as her own baby boy, so it was strange to think this helpless, sweet little baby would be her brother-in-law once she and Lee were married. Still, she could understand why Harvey wanted to distance himself, even if she couldn't sympathise - Milo looked quite like his mother and was just already as kind.

It didn't help that, in some ways, it didn't feel as if Esther was actually gone. Sam had felt a strange presence in the house lately. He'd never been superstitious but he was beginning to think the house was haunted.

"I'm sure you've felt it too," he said to his father at breakfast. "Like, her spirit is so sad she couldn't have the life she wanted, so she's hanging around to make sure Milo is looked after."

"That's nonsense," snapped Harvey. He slammed his coffee cup down on the table and walked off. Sam was a good guy but sometimes he lacked tact. It was a family trait.

Milo wasn't going to stay the baby of the house for long, though. Despite being busy and tired looking after a toddler, Miranda and Lee still found time to have a bit of fun and soon the consequences became apparent. Miranda got increasing cravings for grilled cheese, and a pregnancy test confirmed it. She and Lee were married at the court house and she became Mrs. Darwin, waiting for a baby Darwin.

She tried to take it easy during her pregnancy but she still played with Milo whenever she could.

Milo started school shortly afterward. He was quite shy around people he didn't know but was forever babbling on at his family members, asking questions and trying to figure out what was going on.

"We're gonna have a new person in the house soon, aren't we? Because you're having a baby. Well... aunty Miranda is."

"That's right," said Sam indulgently.

"Will I have to share my room with the baby?"

Sam laughed. "Of course not. You'll have a room of your own and the baby will get the nursery."

"Phew!"

Once he was sure he wasn't going to have a baby in his room with him, Milo started getting really excited about the concept of a new friend. He didn't quite get how this baby would be his niece or nephew, not his sibling or his cousin, but he'd always talk to the baby whenever Miranda came in to read his bedtime story.

Milo's excitement seemed to be rubbing off on everybody. Miranda was startled (and overjoyed) to find Harvey dancing his son around the kitchen. It seemed like the cloud over the family was finally lifting.

Good thing too - the baby wasn't waiting any longer.

"Go get Sam and your daddy," shouted Miranda as her contractions started. Milo ran off and soon the whole family set off to the hospital.

Miranda told Milo he could stay home with his father, but neither of them were having any of it. "There's no way I'd be able to sleep, I wanna see the baby!" yelled Milo.

And that was how Lee Darwin entered the world, into a loving family. He looked just like his father!

"Can I talk to the baby some more?"

Sam smiled. "OK, but just for a little bit. He needs feeding and you need to get to school."

Now things had begun to settle down, Miranda could finally get on the career ladder in her chosen field of marine biology. She had a great new job at Sim City Aquarium, although she wished she could change into her wetsuit when she got there rather than before she even got in the car pool...

Harvey finally reopened Darwin arts in the front room of the house. It still made him sadly nostalgic, though... and now their family was getting bigger, having half the house taken up by their business seemed a little much. Maybe he could get into the real estate market?

Notes: Argh! I didn't mean for them to even get married so soon, let alone have a baby, but I forgot I had Unmarried Try For Baby on after Esther's wants so they had to get married straight away to keep the Darwin name! Lee is named after Lee Adama from Battlestar Galactica.

Round Ten - Bhalli - Prankster

2010-04-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

Jace and Solveig are trying for a new baby to complete their family. Their two daughters Vikki and Caroline are of school-age, but they're not the best friends sisters could be...

Solveig and Jace both worked jobs that occasionally demanded odd hours, and that sometimes meant that the girls were left to their own devices on Saturday mornings. Caroline knew she should have been doing the homework she was given on Friday, but Vikki had other ideas and dragged her to play video games. But Caroline wasn't the easy opponent she'd hoped for.

"Ugh! There's no way you can be beating me so often without cheating. I'm amazing at this and you're just a stupid kid. Go and play with your dolls or something!"

Vikki felt like she had a lot of reasons to hate Caroline. For starters, Caroline was quite the avid student and actually listened when their parents helped her with her homework.

Soon she was getting straight A's and she didn't half show off about it. Vikki called her a suck-up but all that got her was gentle reminders from her parents that she could get top grades too if she tried.

Despite the fact they weren't getting any younger, Solveig and Jace's attempts for another child and had been successful pretty much straight away. Jace invited his sister Petal over as soon as possible and she and Solveig caught up with stories about pregnancy and motherhood.

"It's kind of freaking me out though," admitted Solveig. "Having another baby... I never thought I'd have this many children!"

"It takes two to tango, sweetie. You're a doctor, you know full well where babies come from!"

Her next stint of maternity leave arrived quickly and she tried to relish more time at home with her daughters... it was less suffocating this time around. Maybe she was finally getting the hang of this whole work/life balance thing?

Vikki didn't get any more feminine or scholarly with the advent of puberty. She kept her hair as short as ever and never wore skirts - ew, ew, ew! - and instead of going to after-school clubs like her parents told her to, she kept up with her gaming achievements.

Being a tomboy hadn't stopped guys from being interested in her - she wasn't exactly shy and retiring with it. She had a sort of boyfriend already and had her first kiss. She'd made the first move!

Although "boyfriend" was a bit of a strong word for their relationship. He was more like a willing victim of her pranks.

Jace was a bit worried about his baby girl spending so much time with a boy, but Solveig pointed out that he obviously really liked her. Why else would he put up with constant waterballoons, joy-buzzers and noogies? Vikki wasn't in love or anything, but it was nice to have someone to kiss... and someone to torment who didn't run off crying.

Solveig was used to pregnancy enough now that she didn't freak out when her contractions started. Jace had taken some time off work so she wandered off to find him.

"It's time," she said gently.

He held her hands and smiled. "I'll call the taxi."

Jace and Solveig's third and probably final child was a little boy who looked just like his daddy. They named him George. Vikki was sort of intrigued by him on the grounds that a little brother might be more fun than Caroline.

Jace may have had a son to carry on the family name, but Caroline was still his special little girl. He knew he wasn't supposed to have favourites but Caroline was so adorable it was hard not to!

Quick Note: Haunted Houses

2010-04-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I want ghosts around, even though they are extremely annoying... hey, if I'm going to have vampires, witches and maybe even zombies eventually, ghosts are nothing. Most graves, including almost everyone descended from the founding families, will get moved to the cemetery but in the case of deaths like Esther's I'm going to hide the urns somewhere in the house where they can't be interfered with. I will try and keep the number of "haunted houses" low - one per sub-neighbourhood (I forget the game term for that), and the ghosts won't become apparent unless they actually haunt someone to death or something.

Usually they'll happen via gameplay, but I have made one on purpose - I set fire to the Jacquards in Bluewater and hid their urns in the foundations of their fire-damaged house, thus bringing a whole curse-malarky in. It may become a plot-point if anyone ever moves in there, but then again, they may not... The supernatural abounds, apparently.

Round Nine - University - Part 2: This Conversation Is Over

2010-04-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

Maya's best friends Liliana and Ashlee have hooked up at university - will they be "lesbian until graduation" or will it not even last that long?

To say Maya finds her current living situation a bit awkward is an understatement. She'd been entirely prepared for the situation of Ashlee and Liliana both getting boyfriends at university and her being the fifth wheel but she hadn't expected this. It's especially awkward when Liliana gets soppy and talks about what they're going to do when they graduate. Maya knows Ashlee better than her, even if she isn't in a relationship with her, and she knows Ashlee's not ready for commitment.

It's not long before she's proven right, and she doesn't get any pleasure from it. One of their dormies has gotten hold of a certain illicit recreational activity and Liliana's a big fan, especially during parties. Unfortunately, Ashlee's guy-on-the-side picks that moment to get all flirty with Ashlee...

Unfortunately, Liliana's stint at the "bubble blower" hasn't mellowed her out any. She storms over, grabs Ashlee, and lays into her in front of everyone.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Don't give me all that," sneers Ashlee. They're drawing quite the crowd now, gathered around the keg. "We're too young for all that settling-down crap anyway, and it's not like we love each other or anything..."

"Well maybe I did love you! Or at least I thought I did!"

They can't argue for long. The party gets busted and the campus cops aren't best pleased about what the kids have been smoking, so they all head off to bed. But for Liliana, Ashlee and Maya, the tension isn't in any way relieved, merely delayed.

The morning after, as the dormies abandon then disassemble the hookah, Liliana tries to pretend everything is normal. She gets dressed, brushes her teeth, does everything she'd normally do to be ready for class... but eventually she breaks down in the middle of a corridor, in full view of everyone. She doesn't know how to deal with this.

Ashlee thinks she knows precisely how to deal with this - messing around on couches with her guy-on-the-side, Douglas, and eventually losing her straight virginity. Sure, it means she seems a little too committed... but it stops her from thinking and being full of guilt.

Maya inevitably takes on the role of agony aunt. Hey, at least she has plenty of practice after everything her parents put her through.

"You could have least told Lili you wanted to see other people," she says in a reasonable tone over brunch on the dorm patio.

"I didn't think I needed to. I mean, she's not a lesbian. I didn't think she was going to fall in love with me or something!"

Liliana isn't budging either. Maya tries to get her to see both sides of the story but she's sticking to her own view of events.

"She pretended to be all honest but she never really told me anything important. Y'know, like the fact she wanted to sleep with some frat boy. I'm not a freakin' mind-reader!"

At the end of sophomore year Ashlee makes the first move towards a truce. One morning she catches Liliana before she can run off and hide in the shower, and says the immortal words: "We can still be friends, right?"

Liliana glares. How can Ashlee be so heartless? How could she not GET Liliana, after all of this? "No. We can't. Maybe someday, but right now... you've really hurt me and I want you to get out of my face."

Round Nine - University - Part 1: You Don't Have To Follow

2010-04-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Maya Darwin and her friends Liliana King and Ashlee Rodiek have headed off to S.S.U. in search of fun. Will university life live up to their expectations?

(This round ended up being so long and drama-filled that I've had to split it into two parts!)

Liliana and Ashlee have never hung out much before - they're both best friends with Maya yet somehow their paths haven't crossed. Still, Maya's pretty sure they'll get along. Both of their first instincts upon hitting the college scene is to drag her out with them to get makeovers.

"I don't see how this is fair," mutters Maya to Liliana. "You and Ashlee got really low-maintenance hair-dos. Ashlee doesn't even have to straighten hers anymore! But suddenly I've got to spend all this time with straighteners and hair-relaxers that burn my scalp..."

"Hey, if you don't like it you can always stop doing it," points out Liliana.

"Although if I were you, I wouldn't. You're looking so foxy the college boys aren't going to be able to resist you, and I know for a fact you haven't even kissed anyone yet!" adds Ashlee. Maya groans. Having two popularity-obsessed best friends means double the trouble.

But it turns out that Ashlee and Liliana being popularity-and-looks obsessed isn't the only trouble Maya had brewing. Liliana has always been straight as a rod but Ashlee leans both ways and can't help noticing how pretty she is. She can't help staring at her sometimes and sometimes she gets this vibe from her, like she's sick of boys...

Their dorm's a bit of a hub for partying so it's not long before the first kegger of the semester, and when the alcohol hits Ashlee makes an ill-judged move... except it turns out not to be so ill-judged when Liliana responds in kind.

They even ignore Maya's drunken dancing, which would usually be something they'd burst out laughing for... okay, sometimes they were a bit cruel. But that's something they have in common, thinks Liliana, and would it be so bad to experiment? She doesn't think it'd ruin their friendship - she isn't looking for love with a girl and Ashlee's free and fun-loving.

"Let's take this somewhere a little more private..." Ashlee whispers in Liliana's ear. Liliana looks around at the drunken dormies all over the place. She doesn't want to be anyone's free show, after all... not that Maya would even notice, given how wrecked she is.

Still, somehow she ends up in Ashlee's room anyway for a bit of innocent making out... or not-so-innocent. She knows she isn't a lesbian, she knows she wants to have fun right now rather than get all tangled up, but somehow she's falling for Ashlee anyway. The danger of the situation completely slips her mind through the drink and the kissing...

Maya's got something similar on her mind and finds a receptive young man, but the desire to puke on him eventually overrides all others and she goes and collapses alone in her own bed.

Liliana thought (and hoped) the feeling would wear off in the morning and be replaced with giggly embarrassment and a hangover, but it doesn't. Over the next few weeks they're inseparable and Liliana finds herself entertaining desires and hopes she's never had before.

But she doesn't tell Ashlee. That'd be stupid. Which means that, in blissful ignorance, she has her eye on someone else...

Note: Double-yew, Tee, Eff. Liliana started this round 100% straight. Ashlee rolled up a bunch of wants to flirt with her so I decided to indulge her - I mean, what could happen? Liliana would rebuff her and it'd make for a quick diversion before we got back to normality. But Liliana responded... and became a bit less straight. Still HIGHLY weighted that way but she fell in love with Ashlee regardless.

Round Nine - Darwin 2 - Left Alone

2010-04-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

...oh god. This is tragic. Blogger ate this ENTIRE POST and the pictures along with it - I've got extremely limited space on the Sim-playing-PC so in my idiocy I decided to delete already uploaded photos and the ones for this entry all went missing. So, in summary:

Gabriel kept hitting on Maya's friends
Sam came round to visit a lot, while Tom never bothered to call
Adele reached elderhood but didn't retire, as Maya went off to university and she needed something to occupy her time
Adele has taken to stargazing wearing her night-dress.

Round Nine - King 2 - When Everything & Nothing Changes

2010-04-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

Alima and Duncan King are approaching elderhood while their son Gabriel is getting into the swing of things as a teen.

"Oooh! That's the spot!" Alima's years were beginning to catch up with her, but Duncan was always there and willing to smooth out the aches and pains in her back.

Gabriel was thoroughly enjoying being a teenager. Trying to explain why his favourite band was so awesome to his big brother Jace Bhalli was a hard task seeing as Jace had never been cool at any point in his life but Gabriel never stopped trying.

Alima and Duncan slipped into their twilight years with ease. Alima got a new haircut and some slightly more mature clothes but for the most part nothing had changed whatsoever.

Notes: Dullest. Round. Ever.

Round Nine - Bachman/Darwin - Lucky Break

2010-04-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

Tom Darwin and Allyn Bachman didn't mean to become parents, but it just kind of... happened and now they've got a bouncing baby boy, Drake. Can two life-long slackers cope with raising a child, and how will they cope with everything that's been going on with Tom's dad?

