#townies: Drone

[corrienteallita]

Madelyn: HAH! PRANKED!! at least we know you're not one of the robot drones that are replacing all the townies

Townie: is shocked and scared and is wishing they hadn't got out of bed that morning

[icymusicdiary]

current driving playlist

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead --- "Heart in the Hand of the Matter"; "Days of Being Wild"; "Relative Ways"

Afrorack --- "Rev" and "Desert"

Aho Ssan --- "Tetsuo II"

Alberich --- "Chilsong Chamber"

Alice Glass --- "Remains"

Andy Stott --- Luxury Problems

Annabelle Playe --- Geyser

Ansome --- Selections from Hounds of the Harbor

Arvo Part --- Tabula Rasa mvmt 1, Magnificat for Choir, Annum per Annum for Organ

Austra --- Selections from Feel It Break

Autechre --- Selections from Exai

Author & Punisher --- Selections from Krüller

Bach --- Selections from the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; Selections from the Well-Tempered Clavier

Beethoven --- Kreutzer Sonata mvmt 1; Symphony 9; Grosse Fuge; Selections from String Quartets opp 127, 130, and 131

Blanck Mass --- "Hush Money"

Bolis Pupul --- "Frogs" and "Ma Tau Wai Road"

Candy Claws --- Selections from Ceres and Calypso in the Deep Time

Carter Tutti Void --- Triumvirate

Chastity --- "Sun Poisoning" and "Strife"

Cherry Glazerr --- I Don't Want You Anymore

CHVRCHES --- "Lies"; "Recover"; "Clearest Blue"

Clark --- "Slap Drones"

Closet Witch --- "Personal Machu Picchu"; "Daylilies"; "Dogs Running"

Cloud Rat --- Do Not Let Me Off the Cliff: Deluxe Edition and "Luminescent Cellar"

Coheed and Cambria --- "A Favor House Atlantic"; "The Afterman"; "Welcome Home"; "Key Entity Extration III: Vic the Butcher"; "The Suffering"

Connesson --- Selections from Pour Sortir au Jour

Cremation Lily --- "I Need to Stop Blaming Myself"

Debby Friday --- Good Luck

Debussy --- Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Diana Damrau --- "Der Hölle Rache"

Divide and Dissolve --- "We Are Really Worried About You"

Dobrinka Tabakova --- String Paths

Dolor --- "Pull Me In"

Eduardo Egüez --- Misa Criolla mvmt 2 and 3

Elbow --- "Grounds for Divorce"

Elusin --- Selections from Synfuels

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou --- "Magickal Cost"; "Out of Existence"; "Orphan Limbs"

Ensemble La Chimera --- "Tonada El Diamante"; "En Aquel Amor"

Fever Ray --- "Kandy"; "Looking for a Ghost"; "Tapping Fingers"; "If I Had A Heart"; "Keep the Streets Empty for Me"

Giles Corey --- "No One Is Ever Going To Want Me"

glass beach --- Selections from plastic death

Gris --- Il était une forêt

HEALTH --- Selections from RAT WARS; "SLAVES OF FEAR"

Holy Fawn --- "Yawning"

IAMX --- "Insomnia"; "Surrender"; "Spit It Out"

Ictus --- Imperivm; Hambrientos De Un Sol Distinto; "Sed de Venganza"

Jai Paul --- "BTSTU (Edit)"; "Jasmine"

Joanna Newsom --- "The Things I Say"

Keygen Church --- Nel Nome Del Codice; "S E V E R K E T O R"

Kite --- "Hills"

KLANGPHONICS --- "Shapes in the Spray"

Lauren Bousfield --- "Another World is Possible - Presented by US Bank"

Lingua Ignota --- Selections from Sinner Get Ready; "Spite Alone Holds Me Aloft"; "All Bitches Die (Bitches All Die Here)"; "May Failure Be Your Noose"

Lone Pilgrim --- The World Is Not My Home

Lorn --- "Chhurch"

Lorn & Dolor --- Zero Bounce

Low --- "More"

LSDXOXO --- "Sick Bitch"

M. Lamar --- Negrogothic and Funeral Doom Spiritual

M.I.A. --- Selections from Kala

Mandy, Indiana --- Selections from i've seen a way

Marina & the Diamonds --- "Numb"

Menace Ruine --- The Die is Cast; Selections from Nekyia, Venus Armata, and Alight in Ashes

mewithoutYou --- Selections from Brother, Sister; "[dormouse sights]"; "Birnam Wood"; "Julia"

Millie & Andrea --- Drop the Vowels

Mitski --- "I Don't Smoke"; "Love Me More"; "Love Me More (Clark Remix)"; "Townie"; "My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars"

Model/Actriz --- Dogsbody; "Damocles"; "Suntan"; "Amaranth (mmph remix)"

Oneohtrix Point Never --- "No Good"; "Sticky Drama"

Paula Temple --- Edge of Everything and Deathvox EP

Perfume Genius --- "Describe (A. G. Cook Remix)"

Pictureplane --- "Blade Addict (Crimson Mist)"

Powell --- "So We Went Electric"

Queens of the Stone Age --- "My God Is the Sun"; "If I Had a Tail"

R.E.M. --- Selections from Automatic for the People and Murmur

Rameau --- Selections from Hippolyte et Aricie

Renée Fleming --- "Ich ging zu ihm"

Respighi --- Concerto Gregoriano mvmt 3; "Gagliarda" and "Siciliana" from Ancient Airs and Dances; Violin Sonata in B Minor mvmt 2

Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter --- Selections from SAVED!

Rezz --- Selections from CAN YOU SEE ME?; "Let Me In"

Rossini --- Selections from Il Barbiere Di Siviglia

Run The Jewels --- Selections from Run the Jewels 2 and RTJ 4

Sällskapet --- "Die Zeit Vergeht"

Sarasate --- "Navarra"

Schnittke --- Concerto for Choir; "Credo" from the Requiem; Concerto Grosso 2 mvmt 1

Schubert --- Death and the Maiden Movements 1, 2 and 4; Symphony 8 Movement 1

Scriabin --- Piano Sonatas 5, 6, 7, and 9

seventh stitch --- Selections from murmuring chasms of nostalgia

Sharon Van Etten --- "Hands"

Sia --- "Chandelier"

Simon & Garfunkel --- "My Little Town"

Slowdive --- "Shanty"; "Prayer Remembered"; "The Slab"

Sprain --- Selections from The Lamb as Effigy

Stravinsky --- Selections from The Rake's Progress and Petrushka

The Comet is Coming --- "Angel of Darkness"; "The Hammer"

The Hormones --- "孤独的海"; "航夜"

The Killers --- "Sam's Town"; "Spaceman"

The Knife --- "Silent Shout"; "Marble House"; "Like a Pen"; "Full of Fire"

The Visit --- Through Darkness Into Light

This Thing Called Dying --- "Menneske"; "The Art of Looking the Other Way"

Thou --- Umbilical; Selections from Inconsolable

Torres --- Selections from What an enormous room and Silver Tongue

TR/ST --- "Shoom"

Tzafu --- Selections from Impermanence

Tzusing --- Selections from 東方不敗, A Name Out of Place Collected, and 绿帽 Green Hat

Vampire Weekend --- "Unbelievers"; "Hudson"; "Gen X Cops"; "Capricorn"

Wolf Parade --- Selections from At Mount Zoomer and Apologies to the Queen Mary

Wolves in the Throne Room --- "Initiation at Neudeg Alm"

Yellow Swans --- Left Behind; Out of Practice I; Out of Practice II

Young Galaxy --- "Hard To Tell"; "In Fire"

Ysaye --- Sonata 1 for solo violin mvmt 2, 3, and 4; Sonatas 2, 4, 5, and 6 for solo violin

[enkisstories]

The second day of seven, the cadets were allowed to pick an elective. KH-400, now called "Chris Rellam", chose "Basic policework on occupied planets", since CH-100 was having so much fun at that.

The first task was a riot control maneuver that included spotting and downing moving targets in difficult terrain.

The group that was playing the rioters scattered in all directions. Unlike the newly arrived cadets, these people, whom Chris took to be elite troopers like himself, knew their way around the academy grounds.

A grazing hit from Chris' blaster caused one of the targets to stumble and fall. Another target stopped to help him up again, an unprofessional behaviour, that was nevertheless in line with what to expect from rioting civillians. Chris took aim at this second man...

"Ouch... Looks like I'm out", the first one groaned, rubbing his backside.

"Nobody is out before they're unconscious", a voice from above the playing field announced. It belonged to an instructor talking through a surveillance drone. "Get up and running again or else!"

Up at the stairs Chris hesitated. The way the instructors talked to the cadets playing the rioters suggested that they were not cadets at all, but prisoners, who were getting forced to participate in this exercise. Some of them would be rebel soldiers, but others might just as well be genuine civillians who had acted up in the past.

