build week #3: fun with the lot adjuster

Did anyone ever try this before?

This is my campus pub, a 3x1 lot, overlapping my new campus parking lot, which is a 5x4 lot. Both lots are fully functional where they stand, and don't conflict with the other.

build week #2: it's almost a medical center!

Just a little, tiny, sneak peak ;)

I'm super-excited about my medical center! In fact, even though I downloaded a big hornking hospital for my city, I might not even use it much in the end. Most of the scenes I tend to use for this story are more outpatient kind of situations - like a therapy session, or pregnancy checkup. Those wouldn't likely happen at a hospital at all, but would probably happen in a smaller suburban medical plaza like this! :)

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 ;)

build week #1: moving mountains

First, welcome to build week! Or weeks, I guess, since it ends up taking about a month, lol!

You can expect fluffy building posts, some storytelling discussion, and lots of picspam! If you're not interested in the building and remodeling stuff, and would like to skip ahead to the start of the next story season, go here: winter 2083/84: still hear you.

I have a list of the projects I intend to work on in the "coming soon..." box, though I don't expect I'll have enough time to finish all of them. I hope to at least make some progress on each of them. And I'll share pics as I go along.

My first project was learning to use the neighborhood terrain editing cheat. It's kind of an essential cheat to laying down rail track, so I dug into it. And I practiced by moving a mountain, lol!

Before...

And after! :)

take it down, extras

*warning: this is ridiculously long! No joke! *

Extras, outtakes, and misfits from the "take it down" season...

(I think I'll call them seasons now, rather than chapters. Does that make more sense? I mean, each entry is big enough to be its own chapter, right? Why didn't anyone ever tell me that made no freaking sense? lol! So since the collection usually spans about a season, it seems only logical. Season?)

Anyway, whatever we call it, this collection of stories was the longest EVER, and gave us a crapload of extras!!! These stories took me 8 months to write, covered five major story progressions and many independent pieces and mini-updates, and added up to a whopping 50,881 words!

(If I ever want to know why my novel isn't finished yet, I think I have my answer!)

Let us begin? ;)

from myself, extras and author's note

first, a note on the ending of stories:

Since this is kind of the first storyline that's been well and truly wrapped up in this blog, I thought I'd do a little author's note. I'll also probably want to give them each their own author's note when they're finished. For a time, I was doing the author's notes by round, but I think this works better, maybe.

But on the ending of stories in general, this is how it will work:

The storyline tags cover the arc of the story itself, from beginning to middle to end, and only the story. Both Micah and Mariah existed as Sims/characters before this story took shape, and those entries are not included. Likewise, the whole Buchanan family will still exist in Lakeside Heights in the future. You'll still hear from them in other stories, and they'll still get their once-a-round family update. But as far as I'm concerned, this story is finished, and I'm happy to let them have their peace, lol!

Basically, the storyline tags contain only what I would include if I were writing this as its own stand-alone book. It's still a work-in-progress, but main characters are also getting their own name tags as well, and those name tags will span the entire collection of stories, any entry they make a meaningful appearance in. So for further reading, you can continue to follow their tags: Mariah, Micah, and for entries relating to the whole family, Buchanan.

And James too. James is one of those who doesn't really have his own storyline, yet plays an important role in about three or four different stories. Or maybe he does have his own story, and I just haven't discovered what that is yet.

Anyway...

This obviously contains major spoilers, so if you haven't read through all the from myself stories, you'll want to finish those first.

Author's note on the "from myself" storyline:
The hows, and whys, and hitches in the writing of...

Price-Hudson wedding outtakes

For as simple as this wedding was, this was also the most FUN I've had doing a wedding in a really long time. They just wouldn't stop, lol! I thought I'd put all the funny in its own post, so not to disrupt the narrative flow ;)

This was actually the normal shot I thought I would use for the story (and that I'd put Chandler's "Score!" shot in the outtakes), but seeing as how they've always been a big bunch of goofballs, I just couldn't resist using it. But here, proof that they did have some serious moments.

from myself, part 3

November 2083 - Micah and Mariah Buchanan are 25. Chandler Price and Jane (Hudson) Price are 25.

* Soundtrack: "Songbird," by Fleetwood Mac *

In the beginning, Chandler and Jane had nothing but love.

No really, nothing but love.

And a used garage sale couch, folding card table, and two lawn chairs. They had some clothes, but they weren't very nice ones, so they didn't bother to wear them most of time, when they were just home alone.

For the first week of their life together, they spent their evenings in the dark. Chandler had forgotten to buy a lamp and they had to wait for his next paycheck to be able to have even light. But that was no big deal - they considered it an adventure. They loved each other in the dark, and when all else failed, Micah and Mariah lived just up the street a bit, with their hot meals and actual dinnerware to eat off of.

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.