Tom still couldn't believe he was actually a father - or that his son was younger than his half-brother. Weird stuff. But Drake was a cute enough kid and Tom kind of liked carrying him around on his hip sometimes.

For her part, Allyn was very happy to have Drake in her life despite her initial misgivings about becoming a mother. She was beginning to see him as a human life rather than a cute little doll with all the annoyances that entailed, but looking at him never failed to make her smile.

Tom didn't keep up contact with his family the majority of the time, firmly believing their little dramas weren't worth caring about. But after he heard about Esther's death he had to call his father and check up on him. It was an awkward phone call. What do you say in this sort of situation?

It was enough to drive a guy to drink. Allyn was usually the one at the bar now her pregnancy was over and she could make her favourite cocktails again but lately it had been Tom readying the glasses and the shaker.

Allyn wasn't exactly helping.

"It's so weird that your dad's got a new kid. I mean, he's pretty old. I always thought it was kind of creepy for him to be going after Esther, the poor girl... why are you looking at me like that? You're always complaining about your dad, you've said much worse things about him. It's the truth, honey."

Tom knew she was right, but still. Only he got to insult his relatives, Allyn wasn't involved. Their relationship became a little strained for a while, only in the same room on the rare occasions their sleeping schedules matched up.

But just when things were on the edge of falling apart, Tom struck gold. A famous but eccentric director had seen one of his hastily cobbled together movies and burst into tears, given him all her wealth, and disappeared off into the mountains to join a commune. Tom had a swing in his step when he got home from the meeting with her very bemused lawyer and couldn't resist swaggering out from the car and up the stairs to his and Allyn's apartment to give her the good news. So much for being failures just because they were college drop-outs! Hell, he had more money than anyone else in Serenity Hills now!

Good thing too - Drake was old enough to start school now and the apartment, though luxurious, was feeling more than a little cramped. Drake was overjoyed when his mummy and daddy told him they'd be moving to a really big house!

Round Nine - King - Anger Management

2010-04-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Things have been going well for the Kings, despite their crowded living situation. Unfortunately, patriarch Adrian appears to have finally gone off the deep end.

Athena King is no great scholar, but with her family's encouragement she's got her first ever A+ on her report card. She crows about it for days!

Athena sometimes hangs out with her cousins... she and Vikki are far too similar to get along, but Caroline's fun and because she's younger she usually agrees with everything Athena says.

Plus, she likes a good rough-and-tumble game of cops and robbers. Caroline may be a little less of a tomboy than her big sister but she's still not afraid to get her clothes dirty.

Miranda may be on the way to having a family of her own but she often comes to visit her parents and their clan. Athena doesn't really remember her, she'd only been a tiny baby when Miranda went to university, but they get on well.

David's started school now and has discovered the games console. He likes his auntie Miranda too - she'll play video games with him for hours!

Nathaniel is happy to catch up with his little sister. They've got a lot to talk about, reminiscing about S.S.U.

But not everything for the King family is sunshine and smiles. Adrian's still got a chip on his shoulder regarding his son, and recently things have been escalating... one night, an argument ends up getting physical.

David realises too late that Athena and David saw it all. He rushes upstairs to find them and comfort them; Athena is in her room, but David is nowhere to be seen. He stands awkwardly next to his baby girl, who isn't such a baby anymore but is still far from grown-up.

"I don't like it when you and Grampy fight," cries Athena, or at least tries to. It comes out as more of an incomprehensible wail.

He kneels down beside her and hugs her. "Shhh, it'll be okay." She sort of stops sobbing, but not quite. "Now, do you know where David is?"

"He said he was gonna run away," says Athena, through heavy distortion of sniffling. "I think he's in the back yard though."

Thankfully David is indeed hiding in the back yard, safe and sound. He gets hugs and cuddles too.

Nathaniel tries to keep home life as normal as possible, making sure he hugs his kids whenever he gets home from work. Petal still can't believe her luck... who knew the jock who was awkward with girls would turn out to be such a great husband and father?

Adrian tries his best too. He doesn't want to further sour his relationship with his grandchildren... even if the only thing he can think of to talk about to Athena is telling her about the perils of sneaking out after curfew. She's going to be a teenager soon and he's coming down hard on her already.

When that time comes, Athena will be the only teen in the house. Liliana is finally escaping to university, away from her crazy family! Maybe she'll meet a nice guy there. Noriko hugs her little baby girl tight. "Be careful! Look after yourself! And remember to study!"

"Of course I will! I'm not a complete flake. Jeez, mom..." Liliana smiles. Her mother's overprotectiveness can sometimes be a bit annoying but she appreciates the thought.

Adrian doesn't know how to react. He loves Liliana, sure, but he's never been good with social interaction.

Noriko's reached a milestone of her own, and glides effortlessly into old age. She doesn't feel any need to look younger than she is - she's a grandma, after all. And just because she's grey and wrinkly doesn't mean she can't destroy Athena on the console!

Note: I do not know what is up with Adrian! After many rounds of arguments and poking he and Nathaniel are furious with each other and full-on attack each other if I don't stop them, which means Athena and David's homework and leisure time is constantly being interrupted by their need to run to their bedrooms or anywhere that isn't where the fight's going on.

Round Nine - Darwin - Everything You Ever

2010-04-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sam Darwin and his fiancée Miranda King have returned to the Darwin family home, where Sam's father Harvey and his girlfriend Esther Pasang are awaiting their own first child.

Even though the atmosphere in the Darwin household was distinctly awkward, Miranda was doing her best to fit in. Sam helped, of course. For example, one morning Harvey completely blanked Miranda in his search for breakfast after pulling an all-nighter painting. Miranda felt like she was going to cry, but Sam came to her rescue.

"Hey, did you know that Winston Churchill's pet parrot lived for 104 years?"

"No, I didn't." She smiled. Sure, their distractions were kind of banal, but they kept them grounded.

Esther went into labour during the stores opening hours, sending their cashier into a panic. She hadn't signed up for this!

She gave birth to a little boy named Milo. He was a sweet, healthy little boy and Harvey was surprised by how much love he felt for him even though he hadn't exactly been excited about the idea of fatherhood this late in life.

But then tragedy struck. It turned out that Esther had kept quiet about how difficult the pregnancy was for her, and the strain of birth was too much for her body to take. She died soon after. Harvey completely fell apart and Sam didn't know what to do.

He and Miranda took up the reins of the household. They temporarily closed Darwin Arts - Harvey needed time to recover and mourn and Sam didn't want to let him throw himself into his work and neglect everything else. Sam had always loved kids and wanted plenty of his own and didn't begrudge taking care of his new baby brother. He felt like it was the least he could do.

Miranda had a head for financial matters and sorted out finding new employees for when Darwin Arts reopened. The chaos all around them meant that she ended up conducting some of the interviews wearing her nightclothes but there were more important things on her mind than what people thought of her. Any plans she and Sam had had for an elaborate wedding were canceled. They instead had a private ceremony without any fuss.

Even as Milo grew older and celebrated birthdays, Harvey still had trouble feeling enthusiastic. He stood on the edge of everything, isolated and cold.

Milo became a toddler who looked a lot like his mother, with the same light brown hair. Harvey began to take some of the burden off his son and daughter-in-law... he couldn't stand aside forever.

But he couldn't stay young forever either. He reached elderhood and it all sank in again - he was a pensionable father of a tiny child, would he live to see him grow up?

Note: Angsty update is angsty. Esther didn't technically die of illness, but the pregnancy was terrible and probably would have been even without her getting sick, and then she went and gobbled rotten food. I only just avoided her miscarrying again. In retrospect I maybe should have been more worried about her suffering epic needs failure shortly afterwards but I couldn't go through that again, it's traumatic just seeing it happen to sims... still thinking of getting rid of that particular "feature" (ugh).

Round Nine - Bhalli - Entirely Stable

2010-04-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

The Bhallis are a family of four now - Jace and Solveig and their daughters Victoria and Caroline.

Victoria "Vikki" Bhalli is many things but an intellectual isn't one of them. Getting her to do her homework is an uphill struggle, she whines when you ask her to do it and might not even finish it. Her parents don't understand. She's far from stupid, so why does she have such a problem with homework? They've sat with her and taught her to study but it doesn't seem to have helped.

The youngest Bhalli, Caroline, is still tiny and adorable but she'll be reaching school age soon. Jace wishes she could stay this way forever, but all little girls grow up and start causing their daddy trouble eventually.

His own mother Alima turns up out of the blue after her shift at a Sim City fast food place to visit her granddaughters. She's never really spent all that much time around them and is amazed at how much they've grown.

"Are you planning on having any more children?" Alima asks her daughter-in-law as they sit down for a late lunch. "Personally, two pregnancies were enough for me. But I wouldn't exactly mind having more grandchildren!"

From any other mother-in-law this might be a bit pressurising or at least embarrassing, but Alima has a way about her. Solveig just smiles. "Not quite yet. Jace would like another one, maybe a baby boy, but we're going to wait until Caroline has started school before we try."

That day came surprisingly quickly. Caroline was a sweet little girl who hung on her big sister's every word, regardless of whether said words made sense or not. They weren't exactly buddies, though. Vikki had difficulty interacting in ways other than bragging or teasing.

Jace was surprised when he got back from work to see Solveig standing by the door in her skimpiest night-dress. "What's up? Not that I'm complaining!"

"I was thinking... I did promise we could try for another baby..."

Selling Novels

2010-03-31T03:10:00.000-07:00

I still don't have any suitable novelist Sims, but when I do... is there any way they can "sell" their novels to other local sims, or at least a way for me to put their books on the other playables' shelves?

Round Eight - University - Just You & Me

2010-03-30T05:46:00.000-07:00

Lee Darwin and Miranda King have taken a convoluted path to happiness but they're finally together, and engaged! Things will be fine if Miranda's little sister manages to stay away...

Miranda's POV:
Things are going better than great with me and Sam. We don't need to be all up in each others' business anymore (I'll admit I got a bit clingy early on, I'm insecure sometimes). Now we're both happy just sitting and studying. It's like study-dates back in high school but without any parental hovering... not that Sam's parents ever bothered anyway.

I've had to do a lot of work on my fitness for my classes - I don't understand quite what that's got to do with biology. I'm not majoring in medicine! Sam joined in too but only out of camaraderie and a bit of pity. He barely even tried, just bounced around on the spot while I was flexing!

But even though I don't see the necessity, I've got a membership at the campus gym. Sam couldn't be bothered so I left him behind. I don't need to watch him all the time, he's no cheat. I mean... I'm not dumb, I've seen the way Liliana's looked at him over the last few years. But Sam wouldn't do anything. It'd be illegal!

I found another cardio activity, albeit by accident... turns out getting chased by bees is a lot less fun than the treadmill. I just wanted to work on my bug collection! I know, I know, I'm a great big nerd, but I love it and apparently Sam does too. Not that he couldn't love it, he actually bought a book on birdwatching and started going on about migratory patterns.

I do wish we'd gotten a place of our own rather than stayed in dorms. Some of our dormmates are creepy. Seriously, who wants the llama mascot cheering you on when you're kissing your boyfriend?! We don't need any encouragement. In fact, I'd prefer it if I were a little less frisky. I don't want to get pregnant before graduation!

Speaking of graduation, our plans are completely sorted out. Sam asked me to move in with him - it'll be a bit crowded what with his dad and his baby brother, but hey, it beats my family now the house is full of nieces and nephews and my dad's gone a bit... weird.

Round Eight - Darwin 2 - Single Ladies

2010-03-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

Adele and Maya Darwin are getting used to life without the males in their family; as driven as they both are, can they ever relax enough to find even friendly companionship?

Adele still talked to Colby, but only as friends and colleagues. The elections were coming up so the increased work-load and need for communication meant that Adele was the one hogging the phone-line rather than her teenage daughter. Maya did have friends but she needed to concentrate on scholarships... plus the whole thing with Liliana was a bit weird. She and Maya were BFFs and Maya could do without hearing ANYTHING about her brother's love life.

Adele had heard about "the situation" with Liliana too. She liked both the King girls well enough, and Miranda especially seemed to have her head on her shoulders, so she hoped they'd manage to sort things out between them and stop bringing her baby boy Sam into whatever sibling rivalry Liliana was acting out on.

Adele's hard work didn't go unrewarded and she got another promotion. She didn't mind the long hours. Having to focus on something pretty mundane kept her from going crazy.

Of course, it would've been nice to get some sleep once in a while... it turned out her room was right next to Duncan and Alima King's, and they didn't seem to do much sleeping at all.

Adele's lack of devotion to work/life balance meant Maya did most of the cooking. Thankfully it suited her down to the ground. She was beginning to wonder if a life in a high-powered traditional career, while financially beneficial, would really suit her. Perhaps she could open some cafés? Maybe a diner, too... restaurants seemed a bit complex.

Gabriel King had stopped following her around now he'd hit puberty but when Maya brought her friend Ashlee home from school he was suddenly there, hanging around and talking about how he'd like her to model for him.

"Who is this weirdo?"

"He's just the kid from next-door. Ignore him."

"Hey! I'm right here, y'know!"

The next morning both she and Gabriel were taking out the trash, a not uncommon occurance, and started talking. "I don't suppose you could give me Ashlee's number..." he began, but Maya cut him off.

"You're wasting your time. She's a lesbian so she's not going to be interested in you. You've got the wrong plumbing." Actually, Maya knew full well that Ashlee was bi and that if Gabriel could tone down his overreaction to girls he'd be her type, but she wasn't going to let some teenage twerp steal her friend's attention. Boys were gross.

"She doesn't seem the type... I mean, she's not?"

"She's not what?"

"All weird and spiky like you are."

Round Eight - King 2 - Happy Home

2010-03-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

Duncan and Alima King have been through a lot to get where they are today - blissfully married with a son on the cusp of teen-hood, along with Alima's two adult children and four grandchildren. It seems like nothing can get in the way of their happiness!

Alima may have been a grandmother, but it didn't stop her and Duncan from enjoying themselves! After all, they weren't old and grey yet... and they had no intention of stopping when they were, either.

Duncan was still in the dancing business but he wasn't looking for any more promotions. They had enough money for now and they weren't the sort of people who sought status. "Getting hugs from my favourite son when I get home's all I need!" he'd say.

"Well duh, of course I'm your favourite son," laughed Gabriel. "Oh, and I want a games console," he added. He was a sweet kid but sometimes he had a smart mouth on him.