This single moment of doubt was all a Resistance fighter named Timothy needed to dodge out of Chris' view.

Timothy: "Two can play this game, you know? I think I'll take your scorecard for good measure after I've beaten you senseless and mark each stormtrooper I downed on it!"

Chris: "Bold words from one who's about to get..."

Chris: "...a face full of blaster!"

One painful hit from close range later, Timothy lay unconscious to Chris' feet.

"Good work! Now everyone grab one - excatly one - prisoner and proceed to the interrogation part of the exercise", the instructor announced.

Chris bent down and slung his latest "kill" over his shoulder. How hard could it be to extract information from a dazed man? This would be almost too easy!

The first target was a random Foxbury townie, the second target is one of my Detroit sims.

[still-single]

Luxor Rentals – Burn Yr Trash CS (self-released)

Remarkable low/mid-fi psych pop wanderings from a seven-piece band out of the small northcentral town of Orange, Massachusetts. They carry with them an unspoken pedigree of townie wisdom from a formidable backbench: timid Sebadoh-esque introspection (“Girl of the World”), early Dino Jr/peaking SY post-folk noise blowouts (“Dove/This Town Has Its Faults”), Yo La Tengo-esque drone heart flutter (“Suzuki Samourai Jam”), obligged Mountain Movers/Headroom/Burnt Hills style scope (most), actual Nuggets-style garage psych (“A Hallway,” “Wax Baby”), lost Syd/‘cid journeys into the drugged spiritual self, the arty sprawl of Cul de Sac ... all this and a cover of The Godz' “Permanent Green Light” indicate that these are folks who clearly know what they are doing, finding a way from antiquity to the thematic now, pretty incredible for what amounts to a demo for a forthcoming album and EP. Perfect late summer into autumn transitional music, wildly successful on its own terms, and one of the highlights of 2023 so far; ultimately a reassurance that our heroes won't be around forever and that new heads are at the ready to wield their torches. (Doug Mosurock)

[sixamese-simblr]

I'm going to post my first batch of Bella's randomly generated alien kids tomorrow, probably. The townies they are generated from are Stella Terrano, Nina and Dina Caliente, Lola, Chloe, Jill, PT9, Johnny, Tycho (who for genetics purposes has Pascal's face shape), Flamenco Caliente, PT7, the base Pollination Technician, and the Birth Queens and Colony Drones from the Smith family tree.

I should do a game of who's whose kid - One clearly has some PT9 and another got Pascal's eyes but otherwise they're a mystery to me.

[hirakoraavaa]

After making sure the townie got home safely, I went looking for that Curio Shop. I bought this bazar glowing fruit...Could this be causing the possession?

Later that night I used our work drone to send the fruit back to our people see what they can find out about it. Can't believe people are actually eating this...

[eulaliasims]

So I have mentioned a few times that I have a test sim in Middleground, Drone; I use her for things like unlocking the hobby lots so I can remodel them and testing new community lots (she also works at the Cobbs' store). Canonically, she's a Sixam immigrant like Three and Syx. Anyway, I was on her lot doing Townie Things and felt bad that she didn't have an actual house so… behold.

Inspo.

[affluencehqs]

You fucking hate horses, but you love fucking horse handlers. It’s a vice that you indulge bi-weekly, and you’re picking straw out of your hair after this particular tumble, the lean townie dozing off already beside you, snoring loud enough to draw out the nickering of horses in nearby stalls. You’re seconds from getting the ick bad enough to leave, but the audible ping of a notification illuminates your phone and the one perched next to it.

You’re late for class in the old building, a tote is slung high on your shoulder and a folder of overdue assignments are wedged in the crook of your elbow, an ice coffee balanced precariously in the palm of your hand. Somehow, in this Cirque-de-Soliel-esque feat, you manage to retrieve the phone housed in your pocket at the electronic beep of an alert.

Your Life Sciences lecture has never been less thrilling, and you’re on the cusp of being lulled to sleep as the professor drones on and on about the rings of trees and the importance of dense soil. Your syllabus says that this class is supposed to be two hours long, which you’ve broken down into one hundred and twenty minutes, or seventy-two hundred seconds (a tool you can thank your therapist for). You’re near raising a hand and feigning a fever when a ping is unanimous, every set of features within the room are kissed blue as phones are retrieved and the notification is read:

𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐈𝐃.

Brows knead at the peculiarity of it, for thats all it is for the fracture of a moment: perhaps some strange joke. But then, just as before, seemingly every phone in Rye spurs to life with another notification, this time, with a link. 

ryeblinds.com 

And you click it, because how could you not? You do it cautiously, like sticking your fingers in a wild dogs cage, you tap the message open.

OOC information:

the blinds blog will be our version of a gossip blog, where an anonymous blogger posts submissions of the rumours or sightings that circle rye. these posts may be entirely true, half-truths, or completely made up. you can find more information on the blinds themselves here.

this is not an opportunity for everyone to start talking about secrets, ic or ooc! they’re still to be kept secret, though they may be alluded to on the blog, and this is what causes everyone to sweat - the notion that not only is their dirty laundry being aired for all to see, but the skeletons in their closet, the things not even their closest companions know, may be put on blast for all to see.

the posts rely on activity and things worth reporting on happening! so being active and plotting juicy things is crucial! you’re no one if you’re not talked about, after all.      

[borisbubbles]

ESC2021 Preshow: 20. Estonia

Uku Suviste - “The lucky one”

Semi 2, #02

Going through the motions of 2021′s shitty NF season, it was a given that the critical mass of the “2020 returnees” competing the selections in these would win them hands down. 

So given how much i DISLIKED the offensively boring abomination “What love is”, and how PAINFULLY inevitable Uku’s victory in a decent Eesti Laul (um spoiler for NF corner?) seemed to be, It’s actually a shock I ended up liking Uku? But I do, lol and I’m not apologizing, sorry boos. 

In fact, I was rooting for Uku to win EL as soon as I saw his performance in the semi. “The lucky one”, which suffered from Aggressive Autotune + Forgettable Melody (we need a name for this. I propose Roxen Syndrome?), is legit good live and harps back to the (admittedly better) “Pretty Little Liar”, and that’s good enough for me. 

Of course, I am aware of the obvious ~*SOULLESS HIMBOT FROM THE DREAM FACTORY*~ label attached to this this entry (written by Uku and something called “Sharon Vaughn” are we certain this person isn’t just Kontopoulos in drag?), don’t worry. I rank him twentieth, not seventh. 

Fortunately, Uku is a mandroid from the SAME sweatshop that gave us Lucie Jones a few years back - in other words omfg he’s barely functional. 😍 Droning robot turned incompetent DRAMA KING <333333 The amount of EFFORT that needs to be thrown in to keep a ~pretence of competence~ is the most tangible in the backing vocals, which trail Uku’s like a shadow and STILL his voicecracks come through at key intervals <3

😍😍😍😍😍

The pathos of Uku throwing in high votes he cannot sing and then his voice breaking over the strain each time, gets me, okay? He doesn’t need a crystal ball to show me, baby it’s clear that you don’t know him :SOB:.  So dramatic, so inept, so unintetionally comedic, so Uku <3 

In other news, this lockdown had better end soon because with each passing day I feel like I’m turning further into a cat lady. 

ps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYXNeYXUmEQ&loop=0  😍😍😍

NF Corner - Eesti Laul 2021

Finally a decent Eesti Laul, lol. I wish I could say it was good, but it had one of the weirdest semi split’s I’ve ever seen. EL’s first Semi was without exaggeration the WORST show in the entire season, and the second was a contender for the BEST one across all NFs???? I suppose EXTREME Evil and EXTREME Good balance each other out in blistering adequacy? 

Anyway, I’ll now proceed to ignore Koit and Egert and Karl Killing and Hans and all the other bad (non-Linna/non-Kéa) entries from semi 1, and proceed to an NF Corner composed ENTIRELY of semi 2 songs :-)

Jüri Pootsmann - “Magus Melanhoolia”

It was between Sissi and Jüri for the Token Superfinalist Contender slot on this list, and Jüri is infinitely more notable. Sorry, Sis ur time (to win Eesti Laul?) will come once you figure out to write good music :(

Anyway, what can I even say about Jüri because lmfao what a baffling entry. Registered BARITONE JÜRI POOTSMANN coming back with a an experimental lounge jazz song that is song almost entirely in falsetto. 😍 The camera angles <3 the fact that this already INCREDEBLY short song includes 10 seconds of Jüri standing on the stage looking bored <3 what a fucking baffling entry, I have no opinions, only exclamations of surprise. 

