As I've mentioned here and there on my personal blog, I was asked to help with an event taking place in the Sim's community called "SILC"; if you're familiar at all with SIFF, the Sims International Film Festival, then this event should be fairly self explanatory to you. It's SIFF, except with writing rather than machinima!
However, for those who aren't familiar with SIFF: SILC is a several month long 'contest' of sorts; it's a time where you can write a story to present to the community, with challenges along the writing process related to the event or to your story. At the end, stories will be judged by our panel of mods (that includes mwah!), and from each genre/category several winners will be selected based on quality, contribution, and detail.
As I believe some of you out there may be interested, I decided to put a plug here with information about the event as well as links to the main site and the threads on each of the major sites we'll be posting challenges on for anyone that wishes to follow along.
For those curious, this is part of the reason I put off starting Season 6 til now (though I really did need a break!). It gives me a clean place to start off at from the premiere of SILC. (I'll be entering it under the Series category, which means I will not be judging that category, if you're wondering.)
Now that this is under-way, Season 6 will be starting very very soon. I unfortunately have had some things IRL preventing me from doing too much writing the last few days, but fear not, Desperate Sims will resume immenently, in all it's wondrous glory! (Ahem.)
In any case, I strongly encourage anyone that would like to participate to bookmark the Official Site as well as the Sims 3 Forum Threads to keep tabs on specific dates as things arise, and to make yourself an account on the SILC Site. I already started a thread for Desperate Sims but that's because I obviously already have a very clear idea what I'm going to be writing. ;) This is a VERY long ordeal (3 months I believe!) so there's no rush; this is mainly time to prepare yourself and get ready for the fun times ahead!
As I've been bumbling about in comments and in Nonsense, I'm shutting off my computer tonight and I'm resolving to not boot it up again until about a week from today. Going down to the States for a concert, then I am forcing myself to not work on anything computer-related, outside of popping on the laptop and checking my email once or twice once I'm home.
After that, Season Six will begin! Make sure to buckle your seatbelts!
However, to keep you all a bit teased, here's a couple "cuteness" shots and a few teasers about some things to come!
PS: No Margo's not a toddler when things begin... Just as Jeb/Mere aren't elders. Most of these are at least 4/5 episodes in.
Oh my gosh, Daddy... I made it!
Perfect family? Maybe!
Grandma isn't too growed-up to come play dollhouse!
I wonder who that is... *eyebrowwaggle*
Wuh oh. What's going on here?
... And what's got Alesha all in a tizzy?
That door sure has Brad really riled up!
Facepalm.
Alright, that's all the teasers you're gonna get! :) You all have a great week--I look forward to hearing from you guys when I get back from the States.
Read more...
At the end of Season 3, Emerald Greenwood--a person of affection for both Travis and Bradley Kane--has died in a car crash, leaving the entire family shaken up. No one is more traumatized than Bradley, though, who feels he is responsible (though he blames everyone else), and therefore is on a quest to try to bring her back.
As there are many different plotlines throughout this Season, I decided in this Synopsis to cover them all seperately in order for things to not seem so chaotic. However, please note that these are all happening simultaneously. Hopefully as you read, you will see where each of the stories overlap with one another.
Post in the comments if you have any questions!
Travis's Plotline
Although Travis had broken up with Emerald only minutes before she died, in the wake of Emerald's funeral Travis has coped incredibly well... Probably because her sister Jade, the girl he really loved, was willing to get back into a relationship with him, now.
Bradley, however, seeing this as insensitive, berates Travis's disrespect for the dead; their "fued" from Season 3 continues, except it's even worse than before.
Travis, wanting to get back at Brad, decides to play a bit of a prank on him.
Their cousin June just discovered that July, her sister, and Bradley were planning a camping trip to try to spy some ghosts. Thinking it absolutely clever of them, they dress up in all black, sneak to the campsite, and scare the living bejesus out of Brad and July.
Unfortunately, what Travis and June couldn't predict was that there really was a ghost there that night; it turns out to be the Ghost of Chandra Hawkins, the woman that their mother accidentally murdered in Season 1.