He wasn't the only smart-mouthed kid in the neighbourhood. His technically-niece Vikki Bhalli (she'd announced that anyone who called her "Victoria" could curl up and die) was more than a match for him. He'd suggested they should be BFFs because he was her uncle, even though he was only a few years older than her, and she'd thrown it back in his face.

He was still sort of obsessed with his neighbour Maya Darwin and followed her around, asking what high school and part-time jobs were like. She was kind of annoyed by him but usually answered his questions politely - she wasn't going to take her frustrations out on a little kid, after all.

He wasn't so interested after his growth spurt. He'd decided Maya wasn't his "type", whatever that was, realising she was very highly strung and would probably wear him out! For now he'd stick to painting girls, not kissing them.

All in all, things were still going dreamily for the Kings.

Round Eight - Bachman/Darwin - Responsible Adults

2010-03-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

Allyn and Drake have been living together ever since they both dropped out of S.S.U., but now Allyn is pregnant will the easy balance of their life survive?

Allyn still wasn't sure about this whole pregnancy thing. She felt like a big balloon and the pastel maternity clothes didn't help her feel any better about herself.

Tom was no help whatsoever. He said he had to research things for his job which Allyn thought that was ridiculous even when he explained that being a home video editor did actually require some skill. He bought a whole load of books about film technique but Allyn, in pregnant-rage mode, accused him of only reading them because there were pictures of half-naked ladies who weren't incredibly pregnant.

Allyn went into labour right after having a relaxing bath. Her screams, peppered with liberal amounts of swearing, worked Tom up into enough of a panic to phone a taxi to the hospital.

The labour was quick but not easy. Allyn was overjoyed when it was finally all over, producing a little boy named Drake who looked just like his daddy. Allyn had only entertained the vaguest dreams at the back of her mind about having babies but she was surprised by the amount of love she felt for the little screaming machine. He was kinda cute!

Thankfully very tiny babies like Drake didn't seem to take much looking after as far as Tom and Allyn could see. Sure, if he started crying they ran up and fed him, changed him, played with him and cuddled him, but Drake slept A LOT. They spent a lot of time painting in comfortable silence, the best bonding activity they knew.

Round Eight - King - Getting Older

2010-03-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

The bustling King family are nearly spilling out of the seams of their family home, and the chaos has left everyone oblivious to what Liliana has been up to!

Liliana's bad luck with Sam hadn't destroyed her, at least outwardly. She was her usual self and despite the whole trying-to-steal-her-sister's-boyfriend thing she wasn't as crazy for dating as some girls. In fact, it had made her even pickier.

"Hey! I'm totally not into you that way so can you stop following me home? I mean, not that I don't wanna be best friends with you and I can't blame you for thinking I'm cute, but I've got other stuff going on at the moment."

"Uh, okay..." said a very confused schoolmate.

Harvey had hit a pensionable age but he had no desire to retire, especially with so many mouths to feed. Petal and Nathaniel had very well-paying jobs and actually earned a lot more than he did but he refused to acknowledge the fact - how could two young people who spent so much time making out be doing better in the financial sphere than him?!

Athena had reached an important birthday, too. She'd started school and was doing well enough, although not spectacularly, but she seemed to have inherited her grandfather's mean streak at times. When Adrian tried to explain to her how important getting top grades was she gave him a taste of his own medicine, much to everyone else's amusement.

David had reached his toddler years and he was into everything. Nathaniel was still completely enamoured with him - he looked like a perfect mix of his parents. "Who's got his mommy's big nose?" he cooed, safe in the knowledge that Petal was out of the room working on plans for the construction company's latest project.

Liliana wasn't sure what she thought of babies. She guessed being an aunty was okay, and they were really adorable when they were sleeping, but she knew far too well that they didn't sleep all the time. She wasn't exactly in a rush to have any of her own, that was for sure!

Athena wasn't a complete misery. She had made a few friends at school, although it was weird when she bumped into Gabriel King in the playground - how could she have a sort-of-uncle who was younger than her?! It was nice to bring him home, though. Athena already really appreciated the importance of family.

Notes: Phew! Liliana's stopped rolling up wants for Sam. That's a relief. She's sticking to the normal "I want a cell phone! I want an mp3 player! I want 10 best friends!" malarky.

Round Eight - Darwin - Love & Loss

2010-03-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

After Sam Darwin's departure to university, Harvey Darwin and his pregnant mistress Esther are all alone in the house. How will they deal with all the drama and still run Darwin Arts?

"That's it, I quit!" Harvey watched another employee walk out on him. Everything that had been going on had meant it was hard to keep up with wages and breaks, especially as Esther was too tired to work full days. They'd have to hire new staff when they could afford it... at the moment, though, they needed to find a replacement for the latest walkout.

Esther still helped out as much as she was physically able. She had a real gift for sales. She was never pushy but her friendly nature worked just as well as Harvey's more aggressive sales technique.

Allyn, the expectant mother of Harvey's grandchild, often stopped by. She may have been a bit of a slacker but she had a true appreciation for art and liked to browse even if she wasn't going to buy anything (much to Harvey's annoyance).

Unfortunately, tragedy struck soon after. Esther miscarried. The barrage of tests the doctor put her through afterwards proved inconclusive as to why - it could have been stress, it could have been a serious health problem, but it could have just been a terrible but inexplicable misfortune. Esther was understandably distraught. She couldn't work for a long time, just stayed holed up in the bedroom crying.

Harvey may not have been the best guy in the world but he wasn't heartless and he did love Esther. He was apprehensive about trying for another child but that was what she wanted and he already felt guilty enough about sticking her with him without destroying another of her hopes and dreams.

Esther became pregnant again soon after. She was less joyful, refusing to tempt fate, and kept herself to herself... something inside her told her this was her last chance.

Note: This makes me so freaking sad. I hate keeping this in my game but I keep telling myself it's a natural and realistic way of keeping the population down, even if it does sucker-punch me every time. Bad memories :(

Round Eight - Bhalli - Another Addition

2010-03-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Solveig hadn't meant to get pregnant again, but sometimes life throws you curve-balls. At least Jace was happy about it - more than happy, he was over the moon. Solveig tried not to worry. It wasn't as if the hospital was going anywhere, and she had a long life ahead of her.

Plus, Victoria could do with a sibling. She was already getting a bit spoiled with all the attention. Solveig had never met a more cantankerous toddler and was pretty sure that the pre-K set shouldn't have moodswings from temper tantrums to playing and giggling within the space of twenty minutes. That was her job!

Some men might have been a bit squeamish about "getting intimate" with their increasingly heavily pregnant wife, but Jace wasn't one of them. Whenever Solveig's hormones got the better of her and she wanted some fun, he was there for her. The second pregnancy was a little less stressful than the first, she realised. She didn't have morning sickness and she wasn't so tired and hungry all the time, which meant she could use her maternity leave for other activities...

Victoria started school shortly before the new baby was born. She was a bit of a tomboy, insisting on getting all her pretty hair cut off and running around in ratty old jeans. She was a bit worried about the impending arrival of a rival for her parents' affections but she tried not to worry too much. Secretly she was kind of looking forward to having someone to tease... the kids at school weren't too fond of her tormenting ways!

Jace had figured out her plans, though.

"I hear you've been getting into a bit of trouble at school. You should be trying to make friends! You're a wonderful girl and I know you can make a lot of friends."

"I don't want to. They're all boring, all the girls wanna do is read or play with dolls and icky stuff like that, and the boys don't like it when I beat them at computer games."

Jace sighed. "Well, you'll have a baby brother or sister to make friends with soon," he said pointedly. "No teasing!"

Victoria went into school in a heavy cloud of sulking.

Caroline Bhalli was born soon after. She was a very pretty child and shared her sister's colouring, except she had Jace's father's eyes. Victoria found herself being a bit more enthusiastic than she thought she'd be but soon got bored. Babies didn't do anything but sleep and cry, and toddlers probably weren't much better... Caroline would only be any fun once she was a bit older.

Solveig went straight back to work - she was a fully qualified doctor now and she was needed by people other than her family. Coming back every night and seeing sweet little Caroline made it all worthwhile.

Caroline soon became a toddler. She was very different to her big sister, much less rambunctious and more fond of hugs. She even let her parents put her in a dress, but they didn't hold out much hope for her staying all that girly. She was already more fond of blocks than dolls, after all. They had a tinkerer on their hands!

Note: Another one that doesn't have either of the Bhalli skin-tones! Nooo! I guess Solveig and Jace will have to try again later. Not now, though, that many kids running around gets annoying...

Round Seven - University - How Long Can This Go On?

2010-03-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

Sam Darwin has gone to university, and Miranda King has graduated high school early in order to be with him. They've got something going on, that's for sure, but can two such shy and awkward people actually manage to really, truly get together?

Miranda's got a new look in time for her first semester at university and she feels good - now she's going to be around Sam almost all the time she doesn't want to look too frumpy. She ties back her hair in a way that's cute but low-maintenance and finds some clothes that reflect the nature-loving girl behind her fortune-seeking exterior. She feels great every time she looks in the mirror. It's something she never cared to do much but she's so happy with her life she feels like she deserves a little vanity... She's still shy but she wants to come out of her shell a bit.

Proving she's no wallflower is going to be tough if she only ever talks to Sam, though... but she can't seem to help it. Her heart goes all fluttery whenever she sees him, regardless of what he's doing or what state he's in. On the phone to his parents wearing his pjs or studying and fully dressed, it doesn't matter. They're still not official and he's not completely sure of his feelings. He's got a crush but it's not quite love, not yet. Miranda, on the other hand, is head over heels.

They spend a lot of time together, but when Miranda is in class Sam gets to know his fellow dormies. He's made friends with most of them, including a pretty girl...

"I don't like how much time you're spending with that Melissa chick," mutters Miranda over a game of chess.

"We're just friends. I mean, you're one of my absolute best friends, sure - maybe even THE best - and I think you're gorgeous and clever and amazing. But that doesn't mean I can't talk to other people, right?"

"Whatever." Miranda narrows her eyes and concentrates on her next move. Her hand hovers over the white knight for a moment then she sighs. "I've got a term paper to write. See you later, if you can drag yourself away from Melissa." She spits the name.

Melissa's not out to steal anyone's man. She's a nice girl. So she makes an effort to catch Miranda between assignments and sits down with her in the shared area of the dorm.

"Look, I know you really like Sam. Just so you know... I really don't think of him that way. I'm seeing a guy and it's going pretty well, and I've got to keep up my work. I don't want my grades to slip, I need that 4.0 average if I'm going to get into medicine. Even if I was attracted to Sam, I wouldn't want to wreck things, with my boy, with you, with school, with anything!"

Miranda looks sheepish. "I'm really sorry. I guess I'm just a bit paranoid. I mean, with everything that's gone on with his dad and his brother... I really like him, but I don't know what to do. I know he likes me. He's not a liar."

Melissa smiles. "Trust your instincts."

They end up chatting all evening and Miranda realises she's made her first friend at university. It's a great feeling.

Later on she finds Sam. "I'm sorry for how much of a psycho-bitch I've been lately."

Sam kisses her then holds her hands. "Don't apologise. For my part, I'm sorry I've not been spending enough time with you. Actually, I've been thinking... wanna go steady?"

Miranda giggles. "Of course I do, you big idiot."

The course of true love never did run smooth. After mid-terms their usually calm and study-orientated dorm throws a party and Miranda's little sister Liliana turns up out of the blue. Sam's never really talked to her all that much so he decides, against his introverted nature, to make an effort. She's his girlfriend's sister, and getting to know the in-laws is a necessary evil.

"This is such an awesome party!" Liliana's hyped up and giggly, and Sam suddenly realises she's been drinking. "You've got a keg and everything! Oh my god, I totally cannot wait until I can go to university and get out of my family's crazy house. You're so lucky! You get to be all independent and stuff."

"That's true in some ways," says Sam hesitantly. "But it's not all fun and games. You've got to work pretty hard if you expect to get anything near good grades..."

It's obvious that Liliana isn't really paying attention - she's looking at Sam in a dazed sort of a way, like she's only just seen him. "Y'know... you're really handsome." Liliana stumbles a little as she says it and falls into him, but she doesn't jump away, she clings on instead. Sam begins to panic.

"Woah. Um. This is really awkward. I think you've had a bit too much to drink... I'm going to call you a cab, okay?"

"Awwww, I don't wanna..." But then she nearly falls over and Sam wanders over to the phone, rolling his eyes. His girlfriend's little sister hitting on him is something that, unsurprisingly, really weirds him out. At least it proves he's not like Tom - he'd probably jump at the chance.

When Lee wakes up the next morning he feels awful, and he only had one drink! He meant to start studying for the next semester but instead he stands around in his pajamas, joining in a game of darts with one of his dormie friends.

"That little teen girl was all over you last night. I thought you were going out with Miranda?"

"I am." Sam sighs. "That's her little sister."

"Seriously? Man, I've gotta get me some of whatever pulling power you're packing. I haven't seen that much action all term!"

"But I don't want any of this! I just want Miranda! What should I do?"

His friend shrugs. "Don't ask me. Girls are crazy."

Liliana keeps calling, though, and he can't ignore her forever. He agrees to meet up with her on campus. This is a situation that needs sorting out before it gets messy, and he's too much of a stand-up guy to have that kind of a conversation over the phone. He waits in the Student Union lounge and eventually Liliana arrives, marching in purposefully with a swing in her step. She's very pretty. Sam can see lecherous guys drooling over her, and it inspires some level of protectiveness in him but not in a jealous way. He mostly thinks about his own little sister, Maya, and wishes he could be around for her more often...

"Hey!" Liliana grins. "Are you going to buy me a drink? I totally need a beer."

"No more alcohol for you. I'll get you a coffee."

The coffee shop in the S.U. is upstairs, but don't make it in - Liliana stops him on the landing and tries to kiss him. Their lips meet and Sam doesn't know how to stop her but then their noses bump and he pulls away sharply.

He stares at her blankly for a while then regains control of his vocal chords. "What the hell, Lili?! What was that about? I'm dating your sister. I love your sister. This is just weird. I don't want this. You're fourteen!"

Liliana looks hurt, pouting and making big ol' puppy-dog eyes at him. "Then why did you invite me here?"

"Because you deserve to get this conversation face-to-face, not over the phone. You're a really nice girl and I don't want to be the boy that screws you up."

"I guess. I mean, my mom'd be so mad at me if she knew I was here with you anyway. She'd probably hate me forever."

"I'm not surprised. You don't want that. You don't want your sister to hate you either, do you?"

Liliana pouts again. She looks even younger than she is when she does that. "No."

There's an awkward silence.