REDEL - “Tarttu”

I HAAAATED “Tarttu” on first listen. 😂😂😂😂 but seriously though, this is downright epic. The UNPLUGGED Meiekündimees MADNESS of it all, now condenced into a equally nonsensical song that is basically like “X is a wooden town but NONE OF THEM ARE AS WOODEN TOWNY AS TARTTU. *incoherent kazoo noises*” 😍😍😍 Once got the chorus stuck in my head at the zoo as I was watching the penguins getting fed and it was one of the most bizarre synesthesic experiences I’ve ever had lmfao <3

Gram-of-Fun - “Lost in a dance”

If you’re wondering what the sort of music I listen to Eurovision is like - this is it. INCREDIBLY good and addictive and EMOTIONALLY tangible 80s New Wave is my fucking jam, can we have entries like this in EVERY selection from here on out? WELL DONE Kristel... on composing this wonderful song, less so on the Kazka-esque vocals that caused it to tragically NQ in the semi. 🙄 Still, BRING THEM BACK (and restrict Kristel to a songwriter only role, plz.)

Gram-of-Fun were my fave, but because they NQ’d somebody else had to fill their shoes in the finale. I’ll now reveal who it was

Kadri Voorand - “Energy”

IT WAS HARD DECIDING BETWEEN SUURED TÜDRÜKUD AND KADRI THOUGH. But given that Charlotte Perelli is guaranteed to appear in Sweden’s NF corner (um is she? :counts on fingers: Clara, Evas, Dotter... ehh sure I’m committed now I guess), it would be best NOT to post Dagmar & Kaire as they fucking clown her lol <3 But their song WAS pretty antiquated schlager...

Kadri otoh... absolutely breaks all records for me by delivering a unicorn: an entertaining stripped-down piano ballad. For the most part because she has incredible emotional delivery that serves personality on a fucking pyrotechnical level, like onn-stop “Loudmouthed Oaf Energy” in the form of a introspective jazz ballad <3 Can you imagine Estonia actually picking this? They could have come left-handside. 

But will Uku do well? :o

Predicted Journey - Estonia

He won’t come top 10, if that’s what you mean by “well”.😂 If you mean “qualify for the Grand Final” then... potentially? Semi 2 is less of a crapshoot than the first semifinal however. At this stage, it’s pretty much “okay, so these twelve acts can qualify... but which ten will?”.

Fortunately for Uku, he is one of aforementionned twelve possible qualifiers. (the others are: san marino, czech rep, greece, moldova, iceland, serbia, albania, bulgaria, finland, switzerland and denmark). UNfortunately for Uku, he’s one of the candidates for the two NQ slots inside that group of twelve.

The problem with Estonia is that their entry is a televote-friendly ballad, stuck in a really televote-UNfriendly slot (#02), in a semi where the jury vote will very likely put them outside the top 10. If we add in a dark stage and Uku’s shaky vocals, they don’t look particularly secure. 

However, I also think Estonia can qualify relatively easily because “televote-friendly ballad” is a unique niche inside that semi; the other ballads (Switzerland is NOT a ballad), won’t be getting many votes and Uku’s appeal as a handsome man with a dramatic song will make him stand out in spite of his spot in the running order, as LONG AS his vocal delivery (or that of the prerecorded backing vocals) remains adequate enough. If not, he’ll be swiftly forgotten and NQ.

Another thing that can cause Uku to qualify is if at least two others of the twelve underwhelm (my money for that would be on Albania, Denmark, San Marino and/or Czech Rep), making Uku the lucky one as he’ll ascend in the ensuing powercreep.

At any rate, it’s really difficult to gauge how well Uku would do since I haven’t really thought about the other BL qualifiers’ odds enough. His televote should be strong enough to avoid bottom 3, I think, and I think it’s safe to say he won’t come top five. Between those values, pffffew, who can possibly tell? I’m not burning my fingers on that. 

Projected placements > Qualifier Tier: Borderline > Semifinal: 6th-14th (out of 17) > Grand Final: 17th-22nd (out of 26)

THE RANKING

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. ESTONIA - Uku Suviste - “The lucky one” 21. FINLAND - Blind Channel - “Dark side” 22. AZERBAIJAN - Efendi - “Mata Hari” 23. the NETHERLANDS - Jeangu Macrooy - “Birth of a new age” 24. CZECH REPUBLIC - Benny Christo - “Omaga” 25. DENMARK - Fyr og Flamme - “Øve os på hinanden” 26. SLOVENIA - Ana Soklič - “Amen” 27. SWITZERLAND - Gjon’s Tears - “Tout l’Univers” 28. ROMANIA - Roxen - “Amnesia” 29. SERBIA - Huricane - “Loco loco” 30. POLAND - Rafał - “The ride” 31. ISRAEL - Eden Alene - “Set me free” 32. GEORGIA - Tornike Kipiani - “You” 33. PORTUGAL - The Black Mamba - “Love is on my side” 34. SPAIN - Blas Cantó - “Voy a quedarme” 35. NORWAY - Tix - “Fallen Angel” 36. CYPRUS - Elena Tsagrinou - “El Diablo” 37. AUSTRIA - Vincent Bueno - “Amen” 38. NORTH MACEDONIA - Vasil - “Here I stand” 39. GERMANY - Jendrik - “I don’t feel hate”

[ozneedle]

Valentine: BENNY! Your drone’s staring at me again!

Benny: It’s fine, dad! You’re gonna be famous!

Valentine: ...Damn technology. Where’d he even get that thing?

With that, I’ve unlocked Del Sol Valley! It DOES feel a little cheaty to have Valentine being a celebrity before I’ve even unlocked townies so I’m not going to do anything with Del Sol yet - but as he was rather close anyway because of all of his paintings, I figured I’d push him over that marker!

[justkeeponsimming]

Desiree calls her babysitter and asks if she can watch Leo for an hour or two. She’s lucky that her babysitter is always after work, so she agrees to come over as soon as possible. Once Leo is safely taken care of, Desiree heads out into her neighbourhood with her drone in tow.

Finding the first townie that she can see, Desiree strides over to her. She needs to be mean and get herself angry enough to rant about someone being rude to her on the street. It’s a low type of video to make, but Desiree’s emotions are running high and she’s in the mood for a fight.

Desiree: “Hey, you!”

Random townie: “Excuse me?”

Desiree: “Your mother is a llama!”

Random townie: “What did you say? I have green hair! Can’t you see I’m descended from a cow plant?! How DARE you!”

Desiree and the townie go back and forth with cheap insults until the other sim backs down and walks away. Walking over to her drone, Desiree quickly reviews the footage. Yes, with lots of editing, she can make it look like the sim was verbally attacking her and make a good storytime video out of the content. 

Plus, she feels a lot better after being rude to someone else!

[littlemusicreviews]

200 Best Songs of the 2010s

200. Neon Indian – “Annie”

199. Hop Along – “Somewhere A Judge”

198. Empress Of – “Standard”

197. Mitski – “Townie”

196. The 1975 – “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)”

195. Jessica Mauboy (feat. Ludacris) – “Saturday Night”

194. Sheer Mag – “Worth The Tears”

193. The Range – “Florida”

192. Tove Lo – “Disco Tits”

191. Jamie xx (feat. Young Thug & Popcaan) – “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)

190. Florence + The Machine – “Queen Of Peace”

189. School ’94 – “Common Sense”

188. Majical Cloudz – “Heavy”

187. Years & Years – “All For You”

186. Sleigh Bells – “Sugarcane”

185. Britney Spears – “Man On The Moon”

184. Miike Snow – “Bavarian #1 (Say You Will)”

183. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”

182. Taylor Swift – “Cruel Summer”

181. Animal Collective – “FloriDada”

180. easyFun – “Blink”

179. Kacey Musgraves – “Dime Store Cowgirl”

178. Lykke Li – “Gunshot”

177. Lana Del Rey – “Ride”

176. Elliphant – “Not Ready”

175. Phoenix – “Chloroform”

174. Kim Petras – “Hillside Boys”

173. Natalia Kills – “Free”

172. Chelsea Wolfe – “After The Fall”

171. Sky Ferreira – “One”

170. Charli XCX – “You (Ha Ha Ha)”

169. CHAI – “Feel The Beat”

168. Lim Kim – “Awoo”

167. Justin Bieber – “Sorry”

166. Liz – “When I Rule The World”

165. Normani – “Motivation”

164. Teyana Taylor – “WTP”

163. Mac DeMarco – “Passing Out Pieces”

162. Sam Smith – “I’m Not The Only One”

161. Icona Pop – “Light Me Up”

160. Jessie J – “Domino”

159. Phantogram – “Don’t Move”

158. Miguel – “Adorn”

157. Susanne Sundfør – “White Foxes”

156. Kero Kero Bonito – “Picture This”

155. Crystal Castles – “Celestica”

154. Alexis Jordan – “Happiness”

153. Sharon Van Etten – “Your Love Is Killing Me”

152. Solange – “Losing You”

151. Washed Out – “All I Know”

150. Caribou – “Odessa”

149. Beyoncé – “XO”

148. Georgia – “About Work The Dancefloor”

147. Jamila Woods – “Blk Girl Soldier”

146. Empress Of – “When I’m With Him”

145. A$AP Rocky (feat. Skrillex) – “Wild For The Night”

144. Dreamtrak – “Odyssey, Pt. 2 (A. G. Cook Remix)”

143. SBTRKT (feat. Little Dragon) – “Wildfire”

142. Avril Lavigne – “What The Hell”

141. Cults – “Oh My God”

140. Alvvays – “Archie, Marry Me”

139. Kacey Musgraves – “Slow Burn”

138. James Blake (feat. Bon Iver) – “I Need A Forest Fire”

137. Charli XCX (feat. MØ) – “3AM (Pull Up)”

136. Sir Babygirl – “Pink Lite”

135. CEO – “Illuminata”

134. Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”

