Gay life in 1970′s Downtown Veronaville
Roger is a romance sim who dreams of becoming a world famous chef, but where can he find the time to build his skills? Between his roommates and boy toys he barely has time to watch the cooking channel, let alone open a book. And who has the money to actually practice recipes? It seems that the love of his chosen family (and the love of many horny downtownies) is enough to keep him happy. And who knows? Maybe his charm alone will be enough to find a career beyond fast food.
Marco is a family sim who wants to get married, have children, see his children get married, and so on. For most sims this is a simple task, but Marco will have to find a new way of doing things. Marco has his fun downtown, but the men here seem to only want woohoo. At least its better than Veronaville, where murder over love and family honor are the talk of the town. And all that over a couple of straight teenagers! Who needs the stress of finding a boyfriend in that kind of place? He’s not willing to hide who he is to have children the old fashion way, and adoption from an agency seems to be out of the question. Maybe the world isn’t ready for a sim like Marco, but maybe he can find another way to create a legacy.
Myra is a popularity sim who wants to be friends with the whole world. Too bad not everyone wants to be friends with her. Sure, she’s popular within her circle. Roger’s flings certainly love to see her face across the breakfast table. Plus she’s popular with the ladies. But in the professional world her friendliness and magnetic personality only go so far. She dipped her toes in politics, but the only thing she accomplished was getting put on a watchlist. They thought allowing a Southeast Asian woman in the room during the height of the Vietnam war was a risky decision, but they didn’t anticipate her radical politics. Now she works as a hostess at a local restaurant. The restaurant figured a pretty girl with a charming personality would be perfect for the job, but Myra wants to find a new path. Everyone says careers are becoming available to women, but employers still see Myra as just a pretty face.
Janay is knowledge sim, but she isn’t sure what she wants from life. Unfortunately she didn’t receive the best education from Downtown’s public schools, and never had the time to build her skills. Now she’s making up for it by studying and practicing her skills every chance she gets. She loves painting, but her work rarely sells. When money is tight she picks up a few shifts as an EMT, but without a college degree her career growth in the medical field is limited. Janay wants to try everything, and her abilities in both the logical and artistic side of things means she can be good at almost anything with enough effort. She has no trouble finding women to connect with, but there is always something missing from the relationship. Sometimes she wonders if there is chemistry between her and Myra, but she is scared to potentially lose one of her best friends. And if it doesn’t work out, it might just to be too awkward to share a room with an ex-lover.
Jackson is a knowledge sim, who could probably find a career in nearly any professional field. However, his passion is rock and roll and he is damn good at it. The trouble is there’s no gigs in town. It seems every venue has their resident musicians and nobody is willing to give him a chance. His father always wanted him to become a lawyer, but he dropped out of law school to follow his dreams. Yes, lawyers can help change the world for the better, but Jackson figures musicians can too --even unsuccessful ones. He tried his hand at love, but his taste in a physical appearance leans a bit older. And he hasn’t had much luck with older men. They just don’t get him or his music. Not to mention most of them have families, and Jackson is tired of being a side piece. So for now his focus is on music and friendship.
Cliff is the newest addition to the household. He is a popularity sim juggling high school and his personal life. He is the middle child of five siblings. Growing up his brothers teased him for his gentle nature, which escalated to fist fights, which in turn nearly changed him. His father is in the military and he expects all four of his sons to follow in his footsteps. One night he snuck away from his isolated family home in Veronaville and took a taxi downtown. He met Jackson and Marco at Rodney’s hideout and a handsome boy his same age, named BJ. Nearly every night he would sneak away from his chaotic household to meet with Jackson, Marco, or to go on a date with BJ. This hurt his already strained relationship with his father, and he lost his mother as a best friend as a result. One night his father found a bouquet with a love note attached from BJ. The already tense relationship escalated and they became enemies. His once wonderful relationship with his mother turned less than pleasant. The only family member he could still count on was his twin sister, Diana. However, this wasn’t enough for Cliff, so he ran away and told Marco everything. Luckily, the household welcomed him with open arms and they are all determined to give him a better life.
Here is Cliff lounging at the house during his summer vacation. Diana is the only family member he contacted since leaving, and while he is no longer furious with his parents and brothers, he is not yet ready to repair the relationships. For the first time he is happy with his life. For a popularity sim he was never exactly popular in Veronaville, but now he is thrilled to have built lifelong friendships with the other members of the household. He finally has the support system he missed out on as a child, and he can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Here is the household gathered around the record player, chatting about the latest movies. You might be wondering how they all ended up together, but it is quite simple. Marco and Roger had a short lived relationship that didn’t work out, but they remained best friends. Myra and Jackson have been long time BFF’s. Marco sewed an outfit for Jackson so he could grab more attention while busking, and they hit it off. And Janay met Myra at an anti-war protest. With each of them lost and without a place to stay at one point or another, the household grew, and their friendships grew, and they formed a family. The arrival of Cliff has them all looking back on their own childhoods, and they realize it takes a village to raise a child. So who knows? Maybe more lost kids will come their way, and maybe they can make a difference for the next generation of Veronaville rejects.
