The Tanakas (A) - Round 8

Starring:

Linda Tanaka, Adult Pleasure Sim, 2nd LTW Become Professional Party Guest

Jiro Tanaka, Adult Romance Sim, LTW Have 20 Simultaneous Lovers

Homer Tanaka, Child Family Sim, LTW Grow Up Well

~*~*~*~*~

Last round at the Tanaka house, Homer, passed through his toddler years and grew into an extremely outgoing child. Linda got a job in the slacker career track to try and achieve her second LTW: to become a professional party guest. Linda and Jiro both chose secondary aspirations of Knowledge, and we discovered that Jiro actually isn't a half-bad father. Let's see if he gets even better this round.

The round started off with Jiro on top of the world. He was literally at the top of his career: a Hall of Famer with all the money and influence in the world. It really suited his personality. That's why, when a day came that he had a choice, he figured he was one of those super-famous people who could do or say anything and get away with it.



He was wrong. Unfortunately for Jiro, what he didn't realize is that adoration quickly turns to criticism when it comes to fame. He was fired almost on the spot.




He was so depressed that he brought home someone to cheer him up; a particularly fit and pretty co-worker.



Disregarding his promise with Linda that they would have no romantic liaisons in their own home, he took the girl up to his bedroom and proceeded to woo her until he couldn't remember why he'd been upset in the first place.



There was no way, at this age, he could become the kind of casanova he really wished he could be, but being with a beautiful girl who stared at him with moon eyes helped his mood, a lot.




Jiro's date barely managed to slip out the back door before Linda was home with good news: She'd become a professional party guest. Jiro was glad when he heard that he'd brought home a date. Somehow, things just seemed to come easy for Linda where Jiro had to struggle and struggle. He resented it a little bit, even though the income was good for the family.



Her new job as PPG allowed Linda loads of time to have at home. She typically spent it in one of two ways: with Homer or working on her sewing. Yuuna's skill at the old-fashioned sewing machine inspired Linda ages ago, and she wanted to keep up the tradition, even if Yuuna wasn't her blood relation. It wasn't long before she was able to earn her bronze sewing badge.




Much of the rest of the time, she was either playing with Homer or helping him with his homework. He hadn't inherited Jiro's completely spaced-out attitude when it came to schoolwork, but he also wasn't as studious as his mother. He had to work hard, but he liked getting good grades. His report cards averaged about B+ consistently.




In the meantime, Jiro was NOT happy about having to start over in his career path. He'd quickly gotten rehired, but he was mortified to have to go back to wearing that stupid llama costume and be jeered at and the target of flying food in the stadium.



Mercifully, his boss realized that the position was far below him and gave him a promotion. Jiro hated the idea of having to work his way all the way back up to the top, but he'd do it if he had to, darn it. His ego simply couldn't handle Linda being the primary breadwinner.



Homer, when he wasn't studying or doing the smustle endlessly, was busy scarfing down pizza like it was going out of style. He could eat almost a half a pizza that was over two times the size of his head. His metabolism must have been amazing because that boy could shove in the pizza.



His grades stayed steady at school, and he even came home with an A every once in a while, thanks to all the hard work that he and Linda did in the evenings. It was a constant effort for him, but he enjoyed having the bragging rights.




Being as massively outgoing as he was, Homer also tended to bring home friends more often than not, bonding with them fast and hard. He was the only child Linda knew who had over half a dozen "BFFs," as he liked to call them.




Of course, it didn't hurt that guests to the Tanaka house were always treated to fresh, hot, greasy take-out pizza thanks to Jiro's softie ways when his son begged for something.




Jiro finally managed to maximize his lifetime aspiration benefits, thanks to a few other clandestine meetings with co-workers at the house before his wife and child got home. He was playing with fire, but he loved the danger because he wasn't smart enough to realize what fallout there would be if his son ever caught him.




Linda, in the meantime, earned a silver sewing badge really quickly by finally "sewing some curtains for those stupid bare windows in the upstairs bedrooms! I mean," she exclaimed, "anyone could look right in here at night and see what we are doing!" Jiro just waggled his eyebrows at her and winked. Linda rolled her eyes, but she laughed.




Jiro even managed to find a spot of good luck in the summer months, gaining his maximum enthisiasm in tinkering...





...and getting another promotion or two. The firing had done his ego a healthy dose of humble pie. Now instead of being full of himself quite as much, he was simply grateful not to have to wear a llama costume to work every day and pick bits of hot dog out of his costume after games.