133. Japanese Breakfast – “Rugged Country”

132. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Cut To The Feeling”

131. SOPHIE – “Bipp”

130. Charli XCX – “Vroom Vroom”

129. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake”

128. A. G. Cook (feat. Hannah Diamond) – “Keri Baby”

127. Julianna Barwick – “Vow”

126. Sleigh Bells – “Comeback Kid”

125. Hatchie – “Sleep”

124. Ke$ha – “Die Young”

123. Blanck Mass – “Please”

122. B.o.B (feat. Hayley Williams) – “Airplanes”

121. The Wonder Years – “Passing Through A Screen Door”

120. Sevdaliza – “Hubris”

119. Tobias Jesso Jr. – “How Could You Babe”

118. Kanye West (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver) – “Monster”

117. Joanna Newsom – “Anecdotes”

116. Purity Ring – “Stranger Than Earth”

115. Vampire Weekend – “Unbearably White”

114. Local Natives – “Heavy Feet”

113. Last Dinosaurs – “Andy”

112. fun. – “Some Nights”

111. Danny Brown – “Ain’t It Funny”

110. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”

109. Regina Spektor – “The Light”

108. Rhye – “Open”

107. Lana Del Rey – “Brooklyn Baby”

106. hellogoodbye – “Finding Something To Do”

105. Bruno Mars – “Just The Way You Are”

104. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

103. CHVRCHES – “Clearest Blue”

102. Mount Eerie – “Seaweed”

101. Fiona Apple – “Werewolf”

100. Edward Maya (feat. Vika Jigulina) – “Stereo Love”

99. How To Dress Well – “Words I Don’t Remember”

98. AlunaGeorge – “Your Drums, Your Love”

97. LIGHTS – “Banner”

96. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – “Home”

95. Kendrick Lamar – “The Blacker The Berry”

94. Starfucker – “The White Of Noon”

93. Everything Everything – “Regret”

92. Two Door Cinema Club – “Undercover Martyn”

91. Bombay Bicycle Club – “Shuffle”

90. Marina & The Diamonds – “Oh No!”

89. Ed Sheeran – “Castle On The Hill”

88. Lykke Li – “Sadness Is A Blessing”

87. Julia Holter – “Feel You”

86. Real Estate – “Talking Backwards”

85. Tame Impala – “‘Cause I’m A Man”

84. Passion Pit – “Constant Conversations”

83. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – “PONPONPON”

82. Adele – “Someone Like You”

81. Calvin Harris – “Feel So Close”

80. You, Me, And Everyone We Know – “The Puzzle”

79. Waxahatchee – “8 Ball”

78. Grimes – “Artangels”

77. Florist – “Glowing Brightly”

76. Perfume Genius – “Mr. Peterson”

75. Sky Ferreira – “Werewolf (I Like You)”

74. Big Thief – “Forgotten Eyes”

73. Christine And The Queens – “iT”

72. Drake (feat. Rihanna) – “Take Care”

71. Autre Ne Veut – “Play By Play”

70. James Blake – “Retrograde”

69. Mitski – “Geyser”

68. Perfume Genius – “Hood”

67. Weyes Blood – “Movies”

66. Vanessa Carlton – “London”

65. Waxahatchee – “Air”

64. Crystal Castles – “Affection”

63. Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”

62. Bombay Bicycle Club – “Home By Now”

61. Vampire Weekend – “White Sky”

60. Big Thief – “Mythological Beauty”

59. Ariana Grande (feat. Zedd) – “Break Free”

58. Marina & The Diamonds – “Froot”

57. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”

56. Mayday Parade – “Stay”

55. Cee-Lo – “Fuck You”

54. Marina & The Diamonds – “Primadonna”

53. Sigur Rós – “Ísjaki”

52. Beach House – “Woo”

51. SZA – “Garden (Say It Like That)”

50. Wynter Gordon – “Dirty Talk”

49. Alt-J – “Breezeblocks”

48. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Want You In My Room”

47. Sky Ferreira – “Everything Is Embarrassing”

46. Ball Park Music – “It’s Nice To Be Alive”

45. Hundred Waters – “Wave To Anchor”

44. Florence + The Machine – “Never Let Me Go”

43. FKA twigs – “Cellophane”

42. Youth Lagoon – “Mute”

41. Ariana Grande – “Into You”

40. Of Monsters And Men – “Mountain Sound”

39. Björk – “Stonemilker”

38. Paramore – “Still Into You”

37. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting On You)”

36. Solange – “Cranes In The Sky”

35. Lorde – “Perfect Places”

34. Ball Park Music – “Coming Down”

33. Rihanna (feat. Drake) – “What’s My Name”

32. Perfume Genius – “Slip Away”

31. CHVRCHES – “The Mother We Share”

30. SOPHIE – “Immaterial”

29. Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt”

28. Sufjan Stevens – “John My Beloved”

27. A.A.L (Against All Logic) – “I Never Dream”

26. Deakin – “Good House”

25. Beach House – “Silver Soul”

24. ANOHNI – “Drone Bomb Me”

23. M83 – “Midnight City”

22. Sampha – “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano”

21. Lorde – “A World Alone”

20. Beach House – “Myth”

19. Sabrina Claudio – “Wanna Know”

18. Grimes – “Genesis”

17. Purity Ring – “Fineshrine”

16. The Wonder Years – “And Now I’m Nothing”

15. Beach House – “Sparks”

14. Hatchie – “Without A Blush”

13. Robyn – “Dancing On My Own”

12. Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris) – “We Found Love”

11. Alvvays – “In Undertow”

10. Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”

9. Frank Ocean – “Thinkin Bout You”

8. Beyoncé – “Countdown”

7. Lana Del Rey – “Born To Die”

6. Deerhunter – “Helicopter”

5. Azealia Banks (feat. Lazy Jay) – “212”

4. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Run Away With Me”

3. FKA twigs – “Two Weeks”

2. Sky Ferreira – “I Blame Myself”

1. Mitski – “Your Best American Girl”

[corpse--diem]

Buried A li(v)e | Josephine & Erin

Takes place a day after this phone call.

Erin was greeted with an off-key shrill of “I Will Always Love You” the second she opened the door to Siren’s Serenade. For a moment, she almost turned right back out that door. But then she remembered Josephine, who was the whole reason she was here. She wondered if she was simply trying to smooth talk her, or she was genuinely interested in Erin did. As she ordered a whiskey from the bar, Erin also wondered if she cared what Josephine’s intentions were. The woman worked with kids. She was charming. And God if Erin wasn’t thrilled to have one night to think about anything but the fuckery that was her day yesterday. Her mind started to take a turn, spinning around the same question. Why? But it still didn’t come. She snapped her head, tapping gently on the counter to grab the bartender’s attention again. “Can you make that a double? Please?”

This was one of those rare instances where Josephine was going into something without any secondary intentions. Aside from anyone’s normal intentions for a karaoke meet-up slash possible date. Erin was intriguing and Josephine was a woman of needs. Despite being immortal, she still quite enjoyed dating and flirting and those fun courtship rituals. She liked meeting people and sleeping with people and sometimes that was all that things needed to be. Tonight, with Erin, could be any of those things. But it was with a genuine interest that she showed up, dressed in some nicer clothes, despite the usual crowd of the Siren’s Serenade being less than so. When she entered, she saw one person sitting at the bar, while most everyone else was gathered around the booth, cheering on the drunk man belting out “I Will Always Love You”. She came up to the bar and sat next to Erin. “Did I make it in time for the pre-gaming?” she asked, giving a smile. “I really hope you’re Erin, otherwise this might be awkward.”

Erin smiled at the woman sidling up to her at the bar, sitting up straight. Oh, she was pretty. “And I really hope you’re Josephine,” she laughed, turning enough to reach for her hand for a polite shake. “It’s nice to finally--” her voice was drowned out as the man reached an all new pitch of his own while he butchered Whitney Houston’s classic. She winced, laughed, then yelled a little louder. “It’s nice to finally meet you!” She could only hope the poor woman could make it out. Understandably, the bartender was also yelling with another patron close by who was trying to order over the loud droning. “What’ll you have?” She asked, laughing at the ridiculousness and the pitch that man could reach. Raised an eyebrow her direction. “Choose wisely. Drink choices say a lot about a person. No pressure or anything though,” she smirked.

