poll: who needs the biggest hug right now?

Whoa, holy 96 votes, Batman! I think some of y'all figured out how to vote twice ;)

So, who needs the biggest hug right now?

this is the sorry excuse for why I've got nothing...

Well, this is how I spent my Simming time this weekend, but unfortunately, it did not amount to much shooting of the next story update.

But... Lakeside Heights now has skies!!!

from myself, part 2

November 2083 - Micah and Mariah Buchanan are 25, Quinn is 15 months. (Madison Riley is 61.)

* warnings: NSFW/kids. Soundtrack: "Songbird," by Fleetwood Mac *

Micah looks out the window because he can't bring himself to look this man in the eyes. What he has to say isn't good news, and Micah already knows this. Out the window there's a dumpster, the street below, and his car parked with forty-five minutes left on the meter. "Your ideas are good," the team leader says. "But I don't know what you think we can do for you. We can't reasonably offer a place on the team without the proper certification."

"Oh, of course," Micah says. The room feels devoid of air. There's a plant in the corner, but it must be fake, because he imagines the lack of air would cause the veins and capillaries of the thing to collapse upon themselves, cause the leaves to shrivel and fold and wilt.

But they don't.

LH stuff: Anjali Shaw

This was prompted by the Sim-Project for July at N99, and since I'm going to share her there, I wanted to give her to all of you guys too.

I've always been kind of heartbroken that she'd never get to grow up here in Lakeside Heights, but you know, that's the sucky thing about death, especially when it happens so young. She died in my hood, from a tragic ROS roll, when she was only seventeen. But here she is at 22 and I'm hoping you guys might be able to give her a future that she never got in my dimension of the universe. Maybe you can give me updates on how she's doing and what she's done in her life, lol!

If you want character details, she was a popularity Sim, gemini, outgoing and a little bit snobby, but was always well-liked and had lots of friends. But of course, your game, so do whatever you like with her.

from myself, part 1

November 2083 - (part 1 of 3) - Micah and Mariah Buchanan are 25, Quinn is 15 months. (Jane Hudson is 25.)

* soundtrack: "Songbird," by Fleetwood Mac *

Micah is still working on city council, but he's starting to get the feeling that it won't really go anywhere. Blake Miller has been on city council for almost ten years now and hasn't gone anywhere. Politics is what it is sometimes. The people want who they want, and there's really no room to move otherwise. So Micah is supposed to be working up some sketch ideas with the city planning committee, as part of the Lake City downtown revitalization project. It's kind of a test run for a new career direction. He's always had a knack for doodling things, and they humor him with the task of plotting out stops on the new public bus lines. It's more exciting than you might imagine.

He feels like he's walked straight into his entire life. He only landed his current job because of who his mother-in-law is, and maybe because of his dimples. His wife only finally agreed to marry him because he knocked her up. From the outside, it might appear as if he's had some good luck, but that isn't the way it feels to him. He always tries to work hard, but it's never his hard work that pays off.

So if he can plot out the perfect frequency of bus stops for the new Lake City Transit plan, then he'll feel like he's accomplished something. Maybe next time they'll let him design a courtyard or something.

one day, Carly gets a little spend-happy...

One day, Carly Cook gets a little spend happy. This is her shitting-a-brick face, because she just got the invoice for the reconstruction of the roof on her new boutique. "I didn't know a roof could cost $15,000," she says.

"Sure," I tell her. "That roof can. You want me to send it back?"

"Well, no," she says. "It's cute. Can we charge it?"

And so it begins...

You guys still have a story update coming this weekend, but Carly's boutique will be featured in one of the scenes, and I thought you might like a better look at it than just story shots. Carly's gone a little bit spend-happy in here, but you know, it was cute.

the brick, four vignettes

November 2083 - James Porter is 26, April Hutchins is 20 // Mariah Buchanan is 25 // Berjes Monif is 38, Jodie Larson is 28 // Beau Jackson is 20.

*soundtrack: "Brick" by Ben Folds Five *

11:13 a.m.
This is only the second time James has been back on campus since he left it, and it's bringing back memories both good and bad. These apartments weren't here when he was, and neither was the sculpture park and coffee bar on the corner. They've still got the student pub though. And that building at the end of the street, that old stuffy Academy Hall, was where he spent his senior year with Mariah.

This is only the second time he's been back on campus, and the first time was for her, the girl with the warm dark skin and bright blue eyes, the first girl he ever loved. He loved her and she spun him for one hell of a loop. He doesn't do drama. He doesn't do games, and Mariah is the reason why.

Maybe if he'd have met April a few years earlier, he might be up for it, but not now. Not after Mariah. She broke him good and clean. It's a shame she never seemed to do the same for herself.