Though Travis is taught his lesson, so to speak, he doesn't really think much of the existence of this ghost--or even the fact that his mother killed her--because he's got a lot more on his mind and he simply doesn't care.
This is because his own birthday to Young Adult is right around the corner, and he's got his own future to worry about.
Surprisingly his now-girlfriend Jade does not show up at the party; instead, one of his ex-girlfriends, Lolly Racket, turns up... and things get a little bit hot between them. Clearly, there is unresolved feelings, but Travis brushes it off because he's still madly in love with Jade.
Unfortunately, Jade seems to be having some problems. Since her sister's death and she and Travis got together, she's been feeling increasingly guilty and paranoid. So, when Travis suggests that they take their relationship to the next level--the er, "woohoo" level--she frantically declines.
Some time passes, and things for Travis have continued to go really well. He got recruited for Twinbrook's baseball team, the Llamas, and with his parents help he just purchased his own house.
Jade is not getting any better, though--in fact, she's getting worse. Not only does she continue to decline his attempts to sleep with her, she's begun to have emotional breakdowns all the time, and is hardly ever not crying. Travis, not really being equipped to deal with this, has no idea what to do.
Because of Jade's unhappiness, Travis has begun to start drinking--a lot. On one of his escapades to the bar, he runs into Lolly yet again--and now, she's looking quite attractive.
Travis is both frustrated with his relationship and frustrated with his lack of intimacy with Jade, so, with the drink in his system, he's easily persuaded to sleep with Lolly... But the morning-after is not so good. Travis screams at Lolly for putting him in such an awkward position, but Lolly feels no remorse, as Travis was perfectly willing the night before.
Unfortunately, things aren't looking up. Travis comes home to find Jade on his doorstep, crying; because she feels so guilty, and because Travis isn't willing to make a real "commitment" out of their relationship, she wants to break up. He's able to convince her not to leave, but he's still in a very poor position, and is honestly considering leaving Jade for Lolly if Jade continues to be as unhappy as she is.
This idea crashes violently when Lolly confesses to Travis that she's pregnant--and she doesn't know who the father is, because Travis was not her only 'liason', but she suspects that it's his child.
In a tailspin of unsurity and now the unwillingness to get tied down with Lolly, who he fears only wants him in order to take care of the child, he finally pushes through his unwillingness to really move things forward and asks Jade to move in with him... Abandoning Lolly to her own fate.
Although it is off-screen and between Seasons, Travis and Jade end up eloping shortly afterwards.
Amelia's Plotline
When Season 4 begins, Amelia and Alesha Drudge are still the best of friends; Alesha is almost constantly over at the Kane's house. But, in the very first post of the Season, Alesha confesses that part of the reason why that is is because she has a very large crush on Amelia's older brother, Bradley.
A few days later, Amelia ends up running into a girl she's never met before: Naomi Leman. The Lemans have just moved into town, and although Naomi seems fairly shy, they hit it off as friends almost immediately.
Amelia begins to notice that some suspicious things are going on with Alesha; what nights she doesn't spend over she's been running away from home, and she still refuses to let Amelia come over and see her house and her family.
Getting the address from her mom, Amelia comes over, and Alesha finally confesses that she's been acting that way because she didn't want Mia to be ashamed that her best friend was poor. And, she's been running away because her parents can't stop fighting. Mia is as sympathetic as she can be, all things considered.
Amelia's been starting to spend a lot more time with Naomi lately, though. She spends the night at her house a numerous times, and the two begin to become very close.
On one of these occasions, Naomi's father, Thomas Leman, questions her about her family--and more specifically, about her father. Amelia, not knowing that Thomas was her father's rival, answered all his questions easily and gladly.
Two worlds collide when Alesha discovers that she's started to become left out of Amelia's life. Naomi tells her to get lost, and all but forces Amelia to abandon Alesha as a friend.
Why she does this becomes apparently very quickly--it turns out that the more time Naomi has been spending at the Kanes, she's been following her parents' orders and has been hacking into Jebidiah's computer, trying to gain information on what he's up to, and possible information to blackmail him.
Because Alesha would only get in the way of that, Naomi pushes her away from Amelia.