“It’s nice to meet you, too!” Josephine said over the drone of the man, sticking her words carefully between his gulping breaths of air as he held the note. “In retrospect,” she said, once the droning finally stopped, “perhaps a karaoke bar wasn’t the best choice for a first meet up.” She chuckled, smiling back in response to Erin’s smirk. Erin was, simply put, an attractive woman. Well built, tall, nice hair. Eyes that hid something. A heart that also hid something, but Josephine had decided to try and ignore that itch for now. Sometimes conversation was just more fun the old fashioned way. “Gin and tonic, please,” she answered firmly, giving a nod and tapping the bartop with one hand. “I missed what you ordered, but let me guess-- you look like...a whiskey gal. Maybe bourbon, but those are relatively the same thing.”

“Yeah, maybe not--” the song ended, and Erin ended up shouting that last word. She stopped, giving a stiff smile as her head shook. “Thank God,” she huffed, trying to carry on smoothly after that mini debacle. A smooth melody came over the speakers, signalling the arrival of a more somber solo. Much better. “Gin and Tonic, huh?” She nodded slowly, thinking that one over. “Excellent choice. If you like to eat pine needles, I mean,” she teased, but held her drink up, impressed. “Ten points. Am I that obviously a whiskey gal?” She asked, turning to face Josephine, already thrilled with her newfound companion. Is that how it worked? You lose one friend, then gain another? Erin polished off the glass and was ready for another when she locked eyes with the bartender yet again.

“Hmmmm, well,” Josephine hummed, looking Erin up and down, “you’re wearing a blazer over a regular t-shirt and jeans. I’d hate to point out stereotypes, but most women who I’ve met in bars wearing that drank either whiskey or lagers. And you don’t have a beer in hand, so….” she gave a grin, taking her drink gratefully when the bartender returned. “I do, in fact, love chewing on pine needles. You don’t?” a cheeky smile, before she sipped the drink. Noted that Erin was going rather fast through hers. Something on her mind, perhaps? “So, thought about which song you’re gonna sing yet? Other than the final words of I Will Always Love You, of course.”

Erin sat back in her chair, straightening her back. “Wow, I feel judged right now,” she said with a laugh. “And to think I almost got beer. Pine needles were a close third though.” The karaoke part of this whole karaoke thing had been the last thing on her mind, honestly. Outside of the fact that Regan probably never wanted to speak to her again, Erin couldn’t let go of that nagging feeling needling in the back of her head, telling her something wasn’t right. Josephine was so nice though, and she pulled herself from her thoughts. “Probably some Fleetwood Mac. Always a classic, you know? Not to add to the stereotype even further,” She smiled but shrugged, letting her eyes fall over Josephine briefly. “What about you?” Taking a short sip of her drink, she remembered their last conversation and pointed toward her, adding. “I wanna hear some of these stories you’ve been promising before we get up there, though.”

“Oh, no, no judging here,” Josephine said with a chuckle, “just something I’ve noted over the years. More like..classifying! That sounds nicer, right?” She took a sip of her drink, raising a brow. “Fleetwood Mac is stereotype, but my mind was set on The Cranberries, so I can’t really talk, can I?” A sheepish grin. “Hmm, yes. I may need to finish my first drink before any good stories come out, but I can tell you about how someone came in recently and just donated ten-thousand dollars to the art department like it was nothing.” But Erin seemed a little distracted, and Josephine didn’t like that thought. Just as if with Deirdre, Josephine wanted her attention on her, and nothing else. She’d have to turn things up a bit.

“Classifying. Nice spin,” Erin grinned. “Ah, Cranberries, huh? Stereotype or not, I don’t hate it,” she chuckled, letting her fingers slide over the cold, icy glass in her hand. Josephine kept her on her toes already and she could appreciate that as much as the normal conversation. “Ten-thousand dollars?” She echoed, eyes widening. “What are you guys doing over there? Wall-length replicas of Monet’s Water Lillies?” She took a sip of her drink, clearly still astounded. “That’s amazing as it is absurd—no offense, of course!”

“With that amount of donation, you would think!” Josephine said with a chuckle, shaking her head. “The accountant even passed out when she saw it. Apparently the kid who donated it had no idea it was that um-- large of a donation.” She shook her head, smiling again as she took a large sip of drink, letting the cool fluid relax her. Not that she was worried about anything. Let the glass linger, let the alcohol linger on her lips as she licked them dry. “So, tell me a little about yourself, then. How’d you end up in White Crest? It doesn’t ever strike me as a town that people uh-- happen to end up in.”

“If ten-thousand dollars dropped on my lap, I’d probably have the same reaction,” Erin raised a brow, smiling. Some people get ten-thousand dollars, some people get shady side businesses. Guess Erin knew her lot in life. God, the pity-fueled inner monologue was driving even her insane. She took a sip of her drink, focusing back on Josephine as she spoke up again. “Really? Because I meet out-of-towners pretty much on a regular basis,” she laughed. “I’ve lived here my whole life. My parents owned the funeral home. They died, so--now it’s mine,” she shrugged. Her life in a nutshell, basically. Her brows furrowed, making a mental note that she needed to get out like this more often, but nodded towards Josephine, eager to move on. “What about you? How long have you been in town? You don’t strike me as a townie.”

“Oh, I mean, there’s plenty of people from out of town, I just mean-- it’s not a big, er-- vacation spot,” Josephine corrected, giving a smile. “You’re whole life, huh? I’m surprised I didn’t meet you sooner, then. I’ve been in town for about five years. Give or take a few years.” The reality was that it had been ten, but disclosing too much information was an easy way to expose her true age. She shrugged. “I suppose I’m not really considered a townie, but so far, it’s one of the places I consider home more than a lot of others. I...moved around a lot over the years.” She took another sip of her drink, already finding herself interested not only in Erin herself, but the fact that she had a little resent in her heart for someone. A parent, judging by how it flared just a little bit at the mention of them dying. And something else. Something...recent. “Sorry to hear about your parents, though. Were you close?”

Five years? Erin shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, we don’t really run in the same circles. Kids and corpses don’t exactly mix.” She grimaced, scooting a little closer to Josephine to hear her when the next singer started belting out some 80s classic rock. Maybe this was a good place for dates, when she realized how close she’d gotten. “Sorry,” she laughed. She sat back just a bit, raising her voice instead. Glanced down at her drink, clearly uncomfortable at the question. “Thanks. I was, yeah. But it’s fine.”  Dead parents weren’t a great get-to-know-you topic. And it only served to fan that anger in her gut the more she thought about her dad. She nodded, trying to toss the subject right back at Josephine. “You said you moved around a lot? Why’s that? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Oh, what was that? A bit of anger? Resent? Josephine knew the feeling so well she almost missed it. Erin had some deeper pain with her parents, aside from them just being dead. Did it have to do with how they died? Or why they died? Or was it about what they left her with? “It’s always hard losing a parent, no matter the age, if you’re close.” She put her drink down a moment, to reach out and put a hand on Erin’s knee, noticing how she’d subconsciously leaned in. “I know we’ve really just met, but if you do ever want to talk, I’m all ears. I’ve been told I’m easy to talk to. Must be a counselor thing,” she gave a wink and little smile before lifting her hand off and picking up her drink again. “I did,” she started, pausing. “After college.” It wasn’t a full lie. “Some...things happened and I found myself drifting for a while, trying to decide where I wanted to land. Turned out, it was a quaint little town in Maine. I like it here, though. Keeps me on my toes.”

Erin felt her cheeks burn and she couldn’t look at Josephine both when her hand touched her knee, and especially not when she continued pushing on the death of her parents. Was she just trying to be nice? Wouldn’t surprise her if she looked as pitiful as she felt. She seemed like the kind of person who was genuinely just a nice person, though. Erin mustered a smile, glancing up at her, shaking her head incredulously at her. “There’s no way you want to hear about my dead parent problems,” she said with a laugh in her voice. “But you’re sweet to humor me anyway, Josephine.” Ugh, she hated this. It wasn’t usually like this when she drank. It calmed her. But this she couldn’t shake. She felt wrong and she felt at just about everything. And she hated especially how all she wanted to do was focus on the very pretty, very kind woman who was somehow still tolerating her. “Yeah, it’s a small town but… never a dull moment,” she smiled over at her. “I know you’ve been here a while but--we’re glad to have you too.”