"This is my cue to go home, isn't it?"

Sam nods, not unkindly. "Yep. I bet you're out past your curfew, too." She blushes at the accusation then goes, too embarrassed to go through the motions of a polite goodbye.

Liliana doesn't call again, doesn't even send him emails, and sophomore year ends without a hitch. Lee celebrates their passing grades by kissing Miranda, full of endorphins and happiness.

In fact, he's so caught up in the moment he asks Miranda to marry him. She stares at him obliviously for a moment and his heart is in his throat.

"This isn't a joke, right?" She looks scared and Sam doesn't know whether it's because she thinks he doesn't mean it or because she thinks he does but he goes ahead and says it.

"Of course not! I love you!"

She grins, shouts "YES!" and leaps into his arms. She loves him and he loves her, heart and soul, and now Liliana's stopped calling him he knows things are going to be perfect.

Note: The Liliana thing... she had a flirt want for him and the first kiss want, and he had social ones for her so I let them talk and go on an outing, but he didn't even get a crush flag for her out of it, even after her successful flirts. He really is in love with Miranda although it took him a lot longer than it took her!

Hacks

2010-03-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Does anyone got any links to good hacks for less typical businesses compared to art, restaurants, flower shops etc - eg, a couples counseling office? Also, I'm getting annoyed with how easy it is for my sims to get insanely rich even though their children go to private schools and they've been through university so should technically have tuition debts hanging over them. Are there any hacks to automate this or should I keep manually send the headmasters and university professors money with the postal order thingamajig (oh, how I love that and the no-20k-startup, too many super-rich sims are no fun!).

Final question - my sims can no longer write novels. Well, they can, they just don't get a choice of name/theme/etc and are finished in 20 seconds. I thought I had a hack that fixed that but if I do it's not working! Any ideas?

Round Seven - Darwin 2 - Career Ladder

2010-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Adele and Maya Darwin have moved out of the family home after Adele's husband Harvey's affair came to light. Adele can't wait for the divorce to be finalised and is having difficulty getting along with her neighbours, while Maya has to deal with her new life and the fact that she'll have a half-sibling soon...

Adele was surprised to see Harvey hanging around her house when she got back from work, and not in the good way. She never wanted to see him again and desperately hoped he'd only come over to discuss her alimony. Unfortunately he'd come to complain about the fact he was going to be a dad again.

"You've made your bed, now lie in it!"

Harvey may have been freaking out, but Adele was perfectly happy with her own metaphorical bed and was lying in it as much as possible. She'd met a guy at work and thought he was smoking hot, and he seemed fond of her already too. He was a young man called Colby - very young, in fact. Freshly graduated from an out of state university. He was kind and sweet and naïve and Adele didn't want to burden him with an older divorcee with kids of her own, but at the same time she wanted to throw off the shackles of life with Harvey...

...and he seemed more than willing to help. They arranged a date for the next Saturday night - "as friends," said Adele.

Colby nodded. "As friends."

Unfortunately it turned out to be a bit harder than Adele expected to just stay "friendly". But hey, kissing's pretty friendly, right? They didn't go any further. She'd had time to think about it and she was pretty sure she didn't want to get involved with someone again, maybe not ever.

Colby was very understanding and even though he'd clearly fallen head over heels for her he didn't push the issue. They stayed friends, and he even pulled a few strings for her at work and often let her be promoted over him. She felt kind of bad - wasn't this using him? He insisted he didn't mind.

Adele wasn't the only one getting attention from the neighborhood men. There were a couple of boys Maya's age who kept giving her the eye but she ignored them. The whole mess with her parents had made her extremely wary and she had better things to focus on. She wanted to be rich and successful, and getting a boyfriend and all the drama that came with relationships could only distract her.

It didn't stop poor little Gabriel King following her around though!

Note: I would get Adele and Colby together but she hasn't had any romantic wants for him since the date, and anyway he's a Family sim and ACR decrees she's too old to have babies. Harvey stopped by autonomously - he didn't even ring the doorbell, just wandered in like he owned the place! Jerk!

Round Seven - King 2 - A Place Of Our Own

2010-03-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Duncan and Alima King and their son Gabriel have finally moved out of Alima's old home and into a rented duplex next door to newly divorced Adele Darwin and her daughter Maya. Their life is pretty idyllic, but can Alima's cheerful personality break down the wall around Adele?

Alima was enjoying having someone to talk to, even if Adele was rather spiky. Alima knew where her rage was coming from, though, and she sympathised. She still had a little rage towards Jace and Petal's father even though it had been over two decades since he'd abandoned them all. She listened to Adele's rants with good grace and always had something fun to say.

The progress of time wasn't curbing Alima and Duncan's love one tiny bit. Alima may have been a grandmother but that wasn't going to stop her and her beloved kissing, flirting and dancing around the place as if they were teenagers. They were young at heart, now and forever.

Their preoccupation with each other and their long work hours sometimes meant that Gabriel was left to fend for himself, but he didn't mind too much. He had his easel and the alone-time gave him plenty of excuses to gobble up cookies.

Besides, it wasn't as if he was alone all the time. He constantly pestered Maya Darwin to play with him, tell him jokes and talk about high school - she was a little annoyed at being bugged by a little kid but he was smitten in a childish sort of a way.

In the end, though, the Darwins were hard to get along with. Alima was perfectly content to listen to Adele gripe about Harvey but when she brought up Esther she wasn't so accomodating. She'd made friends with Esther a while ago, although she hadn't known the identity of her mystery man until recently, and Alima wasn't about to be a disloyal friend. A vicious argument ensued and Alima was left wondering if Adele would ever recover from her heartbreak.

Round Seven - Bachman/Darwin - Oops

2010-03-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Allyn Bachman and Tom Darwin have been cohabiting for several years now but their easy relationship is under threat from within; their combined daddy-issues are pushing Allyn ever further forward while Tom backs away from the notion of commitment. Will they get through? Allyn has some ideas of her own about what they need...

Allyn tried not to feel too guilty. Yeah, so she'd skipped the pill a couple of times because she'd either been drunk or hungover, but what were the odds anything had actually happened? She didn't want to trap Tom with a baby... this constant nausea and tiredness was probably due to something she ate.

Of course it didn't turn out that way. After a particularly bad day while Tom was at work she ended up calling her doctor around for a home visit. The woman wasn't dumb - she made Allyn buy a pregnancy test and take it there and then.

"They're not always right, though, are they? There's false positives and stuff like that," said Allyn, panicking. This all had to be a terrible mistake. She didn't want a baby! So she'd missed a period and felt rough as all hell - big freakin' deal.

"Well, yes, sometimes. You should make an appointment so we can do a few extra tests just in case. But adding together the test, your symptoms and the missed birth control I think you're probably not going to get a different answer."

The further tests proved it conclusively. Allyn didn't tell Tom straight away - she considered "getting rid of it" but whatever she told herself there was a little part of her that wanted a child, and she felt like Tom at least needed a say in the matter. She told him about the new little person over her lunch (he'd only just woken up and grilled cheese seemed a bit much).

To her surprise he didn't freak out at all. In fact, even though he was still very vocal about not wanting to get married or show any sign of commitment he actually wanted a kid. "Besides, I know you want one, deep down. If you didn't we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'm not that kind of guy and I can't promise this isn't a huge mistake, but hey. I love you. Let's do what's best for you."

Allyn had no idea what had gotten into him - she only knew the vaguest of details about what was going on with his family at the moment - but she wasn't about to complain.

Allyn started showing soon after that and had to temporarily trade in her favourite wardrobe items for frumpy maternity clothes. She was miserable, and the fact that she couldn't even make the pancakes she was craving without burning them just made everything even worse. But at least Tom was going to stick around.

Note: Allyn is Pleasure/Family - she's currently got both a want to have a baby and a fear of having one. Conflicted much? Tom doesn't care either way.

Round Seven - King - Girl Genius

2010-03-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

The King family seem pretty normal, if expanding too rapidly for their tiny house. Liliana's hitting those difficult teen years, though, and Miranda's grief at her sort-of-boyfriend heading off to university might lead her to do something drastic...

Note: Apologies if the formatting is wonky again. I lost two pictures of teen Liliana, including one of her being adorable and looking after baby Athena autonomously, and they're not on my computer anymore! Fail. Eventually I had to admit defeat out of fear of losing the whole post.

Petal was so happy with her little bundle of joy she felt like she might burst. Sure, there wasn't much room for a baby what with her teenage sister-in-laws being around, but she and Nathaniel were considering trying for another one anyway. Babies were small, right? Surely they couldn't take up too much room...

Besides, the house wouldn't be this crowded for long. Miranda had nearly given her mother a heart attack when she announced she'd be going to university early. She claimed it was because her exceedingly high grades and multitude of honours classes and extra-curricular activities meant she could start the next step in her life NOW rather than waiting and stagnating, but Noriko knew the look in her daughter's eyes.

"You're following that Darwin boy, aren't you? Look at his brother! Don't be so irresponsible!

Miranda gave her mother a rather condescending look, as if the mother-daughter relationship was reversed in this case. "You know full well that Sam isn't like that. And it's not about him anyway. There'll be plenty of other boys at university, anyway." Truth be told, she knew she wouldn't be looking at anyone but Sam, but she wasn't going to admit it.

So Miranda went to Sim State University a few years early. The world was her oyster!

Liliana was a lot happier about the situation than her mother. She was a teen now and wanted her own room so she and her friends could hang out, and Miranda not being around meant she didn't have to share anymore! She turned the previously baby-pink and flower-infested room into a purple paradise, fit for a budding It Girl.

They'd need extra room anyway - it hadn't taken much trying for Petal to get pregnant again and the morning sickness this time was even worse!

Apparently it was Adrian's turn to nearly bust an artery because of his kids.

"Another one?! You're not the man of this house yet, Nathaniel, and I'm not made of money! How can you be so irresposible?"

Nathaniel was taken aback - he thought his parents would be pleased that they were about to have another grandchild, but although Noriko was over the moon as predicted Adrian refused to talk to him for days and when he eventually did it was just angry muttering.

Still, Nathaniel wasn't too dejected. His father had always been one for raging and getting angry over trifling things, as Uncle Duncan pointed out to him over the phone, and Athena was growing up so fast. She was an absolute beauty, although there was very little of Petal in her - she was all Nathaniel and her uncle Jace, somehow.

The newest addition to the King family was born soon after Athena's birthday, a little boy named David.

"You don't look much like your mommy either, do you?" said Nathaniel to his son. "You look just like your daddy, and your grandpa. Maybe that'll cheer him up..."

Note: Noooo! I lost two pictures of teen Liliana, including one of her being adorable and looking after baby Athena autonomously, despite her popularity-loving, free-spirited nature. Needless to say, she's pretty gorgeous. It's clear now that she got Adrian's facial structure and her mother's colouring. Adrian's freak-outs were purely autonomous, he won't stop attacking Nathaniel now!

Round Seven - Darwin - Unwelcome

2010-03-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

Adele Darwin has moved out of the family home she once shared with her husband Harvey, and taken their daughter Maya with her while leaving their son Sam behind. Reluctant home-wrecker Esther has taken her place... will Sam survive the dysfunction? More to the point, will Harvey?

Adele may have moved out but she still visits Sam whenever she has a spare moment. She hasn't abandoned him - she never would.

"Why don't you come in? I can get you some coffee if you want..."

"Is your father there?" There's a touch of cold steel in her voice and Sam considers lying but the words won't come so he nods instead.

Adele's face loses all expression and is momentarily a mask. "I appreciate the offer, sweetie, but I've got to get to work. Come over tomorrow, okay? Maya misses you."

Esther's around all the time now, before and after work, which is another good reason for Adele to stay away. What if her "replacement" were wandering around in her underwear?

Harvey doesn't know why he's let Esther basically move in; he does love her but she's so different from him, she wants to get married and have babies and be stable and he's already proved he's no good at that. Maybe it's guilt, an attempt to assuage the feeling that he's been wasting her time. She could have found someone so much better for her by now but he knows she's not been dating anyone else. She's not that type of girl. He can't bring himself to hurt her now.

But lately Esther's been feeling tired all the time. She can barely keep her eyes open for a whole shift and she's been plagued by headaches and nausea... the customers aren't happy, but Esther is. She knew in her gut before she took the pregnancy test and now all she has to worry about is how Harvey will react.

Of course Harvey isn't pleased. How could he be? He's already got three children! Tom's an adult and Sam's nearing adulthood. As far as he's concerned, he's too old to be a father again when he could soon be a grandfather.

"What happened? We were using protection!"

"Sometimes it fails," says Esther, trying not to let her nerves show in her voice. "...and I stopped taking the pill."

Harvey's feeling a noose tighten around his neck.

Note: Esther rolled up a want to have a baby but didn't roll up a "get married" want, so I decided to indulge her (plus her genes would be very pretty in the mix) and turn on Unmarried Try For Baby... it worked instantaneously. Haha, sucks to be Harvey!

Round Seven - Bhalli - 1 + 1 = 3

2010-03-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Newly-weds Solveig and Jace are alone in the Bhalli household after Jace's mother, stepfather and half-brother moved out, but are expecting their first child. Jace is ecstatic and looking forward to having a big family all of his own, but career-focused Solveig is a little more apprehensive... Jace isn't the one who's got to carry the babies and take maternity leave!

SOLVEIG:
It's been a crazy year or so. When it got to the end of my pregnancy I couldn't wait to push the damn thing out - the days hanging around feeling all swollen up like a grapefruit on q-tip legs were driving me slowly and possibly irrevocably insane. Thankfully I had Jace to save me from that particular fate. He took time off work at the police force to give me a bit of company and I appreciated it more than I could ever figure out how to say.

Going into labour was terrifying. I'd been napping all evening and Jace was cooking dinner when it started. He had to cart me off to hospital in my pyjamas and I think I have smacked him in the face at one point during the whole messy business.

But every moment of pain was worth it when we brought our little girl home. We named her Victoria; she looked a lot like me, but with black hair like her grandma Alima.

I didn't use a lot of my maternity leave but I did my bit and I didn't resent it. She was perfect, even when she was barfing on me.

Of course, Jace wasn't happy with one. I'd known that from the start about him and when he started talking about trying again I had to chide him gently for it. It was difficult to say no to him, grab his hand when he got flirty, but even though I do want more kids it's really not the time. My internship is over and I've got to get my nose back on that grindstone if I ever want to get to surgery!