However, Naomi can't keep Amelia and Alesha apart for along. As the the three of them all cross over and become teenagers, Amelia apologizes to Alesha and asks her to be her friend again--Alesha, naturally, forgives Mia for everything.
At this point, Naomi couldn't care less. She's becoming more and more distant with her family--particularly her mother--for forcing her to spy on her friend. As Naomi is growing to care about Amelia more and more each day, she refuses to continue doing what she's doing--much to the chagrin of her mother, Carolina.
It appears that Naomi's mother hasn't been 'good' in a lot of ways, lately; Alesha discovers that Carolina has been having an affair with her father. Brought together by their mutual dislike of Carolina and mutual love for Amelia, Naomi and Alesha put aside their differences and also become friends.
With things now going fairly smoothly for the Three Amigos, Alesha decides to ask Amelia for help getting a date with Bradley. She's still got an incredibly huge crush on Amelia's brother, and really just wants one chance with him.
Amelia asks Bradley to get over Emerald and give Alesha a chance, but Bradley refuses, angry that people keep pushing him to move on. Amelia gives up (but luckily, Alesha does not.)
The burden of guilt on Naomi finally becomes too much, especially when she learns what her parents plan to do with the information she stole from Amelia's father. In an act of selfless bravery, Naomi confesses to Amelia what she's done--and immediately afterward, Amelia calls her father to tell him as well, giving him a last minutes heads-up that Naomi's parents are up to something dirty.
(Amelia, however, believes that this has to do with him being a Private Investigator; at this point, she still has no idea he's actually an Evil Mastermind, and that he will kidnap Naomi right after this phone-call.)
Though this is where Amelia's story leaves off, the Season ends with the implication that many things are yet to come for Amelia, who's future has only just begun.
Jebidiah and Meredith's Plotline
Since the Kanes first arrived in Twinbrook at the beginning of Season 2, Jebidiah Kane has been working as a Private Investigator. Although it's not his preferred job, he must do it in order to keep his family happy--particularly his wife, who was unhappy with his life of crime.
However, during one of his investigations he had a run in with one of the town gang's safe crackers, Marta Tomasi. During her interrogation, she reveals that she knows who Jebidiah is, and about his past as "Blackjack", the notorious computer hacker... And she accuses him of betraying his own kind, as well as taunting him at what a low life he's become.
For the first time since coming to Twinbrook, Jebidiah really begins to regret his new life and new career, and starts to ponder whether it's not better to go back to the way things used to be.
It doesn't take long for Jebidiah to make the decision to get back into crime. Discovering that the new family in town--the Lemans--are tearing apart the foundations of the criminal rings and splitting them into sides, he brings together three accomplices (Marta, Sinbad, and Shark) and begins to put together a plan not only to remove Lemans from power, but also to usurp it from them and reunite all the gangs of Twinbrook.
Despite Sinbad's hesitations, the plan is set in place--though Marta makes sure to warn Jebidiah of Sinbad's uncertainties.
Surprisingly, Meredith meets Marta and befriends her--believing her to be one of her husband's clients, instead of one his new fellow accomplices in crime.
As the plan begins to become more concrete and the timeline draws closer, Jebidiah decides to bring in more allies. Along with Marta, he recruits his Sister-in-Law Tana (a police officer) and his old arch-nemesis Tatianna (a bounty hunter).
With their combined skills, Jebidiah is confident his plan to usurp them will succeed.
Unaware of her husband's broken promise, Meredith continues to remain cheerful and rather drama-free; that is, until her sons discover the ghost of Chandra, the woman she killed in Season 1.
Bradley comes to her asking questions, and finally for the first time, she confesses to her children what happened; how Chandra framed their father for murder, and how she tried to kill their mother out of revenge.
Although revealing this gives Meredith a great deal of stress--as she believed the memory to be long behind her, now--her boys are both very accepting and forgiving... or at least, they don't really seem to care.
The day of the "Plan", Meredith meets Marta for one last drink in the Red Rendezvous, but Marta accidentally slips the nature of the night's following events, because she believed Meredith knew her husband was a criminal.
Outraged at her husband's betrayal, Meredith makes Marta tell her everything, then goes to the Warehouse that evening where the Plan is taking place.