Josephine shrugged. “Maybe not right now, but I’m really good at listening, so if you do ever wanna talk about it, I’d love to hear it,” she offered sweetly, a smile curled over the edge of her glass before taking a sip. “Seriously.” She said pointedly before finishing off her drink and ordering another when the bartender came by. She turned to look back at Erin, leaning back in her chair. “Never a dull moment,” she said, right as another contender stepped up to the podium and began belting some classic Cher. Josephine almost rolled her eyes, giving a chuckle. “Well, I’m glad I came, too. If only to have met someone else who can suffer through this karaoke with me.”

Josephine was right. This was getting painful. And god, she needed something to snap herself out of this. A smirk spread across Erin’s lips as a stupid idea took shape. Hopped off of her seat, leaning onto the counter to fully face Josephine. “Question. I know we just met but… you trust me, right?” She grinned fully now. “Just a little bit? Maybe?” She pinched her thumb and forefinger together. “If you do, even just a little bit--order us some shots and I’ll be right back.” She backed up, starting towards the request table. Only got a few feet before she turned on her heels, tilting her head at Josephine like she was sizing her up. “I’d say you’re a soprano, right? I hope so.” Because every alto needed their soprano. That’s how it worked, clearly. Not waiting for her to argue--not that she could hear it--she bolted for the request table. By the time she came back, the woman ruining Cher was almost halfway through her solo. “Shots?” she asked innocently, glancing up at her. “We’re up next.”

“Well, I mean--” Josephine started, a little surprised. This wasn’t exactly how she’d thought the night would go, but she wasn’t saying no. If an attractive, single woman wanted to get drunk and do karaoke, who was she to say no? “Shots, got it.” She winked. “I’m more of a--” she went to shout, but Erin was halfway across the room now and there was no point, not over the droning of The Worst Cher Ever. She rolled her eyes, turned to the bartender and ordered two fireball shots. When Erin returned, she swiveled in her chair and held the shot out to her. “You better be pretty amazing at this, or you’re going to owe me big time,” she smirked, wondering if Erin would even get the irony of that statement.

“Thank you,” Erin grinned over at her, taking the shot from her hands. The smell of cinnamon burned her nose before she even brought it too close to her face. “Oh, alright. It’s that kind of night, huh?” Winging it wasn’t the word she’d use for this right about now, but it was pretty damn close. “I’m terrible at this. 100% Guaranteed. The singing, I mean.” Smirked again, as she held the shot glass up to her, letting it clink gently. “Hey, you invited me out, right? I can’t help it if I’m fun. Cheers,” she shrugged, like Josephine had any idea what she’d been getting herself into before she walked through those doors. It burned the back of her throat as she took it down and she winced, shaking her head. Cher was fading into the background now and the DJ was calling their names to the stage. “Next one’s on me because you actually might hate me for this,” she winced a little, starting for the stage as the intro melody to You’re The One That I Want from Grease lit up the room.

“It sure is,” Josephine agreed, clinking her glass with Erin’s as they downed their shots. Josephine had never expected to be taking fireball whiskey shots with a hot woman before signing karaoke, but she supposed that even in her age, there were still surprises. She grinned widely, following her up. “You’re right, I did. I’ll take responsibility for that part,” she agreed, pausing only when they made it up to the stage and the melody started. She’d recognize that melody anywhere, and couldn’t help but roll her eyes, shaking her head. “You definitely owe me more than one round of drinks after this,” she chided, grabbing the microphone, and drawing her breath up. “Brace yourself,” she said, before picking up the song when the  “girl’s” lyrics kicked in.

Oh, good. Josephine was taking this with a grace that deserved free drinks the rest of the night. Erin could feel the alcohol loosening her limbs, her heart racing as dozens of eyes locked in on them. She made a point to pop the collar on her blazer, starting off the song, gripping the the side with one hand while the other held the microphone to her lips. “I got chills… they’re multiplyin’, and I’m losing  all contrOOooOll,” she exaggerated her voice just how she remembered John Travolta in the movie. Pointed dramatically to Josie, unable to wipe the stupid smirk off of her face. “Cause the power you’re supplying. It’s electrifyin’!”

Josephine couldn’t help but grin. When was the last time she’d let go and just had fun with someone? It was sometimes hard to remember that it was okay to have a life outside of her day to day duties. It was just hard to let herself get involved with anyone when she was going to live forever and most people would live to be 80 or 90. That was too many lifetimes of people dying to count. Instead, she let the moment take her, and the feeling of Erin’s deep-seeded resent filling her up. She hadn’t come here for a wish or a deal tonight, but she wouldn’t mind if one happened, either. She pointed back at Erin. “You better shape up, Cause I need a woman,” she embellished the lyric a bit, stepping closer to her, “And my heart is set on yoooou!” She had to admit, it was a fun song. She was smiling by the end of it, when they held the last note together. A little sweatier, a little drunker. “You owe me another drink,” she said into the microphone before setting it back on the stand.

For two minutes and fifty-nine seconds, Erin forgot everything that wasn’t Josephine singing the most ridiculous duet she could’ve found with her. Oh no, she was really pretty. And really close. Erin couldn’t stop grinning, cheeks flushed from singing and the alcohol. The tiny crowd drunkenly applauded them and she snapped back to reality. “Worth it,” she nodded, enthusiastic and genuine. She reached for Josie’s hand, turned to the crowd, and bowed dramatically like she’d seen them do in movies after a performance. Couldn’t help but notice how soft they were. They were getting nudged off by the next performers before she could do more than burst into another fit of hearty giggles, shaking her head. “Okay - how fun was that? Don’t lie to me. I know you liked it too,” She grinned, desperately pulling off her blazer. That scattered, sinking feeling was returning. More drinks. Now. “Promise is a promise, right?” Thankfully, the bartender had seen them coming and was already nodding and getting their drinks ready. Promise. Regan. Ugh. Erin’s face contorted into a frown and she took a long, cold sip of Whiskey.

“Alright, alright,” Josephine said, shaking her head despite the smile growing on her face, “that was pretty good.” She let Erin take her hand and guide them off the stage after their awkward bows, and tugged her over to the bar again, holding up her hand for two more drinks. The barkeep was way ahead of them, though, and had both their drinks poured by the time they made it over. Another flash of resent from Erin. Whatever was going on, she was trying to drown it with alcohol. But Josie knew that too much alcohol could lead to the exact opposite effect. She could play that game. If Erin wanted to drink until she spilled all her secrets, then that was fine with her. “Thank you. I like her girl who keeps her promises,” she said, taking her drink and having a long sip of it. Still nothing. Damned heightened tolerance. It would come soon, though. She smiled, wide, over the top of her glass. “You were pretty good up there, John Travolta. But I’ve gotta say, I think I liked looking at you better.”

Even just saying the word promise lit up a fresh, raw anger in her gut. People promised a lot of fucking things and nothing ever good came of it, did it? Not with Regan, with fucking dad. Not even herself, apparently. “I do keep my promises,” Erin smiled tightly, struggling to swallow the resentment in her voice. But Josie was talking again and her focus returned. Wasn’t hard when she smiled at her like that. “That so, huh?” Erin hoped her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. She took a long breath, leaning her elbow against the counter and a little closer to Josephine. “Serious question. If you had to choose between kissing John Travolta--young, suave John Travolta, I should clarify...” She grinned back at her, pausing for a beat, feeling fearless right now apparently. She had to be if she was going to go with this stupid line.  “Or me. Who would you pick?”

Oh, so it was something about promises that was setting Erin off right now. Josephine didn’t miss the tight lipped smile as she spoke the words. Josephine could only wonder if perhaps Erin had run into a meddling Fae and made a few too many promises that couldn’t be fixed. Josephine wouldn’t mind granting a few wishes against that. Or whatever else Erin was drunkenly trying to bury. It would feel better if she could dredge up that resent for her father, but, right now, the only words Josephine heard were about kissing. Her eyes lit up a little and a smirk curled onto her face. “Well,” she started slowly, as if thinking about it, “considering I already said you’re nicer to look at, what do you think the answer is?” she asked, but it wasn’t really a question. She was already leaning in closer. Nothing wrong with getting two things out of one night, after all.

Oh, she did say that, didn’t she? Erin thought she was being at least half clever and not mostly drunk. Thankfully, Josephine didn’t seem to care all that much. “Travolta, obviously,” she smirked sheepishly. This was fine. She was fine. Her heart started beating a mile a minute as she followed Josephine’s lead, gently cupping her cheek and pulled her lips to hers. Her lips were as soft as they looked and that was the only thing she was letting her spiraling mind focus on. Didn’t think about how she just didn’t go around kissing near-strangers in bars, or magic, or the pick-up of organs Dale would be by for in the morning. That last one only made her angry, and think about her dad again. Jesus Christ, the last thing she needed to think about was her fucking dad right now. What was wrong with her? Erin shoved all of that away, hard. Snaked her arm around Josie’s waist and kissed her harder.