Victoria's a toddler now. We've dressed her up in her little frocks and done her hair in bows so many times now but she's always pulling the bows out and wriggling out of her dress! We've got a tomboy on our hands, that's for sure…

Note: Victoria's a cutie but she's got all the personality points of a future rebel! I foresee many noogies when she gets a sibling - it's going to be when, Jace has the want and Solveig doesn't actually have a fear for having more children so Try For Baby and no BC is still on.

Quick Note: A slight change in style...

2010-03-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

Until now I've been writing all the posts in the past tense, but I think I want to try a few new things - some in present tense, some in first person, all of that. At the moment I'm falling into the trap of making updates feel like quick recaps on what's going on, and I'd like to try writing it more like a story even though almost all of what goes on is gameplay and based on wants and personality etc rather than me setting things up on purpose. Which reminds me, I really do need to tweak ACR so it's all vaguely in-character 0_0

Round Six - Bachman/Darwin - Tied Down?

2010-03-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

Allyn Bachman and Tom Darwin are cohabiting but have a free and easy relationship with no official commitment. This has been suiting them just fine, but can it carry on forever?

They had thoroughly different schedules but they always ate together, at least one meal every day. It wasn't something they'd discussed, some kind of ground rule to keep them "together", just something that had happened along the way. Kind of like everything else with them. But Tom was getting the feeling Allyn was getting antsy. She was mostly his kind of girl but he knew she had a few neuroses under it all that sometimes made her clingy. She started up again with talk of "being serious" and thinking they should "show their commitment" over an average evening meal, and Tom rolled his eyes.

"I don't see why things should change. I mean, we're good with the casual dating, right? I haven't even been seeing anyone else." He sighed as another thought rushed through his hea. "Plus, look at my parents. Commitment doesn't mean a thing."

"Trust me to get involved with a guy with daddy issues," giggled Allyn.

Of course, she was one to talk. Her father had been dead for a long, long time and Tom knew that had to affect her somehow. It wasn't like he didn't care about her and didn't worry about what that did to her underneath it all. In fact, he did truly love her. She was often asleep when he headed off to nightshifts and he couldn't resist the urge to look at her, all pretty and peaceful, even though he knew it was a bit creepy.

He often ended up having a few drinks once he got back, thinking things over. Life was a bit weird for him now his parents were divorcing. He wouldn't leave Allyn but if she was going to get like this sometimes he figured he deserved indulgence.

Note: I lost a whole bunch of pictures for this update which is why it's so short. It doesn't really matter because not much happened - Allyn and Tom just asked each other out on dates all the time and occasionally went to work, and then had talks where Allyn would be all "MARRIAGE! BABIES!" and Tom was all "DATES! PUBLIC WOO-HOO!". She's a Pleasure sim but she rolled Family as a secondary so I suppose it's to be expected sometimes.

Round Six - King - Crowded House

2010-03-04T03:56:00.000-08:00

The King family house is full to bursting now Nathaniel's new wife Petal is expecting a new addition. Will they all cope, or will the constant invasion of personal space finally drive everyone insane?

Liliana may not have been as dedicated a student as her big sister Miranda, but with encouragement and a bit of pressure she started getting A grades. The pride and joy she felt, along with the extra attention, finally convinced her that working hard at school was a good thing (if not for quite the right reasons).

Jace Bhalli frequently stopped by to see his twin sister and his new brother-in-law. It helped that they had been friends for years, so the blow from the fact there was now undeniable evidence that his sister was having sex was cushioned a little.

"Welcome to the expectant fathers club," laughed Jace. "How's Petal coping?"

"Pretty well, actually. I thought she'd be a bit annoyed at having to take time off work but she's all pregnant-glow-joy-hormones or something."

"I think Solveig skipped that phase," said Jace with a tired sigh.

Noriko was very considerate of her daughter-in-law's needs, and didn't even berate her when she burned the morning ommlettes, instead gently asking if she'd like to switch around her jobs on the household rota.

Miranda kept out of everyone's way. She'd never been all that gregarious at the best of times and now all the baby-talk was getting on her nerves. There'd even been talk of her having to share a room with Liliana again so the baby could have its own nursery! She took refuge in trying to build up her butterfly collection.

Of course, insects weren't her only distraction, and Noriko was determined to make sure Sam Darwin didn't manage to get any of his own biology into the situation.

"I hear you've been seeing that Darwin boy," she said firmly to her eldest daughter. "You'd better be careful! I know what teenage boys are like."

"Mom! We're not like that!" Miranda huffed. "I mean, we're still basically just friends. We've kissed a few times."

"You make sure that's all that happens. You're too young to get pregnant."

Miranda certainly had no desire for THAT to happen, but her mother's words still hurt her a little. Despite their requited declarations of their feelings, they still weren't "official". She trusted Sam, but there was a niggling little voice inside her head... especially as Sam would be heading off to university without her.

Petal's due date grew closer and closer, but even though the rest of her family was getting ever more excited about the new arrival Miranda still wasn't convinced. In fact, she spent a lot of time online looking into the idea of early college admission. It would be a two-fold victory, she figured - she wouldn't have to spend her teen years helping look after a squalling toddler, AND she'd get to keep an eye on Sam.

Petal finally gave birth to a little girl who looked almost exactly like her uncle Jace. They named her Athena.

Note: I'm having some (for "some" read "a lot of") trouble with formatting - bear with me! D:

Round Six - Darwin - Eerie Silence

2010-03-02T03:54:00.000-08:00

Adele Darwin caught her husband Harvey in bed with his employee Esther Pasang and is struggling to cope. Their son Sam is getting closer to graduation and their daughter Maya will become a teenager soon - does Adele have the strength to put this incident behind her? And more importantly, does Harvey have the willpower to stop messing around with poor love-struck Esther?

Since her discovery Adele had set up an extra bed in Maya's room and slept there. Usual "etiquette" for such situations may have been that the offending party had to sleep on the couch, but they didn't have a couch and there was no way Adele was sleeping in her old bed now Harvey had ruined it for her.

Maya had been mostly oblivious to what was going on and was enthralled with her piano lessons, practicing the moment she got home from school. Sam was a willing audience; she may not have progressed that far from scales and chopsticks but taking care of her in this difficult atmosphere calmed him. It wasn't that Harvey and Adele were fighting - they weren't. Everything was back to normal, with Harvey painting and Adele working, but somehow things were chillier than before, the quiet before the storm... or perhaps Sam thought too much.

He quickly discovered that there was one benefit to his parents' fighting and subsequent lack of interest in his activities - he could sneak girls into his room. Not that he was planning to do anything apart from hanging out. He wasn't his brother Tom! He was Just Friends with Miranda King. He loved how they could talk for hours, just talk, about anything and everything. She was so smart! Of course, thoughts of kissing her popped into his head but she was quite a bit younger than him and he didn't want to ruin their friendship.

Age-gaps didn't bother his father half as much. Adele had forced him to give Esther "temporary leave" but that didn't stop him taking her out on dates to restaurants that were far too expensive for the current state of the Darwin family budget.

That situation didn't last too long though. Harvey's business got an excellent review in a local newspaper and an award for Number One Small Business, which he displayed in full view of all shoppers.

Sam decided to bite the bullet and tell the truth about his feelings to Miranda. He called her and they snuck out late at night to a local park.

"What's up, Sam? Why did you ask to meet me here?"

"This is difficult... look, Miranda, I really want to kiss you. I like you a lot. Really like you. But if you don't want to that's fine. I mean, I'm older than you and you've not given me any signals or anything, please don't think this is your fault, you haven't lead me on..."

There was a moment's silence and Sam was about to bolt when Miranda spoke up.

"I'm just quiet. I didn't know how to give you those signals..."

Their first kiss was everything Sam had hoped it would be.

Maya had hit puberty and grown into an elegant-looking young lady. She had grand ambitions for her life, mostly centred around money-making; her biggest dream was to put her cooking skills, as honed on her E-Z-bake oven, to good use and open a chain of cafes and restaurants.

Harvey and Adele had barely spoken for months. Something had to give. Every attempt Adele had made to try and ride this rough patch out and be civil for the children had been thrown back in her face as Harvey went around with Esther, and she finally snapped.

"I'm leaving. I've tried and tried, but you're a selfish pig. Sam's heading off to university soon, he can make his own decisions, but I'm taking Maya with me."

"I - "

"Save it. The divorce papers will be with you before the month is out."

Adele was gone, along with Maya. Sam spent all his time with Miranda. Harvey was alone with only his thoughts and his business. How had it come to this?

Well, that was a question with a very simple answer.

Round Six - Bhalli - Playing Happy Families

2010-02-27T06:37:00.000-08:00

Jace Bhalli and Solveig Tellerman are engaged and settling into life with Jace's mother, step-dad and new baby brother Gabriel. Will things continue to be plain sailing?

Jace and Solveig tied the knot in a quiet, private ceremony and became Mr and Mrs Bhalli.

Duncan was still working a lot of nights due to his recent promotions towards dance stardom so he grabbed time with his son whenever he could. He wasn't all that fussed about getting famous or anything like that anyway. Sure, it was great to get paid for something he enjoyed doing anyway, but playing with Gabriel was better!

Jace and Solveig wasted no time trying for a baby, which frequently left them exhausted. Solveig was much more nervous about the concept of parenthood than Jace, though. She wasn't sure she'd be much of a natural mother, and she didn't know how she'd cope once Alima moved out. Alima reassured her that she wouldn't be leaving for a while and once she did Solveig could call her whenever.

Eventually, after a lot of trying, Solveig became pregnant. She was still in a mixed mind about it - she resented having to take time off work and the back-aches that came from lugging a baby around inside her, but Jace was ready to give her backrubs whenever she asked, and she really did want a family with him. It was just all happening a bit quickly.

Jace and Petal may have had lives of their own now but they were still twins and kept in touch whenever they both had a free moment.

"I think Sol's going kind of crazy, can you talk to her? You know, woman to woman?"

Petal snorted. "Hey, don't bring me into this. I'm going to be just as bad as her in a few months."

"You mean - "

"You're going to be an uncle!"

Gabriel started school. He was an excitable, joyful, personable sort of a kid, and he adored having a "cool" big brother. Jace didn't want to disabuse him of the notion - Jace had never been cool for even a moment in his life, but it was nice that Gabriel always wanted to talk to him about the latest video games and all the things kids on the playground were into these days.

Alima was having a whale of a time. It had been so long since Jace and Petal were this age and Alima felt so young and energised whenever she and Gabriel danced around the kitchen. It was like the first time all over again, but with the benefit of experience. For his part, Gabriel really did love dancing around like a loon.

But his true love, hobby-wise, was painting. He'd inherited his parents' need to be creative but expressed it very differently - sure, he enjoyed dancing with his mother and listening to his father play guitar, but the easel was always calling him...

Duncan and Alima had never intended to stay in that house forever; it was Jace and Solveig's home now, for them to fill with children. Duncan and Alima found a duplex for rent and moved out. Gabriel was the last one to go to the taxi. He loved his big brother to bits and wasn't entirely sure about a new house. What if it was haunted?! He'd heard stories.

As the taxi drove off, Solveig grabbed Jace's hands.

"I don't know how I'm going to cope! I mean, I'm as big as a house now, and when the baby comes I'll have no idea what to do, and - "

"It's going to be fine."

Round Five - Bachman/Darwin - Stress-Free Living

2010-02-26T03:49:00.000-08:00

Tom Darwin has joined his college-drop-out girlfriend Allyn Bachan after getting unceremoniously kicked out of university himself. Will he stop his philandering ways, and will either of them get it together enough to pay the rent?

The first thing Tom did upon moving in with Allyn was find them a better apartment. It was a little stuffily decorated but it was big and lavish, especially compared to the run-down old place Allyn had been living in before.

"Oooh! It's lovely! But how are we going to afford it? I mean, neither of us have high paying jobs."

Tom kissed her. "We'll make do, baby, we'll make do."

One of the benefits of their new living situation was that there was a gym downstairs leading off from the lobby. Tom and Allyn wasted no time in getting super-fit and, in their minds, super-hot.

They both had jobs, but Allyn wasn't exactly dedicated to hers, and Tom's involved a lot of night-shifts. Allyn usually wandered around in her nightdress and occasionally called Tom at work to check up on him, much to his annoyance.

But Allyn couldn't help it. She was smitten. Every time she woke up next to Tom she was overcome but how hot he was, and how lucky she was - it seemed that he'd stopped sleeping around and seeing other girls, at least for the moment.

Tom was okay with this. He didn't have time for other girls. He had a job, and he had Allyn. How could he not love a gorgeous girl who'd spend hours alternately making out and pillowfighting with him?

Note: Tom actually hasn't spun up any wants for anyone other than Allyn since he left university, not even multiple-lover wants or anything like that. He really is too consumed in his career - he's a romance sim but his LTW is career-related (Professional Party Guest) rather than wanting to sleep with EVERYTHING.

Round Five - King - We Are Young

2010-02-25T03:47:00.000-08:00

Petal Bhalli has graduated university and left her family home in order to live with her fiancé Nathaniel King. Unfortunately, this is a package deal including him, his parents and his two little sisters... still, they're not going to let it get in their way.

"I'm sorry about this," said Nathaniel wearily. "I'd have liked it if we could get a place of our own, but..."

"Don't be silly." Petal squeezed his hands. "I'll get used to it. Hey, it might even be fun. I've never had a big family before, it was always just me, mom and Jace. And after university... I think I can handle being around your family. They're a lot more stable than, say, Tom Darwin!"

It was a good thing that Petal was okay with living with her in-laws, as they wouldn't leave her alone.

"I hear you graduated Magna Cum Laude," said Noriko, full of pride at having such a smart prospective daughter-in-law. "Even better grades than my little Nathaniel! You'll have such clever babies."

Noriko wasn't the only one. Outgoing little Liliana was fascinated by Petal and always wanted to talk to her. She was so grown up! Liliana couldn't wait to be a grown-up and be able to do fun things like go to university and make a lot of friends.

Liliana also loved pestering the big brother she'd never gotten to bond with. "Can we go and play? Please? Pleeeeease? PLEAAASE?"

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Aren't you getting a bit big to be swung around?"

"Never!"

After a while, life settled into a comfortable routine. Petal got a job in a construction company, the first step towards her dream career of becoming a respected architect. Unfortunately the household chores seemed to always get in the way of things.

Nathaniel wasn't slacking either - he'd always been a sports freak and now he was playing professionally! Awesome.

Of course, this meant he had to work on his fitness a whole lot more. He wasn't convinced by the yoga routine his coach had suggested.

