2083, postcards from the edge, and December extras...

All work and no play for me these past couple weeks. But I do happen to have some funny gems saved up in my screenshots folder, so I thought I'd appease you all with some extras, outtakes, and updates from our supporting cast! ;)

And because you know you can never have too many pictures of angry Vicky! lol!

extras, friendship picspam

Friends is the picture theme over at N99 this week, and I spent a bit of time putting this together, so I thought I'd share it here too so that you all could see it. Some of these friendships go back so far, and when you look at it all in sequence, it kind of even tells a story.

If I get around to doing some other groups of friends, I'll share those here too. I'd definitely like to get around to doing my Tyler/Beau/April/Summer/Lucy/Dallas group too, but I know I have many others as well.

party prep picspam...

It's basically party season around here in Lakeside Heights, December through the New Year. Or at least this year it is. The elections are coming up fast, there's a war going on, and people are stressed out and need to blow off some steam. So the next few updates will feature parties, family gatherings, holiday events, or get-togethers for no specific reason at all.

a poem about a freckle

October 2083 - Amelia Bradshaw is 28, Drew Bruty is 27.

* Warnings: NSFW/kids - and unabashed poetics! Soundtrack: "Colorblind," by the Counting Crows. *

She smells like organic lemongrass and ginseng, which leaves her skin soft and milky smooth. Did he know that natural soap is gentler on the skin than even the most moisturizing body washes? No, he didn't know that. But he does now.

She eats zucchini. He ate french fries before he met her, and now he knows that red bell peppers contain more antioxidants than green ones, green tea more flavanoids than bottled beer. She buys fresh fish for its omega-3. Now he knows what omega-3 is - he never knew he needed it, but she insists that he does. He doesn't need to know why, but she'll tell him anyway.

It's not about ideals or glamour. It's science, she tells him. "Because it'll make you live forever," she says. "Or at least a really long time. I want you to live a really long time."

idle chatter: a hole in the head

Guess who? Couples edition!

Wouldn't that be a fun game? I'd show you couples, in different clothes and with their faces obscured and you'd have to guess who they were, just from their surroundings and mannerisms.

You all shout, "Yes!"

Well, maybe I'll put one together some day ;) LOL!

No, I'm not that mean. But I do need to finish out this chapter of stories first, so maybe we'll do that in the next chapter break.

You can try to guess who this couple is though. They've both had recent makeovers, so it might be a little tricky. I'll reveal them at the end of this post.

I'm kind of itching to finish this round by the end of September (I know, longest round ever, right?), which I'm aiming to coincide with the completion of my novel, because I'm itching to play FFXIII in my intermission. And you all should know that when I play FF games, I disappear from the conscious world for a solid two months! FFXIII is going to be my prize to myself for finishing the first solid draft of my novel - what more incentive does a girl need than that?

Of course, when I actually sell the damn thing, my prize will be a supercool new gaming computer! :)

under the skin, part 3

August 2083 - Cameron Gibson is 32, Bella Bradshaw is 27, Micah and Mariah Buchanan are 25, James Porter is 26.

* soundtrack: "The Blower's Daughter," by Damien Rice. Warnings: unapologetic cheese? It's a wedding, I'm allowed ;) *

Bella Bradshaw and Cameron Gibson are married on a sweltering day in August, in a garden ceremony at Riley Hall, hot enough even the flowers seem to sweat. Their wedding is elaborate, but appropriate for a rising young film star and Lake City's prettiest playboy socialite. The guests are adorned in shades of silver and scarlet, as per Bella's fancy. Delilah and Naomi don't exactly understand all the fuss, but they're happy enough to be held and cooed over, while their parents make funny gestures and faces at each other.

under the skin, part 2.5

August 2083 - Cameron Gibson is 32, April Hutchins is 20, James Porter is 26, Drew Bruty is 27, Bella Bradshaw is 27, Amelia Bradshaw is 28.

* soundtrack: "Reckoner," by Radiohead. Warnings: NSFW/kids *

Men are, by their nature, quite simple creatures. They like beer. They like women. But Cameron Gibson is not just any ordinary kind of man.

James, he's pretty ordinary. He'll drink cheap keg beer as long as it's free, and he certainly likes the sight of April.

Cameron, however, is not impressed with anything less than his usual rich and frothy imported ale. And April, sure, she cute, but next to Bella Bradshaw, a quickly rising young film star and the beautiful mother of his children, April is unfortunately just the average little college tart.

one day, when she's already in it too deep...

January 2083 ((not so) mini-update) - Amelia Bradshaw is 27, Tyler Jackson is 19, Drew Bruty is 26. *optional soundtrack, "Destiny," by Zero 7*

*** warnings: *blushing* Ummm, not safe for work, or any children playing in the background. This was meant to be a lot tamer before that song came on precisely as I was shooting the last scene, and well, things took a drastic (but hopefully tasteful) turn for the steamier from there! ;) ***

She refuses to think of herself as a slut. Were she a man, nobody would think twice about the number of people she's slept with. It's just a number, and it isn't even that high, considering. She's twenty-seven years old, which means she's been an adult for almost ten years now. She was single for a lot of that time. She was single in college.