Josephine leaned gratefully into the kiss, glad for the temporary reprieve from the loud bar. She was sure people would stare, but she didn’t really care. She wrapped her arms around Erin’s neck, pressing in. Erin’s lips were still cold with her drink, but nowhere near as cold as Deirdre’s. The important part was that Erin felt human, and that part made Josephine just a little sad. That this would never be anything more than a fling. She wasn’t even that old for her species, and she already felt the weariness of having to search for someone who could live beside her for longer than one lifespan. But, that was life, she supposed, and this was good right now, and Erin’s lips tasted almost as good as her anger. When she finally pulled away, hands resting on her shoulders, still leaning in close, she said, “Do you want to go somewhere else? Or get another drink? I’m down for either, Travolta.”

Do you want to go somewhere else? Josephine’s voice pulled her back to reality, hard and fast. Erin didn’t know why that triggered such a violent change in her chest, and she probably had those drinks she’d gulped down in a little over an hour to thank for allowing the dam to break loose. Her eyes burned. The room spun. She kept her eyes on Josephine, painfully aware of the tears raining down her cheeks. “No,” she croaked, narrowing her eyes. “Sorry, I--” Wow, this was new levels of embarrassing. But she couldn’t stop them now that they’d started. “I don’t--” she wiped at her eyes, panicking, starting for the door. “Sorry, I’m so sorry--I n-need some air.” God this was awful. Stumbling through the crowd, she managed to find the door and burst out, the crisp air hitting her like brick. Fuck, she left her blazer inside. She’d rather freeze than have to turn tail and face Josephine again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she mumbled, letting herself pathetically dropping to sit on the edge of the curb a short distance from the entrance.

Josephine couldn’t help but frown. Was it something she said? Perhaps it was just moving too quickly. Some people liked to take it slow. And that was fine. Glancing over, she noticed Erin had left her jacket, and that, coupled with the fact that she’d been crying and Josephine could still feel her, meant she should probably go give it back. Grabbing the jacket, and handing the bartender a ten, she slipped from her spot and headed out. “Erin?” she asked tentatively, looking around. Spotted her sitting on the edge of the sidewalk. She sighed, putting on a concerned look-- and, well, she was concerned-- and headed over, draping the jacket over Erin’s shoulders as she shivered. Sat next to her. “So...I know I’m not the coolest person in town, but I’ve never had a girl cry before.” Held out a napkin to her. “Was it the duet? Did you want to sing the other part?”

There was nothing Erin wanted to do more at that moment than melt into the storm drain under her feet when she saw Josephine reappear. Burying her face into her hands would have to do for now. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she kept shaking her head, though a pained chuckle left her lips at Josephine’s small joke. “I shouldn’t have--this was a bad idea,” she mumbled, pulling her hands away to wipe at her eyes and cheeks. Couldn’t bear to look at this beautiful, funny, kind woman, knowing how badly of an ass she just made of herself. “Not because of you. Not at all because of you. You are cool as shit,” she assured her, staring at the storm drain, tugging the jacket tighter around her shoulders. Thankful that she had stopped crying for now, at the very least. “It’s me. It’s all me, and it’s Regan, and it’s my fucking dad, who I could just--” she felt her heart leap when she heard the words coming out of her mouth, spurned by the anger in her throat. Took a deep breath, glancing slowly over at Josephine. “Did you know drinking your feelings away doesn’t work?” she winced, a small, bitter smile on her lips.

“Oh, I know I’m cool,” Josephine said with a little shrug and a grin, “that was just for you sake.” She leaned back. “Don’t apologize, I get it. Sometimes you just gotta cry. I’m a school counselor, I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times grown adults and teachers come running into my office yelling and then start crying. It’s really alright.” That feeling of intense anger spiked in Erin again and Josephine had to fight to hide her interest in it. Perhaps just one more little poke, and it would all come out. “I did know that. Next time I’ll be sure to let you know before you try,” she grinned, giving her a little nudge with her elbow. “You know what does help? Talking. I know we don’t really know each other, but there’s a reason therapists aren’t allowed to collude with their patients. Sometimes talking to a stranger is easier. Better.” She turned to face Erin a little more fully, leaning her elbows on her knees, looking at her with genuine concern. “And you already cried in front me, so it can’t really get much worse, right?”

Of all the strangers to have a meltdown in front of, Erin was glad for it to be Josephine. She was going to owe her drinks for the rest of her life if she didn’t completely ghost Erin after this mess. She'd deserved it. “I guess it can’t, huh?” That prickle in the corner of her eyes returned and she bit her lip hard when she felt herself give into the offer. “For the longest time I thought I knew exactly what my life was going to be and what to expect. And then… one morning,” she snapped her fingers sharply. “Turns out everything I thought I knew was really fucking wrong. And it just keeps happening,” she paused, trying to find the right words. “Can’t change anything now, but God do I wish I could just--” her head shook, jaw clenched, but she couldn’t hold it in. “I wish I could just see my dad one more time. Just one more time, so I could just--scream at him for a bit, you know? He left me with his fucking mess of a business--” she turned quickly to look at Josephine. “The funeral home, I mean,” she corrected. She wasn’t that drunk enough to spill all of her family’s secrets. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that her father absolutely knew there was something dark going on in this town. Bear-people, vampire slayers, magic fucking mind control. At least she could’ve been prepared. Asshole didn’t do him justice. She sniffled, the tears falling against her will once more. Tried to smile again, rolling her eyes. “Fucking daddy issues. God. Could I be more cliche right now?”

Wish. The word set something off, rattling around inside of Josephine. She mulled the thought over. It would be easy enough for her to just snap and grant the wish now, but she wanted to see if, maybe, there was more. She gave a shake of her head. “If you’re a cliche, then so am I,” she said, “my father was a deadbeat, no good, abusive sack of shit. Only thing he left me was painful memories.” She shrugged. “Your anger is justified, even if you had a good relationship with him before. If he were alive, what would you want to say to him? What would you want him to feel?”

Erin shook her head, placing her hand on Josephine’s knee, her touch empathetic. Letting her know she heard her when words failed her right now. “Shit, that’s--god, that’s shit,” was all she could mutter in response, though she’d gained a new appreciation for her kindness with that confession. What would she say to him? Anger coursed through her like it had been bottled and stuck it right into her vein. “I’d want him to feel like the scum of the earth,” she started, tapping into something buried deep in her stomach. “While he’s turning into worm food, completely free of all of this bullshit, he left me here, trapped and completely unprepared. That his bullshit destroyed any chance I had at--” Words caught in her throat as a hard knot built up. Oh god, was she crying again? But it felt good to say the words. In the three months he’d been dead, she had no one she could properly talk to about this. Couldn’t vent in full detail about his ugly behavior. Her chest felt lighter even now. “He doesn’t deserve rest. He doesn’t deserve peace. The only part he should get to enjoy is the fucking rotting.” She wiped at her eyes harder, wrapping her arms around her middle. Quiet for a long moment. Blinked and remembered where she was. Opened her mouth to apologize, that she had gotten lost in her anger, her words were too harsh. But she wasn’t sorry. Not even a little.

That was more like it. Josephine smiled, ear to ear, and leaned in a little closer to Erin. “I can feel your pain,” she said, trying not to show the excitement bubbling inside of her. This was exactly what she’d been waiting for and the magic inside of her bubbled to be let out. She took Erin’s hand gently in hers, gave it a squeeze. “And you’re allowed to feel this way. You’re anger is real and true and I know just how to help with that.” And as she said that, delighting in her own satisfaction of the moment, she lifted her free hand, and snapped.

Out in Strawford cemetery, a hand clawed its way up to the surface, bloodied and covered in dirt and grass. The headstone read ‘Jack Nichols’.

[pocketknlves]

look, i called you. you specifically. / bad night she want u tommy. :(

“i know. i just–” you shouldn’t go. if you weren’t selfish, you’d leave her be. but it’s two a.m., it’s her soft voice on the other line, and it’s so easy to set these thoughts to bed. and how can you say no? “…yeah, of course,” he relents, shoulder settled against phone to hold it in place while he sorted out his jacket, his keys. “i’ll be there in ten.” alaska lilts her head at him in what he presumes to be judgement, and he exhales, takes inventory of dark empty room, of what the fuck he was doing; “…don’t look at me like that.”

jenny’s waiting on the porch for him when old pickup rumbles to a stop. radio lulls him into brief hesitation, and he lets it roll and drone as he steps out onto dead street. party clamor pours from gleaming windows, from a house he doesn’t know besides in passing. silent, he meets her as she stands, lets her get closer as the porch lights come to halo her. he catches the tear tracks even in the dark–the dim of her shine from several feet away. 

”hey–” he uncages almost immediately, careful when he brings her into his arms, chin coming to rest over the top of her head. “…someone say something to you?” it’s an honest question–and underlying threat upon the crystal lake townies that thought they knew anything. he tilts his head, brings thumb to brush at damp cheek. “where do you wanna go?” faint smile–in too deep. the reservations and the conflict making their firey rampage in the back of his mind slip. they slip because he’s always getting caught on her, because he thinks maybe he loves her. because he thinks he might say it one day.  every sharp edge softens when he looks her over; “do you want home? or that shitty diner with the malt shakes?” 