Linda convinced Jiro that their finances and Homer's grades were finally in a position to attempt getting him admittance to the most prestigious private school in the city: Rosebud Academy. Homer, much to his parents' surprise, was the absolute star of the show that night. He and the headmaster could barely stop talking long enough for Jiro to give the man a tour of the house or Linda to serve him some lobster thermidor.




By the end of the evening, the headmaster was moderately impressed with the house and food, but Homer's eager chatting had won the night. Homer was accepted right away.




As a family, they put up a perfect front for Homer, though the child could sense things weren't exactly perfect between his parents. Linda got even in her own mind by having a date with Malcolm Landgrabb at the house during school hours.



At least I date guys who leave decent gifts, she thought as if justifying the behavior to herself,
unlike those skanky bar hoes he brings home...



She also used Jiro's obvious jealousy and pretty evident infidelity as an excuse to really dress up to the nines for her work Halloween party. A skin-tight cat suit with tail and mask really grabs the attention of a room. Life wasn't anywhere close to paradise in the Tanaka house, but at least Jiro and Linda could agree on one thing: Homer was the only thing that mattered.


[[Author's Notes: I played this house so long ago, I don't even really remember playing it. All I know is that Jiro is dumb as a box of rocks, and everything seems to come easy as a breeze to Linda. I figured it's GOT to be bugging the guy a little by now. Homer's a nice balance between the two. Not too much else interesting to report here! I leave you with some bloopers:

Bloopers:
Very altruistic of you, Jiro. // Oh, I see, you just want to be the only game in town. // Someday, Jiro...maybe just someday, you'll finally be a big boy. // Couldn't you find a more appropriate time, Homer? ]]

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The Villaloboses (A) - Round 8

Starring:

Vincente Villalobos, Adult Romance Sim, 2nd LTW Become Rock God

~*~*~*~*~

Last round at the Villalobos compound, Vinnie adopted a new dog as a playmate for Pequito: Alegra. He reached the TOC in the culinary field and achieved his first LTW, quickly getting a new job in the music business to work on his second LTW. He also did a lot of woohooing and brought his total number of simultaneous loves to 19. How many more woohoos can he get this round? Let's see.

Alegra, though a welcome addition to the family, had a lot of things to learn. She was a naturally boisterous dog, active, and enjoyed doing things she shouldn't...like chewing, peeing in the house, and being generally filthy. Vinnie enjoyed spending time with her and teaching her new skills. Dogs were such wonderful companions. They never asked questions and didn't require anything from you but food and an occasional scratch behind the ears. That was all it took for undying devotion.



Of course, that didn't keep him away from the fairer sex of his own species. His regular schedule for a day looked something like this: dogs, work, girl, girl, sleep. Then wash, rinse, repeat.



Vinnie soon found himself in a place he'd never been in before, however: he'd run out of girls. He's exhausted every viable and available female he could or would romance, and he didn't want to start doing repeat business with any of them. So he called up the neighborhood matchmaker, tossed her a thousand bucks, and hoped for someone who was remotely viable as a new romance. It didn't take long for him to realize that the one place you DON'T want to be frugal is when dealing with a matchmaker. The date wasn't a disaster, but Vinnie certainly knew he wasn't getting anywhere and quickly ended it.


At least it gave him enough aspiration rewards to choose a new secondary aspiration. Pleasure was the only thing that made sense.



After all, he enjoyed quite a bit of pleasure most of the time.



Of course, Vinnie had an actual full-time job, not just his position as a full-time philanderer. He was doing well there, too. The promotions weren't exactly rolling in, but he was keeping up and slowly making progress. He didn't care as much this time as he had when he wanted to be a celebrity chef. That was his real lifetime goal. Becoming a rock god was just a good way to meet girls.



Sometimes he cut it dangerously close with his liaisons. Les liasons dangereuses, indeed! They would often be so closely timed with their visits that they would pass one another on the sidewalk.



Date #2 for the evening: "Mmm, you look sexy in boxers with mussed hair, and do I detect the cloying scent of pheromones and astroglide in the air? HOT."



To his horror and surprise, Vinnie began to feel the aches and pains of his...erm..."active" lifestyle. He was middle-aged now, after all, in his early forties, but still. He wasn't exactly the 21-year-old punk he was when he'd had his first experience with his professor at Sim State. He happened to glance at the old lamp in the front yard that had been sitting there since Santiago was still alive, and he began to wonder. "Can you make me young again?" he asked the genie. "Not even I can do that, but I'll see what I can manage," the genie replied.




The genie managed, amazingly, to shave a few years off Vinnie's life, and he felt like he was thirty-five again. He immediately got on the phone and invited over a date, eager to try his rejuvenated limbs and libido out.