Unfortunately, Meredith has no idea what she's walking into--and luckily, Jebidiah tugs her back before she's discovered by the band of thugs working inside the warehouse.
Though Meredith is still angry with him, she knows she can't interfere; so, Jebidiah ends up going within, finding the Lemans and their band of cronies stealing numerous crates and loading them into trucks outside.
Alone, Jebidiah confronts them, giving them one last chance to "back out" before things get ugly. However, the Lemans have no interest in taking such a deal. They reveal that not only has Sinbad betrayed Jebidiah, but that they found evidence on Jebidiah's computer of how Meredith murdered Chandra, and they were going to reveal it to the press if the Kanes didn't back down.
However, having been tipped off from Amelia that Naomi had hacked his computer, and being aware that Sinbad was a traitor, Jebidiah had put an entirely new plan into effect without them knowing.
Very quickly, it becomes apparent that instead of rallying more criminals to his cause, Jebidiah took influence over the police department. Cops coming pouring in, as well as Tatianna Solez--who, being a bounty hunter, had plenty of past evidence on the Lemans that could put them behind bars.
A fight breaks out, but things get dirty and Carolina threatens to kill Meredith if she's not allowed to escape. However, Jebidiah--being the oh-so-brilliant man he is--had a safety net. He reveals to the Lemans that he's kidnapped Naomi, and will not release her until the Lemans submit to arrest.
Thomas, having great love for his daughter, pleads with Jebidiah to spare her, and convinces his Carolina to submit to Jebidiah's wishes in order to save Naomi.
The remaining members of the Leman's gang are led away, leaving just Jebidiah and Meredith to talk. Meredith admits that, despite how much she disapproves of how Jebidiah wishes to lead his life, she would rather put up with it than lose him, because she loves him dearly.
Finally, as the cops conform to Jebidiah's will and Marta makes promises that the government will be soon to follow, Jebidiah is 'crowned' Twinbrook's newest Emperor of Evil.
Bradley's Plotline
At the beginning of the Season, it's been several weeks since Emerald's death, but Bradley Kane is still having a terrible time coping. He feels guilty--believing that it was all his fault that she died--and so when his sadness begins to get the better of him, Brad decides to take a different approach.
Having heard rumors of the ability to communicate with spirits--and even a way to turn spirits back into mortal sims--he desperately searches for answers and stumbles upon Milly Pidgin, who appears to know quite a lot about that sort of thing. When Brad comes to her for help, she tells him that she cannot help him--but she knows someone who can.
She reveals that this person she speaks of his Brad's own grandmother, Farah. Outraged that his grandmother didn't share this knowledge with him before, he goes to her and begs for it. However, Farah denies him; she invented a way to bring back the dead, but she discovered too late that all the time she wasted doing so had robbed her of her life, only to find that those she could raise would never be fully human again. Farah tells her grandson to move on, before life moves on without him.
Brad, however, ignores this advice. Emerald meant everything to him, and he's not about to give up--but his obsession with bringing her back is making it impossible for him to sleep. So, he begins to take to the habit of sneaking out of the house at night and sleeping on a bench next to Emerald's grave, where he has exquisite and sad dreams about what their life would have been like if she'd lived.
In a moment of inspiration, Bradley suddenly comes up with an idea of how to bring her back--so he begins to lock himself away in his inventing shed, and gets to work.
After weeks of working on this invention, Brad's cousin and best friend, July, begins to worry for his sanity and begs him to come out with her on a fishing trip. Brad begins to relax, until he discovers a mysterious grave on the side of the pond--one that July swears she heard a scream come from.
Curious about what it is, and if a spirit lies within it, he and July camp there overnight to see if they see anything. Despite Travis' plan to scare them, the ghost from the grave still appears, and it's Chandra Hawkins. Chandra spins horrible lies about their mother to them before she disappears...
... but even though Brad talks to his mother and discovers the truth about Chandra's death, he's not very interested in how she died--he's interested in the fact he actually saw a ghost. Hope to at least see Emerald again is rekindled within him.
Work continues on his new invention, and after a few more weeks, it's finally finished: a Time Machine.
