blissfully clueless

May 2080 - Carly Cook is 26, Piper Wilson is 25, Jodie Larson is 24. // Jason Larson is 29, Amelia Bradshaw is 24. // George McCarthy is 25.

Piper Wilson leads a simple happy existence, working as a Flag Capturer in the gaming industry, making little money, but having a lot of fun, showing up at her friends' parties, fliting from one non-relationship, to another, to another...

She doesn't figure there's anything wrong with her, that she knows of, but just considers herself picky. She isn't lonely, as many friends as she has, as busy as she finds herself. She's torn between a strong desire to settle down with just that perfect man, and raise an adorable baby or two, but also indulges herself in life's great frivolous pleasures.

Piper is sharing a house in the Lakeside Circle Village, four townhome-style apartments in the Lakeside Heights city center.

(back yard view)

Amelia and Jason moved into Lakeside Circle this spring, and Piper is excited. She says, "Oh my God, this is awesome! It's almost like college again! Except we have jobs, and don't get our security deposits back when we puke on the floor, and have neighborhood noise curfews, and don't have to go to class - God, I hated going to class - Hey, you graduated, that's great... but anyway, you know, almost like college..."

Amelia was trying to say something, but she forgot what that was...

Piper and Amelia have one thing in common, something neither of them are very proud of - Alon Hutchins. He and Piper used to "hang out" in college, for the short time Piper was in college. This was after Amelia the first time, after Bella, but before Amelia the second time, and before he proved to be very obviously unstable... but their little encounters were apparently completely forgettable. She never mentioned that he was her first. And he forgot her??? She's still not over that, really. Piper wonders, does it count if he didn't remember it?

Then there was Bill Miller, who had great husband potential, but worked as a chef and always smelled faintly of cheese. They were great in the bedroom, but he was just too serious. He couldn't stand to hear her talk about her passion for games - who doesn't like games??? She kind of flaked out on him... turns out, he was already trying to flake out on her with somebody else.

But recently, she's got nothing but shot down...

Even Adrian Jackson has gotten suddenly all moral...

Not even Chandler Price will go out with her - not even just a date! She thinks she's made it abundantly clear that she's interested. Come on! Everybody knows Chandler doesn't have much going on for himself!

Well, she can chat to guys online at least...

Jodie Larson is seeing George McCarthy, in a secret kind of way. It's nothing very serious. Jodie is so serious about her work and medical studies that it doesn't leave much in her to care about anything else. She's the new resident doctor of obstetrics at Lake City Hospital.

Even if they're just casual, and even if Jodie isn't very nice to him, George proves to be a gentleman. He asks her permission first. She says, "Well, that's kind of why I'm here, isn't it?" As you'll soon see, Jodie Larson is quite cold.

Except for when she's trying to butter up her boss, Dr. Monif - but that could possibly be all about her work too. And yes, she does see that big fat wedding ring on his finger. He doesn't deny her affections, but intense flattery is about as far as she gets. Berjes doesn't cheat on his wife, if you want to stretch the definition of cheating very loosely.

She even tells George how hot he is. They're not romantic or anything, so she doesn't figure why it should matter. Too much information, he thinks.

Carly Cook is an old college buddy of Jackson Phoenix and Patrick Nova, as is her boyfriend Joseph. Carly works for Aurora Miguel, and manages her store, Jolie, Jolie. Carly and Joseph have been dating since college, which has been about ten years now, and are stuck at a sort of holding point - neither of them wants to move. He wants to be in the city, where he DJs at the clubs - freelance now that House of Fallen Trees has closed down. And Carly is apprenticing to be a seamstress and hopes to buy the store some day when Aurora retires.

Piper goes to visit Carly at Jolie, Jolie. Maybe a she needs a refresh, a new look. Carly shows her a few things in her size.

"No," Piper says. "Way too much skin..."

"Eh, not my style..."

Piper picks out the next one all on her own. "I like it," Piper says.

"You like that?" Carly says, biting her tongue. She's thinking, Oh honey, you're too short to wear leggings. But she doesn't say that - instead, she says, "The color looks nice on you."

Carly sighs, thinking, It's no wonder the poor girl can't hang on to a man.

One last thing... maybe a little makeover would do the trick?

"Ha," Aurora says, "That'll teach you to hit on my man! You little trollop!"

Piper wonders how she knew??? Are there no secrets in this town???

***

Jodie: ice cold...

Jodie actually doesn't mind her brother's girlfriend though, not any more than she minds anyone else. That's just how bitter Jodie's face always looks.

Amelia and Jason only just moved in this spring and already her mother is calling from Lake City to see when they'll be back to visit. She says, "You guys should come visit! I found so many cool places to hang out down here!"

"I know, Mom," Amelia says. "I lived there for six years."

Jason finally got a job in the journalism field, working as a fact checker. It sets him back a bit, but at almost thirty, if he doesn't take this chance now, he never will. Amelia is very happy still in her finance job as a financial planner.

Amelia and Jason are happy, even if their move in together was somewhat rushed. Amelia doesn't mention that she's been wanting to see Alon recently - what's the point? It's an impossibility. And Jason doesn't mention that he'd like to talk to Bella - again, what's the point? It's more trouble than it's worth. Neither of them mention their fears that they'll never love so wholly and completely as they did when they were young and naive and blissfully clueless about it all.

They're just grateful for what they do have, which is something pleasant and comfortable, which is nice, and which is better than being alone.

***

Alone, like Piper, reading the dating ads? She's searching for a husband, but not just any husband - the perfect husband! After she finds there are no perfect husbands listed, she also takes a moment to browse for babies, but they don't seem to advertise babies in the newspaper either...

Here's something interesting, The Gamer's Den, a new gaming club in Bluewater Village. Grown-up gamer's nights on Wednesdays! How much fun!!! Except Piper doesn't act very grown up sometimes. But she is an adult, technically, twenty-five years old, so she hopes that counts... Girls night out!

Chad tries to tell Carly about their games. She says, "I hate games!"

He says, "What are you doing here then???"

Jodie: arctic cold...

So cold, in fact, that Chad feels shivers down his spine.

But Piper thinks she just might have found heaven.

Now she just needs to meet somebody new, and yes, maybe her check-list is kind of long, but there must be someone out there... a decent kind of family guy, likes kids, doesn't smell like cheese, affectionate and fun, not too stuffy, enjoys a good game or two? She wonders, where on earth do you find a guy like that?

***

notes: maybe some day... :)

And I like Carly and Joseph too. I'm tempted to add them to my rank of playables (as opposed to non-playable playables, lol), and probably will some day, but ugh, too many Sims already!!!

And Happy New Year everyone! Have fun, be safe! :)