It wasn't an unpleasant improvement, he discovered.



Sadly, Vinnie's somewhat happy-go-lucky life (if you could call it that when he wasn't really happy) took an unfortunate turn. Thanks to a woman you couldn't have PAID him enough to touch, he was fired from his position as a concert pianist. He was numb with shock.



He was absolutely crushed as he climbed out of the beat-up old junker they'd sent him home in that day. He couldn't believe it. He'd never been fired before, and he was surprised how shitty it felt. In fact, it brought back a lot of memories of how he'd felt when his parents had abandoned him so many years ago. He supposed, sadly to himself, that he had been fired once before. That night, the only company he wanted was his dogs.



Determined not to wallow in his own misery, though, it didn't take but a few days before Vinnie was online searching for a new position. He'd be a rock god if it killed him, and then he'd rub it right in that nasty Luchesi woman's face.



After all, there was good stuff in his life to look forward to. He'd have his job back AND continue to be a stud. Take that, world. He'd prove Vincente Villalobos wasn't someone you fired.


[[Author's Notes: Ah, Vinnie is such a joy to me after playing so many family households. I really love it when his turn rolls around in the 'hood. Eat, sleep, woohoo, work, play with dogs. That's his life, and though he really isn't the most expressive person in the world (and in fact seems mildly depressed and disillusioned with life most of the time), he makes me happy. I might eventually give him a live-in girlfriend who is a three-bolter from the matchmaker if he ever achieves the romance IW. It just seems so sad and pathetic for him to be in the house all by himself, to die alone. Maybe I'm projecting. Oh well. Regardless, I love this house. And in case anyone is interested, this is Vinnie's total tally of lady loves, in order of their appearance:

1-Prof. Sopie Boyle
2-Kimi Tanaka
3-Rebecca Das
4-Heather Huffington
5-Prof. Dierdre Trottier
6-Gina Leong
7-Vicki Das
8-Linda Leelaporn
9-Mehrissa Harris
10-Anna Barakat
11-Jessica Goldman
12-Marisa Hanby
13-Lucy Lee
14-Lisa Ramirez
15-Kiera Hanby
16-Steph DiNozzo
17-Calista Tang
18-Joy Creelman
19-Andrea Hogan
20-Marisa Bendett
21-Amanda Carlson
22-Tiffany Sampson

Hope to get at least five more this coming round!

Bloopers:
Don't hold your breath, sweetheart. // What did Vinnie ever do to you!? Oh, right, most likely he did your girlfriend...oops. ]]

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The Clearys - Round 8

[[No Family Portrait, Sorry]]

Starring:

Colm Cleary, Elder Family Sim, LTW Have 20 Simultaneous Best Friends

Michelle Cleary, Adult Fortune Sim, LTW Become Business Tycoon

Neal Cleary, Teen Knowledge Sim, LTW Become Media Magnate

~*~*~*~*~

Last round at the Cleary house, Neal shared his first kiss with Tessa Ramirez, his first love. Colm aged happily into an elder and reached the top of the Adventurer career, retiring at the top of his game. Michelle worked her butt off to get promotions, doing everything from skilling to going on numerous outings with co-workers...anything to get ahead. Let's see how they do this round.

There was a grilled cheese epidemic in the Cleary house. Colm was so obsessed with the combination of bread and melted cheese and was so lucky in having such a fast metabolism that he didn't realize he was fattening up everyone else in the house (and probably giving them heart disease). Michelle realized as she put on her pants one morning that she was really getting quite chubby. She'd have to work on that. Image was a big part of her career.



Neal joined in her crusade to get healthy, though it was difficult for him as he was a naturally sedentary young man. Nevertheless, he managed to get fit, something he thought important before going off to school. Put your best foot forward and all that, he figured.



With her typical determination, it wasn't long before Michelle was in tip-top shape again either. A few grueling weeks on the treadmill had slimmed her down nicely and even given her some muscles where she didn't know there had been any before.



Colm, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying his retired life of leisure. He finally had time to focus on things that interested him instead of slogging off to work every day because he had a family to raise. Neal was almost ready to head to college, there was a second income in the house, and Colm was eternally grateful to be able to spent his days pottering in the garden, playing in the dirt.




Of course, he spent an equal amount of time soaking in the hot spring grotto they'd had installed in the back yard, as well. Sometimes he went outside to find someone else there, like his good friend Armand Beaumont, but he didn't mind. It was still the most peaceful place around.