Miranda reached her teens and continued to stay out of everyone else's way. She wanted to be rich and independent but her love of nature still overruled everything else. A job in the conservation field would suit her nicely...

All in all, things were going great. Nathaniel and Petal couldn't have been more in love and began to make plans for a nice, quiet courthouse wedding - as quickly as possible, considering the fact they'd gotten pregnant.

This may sound like a stupid question, but...

2010-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

...how do you do the "read more" thing so that only the first photo of a post is visible, thus meaning there aren't "spoilers" and the main page of the blog takes a shorter time to load? I'm only used to Livejournal cuts, and not so used to Blogger...

Round Five - Darwin - Backstabber

2010-02-24T03:45:00.000-08:00

Harvey Darwin's home art business is thriving, but with that comes the temptation of a beautiful, young and naive employee. Adele is oblivious, preferring her career, and their youngest children Sam and Maya are doing their own thing. How long can they continue before their fake happy family implodes?

The stresses of increasing age and three pregnancies lead to Adele switching careers and starting again from the very bottom, but she wasn't too worried. Yes, being an athlete had suited her well, but the idea of breaking the glass ceiling in politics intrigued her too... even if her dreams did wobble a bit when she saw the wreck she had to car-pool in.

Little Maya was growing up fast and was delighted with her newest toy - a stove of her very own! She was fascinated by the process of cake-making as much as the end result, which was a good thing as at the moment she mostly only managed to burn them. She ate them anyway, though.

She was a friendly little girl - not extremely outgoing, but sweet and playful enough to overcome her shyness easily. She made friends with Liliana King at school.

"I can so do algebra," said Liliana boastfully. "I am AWESOME at algebra. Listen!" She started off on a nonsensical stream of Xs and Ys but Maya nodded her on indulgently. Liliana was a bit over-the-top but she was a lot of fun to be around the rest of the time!

The "affair" with Esther hadn't gone past a little flirtation but it was still obvious to anyone who cared to notice, the way they looked at each other, the way he always touched her arm when complimenting her.

"Esther, you're a natural saleswoman! Of course, who could resist buying from someone so pretty... I'm giving you a raise, effective immediately."

"Oh wow! Thanks Harvey!"

The other employee rolled his eyes. Had Harvey Darwin never heard the term "abuse of power"?!

Harvey couldn't bear it anymore. The moment he shut up shop he walked over to Esther and tried to caress her face - a risk, he knew, since all they'd had was touches that could be construed as friendly... and she rebuffed him, a look of horror on her face.

"I'm sorry, but... look. I've had time to think about all of this. You're so handsome and charming and all the rest, but you're married! I'm not that sort of girl."

"What sort of girl's that?" asked Harvey with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not a home-wrecker. I want love, sure, but not like this. I want someone I can raise a family with. It's got to end between us, right now, before anyone gets hurt."

Harvey walked off without a word.

But her resolve not to be "that kind of girl" couldn't stand up to the pressure - Harvey wore her down and wore her down, and eventually she caved under the pressure. She even though she might be in love... which allowed him to take the next step.

Adele returned home early after finally getting a promotion, in higher spirits than she had been for a long time. Harvey was nowhere to be found, so she headed to the bedroom... and found him instantly, in bed with pretty young Esther.

"HOW COULD YOU?" Adele had never been a violent person but she struck out in a cloud of rage and smacked Harvey across the face, then stormed off.

They tried to keep their anger quiet, but it was impossible. Over the next few weeks they had quite a few fights and arguments, and Sam realised what was going on. One time they had a particular vicious shouting match right in front of him and he ran to his room in tears - he was always a sensitive kid.

Adele sat in her baby girl's room, playing chess and trying to compose her thoughts. Yes, Harvey had hurt her, betrayed her, broken her heart, but she he had three children by him and the youngest was about to hit puberty - was it worth losing all that history? Didn't Maya need a father-figure in her teen years? Although, thinking about it that way... considering how Tom had turned out, maybe not letting Maya think that jerks cheating on her was okay would be a better plan. This was a tricky problem, she mused as she moved the pawns and queens around the board. She'd need time to think.

Round Five - Bhalli - Adult Life

2010-02-22T03:41:00.000-08:00

Jace Bhalli and Solveig Tellerman are freshly graduated from university and have moved into Jace's mother's house. Will they manage to find any space of their own as a soon-to-be-married couple now Alima and Duncan are expecting Jace's new baby brother or sister?

Jace and Solveig were settling in fairly well - he thought the new decoration theme in the house was a bit too minimalist but he supposed he could deal with it - making any changes could come later, when they were a little more financially stable. As long as they had each other, it was all good. Solveig was glad she'd found someone who would give her backrubs whenever she asked and not demand anything in return!

One of the factors that cemented Alima and Duncan's relationships was their love of music, and Alima's burgeoning pregnancy bump hadn't dampened that in the least. They'd made one of the new rooms their own personal rehearsal space and continued to rock out as fervently as ever.

Solveig had to admit to herself that she'd been very worried about the concept of living with her future mother-in-law. She'd met her a few times while she was at university but living together was a whole other matter! What if she didn't think she was good enough for her little boy?... Of course, Solveig hadn't reckoned on having a mother-in-law like outgoing, cheerful Alima, and her ability to corner you then get you into a really awesome conversation. She was still fairly young, after all, and she'd lived a lot on those years!

"I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable here. This is your house as much as it is mine!"

"Thanks. I just don't want to get in the way, what with the baby and everything..."

"Don't worry about it! You're great fun to have around, not as stuffy as my twins... I'm not sure what happened there. I mean, I love them, but they're a total mystery to me! But you've got a good head on your shoulders. You're ambitious but you're cool."

Being told you were "cool" by your boyfriend's mother was a little surreal.

In seemingly no time at all, Solveig had become an intern at Sim City Hospital. The hours were long and gruelling but it was what she most wanted out of her life - helping others while netting a great paycheck!

Jace had also got a job, in order to prepare for Alima's incoming baby and any future children of his own. He wasn't as ambitious as his fiancée but work as a police officer was just right for him.

Alima gave birth to a healthy and handsome little baby boy, Gabriel King. He was a perfect mix of both his parents, as far as they were concerned!

Alima couldn't find a way to fully express her joy at having a new baby, especially with a guy she truly loved who would always stand by her. She could stare at little Gabriel for hours, just like she had with her twins, amazed at how she'd made such a cute little thing.

Alima and Solveig had indeed become very close friends, always joking and gossiping - about men, as often as not. Rumours about Harvey Darwin had been spreading around the community and they weren't about to pass up any opportunity to talk about that!

Jace had always wanted children of his own, and helping look after his baby brother fully cemented that desire. He willingly got up for midnight feedings, which was more than could be said for Alima. But everyone knew that after years of being a devoted single parent she deserved some rest.

Gabriel soon became a toddler and Alima began thinking about whether she and her "new" family should move out... but there was plenty of time.

Quick Note: How I'm Playing University

2010-02-21T03:40:00.000-08:00

Usually I'm trying to keep to a listed schedule of sending students to university based around age, and I'm attempting to not give in to frustration at the lengthy teen years and send them off early as some teens won't want or need to go to university at all. However, sometimes I will break that system for drama purposes or not wanting to only have one sim in university at the time! I am still new to University as an EP (ironic that the first one is probably the last one I'm gonna get! although I'm suddenly tempted by Seasons...) so expect a few bits of confusion from my end :)

Round Four - University - A Beautiful Life

2010-02-20T05:39:00.000-08:00

Tom Darwin, Jace and Petal Bhalli, Nathaniel King and Solveig Tellerman are in their final two years of university. Will the relationships between them blossom, and will Tom stop painting and womanising long enough to graduate?

There was a certain routine in their dorm now. The others would study while Tom wooed unsuspecting freshmen and sophomores.

"I can't believe him!" Solveig complained to Nathaniel. "How does he expect to get anywhere in life if all he cares about is getting his leg over?" Nathaniel said nothing, instead contemplating how he was going to move things further with Petal Bhalli.

Tom had indeed fallen off the rails. Instead of going to classes he'd head over to the Student Union or the coffee bar, and as soon as he was done introducing himself to one girl another would make her presence known. He was getting a reputation on campus as a heartbreaker and a layabout but his over-inflated view of himself left him believing he was a casanova and natural genius at art who would get over this whole "academic probation" thing with ease.

Nathaniel didn't need to worry about winning over Petal Bhalli for very long; she made the first move.

And the next move, too! Petal was very forward, a real go-getter, and Nathaniel could see himself marrying her... except for the weirdness that was the fact she was now his step-cousin.

Jace and Solveig were moving forward too, with considerably less weirdness. Jace had known for a while that Solveig was the one for him, and when he proposed she accepted without a moment's pause.

Nathaniel wasn't the only one who'd noticed the messiness on the family tree - Petal was kind of freaked out by it too.

"It's not like you're blood-related," pointed out her future sister-in-law. "There's no laws against it! Plus you already know your mother and your step-dad like him. If you love him, go for it. I want to see you as happy as me and Jace!"

Tom ended up failing out entirely and the school wouldn't keep him on academic probation forever - he had to leave.

"See, if you'd just worked harder - " began Solveig. Tom rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm going to make it big without a stupid degree, you'll see!"

Jace had told his mother about his engagement straight away, and soon Alima came to visit. She was heavily pregnant now, which weirded Jace out a bit, but he was glad to see that she got on well with Solveig.

Plus it was nice to be able to begin bonding with a new baby brother or sister!

Even though they'd met before and got on pretty well, Nathaniel was nervous about talking to Alima now he was dating her daughter - especially considering the fact that the big baby bump contained his future cousin. But Alima's friendly manner put him at ease and all the oddness finally dissipated.

So much so, in fact, that Nathaniel worked up the courage to propose. He'd liked Petal since they were teenagers, and now they were in love - a perfect story.

Petal accepted with a squeal of glee and a huge hug.

College days can't last forever, and soon the final exams had come and gone and it was time to leave.

"Congratulations on making Summa Cum Laude! A perfect 4.0 GPA!"

Solveig smiled. "You didn't do so bad yourself. Magma Cum Laude! Way to beat all the boys!"

"Yeah, we pretty much rule."

The term ended with sadness as well has happiness. The twins were going to be split up for the first time in their lives; Petal was moving in with Nathaniel and his family, and Jace was going home to Alima and Duncan and bringing Solveig with him.

"Promise you'll call! And come and visit!"

"Only if you promise you'll visit us!"

Note: All Tom wanted to do was mess around with girls and occasionally paint masterpieces - he didn't even roll up wants to influence people to do his work for him! I'm surprised he didn't get kicked out before Allyn, she was actually mildly more hardworking, but hey. As for our two new couples - my family tree's getting all twisted up already, lol.

Round Four - Bachman - Tune In, Drop Out

2010-02-18T05:37:00.000-08:00

Allyn Bachman was expelled from university for poor grades after only two semesters and is now making a go of things for herself in the big wide world. Her unofficial boyfriend, Tom Darwin, is still at university and isn't known for his fidelity... how will she cope with being alone?

It turned out that the apartment Allyn had found was not all it had been advertised to be. The kitchen fittings and other furnishings were old and ugly, and the last occupant had left paint-stains all over the floor. Saying she was disappointed would be an understatement.

She brought it up with the landlord but he laughed in her face.

"Ooooh! You are so freaking lucky this is the only apartment in my price-range."

Of course, Allyn being Allyn she didn't spend her meager supply of money on actually improving the place but on new clothes, easels, art supplies and a mobile phone so that she would never miss a call from Tom.

They met up in a bar down-town to drink and sing karaoke together, but Allyn couldn't help noticing the looks he gave to a couple of college chicks who'd come along for the ride - she knew that look. It didn't fill her with confidence about her place in Tom's heart.

Eventually one of the co-ed tarts dragged him out onto the dancefloor and Allyn retreated to the relative safety of the bar, ready to drown her sorrows. A rich-looking guy next to her bought her a few drinks, probably thinking he'd get something out of her, but she merely said thanks then went on her way.

Tom dropped in unannounced the next day while Allyn was in the middle of painting an ode to her hangover.

"Sorry about last night, babe," he said, then kissed her. She didn't resist - she didn't want to.

Allyn knew she was being a fool, that she should be able to say no to him, but hey - she knew the score. They weren't exclusive. Two can play that game! She'd find her own fun while he was off at college banging other chicks.

She started by meeting her neighbours - there was a promising enough prospect and they went on one short date but it didn't lead anywhere in the end. She just didn't feel that "spark".

Then there was another guy who she went on a couple of dates with, but he was too clingy. He kept turning up while she was still hungover and wandering around in her nightdress!

And the guy who came home from work with her? Ugh. She couldn't believe he'd try to hit on her, she was way out of his league.

After all that she decided it was pointless to date around and worked on her art instead. Tom would be getting back from SSU soon enough and he'd already said he wanted to move in with her - as much as she wanted to be free and easy, she was stuck with him. She loved him.

Round Four - King - Baby Dreams

2010-02-17T05:35:00.000-08:00

Adrian and Noriko King's eldest child Nathaniel has left for university, but they don't have time to miss him - Noriko has her little girls, Miranda and Liliana, to look after, and Adrian has to work hard to pay for them all... children are expensive!

Noriko did miss Nathaniel, but he called home frequently and her mind was wrapped up in looking after her new little girls. Liliana was getting bigger day by day, and Miranda had just started school.

Soon Liliana had reached that age where she was no longer just a cuddly little baby and could toddle around and cause trouble. And that she did - she was extremely excitable and demanded hugs and general companionship all the time. Miranda was not convinced. She was an introverted soul; a little sister who would get into all her things was not on her wish-list!

Still, somehow she couldn't resist her baby sister's cute little face. Despite Miranda's initial protests they grew very close and she even let Liliana play with her dollhouse!

Miranda had met Maya Darwin at school and despite her usual shyness she was keen to make a friend that wasn't her parents or her baby sister. Thankfully Maya was on much the same wavelength as her, although Miranda made a slight faux pas in going on about how great new additions to the family were. But how was she supposed to know what was going on with the Darwins?

Adrian had a blow to his self-esteem when he made a bad decision at work and was demoted. How was he supposed to pay into the girls' college funds now?!

In a blink of an eye, Liliana had started school too. She was very different from her big sister - they were both kind and playful, but Liliana was messier and MUCH more outgoing, preferring finger-painting and running around with her friends to those musty old books and silly animals...

