LCU, only have eyes for...

LCU, fall semester, 2076

There could have been a problem back in August, when there's only one ultra-posh residence hall on campus, and two rich cousins who hate each other who want to live there. Bella says, "Are you still not over that? That was like three years ago!"

The way Amelia sees it, Alon made a mistake - after all, she was Bella Bradshaw doing whatever she did to men, so it was almost expected. But Bella, her cousin, who she grew up with like a sister, had committed an unforgivable sin. Needless to say, Amelia holds one hell of a grudge.

Amelia says, "You know, I never got to tell you what a slut you are!"

Bella says, "I never got to tell you what a snob you are!"

Their roommate Dana says, "Whoa, cat fight?"

Alas, there was no cat fight, but just a bunch of name-slinging and finger-pointing. And that would be the end of it, because as you already know, Amelia's parents decided it was in her best interest to attend Takemizu Academy this year.

So this semester, Bella Bradshaw is living it up in Academy Hall and she is determined to make use of that pool before it gets too cold outside!

Piper moved in with Charlotte and Alon this year, and it seems strange to Piper that Alon doesn't think that it might be weird that they used to have a little thing together, back when he and Amelia were broken up. But it's a little more than not thinking about it, Alon seems to have forgotten it completely. "You forgot?" Piper says. "How could you forget??? I mean, not that I care, of course."

"I'm sorry. No, I remember now," he says, very much lying.

Well, he can't remember if there was ever any kind of chemistry there, but there's obviously none now. So they solve an awkward moment with some casual football in the street. Go Piper, playing football in heels!

Not everyone can be as rich as the Bradshaws though. Piper and Charlotte are both in serious need of cash, and both take out student loans to pay for the semester's tuition bills. Alon is pretty well set through The Military, and actually doing very well. He was recently promoted to Counter Intelligence. Amelia's father is in The Military, and I wonder if he's just trying to impress him? Piper just started her library gig and is waiting on her first paycheck. And Charlotte takes on a night job writing for a conspiracy theorist magazine.

Piper says, "Man, don't you guys keep any food around here? " So they all pitch in, what little money they have left, and broke as they are, and Alon chips in a little extra. And they head across the street to the student store to buy some groceries. And well, we all know how Piper is about her video games...

George has moved to campus, since he and Charlotte have started dating again, and he is living in the house next to them with Jeremiah. It would have been too soon to move in with Charlotte, but he likes having her so nearby. They go to the campus library to work on their term papers, since they don't have a computer at home. George works hard on his, as deadly serious as he is. Jeremiah, not so much...

Charlotte decides to let her hair grow out a little. She sees a lot of George, since he lives just next door. She thinks he's great. She keeps talking about it, actually. He's smart. He's nice. He's everything a girl could ask for... so why does she feel like she's talking herself into liking him sometimes?

***

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Amelia is studying modern ballet and music theory at Takemizu Academy. Apparently she's not very good at piano. She misses her friends, though she's starting to make friends with some of the other students here, as well as fellow LCU students Dana and Blossom. Amelia never did have a problem making friends.

Some of the residents here are pretty easy on the eye. Others not so much. In any case, she still misses Alon.

Blossom and Dana want to go out with some of the guys from their hall. Amelia tags along, a proper fifth wheel, and after dinner, she runs into one of those resident professors she saw in town earlier, and they sit down to have some tea together. She has to admit he's pretty cute, but it's just tea, after all.

"Have you ever done Tai Chi?" he says.

So he shows her how to do some Tai Chi, even if she didn't happen to bring any gym clothes to change into. "Like this," he says. "Like what?" she says.

"There you go, you're doing great," he says. I think she's starting to enjoy herself here.

***

One day while burning some leaves, Alon catches the telescope on fire. He didn't see Charlotte coming outside and her dress catches on fire.

"Dammit, Alon, you're the worst roommate ever! You totally caught me on fire! You're doing my homework for a week!"

"Okay," Alon says. Though he thinks she's probably not much better off having him do her homework. He doesn't usually get very good grades.

***

As the semester draws to a close, Bella is looking forward to seeing Jason again. She gets all dolled up because he's taking her out for dinner and dancing.

(lol at Bella and Amelia in the same dress - I totally didn't notice that!)

While waiting for a table with Jason she makes some small talk with Maxwell Shaw, and man, oh man! This girl just cannot keep her eyes in her head for one second! Though he is Maxwell Shaw, who has always had a bit of a reputation around town with the ladies. If there were ever a Sim in Lakeside Heights to define the word sleaze, Maxwell had that taken care of while young Bella was still playing with blocks! She doesn't know it yet, but I think she may have just met her match!

But she doesn't ditch Jason. At least not this time. She actually really likes him, for whatever that means coming from Bella.

(You'll meet Maxwell Shaw very soon, he's quite a character! And Jason actually thinks he wants to get engaged to Bella! Silly, silly boy! lol)

Report Cards for 2076, Fall

Charlotte, senior, philosophy: A+
George, senior, political science: A+
Piper, junior, literature: B-
Alon, junior, drama: C+
Amelia, junior, drama: B+
Bella, sophomore, drama: A+
Jeremiah, sophomore, political science: A-

gameplay notes on Sim-attraction vs. Sim-love:

Sims are just Sims, right? They have no logical way to distinguish falling in love with one Sim over another. They'll fall in love with anyone they have a high enough relationship with. So the best I have to go on is their ACR attraction number to tell me how much a Sim likes another Sim.

From what I understand of the ACR documentation, the ACR attraction number is the same number used in-game to calculate the number of attraction bolts a couple has. Even in game, if you look at your Sim's attraction panel, you will notice your Sim's "hotties" ordered from highest to lowest attraction, though you will only see bolts and not a number.

I'm not sure of the two and one-bolt ranges, but I know three-bolt attractions start at around 90.

Some examples: Bella and Jason are 140. Bella is also about 140 with Jeremiah. But Bella and Maxwell are 172! Also take into account that Bella has the "massive attraction" bonus, so her numbers are high with pretty much everyone. These are all three-bolt attractions as well. *teaser: Bella actually has a 192 with someone who is too young for her to notice just yet, and I wonder what will happen with that when he gets a little older...?*

Charlotte and George are only 92, which is a very low three-bolt, and she was 119 with Adam, hence her tepid feelings towards George sometimes, and why she left him for Adam back in high school. Adam and Heather are 132, a pretty high three-bolt for having no "massive attraction" bonus, hence why Adam left Charlotte for Heather...

Sometimes, however, I have found Sims who I feel should break the mold. For whatever reason, I feel like their bond would hold them together even though they had a higher attraction for someone else... we'll call this Sim-true-love I guess. An example would be Alon, who has a 150 with Bella, but is currently choosing to stay faithful to Amelia who he only has a 112 with. Obviously, that bond is all in my imagination, and solely my call.

So, attraction isn't always everything. Just because somebody's hot doesn't mean you jump straight into bed with them... though sometimes you do ;)