Bradley travels back to just moments before Emerald's fatal car crash and tries to convince her not to leave--but she rebukes him, and leaves anyways. Brad is forced to return, but now he's had to experience Emerald's death all over again, leaving him grieving even worse than before.
He continues trying over and over again, trying to find a way to prevent it from happening, but everything he does has absolutely no effect.
The only effect it has is on Bradley's mind. Brad, having dropped deep within the depths of guilt and despair, continues to not only ignore Alesha's continued advances on him, but he begins to believe that by killing Travis, who he believed to be the one who really killed his love, he would finally be able to bring her back.
Luckily, Alesha discovers Brad trying to sabotage Travis' motorcycle, and stops him. She tells him that it's no use--she explains that nothing he does has any effect because everything he did already happened. She had seen him the night he came back in time to save Em. She had seen him try to save her, and fail.
But, Alesha also confesses to Brad that she is in love with him. Brad is furious and tells her that he could never love her--but, at the very least, he's stopped from doing something incredibly stupid.
Left without a shred of hope, Brad does the only thing left he knows what to do: he goes to Emerald's grave and weeps, pleading with Death to return her to him.
And Death does... in a way. In the midst of his cries, Emerald's ghost appears to him, explaining she's been sent to tell him something.
Confused, Bradley asks her to explain: he the discovers that because of his inability to let her go, her soul cannot rest. She's stuck in-between two worlds, as distraught and in pain as him... And she begs him to move on, not only for his sake, but for hers.
Although it's the hardest goodbye he's ever had to make, Bradley finally agrees to move on. As they gaze into each others' eyes for the last time, they each desire desperately to say "I Love You"... but they know they cannot, for it would do nothing but break each others' heart.
With his pain finally beginning to lift, Bradley turns and leaves, without looking back... as behind him, Emerald's ghost disappears, never to be seen again.
Bradley, finally beginning to move on and think straight again, seeks out Alesha. He apologizes for the way he treated her, and begs her to give him a chance to make it right.
Alesha, still loving Brad with all her heart, agrees; they share their first kiss, and start a new beginning with each other, where Brad is finally able to recover from despair, and Emerald is able to rest in peace.
Brad's experience this Season was also chronicled in the Machinima, "Not As We", seen below.
Name: Bradley Kane Current Age: Young Adult Career: Top Secret Researcher (Science) Traits: Friendly, Loves the Outdoors, No Sense of Humor, Eccentric, Grumpy Favorites: Lime Green, Pop Music, Fish and Chips Star Sign: Capricorn Theme Song:Falling Awake - Gary Jules
Ever since he was a little boy barely tall enough to sit at the dinner table, the most important thing to Bradley has always been his intelligence. Though he has never been tested as a genius, his brilliance has achieved far more than anyone the likes of Twinbrook has ever seen. Motivated by his curious spirit, he not only invented many contraptions to make daily life for the people of Twinbrook easier, he invented a machine that proved the existence of the space-time continuum--and with that, disputed the very laws of physics themselves.
And yet, for all his brilliance and intelligence, his accomplishments still mean very little to him. Bradley is one whose pride has always been his downfall; he believes he could do anything, build anything... So despite his great successes, the ones that could not achieve the desires of his heart are only considered failures in his eyes.
For, in truth, the tale of Bradley is not one of achievements. Even his Time Machine, his greatest 'success', was a failure to him; it was built in the hopes of saving the girl he once loved from death... And when he learned he could not, he was almost driven to madness over his inability to do so. If it were not for intervening forces, the Brad that we know would not exist today.
However, though there is great sadness in him, it is because of Alesha's entrance into his life that this broken man was able to be made whole again. Through her kindness and generosity, Brad was able to regain most of the sweet, gentle person that he was, and he learned that it was possible for him to fall in love again--but there will always be a piece of him missing that can never be replaced. Because of it, even at his happiest there is always part of him that can never remain truly optimistic or content with his life. He will never be the same, again.