Neal, unlike his father, was just at the beginning of his life as an adult...or at least a young adult. He had graduated high school and was now ready to go off to university. Sim State was an intimidating prospect, but so many of his friends from high school were already there or going there that he was less nervous than he might have been.



His biggest regret was that Tessa would not be joining him. Her father said that no Ramirez went to some state college when she could well afford to go to an ivy league school like Academie La Tour. Neal lavished attention on Tessa while he still could.


Lots of attention. "God, I'll miss you," he said, somewhat tearfully. It was no secret that Neal was one of the most tenderhearted boys in the world. Tessa loved him for it. "I know," she said, big exotic eyes blinking back her own tears. "Will you write me? Call me?" he asked. Tessa looked at his mournful expression and touched his face. "I promise you'll hardly miss me you'll hear from me so much."




As Neal headed off to Sim State, his only thoughts were of Tessa. He really hoped he'd see her a lot, that maybe by some miracle they could stay together, but his hopes were woefully low.



Michelle came home with another promotion and fat bonus. CEO was her most difficult position yet, but as always, she took it in stride. If there was one thing she knew, it was business, and she'd be at the top if she had to claw her way kicking and screaming there.



Colm continued to potter. He got a silver gardening badge for his efforts.



It wasn't long before Michelle was faced with one of the difficult decisions her new position demanded she make. She trusted her instinct and held her breath to see what the result would be.


Her gut was right, and not only did she earn the respect of her co-workers, she brought home her largest bonus ever, and a new position.



She came home in style, in a helicopter, a freshly minted business tycoon in the flesh.



Of course, even business tycoons weren't exempt from having the pee scared out of them by Aisling.



Colm was making some real headway toward his lifetime want: to have 20 best friends. The business of raising and providing for a family had prevented him from enjoying the sort of popularity he'd always craved, but now he had all the time in the world to spend on the phone or having company over. He felt happier than he'd ever been, excepting the births of his children and perhaps his wedding days.



Now that she'd finally achieved her lifetime goal, even Michelle had some free time. She used it to indulge in something she'd always wanted to do: restore an old car. Now they could get around in style in the air AND on land.



Colm spent a lot of time in the kitchen now, as well, thanks to the interest in cooking his garden had given him. Who knew that tomatoes, pole beans and strawberries could taste that good together!?




And best of all, they had time to spend with one another. They were still as in love as they were the day they got married. Colm couldn't believe how good it felt to finally do things because HE wanted to, do things HE enjoyed, instead of always focusing on others. Not that he regretted it - not a fraction of an inch. It was just that this retired life was the best reward he could have imagined for that hard work.




Before she knew it, it was time for Michelle to join Colm in his golden years. With a quick blow of the candles, her hair seemed to fade from the burning red to gray.



There were other, less desirable, changes too, but it was okay. She was an official senior citizen now, but it didn't matter so much. She and Colm could be seniors together, and that was all that mattered.



Colm swore to her she didn't look a day older than when he'd met her, and for the most part, he was right. She'd aged very beautifully and hardly looked her age except foor the gray hair.



She didn't FEEL like an elder either, and after a quick makeover, she felt like a million bucks. Like a successful business woman who had made it all the way to the top and could sit back and enjoy life a bit now.



They were in love, had all the money they needed, and all the time in the world to be with each other and pursue their interests. Life couldn't really get any better.


[[Author's Notes: Aw, these two are so cute. Colm is in this permanent state of like... MEGA enjoyment of his retirement. Nature is his natural hobby interest, so between the garden, being on the phone all the time, the hot spring, and the hot wife, he's pretty much blissed out. It's nice to see him be rewarded after having to support a total of four kids and sacrifice his own wants more times than not for them. Michelle is adorable too; she's such a beautiful elder! I'm not sure what will happen with her. I might have her retire, or she might keep on at her job for a little while. I can't imagine her leaving it all behind as soon as she gets to the top. Guess we'll see if she has the retirement want. I don't remember what her second LTW is, but if it's doable, I might go for it. Anyway, I leave you with a few bloopers:

Bloopers:
Oh how nice, Caitlin came to see her dad. Wait, that's not Caitlin, that's Arnaud Beaumont's wife Steffi. Colm: "Yes, police, please come quickly. There's a woman here who says she's my daughter, but she's not. I think she may be sick! Hurry!" // Mystic teddy? // Colm: Is it me, or is that teddy giving off some weird vibes? I swear it is! // At first glance, typical fortune sim want. Nothing unusual here. ..... Except there IS no painting that cost 5,000 simoleons. That's just great, EAxis. Way to check for errors. // Old guy convention. :') ]]

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