[simsontherope]

Life goes on for Kale, who uses his free time to continue his videos (he bought a drone to film her yoga training). After raising is acting skill, and a few auditions, he even got a role in an advertisement, which helped him to increase his fame level.

To celebrate, he decided to go out to a popular club, where he met Faustin, a raising star. It was a bit hard to approach him, but at the end of the night, Kale got his number ! The next day, the young man signed his first autograph, things are going pretty well for him.

For the moment, I'm not sure I'm going to continue this let's play, it's a little frustrating to play without mods (especially when the game generate lots and lots of townies, it’s hard to take nice picture with them in the background.). I think I will try to build a bit, Kale's house is almost finished (I'm thinking of sharing it tomorrow), and the other buildings of Del Sol Valley really need a makeover !

If you want my impression of the EP, after some hours in game, click on Keep Reading !  My opinion is a bit mixed, but it’s not a surprise considering how I play my game.

As I felt it, it's not a theme for me. I don't think I use the celebrity system much, it doesn't fit my gameplay style (thank you a lot for the option to disable it, by the way). For the acting career, like the active careers of Get to Work, it's fun at first, but I know I'll get bored soon. It leaves me with some new gameplay objects, I haven’t tested all of them yet, but I already love the stuff you can use to increase your Media Production skill !

The new world is nice and detailed, but more lots would have been so much better. It's really pretty, but not really functional. I still don't understand why they decided to put such big lots in the starting area, it makes it difficult to create starter houses without leaving the interior and the garden too empty. Replacing the big 40x50 lot by two 20x30 lot would have made more sense.

I see there has been a lot of work on this EP. The CAS content is nice (I hope that one day we'll have really short, but not shaved haircuts for men, as well as more slim jeans options, but not cropped or ripped ones), the Build/Buy stuff is awesome (more clutters would have been nice), I can’t wait to use all this in my furure builds, with the new terrain tools.

I can't really advise you to get it or not, what you just read is only my personal opinion. If you are interested by the EP’s theme, I think you won’t be disappointed ! Otherwise, the CAS and Build stuff is nice, and the new game-play objects are interesting, it's up to you to decide if it's enough. 

We are close to the release date, many people will be able to share their impression (you can check the content of the other Game Changers if you can’t wait !), maybe it can help you to decide. ;)

[sixamese-simblr]

Build an Alien Colony Challenge

New! Now has basic BACC style rules and more differentiated castes!

Ever wanted to play the aliens on their home planet? Now you can! The goal of this challenge is to build a society of aliens from small beginnings. An adapted version for TS4 can be found here.

This challenge requires:

- A mod to make aliens in CAS

- OFB for the cheesecake/forcetwins

- FT for the “summon aliens” interaction or a mod that allows you to be abducted whenever you want.

Full rules under the cut!

Create a new empty neighborhood, with any terrain or template you think looks best as an alien planet. From there on, create six aliens to start off with:

- A birth queen, an adult woman with the romance aspiration.

- Two colony drones, adult men with the romance aspiration.

- Three caretakers, adults of any gender with the family aspiration.

Build three lots to start with: a palace for the birth queen, a house for the drones and a nursery for the caretakers. From there, play every household in the game the same number of days. The task of the birth queen is to try for baby as often as possible with the colony drones. She has super fertility, so use cheesecake or forcetwins. Every time a set of babies is born, try for baby again and neglect the babies so the social worker takes them away, or put them up for adoption with the Sim Blender. Each baby has to be adopted by one of the caretakers. The caretakers raise the children until they turn teens. If the number of sims in the nursery ever grows too large, build a new nursery and move a caretaker and their adopted children into that nursery. Once an alien turns into a teen, randomly assign them one of the base game aspirations. This determines their caste. If they have any aspiration other than family, move them into a lot with Sims of the same aspiration, or on an uninhabited lot if no such lot exists. 8 days before turning adult, you may send Queens, Technicians and Councillors to university if you have that EP. One semester in university corresponds to a day in the outside world.

Edit: an alternative playstyle is to keep the family tree intact by not adopting the babies out, but simply moving them to the caretakers' lot. In this playstyle, you may add a drone from CAS every time one of your colony drones grows up into an adult, to introduce fresh DNA to the hood.

The castes are as follows:

Romance: The Birth Queen and Colony Drones

These aliens are the only ones to reproduce, the only sim that may try for baby is the birth queen with one of the drones. There may only be one birth queen at a time, but there may be many colony drones. If there are multiple adult women with the romance aspiration, all others have to wait for their turn to become birth queen until the current queen dies or becomes infertile. They may not marry or take jobs. If there is no birth queen available, you may abduct (i.e. move in) one adult male townie or npc, more on that later. Female teens may go to college, male teens may not.

Family: Caretakers

The caretakers adopt each of the birth queen’s babies. Caretaker teens stay in the nursery where they grew up, and help with the younger sims there. They may not take jobs, taking care of the young aliens is their job. Teens may not go to college.

Knowledge: Technicians

Technicians are the most intelligent aliens. One of their most important tasks is crafting servos to help alienkind. Servos only act as live-in servants of households of Sims with their aspiration and as such may not take jobs, but Servos of family aspiration may adopt babies. Knowledge aliens may take the following jobs: Science, Natural Scientist, Supernatural, Education, Oceanography, Adventurer. Additionally, they may run and be hired at home or community lot businesses. Teens may go to college.

Fortune: The High Council

Fortune aliens collectively form the High Council, the alien ruling body. They have the biggest houses and most lavish lifestyles. They may take any jobs, and purchase community lots to run businesses there. Teens may go to college.

Popularity: Workers.

These aliens are the common folk. They may be hired to work in businesses. The only regular jobs available are Culinary (max lv. 6), Military (max lv. 2), Slacker (max lv. 6) and Architecture (max lv. 4), but only until a salary of max $500. Additionally, they may farm and craft at home. Teens may not go to college.

Human Sims

If there is no birth queen available, you may move in a single male townie or npc. Or, you may send a male human teen to college and graduate him as soon as there is no birth queen available. He lives in a lot of his own, and his task is to get abducted until there is a new birth queen available. You may impregnate him by abduction, or designate one of your young adult, adult or elder Technicians Pollination Technician, who will father the babies through the Sim Blender. He may raise the resulting babies himself, or they may be taken away by the social worker to be raised by the caretakers. He does not have super fertility, and may not use cheesecake or forcetwins. His children are regular members of alien society. He may not take a new job, only keep one he may already have.

Economics

Phase 1: Grants

At the start of the game, the Queen starts out with $20,000, the Drones start out with $25,000 and the nursery starts out with $30,000. Take care that at any moment, the nursery needs to have $3,000 to spare in order to adopt. If a Sim grows up and there is no existing household for their caste, they get a starting fund of $20,000. Any other households need to be funded by splitting up established households of a caste, who take part of the funds with them. Sims can only live with other members of the same caste.

There are two phases in the economics gameplay. During the first phase, the Galactic Colonization Program awards grants to colonists. The Queen and Colony Drones each receive $500 per child they birthe or father, so $1000 for a set of twins. The nursery receives $1000 per birthday from baby to toddler, and $1000 per green memory birthday from toddler to child or from child to teen. This phase ends once the first born in-game alien turns adult, and after that the queen, drones and nurseries will no longer receive grants.

Phase 2: taxes

Every Sunday, councillors, technicians, and workers need to pay taxes, based on their net worth displayed in the Neighborhood view. The amounts are as follows:

Workers & Technicians: 5% to the Queen, 5% to a nursery

High Council: 10% to the Queen, 5% to a nursery, 5% to drones.

Community lots

Free lots:

2 free lots can be added to the neighborhood. At the very beginning, you get a natural area. This may be a forest, a volcanic hot spring, an impact crater, or something else that fits the hood’s theme. When the first death occurs, you may build a graveyard or mausoleum.

Public lots:

The Queen may use part of her net worth to buy public community lots, owned by the royal household. These may, however, not be run as a business and generate income.

Owned lots:

Members of the High Council and Technicians may purchase community lots and run businesses there.

The challenge ends when a birth queen whose birth mother was born in game dies of old age.

General mays and may nots:

- Sims may marry and whoohoo whomever, although Romance sims may not marry and try for baby is forbidden for anyone but the current Birth Queen.

- Triplet/quadruplet mods are allowed, but not required. Take care that those will make the challenge much more difficult for your caretakers in the beginning, and will cause your population to be much larger in the long run!

- You may not use risky whoohoo mods.

- You may not use the elixir of life, other ways of extending life are fine (cowplant, genie, vampires etc.