Still, despite it all, Brad has achieved greatness even his grandmother would be proud of. With confidence in Bradley's ingenuity, Twinbrook's Science and Research Facility hired him straight out of High School, where he quickly found himself booted up the ranks; and now, he is one of the youngest researchers ever to gain Top Secret security clearance. If there is one thing that he knows will never cease to give him joy, it's his love and curiousity for learning and developing technology--so there are few that would dispute that Twinbrook is lucky to have Bradley on their team.
"Wait! Wait wait wait!" All eyes turned to Bradley when the blonde brother started jumping up and down a little on his toes. "I know what that is! It's that new weather-resistent, multi-purpose cosmetic fibroglass they've been developing down in Section Five--"
"BRAD!" Now it was Travis' turn to groan again, this time into the palm of his hand. "Could you please stop geeking out for one second of your life?! It's embarressing!"
When Brad's not working on his latest invention or spending gobs of time with the family he adores, he can often be found cracking open a cold one while trying to catch a new fish to put as a trophy on his wall--or, following his constant quest to try and find a sense of humor... or at least find someone that understands the one he has.
In the whole of Twinbrook, there are few that are more honest, more caring, more generous, and more sincere than Alesha Kane.
While she may call herself a romantic, some know better: she's an idealist. In her heart, Alesha believes that love is the strongest force in the world, one that can overcome anything as long as you let it. In a way, she's actually succeeded with that cause. Where others hold grudges she will forgive, and where romance sometimes withers away she continues to burn a bonfire in her heart. If anything, this girl doesn't give up.
However, Alesha isn't that way because she had good examples in her life. Growing up, she lived in the epitome of a loveless household; a father who cheated relentlessly on his wife, spending every last penny they had on gambling and women despite the family he had at home. Her mother, Eva, was too soft to let him go, so Alesha was left with a burning desire to never see herself enter a loveless marriage. She was lucky in that regard--both Bradley and herself would do anything to make each other happy.
"You don't get it, Brad!" Alesha tears melted into the rain streaking across her face as her despair overtook her. "You're dwelling so much in the past that you can't see the present anymore! You can't see that there is a future, one where you're loved by someone far more than you ever thought you could be."
"Yeah, who would ever love me that much?" Bradley scoffed, disbelieving. "Who would ever love what I've become?"
"I would, Brad," Alesha choked, a piece of soaked wet hair falling into her eyes. "Because I already do."
But unfortunately, the result of her upbringing wasn't just an overreaching desire for the perfect relationship. Living in poverty for most of her life left her with an aching desire and envy for anything that isn't hers. Money and nice things aren't things that she had growing up; and while she's now very well off, her constant worry to end up like she once was has left her with impulses to make sure that never happens...
So, what she can convince others to give her she mooches, and what she can't convince them to give, she takes.
Yet, these desires are so very contrary to her charitable, loving being that an overwhelming shame haunts her every time she receives something that's not rightfully hers. All the money she gets is instantly sent away to charity, and everything she steals is hidden away where no one will ever find--and she is desperate that no one ever find out her secret, and be led to believe she isn't the sweet, giving person that she is.
Because, in every fiber of her being, she is. Alesha may not be the beauty of the ball, skinny, funny or exciting, but she carries a considerable warmth and strength that no one can help but like. There never was a truer friend than her.
When Alesha isn't teaching young children how to read or chasing youngsters around a playground, she likes to sit back with a sheet of paper and design fashion clothing, or sit on the beach until the sun's gone down and the sand's gone cold beneath her feet. She's also not too shabby at making desserts!
Name: XR - 1010, dubbed Lilobot or Lil' Current Age: Freshly Oiled Career: Nanny / Maid for the Kane Family Traits: Daredevil, Brave, Easily Impressed, Neat, Childish Favorites: Pink, Custom Music, Cookies Star Sign: Gemini Theme Song:My Beloved Monster - Eels
From the moment that life sparked into Lilobot's metallic, oiled veins, the entire world suddenly became her oyster. To her, every experience is as fresh as if it were her first time, giving her a unique perspective on the world: one of pure curiousity and amazement.