Round Four - Darwin - Dirty Business

2010-02-15T05:32:00.000-08:00

Business isn't exactly booming for Harvey and his new art boutique but it's going well - well enough for things to start getting hectic. Little Maya is getting bigger as her grandma Verity gets closer to the end of her days - and seeing as she's the primary caregiver for Maya and Sam, that could be a very big deal...

Verity was getting to the end of her time; she could feel it in her bones. Sometimes when she looked into little Maya's eyes she was sad - she wished she could stay and watch her grow up. But she knew she couldn't avert fate, and soon she would be joining her dear departed husband, Abraham Darwin.

Unfortunately Adele had made a few poor decisions at work (she blamed post-pregnancy hormones) and had lost her job, which meant she was stuck playing housewife until she found a new one. She wasn't a natural - she barely knew how to cook! - and the depression her unemployment had sunk her into made it difficult for her to even bother getting dressed, much to Sam's horror.

"Hi mom! School was so hectic today, you wouldn't believe ...okay. You're both still in your pajamas. That's just WEIRD."

"Be quiet and eat your macaroni, dear," said Adele with a forced smile.

The art store was getting more and more popular - so much so they needed to hire new staff. One of the applicants was a sweet young thing called Esther Pasang. She made a good impression on all of them - she was highly skilled at pottery and at sales techniques, just what they needed!

"It's such a relief to have someone to help out!" said Verity. "My old joints can't seem to get used to that cash register... I'm sure you'll have more luck. Do you have a boyfriend? Husband? Children?" Verity may have been getting older but she still hoped Esther could bring more kids over for her to fuss over. Sadly for her, Esther was single and childless, but like Verity she was family-orientated and gladly discussed her dreams for the future.

So Esther got to work, being vaguely capable on the cash register, and Verity got a much needed break to help Maya keep up with her developmental milestones. It wasn't long before she started school, after all!

Maya started school on time. She was adorable, quite shy but very nice and friendly, and was looking forward to making new friends.

Sadly, it was Verity's time. She went out happy, not as blissful as she could have been but ready to join her husband.

Maya was distraught. Verity had been the one who'd brought her up for the most part, her father too busy with the art store and her mother too busy with her own work, and she kept waking up at night and crying about her loss.

Sam was in pieces too, although his mourning turned more to anger.

Esther's sunny demeanour and ability to keep the shop not only running smoothly but getting good reviews in the local paper meant that the house didn't completely fall apart after Verity's passing. She hadn't been bragging about her pottery skills, and soon her work was being displayed side-by-side with Harvey's and some of the canvases Tom had left lying around.

One night, as the shop was readying to close and Harvey was stock-checking, he couldn't help looking at Esther. She really was beautiful. He and Adele hadn't been intimate since before Maya was born, and Esther stirred long-forgotten urges in him, tied up close with the urge to be a free-spirited artist with a muse rather than a husband to a career woman like Adele...

And once the stock was accounted for and the customers were ushered out, Harvey made his move. He was cheating on Adele, and Esther was such a sweet girl who deserved more than being someone's bit on the side, but guilt could wait. It could wait forever, if Harvey had his way.

Note: Verity :( I shall miss her and her function as free in-house childcare! Especially now Harvey's started drama with his staff... Sam's just wandering along in life.

Round Four - Bhalli - Valentine

2010-02-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Alima Bhalli is suffering from empty-nest syndrome now that her twin children have gone to university, and has invited her fiancé Duncan King to live with her. Things are getting pretty serious for these life-long hedonists...

Alima and Duncan didn't show-boat for their wedding, opting instead to go for the courthouse option. As far as they thought they didn't need a fancy ceremony to prove they loved each other. "Plus, I've got no right to a big white meringue of a dress even if I wanted one!" Alima had said with laughter as they made their plans.

Alima may have initially had her doubts but she knew she'd made the right decision. She and Duncan were made for each other.

With the house to themselves they had a lot of opportunity for newly-wed amorous activities, and they took advantage of that whenever they could!

Money was a little tight, though, so Alima made the decision to sell the car Jace and Petal had built together. It was a heart-wrenching goodbye, to be sure, but they got a surprisingly good deal.

It didn't take long before Alima fell pregnant. It was a little daunting seeing as her other children were already at college, but she was still excited by the idea. She called Petal and Jace to give them the good news and they were initially and understandably shocked and surprised, but the idea of having a new baby brother or sister was intriguing, especially to family-orientated Jace.

Alima was on maternity leave but the bills needed paying so Duncan was working hard. Sometimes that meant Alima had to head to bed on her own as dancing was sometimes a late-night job, but she was too exhausted to do anything but pass out anyway.

Duncan's steadily growing paychecks meant they could afford to extend and renovate the house ready for the new arrival. It was a stylish and minimalist affair and Duncan couldn't wait to put the new nursery to good use!

Notes: Yay, a wedding for Valentine's Day! ...and a pregnancy. Duncan's rolled a have-a-baby want though so it's all good.

Round Three - University - Pretty People

2010-02-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel King, Tom Darwin and Jace and Petal Bhalli have all taken the plunge and headed off to university. Will they have an easy time of it or will they face unexpected obstacles - especially Tom, who's convinced he can just breeze through it all? University's just one big party, right?

(I'm naming most of the university rounds after songs and lyrics from the college rock and new wave stations because it's fun, and those two stations have provided fitting music during dramatic situations!)

Jace Bhalli was a little surprised to find out that their other dormmates at SSU were Allyn Bachman and Solveig Tellerman. They'd all gone to school together but Allyn and Solveig had always been in the "popular" crowd and he'd assumed they would head off to college somewhere with a beach and hot boys, but here they were. Allyn looked pretty similar to how she always had, but Jace couldn't help noticing that Solveig had a lot more clothes on and a lot less makeup... and that she was utterly beautiful.

The first semester started with a proper freshmen kegger. Tom went to get a drink and was met by a very tipsy Allyn.

"Hey. Isn't Alan a guy's name?"

"Allyn with a Y is a girl's name, okay?"

"Sure it is. Doesn't help that you drink like a guy, though!"

"Watch it. I can drink you under the table any time."

"Is that a challenge? You're on."

Allyn and Tom weren't the only ones hitting the booze; Solveig had more than her fair share too, and it ended with her and Tom having a drunken makeout session before Solveig passed out in bed.

The next morning Solveig was studiously avoiding him, but Allyn seemed to have been encouraged by his good-natured teasing.

"Great party last night, huh? I don't know about you but I could do with getting some coffee, my hangover's killing me."

"Are you asking me out on a date?" laughed Tom.

"What do you think? Come on, the campus coffee shop's not THAT bad. The geeks stick to the library."

Soon life fell into a comfortable routine. Jace, Petal, Nathaniel and Solveig spent most of their time studying while Allyn and Tom neglected it all in favour of hanging around, flirting, kissing and generally engaging in gratuitous PDA.

Solveig watched Tom and Allyn with interest but no jealousy - in fact, she was pretty sure she'd dodged a bullet there. Tom was bad news, and she hated that her former best friend was getting sucked in by his smooth ways. But what could she do? Allyn WANTED to be sucked in, and Solveig had more important things to worry about if she was going to make the Dean's List and get into medical school.

She was getting closer to Jace Bhalli, much to his delight. Sure, they had chemistry, but it wasn't all about flirting - they helped each other with schoolwork and he would even put up with playing chess against her. Jace was developing something of a crush, especially after learning that she wanted to be a doctor not some party-girl like he'd always thought, and Solveig was beginning to realise she liked him too.

Eventually she decided to be brave and make the first move. Jace was sitting around on his own playing computer games after a particularly gruelling study session (he was bright enough, but nowhere near as driven as his twin) and she went for it.

"Hey, Jace?"

He jumped up eagerly. "What is it?"

She stepped closer and stroked his cheek. "I don't want to seem too forward, but... I really like you. Let's go out sometime."

Jace didn't need asking twice.

Nathaniel had so far failed to get lucky in any way, shape or form. He was generally outgoing but Petal Bhalli continued to terrify him after her early "eww, cooties" stage and he needed some advice. Unfortunately he went to Tom to get it because his only other options were Petal's brother and his uncle Duncan, who was now her stepfather.

"There's this girl I like, and I was wondering... well, you and Allyn hit it off really quickly and I know you had girls all over you in high school too. How do you get a girl to make out with you?"

"Seriously?" Tom laughed, a little surprised. "You've never even kissed a girl before? Wow, how did you get through being such a jock at school and stay so clueless?!"

Seeing as Tom had failed to give him any advice Nathaniel decided to throw himself into his schoolwork instead. Romance could wait.

Allyn and Tom ended up losing their virginities on the moth-eaten sofa in the communal lounge. Hey, why spend money on big space-eating beds when there was a perfectly good couch? Of course, the huge amount of time they spent fooling around meant they never turned in assignments and even skipped classes, but they didn't care.

When they weren't defiling the furniture they spent their time painting. Tom was considerably more skilled at it than Allyn but he managed to pull himself out of his own vain little world long enough to help her improve her style now and then.

Unfortunately, Allyn and Tom couldn't coast forever. After their final exam of freshman year they got such terrible grades Tom was put on academic probation. Allyn got the worst of it, though - she was expelled. She took it better than he did.

"My dad is going to kill me..." he muttered. "And you! It's my fault you have to leave!"

"It's fine! I never really wanted to go to college anyway. I don't need school to be a good artist." Allyn was shocked - she'd been kicked out of school but he was the one crying.

Tom didn't let his guilt upset him for long, of course. Not when he could be kissing someone.

"Do you really have to go?"

"Of course I do. The cab's going to be here soon!"

"I'll miss you."

"I love you too," said Allyn, ignoring what he'd actually said. "You can visit me whenever you want. You've got my cell phone number, babe, use it."

Allyn collected up her belongings and left campus without fuss. She'd found an apartment online that looked pretty good and (most importantly) was within her meager budget. At least that meant she and Tom would have a PRIVATE makeout space!

But Tom's mouring period didn't last long. It only took him days to hook up with a cute freshman...

...and get her to do lewd things on sofas too.

Solveig was so glad she'd avoided doing anything beyond that first drunken hook-up. Especially now Jace had said those three magic words.

"I love you, Sol."

"I love you too."

Round Three - King - The Quiet Life

2010-02-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

Little Miranda King was growing bigger by the day - now she was a toddler and into everything. Noriko didn't mind; in fact, she rather wanted another baby...

Of course, one of the reasons that having a toddler around the house and maybe getting pregnant again was appealing to her could have been the fact her first child, Nathaniel, was old enough to fly the nest. She kept back her tears as she waved him off.

"Behave yourself!" Adrian called after him. "And stay away from that Darwin kid, I hear he's trouble..."

Nathaniel sighed as he got in the taxi. His father was always such a pessimist.

Adrian tried to be as excited about looking after Miranda as Noriko, but he found it difficult. Of course he loved his little girl and of course he did his part in keeping her clean and safe and teaching her basic life skills, but it was hard to play with a kid who kept throwing up on him.

Still, when Noriko announced that they should have another baby he jumped at the chance. He did love his wife and children, he just wasn't a warm-and-fuzzy person.

Soon Noriko was feeling the pangs of morning sickness and the test confirmed she was pregnant again. Her fertility had gone up drastically since moving to Serenity Hills!

Her baby bump steadily grew larger and larger but she didn't let it get in the way of looking after Miranda.

Noriko went into labour while watching her favourite cookery show. Unfortunately Adrian was at work so she had to call the cab to the hospital on her own and get hold of him from there, but he rushed over as soon as it was appropriate.

Their third child was another girl, Liliana. It was too early to tell precisely which one of them she most looked like but so far she looked a lot like Noriko with her pale skin and dark hair, and Noriko was delighted.

Miranda started school shortly after Liliana's birth. She was a quiet, introverted little girl. Other children might have spent their time after school and homework were done playing with friends but she preferred sitting in her bedroom and daydreaming.

She also loved books. Her parents gave her a bookcase of her own and a little armchair to read in and she spent hours at a time escaping into literature. She preferred non-fiction to stories, though, especially books about nature. Maybe she could be an explorer when she grew up!

Notes: Literally all that happened in this house was babies! But now Noriko has the three children she needs for her LTW so we can focus on other things, and as much as I love babies that's gonna be a relief X_X

Round Three - Darwin - All Work & No Play

2010-02-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

The dysfunctional Darwin family are expecting a new child, right at the beginning of patriarch Harvey's venture into the world of art dealership. Thankfully eldest son Tom is off to university, but he's already been messed up enough as it is. How will the rest of the family cope?

With Adele mostly confined to bed or sitting around reading, and Harvey busy painting and making pottery, a lot of the every-day business of running a shop fell to Verity. Unfortunately she didn't seem to be a natural saleswoman and she kept getting her hand trapped in the till...

Tom couldn't wait to get out of this mad-house full of annoying relatives and left for college with very few goodbyes.

Adele was nearing the end of this arduous third pregnancy and couldn't wait for her due date. No more moping about the house in her PJs, cramming spaghetti into her face... it was bad enough she'd been forbidden from using her exercise machines!

Adele went into labour while tucking little Sam in for the night and was rushed to the maternity ward.

She returned with a little baby girl they named Maya. Adele was enthralled - a daughter! After two sons it would make a pleasant change.

Sam found that now Tom was out of the house and his female relatives were busy with the new baby he had a lot of time to himself that he could use any way he wanted. He discovered a love for nature and spent hours at a time running around the back yard catching bugs.

Maya soon became a toddler. She looked a lot like her mother but with her father's pale skin, a very pretty combination in everyone's minds. She was an easy child to look after, very sweet and friendly and rarely wanting to escape and cause trouble, although she was a little clingy.

Sam was delighted that his baby sister was finally old enough to play with, and spent hours at a time playing peek-a-boo with her. He couldn't wait until she was old enough to go to school! They could talk for hours!

Harvey had barely spent any time with his baby girl - his business always came first. And lately he'd been noticing that a lot of attractive young women stopped by, too... he had a wandering eye.

Round Three - Bhalli - Leaving Home

2010-02-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Jace and Petal Bhalli are getting ready to go to University, leaving their mother Alima as the sole resident of the house.

"Hi, kids!" said Alima as she got home from work, a smile plastered on her face.

"Hi..." said Jace distractedly while Petal shot her mother a dirty look.

"I love you and everything, but we are TRYING to CONCENTRATE. I need perfect grades before I leave!"

Alima sighed. She would never understand her children's fixation with academia, especially knowledge-seeking Petal.

Soon the dreaded day came when the twins moved out and went to university. Jace was busy packing all their suitcases into the taxi while Alima said goodbye to her daughter.

