experiments in social media...

I'm going to call this practice in using social media in a professional light, and I could use your help.

You can now "like" Lakeside Heights on Facebook!



If at least twenty-five of you lovely people decide to "like" it, then I can pick a custom domain for the page *wink-wink* ;)

LH stuff: kind of, a twitter feed

Lakeside Heights now has its own twitter feed! :)

LH stuff: Hayden and Piper wallpapers

Further amusing myself with some wallpaper! This one was requested by LunarFox (Hayden and Piper, at the arcade), like two weeks ago, lol! So here you go!

This picture happened completely randomly, by the way. I just had them there playing pinball together, and he looked over at her like he was all Champion of the Pinball Machine 'n stuff, and she was all *blush* and I just thought it was the cutest thing I ever saw! lol!

LH stuff: Stephanie wallpapers

Okay, one more, and then this madness has to stop! But I do have two more in mind to make this weekend. After I write some stuff. I figure if I don't get this Jodie update out pretty soon, some of you might show up on my doorstep with pitchforks? ;)

But first, a wallpaper for those of us in darker moods?

LH stuff: Dallas and Lucy wallpapers

There were a lot of things I was supposed to be doing tonight... Was supposed to be working on Jodie's story tonight, or my novel - either/or, whichever felt like being written first. I was supposed to be folding my laundry, or loading up those dishes that I started but never actually finished... but I was NOT supposed to be Photoshopping desktop wallpapers!

Guess what I was doing?

LH stuff: lots for download

Lots for download, from the poll. All lots are scanned with the Clean Installer and all accompanying CC is already compressed. Minimally necessary CC is included - use the clean installer if you don't want it.

LH stuff: not a llama clock, batch 1

It's so hard to find good clocks, isn't it? What I wanted was simple yet stylish - not fancy, not antique. Like the kind of clock you might buy at Target?

So I made some!

And now I'm *totally* about to make five thousand clocks! Or maybe a few dozen, eventually. And for tonight, we'll start with eight ;)

on character traits...

I don't know *what* inspired me to start a mega-post on characterization, lol! But I had what I thought was a simple project of adding character traits to my profiles (like Apple Valley or Heredon Cove), and then I got started writing this and I couldn't stop.

This is something I've always done for my characters, behind the scenes. And for more serious stories, I'll even write out a whole page of defining characteristics for my characters. These are the sort of inherent personality features that we guide our lives and decisions by. We all have them - and not just aspirations, though those are true too, at a much simpler level. But not all [insert your favorite aspiration] "Sims" want the same thing, or go about it the same way. Their character is deeper and more unique than that. We don't always hold true to our inherent nature, but when we don't, there usually has to be a reason for it.

Not that I feel at all qualified to give a lesson on character writing or anything, lol! But I do know a couple things that help me write my characters, so maybe it might help you too ;)

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.

LH stuff: Jolie, Jolie

After almost twenty years of service, Aurora Miguel, of Lakeside Heights, will put her boutique, Jolie, Jolie, up for auction. She cites personal reasons for her decision, though it is known she'll be running for office this fall.

how to modify a custom career, in a very basic way

How to modify a custom career, in a very, very basic way: and some super dorky experiments in binary math!!! Woohoo! LOL! This tutorial assumes a very basic knowledge of SimPe, and is probably a great way to dip your toes into using SimPe if you've never used it before. Modifying custom careers was one of the first things I tried with SimPe.

Also, at the end, I've uploaded my modified stay-at-home parent career.

LH stuff: modified uni careers hack

This is my modified version of the Uni Careers Hack by Syberspunk from MATY.

LH stuff: soundtracks

I just made a collection on Grooveshark for all the soundtracks I've used as inspiration for some of these stories.

The Samantha Bradshaw Project

Flashback - Lake City, August 2073.

The night was so warm and humid even the hallway dripped sweat from a cold metal pipe above her head. In front of the building, some young men stood dribbling a basketball to madness in the late hours of the evening. Samantha knocked on the door to her best friend's apartment in the South End of Lake City.

Riley answered the door and waved her in.

LH stuff: my random file

My random file, to be used in conjunction with the RandomStuff program.

(download here)

Includes things like: my random event list, the randomly selected Sim (you'll have to replace my name list with names from your own hood), the depression roll, a weighted turn-ons/offs roll, and the usual aspiration roll, gender preference and such.

I shared this once ages and ages ago over at MATY, but I've been tweaking and adding to it over the years, so I'll host the updated version here :)

Updated 2/1/10: added the career risks roll.

LH stuff: t-shirts!

This is a test, this is only a test... kind of. This is my first attempt at trying to share anything, ever, so you can tell me if I'm totally doing this wrong or whatever. I'm trying to get everything figured out so I can get this Samantha project started :)

I'll share much better stuff in the future, but I thought I'd start off small, like with cheap logo t-shirts! :) So now your Sims can be Lakeside Heights fans! Or they can wish they'd gone to LCU instead of wherever it was you sent them.

(I don't know what exactly I'll have to share, or how frequently. I know some of you wanted my graying elder hair recolors. And I've probably got a building or two worth sharing... but anyway...)

(from left to right)
April is wearing a "Lakeside Heights" t-shirt, in Simlish.
Vicky is wearing a long-sleeve college t-shirt, featuring "LCU" in her college colors.
Summer is wearing the same "Lakeside Heights" t-shirt, but in English.

(download is here)

All shirts are made on base game meshes.

So, since we're testing and all, would somebody mind checking these out for me. Did I do it right? Do they actually show up in the game? They're zipped, and file names are labeled.

You can delete them afterward if you want. You won't hurt my feelings ;)