In fact, Lilobot's curiousity will often get her into trouble. There's no limits to what she'll do for the sake of having a new experience. That socket needs her finger stuck in it! Where does that drain pipe go? She just must walk through that fire! How long can she hang upside down straight for? Go without scrap for? She isn't quite the craziest daredevil, as she's not really an "adreniline" junkie--she just merely wants to make the best of every single minute she has, and since she can calculate to the second just how long that is, she sees absolutely no reason not to bravely face the world and jump headfirst into everything... except for water, that is.
Unfortunately, while she views the world through rose-tinted lenses, the world does not see her the same way. She's a "monstrosity", a "fluke of nature", a piece of walking scrap metal to everyone not fortunate enough to get to know her. In the face of her creation she was treated with utmost apprehension, and since then, she has had to try to puzzle why humanity will not treat her nicely when all she really wants is to be like them.
"Why... Why did they wish to hurt me?" Lil asked, her hands still shielding her cowering face. "Did... Did I do something wrong?" "No Lil," Alesha choked, her hand resting against the cold, cracked husk of Lil's hair. "You didnothingwrong. They just don't understand, okay? They can't." "I just wanted to be liked," Lilobot wheezed, her eyes whirring back and forth, as if searching there, on her chest, for the answer. "So I could be normal."
Still, there's hardly a pessimistic piece of wire in Lil's metal frame, so she continues onwards through her life as best as a robot in her position can. Ignoring the negativity human-kind has for her, she works incessentaly to become more like one. Sometimes this has rather amusing--or rather tragic--consequences. One minute she's trying to talk like a gangster "Because that's how they do it in the movies!" while the next she's trying to flirt with a very unresponsive male human. Life just ain't fair for poor ol' Lilobot.
The few that do not fear her or disapprove of her existence find it easy to trust her implicitly with everything. The Kanes quickly adopted her as one of their own--she even sometimes refers to Bradley as her 'father', as he created her--and as she spends a large amount of time caring for the children, they will continue to form a strong bond with her as they grow and age.
When Lil isn't babysitting or happily scrubbing toilets, she can be found having pleasant conversations with the microwave oven, exploring every inch of Twinbrook for a new and rivoting experience, trying to figure out why she isn't allowed to stuff her face full of cookies from the cookie jar, and pursuing her endless quest to gain as much knowledge and understanding as her metallic neural synapses can hold.
Name: Jebidiah Kane Current Age: Adult Career: Emperor of Evil (Criminal) Traits: Evil, Loner, Computer Whiz, Kleptomanic, Inappropriate (Inappropriate changed to Family-Oriented as time passes.) Favorites: Red, Electronica Music, Cheesesteak Star Sign: Aries Theme Song:Behind Blue Eyes - The Who
Some call him ruthless. Others call him Father. Jebidiah Kane is a man with two faces: one of unquenchable greed for money and power, and another that cares for nothing but the safety and security of his family.
Jebidiah Kane surfaced in world of crime as a hacker that went by the code name "Blackjack", but his days of computer mastery were left behind when he began work as an underground thief in Riverview County. He quickly rose to the top, only to be brought crashing back down when he was framed for murder and was forced to take his family on the run to spare himself the sentence of life in prison.
Though he tried to give up a life of crime at behest of his wife--living as a two-bit Private Investigator when they first arrived in their new home of Twinbrook--he could not be persuaded to live a common life for very long. With his eyes on all seats of power within their new town, he quickly usurped the Rackets as the dominating family of Twinbrook's criminal rings, before extending his greedy fingers into both the pockets of the Police Department and the Government. There, now, he sits with overarching influence in all things, promoting his own agenda and keeping the eyes of the law away from his band of cronies.
"Besides, you know this isn't about the money. The Strummer job wasn't, either. Not for us, anyways. You and I... we're different, from the rest," Jebidiah said as he pulled the car to a stop. "Look inside yourself, and listen to how you feel. For once, you're excited, again... You should feel lucky I'm giving you this opportunity."
And yet, his greed for ultimate power cost him dearly. The love of his family has waxed and waned many times, despite his efforts to prove that everything he does is to guarantee their safety--especially the safety of his wife, who has her own fears from the law as well--but it is never quite enough.