"Be a good girl! Stay away from frat boys and don't go to too many parties!"

"Honestly, who do you think I am? It'd take a miracle to get me to go to ONE party... Mom! Stop crying!"

"I can't help it! My little babies are all grown-up..."

The house was lonely without the twins and that meant Alima called her fiancé Duncan over even more than usual. She still had a few doubts but now she was all alone they were much harder to pay any attention to - she was finally completely sure she loved him.

Still, he couldn't be there all the time... and Alima was growing increasingly tired of waking up alone.

"I know this is kind of a shock, but... will you move in with me?"

"Of course I will! Jeez, Ali, why would I propose to you if I didn't want to live with you?!"

And so it was that Duncan King finally moved out of his big brother's house and joined the love of his life.

Just installed the Realistic Sickness hack...

2010-02-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

Wish me luck! Because with my luck the population's going to get halved 0_0

Round Two - King - Family Men

2010-02-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

Duncan's courtship of Alima Bhalli appears to be going somewhere despite some trouble on the way. His sister-in-law is expecting her second child and his temperamental brother seems to be getting used to the idea that Duncan's still around - perhaps a little too late.

"Pregnancy suits you," said Adrian cheerfully. "You've got a glow about you."

"Thank you!" Noriko smiled. "I could do with some ice-cream, though... I don't suppose you could go to the store and get me some?"

Adrian sighed. He needed to finish a project for work, but he supposed he couldn't exactly deny his wife her pregnancy cravings. It takes two to make a baby, after all.

His brother Duncan's romantic escapades were going a little better. Alima had really come round to the idea now her kids had expressed their approval, and they celebrated by heading off to Sim City and hitting the clubs downtown.

After a soak in the hot-tub (what kind of a club has a hot-tub, anyway?) Duncan mustered up the courage to do something he'd wanted to do for a long time. He grabbed his jeans, rooted around in the pockets, and produced a diamond engagement ring.

"Alima Bhalli, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

For a moment he thought she was going to refuse. She had a troubled look on her face, as if the decision wasn't as easy and heart-felt as it should have been. But the expression passed in a brief second and she accepted with a smile on her face.

"Of course! But I've got one question - where the hell did you pull that out from?!"

"My jeans! Wow, you've got a dirty mind."

She hugged him tightly. "I love you, Duncan. I know I've not been as warm as I could have been, but - "

"It doesn't matter now. All in the past. What matters is you're showing how you feel now."

Noriko was nearing the end of her pregnancy but her appetite hadn't diminished one bit. Even when she wasn't "eating for two" she LOVED food - it was her second great passion in life after raising children. It was a wonder she kept her slim figure, but she was apparently blessed with a fast metabolism.

True to form, Noriko gave birth just as she was preparing lunch (still in her pyjamas). Adrian was at work and Nathaniel was at school, so it was up to Duncan to rush her to the hospital.

Noriko gave birth to a healthy baby girl she and Adrian named Miranda. Miranda took after her parents equally in looks so far and was an easy and pleasant child to look after.

Nathaniel was excited to have a baby sister and helped out whenever he could. It was a shame he'd be heading off to college soon and missing out on Miranda's early years.

Duncan made time to help out too. Looking at his newborn niece made him realise how much he wanted kids of his own, but considering how skittish Alima had been about the proposal he was worried it wouldn't be any time soon...

Round Two - Darwin - Art Star

2010-02-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

Harvey Darwin has dreams of opening his own shop selling his artwork, but will his skills ever live up to his ambitions, and can he remember to focus on his family for more than ten minutes?

Harvey had decided to bite the bullet and set up shop in the front room of the family home. Sure, his paintings weren't exactly at masterpiece level yet, but there was time. Plus he could always stock a few wholesale items to get the business up and running while he perfected his skills.

One of the skills he needed to perfect turned out to be operating the cash register.

"Jeez, Dad, it's not that hard!" laughed Tom as he checked out one of the customers. "Way to be an old relic."

"I'm not the old relic, this register is! If you're so smart you try it..." muttered Harvey.

Tom had better things to do than deal with creaky cash-registers. His brief romance was getting a little too serious for his liking.

"Do you want to go out bowling later? Just me and you. I can borrow my dad's car, it's got a big back seat..."

"Look, I know you like me and everything... I hate to say it, you're really hot, but I've got to be free to do my own thing."

His blonde paramour looked a little stunned. "Whatever. I'm not in love with you or anything - I mean, you do realise I'm not the exclusive type either, right? You just lost a lot of free make-outs." She stormed off, but Tom wasn't too worried. There were plenty of hot chicks at college. He could wait. Plus she'd cool down in a few days anyway.

Adele was busy trying to advance at work and keep in shape but she still made time for Sam. He was such a sweet, friendly little boy and she hated the idea of him only having his big brother for company... thank goodness for Verity's child-rearing skills. She knew a lost cause when she saw one, and despite her best efforts that was what Tom was in her eyes.

Harvey may have been wrapped up in his new business but he still had enough time to "get physical" - but unfortunately he and Adele were just as careless as ever about taking precautions...

Adele soon found out she was pregnant. AGAIN. She was less than happy. The first person she told was her mother-in-law Verity who was predictably over the moon. She hadn't exactly kept the fact she wanted more grandchildren a secret.

"How are we going to cope?" wailed Adele. "Harvey hasn't got time for anyone as it is, and I've got my job to think about..."

"Leave it to me," said Verity cheerfully. "Sam's growing up so fast and I miss having a little baby in the house... you and Harvey can do your own thing, I'll always be there for my grandchildren. Don't worry so much!"

It didn't take long before the pregnancy started to show and Adele had to take maternity leave. She hated being cooped up and even though she'd been feeling extremely fatigued and the doctor had recommended bed-rest she couldn't stand the idea of lying around.

Her body had other ideas, however. After falling asleep in her dinner for the third time she admitted defeat and went back to bed. She'd never wanted a huge family... how had it come to this?!

Gameplay notes: THEY ARE SO DYSFUNCTIONAL seriously. But ACR does what it will, and at least Verity had a want for a grandchild so the poor thing isn't completely unwelcome.

Round Two - Bhalli - Intrusion

2010-01-31T06:05:00.000-08:00

The Bhalli twins, Jace and Petal, are getting on with their lives in a new neighbourhood. So is their mother Alima - to the point that they seem to have a prospective step-dad on the scene. How will Jace and Petal deal with this intrusion on their space?

(I've started naming the posts now... inspired by Mao, possibly the queen of Sims blogs. Plus I usually have SO MUCH TROUBLE naming anything and these are coming pretty easy, and it helps me keep what's going on in some kind of order!)

Alima and Duncan's last date may have been a little disasterous, but things were getting back to normal. She had explained that she was a bit skittish - she hadn't dated anyone since Petal and Jace's father, and he'd run a mile when she'd gotten pregnant. But Duncan wasn't like that and he was trying his best to put her at his ease. Still, Petal couldn't help being a little resentful at the drastic change in the status-quo.

Whatever they were doing, whatever time of day, it seemed like Duncan was always there. He wasn't, of course - he had a job and responsibilities of his own. But still...

Jace had no such qualms. He really looked up to Duncan - he'd never had a father-figure in his life, seeing as his grandfather had pretty much disowned Alima because of him and Petal, and it was a pleasant change. Petal left them to it.

Duncan wasn't the only member of the King family getting all up in Petal's personal space. Jace had made friends with Nathaniel and he often came over. In Petal's opinion he was just a dumb jock - the fact they were in various honours classes meant nothing! Nothing! And so what if he was cute...

But soon she got a little more accustomed to Duncan and Nathaniel being around and bothered to get to know them. Nathaniel may have been into sports, but he was actually kind of funny and could talk to her about physics and mechanics for hours if she let him. Plus she was beginning to realise how cute he was... sports were a wonder for the body, it seemed.

Jace wasn't quite as scientific but he tried to get in on their conversations when they all sat down for a post-school snack.

"You two are the science boffins - d'you reckon aliens exist? That would be so cool."

"Let's just humour him," said Nathaniel with a smile.

"Hey!"

Alima had decided to take her relationship with Duncan to the next level. She knew he was in love with her and didn't know if she felt the same yet, but it couldn't hurt to try, right? Anyway, why shouldn't she have fun? She had needs, just like anyone else, and it HAD been a while.

The twins still made time for their car in between their new-found passion for socialising, and it was nearly finished! Jace couldn't wait to have a ride of his own...

Soon all of them were back to their usual selves as Petal came to terms with the fact her life was changing, but they'd always be a family.

"Congratulations on acing that test, Jace! I never knew you had it in you!"

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Alima watched her children joke-bicker in happiness. Maybe Duncan was good for them all. She'd see how things went, and whether he was ready to really commit...

Round One - King

2010-01-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

The King family seem to be settling in to Serenity Hills very well, but it's early days. Will Adrian and Noriko manage to conceive their long-awaited second child? And will Duncan successfully woo Alima Bhalli and get the hell out of his big brother's house?

(sorry this update is so late - I've been busy lately. I'll try and keep up from now on!)

"So what's all this talk about you and Alima Bhalli?" Nathaniel asked his uncle. "Do you like her?"

"Loose lips sink ships, kid," laughed Duncan. "But between you and me, yeah, I do. Don't tell your dad though or he'll start pestering me about when I'm going to propose or something so he can get rid of me."

"No fear. Dad's crazy."

"You're a teenage boy, you've got to say that. But thanks."

It hadn't taken long for Noriko to conceive at all - apparently the fresh air of the suburbs worked wonders! She brushed up on all the latest ideas in parenting... she'd done it all before, of course, but that had been a long time ago.

Duncan may have been keeping his relationship with Alima quiet but it seemed to be working out really well. They'd rocked the nearby karaoke joint like pros - she shared his all-consuming love of music and they were both naturals! Or they were too smitten with each other to notice that they sounded more like cats in heat than pop-stars. Either way...

"Thanks for taking me out," said Alima, giving him a goodbye hug that was considerably less platonic than he'd feared. "It's great to finally be getting out of the house and having fun again!"

"It was my pleasure."

Nathaniel was doing well at school - of course, with his drive and academic dedication it would have been more of a surprise if he wasn't getting top grades. Of course, Noriko pressuring him probably had something to do with it... but getting her children (both already present and merely prospective) into college was extremely important to her. A life ambition, in fact.

It wasn't all hard work though. Nathaniel had befriended Jace Bhalli and met his sister Petal. They were his uncle's romantic interest's kids, which made things a little awkward, but they had similar goals and interests. Nathanial couldn't help notice that Petal was beautiful... intelligent, too. Wow.

Unfortunately his skills with girls didn't quite match up to his skills in the classroom or on the soccer pitch, and he managed to gross Petal out more than impress her.

Noriko's due-date was getting closer and closer, and she'd progressed from reading pregnancy books to obsessively joining parenting forums on the web. Adrian had jumped straight into the workplace, earning money so they could afford to build a little nursery, and even Duncan was chipping in with a job in dance, so she didn't mind that she was alone a lot of the time.

Of course, not all of Duncan's wages went to preparing the house for his newest niece or nephew. He'd put a bit aside so he could take Alima out on a really great date to the fanciest restaurant in the area. She seemed very impressed.

"Wow! No-one's treated me this well since... forever, actually."

"You deserve it. You're a beautiful lady and you should be treated like a queen."

"Don't go TOO overboard," laughed Alima.

The meal went perfectly. In fact, everything between them was going well, and even though they'd only been dating a few months Duncan was pretty sure he was in love. He'd been taking things slow, sticking to kissing her on the hand or polite romantic kisses, but he decided to move a little quicker. Hey, making out in a restaurant after a romantic date wasn't TOO weird, right?

Unfortunately for him, Alima did NOT agree.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I... I just thought..."

"Yeah, well don't. I'm not that sort of girl."

"I was just kissing you!"

"I don't care! Call me a cab."

Thankfully by the time the cab arrived Alima had calmed down. "I'm so sorry... I don't know what came over me. It's just been so long and things are moving so fast... I've got the kids to think about. I don't want to let a guy into my life unless he can make friends with them and they approve of him."

"I understand." Duncan may not have managed to get a family of his own yet, but underneath his pleasure-seeking it was becoming a bit of a priority. Plus, he'd been an uncle long enough to pick up SOME idea. They shared a goodnight kiss, and Alima got in her cab. Duncan waited a little longer before he headed home himself. When did this get so serious?

Gameplay note: Thanks to NoInstantLove, Duncan has the love flag with Alima but she's still only on crush level - in fact, he'd rolled up the want to propose to her WHEN I STARTED PLAYING THIS LOT. Wtf, Duncan, your family secondary is showing a bit strong...

Round One - Darwin

2010-01-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

Harvey and Adele Darwin, never the most stable couple, were not expecting a new baby, but they ended up with little Sam anyway. Their teenage son Tom has inherited his father's gift for art but is steadily going off the rails, and they've brought in Harvey's widowed mother Verity to try and supply some stability in their new home in Serenity Hills.

Sam may have been a bit of a surprise for the Darwin family but that didn't make them love him any less. Adele may have been very driven but a cute little toddler always made an excellent addition to her mind.

Still, given both his parents' obsessions with work, most of the job of actually raising him fell to his grandmother Verity. She didn't mind one bit; in fact, she rather hoped there would be one or two more "happy accidents" for her to take care of in her old age.

Adele threw herself into working out and it wasn't long before she got her lithe, toned pre-pregnancy body back. She felt great.

Unlike some people Adele got on very well with her mother-in-law - possibly better than her own son did. Verity was always there to cheer Adele on through her many promotions ever since she and Harvey had started dating and this hadn't changed with the move to the 'burbs.

Harvey, on the other hand, had yet to get a new job. He was fortune orientated, sure, but he had no desire to be a corporate drone. He wanted to be his own boss, and his first step was making friends around the neighbourhood so his first business venture would be a success.

Unfortunately his talents didn't yet live up to his dreams. He'd gotten very rusty at painting over the years and he was determined to be good enough to make a living selling his art through his own shop, even if he had to ignore everyone else to do it.

Tom was settling in well. He'd already made friends at school - all very pretty and slightly easy girls.

It wasn't long before he got his very first kiss. His schoolwork was suffering considering his lothario ways and the fact that he, like his father, preferred painting to almost everything else, but he was sure he could coast through college.

It wasn't long before Sam was old enough to start school. Unlike his big brother, he was very hardworking and was dedicated to pleasing his mother and grandmother by getting good grades!