It all started three weeks ago, new year's eve, and a long close night spent on the couch. It happened again, once or twice or three times, falling asleep in front of some movie, his hands on her skin, whatever skin was accessible, which was usually quite a bit. Then the warmth of his body heat, and her body heat, which adds up to just too much heat, and finally stripping off her jacket in the night with nothing underneath but that little tiny tank top. Their arms and bodies, twisting in tandem, in tangle, and he finally had to tell her she was driving him crazy.

He might be a sweetheart, but he is a man, after all, and she is Amelia Bradshaw with the cleavage of doom.

one day, just because they felt like it...

January 2083 (mini-update) - Jodie Larson is 27, Piper Wilson is 28, Hayden Phoenix is 33.

They all left her, as people tend to do. Jodie didn't know if it would be for good, because most of the time it is, but not Piper. This funny little sprite of a woman came back to visit.

Jodie doesn't hug people but Piper does. So Jodie returned the hug, and to her surprise, it actually felt so good she nearly picked little Piper right up off the ground.

prequel stories #4: the cutest couples never meant to be

Okay, so some of these ended up being much sadder than I'd anticipated. I should have anticipated it. It's about heartbreak, duh! ;) But some of them are happy as well, since you're not only seeing the endings, but in some cases, the beginnings of the relationships that were meant to work out.

These stories are a little more current, a lot of them taking place just before I started blogging about the neighborhood, and even overlapping with some of the early stories.

The cutest couples never meant to be, countdown style...

happy mother's day!

I know there are a lot of mommies who read this blog, so in honor of Mother's Day...

LCU, reining bridezilla

LCU, fall semester, 2081

***Very long, but picture-heavy, mostly - it's a wedding, you know ;)

Justin gulps hard and says, "You hired a housekeeper for this tiny apartment?"

Keri says, "Well, yeah! You didn't think I was going to clean it myself!"

"You hired that housekeeper?"

Keri says, "Well, you don't have to stare." But Keri can't help staring either. And it's not that she even likes girls like that, but she has to admit, that's one hell of a bosom!

Justin says, "Can we get you an outfit like that?"

strawberry tart

July 2081 - Carly Cook is 28, Piper Wilson is 26, Jodie Larson is 25. // Jason Larson is 30, Amelia Bradshaw is 25. // George McCarthy is 26, Blossom Moonshine is 22. Last update, May 2080.

*** eeek, this is long ***

"Those are pretty," Amelia says. "Did Hayden send them?"

"Yeah, we're on fire, I'm telling you."

she loves him, she loves him not

*** Lakeside Heights is back in business ;) ***

December 2080 - Andy and Claire Bradshaw are 54. (Amelia Bradshaw is 25.)

As her sister-in-law carries on about which of her daughters' boyfriends might be cuter, Claire Brashaw is wondering, when did this become all they had to talk about, the men their daughters might or might not marry? Why not discuss what smart, independent, and beautiful young women they've grown into instead?

But Madison insists, "You know, Justin is a great kid, but you should have seen the cutie Mariah is dating!"

"Is she dating?" Claire asked. "I thought she broke up with him."

"Oh, not that one," Madison says. "A different one. You know how it is at that age."

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.

boundaries

January 2080 - Andy and Claire Bradshaw are 53. (Jason Larson is 29, Amelia Bradshaw is 24.)

After a very interesting introduction, everybody got dressed and Amelia's parents were able to meet Jason Larson properly. A nice young man, working in social work at the moment, but still hopes to pursue a career in journalism. At almost thirty, we'd say the odds of a career switch now are not really in his favor. But a fine catch, if Claire might say so - almost as hot as Bryson Riley, whom she spent the evening fawning over.

happy new year, 2080!

Happy New Year, 2080!

If Andy and Claire Bradshaw think they have time to sneak in a quickie before their new year's eve party guests arrive...

...they would be wrong.

the lofts, big fat chances

August 2079 - Paul Gallagher is 29, Cameron Gibson is 28, Charlotte Centowski is 25, Amelia Bradshaw is 24, Bella Bradshaw and Jeremiah Day are 23.

Bella and Amelia are actually getting along here in the lofts together. They're becoming almost something like friends. They never imagined the day would come, when Alon Hutchins had become inconsequential to them both, and long forgotten. We suppose that's part of growing up.

the lofts, apartment life makeover!

I am in the process of updating all of my multi-family lots to real apartments. So while I take a little break from my normal story-playing, I thought I'd share with you my apartment remodeling adventures :)

First up are the Rondal Lofts. Charlotte and Amelia will be roommates, and Cameron will have his own place.

Charlotte finds out that they have to cough up one whole week's worth of rent at a time. She says, "What? That's like a seven-year lease? Are you serious?" It's crazy, but he's serious, Charlotte, just sign the papers already!

the lofts, farewell marisa!

August 2078 - Cameron Gibson is 27, Marisa Wilson and Charlotte Centowski are 24, Amelia Bradshaw is 23.

Charlotte Centowski and Marisa Wilson have been best friends since they were five, and Charlotte doesn't know what she'll do without her. Marisa received an offer to dance in Abandia City, and she just can't pass it up. She's leaving at the end of the month.