Underneath it all, Jebidiah Kane is a very strong-willed, determined man. Though there are things that can strike his temper, he often shows an impeccable amount of restraint, keeping a cool, composed demeanor befitting his title of Emperor of Evil. For someone considered "evil" he's able to show a surprising amount of mercy, but he's willing to destroy anything, or anyone, that gets in his way--and he's not afraid to hurt the inconsequential people around him to get what he desires.
Still, despite the maliciousness and the buckets of lies he offers endlessly, Jebidiah Kane is still a man of integrity. He may have weaknesses and mortal flaws, but the love he extends to every member of his family still remains untainted by what he does on the dark back alleys of Twinbrook; one can only hope that someday, somehow, his family learns to accept his ways and trust the man behind the glasses.
Although Jebidiah spends most of the time plotting world domination, when he's not sporting the Red Glow of Doom he can be found doting over his grandchildren, hacking into Simbook accounts to write crude messages on random people's walls, or at the Martial Arts Studio, where he still occasionally teaches classes to those who want to learn how to round-house kick like him.
Maturity has never been one Meredith's strong suits. She's impulsive, silly, easily bored, naive, and sometimes a little bit stupid. She has her moments, but over-all, she's never been a very ideal mother to her children--more a big sister with a tad too much authority.
It's easy to see why Meredith turned out this way looking back at her early life, though. Meredith grew up in a rather strained household; her parents were both rather sickly--so by the time that she and her older sister Tana were teenagers, her parents had died and left them on their own. Her older sister then had the responsibility to care for Meredith, who had begun to become a rather paranoid emotional wreck. In order to cope with the stress of her parent's death and foster care, Meredith withdrew from almost all social activity outside of school, and recessed back into the behavior and mannerisms of a young child.
Luckily enough for her, Jeb had been oddly smitten with her from a young age, so despite her shy, secluded nature she instantly clung to him, and was grateful to move out into his home as soon as she graduated High School. Not long after that they were married--so, as you can imagine, any independence that Mere should have developed was instantly tossed out the door.
While she may be a constant basket case, her light-heartedness has given her the ability to pursue her dreams. She became a remarkable artist and photographer, which gave her great strength as an interior designer for quite some time; however, as the years began to pass by and she realized that there was not much of her life left as she imagined, Jebidiah encouraged her to use their wealth to give a go at her final dream: an art studio all of her own. Now she owns and manages her own business--something that, early in her life, she never would have believed she was capable of.
However, the journey to where she is now was a rough one. It's because of Meredith that the Kanes are on the run from the law; she made the mistake of covering up the accidental death of Chandra Hawkins, a woman who was attempting to frame her husband for murder. She's had to deal with bounty hunters on their tail, Chandra's ghost haunting her, and an unfortunate mistake of cheating on Jebidiah when things became more than she could handle.
"I...Yes. The past few weeks, I've slowly been remembering all of this, and... I can't live with the guilt, anymore. I know what I did was only to protect myself, but... It was wrong. And maybe... Maybe by doing this, I can get you proved innocent, a-and I can make sure our kids aren't raised by a m-m-murderer--"
"Meredith. You are many, many things, but none of them is a murderer. You are a brave woman who made a hard decision to try to protect this family, and... Now, you are again. I... I'm so sorry I ever put you in this position. And even more sorry I ever doubted you."
Yet, Meredith has grown stronger because of all of it. Though perhaps it's Jebidiah's fault that she was led down the path of mistakes she travelled, all those mistakes have added up to who she is now... Even if she's not entirely pleased that, even after it all, Jebidiah has decided to remain a thief, and the Emperor of Evil.
Still, as hard as it's been for her to cope with her husband being a criminal, she's come to realize she never would have made it through life without his strength at her side. She has consistently proved that she is willing to do anything to keep him safe; despite everything they've been through, every step (and misstep) they've taken has been together, giving them one of the strongest bonds of love that any could hope to have.
Summary:Trouble's on the rise when a rather strange family of gypsies touches down in Twinbrook, but with everything else going on in Margo's hectic life, she doesn't have time to notice... or does she? The battle for hearts begins as both Margo and Lilobot find themselves torn between the devil they know and the devil they don't--leading to choices that may very well define the rest of their lives.
